Even though their numbers had been depleted by the plague and there were far more pressing problems closer to home, the Athenians were misled by a city- Sicilian state to invade one of the Thus, with the promise of gold and glory, the Athenians embarked and strolled along the coast of Sicily. Due to shaky leadership, the Athenians were unable to land when they had the advantage, but still achieved some early victories, emboldening both the leaders and the hoplites. Everything changed at Epipolae. Like all other battles, the Athenians opened up well, but were lured into pursuing the routed enemies (I guess it's a false rout, sneaky tacticians). At that point, the hoplite advantage disappeared, the Athenian army was forced to rout, suffering major casualties. The routed Athenians were again defeated at sea and the remnants managed to limp back to Athens. The problem with the realistic perspective of the Peloponnesian War is that the chain of events leading to Athens' defeat and their end as a viable power in the Hellenic world was beyond any type of human control. Destiny is a factor that a realist neglects,