Chapter 28: The Twelve Olympian Gods (2)
With Poseidon's aid, Leto safely set foot on the island of Delos.
Zeus, grateful to Delos, bestowed his blessings and sent Notus, the god of the south wind, to shield the island from Gaia's biting gales.
Poseidon raised massive waves around Delos to conceal Leto from Hera's watchful eyes.
'Of course, I'm not sure if this will ensure a safe birth…'
***
Leto was well past her due date, so Zeus hurriedly dispatched the Moirae, the goddesses of fate, to serve as midwives.
The Moirae arrived promptly at Zeus' request, and Leto safely gave birth to her first child, Artemis.
Originally, Apollo was meant to be born first, but the overdue delivery led to Artemis emerging ahead of him.
Now, only Apollo remained to be born. However, the second child did not come, despite nine days of agonizing labor.
This was because Hera was restraining Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth.
Unfortunately, Eileithyia, like Iris, obeyed only Hera's commands.
The goddesses gathered on Delos at Zeus' behest grew worried that the child might be harmed if the situation persisted.
Seeing Leto endure relentless pain, they couldn't help but pity her, despite her status as a sinner in Hera's eyes.
At that moment, Auxo, one of the Horae, proposed a plan.
"What if we lure Eileithyia with jewels behind Hera's back?"
"Jewels? Ordinary ones won't sway her. Eileithyia is deeply favored by Hera," another goddess replied.
"Exactly. We need a jewel so rare even Hera can't easily obtain it."
"Does such a thing exist?"
"Yes—a gem formed in the deep-sea volcanoes."
"Hmm…"
Aquamarine, a gem created only in the depths of undersea volcanoes, was indeed a treasure of unparalleled rarity. Only three beings could procure it: Poseidon's wives, Amphitrite, Eurynome, and Gaia.
Incidentally, Poseidon had named the gem "aquamarine" after its counterpart in his past life.
As the goddesses fell silent, a sea nymph raised her hand.
"Alright, I'll ask Lady Amphitrite."
"Really?"
"That would be perfect!"
"I heard Eileithyia once said she couldn't continue her research without that gem. She'll definitely take the bait."
The nymph, Poltuna, set off to find Amphitrite.
"Lady Amphitrite," she called.
"Oh, Poltuna! Weren't you going to see Lady Leto?"
"Yes, I did, but there's a problem."
Poltuna calmly explained Leto's predicament.
After hearing the situation, Amphitrite readily offered the gem.
"This is nothing. I have some aquamarines; take them."
"Thank you so much!"
The acquired aquamarines—blue and crimson—were intended to persuade Iris, the rainbow goddess, and Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth.
Iris' involvement was crucial, as sneaking Eileithyia away from Hera without her help was impossible.
Calliope, who was close to both goddesses, flew to Hera's palace with the gems.
"Iris, Eileithyia, please help Lady Leto," she urged, presenting the jewels.
The two goddesses couldn't take their eyes off the aquamarines but hesitated to act.
"Calliope, we'd love to help Leto with these gems, but…"
"The Divine Authority Committee is furious, and we can't act on our own."
Calliope's heart sank, realizing she'd overlooked a key issue.
This wasn't just about Zeus' infidelity; Leto had insulted Hera, offending her and her followers.
As Calliope bowed her head in dismay, a voice rang out.
— "Tell them it's permitted in the names of Poseidon, Hestia, and Demeter. We'll handle Hera."
***
At last, Apollo was safely born.
Time passed on Delos, and Apollo and Artemis, true to their divine lineage as children of Zeus and Leto, grew rapidly.
By the human age of three, they could shoot arrows and drive chariots, excelling particularly as archers.
Apollo, who bore a striking resemblance to Zeus in both appearance and ambition, bristled at their hidden life on Delos.
He felt it was beneath him, the legitimate heir of the king of the gods, to live in obscurity.
"Mother, how long must we stay here?"
"Apollo, we haven't yet earned Hera's forgiveness. We have no choice but to remain hidden."
"But our father is Zeus, the king of the gods! No matter how fearsome Hera is, with Father behind us, what's there to fear?"
Leto sharply rebuked Apollo's naïve arrogance.
She worried that if her son grew up with such hubris, he'd suffer greatly when he eventually ascended to Olympus.
Her own moment of recklessness had already cost her dearly.
"Apollo! Stop this foolish talk. I tell you, Hera is the queen of the gods. I made the mistake of earning her enmity, but you must always respect her and never challenge her authority."
