Rated PG for implied s*x and some violence.
Prologue[]
Point of View: Phoebus Apollo
She was beautiful. She was an Okeanid. I had to leave her eventually though. Helios began to fade and I had to start driving the sun chariot every few months or so. Now I'm driving the sun chariot everyday and I still make time for music, prophecying, and haiku. If she were still alive I would visit her again. And now I know that I should never offer my children things like that again. I never let Asclepius or Linus or even Pythagoras drive my sun chariot. Of course they never asked to. I was not a wisdom god back then. I told her when I left to tell our child that their father was the sun.
Point of View: Clymene Meropus
He told me to tell Phaethon that his father was the sun. He went off to school and talked about how he was Apollo's child. Everyone believed him except for this kid, Epaphos. Epaphos always talked about how Phaethon was not a demigod. He even said that he himself was full god. He said his parents were Zeus and Isis. Of course I couldn't deny that Zeus was his father or that Isis was his mother, but Isis wasn't really Isis. I would know. She was, in fact, my niece. She was Io.
Point of View: Anubis Epaphos
He was more popular than I was, this kid. The sun god is extremely important in Egyptian religion. Memphis was his girlfriend. I was always hoping that I would get Memphis. I was there when she rose out of the Nile. I brought her to the village. She was raised by Merops, which made her Phaethon's stepsister. But he didn't care. But I managed to get rid of him. I didn't mean for him to die. I just wanted him to go live on Mount Olympus or whatever. So I went up to Phaethon with my gang and my girlfriend, Aetheria, and convinced him that he was not the sun god's son.
Point of View: Aetheria Meropus
I didn't want him to die. I thought maybe it would be best if he stopped bragging about being a half-blood. After all, I was one too. Mom said that because of what we are, monsters like to attack us. It hasn't happened, but she said it could. But then the next day he was talking to her. I overheard her say, " If you need to be sure, travel to his palace in the east."
Chapter 1. The Adventure[]
Point of View: Phaethon Meropus
I always tried to be nice to Anubis, but he never returned the favor. I gave him a potted laurel tree and told him that if I died, the plant would die. I said farewell to the whole village, packed a lyre, some water, bread, meat, and fruit. I walked for 3 days, pausing only to eat and sleep. On the third day, I sat down to talk to a snake. The snake said I would be able to drive the sun chariot. With this motivation, I ran for 5 more days, again pausing to eat and sleep.
Point of View: Gaea Protogenos
Every day he ran, kicking up my sands, stopping to drink from my rivers, and resting in the shade of my trees.
Point of View: Phoebus Apollo
He never stopped. One day I let Helios drive my chariot and descended down to him. I told him that I was proud of him and glad to meet him.
"So you think that I am capable of making it to the east?" he asked
"Yes, definitely," I said. " And I swear on the river Styx that I shall give you one thing of your wish once we are there."
"You mean you're going to take me there?"
"Yes."
I teleported the two of us to Heliopolis. When we got there, he was amazed
"Whoa," he said, apparently unable to speak.
"Here," I gave him some purple sunglasses, "You'll need these when we enter my home."
Point of View: Phaethon Meropus
Even while wearing the glasses, the room was blindingly bright and sparkly. And I am his son! He asked me what I wanted and I said, "I want to drive the sun." because of what the snake had said.
"I am sorry," he said, "Even Zeus cannot drive my chariot. It would be extremely foolish of me to-"
"You promised!" I said angrily. "You said you would give me whatever I wanted"
"That's true, but you shouldn't. I will let you if you want. Tomorrow you can drive the chariot."
Chapter 2. The Chariot[]
Point of View: Phaethon Meropus
The next morning, we got up early. I went to my dad, and he prepared me for the day. He put special ointment on me and gave me special robes. He offered to ride with me, but I turned him down. I would not be great if I needed Apollo next to me to be the sun.
I got into the chariot. Dad told me not to fly too low. I assured him everything would be alright, but he didn't look too sure. For about 6 hours I rode at the same height. Then I came towards Greece. I wanted some of my Greek friends to see me driving the sun. I tilted down, but the horses went out of control.
Point of View: Gaea Protogenos
It was extremely painful.
Point of View: Poseidon the Earthshaker
The rivers were burning up. I swam to the top of the sea to see what was going on. I yelled curses at Apollo, that heat-loving nephew of mine. Then it got to hot for me, so I dove down to the bottom of the sea.
Point of View: Anubis Epaphos
The world went dark. I knew that if the sun had died, Phaethon wouldn't be coming back here. He'd have to go up to Olympus to survive. So I snapped the laurel's trunk. I could show it to Memphis. After a while she would come to me.
Point of View: Zeus Olympias
When I saw the Attic land burning, I knew I had to do something. Something just snapped inside of me and I shot a thunderbolt at him. When I saw his sisters mourning him, I turned them into trees. Even though they're supposed to have lost all feeling, their sadness still shows.
Point of View: Phoebus Apollo
At first I thought Epaphos got what he deserved. I mean, when Daphne turned into a tree, I hated it. But now Memphis had fallen in love with him. But I gave up on punishing Epaphos. Instead, I punished his father. I slayed Cottus and Gyes, the hecatonchires and said they faded. But Zeus found out. I had to spend a year as a slave on earth.
Chapter 3. Afterwards[]
Point of View: Mnemosyne Titanide
If Phaethon had not died, there would be no Libya, because Epaphos and Memphis would not have been married. With no Libya, there would be no Agenor or Belus, and thus no:
- Cadmus
- Europa
- Phoenix
- Cilix
- Spartoi
- Danaus
- Egyptus
- Agave
- Semele
- Ino
- Autonoe
- Polydorus
- Minos
- Rhadmanthus
- Sarpedon
- Hypermnestra
- Lynkeus
- Pentheus
- Nycteus
- Lycus
- Dionysus
- Phrixus and Helle
- Jason and the Golden Fleece
- Abas
- Labdacus
- Acrisius
- Ariadne
- Phaedra
- Bellerophon
- Melampus
- Perseus
- Demophon
- Oxyntes
- Apheidas
- Thymoetes
- Laios
- Oedipus
- Heracles
And without these people, the following things would be different:
- There would be no Thebes, Crete, or Corinth
- Artemis would not be famous for having Actaeon killed by his own stags.
- Dolphins would not exist.
- Theseus would not kill the minotaur (of course, the minotaur would not exist)
- Medusa and the Sphinx would not get killed.
- Athens would fall into chaos after Theseus died.
- Snake-legged giants would take over the universe
- And more
So, was Phaethon really careless, or did he see, since his father was prophecy god, that this was what he needed to do? No one will ever know for sure.