Everyone is All In

                 Achilles finally receives his new armor and is desperate to go to battle. Focus is on the Greek camp and what they will do once Achilles states that he is ready for battle. Achilles and Agamemnon make amends and its seems that the Greek leaders are all coming together once again. I don’t really like the sight of this. It was much better for the Trojans when the Greeks were all disorganized and fighting. I’m not sure what a united front will do to this war. The Greeks apologize and Agamemnon offers Achilles all the gifts he promised him in the past. Achilles shows no interest in this. He doesn’t care about material objects; all he wants is to fight. None of the leaders are prepared for battle. They haven’t even eaten yet.  Achilles again doesn’t care; he states that he won’t eat or drink until he avenges Patroklos’ death. Achilles just sits there while the Greeks eat. Hopefully this will allow Achilles to simmer down a little before battle. Although I did see Athena and Zeus fill up Achilles stomach with nectar and ambrosia. That is the food of the Gods! Achilles shouldn’t get that. This will clearly give him an advantage. That food is not meant for them! The only thing that occurs before battle that gives me any sort of peace is Achilles horses telling Achilles his death is near. Hopefully his death comes sooner rather than later. After that premonition from the horse’s attention focuses back on Mt. Olympus. Zeus calls all the Gods and Goddesses to his attention and finally gives us all permission to help in the war. Now I can help my Trojans against the wrath of Achilles. The battle begins with all of the Gods and Goddesses helping. Achilles goes to challenge Aineias. Poseidon actually removes Aineias from the fight before I even had a chance to intervene. So he was saved, thankfully. The fight moves on and Hektor and Achilles almost meet in battle. I encouraged Hektor to wait. Their time will come. Thankfully, Hektor actually listened to me. They almost met in battle one more time but again I stepped in. I hid Hektor in smoke and moved him away from Achilles. Achilles continues killing a lot of people, but at least Hektor is safe for now.

                The war is in utter chaos now. Gods are interfering left and right. Achilles is being treated like a God by being fed nectar and ambrosia and no one can seem to stop his terror, just possibly post pone some of the inevitable deaths. Obviously any God was going to prevent the death of Aineias. He is destined to survive this war and go on to found the great city of Rome. Any God would have stopped that fight. Although that fight was stopped I’m not sure how much longer even the Gods can hold back Achilles. He is starting to seem inhuman. We know that he is fated to die but when? Once all the Trojans have been killed by his hand? Hektor is however listening to my suggestions which shows improvement. However, I believe that all the deaths of Trojans around him, friends and family, is filling him with a rage that will lead to stupid mistakes.

                For more information on Aineias click on the following link. Here you will learn about his adventures after the Trojan War and why he was destined to live through the battle with Achilles.

 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/392/the-effect-of-troys-rebirth-on-aeneass-transformation-in-the-aeneid

He's Got the Whole World on his Shield

After the death of Patroklos battle is raging on. The mortals are fighting over the body. Hektor, as is his right, takes the armor off of Patroklos for his own. So now Hektor owns Achilles armor. The Trojans have the armor but continue to press forward for the body. After much fighting the Greeks are able to hold onto the body and carry it back to the ships. Now Achilles learns of Patroklos’ death and is distraught. His cries reach Thetis in the sea and she comes to Achilles aid. They grieve together. Songs are sung by all the sea nymphs over the death of Patroklos. It is clear to Thetis and Achilles now that he must go back to battle and fight for the Greeks. I worry for the Trojans, but it brings me a little peace of mind knowing that Achilles is destined to die in battle he in Troy. In the meantime, Thetis pulls some strings up here on Mt. Olympus, again, and gets brand new armor for Achilles from Hephaistos. He obtains a huge shield with his armor and it contains images of the entire cosmos. Matches the ego of Achilles for sure. Back in Troy Hektor again is refusing to listen to the advice of his peers. He wants Hektor to stay on defense. Hektor ignores this and pushes forward. Hopefully his determination will ensure success. Otherwise I will just have to step in and help my precious Trojans.

                This is a turning point in this war. It marks the point where Achilles has finally decided to come back to war. Thetis and Achilles have a big crying session together and it appears that it is over the death of Patroklos. However, it could be extreme grief knowing that this death ensures that Achilles will die young and here at Troy. Thetis now knows that her son will die soon. The actual death of Patroklos mirrors the death of Achilles. He was wearing Achilles armor, and was killed by Hektor and Apollo. It stands to foreshadow the death of Achilles and that he will die at the hands of someone like Hektor and with the Gods help. Achilles also received some help from the Gods as well. His armor was crafted by the Gods and contains images of everything in the world. This symbolizes how at this moment in time, Achilles is basically the center of the World. He is holding the whole world on his shield and now all the focus of this war will be on Achilles and his actions. We are at the Climax of this war and soon the outcome of this war will be known to all.

Picture: https://www.google.com/search?q=achilles+shield+iliad&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=638&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwji5uSDp-PPAhXJYyYKHb9iBOUQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=kjKgVJZCIJuFvM%3A

It Takes Three

The Death of Patroklos 

                Finally, Zeus awakes from Hera’s trickery. Poseidon is caught for meddling with the Greeks. It was clear he was helping, otherwise the Greeks wouldn’t have been winning. A lot of tensions are beginning to rise further up here on Mt. Olympus. Zeus is angry with Hera and Poseidon for their deception, Ares is devastated and angry at the death of his son on the battlefield, and Athena is trying to calm down Ares and to not have anyone cross Zeus again. Hera came over to me and asked myself and Iris to go meet Zeus on Ida. First Zeus lets me go and help Hektor on the battlefield. He was partially knocked out. I helped him, disguised as a Trojan hero and told him to return to battle and that a path would be cleared for him by the Gods. Hektor marches back into battle with renewed confidence. The Greeks were trying to stand tall but I shook fear into their hearts and that shook them to the core and they ran and hid. With this advantage the Trojans push onward towards the Greek ships. I even helped tear down the rest of the Greek wall so more and more Trojans can push through. Hektor is close enough to the ships and burns the first one! A true victory for the Trojans. The Greeks are trying to fight back but Hektor is pushing them hard. There is so much joy in my heart right now. Watching the Trojans attack the Greeks, The Greek heroes crying and going back to Achilles for help, clearly their last resort. Even with the burning of the ships Achilles still won’t help. The only help I see coming is Patroklos in Achilles armor. I hear Achilles pray to Zeus for success for Patroklos and for him to return home safe. I wonder what Zeus will do with that? The battle continues. The Trojans get pushed back, they think it is really Achilles! Those fools! Patroklos then takes on Sarpedon, Zeus’ son. Sarpedon perishes. Things are not looking to me. The Trojans are praying to me to heal their wounds and of course I grant this favor. Zeus eventually allowed me to go down and retrieve Sarpedon’s body as there were continuous fights around it. I took the body to Lykia for a proper burial. But I had to also watch the battle continue. Patroklos almost broke into Troy! I stopped his momentum. This Greek forward motion needs to stop. I went down disguised, again, as a Trojan and told Hektor to keep fighting. Hektor and Patroklos meet in battle and chaos erupts. I have had it with the Greeks and I knocked off all of Patroklos’ armor. Patroklos is stabbed by a Trojan warrior and then by Hektor. Patroklos warns Hektor of his impending death through his last words. Not a great message for Hektor, but Patroklos has been removed from the picture.

                A lot is happening at this point of the war. Again there is a power struggle on Mt. Olympus. A lot of the Gods are starting to realize the impact of this war as well. Not even the Gods children are safe on this battlefield. Even Zeus lost a kid today. Seems that no one is really safe anymore from what is fated to occur in this war. It’s hard to say who is winning at this point in the war. The Trojans have burned a ship, but then were pushed back and Troy was almost broken into, but then Patroklos was killed at the hands of the Trojans. Much like power is going back and forth on Mt. Olympus by several Gods fighting to do what they want, the war keeps going back and forth between the Greeks or Trojans winning. Then we have the issue of Achilles. The ships are burning and he still won’t return to battle. What will make him return? Patroklos then basically pretends to be Achilles and it works. Everyone is scared. And in the end Patroklos is such a strong fighter that it takes three people to kill him, Including myself! A GOD! I worry now what Achilles will do with the news of his death. And if it took two men and one god to kill Patroklos, what will it take to finish off Achilles? I worry that the Trojan advancements today toward the ships may actually have led to Patroklos coming to battle, which then may have some terrible consequences later. 



