The Trojans were currently crushing the Achaean forces, spurred on by Zeus with power and courage.
But on Olympos Hera was pacing up and down her porch, while Athena was sitting on the staircase, watching her stepmother.
"It's a disaster, Athena", she rambled, "A disaster! Look at this, Hektor is raging among the Achaean troops like a madman! No one seems able to stop him, just behold all of this slaughter! Is there nothing we can do?!"
"As much as I would like to stop him and blow his lights out", Athena grumbled sourly, "You have heard father earlier. And he is the one allowing Hektor to wreak havoc. He is full of aggression and anger and he has forgot all the things I have done – all the times I had to come to the aid of his son Herakles, back when he was a mortal. Had I known what I know today, I wouldn't have. Now he's slighting me in favour of Thetis, just because she wheedled and kissed his knees to restore Akhilleus' lost honour. Well, sooner or later father will call me his 'little Owl-Eye' again. Let's go and see if we can end the slaughter after all."
Stepmother and Stepdaughter exchanged a glance of mutual agreement.
Hera readied her chariot and horses, while Athena armed herself and grabbed a long and heavy spear, hell-bent on unleashing her wrath upon the Trojans.
...
But neither of them noticed Ares and Apollon, who saw them dash through the Heavenly Gates.
Apollon frowned: "Didn't they hear what father said earlier?"
Ares snickered and rubbed his hands gleefully: "Yes, they did. Oh, this is gonna be good!"
"Should we give father a call?"
"Nah, I'm sure he'll notice."
...
And notice Zeus did.
He noticed and he was not pleased!
Before he could do something he'd regret, he sent Iris up to them.
"Say this: I tell them openly – and I am used to keeping my word – that I will hurl my lightning at them and throw them off their chariot. Athena shall learn what it means to go against her father. I don't care about Hera; she can't help but act up it doesn't get to me anymore."
Iris nodded and tore through the air and back to Olympos to stop the two goddesses.
"In the name of Zeus! Whereto so fast?", she confronted them, "Are you out of your mind? Zeus forbids you to help the Achaeans! He tells you openly – and he is used to keeping his word – that he will hurl his lightning at you and throw you off that chariot. You, Athena, shall learn what it means to go against your father. He doesn't care about Hera, she can't help but act up and it doesn't get to him anymore. But you insolent wench have gone too far! Do you really dare to shake that huge spear in front of him?!"
With that message delivered, she returned to Zeus.
...
It took a moment for Hera and Athena to recover from their stupor.
"Did she just call me an insolent wench?!", Athena asked incredulously.
Hera sighed: "Let it go, it doesn't matter. We better go back – a few mortals are not worth pushing our luck. May chance decide over who wins and who dies. Let Zeus do as he pleases, it's his privilege as King of the Gods."
They drove back and joined the rest of the Olympians at lunch, before retreating to a corner to sulk.
Athena's bright blue eyes wandered along the others, until they stopped at Ares.
Placidly he was eating his lunch, looking so innocent and noninvolved, it was absurd.
Until his eyes met hers for the split of a second and she could see the glee and smugness, before he resumed his innocent act.
I could strangle him!
Her anger intensified, when Zeus returned.
...
Zeus stopped his chariot in front of the main palace and Poseidon lead the horses away, looking as if the day couldn't get any worse.
Of course, Zeus always knew how to make someone's day worse, but Poseidon hadn't been the one to attempt to disobey him. So he would leave him alone.
When he entered the dining hall, the King of the Gods saw his wife and favourite daughter sulking in a corner and promptly proceeded to make fun of them.
"Are you pouting, because I made no exception for you? I don't know what you expected. When I say I will punish anyone, who goes against my prohibition, I mean it! You should know better than to try and interfere with me; none of you is my equal in strength, you know that. You don't know the horrors of war as well as you think you do – that would be Ares. Isn't that right, my son?"
Ares looked up from his lunch and answered: "I think I do and if you say it too, it must be true."
"There you have it!", Zeus laughed.
He could tell that Athena's blood was boiling, but as always she bit her tongue.
