But just as Menelaus is about to kill Paris, Aphrodite plucks him from the battlefield. Zeus is furious to see the gods interfering in this war, but he cannot prevent it. Athena returns to the battle and grants the young king Diomedes great fury and the ability to distinguish gods from men. He attacks the goddess Aphrodite, who is there to defend her son Aeneas, injuring her on the hand. Then he takes on Ares, the god of war, who is there to defend Aphrodite's honour. As the battle rages, Achilles sits indifferently playing the lyre in his tent.
