Zeus was furious-he knew now why Ate had been beguiling him with music and stories. He seized her by the throat, and holding her high, snarled, "I should have known you weren't being kind to me! You're never kind to anyone! I curse you. You will never be happy, and like your mother Eris you'll cause trouble wherever you go."

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    He flung Ate far out of Olympus, and she crashed to earth in Phrygia, at the very spot where the city of Troy would one day arise.

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    While Zeus was indulging in this tantrum, down in Thebes Alcmena was about to die in labour. There was still no sign of her baby being born.

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    She was saved by her two midwives: her devoted maid Galanthis, and Historia, a daughter of the blind Theban seer, Tiresias. These clever women realised that something unnatural was happening. Intervention by an Immortal was preventing the birth. They worked out a rescue plan for Alcmena and her unborn child.

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    Sitting outside the birthing room, invisible but with her legs crossed, as Hera had ordered, Eileithuia was growing more and more uncomfortable. The circulation in her legs had stopped, and she was trying to estimate how long she would have to stay in this position before she could safely assume that the baby inside Alcmena was dead.

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    All at once a joyful cry rang out from the birthing room. The doors crashed open, and Galanthis came dancing out, crying, "What a beautiful baby boy! He's just perfect!" Confused, Eileithuia, uncrossed her legs and stood up. "That's impossible. Show him to me!" she demanded.

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    As soon as Eileithuia stood up, Alcmena began to push. She was quickly delivered of a big baby boy. "But wait-there's another one!" said Historia. A second baby boy came forcing out into the world.

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    The boys were twins, but they had different fathers. This phenomenon has a name: heteropaternal superfecundation. As Mary Poppins might have said,"even though the sound of it produces consternation." 

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    The first born, Heracles, was of course the son of Zeus, and the second born, Iphicles, the son of Amphitryon. Heracles means "Glory of Hera", but that made no difference to Hera's animosity towards him. Even though she had been told that Heracles was essential to the survival of the Gods, Hera hated him. She did everything she could to endanger him and make his life unhappy.

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    When the little boys were only weeks old, Hera sent two enormous snakes to strangle them in their crib. Iphicles' screams brought Amphitryon and Alcmena rushing to the nursery. They saw Iphicles red in the face and howling in terror, but his brother Heracles was standing in the crib, crowing in triumph as he held a dead snake in each chubby fist. He had choked them.

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    Alcmena was uneasy. She didn't know that Zeus had fathered one of her sons, only that something was not right. Amphitryon was secretive about little Heracles. Wanting to know what was going on, Alcmena visited the wisest person she knew, the blind seer Tiresias. Tiresias told her the whole story, and Alcmena went home with terror in her heart for her family. How could they survive against the malice of Hera, Queen of the Gods?

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    This loving woman then did something out of character. She abandoned her son Heracles. Hera hated him. If he was no longer part of her family, perhaps the Goddess would leave them in peace. 

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    Alcmena carried the baby outside the city walls of Thebes, put him on the ground and left him there. Athena and Zeus were watching, and they had a plan. They thought that if she came in contact with baby Heracles, Hera might grow to love him; so Athena asked Hera to go for a walk with her, around the city walls.

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    Soon the two Goddesses came across the abandoned baby. The child was hungry. He was bawling loudly, with tears pouring down his cheeks. 

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    "Oh, the poor baby," said Athena. "How could his mother have abandoned him like that? He's starving, poor little thing. Hera, you have milk. You should feed him."

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    Hera picked up the squalling baby and put him to her breast. The boy at once started to suck, lustily and noisily, kneading his strong little fists into Hera's soft flesh. She winced in pain and looked more closely at the baby. This was surely no ordinary child. 

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    Of course it wasn't! This was the contemptible brat Zeus had spawned upon that horrible girl who had fooled her daughter Eileithuia.

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    Hera tried to pull the baby from her breast, but Heracles didn't want to leave when the rations were so good. Finally, she freed herself from his hungry mouth, and as she did, her milk spurted out, splashing across the sky, creating the Milky Way.

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