Hera on the other hand began to vent her anger, until Zeus cut her off: "If you have a modicum of self-preservation, you will sit and watch, as I lend my power to the side I favour – and it's not yours. The Trojans will remain victorious through my will and Hektor will only cease to slay Achaeans, when Akhilleus joins the fray. And that won't happen, before his dear Patroklos dies. This is what fate has determined. Suck it up and accept it, or say hi to our father and his allies from me. My patience is finite, Hera. You know that."
The last threat was a bluff, he wouldn't throw his wife into Tartaros. Still it worked.
Hera blanched with anger, but only folded her arms.
"I hate you", she hissed, so quietly that only he heard it.
He chuckled: "Of course you do."
.
Book Eleven:
.
In the morning after, Zeus rose and decided to go for a walk outside.
Seeing that no one had got up yet (except for Ares and Hermes, who were early birds), he walked the ways of Olympos, enjoying some peace and quiet.
As he came near the gates and onto the lookout, he turned his gaze down to earth and had an idea.
He grinned and whispered a summoning spell.
Eris came, flapping her wings in the air before him.
"Whatcha want, Kronides?", she demanded to know.
Zeus chuckled: "Are you in the mood for war, daughter of Nyx?"
The Daimona bared her vampiric teeth in a smirk. "Gee, I don't know, are you a sex addict?"
"Don't push it."
"Alright, alright, I'm off", she snickered, before tearing through the air quicker than lightning.
She stood on the rail of one of the ships and her piercing war cry tore the Achaeans from their rest.
They readied themselves to face the Trojans, who had already marched up and positioned themselves in front of the palisades of their enemies.
Zeus let it rain, a rain of blood as an omen of death – just because he could.
The two sides met in battle and a vicious struggle began, much like two lions fighting for dominance over a pride.
And above all of this flew black-winged Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, overjoyed, since she was the only goddess here.
Zeus had grounded the other gods on Olympos and the battlefield belonged to her and her alone.
He was watching in interest, as down below Agamemnon finally got his time to shine.
As the leader of the Achaeans mercilessly drew the Trojans back and carved a bloody trail through their forces, Zeus held his protecting hand over Hektor, shielding him from spears and arrows.
Eventually he decided to send Iris down to earth with a message.
"Tell Hektor, that he is to keep his troops in the defensive, while Agamemnon is wreaking havoc on the battlefield. But as soon as the King of Mycenae gets wounded, he and the Trojans can go full out again."
So she did and Hektor followed that advice.
.
Book Twelve:
.
Hours of mortal combat saw several important leaders of the Achaeans get wounded, like Agamemnon, Menélaos and Odysseus. The remaining soldiers fought bitterly to defend the wall around the Achaean camp.
Zeus sent bad weather to the Achaeans and caused a dust storm, just because he could. And to help the Trojans even further he sent his son Sarpedón into battle to aid them. The Lykian king tore a chunk of the wall open, but for a while couldn't break further through.
It was only when Zeus really turned the tides to the favour of the Trojans, that Hektor tore through the wall and began to wreak destruction in the Achaean camp.
.
Book Thirteen:
.
All this time Poseidon had stood back, as his brother had commanded, but now he was finally tired of Zeus puppeteering the entire war.
So when he noticed that his younger brother (Zeus claimed to be the oldest, but he had been born last, so he could kiss Poseidon's arse in that regard) was turning his attention elsewhere, Poseidon quickly took action.
He took the shape of an Achaean seer and made his way through the crowd to the Aiantes, who were basically defending the camps all by themselves.
With encouraging words, he wiped away their exhaustion and gave them new strength.
Realising that a god had come to their aid, they went back to defending the ships with renewed vigour, while Poseidon hurried through the Achaean army to boost everyone's morals.
However not soon after, one of his grandsons fell against Hektor.
Infuriated by this, the Lord of the Sea helped a Cretan king to kill as many Trojans as possible.
Thus he indirectly opposed his own brother – a game Poseidon was very adept in, as he, Zeus and Hades always had a petty sibling rivalry going on (although the sea god always got along better with Hades than with Zeus).
