Apollo, the god of light, poetry, healing, and music, was the son of Zeus and the Titaness Leto. He was also the twin brother of the goddess Artemis.
The messenger of the gods and one of Zeus’ favorite sons was born in secret. Herme´s mother was the nymph Maia, who Zeus managed to visit frequently while keeping it a secret from both his wife and the other gods so that no one knew when she gave birth to him.
Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, the daughter of Cadmus, the first king of Thebes. Due to her jealousy, Hera planted seeds of doubt in Semele’s mind. She, then, demanded Zeus to prove that he was indeed a god. Zeus acted thus since he had taken a sacred oath to make Semele’s every wish come true.
Unfortunately, light and fire enveloped the beautiful Semele and burned her body to death. Zeus managed to prevent the death of the unborn child by sewing it into his leg. He then gave Dionysus to his messenger Hermes, who took the baby to Semele’s sister Ino and her husband Athamantas.
Undoubtedly, Hercules is the most famous hero of ancient Greek mythology. He was the son of the affair Zeus had with Alcmene, a mortal woman. Zeus managed to trick her by disguising himself as her husband, Amphitryon, who returned home early from war.