Book XV

Jupiter awakens to see the battle turned and furiously confronts Juno for her deception.

Juno swears she is innocent, and Jupiter reveals his unalterable plan for the war's progression.

Juno arrives on Olympus and warns the other gods of Jupiter's power, specifically provoking Mars.

Enraged by his son's death, Mars attempts to defy Jupiter but is stopped by Minerva's warning.

Juno dispatches Iris and Apollo, and Iris flies to deliver Jupiter's command for Neptune to withdraw.

Neptune angrily protests Jupiter's command but is persuaded by Iris to withdraw from the battle.

After Neptune withdraws, Jupiter sends Apollo to find Hector and restore his strength for battle.

Apollo breathes immortal strength into Hector, who returns to the fight, causing the Greeks to flee.

Thoas rallies the Greeks, who form a defensive line of champions to face the resurgent Hector.

Apollo shakes Jupiter's shield, terrifying the Greeks and allowing Hector to lead a great slaughter.

Hector pushes his army toward the ships while Apollo collapses the Greek wall, creating a path.

Ajax prays to Jove for aid, but the Trojans surge forward, prompting Patroclus to seek Achilles.

The battle lines hold firm until Ajax and Hector clash over a single ship, where Ajax kills a Trojan.

Hector kills Ajax's companion, prompting Ajax to call on Teucer, who then kills a Trojan charioteer with his bow.

Jove breaks Teucer's bowstring as he aims at Hector, and Ajax advises him to fight with a spear instead.

Hector exhorts the Trojans, citing divine favor, while Ajax urges the desperate Greeks to fight for their lives.

A series of duels erupts, culminating in Menelaus and Meges killing Dolops, which incites Hector to action.

Hector incites Melanippus, Ajax rallies the Greeks, and Menelaus encourages Antilochus to join the fight.

Spurred by Menelaus, Antilochus kills Melanippus but then retreats from Hector, whose fury is empowered by Jove's divine will.

Compared to a rock, a wave, and a lion, the Jove-inspired Hector breaks the Greek lines and kills Periphes.

Pushed back to their last line of defense, the Greeks are implored by Nestor to fight for their families.

Minerva clears the mist to reveal the heroic Ajax, who strides from ship to ship like a skilled horseman.

The battle rages with desperate intensity until Hector's hand is the first to seize a Greek ship.

Hector grasps a ship's stern and calls for fire, but Ajax, though stepping back, continues to defend the ships.

Ajax delivers a final, desperate speech to the Greeks before single-handedly killing twelve Trojans at the ships' sterns.