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Vol. 61 : Poseidon withdraws

Zeus summoned Iris and sent her sweeping down to Poseidon.

"Zeus demands that you withdraw from the war," she said. "He says he will fight you if you stay, and that he will win for he is the more powerful god."

Poseidon was furious.

"Defeat me?" he bellowed. "I am his brother, his equal. We are the sons of Cronus and Rhea — Zeus, Hades and I. He may be the first-born but we are still equal in power. We split the world into four — the heavens, the earth, the sea and the world of the dead. Zeus took the heavens, I took the sea, Hades took the dead. The earth is our common ground, and he dares to order me around? Let him save his threats for his children.

"You want me to tell Zeus that?" asked Iris with a smile. "Remember, the Furies always stand by the older brother."

Poseidon relented a little. Even he couldn't win against the combined power of Zeus and the Furies.

"You speak wisely, Iris — unusual for a goddess," he said. "Tell Zeus that I will do as he say, but tell him too that if stops Troy from falling to the Greeks, as it is fated, we will be, from then on, forever enemies."

Poseidon left the beach where the Greeks fought and vanished into the waves, and as he did so, a great earthquake hit the shore, striking fear into the hearts of the Greeks.

Zeus then summoned Apollo.

"Go, archer of the skies, undo what my fool of a brother has done," he said. "Help the Trojans, help Hector. Give him strength, and make the Greek ships burn."

Apollo wasted no time. He flew down and breathed life into the dying Hector. The warrior immediately leapt to his feet, his wounds healed, his spirit replenished, and he charged. The Greek, who had for a moment, been gaining the upper hand scattered, like a hunting party ambushed by a lion.

"A miracle, a miracle," they cried. "Hector has escaped death."