Picture: https://www.google.com/search?q=death+of+patroclus&espv=2&biw=1517&bih=708&nfpr=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTg6yihY3QAhVH1oMKHQWxAV4Q_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9#imgrc=VYV-qUfSbmUDmM%3A

The Seduction of Zeus

                Fighting continues just outside the wall of the Greek Camps. I continue to worry about Hektor. He is rejecting all advice from his men, he isn’t even paying attention to the omens that are around him. At the moment it seems like Hektor’s stubborn determination is paying off. With the help of Sarpedon, Hektor breaks through the gates and the Trojans flood through to continue the assault on the Greeks. This advantage the Trojans has strikes up anger on Mt. Olympus. Poseidon sneaks down to Troy to help the Greeks. He disguised himself as a mortal. I can’t believe Zeus isn’t seeing this! His own brother is disobeying him. The only reason Poseidon hasn’t been caught is because he isn’t really fighting. He is just boosting moral and helping the Greeks in small ways. A lot of battles take place as things heat up on the battlefield. Things are going so well for the Trojans that Agamemnon suggests going back home, yet again! Sooner or later they will actually leave. But once again Agamemnon is talked out of leaving. Seems the other Greek Heroes are still stepping in on Agamemnon’s power. If they don’t have a united front, there is no way the Greeks will win. But Poseidon is still interfering. Now Hera is even distracting Zeus so Poseidon can really rally the Greeks. She turns to Aphrodite to help seduce Zeus. Zeus being the God he is jumps at the chance to be with Hera and even adds a cloud of smoke around them. He doesn't see a thing happening down in Troy now. And then he falls asleep! This does not bode well for the Trojans. Hektor gets wounded and the Greeks advance. Poseidon needs to get out of there and Zeus needs to wake up. Enough Love Making! 

"'Hera, there will be a time afterward when you can go there as well. But now let us go to bed and turn to lovemaking. For never before has love for any goddess or woman so melted about the heart inside me, broken it to submission, as now...'" (Book 14, p 323, Line 313-317)

                I have been sitting by watching the battle unfold as Zeus has wished; no interfering. Hera and Poseidon need to learn to do the same. What I am angered by is Aphrodite helping Hera seduce Zeus. Doesn’t she understand that by helping Hera she is helping the Greeks!? She doesn’t want the Greeks to win! It doesn’t make sense. She shouldn’t have helped Hera, now the Greeks are pressing forward and Zeus isn’t even around to put a stop to anything. Now Poseidon, his brother, seems to be calling the shots. With Hera and Poseidon’s new partnership, I don’t really know who is calling the shots on Mt. Olympus. If Poseidon hadn’t come down the Greeks would probably be turning back. I mean this is the third time Agamemnon has suggested going home. I don’t think he even wants to be here anymore. Odysseus and Diomedes probably just want to stay because Athena always encourages them to stay. Something needs to change otherwise the Fall of Troy really will be inevitable.

Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Carracci_-_Jupiter_et_Junon.jpeg

Another day, Another Battle

                The Greeks have fallen back to their ships. I can see their fear from all the way at the top of Mt. Olympus! The leaders of the Greek camps are scrambling to figure out what to do. The Greeks and Trojans come up with the same idea to try and infiltrate each other’s camps. It seems that the Trojans did not pick the best spy since he was captured by the Greeks and questioned. He gave up everything he knew. It was disgusting to see. And on top of all that the Greeks used his body as a dedication for Athena. It was horrible to watch. I don’t like seeing Greeks behind our walls and slaying our men, especially in honor of Athena. Oh, the things I could do to Diomedes and Odysseus with my bow and arrow. But that would just cause chaos up here on Mt. Olympus amongst us gods. I’ll save my wrath for a later date. The next day Zeus gets the fight going again. The Greeks start gaining momentum during the day. Agamemnon is not a force to be reckoned with today. Thankfully Zeus sends a message to warn Hektor to stay out of the fight until Agamemnon is injured. Surely it won’t take too long with his arrogant personality. It will catch up with him. Sure enough he gets injured and then Hektor joins the fight. The battle is intense. Greek heroes are killing a lot of Trojans; Trojan heroes are killing a lot of Greeks. A lot of people are getting wounded as well. By the end of the day the Greeks are yet again fearing defeat.

                There was not a lot of intervention in the fighting today. Instead we are starting to see big names on each side go against each other. As far as big names go, no one was really killed; several were wounded although. It seems that this is depicting the end of the war is coming but it’s not quite the time for it to end. People are getting hurt symbolizing how close death actually is. Our great heroes need to regroup and plan. With a majority of the Greek heroes returning to camp injured and losing hope I have to wonder if and when Achilles will come to their aid. I keep seeing Thetis keep an eye on Zeus. They better not have something planned for Achilles return. We still have Hektor but I think the pressure of keeping Troy safe is getting to him. At least he listened to Zeus’ advice today. I’m worried that the advantage he is continuing to have will go to his head and he will make a rash decision. 



Picture: https://www.google.com/search?q=greek+camp+trojan+war&espv=2&biw=1517&bih=708&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6o8DThI3QAhWkzIMKHXZwCSUQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9#imgrc=ogxuB2d0aE_CMM%3A

War is a spectator Sport

                As the Battle continues outside of Troy, the Trojans step up their game and put the Greeks in their place! Athena actually started looking worried and came down from Mt. Olympus to try and stop the Trojan force. I was not going to have any of that. Not again. I stopped her in her tracks this time and proposed a new idea. Instead of everyone fighting, let’s have another face-off. One Greek vs one Trojan. Athena agreed, finally listening to me. Hektor challenges the Greeks to a fight. Those cowards! Not one of them stood up to take on Hektor! It was a spectacular sight to see all the Greeks shaking in their armor. Not so tough now! Finally, after picking straws basically Aias steps up to the plate. Aias is a little better than expected, but I wasn’t about to let Hektor lose. I helped Hektor up after being knocked down. The fight was called to a draw after that. Zeus wouldn’t want to see either men die. These men then at least were respectful for each other and exchanged gifts. This fight did not end as badly as the last man-to-man combat between Paris and Menelaus. This fight ends all the fighting for the day. Things have settled down as each army heads back to their camps. As things quiet down on the field, tensions are running higher here on Mt. Olympus. Apparently, Poseidon is getting irritated with the Greeks and the wall they have built. Zeus assured him the wall will be destroyed once Troy falls. I’m not sure why Zeus is talking about Troy falling when he has been attacking the Greeks so harshly. Maybe it was just a lie to cool down Poseidon. After that Zeus tells us yet again to stay out of the war. I don’t know what he expects. That didn’t work the first time. Oh well, at least the scales of Zeus are in favor of the Trojans today. The Trojans are dominating. Athena and Hera are on the edge of their seat wanting to intervene. They both try to only to be stopped by Zeus. The Trojans have really pushed the Greeks back so far and even camp out on the plains so they continue the attack all the way to their ships in the morning. Well this intimidates the Greeks. Agamemnon even suggest going home! Yet again, the other Greek leaders start pushing their will over Agamemnon. They don’t want to leave. What they want is for Achilles to come back. But I’m not sure Agamemnon will ever apologize enough to get Achilles back. Both of those men are stubborn. Must like my sister Athena and her will to see the Greeks triumph. Sure enough, Achilles turns down the apology attempt. The Greeks decide to push on without him. I just think this shows how unstable the Greek army is. Always fighting amongst themselves.

