How significant of a role do the gods play in deciding the fate of Odysseus?

They play a significant role in regards to when Odysseus goes home, both speeding up and delaying the process. Athena calls a council of the Gods to argue to Zeus that Odysseus should be allowed to return home resulting in Zeus sending Hermes to Calypso's island to order his release. The gods also delay his journey such as Poseidon who creates a storm sinking his ship and forcing Odysseus to seek refuge on the island of the Phoenicians after swimming for several days just to try and find land. The Odyssey is a story of Odyssey's delayed journey and the extent of the delay is very much decided by the gods.However, the significance of the gods fades in comparison to other factors such as fate. Zeus even acknowledges in the council of the gods that Odysseus is predestined to get home and that fate is a higher power than even Zeus himself. Odysseus gets cursed by Polyphemus who predicts that he will get home but in a foreign ship, with no men and to find chaos in his home. All of this comes true, but it is revealed that Odysseus was fated to meet and blind Polyphemus as was told in a prophecy to the Cyclops long ago. This demonstrates a lack of agency from both Odysseus and Polyphemus. Fate plays a large role in determining that he will get home and the conditions under which he gets there.