Kassandra had been told fanciful tales of Titan warfare when she was a child, in which such weapons had played a part; she had always wondered if they were true, but had never dared to ask. She supposed it would take an Akhilles to ask such a question of her father and get an answer.
"I do not know," he said. "For its size it might well be a relic of the warfare against the Titans, but I cannot say it is or is not." ,
"It is not a weapon, at least not for battle between mortals or even Titans," said Hecuba firmly. "It is a ritual object from the House of the Double Axe in the country of the Minoans, brought here after the great temple fell into the sea. There are such axes no longer than my little finger; but there are many of this size, and even, I was told, larger. No one now knows their true purpose, not even in Knossos; but once I was told that the priests used them for sacrifice, when a bull's head must be struck off at a single blow."
Akhilles looked calculatingly at the length of the great axe, as if trying to decide whether it could be hefted in that way; for the shaft was at least twice his own height.
"That temple must have had some rare big priests," he said, "if not Titans, then Cyclopeans. I do not think even your Hector could strike off the head of a sacrifice, man or bull, with such an axe."
Hector came down from his seat and joined Akhilles looking up at the weapon.
"I have always wanted to try and see if I could do just that," he said, "but when I was a youngster I was told it would be sacrilege to handle it. Now I am grown—and if there is a God to be offended, I know not who he is; I am tempted to try my strength at it." He glanced up at Priam for permission. "May we, Father?"
"I see no harm in it," the King said. "No God has forbidden it; if it is sacred to any God, he lies in his sunken temple a hundred fathoms below the ocean, and even if he should take offense, I doubt he could or would punish you now. Do what you wish."
Hecuba opened her mouth indignantly. "This is sacrilege; the blade is sacred to Earth Mother," she said, but not loud enough for Priam to hear, or Hector.
Hector dragged a bench over below the great axe; it took him three tries, even with his mightily muscled arms, to lift it off its hooks. He grasped it at the center of the long handle and sprang down from the bench, holding it with both hands and whirling it above his head in the open space.
Akhilles leaped forward, but Hector cried, "Get back! Clear the floor!" The blade revolved around his head faster and faster; he cried out, "Bring on your bull for sacrifice!" then slowly let it sink to the ground.
"My turn," Akhilles cried.
"Don't be foolish," Hector said sharply. "I am sure you are strong, boy, but you will rupture yourself or crack your sinews even trying to lift it; you are our guest and I wouldn't have you hurt."
"How dare you say "boy" to me in that tone, Trojan? I will make any wager you like that I am stronger than you, and whatever you can lift I can lift," Akhilles cried, grasping the axe-handle; but where Hector had had to lower it from above his head, Akhilles had to lift it up from the floor. Patroklos came and admonished him in a low voice, but Akhilles thrust him angrily away. His hands were large for his size; he clenched them round the handle and gripped hard, thrusting upward. He heaved, the veins standing out in his forehead; stopped, spit on his hands to get a better grip and heaved mightily upward again. Slowly the axe came up, till he held it balanced at arms' length over his head; then he began to spin it in the air, till it was making great sweeping circles, with a rushing sound. A cheer went up at the high table; all of Priam's sons joined in, and Hector generously led the applause.
"What God gifted you with such strength as that?" Hector asked, and without waiting for an answer he said, "I doubt it not you are stronger than I! I wish I might face you sometime in a peaceful wrestling bout; I would rather be your friend than your enemy, Akhaian."
Akhilles's lip curled in a snarling smile, but Odysseus interrupted and said, "It was for this I brought these young men hither tonight, Priam. If Akhilles does not enter this combat, then you can still make peace with the Akhaians. So the oracles have said."
"I too would rather have you as friend than enemy," said Priam. "Must we fight, then, young man? I will make you an offer; you shall marry any one of my daughters you choose, and you shall be heir to this city on an equal footing with Hector; when I die, the people shall choose freely between you and Hector as King. Come, will you avoid this terrible war as my son and heir? For if you do not join them, the Akhaians will go home."
"Even Agamemnon? Even Menelaus?" asked Hecuba.
"Menelaus knows Helen does not want him," Paris said quietly. "He will yield to fate and to Aphrodite, knowing it is the will of the Goddess of Love."
"And Agamemnon has had evil omens," said Odysseus. "He will fight if the Gods will it, but at Aulis where his fleet lay becalmed, they persuaded him to offer his eldest daughter as a sacrifice for the winds. She was his favourite; he feels the price was too high and his wife has never forgiven him. I think he would be glad to withdraw from this war, if he could do so without loss of face. This prophecy about Akhilles would give him a perfect excuse, and we can have peace. And Akhilles will rule Troy with Hector rather than both of them being killed in battle."
Akhilles said angrily, "I do not fear being killed in battle; but perhaps there would be more renown to be won as King of Troy. As for your daughters, King Priam—" He broke off and sought with his eyes for Kassandra, "What about that one?"
Kassandra opened her mouth to protest; but Priam said, "That one is not mine to give in marriage; she is sworn a virgin of Apollo and the Sunlord has claimed her; would you contend with Apollo?"
"By no means," said Akhilles with a pious shudder. He looked again at the bench where the women sat ranged, and walked toward them; he bowed to Andromache.
"This one surely is the most beautiful."
Hector broke in with a shout, "No, she is my wife and the mother of my son!"
Akhilles's mouth drew back in his peculiar lipless grin. "I will fight you for her," he offered.
Hector said, "By no means. She is the daughter of the Queen of Colchis."
"Come, come," said Odysseus uneasily. "This war began over one stolen wife; we can't carry it on with another one. Akhilles, choose one of Priam's virgin daughters, one who is free to marry. Polyxena, who is as beautiful as the Spartan Queen—"
"The offer was not a fair one," Akhilles said spitefully. "I chose not once but twice and was told I could not have either of the ones I wanted. Hector, why will you not fight me fairly for your wife?"
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Hector chuckled and said, "I will fight you for anything reasonable, whenever you say, but I will not put up my wife in any bargain whatever; she has not deserved that of me."
"So much for Priam's fine offers," said Akhilles with a snarl of rage. "Forget it, then; I shall fight you on the battlefield, and when I have taken the city, I will take your wife."
Hector stepped forward with a menacing gesture.
"Over my dead body!"
"Well, yes; that was the idea," Akhilles said. "And I am sure she would rather have me than you."
Andromache leaned forward and whispered to Hector, who smiled and gently patted her shoulder, saying, "Should that day come, Akhilles, I cannot prevent you. But that battle will be a long time in coming."
"It is ordained by the Gods," said Akhilles,"that if I join in this war, Troy will fall."
Priam said, "Then you refuse me, Akhilles?"
Akhilles snarled, "I do; I would rather be your enemy than your ally, old man, and I will take this city myself and rule it without your help, or Hector's - and with one, two or three of your daughters if I choose."