When a plague strikes the Trojan refugees on Crete, Aeneas turns to his father, Anchises, for advice. At this point in the expedition, although Aeneas is the nominal leader of the Trojan group, he relies heavily on Anchises for advice and plans for the voyage.
In this case, Anchises’ advice is to go backward: “My father encourages us to go back again over the sea, to the oracle at Ortygia and to Apollo, to pray for mercy, to ask what the end of our struggles would be, what help there would be for our labours, and where we should turn” (Aeneid 3.143-146).
Aeneas is accustomed to taking his father’s advice, but on this occasion it’s exactly the wrong advice. Going backward is not a good option on any journey.
Being an epic hero, Aeneas is saved from this misstep through divine intervention: the Trojan gods appear before him at night, and give him the correct guidance (Aeneid 3.147-171). Although he does check in with Anchises in the morning (Aeneid 3.179-180), he then goes forward.
So, what does Aeneas do when voices around him are telling him to go backward, to retreat from an endeavour? He gets more information from other sources, confirms his information, shares it with his team, and continues forward armed with more knowledge and determination.