The narrator notes his companion's rising anger as he declares that he will no longer fight for a man who seeks to overshadow and disrespect him.
His anger stems from a belief that the Greeks will fall without him and that this will force the man he's angry at to either beg for his help or die.
The narrator ponders a conversation between Achilles and his mother Thetis, in which she promises to make the Greeks lose until they beg for Achilles' help.
When asked what would happen if the man chooses death over begging, he insists that he will not fight until the man begs for his help.
The narrator recalls a conversation they once had with their mentor, Chiron, about the value of one man's life over another.
He later visits Agamemnon's camp where he is pitied by onlookers. The narrator realizes that he is part of a plan to punish not only Agamemnon but also his whole army.
At the camp, Agamemnon brags about how well he treats a woman named Briseis, implyng that he is doing so to prove to Achilles that he respects him. His attitude agitates the narrator.
The narrator speaks to Briseis, who asks how much longer this ordeal will last. He admits that he does not know.
The following day, all the kings, except for Achilles and the narrator, and their armies march off to fights the Trojans.
They relish in their freedom but it feels tense as they wait for the gods' next move.