Humans & Heroes

He defeats his twin brother, Proetus, in a war to become the king of Argos. Acrisius and his wife have a daughter, Danae, but he wants sons. So he asks the famous Oracle of Delphi when he will have a son and receives a most disturbing answer: his daughter will give birth to a son who will slay him. Furious and terrified, he locks Danae in a tower and seals the door tight.

Listen to the first season of "Live from Mount Olympus" to hear what happens next.

Andromeda is the princess of Ethiopia, daughter of king Cepheus and queen Cassiopeia. To save her kingdom, Andromeda bravely agrees to be a human sacrifice. But will the sea monster Cetus swallow her up?

Listen to find out! And take a look at the different ways that artists have portrayed her as she awaits her fate.

There’s no denying that Arachne has impressive skills at the loom. She weaves a tapestry so realistic that the figures and scenes she creates look as if they could spring to life. But Arachne is too confident of her talents, and her pride gets her into trouble. Big trouble.

She is the beautiful queen of Ethiopia, but her beauty is also her undoing. Cassiopeia boasts that she’s more beautiful than the Nereids, those ocean-loving nymphs. The nymphs are enraged, and the god Poseidon is furious. He sends Cetus, the sea monster, to terrorize the kingdom. How will Ethiopia be saved?

King of Ethiopia, Cepheus must defend his people from the sea monster Cetus, sent by Poseidon to destroy their kingdom. But the oracle tells Cepheus that he can only save Ethiopia if he and his wife, Cassiopeia, give up what they love the most.

What would you do if you were in his sandals?

She is one tough princess. When fate throws lemons at her, she crushes them and makes lemonade. Danae’s father, Acrisius, imprisons her in a tower because of an oracle. Zeus glimpses her beauty through the skylight and falls in love. But when her father discovers she has had a child, he throws Danae and her baby boy, Perseus, into the sea. They’re pulled up in the nets of the fisherman Dictys, and he cares for Danae and her child as if they were his own family. Finally, mother and son find some peace... until an evil king decides he wants Danae for himself, and Perseus makes a crazy vow to protect his beloved mother.

His name comes from the ancient Greek word for “fishing net.” Can you guess what he does for a living? Dictys is one of the ancient world’s good men. He lives on the island of Seriphos, and one day out at sea, he’s astonished to find a huge wooden crate caught in his nets.

The hero of our story! Resourceful and devoted, Perseus has a rough start in life. His grandfather throws Perseus and his mother, Danae, into the sea. Then he’s rescued and grows up as a fisherman, and eventually he makes a crazy vow to save his mom from an evil king. Will he succeed in his quest?

Listen to the first season of "Live from Mount Olympus" to find out! Meanwhile, you can take a look at some of the ways that artists have interpreted his awesome story.

Before the whole sea monster business, king Cepheus promises his daughter, Andromeda, to the warrior Phineas in marriage. With Cetus terrorizing the kingdom, Phineas abandons Andromeda, leaving her chained to a seawall to be eaten by the monster. But when he hears that she’s survived, Phineas wants her back—and brings an army with him.

Find out what happens next by listening to Episode 5.

Polydektes is the king of Seriphos—and Dictys’s brother. He wants Perseus’s mother, Danae, to be his wife, and he employs every trick in his power to make that happen.

Listen to "Live from Mount Olympus" to find out if he succeeds.