But this action by Agamemnon stirred the resentment of many heroes, and Achilles, in his fury, refused to obey the commander's orders, publicly denouncing Agamemnon's atrocity before all the heroes.
Agamemnon, fearing that this hero might usurp his command, became even more lenient with his soldiers' conduct in order to suppress Achilles and enhance his own prestige.
In the temple of Thebes, Chryses, Apollo's eldest priest, received a divine oracle. Apollo showed the devout priest the dire state of the city after Thebes was sacked.
The old priest Chryses did not fear death; he remained in the temple, vowing to defend the deity he served with his life.
Apollo, touched by his loyalty, instructed his two daughters, who were also priests, to take the women and children and seek refuge in a seaside temple.
This ruined temple originally belonged to Tyche. As a primordial deity, Tyche did not require worship, so the unresponsive temple gradually fell into disrepair. However, Tyche, who held the divine office of protector of women and children, would not refuse these refugees, and it was thought their safety would be assured.
But Agamemnon did something that astonished all the gods! Perhaps with the support of a higher deity, Agamemnon feared no god within this temple. He pushed aside the hesitant soldiers and, with a swing of his sword, broke open the ruined temple doors.
Hiding behind the temple, Chryseis and Briseis trembled. Despite this, facing the cleaver wielded by Agamemnon, they resolutely stood forward to shield the crying children with their mothers.
On the altar, the stone idol, its features no longer discernible, suddenly emitted a piercing cracking sound. As the stone fragments fell, dark hollows appeared in the goddess's eyes, and two streams of bloody tears slowly trickled down. Immediately after, two black snakes slithered out from the hollows.
Seeing this strange phenomenon, the soldiers behind them dropped their weapons and retreated from the temple.
Agamemnon roared, "My soldiers! Take up your weapons! Is not the wealth of Thebes the very reason you are here?"
As he spoke, he pointed to the two beautiful priestesses, "Look at these beautiful women. This opportunity for these haughty noble priests to serve you like slaves will not come again."
The soldiers' response to their leader was silence. They retreated in unison, some even dropping their plundered treasures and fleeing.
The enraged Agamemnon attributed all of this to the god statue with hollow eyes before him. Amidst the fearful gazes of the crowd, he reached out and pushed over the indistinguishable idol.
The two priestesses stood up and angrily denounced Agamemnon's sacrilege. However, they saw the furious Agamemnon swing his sword again, shattering the mottled stone pillars, causing the dilapidated temple to shake precariously, with debris and dust falling intermittently.
The panicked priestesses quickly led the children out of the temple, leaving only Agamemnon, who was still venting his rage.
In the sky, Apollo and Poseidon exchanged glances, then turned to look at Hera and Ares together.
The four deities ceased their confrontation and looked at the sky with bewildered expressions.
From the bright North Star, an arrow, entwined with ominous divine power, fell into the allied forces' encampment, and the earth split open into a bottomless chasm.
Three goddesses, holding torches and unfurling bat-like wings, flew out from the underworld. The Erinyes, wielding yew torches, brought unease and nightmares to the sleeping soldiers.
The plundered supplies ignited, and with the help of the wind, they rapidly grew, soon burning the grain to ashes.
Meanwhile, in the seaside temple, Agamemnon emerged from the ruins. Destroying the temple had not quelled his anger. He quickly caught up to the priestess Chryseis ahead of him and reached out to tear off the maiden's clothes, intending to use her warm chest to soothe the surging desire in his heart.
Thunder roared in the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck Agamemnon as he was about to commit the assault, causing him to faint. The fleeing priestess and children disappeared under the cover of a thin mist.
The Erinyes continued to sow unease and jealousy, and the soldiers, fleeing and quarreling, were becoming increasingly uncontrollable.
When Agamemnon awoke from his stupor, this was the scene he beheld.
An adverse wind blew at sea, and the waves continuously pushed the fleeing ships back to shore. The terrified soldiers descended into chaos, and Hector, sensing an opportunity, drove them back.
And the one who saved everything was not their leader, but Achilles, who had remained at the camp and had not participated in the plunder.
Upon returning to the camp, Agamemnon was met with strange looks from everyone. The priests had received divine oracles, and the culprit behind all this was Agamemnon, who had profaned the gods.
Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, was renowned among the heroes for his wit. He had already been unwilling to travel with Agamemnon's brothers and now stood up to propose Agamemnon's removal from command.
"Agamemnon, your actions have brought irreparable losses to everyone! As long as you remain here, the winds and waves will not cease, and the supply ships will not be able to reach us. We will all starve to death here!"
The blood on Achilles' armor had not yet been wiped away. He had just returned from the sea and had learned from his mother, the goddess Thetis, about Tyche's punishment of Agamemnon.
"You have offended an ancient goddess, and this goddess has cast a terrible curse upon you—those you love can no longer touch or see you, and your cries cannot reach their ears; and all that you covet will slip from your grasp. Until you sincerely repent for your sins, death will not claim you."
Agamemnon, unwilling to yield, was about to retort; suddenly, he felt a strange sensation. His bulging muscles gradually flattened, his rough, dark skin became smooth and delicate, and strange protrusions began to appear on his chest.
Even more terrifying was the gradual disappearance of his paternal symbol between his legs. This transformation made him cry out in alarm, but his voice was no longer as loud and powerful as before, instead carrying a hint of shyness.
The heroes stared with wide eyes at Agamemnon, who had transformed into a woman. Achilles also wore a strange expression, "When you can abandon your thirst for power, you can become a man again."
Agamemnon's frail body could not even support the weight of his armor. As his newly grown hair cascaded down his back, Agamemnon, unable to hold on any longer, collapsed to the ground with a soft cry of pain.
Tyche in the sky recalled the Erinyes. Kanna, who was indignant, said, "Death is sometimes a release, but hopeless eternal life is the most painful punishment."
"The ambrosia and delicacies will turn to rotten earth in his mouth, gold and jewels will turn to sand at his touch, and those he loves will not perceive his existence. Let him spend eternity in despair and solitude."