Menélaos got to show again, what he was made of, as he carved a bloody canyon through the Trojan forces, the Aiantes slew enemies left and right, Ajax the Greater was fighting Hektor again …
.
Book Fourteen:
.
Poseidon was rushing through the ranks of the Achaeans like lightning and soon found their injured leader Agamemnon, who was disputing with Nestor, Diomedes and Odysseus.
The sea god didn't think twice, he turned into an old man and chided the Mycenaean ruler for doing nothing. Then he turned back to the army, encouraging and strengthening them with the vicious war cry that two days before had come from the throat of Ares.
Up on Olympos, Hera was looking down onto the spectacle.
Seeing her brother Poseidon aid the Achaeans made her heart laugh, while her husband's support of the Trojans angered her.
Hera decided to help her brother and plotted. Finally she had an idea.
The Queen of the Skies retreated to her palace and dolled herself up to her very best, before paying a visit to Aphrodite.
The goddess of love was sitting on her porch, making wreaths of asphodels, when a harrumph from Hera made her jump.
"Hera!", she gasped, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Hera laughed lightly: "My dear, I hardly believe that this would affect you, as a goddess. Anyway, can I ask you for a favour? From woman to woman? We may be on opposite sides in this conflict, but I hope that you won't begrudge me for it."
Aphrodite smiled and put her half finished wreath away. "Well, if it's in my power, I will gladly help you! What is it?"
Hera improvised a little fib: "Alright, so you know I have been raised by Okeanos and Tethys, right? Now, they have been at odds with each other for aeons and I really want to reconcile them again. So lend me the charm of your love, with which you twist the minds of gods and mortals alike. If I could bring my dear foster parents together again, that would be so wonderful!"
The laughter-loving goddess giggled sweetly and her pink eyes sparkled.
"Oh, how could I possibly say no to that? Wait, I have it here …"
She took off her bosom girdle – a magical item that Eros Protogenos had gifted to Aphrodite, when he had become the godfather of her son, Eros the Younger. The colourful and beautifully adorned girdle held a fracture of the Primordial's power: love and yearning and all the passions and desires of the world and the sweet whispers that could make the wisest lose all sense.
And that priceless item she gave to Hera to borrow.
"Here you go, Queen of the Gods. I guarantee you, with this you will certainly achieve your goal."
Hera thanked her with twinkling brown eyes.
She made a quick journey across Hellas to find Hypnos, the god of Sleep and persuade him to assist her in her plan.
Hypnos was hesitant, but then Hera added: "You know, a few of the Younger Kharites are still free. One of them for you to marry, if you help me? I recall, that you have always been taken with Pasithéa. What do you say?"
"… Well, I do have a crush on her and she likes me too. If you swore a Stygian Oath, that I actually could marry her …"¹
"Wonderful!", the Queen exclaimed and swore the most sacred oath of the gods, just to bribe the god of sleep to do her bidding.
Then they came onto the mountain Ida near Troy and Hera pursued her actual goal: to seduce and distract Zeus from what was going on.
The King of the Gods saw her and was immediately inflamed.
"What are you doing here?", he wanted to know. "All dolled up, like you're going to a feast?"
Hera told him the same lie she had served to Aphrodite earlier and added, that she had just come here to let him know.
Zeus grinned: "That can wait. How about you join with me first?"
She gasped: "Zeus! Right now and here on Ida, where everyone can see us? Do you know how that would look? If any of the other gods sees us, he'll get the others, so they can spy, like the perverted peepers they are! I would be too ashamed to ever show my face among them again! What a scandal! No, let's keep it in your bedroom."
But her husband only laughed and made a golden cloud to shield them from everyone's view.
...
Meanwhile on the battlefield, Poseidon was still doing his thing, when he spied Hypnos, who was circling above him.
"Here is a message from Hera!", the god of sleep screamed, "She has distracted Zeus with her feminine wiles and I have lulled him into my slumber! Hurry to strengthen the Achaeans – you have only as long as he sleeps!"
Then the son of Nyx flew away to perform his duties in the rest of the world.
