by Evelina Coronado
Among the Greeks who fought against Troy, the one considered the bravest was Achilles. His mother was the goddess Thetis, a hereid. His father was Relous, king of Thessaly and a grandson of Zeus, the lord of heaven. It was at the wedding feast of Thetis and Peleus that the goddess Eris hurled among the guests a golden apple that was to cause the Trojan War. When the Trojan War began, the decree of the Fates would prove true. Even though his mother dressed him as a girl and hid him among the maidens at the court of the king of Siyros, that plan did not succeed.
When Achilles was a little boy, he was brought up by Chiron, the wise centaur, and he grew up to be the greatest warrior that Greece has ever known. He was invulnerable except for his heel by which his mother held him over the fire of the River Styx.
Though Paris was no great marksman, fate had chosen him to stay the great hero Achilles. Hyperion, unseen by the other gods, ran to Paris's side and guided his hand as he drew out his bow. The arrow struck Achilles in the heel, his only vulnerable spot. Wounded, he fell to the ground. The Greeks mourned greatly the loss of their hero.
Source Book: Book of Greek Myths
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