Plot: Book 20 opens with Penelope and Odysseus both having a restless nights of sleep. Odysseus fears that he and his son Telemachus will not be able to conquer the vast number of suitors, but Athena comes to him and reassures him. Penelope is tormented by her husband's supposed death, and the fact that she will remarry tomorrow causes her so much agony, that she prays to Artemis to kill her. While Odysseus is awake, he prays to Zeus for a good omen. The maid in the other room also wishes for the suitors to be struck down, and Zeus responds with roaring thunder. Odysseus first meets Eumaeus who asks of the suitors doing, then he talks with Melanthius who once again insults him. Finally, Odysseus talks with Philoetius who has been hoarding Odysseus's flocks for years. He says that he has not yet given up hope of Odysseus's return. Meanwhile, the suitors continue their plotting, but Amphinomus attempts to convince them to call off the murder. However, Athena continues to stir the suitors and they do not agree with him. That night, Ctesippus, one of the suitors, throws a cow hove at Odysseus. Telemachus responds by threatening to run him through with a sword. The suitors caught at this threat, however, the walls of the room began to become covered in blood, and the faces of the suitors become pale and white. Theoclymenus interprets this as a sign of their inescapable doom.