Meriones, peer of fleet Mars, then led the way till they came to the part of the host

which Idomeneus had named.

Now when the Trojans saw Idomeneus coming on like a flame of fire, him and his
squire clad in their richly wrought armour, they shouted and made towards him all
in a body, and a furious hand-to-hand fight raged under the ships' sterns. Fierce as
the shrill winds that whistle upon a day when dust lies deep on the roads, and the
gusts raise it into a thick cloud- even such was the fury of the combat, and might
and main did they hack at each other with spear and sword throughout the host.
The field bristled with the long and deadly spears which they bore. Dazzling was the
sheen of their gleaming helmets, their fresh-burnished breastplates, and glittering
shields as they joined battle with one another. Iron indeed must be his courage who
could take pleasure in the sight of such a turmoil, and look on it without being
dismayed.
Thus did the two mighty sons of Saturn devise evil for mortal heroes. Jove was
minded to give victory to the Trojans and to Hector, so as to do honour to fleet
Achilles, nevertheless he did not mean to utterly overthrow the Achaean host before
Ilius, and only wanted to glorify Thetis and her valiant son. Neptune on the other
hand went about among the Argives to incite them, having come up from the grey
sea in secret, for he was grieved at seeing them vanquished by the Trojans, and was
furiously angry with Jove. Both were of the same race and country, but Jove was
elder born and knew more, therefore Neptune feared to defend the Argives openly,
but in the likeness of man, he kept on encouraging them throughout their host.
Thus, then, did these two devise a knot of war and battle, that none could unloose
or break, and set both sides tugging at it, to the failing of men's knees beneath
them.
And now Idomeneus, though his hair was already flecked with grey, called loud on
the Danaans and spread panic among the Trojans as he leaped in among them. He
slew Othryoneus from Cabesus, a sojourner, who had but lately come to take part in
the war. He sought Cassandra the fairest of Priam's daughters in marriage, but
offered no gifts of wooing, for he promised a great thing, to wit, that he would drive
the sons of the Achaeans willy nilly from Troy; old King Priam had given his consent
and promised her to him, whereon he fought on the strength of the promises thus
made to him. Idomeneus aimed a spear, and hit him as he came striding on. His
cuirass of bronze did not protect him, and the spear stuck in his belly, so that he fell
heavily to the ground. Then Idomeneus vaunted over him saying, "Othryoneus,
there is no one in the world whom I shall admire more than I do you, if you indeed
perform what you have promised Priam son of Dardanus in return for his daughter.
We too will make you an offer; we will give you the loveliest daughter of the son of
Atreus, and will bring her from Argos for you to marry, if you will sack the goodly
city of Ilius in company with ourselves; so come along with me, that we may make a
covenant at the ships about the marriage, and we will not be hard upon you about
gifts of wooing."