The Trojan War
	When Peleus, one of the Argonauts, was married to Thetis, a lovely nymph, all the  gods and goddesses were invited to the wedding feast except Eris, goddess of discord. Enraged at the slight, she threw a golden apple among the guests. The apple bore the inscription: "For the fairest."
	Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena each claimed
the apple, and soon they were quarreling bitterly. Zeus was not willing to decide who  was the fairest. So he sent the goddesses to  Mount Ida, where the shepherd Paris was  tending his flocks. Paris was to make the decision. The goddesses gathered around him. Each one promised to reward him if he gave her the prize. Hera promised him power and riches. Athena told him that she would see that he gained glory. Aphrodite whispered that he would have the fairest woman in the world for his wife. Paris decided in favor of Aphrodite and gave her the golden apple. In this way he made the other two goddesses his enemies.
Under the protection of Aphrodite, Paris sailed for Greece. There he was hospitably received by Menelaus, king of Sparta. Helen, the wife of "Menelaus, was the very woman whom Aphrodite had chosen for Paris. She was the most beautiful woman in the world, so and she had been wanted as a bride by hundreds of suitors. The young men loved her so devotedly that they swore that no matter which of them she chose to wed, the others would defend her from harm all her life. She married Menelaus and was living $61 with him happily when Paris became their guest.
	Paris, aided by Aphrodite, persuaded Helen to elope with him and carried her to Troy. Overcome by grief, 'Menelaus called upon his brother chieftains of Greece to carry out their promises. He asked them to join him in his efforts to recover his wife.
	Now, although Paris had been - brought up hidden in a faraway place, he was really the son of Priam, king of Troy. The oracle had prophesied that he would one day cause the ruin of the state. And with his entrance into Troy with Helen, the oracle’s prediction seemed likely to be realized.

The army that was being assembled in Greece was the greatest that had ever been known Agamemnon, the brother of Menelaus, was chosen as commander-in-chief. Achilles was their most illustrious warrior. There was Odysseus, famous for his wisdom, and Nestor, the oldest of the Greek chiefs.	
Troy was no feeble enemy. Priam, the king, was now an old man, but he had been a wise ruler and had strengthened his  state by good government at home and by alliances with his neighbors. The main support of his throne was his son Hector, who was a brave, noble young man. Hector felt danger when he realized the great wrong his brother Paris had done in bringing Helen back to Troy. He knew that he must fight for his family and country. Yet he was sick with grief at the foolish circumstances that had set hero against hero. 
After two years of preparation, the Greeks set out for the coast of Troy, and soon battled with the Trojans. For nine years they fought, neither side winning over the other. The Greeks began to despair of ever conquering the city and decided to play a trick on the Trojans. They pretended to be making ready to abandon the war, and most of the ships set sail with many warriors on board. They did not head for home, but sailed to a nearby island, where they hid in the friendly harbor. The Greeks who were left in the camp built a huge horse of wood, which they said was to be a peace offering to Athene. They filled it with armed men, instead, and left it in their camp. The remaining Greeks then sailed away.
When the Trojans saw that the camp had broken up and the fleet had gone, they threw open the gates to the city. Everyone rushed out to look at the abandoned camp grounds. They found the huge horse and wondered what it could be.	

Learning Your LanguagelTwo

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Book 5/Tales of Ancient Greece

Some thought it should be carried back to the city and shown as a trophy of the war. But others, more cautious, were afraid of it. Laocodn, the priest of Poseidon, tried to warn them against it. "What madness, citizens, is this?" he exclaimed. "Have you not learned enough of Greek fraud to be on your guard against it? For my part, I fear the Greeks even when they offer gifts."
As he spoke, he threw his lance at the horse's side. It struck, and a hollow sound like a groan came forth from it. The people were- almost ready to take his advice and destroy the horse, when a group appeared dragging a young man with them. He appeared to be a Greek prisoner, and he was brought before the Trojan chiefs who promised him that they would spare his life on one condition. He was to answer truly the questions they asked him.
He told them that he was a Greek named Sinon, and that he had been left behind by his countrymen. He assured them that the wooden horse had been made as an offering to Athene. The Greeks had made it huge so that it could not be earn--d into the city. So Sinon added that the Greeks had been told that if the Trojans took possession of the horse, the Greeks would lose the war.
Then the people began to think of how they could move the enormous horse into the city. Suddenly, two huge serpents came from the sea. They crawled up on the shore, and the crowd fled in all directions. The serpents  slithered to the spot where Laocodn stood  with his two sons. First they attacked the children, crushing their bodies. Laocodn tried to drag his children away, but the serpents wound their bodies around his. He strangled to free himself, but they soon strangled him. In awe, the people crept back to the camp. They decided that the gods had taken revenge on Laocodn for talking against the wooden horse, a sacred object, and they began to move it into the city in triumph. All day, the Trojans feasted and sang around the horse, which they had placed in the main square of Troy. 

At last, tired from the festivities, they went to their homes and fell into their beds.
When the city was quiet, Sinon let out the armed men who were hidden in the body of the horse. They stole to the gates of the city, which were closed for the night, and let in their friends, who had returned under the cover of darkness. The Greeks set fire to the city. The Trojan people, overcome with feasting and sleep, were ruthlessly killed. Troy had fallen.
King Priam was the last to be slain, and   he fought bravely to the end.
Menelaus hastened to the palace and found his wife, Helen. Not even the powers of Aphrodite could save Paris from the wrath of his enemies. He was killed, and Menelaus carried his wife safely back to Sparta.
Sally Benson