Hektor and Paris rejoin the Trojan forces, and the battle begins again. Athena and Apollo, after witnessing the continued slaughter, decide to end the day’s combat by arranging a duel between Hektor and one of the best Achaian warriors. The time consumed by this duel will result in a recess for both armies.
The Greeks cast lots and Telamonian Aias is chosen as the Achaian champion. He and Hektor engage in a ferocious duel, but neither warrior is able to overcome the other. Finally, because it is growing dark, the two men are parted by heralds, and they exchange gifts as tokens of their respective valor.
That night, each of the armies has a feast celebrating the safe return of its champion. In the Achaian camp, Nestor proposes that a short truce be arranged so that funerals for the dead can be held; he also wants to use this time for his fellow Achaians to build a wall and a trench to defend their ships.
In Troy that same evening, one of the Trojan noblemen, Antenor, suggests that Helen be returned to Menelaos. Paris refuses to give up his new wife, but he offers to restore all of Helen’s property to Menelaos, plus some of his own as an indemnity. Wise old Priam, Hektor’s father, sends a messenger to Agamemnon with this proposition, as well as a request for a truce during which the Trojans can bury their dead. The Achaians refuse the offer by Paris, but both sides agree on the truce.
The next morning, the two armies collect their dead and conduct the funeral rites. At a council on Olympos, Zeus warns the gods that he is at last planning to bring the Trojan War to a finish and that any interference in favor of either side will be punished severely. However, when Athena asks to be allowed to advise the Achaians, Zeus consents.
