The war between Greece, and Troy, is in year nine. The war will end next year, with Troy's defeat. The Gods are taking sides. The war is not going well for Troy.

Prince Hector, greatest warrior of Troy, and eldest son of King Priam, has fallen on the battlefield. It has been claimed that Hector killed at least 31,000 Greek soldiers in 9 years. No soldier in recorded history has equaled that record.

Poseidon, the God who built the walls of Troy to stand forever, is almightily displeased because Prince Hector was deprived a noble warrior's honorable death.

Instead, the other Gods allowed Achilles, greatest Greek warrior, to cowardly assassinate Prince Hector while Prince Hector rested, unarmed and out of armor, on the battlefield.

The other Gods allowed Achilles to desecrate Prince Hector's body by tying it to a horse and dragging it seven times around the City walls of Troy.

The King of Gods, almighty Zeus, has called a Conference of all the Gods, to have the war discussed.

The Gods enter from different directions.

Aphrodite and Ares enter, locked in a furious sword battle. Other Gods have to hastily step out of the way.

Apollo: (Narrowly evading the fighters.) What is this, then? A metaphor for sex?

Poseidon: With those two, it probably is sex.

Apollo: Well, better metaphor than a substitute, I say.

Poseidon: With those two, why not both? (Chuckles among nearby Gods.)

Atropos: (Stage-whispering to Clotho.) Eventually, they marry!

Clotho: Easy to believe. Eventually, all marriages resort to such play: fore, middle, and after.

Lachesis: I heard the reason for their such foreplay. (Atropos and Clotho look at her and speak in unison.)

Atropos and Clotho: Do let us in.

Lachesis: She wants to have his baby; he's not keen.

Atropos: Makes sense.

Clotho and Lachesis: (In unison, looking at her.) Huh?

Atropos: Vasectomy.

Clotho and Lachesis: (In unison.) You cannot know that.

Atropos: I and his surgeon, golf every Sunday.

Clotho: Golf with his surgeon? Hah! Sounds to me a metaphor for sex.

(Atropos winks at Apollo. Apollo gives her a thumbs-up permission to use his words. She sends her thank-you to him by a wink through a thumb-index finger circle gesture.)

Lachesis: She surely wouldn't marry him if that vasectomy were fact.

Atropos: If he had told her.

Clotho: Yikes! Why would vasectomy guy marry her when everybody knows she is a baby factory for so many others? Most likely every male here's been her daddy once. At least.

Lachesis: The attraction for him, then, could not have been a first-time thing.

Atropos: Why not? She's a God. With us Gods any time can be engineered to be a first time.

(Apollo has wormed his way to where they are. He stage-whispers to them.)

Apollo: Care to hear my spiteful gossip?

Atropos and Clotho and Lachesis: (In unison.) Apollo, best of Gods, to you we are all ears.

Apollo: My sources tell me they have tried and tried so mightily for pregnancy. All have failed.

(He pauses as they struggle to be dignified in their suppressed evil laughter.)

Apollo: We have to get to know each other. Clotho? Right? (She nods coyly.)

Lachesis: Apollo? Sweet Apollo? I am Lachesis. The younger sister to old Clotho there.

Atropos: By only seconds, sweet Apollo. We're triplets. I'm the first. In every way I always come first. You get my drift, good God?

Apollo: Your drift is ever my anticipation, darling Atropos. Please drift towards me whenever you please. You lovely ladies, reason God good Ares has no children is because---.

(He leans in and gestures them to lean in, too. They quickly and eagerly jostle to lean in. He continues in a whisper.)

Great Ares, God of war, has a low semen count.

(Clotho looks at him, vacantly. Lachesis, in drop-jawed wide-eyed amazement, looks at the audience, and mouths in pretend horror, "No!")

Atropos: So, little, little sisters, what that means is almighty Ares, God of war, is barren. (She smiles at Apollo. He mouths at her an exaggerated "I love you.")

Lachesis: That's so a private matter. How could you-----?

Apollo: (Interrupting.) Sundays golf with his surgeon.

(Looks at Atropos. She beams approval and blows him a kiss.)

