Diomedes.

    The son of Tydeus, Diomedes was a warrior who marched on Thebes with the Epigoni (sons of the Seven against Thebes) to avenge their fathers’ deaths. He had been a suitor of Helen and led eighty ships to Troy after her abduction by Paris. At Troy, under the protection of Athena (Minerva), Diomedes proved himself second in courage only to Achilles. In one day of fighting, he killed Pandarus, seriously wounded Aeneas, and even injured Aphrodite (Venus) when the goddess interceded to save her son. When Ares, in turn, made for Diomedes, he too was wounded when the hero caught the war god’s own spear and turned it against him. Diomedes was later punished for his assault by Aphrodite, who caused his wife to be unfaithful.
    Like his ally Odysseus (Ulysses), Diomedes was a man of cunning, but he was also known for his honor. When he and Glaucus, grandson of Beller-ophon, met in single combat and discovered that their grandfathers had been friends, the two exchanged armor rather than fight. Diomedes also aided Nestor when his horses were killed on the field. Nestor then joined him in an attack on Hector, which was prevented by a thunderbolt from Zeus.
    Among Diomedes’ most celebrated adventures inthe Trojan War were his two forays into the Trojan camp with Odysseus. On the first raid they killed the Trojan spy Dolon and the Thracian king Rhesus and captured Rhesus’s horses. They were later sent to capture the Palladium, the image of Athena that was thought to protect the city of Troy. Disguised as beggars, they stole into the citadel and made off with the small statue, thus setting the stage fbr the fall of Troy. According to some accounts, Diomedes entered the city alone, but on the .way back to the Greek camp Odysseus, wishing to take credit for stealing the Palladium himself, made as if to kill Diomedes and was given a humiliating beating.
    According to some sources, Diomedes was one of the few Greek commanders to enjoy an uneventful journey home from Troy; others say that he wandered about the Mediterranean, particularly in Italy, where he founded numerous towns, and was buried on the islands of Diomedes.