<P> Meanwhile, the goddess Athena, who sneaks into the palace, disguises herself as a sea - captain's daughter and instructs princess Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alcinous in her sleep to go to the seashore to wash her clothes . The next morning, Nausicaa and her maids go to the seashore, and, after washing the clothes, they start to play a game on the beach, with laughs, giggles and shouts . Odysseus, who was exhausted from his adventure and was sleeping nearby, is awakened by the shouts . He covers his nakedness with thick leaves and goes to ask for help from the team . Upon seeing the unkempt Odysseus in this state, the maids run away, but, Nausicaa, encouraged by Athena, stands her ground and talks to him . To excuse the maids, she admits that the Phaeacians are "the farthermost of men, and no other mortals are conversant with them", so they run away since they have never seen a stranger before . Nausicaa, being hospitable, provides clothes, food and drink to Odysseus, and then directs him to the palace of King Alcinous . </P> <P> Following Nausicaa's orders, Odysseus sought to enter the palace of King Alcinous and plead for mercy from the queen, Arete, so he could make his way home . On his way to the palace, Odysseus meets Athena disguised as a local girl . In her disguised state, Athena advises him about how to enter the palace . Athena, knowledgeable that the Phaeacians were hostile towards men from the outlands, cloaked Odysseus in a mist that hid him from the Phaeacians' gaze . Under Athena's protection, Odysseus passes through all of the protection systems of the palace and enters the chamber of King Alcinous . Odysseus throws his arms around the queen's legs and supplicates her . Naturally, Alcinous and his court are surprised to see a stranger walking into their secured palace . It was only after Echeneus, a Phaeacian elder, urged King Alcinous to welcome the stranger that they offered Odysseus hospitality </P> <P> The front doors of the palace are flanked with two dogs made of silver and gold, constructed by Hephaestus . The walls of the palace are made of bronze that "shines like the sun" and is secured with gates made of gold . Within the walls, there is a magnificent garden with apple, pear, and pomegranate trees that grow year - round . The palace is even equipped with a lighting system comprising golden statues of young men bearing torches . After Odysseus tells Alcinous and his court the story of his adventures after the Trojan War, the Phaeacians take him to Ithaca on one of their ships . </P> <P> The Phaeacians possessed remarkable ships . They were quite different from the penteconters, the ships used during the Trojan War, and they were steered by thought . King Alcinous says that Phaeacians carried Rhadamanthus to Euboea, "which is the furthest of any place" and came back on the same day . He also explains to Odysseus what sort of information the Phaeacian ships require in order to take him home to Ithaca . </P>

What is so special about the phaeacian ships