Another rumour is, God Aphrodite has suspicions, but God Ares won't submit to testing.

Atropos: You have impressive sources, sweet Apollo.

Apollo: Only since I'm liberal with favors, Atropos, my sweet.

(Aphrodite and Ares stop fighting. They back away warily from each other. They take up opposite positions.)

Atropos: (Smiling.) I have a favour to request, great God.

Apollo: It's granted. Come into my arbor when this Conference is done, and we will talk it over, over again.

(She beckons him come closer; he promptly does. She whispers in his ear.)

Atropos: Please help Princess Cassandra of Troy. (He reacts in disappointment and puzzlement.)

Apollo: I'd love to help Princess Cassandra of Troy. I offered her a God's eternal love---

(The three Fates interrupt him in unison.)

Atropos and Clotho and Lachesis: We know.

Apollo: I even offered for her mortal love I'd fight for Troy. She yet refuses me! A God!

Atropos and Clotho and Lachesis: We know.

Apollo: Then how else can I give her "help?"

Atropos: She has a plan.

Apollo: What plan?

Atropos: Let us discuss it in your arbor, sweet Apollo, over, over again.

Clotho and Lachesis: The two of us there, too.

Apollo: The more the merrier.

Poseidon: (Stentoriously.) Almighty Zeus approaches.

(Zeus approaches ostentatiously from the auditorium, in loud fanfare. He steps onto the stage, and ceremoniously turns to face the audience.)

Zeus: You denizens of Eternity, I welcome you. We're here today because Poseidon requested it. Poseidon. (Poseidon steps forward.)

Poseidon: Your majesty, I give you thanks.(Addresses all.)

We have a crisis, generated by ignoble actions by a few of us. (Murmurings.)

I built the walls of Troy for righteous life to find safe harbor as it flourishes onward higher. Over a thousand years this purpose held. A happy noble Nation, the people of Troy, near-perfect as no other. But now threatened by the evil of a God.

(Poseidon points aggressively at Aphrodite.)

God Aphrodite there abetted Paris, Prince of Troy, to steal Helen, the wife of Menelaus, King of Greek Sparta.

Evil Paris and unrighteous Helen, now defile my Troy. My righteous walls begin to tremble.

But yet those walls stood firm because Prince Hector, elder brother of evil Paris, urged "Let Helen Go."

Now that the righteous Hector has been murdered by that dastard coward, Greek Achilles, on the battlefield, the walls of Troy must fall.

(General murmur of disappointment among the Gods.)

There is no doubt the murder of the heir of Troy was engineered by some God here.(Turns to Zeus.) I beg your majesty, the culprit be exposed and punished.

(Bows to Zeus, and steps back to his place. Aphrodite steps forward. She curtsies to Zeus for permission to speak. Zeus gestures her permission.)

Aphrodite: Almighty Zeus, my thanks.
(Addresses all.) I'm not responsible for deeds enacted by Prince Paris. I merely gave him opportunity to exercise free will.

We're all aware of how aggressive humans are about their right to freely choose. I showed him Helen, Queen of Sparta. Both she and he, in mutual freedom, chose to flee to Troy, abandoning her husband, Menelaus, King of Sparta, and their children.

Venerable Poseidon, all we Gods know that righteousness and evil to almighty Beings as we, are merely as two different fruit; neither an obligatory choice.

If Paris, Prince, and Helen, Queen, have earned punishment from us, then there are many in this awesome congregation, dallied and are dallying, unrighteously with humans; they, as well, have earned, are earning, punishment from us. Including you, almighty Zeus, meaning no disrespect, your most excellent majesty.

(She bows her head slightly to Zeus. He graciously acknowledges her allegation. She addresses Poseidon.)

Good God, Poseidon, I'm sorry your beloved Troy's in peril from within as well as from without, but I remind you, Good Poseidon, we're here forever long before we ill-advisedly created humans for our casual random pleasures.

Always remember, almighty Poseidon, humans are always mere minor disposables. It is ungodlike shameful weakness when we take them seriously. I know, because I have been guilty of that shame more times than I care to admit.

