C H A P T E R 13: T H E M A S T E R
MARKSMAN
took the matter to Zeus. Zeus sided with Hades and struck Asclepius with a thunderbolt, killing him. Apollo, outraged by the death of his son but unable to challenge Zeus directly, turned his anger toward the Cyclopes. If you remember, it was the Cyclopes who created the thunderbolts as weapons and gave them to Zeus. In retaliation, Apollo killed the Cyclopes. Zeus intended to throw Apollo in Tartarus for the murders, but Leto interceded on her son's behalf. Therefore, Zeus lessened the sentence to a year in the servitude of a mortal master, King Admetus of Pheres. (Some myths say that the sentence was nine years.) Apollo approached the king in mortal form and served him as a shepherd for the term of his sentencing. However, the punishment backfired on Zeus. For one thing, Apollo enjoyed herding the cattle; he was after all the protector of shepherds. But to make his punishment even less severe was the fact that the king was very kind to Apollo. The king was known to be hospitable and an all-around good guy. In return for the king's generosity, Apollo returned the favor several times over. He made all the cows give birth to twins. He helped the king to win the hand of the woman he loved. When Artemis was ready to inflict a severe punishment on Admetus for his neglect in paying her due respect, Apollo smoothed things over. He even granted the king the ability to substitute another mortal for himself when it came time for him to die. All in all, Apollo didn't fare all too badly in his punishment for killing the Cyclopes.
Delphi A chapter about Apollo would not be complete without speaking of Delphi. Delphi was one of the most famous, and certainly one of the most influential, shrines of ancient Greece. As you recall, Apollo went in pursuit of Python who had hunted his mother while she was pregnant with the twins. He caught up with Python at Delphi and killed her. However, Python was the daughter of Gaia, and some kind of honor was needed to appease her. Therefore, Apollo founded the musical and theatrical games of Delphi and named them the