Meanwhile, the god Hermes has been sent to Calypso’s isle to demand Odysseus’ liberation in

Zeus’s name. The nymph reluctantly agrees, and sends Odysseus on his way in a raft of his
own making. However, Poseidon sees Odysseus’ escape, and sends a storm to destroy him.
With the help of Athene and the sea goddess, Leukothea, Odysseus is able to swim for several
days and land exhausted on the isle of the Phaeaceans: Scheria. After having secured shelter
for himself beneath a bush, Odysseus is wakened the next morning by the playful dancing of
Nausikaa, Princess of the Phaeaceans, and the handmaids who accompany her to do the palace
laundry. Odysseus and Nausikaa encounter each other, and the latter agrees to take him to the
palace of her father, Alcinoös.