(She bows to Zeus before stepping back into her place. Apollo steps forward. He looks at Zeus for permission. Zeus acknowledges him.)

Apollo: Three cheers to you, Poseidon, for giving greatness to this imperfect, mostly ugly, mostly evil, City of Troy, these many, many centuries.

You speak the truth that Hector was most righteous in proposing Troy "Let Helen Go." But, Lord Poseidon, that's all it was. A mere lip-level proposal, far from a noble brain.

Otherwise great and righteous Hector failed. He easily and readily surrendered to misguided blusterings of Trojan honour from his younger brother, Troilus.

Troilus who, while ostentatiously posturing about Troy's honour, simultaneously himself engages in a demeaning love affair with fickle Lady Cressida, a Commoner. He and his lady are as shameful and disgraceful as Greek Helen.

I unconditionally spurn, condemn, the cowardice that killed Prince Hector. But, good God Poseidon, Prince Hector, too, himself was coward to the natural Trojan righteousness when resolution in him failed in his "Let Helen Go."

Hence, surely, too, it was the shameful evil cowardice within him had a share in bringing on his shameful death; and, sooner or later, the downfall of Troy.

And let us not forget, that Priam, King of Troy, himself did not support his heir's "Let Helen Go."

I'm sorry, God Poseidon, that the evil moral rot in Troy is too far gone from your original intended purpose for the walls you built.

It's my belief there is no righteous power in the Universe can save Troy from the annihilation it has brought down on itself.

(Bows his head to Zeus, before stepping back. Ares steps forward. Bows to Zeus for permission. Zeus grants it.)

Ares: This talk of righteousness and evil is irrelevant. As it's been stated, we created Human creatures to be our toys. But forasmuch we held them in our hands in making them, they have in them some epithelial dustings of divinity. And so sometimes they, unavoidably, show sparks they have potential to be Gods.

That God among us spoke truthfully who said to Humans, 'It is written, ye are Gods.'

But, sadly, that potential's never proven to be more than mere potential, guaranteed it will implode, eventually. Today it's Trojans. After them there'll be Egyptians, Hindus, Macedonians, Medes, Mongolians, Persians, British, Soviets, Americans.

These Humans make me sick! Haec ballio homines male me!

While talking righteousness, there's nothing they love more than hating-killing one another. The only creed that's universal in all of them throughout their different histories, is the despicable Omne pulchrum est in amore et bellum.

I propose we Gods take sides and fight this war until there are no Trojans and no Greeks alive to----

(Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis creep up from behind. They force a sack over his head. They drag him offstage, as he screams and struggles inside the sack. Aphrodite moves with half an intention to help Ares, but Atropos throws her a malevolent look makes Aphrodite step back before turning and fleeing. Blackout. All exit in the blackout. Spotlight on Zeus. Another spotlight on Hecate. Hecate is bewildered. She is dressed in black.)

Zeus: My lovely Hecate. You oblige me bring you here because you weren't among us at the Conference.

Hecate: My absence, mighty Zeus, was not in disrespect.

Zeus: I don't allow what deeds might even seem to be, dear soul.

Hecate: The pain of my regret for disappointing you, almighty Zeus, be with me for eternity.

Zeus: Most certainly it will.

(He stretches out a hand towards her. She collapses to the ground, and screams and writhes in pain. He lowers his hand. Her writhing and screaming stop. She continues to show signs of pain.)

Now share with me the reason for your absence, dear Hecate.

Hecate: Great Zeus, I chose to spare myself hypocrisy by Gods. I see now I was wrong. I should have chosen to endure to hear and see the posturings, instead of risking seeming disrespect of you, good God.

Zeus: As someone at the Conference observed, it's neither here nor there what Gods decide to be. Almightiness exempts a God from obligations and responsibilities.

Hecate: I know, your majesty. And long before the time of Humans, I chose to be evil all the time. I am predictable. It's simplified my life. More peaceful most of times, because the vast majority of Humans choose to not have anything to do with me. I say good riddance. Worse than their own sewage vermin is Humanity.

