The rest of them fought on like a mass of whirling fire.
But Hector dear to Zeus had no idea, Hector
heard nothing of how his men, left of the ships,
were torn and mauled in the Argives’ rough response.
The glory might even have gone to them at any moment,
so intent was the god who grips and shakes the earth
as he surged his Argives on and the god surged too,
adding his own immortal force in their defense.
– Homer
The Iliad, Book 13, lines 777-784. The support of the gods has suddenly flipped in favor of the Greeks. Hector is unaware of this and also the casualties that the Trojans troops are suffering elsewhere. Zeus had manipulated the battle to favor Hector and enable him to be the first Trojan to cross the Achaean fortifications. But Zeus has left the battlefield and Poseidon is urging on the Greeks, with glory almost within their reach. And poor Hector "dear to Zeus" hasn’t a clue. This is another case of dramatic irony that we find throughout The Iliad, showing that advantage in the Trojan war is a forever changing thing. It perpetually seesaws from one side to the other – often depending on the will and whim of the gods. Homer uses a simile to describe the Trojans still fighting on "like a mass of whirling fire" oblivious to the sudden shift in the battle.