accidentally became religious unironically

i have good news for you

He expected himself to be the one to not make it out of the war. Unlike Patroclus, Achilles never expected Patroclus to die the way he did. He himself was the one who was prophesized to die in the Trojan war, after all. Never in his 9 years in Troy he considered Patroclus dying before him - even planning to have him raise Neoptolemus on his behalf after all this fighting is done.

Patroclus was also probably the first person he was very close to that he lost. Sure, he lost a lot of men, but how many of them were close to him as Patroclus - his friend/family/partner/companion (interpret them as you will) - who made him cry so hard that he shook the earth and had his mother and aunts heard him from the depths of the ocean. The man whose death drove him into a suicidal breakdown.

His own doing caused Patroclus' death and fall into a rage and killed Hector in a disgraceful manner (he didn't deserve that as he was only trying to protect his home and family).

Which makes me think that there is a possibility that he was offered godhood before Odysseus came back to Ithaca.

Odysseus, catching up with 10 years of news : and what about good old Diomedes ? Did he get home safe from Troy ?

Penelope: oh you didn't know ? He's a god now

Odysseus : what

Penelope: yeah. We can make him an offering tonight if you want to hangout with him