Hermes leads Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite to Mount Ida, where the stunned Trojan prince Paris is ordered by Zeus to judge which of them is the fairest. Each goddess steps forward with a tempting bribe: Hera offers supreme kingship and boundless wealth, while Athena promises unmatched bravery and excellence in battle and craft, but it is Aphrodite who wins Paris over by offering him the most beautiful woman in all of Hellas, Helen, as his prize. Unable to deny his own nature as a man who prizes beauty above all things, Paris awards the golden apple to Aphrodite. Athena and Hera depart in bitter fury, vowing that Paris and his city of Troy are now their enemies, a vow that will prove tragic for his people.