The relationship between the mortals and gods is quite complex, especially since Homer portrays his gods anthropomorphically, giving them moral characteristics such as pride and anger. The gods are not all-powerful beings who are exempt from the judgment of the reader/listener, but are petty and act out of emotion just like the mortals. This creates a more complex relationship, because the gods are not simply vague deities or statues to which the mortals pray and obtain wisdom. The gods are full-fledged characters whose actions have direct affect on the mortal world, and who even interact actively with the mortals, such as in Book 5 when Diomedes (a mortal) wounds Aphrodite and Apollo in battle, and Apollo, in a rage, pushes Diomedes aside and whisks Aeneas off the battle field to protect him.
The relationship is further complicated because so many of the heroes and characters within the Iliad can trace their lineage to certain gods. This creates alliances between mortals and gods - such as Aphrodite's protective focus on her son, Aeneas. The gods fall along party lines, with some intervening directly on the part of the Greeks (like Athena, Hera, and Hephaestus) and others on the part of the Trojans (like Aphrodite, Apollo, and Poseidon), while still others (such as Zeus) remain impartial and are occasionally swayed one way or the other.
This is significant to the story because at any point the victor of the battle could be decided based on the individual combats of the mortal heroes, the effects of the mortals' actions on their governing gods (angering your household gods, for example, so they don't intercede for you), or the trickery and pettiness of the gods themselves.
All of these play a role in the start of the Trojan War, during the Judgment of Paris at the wedding of Achilles' parents, Thetis and Peleus. Eris, the goddess of discord, feeling slighted since she was the only god not invited to the wedding, throws a golden apple inscribed with the phrase "To the Fairest" amongst the goddesses. Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena all lay claim to the apple, and Zeus, rather than bear the wrath of those slighted on himself, has Paris of Troy decide instead. Each of the goddesses offer Paris gifts to sway his favor, and he chooses Aphrodite, who promises to wed Helen, the most beautiful woman, to him. This not only creates discord between the Trojans and the Greeks, since Paris openly steals Menelaus' wife, but creates a battle between the goddesses, who feel slighted by Paris' choice.
The gods and goddesses portrayed in Homer's Iliad are anthropomorphic, meaning that they take forms like those of human beings. Even though they are immortal and have great powers, the gods have human characteristics and passions and are capable of interbreeding with humans. Most of the heroes of the Iliad can trace their lineage back to a god having mated with a human. Helen of Troy, for example, is a daughter of Zeus and the mortal Leda.
The gods tend to intervene quite directly in the events of the epic, supporting one or the other side of the war and helping their favorite heroes in key battles. The gods demand worship, sacrifices, and obedience from humans, and in return the gods give them various favors in a system often called "do ut des" (I give that you might give).
The origin of the Trojan War in the story is the Judgment of Paris, which involves three goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, competing to be awarded a golden apple inscribed "to the fairest" that the goddess Eris (strife) had thrown into the crowd at the wedding of Achilles's parents. As a consequence of this contest, Aphrodite helps Paris obtain Helen.
Aphrodite, Apollo, and Poseidon support the Trojans, and Athena and Hera support the Greeks. They intervened both directly and indirectly in the war.
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