Artemis and Apollo: Leto's Twins

   One island that Poseidon raised from the sea was Delos. This island, because it was so newly created, floated on the sea and was barren. Nothing grew on the island except a single palm tree. It was under this tree that the two gods Apollo and Artemis were to be born. The two gods were the children of Zeus and Leto. When Hera found out Leto was to bear Zeus’s children she ordered all the lands in the world to refuse Leto. The gods were born on this island because it is the only place that would give Leto shelter. Zeus blessed the island and fastened it to the bottom of the sea. Grass and flowers burst from the barren ground and Delos became the richest of all Greek islands. Pilgrims flocked to it and built temples to honor Leto and her twins.