5 The Battle Begins Again

CHAPTER 5 The Battle Begins Again Zeus and the gods sat on Mount Olympus. They discussed the mortals. "I believe the victory goes to Menelaus," Zeus said. "But Aphrodite pulled Paris away before the fight was done. Maybe Paris would have won the battle if he had stayed." As Zeus spoke, the goddesses Athena and Hera whispered. They were plotting the destruction of Troy. Hera shouted at Zeus. "Why did you try to help Achilles? Athena and I have worked hard to make sure the city of Troy falls. But

you have gotten in the way! Now all our hard work is ruined." Zeus replied, "I honor Troy as much as you hate it. The Trojans have always honored me." "I will prove you wrong," Hera said. "Send Athena down to earth. She will see that the Trojans are ready to break the truce with the Achaeans." Athena dropped to the earth in a flash of light, landing in the middle of the armies. It looked like an explosion. Both sides were confused and frightened. Was the battle on again? Both armies thought that the other army was starting to attack again. Hector acted quickly. He ordered the Trojans to make the first move. His soldiers ran across the field toward the Achaeans and attacked. They threw their spears and swung their swords. One of the best Trojan archers took aim at Menelaus.

His arrow flew swiftly through the crowd and struck Menelaus. The great general fell to the ground. King Agamemnon rushed to his side. "Brother, do not die here," Agamemnon said. "You must live! The Trojans broke the truce. We cannot let them win now. The Trojans wronged you, my brother, by stealing your wife. They must pay for their actions!" "Have courage," Menelaus said. "Don't alarm the men. The wound is not deep. My armor stopped the arrow. It won't be long before I am well again." Agamemnon dragged Menelaus off the battlefield so that a healer could help him. The Trojans continued their attack. The Achaeans fought back, but they were getting tired. They truly wanted to go home. After the truce, they had lost their fighting spirit. The Achaeans started to blame King Agamemnon for their troubles. Until this

point, they had been slowly but steadily winning the battles. They should not have rushed the gates of Troy so soon. The Achaean army was not prepared for this face-to-face battle. The Aechaeans faced many obstacles. The Trojans were fighting in their homeland. They were more familiar with the land than the Achaeans. Also, men from nearby regions came out to support the Trojans. They all fought together under Hector's leadership. The two armies clashed. They raised their swords and shields. Soldiers on both sides fell to the ground. There were many losses. But Diomedes, an Achaean general, had not lost his fighting spirit. He fought many Trojans that day. He shouted at his enemies as he attacked. "I will not retreat!" he yelled. Diomedes prayed to Athena, the goddess of war. "Give me the strength of the gods to fight our enemies," he called. "Give me

special sight to see who is a man and who is a god. With my new strength I will fight anyone I find on the battlefield. I will fight, and I will win." Athena granted his wish. Then Aeneas stepped onto the battlefield. He was a Trojan hero and the son of Aphrodite. He attacked Diomedes and let out a bloodcurdling cry as he swung his sword. Diomedes quickly jumped out of the way. He lifted a giant boulder over his head. Normally, it would take two men to lift a boulder that size. But Diomedes lifted it with ease. He threw the boulder at Aeneas and hit the Trojan's leg. Aeneas fell with a cry. Aphrodite swept in once again. She stood in front of her wounded son, shielding him. Aeneas tried to get up, but the whole world went black as night. Aphrodite picked him up in her arms and tried to carry him away.

Diomedes lunged at the goddess. He stabbed her wrist with his spear. Aphrodite screamed. She was both shocked and hurt. No human had ever attacked a god before. In her pain, Aphrodite dropped her son on the ground. But Aeneas did not stay there for long. Apollo swooped down and picked up Aeneas. He covered himself and Aeneas in a swirling dark mist to keep them safe from flying arrows. Aphrodite flew away from the battlefield. She was in agony—frightened and in pain. She found Ares, the god of war, resting on a cloud. She showed Ares her wound. He was enraged. "I have stayed away from this war for many years," Ares said. "I did not want to get involved. But I cannot allow this injustice! No mortal shall wound a god and get away with it." Ares was a powerful and dangerous