                It’s hard not to notice the power struggles on Mount Olympus and down on earth. Even though we are all Gods here on Mt. Olympus, there is a hierarchy we abide by. Athena and Hera try to work around that. Hera and Athena both think they are above Zeus’ orders being his wife and his daughter. But Zeus does not care. He word is final. He is not dealing with anyone disobeying him. Zeus’ will is going to get accomplished one way or another. This power struggle is mirrored in the Greek camp as we see yet again people start questioning Agamemnon’s power and rule. Maybe he isn’t as tough as once thought. It starts to look like Agamemnon doesn’t even want to be there anymore. And why should he? This was all for his little brother, and as the Trojans keep advancing, it doesn’t seem like this long war was worth it. As the fates have placed favor in the Trojans I just hope that doesn’t run out. I’m never sure which side Zeus is playing for. Between the comments to Poseidon and how he acts on the battlefield it’s unclear which side he actually wants to win. And now Hektor is switching up his game plan. I’m afraid that with all his success his luck will run out. Hektor doesn’t usually go on the offense like this. Camping on the fields? I hope his plan works out. The only thing that I think bodes well for the Trojans is that they are mainly a united front. They follow Hektor, the people within the walls light fires to help the Trojans keep an eye on the Greeks. They stick together. The Greek camp seems to be falling apart. Between wanting to leave, trying to regain Achilles, and everyone fighting for power, the Greek army doesn’t seem to be holding it all together. Only time will tell how this will all play out. 

The Battle Thickens

                Zeus is still trying to run the show up on top of Mt. Olympus. This only causes Hera and Zeus to fight more. Zeus is the king of the Gods, and although Hera is the queen, she doesn’t quite have the power Zeus does. You can imagine how this leads to fighting. Hera wants to be in charge. But she is only the Queen. Hera and Zeus finally come to an agreement of what to do with the abrupt end to the battle between Menelaos and Paris. Of course Athena jumps into play again to help Hera get the Trojans to break the truce set in place. She is quite the meddler. This rallies the Greeks, unfortunately, and they press forward. The only glimpse of hope I see from up here is that Agamemnon is being arrogant and controlling, and it’s starting to seem like some of his other men are getting annoyed with him. Maybe one of them will over throw him? Either way, battle continues. And there is no shortage of other Gods interfering. Thankfully, some other Gods are helping out my dear Trojans as well. We can’t just let Athena save the Greeks. They don’t deserve the help. Aineias joins the scene and is a great help to the Trojans. He almost met his match with Diomedes, but Aphrodite was watching and saved him when he needed the help. Diomedes, that damned Greek, then tries to attack Aphrodite! A mortal attacking a God!? The nerve of him! Hera and Athena thought this was some kind of joke! I wonder how they would feel if mortals attacked them! Those women are still just jealous that they were not chosen to be the most beautiful woman.  I couldn’t stand what was happening. I took it upon myself to save Aineias. Diomedes should know not to pick fights with the Gods. I decided to give him a warning to never to do so again. I saved Aineias and my mother and other sister, Leto and Artemis, helped heal Aineias’ wounds. I even sent a “replacement” Aineias down to the battleground to rally the Trojans. This helped boost their energy and we pressed on. As soon as Aineias was healed I had him go back to fighting. The battle rages on. Diomedes is still using Athena’s help to see us Gods. An unfair advantage if you ask me. Athena continues to play unfair. She helps Diomedes, and he is continuing to attack the Gods. He shouldn’t mess with us. After Ares is hurt, the Gods and Goddesses sit out for a little. The Greeks start to pull ahead. The Trojans pray to my sister Athena; she ignores them completely. She is so stubborn. The Battle continues, my Trojans fighting hard, despite the lack of help from Athena.

                We’ve reached an interesting time in this war. It’s hard to see if this war is really between The Trojans and the Greeks or if it is more a war we Gods are using to fight our battles. Athena and Hera are clearly just upset at Aphrodite. They are doing everything they can to destroy the people Aphrodite loves, those being the Trojans. Hera is also using these mortals to assert her dominance and power over Zeus and the rest of the Gods. We are using these mortals to act out our fights. But what else can we do. We can’t really fight amongst ourselves. It is easier to pick sides on this war and set people against each other to fight our battles. Then not only is it fights with mortals comparing skill, but comparing wits from the Gods and who can help their fighter better. I will help the Trojans as best as I can. Maybe Agamemnon’s arrogance is a reflection of Hera and Athena’s arrogance and how they think they can out-smart the rest of us and Zeus himself. Just as Odysseus and Diomedes are starting to question Agamemnon’s power, Hera and Athena question Zeus’s. I wonder if anyone will overthrow the commander in charge.