The great horse was erected and planted in front of the gates of Troy in the dead of night. Having finished their mission, the Greeks climbed into their ships, which had sat uselessly upon the beach of Troy for ten long years. They sailed around the island and hid behind the rocky bluff. And in the morning, the Trojans discovered the great Greek horse. But, being warned harshly by the priest Laocoon, they heeded his word and did not bring it into the city. Marching around the outside of the horse, they grabbed its ropes and began pulling it toward the cliffs on the West side of Troy. Inch by tiny inch, they pulled it, and eventually they did reach their destination. They pushed it off the cliff, and it was dashed against the rocks at the sea's edge; a jumble of wood, the bodies of Greek warriors, and salty sea spray.
The princess Polyxena, King Priam's youngest daughter, watched from atop the great walls of Troy as the great horse toppled over the cliff face. She turned her eyes away from the terrible scene and looked toward the sea, standing in silence. Odysseus stood at the bow of his ship, looking toward the beach of Troy. In his heart he knew that the great horse had been destroyed, and that his plan had failed him. The gods were against him that day, and his heart was heavy within him. And Polyxena, standing above the great gates of Troy, whispered out into the wind, "How now shall you conquer us? For you, O king, have run out of ideas to set against us."
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