Rhea

Long, long ago, there was a mommy queen named Rhea. She lived in a big, tall palace high on a mountain with her husband, King Cronus. But Mommy Rhea had a very big worry, and her heart was sad. This is the story of how a mommy's clever love saved her baby. This is the myth of the Birth of Zeus.

King Cronus was scared of his new babies. Every time a beautiful baby was born, he would hide them away, and this made Mommy Rhea very, very sad. When her new baby, Zeus, was born, Rhea had a clever idea. A very clever idea. She found a big, round rock, a rock as big as a baby. She wrapped the rock in a soft, cozy blanket. Swish, swish, she wrapped it up. She gave the rock to King Cronus, who thought it was the baby! He swallowed the rock all up. Gulp. He did not know it was just a hard, bumpy rock.

Shhh, King Cronus was sleeping. Mommy Rhea took her real baby, Zeus, far away to a sunny, green island. Kind friends there helped take care of baby Zeus. A friendly goat named Amalthea gave him yummy milk to drink. Busy bees brought him sweet, sticky honey. Bzzzz. Zeus was safe and happy. He played in the tall, green grass and grew bigger and bigger and bigger. He was very strong and very loved, far away from his scared father.

When Zeus was a big, strong man, he went back home. He rescued his brothers and sisters. Hooray. They all lived together on the tall mountain, and Mommy Rhea's heart was happy and full again. Her clever plan worked because a mommy's love is so, so strong. This story shows that love helps us be brave and smart, and that love makes a family happy. Even the biggest problems can feel smaller with a little bit of love.