Zeus: Of course I've known about your choice to be evil, but this is the first time I am hearing it's your only choice forever.

Hecate: Mortal life needs righteousness to triumph over evil. Human imperfection's not the problem, Zeus, my Lord.

All evil in the Universe is from Gods almighty using their almightiness to either champion evil or allow it happen triumphant over righteousness.

That God who disembowelled good Orpheus.

That God delighted in the shameful killing of Hippolytus.

That God who pridefully declared, 'A lying spirit in his mouth I'll be'; 'I'll bring an evil on his house'; 'Against thee I will raise up evil.'

That God of whom it was observed 'an evil spirit from his God did trouble him.'

That God gave Satan leave to persecute all-righteous Job.

(Spotlights begin to fade, the one on Zeus, faster.)

I am
the source
of universal energy
that Gods and Humans
choose to label Evil;

that concomitant of life.

Wherever there is life,
there comes to being,
and only there,
there comes to being,
the sentience

named Evil:

(Spotlight off Zeus. He remains onstage in the dark.)

That truthful Snake
essential to perfecting
Eden's righteousness.

That shellfish makes
its priceless pearl
in trying to protect
itself from just one single
speck of filth.

Alone, and all alone,
that righteous deed
inclusive of my presence
is the only truth
can alchemize
into an energy
produces life

its highest;
its most beautiful.

I am
the necessary healthy
shadow company
of all reality
in brightest sun-resplendent day.

(Blackout. Dim spotlight comes up. Apollo enters into the light and addresses the audience, reverentially.)

Apollo: Prince Hector was dishonorably killed. Almighty Zeus, my Father, granted my request.

Prince Hector’s mortal soul, freed from its mortal body, needs one cycle of the Earth around the Sun to break away from this imperfect world in order to become eternal in infinity. Before Prince Hector's soul begins its journey through eternal glory, I will make certain that the soul of cowardly Achilles will begin its journey, too; in an opposite accursed direction into eternal nothingness.

(The dimness instantly extends over the whole stage. The three Fates burst in, masked. They surround Apollo. As they speak, they dance aggressively against him. There can be music accompaniment. At first, Apollo wins a few times. Gradually, they win more and more. A few times he tries to flee, but they spell-prevent and spell-drag him back.)

Apollo: Who are you?

Fates: (In unison.) Who are you?

Apollo: I'm God, Apollo, Son of Zeus, almighty King of Gods. Get out, or else---

Fates: (In unison.) Or else naught you can do, Apollo, God, a Son of Zeus almighty God.

Atropos: We are the Fates. Apollo, God!

Clotho: Were here before you Gods. Apollo, God!

Lachesis: Will be here when you Gods have faded away into eternal hell! Apollo, God!

Atropos: We know full well just who you are. Apollo, God!

Clotho: You shewed us in your arbor, who you are. Apollo, God!

Lachesis: Over and over and over again, you shewed us who you are. Apollo, God!

Apollo: So many in my arbor so many, many times. I choose to not remember. I am God. Apollo, God, a Son of Zeus, almighty King of Gods.

Atropos: And this is good. Apollo, God!

Clotho: Is good because it makes it easier to do what we are here to do. Apollo, God!

Lachesis: We're here to see you do not rip into Trojan Princess Cassandra as you did into so many other women. Apollo, God!

Fates: (In unison.) Do come into my parlour, said the spider to the fly; come into my arbor said Apollo on the sly.

Apollo: Out of my way!

(He attacks, breaks free and flees, exits. They dash after him, shrieking. Blackout.)

Troy fell to the Greeks,
eventually. According to the Roman poet, Virgil, that fall was temporary.

A Trojan refugee, Aeneas, founded Rome on the banks of the river Rubicon. Rome, the resurrected Troy, conquered Greece, and built an empire lasted over a thousand years; like Troy.

Trojan God Poseidon got revenge on Helen, eventually:

“He sent a monster in the sea.
And while she frolicked nakedly,
The monster chomped her greedily,
But upchucked her disgustedly
Because she tasted bitterly.
She died alone in filth and agony.”