Chapters 18-21 Summary

Chapter 18

The combined armies want to set out for Troy, but the wind doesn't come for two months. Thetis has told Achilles it is because the gods are displeased. Achilles brings this news to Agamemnon, who decides to throw a feast for the gods. Agamemnon also tells Achilles he would like him to marry his daughter. At Odysseus' urging, Achilles agrees, even though he is already married.

When Agamemnon's daughter arrives, she is slaughtered on the spot as a sacrifice to the gods. Achilles and Patroclus are shocked, and Achilles berates himself for not stopping it, though there is no way he could have been able. Angry, Patroclus visits Odysseus to see how this could have happened, but Odysseus is not as unnerved by the ordeal. Athena wanted human sacrifice before sending the men to battle, where they would cause much...