![]() ![]() Zeus called for his magical horse, Pegasus. Something or someone dropped out of the chariot and fell into the Po River. It hit the side of the chariot with incredible force. Could Helios have fallen asleep? Zeus hurled a lightning bolt at the chariot as it flew by to wake Helios up. ![]() It looked like Helios' horses were headed for home, but it was too early for them to go home. High on Mount Olympus, Zeus, the king of all the gods, was sitting outside on his front porch. The horses slowed finally to an amble, and turned towards home, eager for oats. ![]() The runaway chariot tore across the sky, burning a trail behind it, a trail some call the Milky Way. The reins were ripped from Phaeton's hands. The horses reared in anger at being jerked so hard. He yanked the reins to pull the horses higher in the sky. When Phaethon realized his mistake, his eyes widened with panic. The hot sun began to dry up oceans and rivers and left deserts in their place. Bursting with pride, he dipped down towards the earth. Phaethon caught the sun up behind him on his first swing by, and began to drag the sun across the sky. They jerked and reared but Phaethon hung tightly to the reins. The horses knew at once that the driver was not the capable Helios. The next morning, Phaethon eagerly climbed aboard the golden chariot. Finally, one evening, exhausted by his son's perpetual pleading, his father said yes. But mostly, he wanted to prove to his friends that his father trusted him enough to give him the reins. He knew he could do the job without getting burnt. Phaethon begged his father to let him drive. They were tired of his incessant bragging. Then, after a while, his friends began to scatter away as Phaethon approached. First, his friends began to tease Phaethon. But they did not believe his Dad would turn over such an important job to a mere boy, not even for one day. Phaethon bragged so much that after a while his friends no longer believed him. He bragged that one day his father would let him drive the chariot across the sky. Phaethon bragged about his father to anyone who would listen, and even sometimes to those who were not listening at all. The next morning, without fail, his Dad would leap again aboard his glowing chariot, and fly off to bring out the sun. Each evening, he would gather his beloved son and his equally beloved wife and daughters, and together they would watch the moon appear in the sky. In the evening, after his Dad had tucked the sun out of sight, to give the sun time to rekindle, he returned home, weary but content. No matter how tired he was, or how jarred by the jerking of the chariot, his Dad always managed to reach every corner of the earth, to bring light and warmth to all the crops and all the people and everything on earth every single day. Each morning, without fail, his Dad would leap aboard his golden Sun Chariot and begin his perilous journey across the sky. It was so splendid that it even had a nickname. Each morning, the Hours, his Dad's servants, would harness four white horses to the most splendid golden chariot. If the sun did not come up, the crops would die and everyone would starve. His Dad's job was to bring out the sun each day. He thought his Dad had the most important job in the world. He named his son Phaethon, because Phaethon meant "brilliant" in the ancient Greek language. Helios thought his son was the brightest and bravest kid in the world. Both bragged about the other all the time. Both father and son had curly golden hair and sparkling bright eyes. Helios and Phaethon The Sun Chariot Ancient Greek Gods for Kids Phaethon was the son of Helios. ![]()
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