Poseidon lost no time. He dashed to the front lines and let the mortals see a glimpse of his divine glory (not all of it; mortals couldn't gaze upon immortals in their full glory without being disintegrated). His long blue hair fluttered in the wind and his mighty sword gleamed with bale, as he led the charge.
Knowing now that a god was on their side, the Achaeans stood against the Trojans with even more force than before.
Ajax the Greater managed to knock out Hektor, even though he didn't get to finish him off.
Ajax the Lesser, swift as he was, dashed through the Trojan lines and killed more of them than any of his comrades did.
.
Book Fifteen:
.
A few hours later, Zeus awoke from his slumber with a start.
As he looked down onto the scene below and saw the Trojans losing and Poseidon leading the Achaean offensive, he immediately assessed the situation and grew angry.
"So this is where it's at?", he confronted Hera and his anger made thunderclouds gather in the sky. "You sly fox tricked me! Did the other gods send you to seduce and disarm me, so they would have free game down there?! I really want to hit you right now! Haven't you learned anything from all the other times I punished you for your nonsense?"
But Hera gave him her best puppy eyes and swore a Stygian Oath, that she had nothing to do with it. "I wasn't sent by anyone, nor did I instruct Poseidon to act as he does! In fact, I would be the first to advice him against it and tell him to instead follow your orders from now on!"
Of course Zeus knew, that she was lying.
But she couldn't be lying altogether, for no god could swear a completely false Stygian Oath, without immediately suffering the consequences.
Well, that and he really was a sucker for Hera's puppy pout face.
So he couldn't help but smile, when he replied: "Well, I can't possibly argue with that. But now hasten to Olympos and send me Iris and Apollon. I want to speak to them."
...
Hera obeyed, although slightly depressed.
When she arrived on Olympos, several of the other gods came to greet her, all following Thémis, the goddess of divine order, who had been Zeus' wife before Hera.
Several gods offered her a cup of nectar, but she only accepted that of Thémis.
"What is the matter?", the old Titanis inquired worriedly, "You look so shaken! Are you running from your terrible husband again?"
"Don't ask!", Hera pleaded, "Tell the other gods to assemble – what I have to say will please neither gods nor mortals."
Thémis complied.
The other gods looked positively disturbed by Hera's waxen smile, that didn't reach her eyes.
"I was foolish …", she cried bitterly, "… to go against Zeus. He doesn't care, if we hope to have a chance against him with words or actions. He sits there and asserts to be the strongest and greatest of us and that's why you all just sit on your hands and bear it! Am I wrong?! Hasn't Ares already suffered a loss? Hasn't his dearest mortal son Askálaphos fallen?"
...
Athena's gaze immediately flew to Ares.
The war god had grown ghostly pale at his mother's news.
Without a word, he rose from his chair and left the room.
Concerned, she followed him and sure enough, as soon as he was outside, she heard him bellow: "Phobos! Deimos! Harness my horses this instant!"
Athena didn't think twice and ran after him.
"Ares! Ares, wait! Don't go down there! Didn't you hear what Hera just-"
"Shut your trap!", he barked, "I will avenge the death of my son, if it's the last thing I do!"
Right in that moment the terrible twins came back with their father's horses and chariot, he leapt onto it and spurred his horses.
Athena had to run beside the chariot to keep up and nearly tripped over her peplos several times.
"STOP!", she screamed, "YOU'RE GOING TO DOOM US ALL! EVEN IF IT'S JUST YOU, HE WILL THROW US ALL AROUND! DO YOU THINK HE GIVES A SHIT, WHO IS GUILTY OR NOT?"
Now he finally halted his steeds and the chariot nearly overturned from the momentum of the brake.
Athena took a few seconds to catch her breath, before continuing: "Just … tame your anger. Many greater men than your son have died or will die. The gods can't save all their children."
Ares didn't respond, but hopped off his chariot and took his helmet off.
"This whole restraint was your idea, remember?", she reminded him softly. Now you have to bear the consequences, she added in her mind, but she wouldn't say that to a grieving man.
"Do you regret it now? Because you couldn't save your child?"
The silence between them was unbearably tense, as the wind played with Athena's long black hair and Ares' short black and red curls.
