Broken Artemis

A soft, cold breeze passed through the grove where a beautiful maiden came to take her bath. Her limbs shone like the light of day, flashing their radiance over the rippling water.

The maiden was conceived through the love of Phoebe and Coeus, the ancient Titans of the sun and moon. Everyone knew her as the white-gowned Leto, always mild, kind to men and to the deathless gods, mild from the beginning, gentlest than all the Olympians.

Emerged from her bath, she opened her eyes and saw a beautiful eagle standing between the trees. Its feathers were of the most absolute white and its beak was golden, almost as golden as Leto's long flowing hair. The creature stared at Leto with a warm, steady gaze. For a moment she felt exposed, naked save for the brilliant lock that had fallen over her lithe form.

She stared back with her cerulean eyes, fascinated by the large bird. Its beak shone whenever it passed under a beam of sunlight. For a long while, she was frozen by curiosity. What the eagle wanted as it gawked at her like a prey. Then it waddled forwards with its white wings spanning wide and high as it inched ever so slowly to her. But once it came nearer to Leto, the Titaness realized it was no longer in the shape of a fowl but that of a grown man.

He was strong-built and more graceful than any mortal being she ever came across, with perfectly tuned muscles that rippled across his chest, massive arms and legs. She gasped, looking at his true form. The man wore no clothing to cover his boldness, and Leto felt her breath hitch while she marveled at his presence. Those beautiful blue eyes bore into hers. His dark beard paired neatly with his beautiful dark hair. In many ways, his features were similar to that of his eagle form - agile like an embodiment of power and perfection.

At that time, Leto did not realize who this majestic man was. She had been kept in the forbidden woods for too long. His captivating presence kept her from shying away from his touch. He grabbed her and embraced her. Leto felt the weight of his immense strength. She felt his lips brush against hers, and for the first time in her life, she felt like she was on fire, burning with so much passion. Her heart leaped and raced in a strange rhythm. Seduced by the charm and grace of this man, the Titaness found herself kissing him back.

The man lifted her slender body and laid her down on the leave-covered ground. The summer breeze blew softly. Leto looked into his eyes and she saw the lightning of the storm glisten in them. It was at this moment she realized he was not just any mortal man. He was a god that walked down the slopes of Olympus with a passion for her. He was Zeus, the King of Heaven and the mightiest child of Cronus and Rhea.

Even during their moments of passion, Zeus knew his mere presence was a danger to Leto. His wife, Hera, was always jealous of any woman that caught Zeus' attention and if she were to discover Leto's beauty, Hera would unleash a fury that even he would cower in fear.

By the power of his godly trick, Zeus changed Leto into a quail, and then himself into a quail. Here the sun sifted through the trees and stripped the grass with shadows, and it was difficult to see two quails whose feathers were brown and lighter brown. But the eyes of jealousy are very sharp, and Hera saw them from the top of their abode.

She flung a curse, saying, "Leto, you will grow heavy with child, but you shall not bear anywhere the sun shines."

And so, Zeus hurried and bade her good-bye. Leto could only shed a single tear as she watched the mighty king kiss her one last time and then walk out of the woods, once again taking on the shape of a majestic eagle. She watched him turn his back and flew off into the horizon.

When Zeus was gone, she sauntered back to the glade and sat on a boulder beneath a red oak tree. The leaves swayed as they fell down upon her and she looked up with tears in her eyes. The young maiden rubbed her belly, knowing that in time Zeus' passion would bear fruit and that her children could forever shift the threads of the universe.

Leto also knew that Hera's wrath would soon come to taunt her. It was only a matter of time before the earth itself whispered into Hera's ears where she hid.

Zeus never came back, much as Leto predicted. The King of Olympus was too preoccupied with the dealings of his children, his court and the swaying politics of mortal men. Leto never expected to hear from him again but she did expect a visit or sign signaling the incoming wrath of his jealous wife.

Yet nothing came until it was time for Leto to bear her children into the world. Little did she know that Hera was always observing, always keeping herself on alert. Everywhere Leto would go, Hera would know. The Queen of Gods sent the great serpent, Python, to enforce her curse, to hunt Leto out of any sunny place she might try to rest. The Python was unleashed and as long as Leto was on the terra-firma it could find her. The poor Titaness fled to every corner of the earth, but no place welcomed her. Each time she found a moment of peace she would discover the Python was nearby, making it impossible for the pregnant woman to give birth to her children.

So far roamed Leto in travail to see if any land would be willing to make a dwelling for her, but they greatly trembled and feared, and none, not even the richest of them, dared receive the belly-swollen maiden.