I've been thinking recently about how one could write a story that tied up the Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid and the Epic Cycle. I would want to somehow include everything that doesn't contradict with something of higher value that has been written about the Trojan war, as well as contain some historical perspective. I think there is also a little bit of room for creativity, and was considering a storyline whereby Diomedes is responsible for the death of Achilles. Upon the death of Penthisilea it is said that Thersites, Diomedes' cousin, laughed at Achilles when he fell in love with the dead Amazon queen. Achilles killed him, and Diomedes was so enraged that he challenged Achilles to a duel but the other Greek heroes intervened and prevented their two best warriors fighting each other.
Now let us bring in some Shakespeare. In Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare tells us that Cressida, the daughter of Calchas who defected from the Trojans to the Greeks, betrayed Troilus with Diomedes. I think a good story (and one I would use with Helen as well) is that she loved both Troilus and Diomedes (for Helen I would say she loved both Menelaus and Paris), and just hoped that one would not know about the other (although in Shakespeare Troilus does fight Diomedes about the issue). We are told in one of the original texts (Sophocles) that Achilles ambushes Troilus and his sister Polyxena, kills Troilus and mutilates his corpse, an act which is punished by his imminent death where Paris shoots him in his vulnerable heel. I think a viable storyline could be one where Diomedes and Cressida, jointly seeking revenge on Achilles, organise an ambush against him when he goes to meet Polyxena. It is said that Paris and his brother Deiphobus were both involved, but it would be interesting to imply the existence of a mystery "third gunman".
Plus this story would help reinforce the innocence of Polyxena. Perhaps her love for Achilles was genuine and she kept their relationship a secret. Somehow Cressida comes to learn of it and informs Diomedes, who organises the ambush with his former enemies. This would constitute a major twist on the original story because Diomedes is often portrayed as the most honourable and brave of the Greeks, but at the same time there is clearly a one-sided rivalry with Achilles. He could have felt resentment that Achilles was considered the better fighter and more crucial to the war effort than himself, who contributed considerably more leadership to the invasion than Achilles, who was a bit-part player who fought when he liked.
Furthermore the Little Iliad states that Odysseus attempted to kill Diomedes on the night that they stole the Palladium from Troy. This is one of the more unbelievable stories about Odysseus that doesn't necessarily fit with what we know about the rest of his character. (Although you can certainly make it. Odysseus has been depicted by some as a man of no morals who would do anything to further his own cause. It's quite relevant to this position that of all the Ithicans who left for Troy, he was the only one that returned.) In my story it might be that Odysseus teased a confession out of Diomedes for his part in the death of Achilles, and a fight ensued. Perhaps Diomedes defeats him and makes him swear not to reveal it to anybody else. This could also be one of the causes of Odysseus' later guilt about his responsibility for Achilles, and why he decided to embark on a quest for penance after his return to Ithaca.