It seemed like ages, until he finally faced her … and said this: "Look into my eyes, Daddy's Owl. And tell me, what you see."
His red eyes, full of grief, betrayed his blank expression. But what she had hoped to see in them (albeit just for her own petty satisfaction) wasn't there.
"You don't regret it", she realised. "You regret, that you couldn't save him, but not that-"
"Correct! You've got it, genius!", Ares proclaimed with a sneer. "Oh, Athena. Do you seriously think I care about which side my children are on? Or that I would care about the Trojans enough to not massacre them all for killing my dear son? No. I don't favour sides. I favour certain people."
Then he grabbed the reins of his horses and lead them back to where they belonged.
Athena returned to the palace, relieved that she had averted a catastrophe.
"We're safe for now", she informed Hera. "Ares is sulking in his house or something."
"Good", Hera sighed, "Anyway … Apollon, Iris. Zeus wants to see you, go quickly and do whatever he wants from you."
The archer and the messenger complied.
...
Poseidon already knew that things were bad, when he saw Iris approach from above.
In order to be able to speak with her, he stopped the moment (the gods could do that) and stepped to the side, so she could land.
"Poseidon!", the goddess of the rainbow began, "I have a message from Zeus."
But when Poseidon heard the message, he was furious. "That arrogant prick! As powerful as he is, he can't make me do anything! He is only one of three equal brothers: himself, Hades and myself. Our heritage was split justly and while he got the cloudy skies, mine are the bountiful seas and Hades received Erebos with its dark mists. The earth belongs to all, as does high Olympos! And Zeus can go fuck himself, if he thinks he can order me around or even intimidate me! He can do that with his children (they're the second generation and owe him filial respect after all), but not me!"
Iris frowned. "Uhhh … do you really want me to tell him that? Exactly like that? I mean …"
"Fine, you have a point", Poseidon gave in. "Honour to your tact and diplomacy, rainbow-haired messenger. Still I will not be pushed around like that, especially not by someone who is my equal and not my superior! Tell him this: I warn him, that if prevents, that Troy should be razed to the ground – against my will and that of Hera, Athena, Hermes and Hephaistos – I want nothing more to do with him!"
...
Zeus acknowledged the answer of his brother and turned to Apollon: "Take my shield, my dear son. Go, aid the Trojans and heal Hektor. He's severely injured."
Apollon took the Gorgon-crested shield, cut through the air like a falcon and found Hektor, who was barely conscious and coughing up blood.
Broken ribs, pierced lungs, a rupture. It's good that father is sending me.
"Hektor", he addressed the Trojan prince, "What happened, that you're lying here?"
Hektor opened his eyes and groaned weakly: "Which god are you … and don't you … already know? Ajax the Greater … ugh … a rock to my chest … can't breathe …"
Apollon sighed: "Hektor, it's me, Phoíbos² Apollon. My father Zeus sent me to aid you."
He healed the mortal and gave him new strength.
"Now go, son of Priamos. Lead your troops, as I hold my hand over you and put the fear of the gods into the Danaoi."
And that was exactly what happened.
Together they massacred many Achaeans, Hektor with his spear, Apollon with the terrible Gorgoneion of his father. It was easy for the god of light to tear down chunks of the wall, like a child destroying a sand castle.
And had it not been for Ajax the Greater's courage and strength, the Trojans would have completely overrun them and set their ships ablaze.
Soon the Achaeans realised, that Zeus was on the Trojan side and stood against their enemies with courage in the face of death, born of desperation.
.
Book Sixteen:
.
Meanwhile, away from the battlefield, Akhilleus' soulmate Patroklos heard the commotion, looked out of the tent and assessed the situation in one glance.
With an apology to the injured man he had been treating, he hurried back to Akhilleus to tell him of the situation.
"Why are you crying like a baby?", was Akhilleus' tactless greeting.
Patroklos sighed in frustration, dried his face and briefed him on the situation. Only to find, that his dear partner had a selective hearing.
"Hah! Agamemnon is injured? Nice!"
"Priorities, Akhilleus! They're setting our ships on fire! Our comrades need our help! If you won't go yourself, at least let me lead your army!"
