Long ago, when the earth was wild and new, the Titans ruled. Each day, Helios, the first sun god, drove his golden chariot across the sky. The chariot was gold and so bright you couldn’t look at it without being blinded, and Helios was just as bright. Always happy, he had a loud booming laugh and found delight in everything. He wore a golden crown on his shaggy head, which allowed him to see and hear everything just as the sun sees the earth. Helios loved driving the chariot and watching over the world, spreading warmth and light.

Then, Zeus and his siblings waged war on the Titans. After a great and bloody battle, the Titans were defeated. Zeus cleaned house, stripping Helios of his chariot and giving it to Apollo, the new sun god. Helios kept the crown. Since gods cannot be killed, only changed, Helios was banished. He lived in darkness, nursing hatred where he used to grow love. Where he once radiated joy, he now had only anger. He wouldn’t even cook meat by the fire. He wanted no part of the light.

One day, his daughter found him. She was everything he once was and through her, he found his light again. He put his golden crown on and felt its power and warmth breathe life back into him. The only thing she wanted in return was a ride in the chariot.

Helios loved his daughter more than anything and he wanted to make her smile. He also burned with hatred for Apollo, who he felt stole his position. One night, Helios stole back the chariot from Apollo and took his daughter for a ride across the sky. He even let her drive. They had so much fun; they didn’t notice the chaos they left in their wake. The oceans steamed. Fish died. Because that is what happens when a chariot of the sun gets too close to the oceans. Seeing the wreckage in the sea made Poseidon furious, and he demanded that Zeus send the Furies after Helios.

The Furies were creatures of darkness with wings, brass claws, and stingray whips that they used to punish spirits in the underworld and sometimes the mortal world when Zeus required it. They pursued Helios across the earth, finally capturing him and trapping him in Tartarus, the darkest part of the underworld, where he was reduced to his most basic form, working fire.

All this time, his daughter never stopped looking for him. One day, after she struck a deal with Athena and learned where he was, she stormed Tartarus and tried to rescue him. When she arrived at the pit, the Furies attacked. Helios flew at the Furies to protect his daughter and they fought back with all their strength, resulting in a fierce brawl, where shadows tangled with wildfire. Neither escaped unharmed.

Helios divided into flame and disappeared. Some say he lives on as a wandering fire. Others say he’s raw power, compressed fire, locked away into a tiny space, waiting for someone to release him so he can get revenge.

Helios thought he killed the Furies, but they are immortal. The black rags Hades forced them to wear turned into bats as the Furies flew away to lick their wounds and regroup. Like Helios, their battle left them changed, more mortal, but they guard him still, making sure his power will never be released.

Note: I came across a version of this story a long time ago and the impression of Helios as raw power waiting to be unleashed and Furies hunting him stuck with me. As I was writing Ariadne’s Crown, the story kept prickling at me and it’s the basis for my current work in progress. Stay tuned for more info…

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