The son of Zeus and Maia, Hermes, was already talking and walking the day he was born. He made a lyre (a kind of harp). One day he stole 50 sheep from the god Apollo. He sacrificed two of the sheep to the gods. However, Apollo was the god of prophecy, so it was easy for him to catch the god of thieves, Hermes. Hermes had to give Apollo his lyre. The two became good friends.

Long ago King Cecrops built a large city. It was predicted the city would be very prosperous and famous. All the gods wanted to be patrons of the city. At the end only two gods were left- Athena and Poseidon. Each god was to give a gift to the city to win the contest. Poseidon made a spring in the city and promised a strong navy for the city. Athena gave the city an olive tree. She said that they could use it for food, for cleansing, offering, to light fires, and use it for many other things. Athena won the contest. The King named the city Athens in her honor.

Hephaestus mother, Hera, had awaited him with great eagerness, hoping for a child so beautiful, so gifted, that it would make Zeus forget about all of the other children he had. When the baby was born, she was appalled to see that he was shriveled and ugly, with an irritating bleating wail. She did not let Zeus see him, but snatched the infant up and hurled him off Olympus. For one night and one day he fell, and hit the ground at the edge of the sea with such force that both of his legs were broken. He lay there on the beach crying. He was unable to crawl, wracked with pain, but unable to die because he was immortal. The tide came up and a huge wave carried him off to sea. There he sank like a stone. However, he was caught by the playful Thetis, a naiad. She thought he was a tadpole. When Thetis understood he was a baby, she made him a pet and kept him in her grotto. She was amazed at the way the crippled child made shells and bright pebbles into jewelry. Then, one day she appeared at a great festival of the gods. She was wearing a necklace he had made. Hera noticed the ornament and praised it. Hera asked her how she had come by it. Thetis told her of the strange twisted child whom someone had dropped into the ocean. She told Hera of how he lived now in her cave making wonderful jewels. Hera knew that it was her son and demanded him back. Hephaestus returned to Olympus. Hera gave him a broken mountain nearby, where he could set up forges and bellows. She also gave him the brawny Cyclopes to be his helpers, and she promised him Aphrodite as a bride if he would labor in the mountain and make her fine things. Hephaestus agreed because he loved her and he forgave her for the cruelty she did to him. "I know that I am ugly, Mother," Hephaestus said, "but the fates would have it so. I will make you gems so beautiful for your tapering arms and white throat and black hair that you will forget my ugliness sometimes, and rejoice that you have taken me back from the sea." He became the smith-god, lord of mechanics, and the great artificer. The mountain always smoked and rumbled with his toil. He was always very ugly, but he was very nice and useful. He did marry the beautiful Aphrodite.

One love of Apollo was Hyacinthus, Prince of Sparta, and because of his beauty, many admired him. One day as the god was teaching the youth to throw a discus, the West Wind Zephyr became very jealous. He also desired the company of Hyacinthus. He was also very resentful of the time the youth was spending with the sun god. As Apollo threw the discus, Zephyr caught it in mid-air. The discus was then brought down hard against the side of the skull of the Prince. It killed him instantly. When his blood flowed into the earth, the hyacinth flower came up. The flower got its name from the young prince.