The dream persuades Agamemnon to launch a full-scale assault on the Trojans. Easily fooled by the dream, Agamemnon prays to Zeus to help him in his attack. " "Zeus, exalted and mightiest, sky-dwelling in the dark mist: let not the sun go down not till I have broken at the chest the tunic of Hektor torn with the bronze blade, and let many companion about him go down headlong into the dust-" (Iliad II: 412-418). In the next line, Homer tells us that Zeus would of course not heed Agamemnon's request; "He spoke, but none of this would the son of Kronos accomplish, who accepted the victims, but piled up the unwished for hardship." Because he does not know that Zeus is actually siding with the Trojans, Agamemnon launches his attack with no concerns and positions his army thinking that good fortune and Zeus" favor are on his side. This newfound confidence causes Agamemnon to drive his troops forward. The two armies then clash head on, and the whole war is spurred forward from its stagnant state. Not knowing Zeus" true intentions, Agamemnon starts a sequence of events that led to the most dramatic events of the war. .
The trickery and deception by the gods involves more than just simply actions; they relate even to the gods" true identities. Often, the gods disguise themselves as different characters to shift the outcome of events to their desire. Only certain characters know who is behind a god's disguise, and those characters are usually only a few other trusted gods and/or select mortals. Those who know a disguised god's identity have either similar interests or are the instruments of the god's will. .
One such incident occurs when Athena disguises herself as a Trojan soldier and tricks the Achaians into thinking that the Trojans have fired upon Meneleus. The wounding of Meneleus violates the cease-fire, and the two sides are thrown back into war. Athena says to a Trojan archer, " "Come then, let go an arrow against haughty Menelaus,"" (Iliad IV: 100).