"Fine. Here is what you do: take my armour and lead my soldiers in your battle, but do not go further than driving the Trojans away from our ships. Show the Achaeans, that you're going to battle for my glory and honour, until they give me back the war prize they took from me. Do not attempt to push the Trojans back to their city, no matter what. The god Apollon with his silver bow favours the Trojans. Promise me to come back as soon as the ships are safe – when I get justice we can still storm Troy together, you and me."
...
Outside, Ajax was completely exhausted, weakened by the never-ending attacks, Zeus' will and his shoulders ached from the ship pole he had been using to keep the enemy at bay. When Hektor attacked him and broke his spear, he realised that Zeus was aiding the Trojans and ruining his entire effort to defend the ships. Ajax, now demoralised and too exhausted, retreated.
Akhilleus looked outside his tent, saw one of the ships on fire and went to rally his men.
A short while and an inciting speech from Akhilleus to his men later, Patroklos, wearing the younger man's armour, lead the Myrmidones into battle.
Akhilleus went back into his tent, made a sacrifice to Zeus and prayed: "Venerated King of the Immortals, Gatherer of the Clouds, All-Seeing Lord of the Oracle of wintry Dordona … you have always heard my prayers and graced me with honour by weakening the Achaeans; hear this plea from me as well …"
Zeus heard.
But he would only grant half of the prayer:
Patroklos would not come back to the ships alive.
It was his lot, that this should be his last battle.
...
With Patroklos wearing Akhilleus' armour and leading an army of seriously frustrated and battle-hungry warriors, who had been denied a chance at honour, the Trojans were taken by surprise. Thinking that Akhilleus had stopped sulking and was now back in the game, they now strove to escape their deaths for a little longer.
This gave the rest of the Achaean army a chance to catch their breaths and put out the fires, before they joined the Myrmidones in battle.
The Trojans flew in panic and even Hektor saw himself forced to retreat.
Alone Sarpedón and his army resisted and the Lykian king jumped off his chariot to fight Patroklos to the death.
...
Zeus was torn.
He knew that Sarpedón was fated to be killed by the partner of Akhilleus, but … the Lykian was his dear son.
"I don't know", he confided in Hera, "If I should spare him or let him fall against Patroklos."
His queen shook her head: "It's his lot to die, Zeus. You can't just randomly spare your favourites, even if they're your offspring. Just think about it – some of the other gods already mourn sons of their own and if you save yours, they will want to do the same. Let him face his fate and die at the hand of Patroklos. But if you pity him so much, send Hypnos and Thanatos to carry him back home to Lykia, so his people can give him a hero's funeral – that is the honour that is the mortals' due."
Zeus knew that she was right and yielded. But he wept for his dear son, who was about to die far away from home and his tears fell as blood-red rain from the sky.
Sarpedón fell at Patroklos' hand and the Lykians stood around his body to defend it from the Achaeans. When Hektor found out about the death of his ally, he and his army promptly turned back around and fought to wreak vengeance.
Still Patroklos took his fallen enemy's armour and horses.
But Zeus gave Apollon a few pieces of clothing and begged him to retrieve Sarpedón's corpse, before it could be defiled by the Achaeans.
"Wash the blood away, rub his body in Ambrosia, dress him in these divine clothes and leave him to the arms of Sleep and Death. May they carry him home to Lykia, so his people can give him the burial he deserves."
...
After performing this sad duty to his father and mortal half-brother, Apollon returned to earth.
Settling down on the walls of Troy, he repelled Patroklos (who had forgot Akhilleus' warning) four times in a row, before spurring Hektor on to put an end to the other.
Then the god of archery crept behind Patroklos and gave him a "light" punch between the shoulder, to knock the air out of him.
A comrade of Hektor took the opportunity and hit him with a spear in the back.
Then Hektor himself stabbed him in the abdomen.
Looking down on him, he gloated: "Did you really think, Patroklos, that you could simply plunder our city, enslave our Trojan women and ship them off to far away shores like cattle? No! Because I am here to defend my home and my people! I will keep them from such bitter slavery, but you will bite the dust here and vultures will feed of your corpse! Did he tell you to only come back with my bloody shirt, so he could stay in his camp? And you obeyed? You idiot!"
Patroklos answered with a rattling laugh: "Gloat as much as you want, Zeus and Apollon laid this victory into your lap … they defeated me by disarming me … otherwise, I could have killed many more like you … I was struck down by bitter fate, Apollon and a random Trojan … you're just the third. And you won't live much longer; you too will fall … by the hand of my Akhilleus."
Then he died.
His charioteer took off with Akhilleus' steeds, before Hektor could kill him too and claim the horses.
.
Book Seventeen:
.
Menélaos had witnessed all of this, went mad with rage and ran to defend his comrade's body.
And conveniently for him, the Trojan, who had hit Patroklos in the back, showed up. Menélaos' spear pierced his throat, killing him.
But Hektor had stopped chasing after Akhilleus' heavenly steeds and returned to claim the demi-god's armour instead. Although Menélaos was a great warrior, even he couldn't stand against Hektor and an entire army of Trojans, so he was forced to draw back.
But he spied Ajax the Greater and screamed the terrible news of Patroklos' death. Ajax immediately stopped what he was doing and came to Menélaos' aid.
Hektor only had enough time to collect Akhilleus' armour as his war prize, before the imposing, mighty frame of Ajax Telamonídes made him wisely back off.
.
From the clouds, Zeus was watching, as Hektor put on the impenetrable armour the gods had once gifted to Akhilleus' father Peleus, who had passed it down to his son.
The King of the Gods frowned and mumbled: "Oh dear, oh dear. You poor fool took for yourself what was never to be yours. You took the armour of a warrior, who surpasses all others and makes everyone tremble with fear, and you killed his beloved brother in arms. I will lend you strength one last time, because you will never return from this battle – and your beloved Andromákhe will never see you alive again."
.
On the battlefield, a fierce struggle broke out over the body of Patroklos.
It reached its peak, when the goddess Athena came down like a red comet (because Zeus had changed his mind yet again) and approached Menélaos in the guise of Akhilleus' mentor Phoinix.
"Menélaos, if the dogs of Troy get to feed off Patroklos' corpse, it will be your fault!", she accused.
"I'm doing what I can!", the Spartan king defended himself, "But Hektor is killing everyone with the fury of Ares, because Zeus wants him to win! If only Athena would help me …"
Athena's blue eyes blazed with delight, that she was the first goddess that came to the king's mind, when he hoped for divine assistance. She gave him new strength and courage and he proceeded to attack the Trojans with the fierceness of a lion.
But at Hektor's side was Apollon, doing the very same thing.
At some point Ajax the Greater vented his desperation in an angry speech, cursing the situation and the dust cloud that was making it impossible to see anything.
Zeus found this rather cute and blew the dust away.
Now the defenders of the body could finally send a messenger to Akhilleus to tell him what had happened and took the chance to rescue Patroklos' corpse and take it away.
Menélaos and Meriónes carried the dead man away as fast as they could, while the Aiantes shielded them against the Trojan onslaught.
.
Book Eighteen:
.
Antilokhos was the one to bring Akhilleus the dread news of his beloved's death.
As soon as it sunk in, the son of Thetis screamed in anguish, tore his blond hair and sunk down in front of the improvised altar of Zeus.
Antilokhos was crying himself, but he still grabbed the other's arms, fearing that he might slit his own throat in his overwhelming grief.
Akhilleus wailed so loudly that his mother Thetis heard it down at the bottom of the sea.
She began to wail in kind, her sisters and mother joined in and soon almost all marine deities were keening.
She dove to the surface, to the coast of Ilion to join her son.
Tearfully he told her what had happened and was hell-bent on avenging his soulmate's death with Hektor's blood.
"No!", Thetis implored, "You know you're fated to die, soon after Hektor-"
"I don't care!", Akhilleus screamed, "I know and I don't fucking care! This is all my fault! I could have quit sulking in favour of helping him and the others, but no! Had I not stayed here to sulk, he would have lived! Now he is dead! Who cares about pride! Hektor killed my soulmate, now he will pay! And once that is done, I will welcome my fate. Don't try to hold me back, because I won't let you!"
