To make matters worse King Agamemnon took the priests daughter. The priest tried to pay for her return but Agamemnon refuse. The priest prayed to Apollo and he attacked the Agamemnon and his men for nine days. The king still refused to give her back and Achilles was sick of this. He tells the king that he's going to leave, and the king says he can but he is going to take his girl. This angered Achilles so much that he was going to kill him, but he didn't. Achilles ran into his mother Thetsis who told him to go to Zeus.
Zeus is hesitant to help because it will make his Queen Hera angry. Zeus obliges and comes up with a plan. He decides to make Agamemnon think he can take Troy.
Meanwhile Hector(team Troy) prays to Athené to make Diomed fall dead at the gates. Athené ignores him and actually stirred up Diomed. Hector convinces his brother Paris to come to battle. Hector meets his wife at the walls and prays to Zeus to make his son great.
Hector and the Trojans continue to challenge the Greeks. Agamemnon realizes he needs Achilles to win. He sends an embassy to convince Achilles to return. Achilles couldn't care less about helping the king. He says he has no problems with the people the king sent, just the king himself. Achilles continues by asking what's the point of all the fighting he has done. He doesn't care about the fame anymore. In Thetsis's words, "If you fight only your name will live forever." Achilles is vehement.
Achilles companion Patroclus is in despair and begs Achilles to let him return to the battle and fight. He tells Achilles "a rock was your father and your mother was the sea." Achilles affirms that he will not join the battle by saying the men were not ashamed to stand by their king. Achilles obliges Patroclus's wish and tells him to make haste. Sarpedon is one of the great Trojan heroes. When Patroclus arrived in Achilles chariot and his armor the Trojans thought it was Achilles and fled. Patroclus threw a spear at Sarpedon's heart and killed him. Once the battle has turned in Patroclus's favor he forgets Achilles orders to return home after the battle. Patroclus has his mind set on taking the city. Apollo warns him three times not do it, but Patroclus does not heed his warning. Apollo hits him in the back of the head and blinds him. One of the Trojans throws a spear and wounds him, but then Hector deals the finishing blow. That is the end of Patroclus and our story so far.
The Death of Patroclus. Source
Bibliography:
A.J. Church, The Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer (Published 1967) https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-homers-iliad-retold.html
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