suitors and the one her father most favored. Shortly after her marriage, Helen’s father died and Menelaos succeeded him as king.
Now Aphrodite knew at the time of her bribe to Paris that Helen had chosen a husband and was happily married, but she had to keep her promise to Paris, so she devised a plan. First, she told Paris to go to Sparta, where he would meet the woman she had promised him. When he arrived, under pretext of bringing a message from his father, King Priam, King Menelaos welcomed Paris as a guest in his palace at Amyklai and held a great celebration in his honor. The roles of guest and host were sacred in Greece, and Menelaos felt compelled to ask Paris to stay on at the palace for some time, which he heartily agreed to. On the tenth day of Paris’ stay, Menelaos was summoned to Crete on business. Unsuspecting of what would ensue, he left for Crete and Helen remained at home, as hostess to the guests. Paris, with help from Aphrodite, then seduced Helen and caused her to fall in love with him. Helen was an adventurous woman at heart, and had grown quite tired of the security and dull routine of Sparta. The glamour and excited bustle of a great city such as Troy, along with her infatuation for Paris, the man Aphrodite had made irresistible, were enough to incite her elopement with Paris. They set sail for Troy as soon as Menelaos was safely departed for Crete.
Meanwhile, Paris’ sister, Kassandra, was faced with trouble. Apollo, while trying to seduce her, had given her the gift of prophecy. But Kassandra had taken a vow of chastity, and steadfastly refused the god’s advances. This angered Apollo, and while he could not retract his gift, he placed a curse on her so that no one would believe her. When Paris returned with Helen and stood before Priam to gain his father’s acceptance of his woman, it happened that Kassandra came into the room. She immediately realized all that would happen, and began such shrieking and groaning that Priam thought her mad and locked her up.
Upon his return to Sparta, Menelaus discovered the treachery of his wife and guest. He was understandably enraged, and requested the aid of his brother, Agamemnon. The brothers then summoned all the Greek generals who had courted Helen to fulfill their alliance. Most of these warriors were anxious to go, for Troy was a wealthy city and much loot could be gained from its sacking. Two of these, however, were reluctant. It had been told by an oracle that Odysseus would be away from home twenty years, if he engaged in this war. He thought it absurd to waste so many lives in pursuit of a mere woman, and feigned madness to avoid going. When Palamedes arrived to summon him, he found Odysseus plowing his fields with salt, trying to uphold his ruse of madness. Palamedes exposed him through an equally clever ruse, by placing Odysseus’ young son in his path. Odysseus turned the plow aside, proving his sanity, and he was forced to go to war.
Achilles, the son of Peleus and Thetis, whose wedding had seen the start of all this strife, was also reluctant to join the campaign. But the Greeks knew Troy could not be taken without his help, for he was invincible in battle. As a baby, his mother Thetis had dipped him in the River Styx, whose waters rendered him invulnerable, except for the heel where she had held him. He had grown into a strong and fearless warrior, incredibly swift and skilled in battle. He also had been told by the oracle that he would have a short life if he went to Troy, and disguised himself as a woman when the Greeks came to fetch him. However, Odysseus discovered his deception, and Achilles was forced to go as well.