"You have no armour", Thetis reminded him, "Hektor is wearing it! I will get you a new one, if only you wait until tomorrow morning!"
"… Fine."
She returned to the sea and told her sisters what had happened. "Tell our old father Nereus about it, while I go up to Olympos to ask Hephaistos for a new armour for my son."
And with that, the Nereid ascended to the skies.
...
Meanwhile Hera saw the precarious situation the Achaeans were in.
The onslaught of the Trojans was so relentless, that Hektor was close to claiming the corpse of Patroklos and gaining everlasting fame.
But Hera lost no time and sent Iris down with a message to Akhilleus.
"Up with you, most terrible of all men!", the golden-winged messenger snapped at him, "Help your comrades to guard the body of your partner – do you have the faintest idea how hard a time they're having against the Trojans? They, lead by glorious Hektor, are close to dragging Patroklos all the way back to their city! Shame to you, if the dogs of Troy get to feed off his flesh!"
Akhilleus glared up at her. "And how am I supposed to go into battle, when they have my armour? I'm waiting for a new one and none of the other Achaeans has one that could fit me in the meantime! Which of the gods sent you?"
"Queen Hera did, the wife of mighty Zeus. Also, who's talking about battle? You're scary enough to look at as it is. Your appearance alone should scare the Trojans into flight. Now move your arse!"
And with that she was gone.
Athena stepped to him and lent him the Aigis of her father.
With that, he went outside, climbed onto the wall and and let out a fearsome war cry. Athena amplified it with her own. Their combined voices made a noise so piercing and terrifying, that the Trojans fled in panic.
Relieved, the Achaeans brought Patroklos out of harm's reach.
Hera ordered the sun god Helios to go down earlier for the day and he obeyed reluctantly.
The early break of night brought an end to the slaughter.
But the Achaeans spent the night in mourning.
Akhilleus wept bitterly over the dead body of his life partner and repeatedly vowed to wreak vengeance as soon as possible.
...
On Olympos, Zeus teased his wife: "So my cow-eyed queen has been at it again and made Akhilleus get a move on, hm? As if the long-haired Achaeans were your children?"
Hera just tilted her head and looked at him with her big brown eyes.
"What ever gives you that idea, my dear husband? Even a mortal, who lacks our knowledge, would stand up for their friends of their own volition. It's only natural, that I do it too! Besides … they are your children; you had them with Elektra …"
Then they got into a fight over one of Zeus' affairs.
Again.
...
At the same time, Hephaistos was working in his Olympian smithy, forging chairs.
But his attention was drawn from his work, when he heard his wife Aglaia speak to someone outside.
"Thetis, welcome! What a surprise! You haven't visited in ages! Come in, come in! Here, have a chair and some nectar! I will get my husband."
Then Aglaia poked her head into the smithy: "Heph, come quickly! It's Thetis!"
"Holy goat!", he cried, "Thetis, you say? Please, give her our best, while I tidy up!"
He hurriedly put away his tools and the chair he had been working on, got cleaned up, put a clean chiton on and pushed his wheelchair into the guest room.
"Mama!", he called to her, "I'm so glad to see you! What brings you here?"
Then he saw her expression and frowned: "What's the matter, you look like it's the end of the world? Come on, you know you can tell me everything."
Hephaistos was shocked, when the older goddess burst into tears and poured her poor aching heart out to him. Seeing the goddess, who had always been more mother to him than the one who had birthed him, suffer like this, that broke his heart. He mumbled gentle words of comfort and stroked her curly head, as she sobbed into his lap.
"Please don't cry, Mama", he cooed, "Of course I will make a new armour for Akhilleus. And if I could, I would save him from death too. After all, he is my little brother in a way, is he not?"
1) There is no implication in the Iliad, that Pasithéa consented to being married off to Hypnos as a bribe, but I'm a fan of consent, so bear with me.
2) Phoíbos: "Bright/Glowing One", one of Apollon's epithets.