2 Achilles Weeps

CHAPTER 2 Achilles Weeps King Agamemnon sent two men to Achilles's camp to take his slave. He did not feel guilty about this. Agamemnon did not think he was doing anything wrong. As king, he thought he should get anything he wanted. If someone disagreed, he was being disloyal. Achilles therefore deserved to lose his slave to satisfy the king. "If he won't give her to you," Agamemnon told his men, "tell him I will go myself and take her by force." The two men were not happy about their

task but were loyal to their king. They feared Achilles's anger. When they arrived at Achilles's camp, they did not have to speak. Achilles knew why they were there. He put the men at ease. "Do not be afraid," Achilles said. "I do not blame you. Sit down and have dinner with us. Let us not fight." Achilles, Patroclus, and the two men enjoyed a large meal inside his tent. They ate, drank, and told stories of battles they had fought together. It was a short break during a difficult time. When the meal was over, Achilles stood up and walked to the entrance. "Take what you came for," he said. He asked Patroclus to get his slave. "But remember that you are taking from me—a friend and fellow soldier," he said to the men. "While gods and mortals watch, a ruthless king takes what is not his. King

Agamemnon is making a grave mistake." Achilles watched as the men took his slave. They walked her along the shore, back to King Agamemnon's camp. Achilles wept angry tears. He left his camp to walk by himself. He sat down beside the sea to think. He prayed to his mother, Thetis, a goddess of the sea. "Oh, Mother," he cried aloud. "I have been wronged. I have never been so angry before. It is raging through me. It is filling my eyes with tears. I have been cheated. I need revenge!" Achilles's noble mother heard him weeping. She rose from the sea and sat down beside him. Thetis stroked his head gently and whispered his name. "Achilles, my child, tell me what troubles you." "Mother! Agamemnon disgraces me, but Zeus and the gods do nothing. My own soldiers do nothing!"

Achilles told his mother what had happened between him and the king. "I have always been loyal to my king. I never questioned him or his plans. But Apollo was punishing us all for the actions of Agamemnon. And now I must pay twice!" He then added, "Mother, I want revenge on Agamemnon for his cruelty. Please tell Zeus about my troubles. You have often said that Zeus owes you a favor. You rescued him once when other gods tried to imprison him." Thetis spoke gently. "What should I ask of Zeus? How can he help you take revenge against Agamemnon?" She stroked his hair as she spoke. She had never seen her son so angry. He was shaking with rage. "Ask Zeus to aid the Trojans in battle," Achilles said. "I want Agamemnon to know he made a mistake by mistreating me. I am his greatest warrior. He should not disgrace me in front of the whole army."

"Oh, my son," Thetis said. She held his hand and looked into his eyes. Like any mother, Thetis wanted to protect her child. She thought about all the Achaeans who fought with Agamemnon against the Trojans. If all-powerful Zeus sided with the Trojans— even for a short while—many Achaeans could be hurt. Agamemnon was proud. If he did not admit his error quickly, many of his soldiers might die. However, Thetis knew she had only one choice. She loved her son most of all. And his feud with Agamemnon meant Achilles would stay away from the battlefield for a few days more. "I will go to Olympus and plead your case to Zeus," she said. "Stay here and do not fight in Agamemnon's battles. I will return as quickly as I possibly can." Thetis left her son to go to Mount Olympus to see Zeus. Achilles sat alone by the sea until darkness fell.