When early in the morning, just before dawn, Thetis brought armor to her son, she found him sobbing over the corpse of Patroclus. Trying to console her son, Thetis showed him the armor she had brought. None of the Myrmidons could look at the armor, it sparkled so much. Achilles' eyes sparkled with fire. He took the armor and began to admire it. The son of Thetis decided to immediately go to battle with the Trojans. One thing worried him: he was afraid that Patroclus’ corpse would be disfigured by decay. But the goddess Thetis calmed her son. She promised to preserve the corpse by pouring nectar and ambrosia into it; The deceased Patroclus should have become even more beautiful from this. She advised her son to go to the council of the Greek leaders.
Achilles walked along the seashore, calling everyone to a public meeting. The entire army gathered at Agamemnon's tent. No one remained with the tents and ships. Odysseus and Diomedes came limping, and Agamemnon, suffering from a wound, also came out. When everyone had gathered and there was silence, Achilles invited Agamemnon to reconcile. He hurried everyone to quickly engage in battle with the Trojans. All the Greeks rejoiced when they heard that the feud between Achilles and Agamemnon had ended. Agamemnon stood up from his place; he admitted his guilt and said that it was the goddess of discord who blinded him. She, walking with light feet along the heads of people, catches them in her nets. After all, she once blinded Zeus himself. Agamemnon promised to immediately give Achilles all the gifts that he promised him for reconciliation. But Achilles no longer needed gifts, he thought only about the battle, about revenge on Hector, he called everyone to the battle as soon as possible. But the cunning Odysseus advised Achilles not to rush. He said that the warriors must first be satisfied in order to be strengthened by food and wine and enter into battle. And at this time, Achilles had to accept the gifts and Briseis returned to him. Agamemnon agreed with Odysseus's advice. He asked him to go with the young men for gifts and Briseis, and sent the messenger Talfibius for a boar to sacrifice it to the gods for reconciliation. In vain Achilles asked everyone not to take care of the gifts, but to take care of the battle. He wanted the Greeks to go into battle immediately and, only after avenging the killed, they would sit down to a common feast in the evening. Achilles refused the feast now, food did not come to his mind, when his faithful friend lay unavenged in his tent. Odysseus, however, persuaded Achilles to delay the start of the battle. Odysseus brought gifts from Agamemnon’s tent, and the heroes brought slaves and Briseis.
Everyone went to their tents. The Myrmidons, taking the gifts of Agamemnon, went to their ships. Achilles went with them. Soon the leaders of the Greeks came to Achilles, they asked him to eat food, but Achilles refused. Achilles remained with Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, Nestor, Idomeneo and Phoenix; they tried to console the great hero, but he thought only about Patroclus and, sighing, said:
“There was a time when you yourself, Patroclus, offered me food before the battle, but now you lie, pierced by a spear.” Even then, my grief would not have been stronger if I had learned about the death of my father, or even if I had learned about the death of my beloved son, Neoptolemus, whom I left in Skyros. I hoped that I would die alone in a foreign land; I thought that you would return to Phthia and bring my young son there.
Achilles wept bitterly. Heroes sighed all around, each of them remembered those loved ones whom he left in his homeland. From Olympus, Zeus saw the sadness of Achilles and ordered Pallas Athena to go to the hero’s tent and sprinkle his chest with nectar and ambrosia. Like an eagle, Athena flew down from Olympus and sprinkled Achilles’ chest with nectar and ambrosia so that he would not lose his strength.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru