Chapter 48 48

Early the next morning the Pylos carried the body of Antilochus, their king's son, back to their ships, and buried him on the shore of the Heldpon.The old Nestor suppressed his grief, but Achilles couldn't calm down. He was indignant at the death of his friend.As soon as dawn broke, he threw himself on Troy.The Trojans, fearful of Achilles but eager to fight, rushed out from behind the walls.Soon, the two sides began a fierce battle again.Achilles killed countless enemies and drove the Trojans all the way to the city gate.Convinced of his superhuman strength, he was about to knock down the gates, break the pillars, and let the Greeks pour through the gates of Priam.

Phoebus Apollo was very angry when he saw the corpses in front of the city of Troy and the blood flowing in rivers on the holy mountain of Olympus.He suddenly stood up from the throne, and with a quiver full of arrows on his back, he walked towards the son of Peleus.Threatening him with a voice like thunder, he said: "Son of Peleus! Let go of the Trojans! Take care, or a god will kill you!" Achilles recognized the voice of a god, but he was not afraid.He ignored the warning and replied loudly: "Why do you always protect the Trojans? Do you want to force me to fight the gods? Last time you helped Hector escape death, I was very angry. Now, I persuade You should go back to the gods, otherwise, even if you are a god, my spear will definitely stab you!"

With that said, he turned and left Apollo, still chasing the enemy.Angry Phoebus hid himself in the clouds, drew his bow and set his arrow, and shot an arrow at the vulnerable heel of Peleus' son. Achilles felt a piercing pain, like a giant tower collapsing fell to the ground.He shouted angrily: "Who dares to shoot me meanly in the dark? If he dares to fight me face to face, I will make him bleed until his soul flees to the underworld! A coward is always in the dark." Kill the warrior! I can say these words to him clearly, even if he is a god! I think, this is the work of Apollo. My mother Thetis once prophesied to me that I would die by Apollo at the central gate Luo's magic arrow. I'm afraid this will come true."

Achilles groaned as he spoke, drew the arrow from the incurable wound, and threw it away angrily.He saw dirty black blood gushing from the wound.Apollo picked up the arrow, covered by a cloud, and returned to the holy mountain of Olympus. When he reached the mountain, he emerged from the clouds and mingled with the gods of Olympus.Seeing him, Hera said reproachfully: "Phoebus, this is a crime! You also attended the wedding of Peleus, and blessed his future son like other gods. Now you are showing favor to the Trojans." , wanting to kill Peleus' only beloved son. You did it out of jealousy! How will you see Nereus' daughter from now on?"

Apollo was silent, he sat on the side of the gods, his head bowed.Some gods were only annoyed by his actions, others thanked him in their hearts!But in the lower world, Achilles' blood boiled in his limbs, and he could not restrain his desire to fight, and no Trojan dared to approach the wounded man.Achilles jumped up from the ground, swung his spear, and rushed at the enemy.He stabbed Hector's friend Orytaion from the temple to the brain.Then he stabbed Hipponus in the eye, and Alcathus in the cheek, and killed many fleeing Trojans, but he felt his limbs grow cold.Achilles had to stop, supporting himself with the spear.Although he could not pursue the enemy, he let out a roar like thunder, and the Trojans were still frightened and ran away desperately. "You run away! Even if I die, you can't escape my spear. The Furies will still punish you!"

The Trojans trembled at his roar, thinking that he was not wounded.Suddenly, his limbs stiffened.He collapsed among the other corpses.His armor and weapon fell to the ground, and the earth made a dull roar. Paris, Achilles' sworn enemy, was the first to see him fall.He was overjoyed, couldn't help cheering, and immediately encouraged the Trojans to snatch the corpse.Many people who had fled at the sight of Achilles' spear gathered around, trying to strip him of his armor.But Ajax guarded the body with his spear, and drove back those who approached.He also took the initiative to attack the Trojans. The Lycian Glaucus died under his spear, and the Trojan hero Aeneas was also wounded.

Fighting with Ajax was Odysseus and the other Daneans.But the Trojans also stubbornly resisted. Paris boldly raised his spear and aimed at Ajax.But Ajax dodged it, grabbed a stone and threw it at Paris, hitting Paris on the helmet, causing him to fall to the ground, and the arrows in his quiver scattered all over the place.His friends hurried him into the chariot.Paris was still breathing, but very weakly, and galloped towards Troy in a chariot drawn by Hector's steed.Ajax drove all the Trojans into the city, and then, stepping on the dead bodies and the scattered weapons, he strode towards the ship.

Taking advantage of the gap in the battle, the princes of Dannea carried Achilles' body back to the warship.They surrounded him, weeping bitterly. The old Nestor finally persuaded them to stop crying.He reminded them to bathe the hero's body, put him in a tent, and hold a funeral for him.They did as he commanded, and bathed Peleus' son in lukewarm water, and dressed him in the battle robe his mother Thetis had given him.Athena looked down on him from the holy mountain of Olympus and was filled with sympathy when he was parked in the tent for cremation.At the same time she sprinkled a few drops of balm on his forehead to prevent the corpse from rotting or deforming.

After getting this balm from the gods, Achilles' body changed immediately, and he looked like he was alive.The Argosians were amazed to see the great hero lying on the corpse bed with a peaceful face and radiant vigor, as if he was sleeping peacefully and would wake up later. The lamentation of the Greeks for their great hero was heard to the bottom of the sea, and the mother of Achilles, Thetis, and the daughters of Nereus also wept bitterly.The shores of the Hellpont echoed their mournful cries.At night, Thetis and her daughters parted the huge waves and came to the coast where the Greek warships were. Behind them, the sea monsters also sympathized with them and made a miserable roar. They came to the corpse sadly.Thetis hugged her son, kissed his lips, tears welled up, and immediately wet the ground.The Dane'a retreated outside temporarily in awe of the goddess.They didn't return to Achilles' body until the next morning when the goddesses left.

So they cut down trees from Mount Ada and piled them up high.On the pyre lay the armor and weapons of many slain men, as well as many sacrificial animals, and sacrificial gold and other precious metals.The Greek heroes each cut off a lock of hair from their heads, and Achilles' favorite maid Brisaeus also cut off a lock of her own hair and gave it to the master as a final gift.They also poured various ointments on the woodpile, and offered large bowls of honey, wine, and spices.The hero's body was placed on top of the pyre.Then, fully armed, some on horseback and some on foot, they circled the great pyre in circles.After the ceremony, they lit the pyre.The flames blazed up.According to the will of Zeus, the wind god Eros sent out a strong wind, which roared and fanned the flames soaring into the sky, and the firewood pile crackled.Corpses were reduced to ashes.The heroes douse the embers with wine.Achilles' skeleton was legible in the ashes, like the skeleton of a giant.His friends picked up his remains, put them in a gold and silver casket, and buried them on the highest point of the coast, beside the bones of his friend Patroclus.Then they built a tomb.

The two divine horses of Achilles probably felt that their master was dead, so they broke free from the yoke and refused to accept the control of others. Now it is difficult for anyone to tame them.