The next morning, one of Nestor's sons and Telemachus arrive in Sparta. The king of Sparta, Menelaus, was hosting a double wedding and enjoying a feast in the palace. Telemachus and Nestor's son waited outside the gates until Menelaus invited then into the palace to share in the feast. They were seated at a table where bread and appetizers were served. The King welcomed them and told them to help themselves and would ask them later who they were and where were they from.
Once they finished eating, Menelaus described how he had collected all the riches and goods inside his palace. But while he was roaming the lands, a stranger had killed his brother, Agamemnon, so he had attained all this wealth but did not enjoy it. As much as he grieves for the lost of his brother and soldiers, he grieves, as well, for Odysseus. According to Menelaus, Odysseus had labored and achieved so much but it ended in suffering. At the sound of his father's name, Telemachus started crying and Menelaus at once recognized him as the son of Odysseus. After this, Menelaus's wife, Helen, appeared from her bedroom with a spindle and a basket of yarn for weaving. She asked her husband who the guests were and said surely one of them was the son of Odysseus. Menelaus agreed and said they did look similar. Nestor's son, Pisistratus said he indeed was the son of Odysseus and he had traveled here to hear news of his father's return home, but was too modest to ask. Menelaus was overjoyed to hear that the son of his dearest friend was in his house. Menelaus shared some memories of Odysseus and it made the whole group start to cry. To stop the sadness, Menelaus suggested they eat dinner. Helen decided to drug the wine with "heart's-ease" to prevent lighten the mood and stop everyone's tears. Helen and Menelaus shared stories about Odysseus until Telemachus suggested they go to bed.
The next morning, after everyone woke up, Menelaus asked Telemachus why he traveled so far to get to Sparta, to which Telemachus responded that he was searching for news of his father. Menelaus then told Telemachus the story of his own journey home. Menelaus had been marooned on an island off of Egypt and was eager to go home. Menelaus and his crew were stuck on an island for twenty days, when their food rations ran out. The crew would be stuck there still if Eidothea had not felt sympathy for Menelaus.
She appeared to him, and he asked what he could do to get home and which of the gods he made angry. The goddess said that the Proteus, the prophet who could not lie, would be able to answer his questions if Menelaus was able to capture him. In order to capture the Old Man of the Sea, Menelaus would have to wait until he came onto land and then ambush him. The next day, Menelaus chose three of his most capable of his crew members, and they headed toward the beach and hid under seal skins that Eidothea had lent him. When the old man emerged from the waves, Menelaus pinned him to the ground. The Proteus tried to shape shift to get away but Menelaus held him down. When the old man finally gave up, he asked why Menelaus had trapped him. Menelaus in turn asked him why he had not been able to sail home. The old man replied that he should have sacrificed and then set sail, as opposed to sailing, and then sacrificing. The Old Man of the Sea urged Menelaus to go back to Egypt and offer a sacrifice to Zeus and then sail home. After this, Menelaus asked the Proteus if any if the other Achaeans had reached their homes unarmed. The Old Man answered that many of them died including Menelaus's brother, and that one of them was still alive and, but was being held captive somewhere. This news crushed Menelaus and he wept, but after he had cried all his tears, the Proteus told Menelaus to stop get strive to get home, and if he hurries, he might be able to avenge his brother's death. After Menelaus's old pride returned, he asked Proteus who the third man, who was alive but a captive was, and the answer was Odysseus, who was trapped on Calypso's island, weeping to go home. After Menelaus had asked all of his questions, Proteus dove back into the ocean and swam away.
After this story was told, Menelaus asked Telemachus to stay with him for a week or two, at which time Menelaus would give Telemachus a "princely send-off". Telemachus asked Menelaus not to keep him so long, but instead for a few days, because his crew was waiting for him in Pylos. At the end of this discussion preparations were being made for that night's feast.
Meanwhile, in Odysseus's palace, the suitors were entertaining themselves by throwing spears, while Antinous sat apart watching. The man who lent Telemachus his boat, Noemon, approached Antinous and asked if he knew when Telemachus would be back, as Noemon needed to use his boat. Antinous was astonished, as he had thought that Telemachus was still on the island, hiding somewhere. With this information, Antinous headed back to Odysseus's house and brought all of the suitors together to have a meeting. Antinous suggested that they get a boat together and ambush Telemachus on his way home from his journey. The suitors roared their approval at this suggestion, and after this they went to bed.
Penelope, however, soon found out of the plan to kill her son. When she was told that her son had sailed off without telling her, and is now being plotted against, she collapsed and was speechless. The servant who told her the plans told Penelope that either by god or his own impulses, Telemachus left for Pylos to hear about his father's return. The queen began to cry, heartbroken. She asked Zeus why first she had to lose her brave husband, and now her only son. Then, the nurse who Telemachus had sworn to secrecy, confessed, saying Telemachus didn't want her to find out so that she wouldn't cry for him. This cured Penelope's grief, so she bathed and then prayed to Athena, asking her to save her son. In the main hall, the suitors put their plan into action by acquiring a ship and then set sail. In her bedroom, Penelope lay brooding and her mind wheeling, when she finally fell asleep. Athena then had an idea. She created a ghost in the form of Penelope's sister to talk to Penelope in her sleep. In the queen's dream, her sister inspires her with courage, saying that her son's escort to these foreign lands is none other than Athena. The queen asked about Odysseus, if he was alive, or dead. To this, the ghost replied that she could not tell the whole story. After this discussion, the ghost left, and Penelope was comforted.
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