"Yes…"
Apollo, unconvinced but feigning compliance, grumbled to his sister Artemis in private, seeking a target for his frustration.
"Sister, I still don't understand Mother."
"Brother, even Father can't help us. Doesn't that mean he's wary of Hera?"
"…"
Unlike Apollo, Artemis was quick to grasp reality.
Her first act after birth was to gather information, as any skilled hunter would.
She learned several key facts: Zeus couldn't visit or protect Delos, and he'd had to make concessions to Hera because of it.
'Apollo may boast as Zeus' son, but the sea nymphs and birds around here fear Hera the most.'
***
One day, while Apollo and Artemis were riding clouds near Delos, they spotted Python.
Python was still circling Leto's vicinity, following Hera's orders.
Though Delos was shielded by Poseidon's waves, preventing Python from entering, the serpent could still keep watch.
As a cunning divine beast, Python made a show of diligently carrying out Hera's command.
"Artemis, that giant snake must be Python, the one tormenting our mother. Let's hunt it and free her!"
"But, brother, that snake is acting on Hera's orders. If we attack it, we'll provoke her wrath!"
"It's fine. We'll take it down quickly and leave before anyone notices."
"But…"
Ignoring Artemis' concerns, Apollo launched an attack on Python.
Python, suddenly assaulted by Leto's son, hesitated.
'What should I do?'
Killing the young god would be problematic—he was the king's son, after all.
But fleeing would draw Hera's ire.
'I'll pretend to fight and then collapse, making my escape.'
Python, a self-preserving and cautious divine beast, decided on this plan.
To make it convincing, it lunged at Apollo with its massive jaws, as if intending to devour him.
Apollo fell for the act.
"Artemis, don't help! It's faster and stronger than I expected, but I can handle it."
Though young, Apollo was clever and agile.
Despite being fooled by Python's performance, he instinctively knew his current strength couldn't fully pierce its hide.
So, he persistently aimed his arrows at Python's eyes.
Python, aware of the young hunter's strategy, protected its eyes while whipping its massive body like a lash, feigning combat.
It kept its strength just convincing enough to avoid arousing suspicion from the siblings.
Hiss.
Python's powerful tail lashed at Apollo, while Apollo's arrows embedded themselves in the serpent's outer hide.
The battle dragged on, as Python deliberately lowered its skin's resilience to make Apollo's attacks seem effective.
"Haha! I was wrong—this beast's hide isn't that tough!" Apollo shouted, laughing as he saw his arrows pierce Python's skin.
He'd initially overestimated the serpent's strength.
From the clouds, Artemis watched with growing concern, ready to intervene if her brother was in danger.
More troublingly…
"No matter how I look at it, this isn't a creature we can hunt…"
Her instincts screamed that Python was beyond their current abilities.
As their battle intensified, it began to churn the sea.
The disturbance drew the attention of sea nymphs and creatures, who gathered to investigate.
Inevitably, word reached Poseidon.
***
"What? Apollo's hunting Python?"
"Yes, Lord Poseidon. Python was merely keeping watch as you instructed, but Apollo's stirring up the sea for no reason."
"This is an affront to your authority! You must punish him!"
A mermaid who had gone to spectate reported the chaos to Poseidon.
Though puzzled, Poseidon moved to intervene.
'Can Apollo even hunt Python?'
***
The scene Poseidon arrived at was pure pandemonium.
Python and Apollo's battle had riled up the sea's spirits, who were gearing up to join the fray.
"Sigh… Why are Zeus' sons all so reckless, while his daughters seem more sensible?"
Poseidon grasped the situation instantly.
Python was poised to flee at any moment, while Apollo, oblivious, believed he was winning.
Above, Artemis, watching from her cloud, seemed to sense the truth.
"The sea spirits are thrilled, thinking a high god is playing with them," Poseidon muttered.
He first calmed the agitated spirits, knowing that unchecked chaos could unleash a tsunami affecting the mortal world.
Then, he trapped Apollo in a cage of water.
"What's this?!" Apollo cried, thrashing.
Python, noticing Poseidon's arrival, bowed deeply.
"Lord Poseidon…"
"No need to bow. I understand what's going on. I'm sorry—Hera didn't assign you to play with a child like this."
"…"
"Still, Zeus' brat dared to disrupt my sea."
Sighing at Python's arrow-riddled body, Poseidon summoned a wave to carry the serpent to Hera.
"Ride this to Hera. She'll be waiting. Recover there."
"Yes, thank you, Lord Poseidon."
Poseidon turned to Apollo, still struggling cluelessly in the water cage.
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