The calls had gone out to the allies as soon as the sails were sighted on the horizon. By the time the messengers had returned the ships filled the waters to the horizon and they were massing to land.
The entire Trojan host was ready on the beach to receive them and as the forms struggled through the thigh high surf the arrows fell amongst them thick and heavy. Hektor sighted the golden shield of Achilles as he led his Myrmidon’s towards the beach.
He moved his chariots over and waited for the hero to come closer.
The Greeks struggled to the shore and as the first men were emerging, tired and wet, from the surf the Trojan defenders struck. With half of their men still in the water the press was too much for the Greeks and they were forced back.
But more came through the now pink frothy water. The Myrmidon’s with Achilles saw the slaughter of the men next to them and panic set in. Despite Achilles exhortations his men were swept rear words as Apollo’s bane gripped their hearts.
His sister meanwhile had other plans. Mighty Athena appeared in front of Hektor in her shinning armour and charged at the scion of Troy. With crushing blows she brought her sword down on him again and again. It was all the man could do to hold his arm up against the attacks.
Finally the third blow broke Hektor’s shield but the force of the blow carried Athena just past him. With this sudden reversal Hektor whirled around and caught the goddess just below her left breast with his sword sending her sprawling. Her armour weathered the blow but the goddess was struggling for air as Hektor came over to finish her off. When his sword swung down it only bit into sand and the goddess was nowhere to be seen.
As Hektor looked up his men were chasing some of the Greeks out to sea but they had left themselves open on the left and the massive numbers of Greeks overwhelmed and crushed the left flank of his forces. Panic started down his line now and Hektor had his herald sound the recall.
The Trojans would wait for the allies and then push the
Greeks into the sea.
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It had been three weeks since the Greeks had landed on the beach and dissension had broken out in their camp. The night of the landing a verbal dispute had almost turned violent when Agammemnon had questioned Achilles resolve and control over his men.
Now the mighty champion of the Greeks was sulking in his tent. Neither plea nor promise could rouse him from his gloom and he refused to fight for the man who would so insult him.
With their allies now gathered the Trojans decided that made it as good a time as any to strike.
Hektor moved wearily to his chariot, his wounds were deep and were not healing quickly. He mounted and led his men forward. At the sight of the Trojan army advancing on their camp the Greeks rushed to form line of battle.
The Trojans could see the line forming, thin at first, thinner than their own. But as they got closer the line filled out and then a strange thing happened, a cheer arose from the back of the invading army.
It spread from the Greek left to their right and from the back to the front of the army. And they were chanting. While Hektor could not make out the words at this distance he knew what they were chanting as a chariot swerved into position at the right of the Greek line, opposite his own.
The were chanting “Achilles.”
The lines now moved toward each other. The Trojans to defend their lives and their homes, the Greeks to plunder, rape and kill.
The Apollo had dragged the sun to shine directly down on the combatants as they closed. And as the two armies met the sweat streaming down the faces and bodies of the men in the heat was replaced by blood. The center of the battle field was churned into a pinkish clay.
Achilles chariot streamed towards the Trojan forces, the white mane of his helmet streamed behind him and sun blinded those who looked at his polished armour.
He streaked towards Hektor. But on the flank came the chariot of Odysseus and Hektor was forced to veer towards the Ithican and his men. The first pass of the chariots was uneventful and Odysseus wheeled his chariot around with skill. But Hektor, still weak from his immortal combat, slipped as the chariot made its turn. He was staggering to his feet when the two chariots came side by side. He flailed with his lance as he tried to regain his balance but Odysseus knocked it aside and slid his own down the shaft of his opponents.
Using that as his guide at the last second the wily Greek plunged the lance downward severing Hektors right arm at the elbow. Odysseus continued past but was momentarily blinded by the geyser of blood shooting out of the Trojan champions severed limb.
Hektor tumbled from the chariot and his face turned white as his life’s blood turned the white sand red.
Everywhere that Trojans could see him their hearts sank and then fled before the Greeks.
Achille’s chariot pursued them towards the walls and even Agammemnon, pursued by Polydamus on the far side of the field, saw and turned on his pursuers.
Clearing the line of infantry Polydamus could see across the field and the now empty chariot that had carried his friend into battle. Agammemnon now struck into his men and they had no heart to resist. Two chariots collided and Polydamus was thrown to the ground in the crash. Agammemnon speared him like a fish where he struggled to stand.
But then the Greek line gave way where Agammemnon was about to charge onto victory. Greeks were streaming to the rear. The gods had put new fight into the hearts of the Trojans on the right.
It was not to last. As these, the last men of Troy to see the fall of their prince now came into view of the shattered corpse, now held aloft from a pike on Odysseus’ chariot, they too faltered.
Aenaes seeing the heart ripped from his army sounded the recall and the Greeks, reeling from their collapse on the left, realized they would do themselves in if they were to pursue.
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“Those perfidious Greeks!” cursed Priam as he looked out from the battlements of the city to see the invaders army standing before it, just out of bow range, in battle array.
“What do they want n . . .” the old man faltered as the shadow of Hades passed over his heart. He turned around but his realization came only a moment before the truth was revealed to him by a shout from inside the city!
The Greek horse that they had brought it, left behind by the Greeks as they seemed to have fled the field, it had been filled with Greeks.
Priam could see wily Odysseus leading the charge of the mass of Greeks and even harder to bear was the helmet of Achilles in the mass of men surging towards his defenders.
As the shout came up from inside it was answered by the paean of the Greeks from without.
Arrows flew from the wall but the men of Greece were not to be deterred. They surged forward only slightly slowed by their battering rams and ladders.
Their first impact with the gate sent shockwaves through the door.
Anaeas was already moving around a house to come into the rear of the Greeks when Priam started to direct him to do so.
Another unit of Trojans had moved to intercept them while more Trojans secured the doors and others rained missiles of all kinds down on the heads of the Greeks.
A second hammer blow to the gate shivered the timbers of the mighty portal.
Now Greeks were mounting ladders and struggling with the men on the battlements. There were just two many of them. The sally port below was now sundered but as Greek troops rushed through they were caught on the other side by brave Trojan defenders and cut down. They fled through faster than they had come in and the Trojans pursued them hacking men apart and making the causeway under the wall slick and sticky at the same time.
But Priam’s attention was focused inside the city. The chariots were weaving through the narrow streets but the Greeks had come upon the first units of defenders and they had held!
The old man’s heart beat with hope, if they could just hold for a little longer the chariots would catch the Greeks in the open street and slaughter them from behind.
But then he saw his men falter, falter and then break. Streaming towards the walls they were cut down by the Greeks to make a thick bloody mess. And the Greeks continued on. The men directly in front of them now were holding the gate against the battering from outside. The rear rankers were aware of what was coming and the front rankers must have known what had happened as the press let up from the back.
But that white maned helmet was among them before they had chance to run, or even turn around properly. And the sword strokes cast a spray of blood into the air that quickly dyed the white mane red.
The men were crushed against the wall with no room even to wield their weapons and they were slaughtered like pigs.
The victorious Greeks were finishing off the Trojans but one among them had the presence of mind to throw open the door to his comrades on the outside.
At this Priam ordered his people to flee and the walls of Troy emptied each person trying to escape from the orgy of blood and destruction that was soon to follow.
