What's your favourite headcanon about ages of Greeks at the beginning of war?
Especially Odysseus, Diomedes and Achilles...
Ooh okay. For personal reasons I always headcanon Achilles as like 15/16 when he arrives at Troy. It allows for maximum angst. He doesn't get to have a real childhood it's all war. There's no grace period. No regular fuckups as you're becoming a young adult. If Achilles messes up like every teenager does then people will die. If he is not the most ruthless, feared killer in that camp then they will lose and he can't even begin to imagine what that would entail.
Diomedes is 14 at the beginning of the war. He's the youngest general and was a child soldier long before even Achilles. Achilles is a creature born and bred for war but he was protected from it for as long as Thetis could manage. Diomedes didn't have that. He's been at war as long as he can remember. There is no 'before' for him.
Odysseus always gives off older vibes in the Iliad but I like to headcanon him as like late twenties to early thirties. He just acts all old because he's like that. That would make him like 50-55 at the end of the Odyssey (Which is not old guys. Even if he was like 40 at the BEGINNING of the war he would only be 60 when he returned. Stop acting like he's a decrepit old man lol)
Agamemnon is the oldest (besides Nestor lmao). He's like 45 or so when the war starts. Still fit and healthy but not as physically immaculate as some of the younger men. Menelaus is in his late thirties. Helen is in her mid thirties.
Patroclus is always tricky but I think he's like 17 when the war starts. He's still young enough to be kinda looked down upon by the older men but in technical terms he's still a man.
Antilochus is 19/20. He's the oldest of the "Boys" and he looks out for the younger soldiers (Except Diomedes. Diomedes has a bunch of surrogate brothers to do that lmao). Automedon is 22 but he matches Achilles in level of maturity (This is what drag racers are like).
No one knows how old Nestor is. Not his kids. Not his friends. I think Thanatos forgot to collect his soul 50 years ago and he's too embarrassed to admit his mistake. He's probably living in Florida right now.