The Achaians are forced to take refuge behind their wall while the Trojans continue their brutal assault. But the Trojans soon discover that they are unable to cross the Achaian trench in their chariots, so they attack on foot. Much bloody combat ensues.
Then suddenly an eagle with a serpent in its talons flies over the Trojan army; Poulydamas, a Trojan commander, interprets this as a bad omen and asks Hektor to fall back, but the commander refuses. The attack continues and after several attempts, the Achaian wall is broken. Forcing open one of the gates with a large stone, Hektor and his men storm inside. The Achaians retreat in panic and take refuge among their ships.
Zeus has brought Hektor and the Trojans as far as the Achaian ships, so now he relaxes and turns his attention to other matters. Poseidon takes advantage of Zeus' lapse of attention to come to the aid of the Achaians and, disguised as Kalchas, he moves among the Achaian ranks, encouraging them to continue fighting.
