Birth of Apollo and Artemis

High atop Mount Olympus, the goddess Hera seethed with fury as she discovered yet another affair of Zeus's, this time with Leto, the goddess of motherhood. Leto, whose beauty had inadvertently captured Zeus's attention, now found herself pregnant with twins.

Driven by envy, Hera commanded all the lands to deny Leto shelter and imprisoned Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth. Left in labor and excruciating pain, Leto roamed aimlessly for a considerable time, unable to find a place to give birth to her divine offspring.
Witnessing Leto's plight, Zeus raised the island of Delos from the sea. Unconnected to the earth, this island escaped the queen of the gods' ban and offered Leto a safe refuge for giving birth, its surroundings graced by graceful swans.

On Delos, Leto endured nine agonizing days of labor, for Eileithyia was absent. Finally, she brought forth her children. The firstborn was Artemis, the goddess of the moon and the hunt, possessing dark brown hair and flawless white skin. Soon after, Apollo, the god of the sun and music, emerged, his hair blonde and his eyes a radiant light blue.

The twins' birth further incensed Hera, who resolved to unleash a monstrous serpent, Python, to devour them. Zeus, however, intervened, presenting each newborn with a formidable bow crafted by the merchant god Hephaestus. Apollo, accepting the bow, harbored a singular intent—to exact revenge upon the serpent that had tormented his mother for so long.
Discovering the creature's lair, Apollo encountered Python, hibernating within a cave at the foot of Mount Parnassus. Provoking the beast with his ignited arrows, Apollo enticed it out, filling it with rage.

Though Apollo launched a barrage of arrows at the serpent, its impenetrable scales deflected them. Determined to find a weakness, he unleashed two arrows simultaneously, striking the python's eye and heart. As the creature bellowed in agony, Apollo delivered a final arrow into its gaping maw, ultimately slaying it.