The Odyssey - Book 3 (TELEMACHUS WITH NESTOR)

• Telemachus and his ship land in Pylos, the disembarked with Athene leading the way.
• Athene (disguised as Mentor still) tells Telemachus basically to grow a pair and go to Nestor and tell him he has come to find out about the honest truth of his father, and tell him to tell the truth as it is. 
• Telemachus asks 'Mentor' how he should approach Nestor as he has had no practice in making speeches, and it is embarrassing for a young man to question a senior. 
• Athene replies with "Telemachus, where your own intelligence fails and god will inspire you. For I think the gods have blessed both you and your progress to manhood"
• Athene then led the way up to Nestors palace, where the people of Pylos were assembled. 
• Around Nestor were his sons. other people around him were were piercing meat with skewers or roasting it in preparation for a banquet. 
• As soon as they noticed the strangers, Nestors first son Peisistratus took them by the hand and invited them to the banquet, then Nestors second son Thrasymedes filled a gold cup with wine and welcomed Pallas Athene. 
• Athene was delighted with the good manners which they had been welcomed with. Especially with Thrasymedes giving her the golden cup first, and began to pray to Poseidon asking him to grant glory to Nestor and his sons. 
• After they had finished their meal Nestor asked them who they are. 
• Telemachus replies to him telling him that he is from Ithaca and he is there to search for information about his long lost father, Odysseus. "So I have come here to plead with you in the hope that you will tell me the truth about my fathers unhappy end, if by any chance you witnessed it yourself or heard the story from some wanderer like him, For if ever a man was born to suffer, it was he. Do not soften your account out of any pity or concern you have for my feelings, but faithfully describe the scene that met your eyes"
• Nestor explains to Telemachus how no one on earth would be willing to tell him exactly what happened because it was so horrific (the Trojan war that is, not Odysseus' death -spoilers- because Odysseus isn't dead). He goes on to tell Telemachus how his father was admirable, and how Telemachus talks just like Odysseus did. 
• Nestor explains how Odysseus went with Agamemnon whilst he stayed with Menelaus so they were split up also. 
• Nestor tells Telemachus that the "future generations will sing your praises" 
• Telemachus then tells Nestor about the suitors asking for his mothers hand in marriage 
• Nestor then says that it is unknown if Odysseus will return or not.
• Telemachus then tells mentor that they can no longer rely on his fathers return
• He then goes on to talk about the Trojan war, and what happened to himself. Telemachus asked about what happened to Agamemnon and Nestor explains about how when he returned home from the war, Aeigisthus had seduced his wife Cytamnestra and with her permission Aeigisthus had killed Agamamnon. 
• As Nestor finished explaining the story to Telemachus, Athene told him that he told his tale well and that they will pour wine and offer it to Poseidon. 
• Nestor then declares that he wants Telemachus and all of his men to sleep in his palace overnight instead of their ship.
• Athene tells Telemachus to stay with Nestor as she returns to the ship to tell all of the men that they can stay in the palace over night. 
• She told Nestor to give Telemachus the fastest and strongest horses in his stable, and send him on a chariot with one of his sons. 
• After saying this to Nestor Athene takes the form of a vulture and flies off- "the King marveled at the sight"
• All of the men went to sleep in the palace grounds apart from Telemachus who slept in the actual palace on a bedstead with spearsman, Peisistratus next to him.
• In the morning Nestor gathered all of his sons around and Telemachus. He made a speech saying he wanted one of his sons to go to the field and get a heifer (cow) and bring it as quickly as the cowherd can drive it here, he also wants one of his sons to go to Telemachus' ship and bring back all of his men but two, he wants another one of his sons to go to Laerces the goldsmith to gield the heifers horns. The rest of his sons are to stay with him and tell the servants to prepare a feast in the palace and to fetch firewood and fire. 
• The heifer was fetched form the field, the men came from Telemachus' ship and the smith came "equipped with the bronze tools of his trade", Athene also came to accept the sacrifice. 
• Nestor then started the ritual, starting with lustral water and the scattered grain, he offered his prayers to Athene and threw a tuft of hair from the cows head onto the fire. Then Nestor's son, Thrasymedes stepped up and cut through the cows tendonds in its leg. The men lifted up the cow as Peisistratus cut it's throat. They then disembarked the carcass and burnt the things on the fire. 
• Nestor's youngest daughter Polycaste bathed Telemachus, after she bathed him she rubbed him with olive oil, gave him a tunic and put a bath cloak around his shoulders. "He stepped away from the bath looking like an immortal god"
• Once they had all feasted together on the leftovers they had let from the carcass, Nestor told his sons to fetch Telemachus two horses and a chariot so that he could go on his way. 
• Nestor's son Peisistratus got beside him in the chariot and took the reins, he urged the horses forwards. 
• They reached Pharae as the sun went down. The drove to the house of Diocles, where they spent the night and received gifts.
• "As soon as Dawn appeared" they harnessed their horses again and they drove off.