"It is true that the young men with their ... black ship are lying in wait for him to kill him before he reaches his country; but I think this will not happen, but that sooner the earth will cover some one of those suitors, who now are eating away your substance."
-Athena
Athene reminds us that the suitors deserve death not only for violating the laws of hospitality, but for plotting to kill Telemachus and to marry Penelope.
This quote seems to argue the fact that man has absoloutely no control over his destiny and that because Telemachus is meant to live to serve some other purpose, he is not able to die. The only way he could really alter his destiny and die would be to greatly anger the gods because the gods are above destiny. They live in each moment completely with no preordained path, truly free to do whatever they wish. This greatly adds to the appearance of the gods as children. They can do as they wish, and so they do, giving in to each new desire as it presents itself.
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