Trojan War: Iliad- Anger of Achilles I

Ok recap:

Judgment of Paris: Paris awarded the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite as the Fairest of All. Paris won Helen and the wrath of two powerful goddesses.

Helen: Helen’s background, the suitor’s military alliance deal, her decision to left with Paris.

Suitor’s military alliance: Helen’s “kidnapping” sparked a war with Troy and her allies. Leaders of Greece assemble for the Rescue of Helen and the Destruction of Troy.

Sacrifice:  Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter to the Goddess Artemis for favored wife. He has an enemy wait for his return from the Trojan Campaign.

After nine long years, despite their victories in the surrounding area of Troy, the Greeks never came close to penetrating the colossal walls of Troy, which were built by gods Apollo and Poseidon.

To War:

Achilles called upon his mother Thetis, the sea goddess, for aid. Thetis went to Olympus, asking for a boon from Zeus. Why she can ask Zeus for this boon? She saved Zeus’s ass and throne from the revolt of the gods.  So when Thetis pleaded to Zeus to aid her son, Zeus granted her boon, simply by nodding his head. Zeus agreed to make the Greeks suffer, because of Agamemnon's insult to her son. But Zeus knew full well of consequence of granting such boon; it would cause far more death on both sides. And this aid from Zeus would inevitably lead Achilles to repay this boon for a higher price.
The Greek leaders were concern that Achilles' withdrawal from the battle, because they could be defeated. Agamemnon foolishly said in public, in front of the assembled army, that it would better to leave Troy than being killed or taken prisoners by their enemies. The Greek warriors believed Agamemnon, and they all rushed towards the ships. But Odysseus stopped them through his inspiring skill as an orator. The Greeks armed themselves for battles, as did the Trojans and their allies.
At first, the battle seemed to favor the Greeks. Hector rebuked his brother for not taking a more active part in the war, which Paris started. So Paris declared his intention to face Menelaus.

A truce was called between the two sides. It was decided that the war should end, and the fight should be settled between Menelaus and Helen, the two rivals and husbands of Helen. Troy would return Helen back to Menelaus if he should win this duel. If Menelaus should lose the combat, then the Greeks must return to Greece without Helen.
Menelaus proved to be a better warrior than Paris, but before Menelaus could kill his rival, the love goddess Aphrodite spirited Paris away. It was agreed on both sides that Menelaus had won the combat, so peace settlement was reached.
Athena disrupt the peace, for Troy was destined to fall, soon. Disguised as Laodocus, Athena tricked Pandarus to kill Menelaus. Pandarus was one of the best archers on the Trojan side. Pandarus thought he would gain glory for killing Paris' rival. So Pandarus fired his arrow at Menelaus. Athena prevented the arrow from killing Menelaus, only allowing the arrow to graze him. The Greeks believing that the Trojans had broken the peace, so they attacked the Trojans. So the wars continued.

The Argive hero Diomedes performed the best on the Greek side on that day. Diomedes killed many Trojans, including Pandarus. Diomedes had also seriously wounded Aeneas, son of Venus and first Roman Demigod. Diomedes was so inspired by Athena that he had even wounded the goddess Aphrodite, who tried to rescue her son. Diomedes even confronted the war-god Ares, who was disguised as Stentor, who was fighting on the Trojan side. Diomedes wounded Ares with his spear.
Since the Greeks were getting the better of the day, Hector returned to the city and asked his mother (Hecuba) and sisters to offer sacrifices to the goddess Athena, since she was actually the patron goddess of Troy. There was a wooden image of Athena, called the Palladium, which supposedly protected Troy from being captured. However, Athena ignored the Trojan women's prayers and sacrifices, because of her enmity towards Paris and Troy, since the day of the Judgment of Paris.

While in the city, Hector met his wife, Andromache, and his son, Astyanax at the temple of Athena. Andromache was worried over her husband's safety in the battlefield. She had already lost her father and brothers to Achilles. Hector had foreseen his own death and that of Troy, yet as the commander of the Trojan forces, Hector must fight or else he would be branded a coward by his warriors; something that Hector could not bear.
Finally, Hector wished to embrace his son, but his fearsome helmet frightened Astyanax. So the boy drew back from him, which made Hector laughed. Hector prayed to the gods that his son would be as brave and fearsome warrior as himself.

The day's fighting ended with one last single combat, in which Hector challenged the bravest of the Greeks. Ajax, the son of Telamon, face Hector. When the duel ended in a draw, in which the two heroes exchanged gifts. Ajax received a sword from Hector, while he gave Hector a purple girdle.
A one-day truce was agreed upon from both sides, to allow them to bury their comrades who had fallen that day. Nestor advised the Greek leaders that it would be wise to build a defensive wall around the Greek camp. There have been no walls around the camp, because they had nothing to fear, when Achilles was among them. So walls of earthwork were quickly erected in the morning, to protect the camp and ships.