, bold
hussy, will you really dare to raise your huge spear in defiance of
Jove?"

With this she left them, and Juno said to Minerva, "Of a truth, child
of aegis-bearing Jove, I am not for fighting men's battles further in
defiance of Jove. Let them live or die as luck will have it, and let
Jove mete out his judgements upon the Trojans and Danaans according to
his own pleasure."

She turned her steeds; the Hours presently unyoked them, made them fast
to their ambrosial mangers, and leaned the chariot against the end wall
of the courtyard. The two goddesses then sat down upon their golden
thrones, amid the company of the other gods; but they were very angry.

Presently father Jove drove his chariot to Olympus, and entered the
assembly of gods. The mighty lord of the earthquake unyoked his horses
for him, set the car upon its stand, and threw a cloth over it. Jove
then sat down upon his golden throne and Olympus reeled beneath him.
Minerva and Juno sat alone, apart from Jove, and neither spoke nor
asked him questions, but Jove knew what they meant, and said, "Minerva
and Juno, why are you so angry? Are you fatigued with killing so many
of your dear friends the Trojans? Be this as it may, such is the might
of my hands that all the gods in Olympus cannot turn me; you were both
of you trembling all over ere ever you saw the fight and its terrible
doings. I tell you therefore-and it would have surely been--I should
have struck you with lighting, and your chariots would never have
brought you back again to Olympus."

Minerva and Juno groaned in spirit as they sat side by side and brooded
mischief for the Trojans. Minerva sat silent without a word, for she
was in a furious passion and bitterly incensed against her father; but
Juno could not contain herself and said, "What, dread son of Saturn,
are you talking about? We know how great your power is, nevertheless we
have compassion upon the Danaan warriors who are perishing and coming
to a bad end. We will, however, since you so bid us, refrain from
actual fighting, but we will make serviceable suggestions to the
Argives, that they may not all of them perish in your displeasure."

And Jove answered, "To-morrow morning, Juno, if you choose to do so,
you will see the son of Saturn destroying large numbers of the Argives,
for fierce Hector shall not cease fighting till he has roused the son
of Peleus when they are fighting in dire straits at their ships' sterns
about the body