Poseidon and the Founding of Athens

Hello. My name is Athena. One day, I stood on a big, sunny hill in a land called Greece. The sun felt so warm. Below me was a brand new city full of little white houses. My uncle, Poseidon, stood beside me, and he loved the city, too. We both wanted the city to have our name. We decided to have a friendly contest to see who could give the people the best gift. This is the story of how that city got its name, the myth of Poseidon and the Founding of Athens.

My uncle Poseidon went first. He was the mighty king of the sea, and he held his big, shiny trident. WHAM. He hit a big rock with his trident, and a huge splash of water came out. It was a spring. The water was sparkly and blue, just like the big ocean. The people were excited to see the water. But when they tasted it, it was salty. It was too salty to drink. Then it was my turn. I didn't make a loud noise. I just tapped the ground gently. A little green sprout popped right out of the dirt. It grew and grew and grew. It became a big, strong olive tree with silvery-green leaves and yummy little olives growing on its branches. It was a wonderful gift that could give them food and shade from the sun.

The people looked at the salty spring. Then they looked at my wonderful olive tree. They saw that the tree could give them yummy food to eat. They saw it could give them oil to light their lamps. They saw its strong wood could be used to build things. They all cheered for my gift. 'Hooray for Athena,' they shouted. They decided to name their city 'Athens,' after me, and I was so happy. My olive tree became a sign of peace for everyone in the city. It shows that the kindest and most helpful gifts are always the best gifts of all.