Odysseus by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo Books
Published: 2016-08-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

Achilles Heel

The Greek army was now hopelessly divided. There were two camps and two leaders.

Agamemnon was furious and took it out on his men. He woke them up at 4 o’clock every morning and made them do exercises: one hundred press-ups, one hundred sit-ups and a five-kilometre run. They became extremely fit but they weren’t having much fun.

Meanwhile Achilles’ men spent their days surfing and sunbathing. They were less fit but they had incredible tans.

One morning, as usual, Agamemnon’s troops were charging at sandbags with their lances while Achilles’ army whistled and catcalled and generally indicated that they thought Agamemnon’s men were a bunch of idiots.

Suddenly Odysseus stopped and frowned. ‘I think I hear something,’ he said.

‘It’s only Patroclus and the rest of Achilles’ lads,’ replied Diomedes.

But Odysseus shook his head. ‘No, it’s not that. It’s a low rumbling noise – like thunder.’

Diomedes could hear it now. So could the rest of the men. They turned towards Troy – and what they saw filled them with terror.

In the middle of the Trojan plain was a solitary figure on a white horse. He was bared to the waist, covered in tattoos and his sword was pointing straight towards Agamemnon. It was Hector, the Trojan hero. Behind him a huge army rumbled out of the Trojan gates: two thousand horsemen in dark blue leather with scarlet sashes, followed by wave upon wave of foot soldiers with axes and scarlet shields.

‘Get back to the tents and fetch your weapons!’ yelled Agamemnon. But the Trojans were galloping furiously across the plain now and the Greeks had no time. They panicked and started to run this way and that in blind terror…

Over in Achilles’ camp the men were waiting for their orders. Should they fight? After all it was their fellow Greeks who were under attack. ‘Serves them right,’ said Achilles. ‘Let’s go for a swim.’

Meanwhile, in desperation, Odysseus had drummed a few of his least panicky men into line and Diomedes was passing out the lances which he’d yanked from the sandbags. The first wave of Trojan horsemen burst on them. The Greeks hurled their lances and brought the Trojans tumbling to the ground. They grabbed the dead Trojans’ swords and turned to face the second wave.

More Greeks were running back to help. Agamemnon had found a huge ball and chain and was whirling it round his head, crushing Trojan skulls like coconuts.

Menelaus had ripped up a tent by its tent pole and was thwacking at the legs of the Trojan horses.

Then big Ajax appeared, waving a sword the size of a small tree and carrying a vast shield. Suddenly from behind it a tiny man popped out, threw a tiny lance and disappeared behind the shield again.

‘Who’s that?’ asked Odysseus.

‘He’s big Ajax’s cousin,’ explained Diomedes.

‘What’s his name?’

‘Little Ajax.’

Once more the little man appeared from behind the shield, then – OOOFF – he let out a gasp of surprise. A Trojan spear was sticking right through him.

‘Stretcher bearers!’ shouted big Ajax, and two men came ducking and weaving towards him with a leather stretcher.

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