Leto, pregnant with twins by Zeus, was pursued by the jealous Hera, who prevented Leto from giving birth on solid ground. Everywhere Leto was rejected until she finally found the floating island of Delos, which was not anchored and thus did not fall under the curse. Poseidon, feeling sorry for Leto, anchored Delos firmly in the sea with his trident to give her a safe haven.

First, Leto gave birth to a daughter: Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the moon. Artemis, strong and wise from birth, helped her mother during her difficult labor and took on the role of midwife for her own brother. After nine days and nights that Leto spent in pain on Delos, golden, radiant Apollo was finally born, god of light, music and prophecy.

Apollo is the father of Asclepius, the god of medicine, whom he fathered with the mortal Coronis. Asclepius became such a great healer that he was eventually able to bring the dead back to life. This angered Zeus, who feared that Asclepius would upset the natural balance of life and death, so he killed him with a thunderbolt. Apollo, in his anger at the death of his son, then killed the Cyclopes, who had forged the thunderbolt for Zeus.

Apollo rose to prominence as the god of Delphi after killing the giant dragon Python. Python had previously guarded the Oracle of Delphi, and his presence was a threat to Apollo's claim to power. After killing Python with his arrows, Apollo erected the Oracle in his honor and became the god of prophecy. "In my light is truth, in my art is harmony - I am the balance of wisdom and beauty."