**Odysseus's POV:**
The end of the war came with one final plan.
The following morning, Nicko and I devised a new ruse: a grand, hollow wooden horse, an animal sacred to the Trojans.
Crafted by Epeius and guided by Athena, it was built from wood sourced from a cornel tree grove sacred to Apollo, inscribed with the words: “The Greeks dedicate this thank offering to Athena for their return home.”
The hollow horse was filled with elite soldiers, whom I led, spying from the mouth of this wooden beast and witnessing the events unfolding outside.
Athena reminded us to spare her temple and her loyal descendant, Cassandra.
Nicko began to deceive the Trojans, claiming he was a Greek hero left abandoned and obligated to present the Trojan Horse as a gift to Poseidon on behalf of Athena. He did his utmost to keep Dardania safe from the war between Greece and Troy.
Despite his reluctance, he insisted to the Trojans that he was the Greek hero Argos, blessed by many gods with the ability to foresee all.
Nicko explained that the horse was an offering to the goddess Athena for the Trojans’ safe return home. He asserted that the Greeks had burned their tents and sailed away.
He further claimed that the horse was too large for the Trojans to bring into their city and gain Athena’s favor for themselves.
While questioning Argos, the Trojan priest Laocoön suspected a plot and stealthily spied on the Greeks near the shore. To his astonishment, he warned the Trojans, “I fear the Greeks, even those bearing gifts.”
But the god Poseidon sent two sea serpents to strangle Laocoön and his sons, Antiphantes and Thymbraeus, before anyone could heed his warning.
Even though Helen of Troy had aided in crafting this ruse, she attempted to undermine it by imitating the voices of the soldiers' wives to trick them into revealing themselves inside the horse. Anticlus nearly fell for her convincing tone, but I swiftly clamped my hand over his mouth.
King Priam's daughter, Cassandra, the soothsayer of Troy, foresaw that the horse would lead to the city's downfall and the ruin of its royal family. However, despite her prophetic gift from Apollo, she was cursed never to be believed.
Convinced by Nicko that the Greeks had departed and declared victory for Troy, they joyfully dragged the horse into the city, debating its fate. Some proposed hurling it off the cliffs, others suggested burning it, while still others argued for dedicating it to Athena.
Though Laocoön and his sons had been slain—a portent that alarmed the followers of Aeneas, prompting them to retreat to Mount Ida along with their father—Athena’s plan continued to unfold.
Dionysus, the god of celebration and fertility, sided with the Greeks. As part of the scheme, he tricked the Trojans into believing they had secured victory. Triumphant, the Trojans celebrated, convinced of their success, while Dionysus cultivated grapevines in their fields, strengthening their belief in Nicko's claims. They decided to keep the horse, reveling in a night of wild celebrations.
During the night of celebration, Nicko signaled the fleet stationed at Tenedos. As midnight approached and the clear moon rose, soldiers hidden inside the wooden horse emerged and killed the guards.
The Achaeans stormed into the city, slaughtering the sleeping inhabitants. A great massacre ensued, spilling over into the daylight.
The Trojans, fueled by desperation, fought back fiercely, despite being disorganized and leaderless. In the midst of the fray, some donned the fallen enemies' armor and launched surprise counterattacks amid the chaotic street fighting, while other defenders hurled roof tiles and anything heavy at the rampaging attackers.
The outlook was bleak, and ultimately, the remaining defenders were overwhelmed, and the entire city fell.
Neoptolemus killed Priam, who had taken refuge at the altar of Zeus in the courtyard. Menelaus slayed Deiphobus, Helen's husband after Paris' death, with the intention of killing Helen as well. However, overcome by her beauty, he cast down his sword and took her aboard his ship.
Ajax the Lesser violated Cassandra at Athena's altar while she clung to her statue. Because of Ajax's impiety, the Achaeans, urged by my command, sought to stone him to death; but he fled to Athena's altar and was spared.
Antenor, who had shown hospitality to Menelaus and me when we sought Helen’s return, and who had advocated for it, was spared along with his family.
The Greeks then set fire to the city and divided the spoils. Cassandra was awarded to Agamemnon, Neoptolemus received Andromache, Hector’s wife, while I claimed Hecuba, Priam's wife.
In an act of cruelty, the Achaeans threw Hector's infant son, Astyanax, from the walls of Troy, either out of malice or to end the royal line and eliminate the possibility of vengeance. They (primarily Neoptolemus) also sacrificed the Trojan princess Polyxena at Achilles' grave, as his ghost commanded—either as part of his spoils or because she had betrayed him.
Aethra, Theseus' mother and one of Helen's handmaids, was rescued by her grandsons, Demophon and Acamas.
The aftermath was brutal, marking the tragic end of Troy.
