The son of the Virgin Huntress Atalanta and the man who defeated her through underhanded tricks, Hippomenes.
Atalanta would marry only someone who could win against her in a footrace. Hippomenes was aware of her speed and requested Aphrodite's help: he was granted three irresistible golden apples and by using them to distract Atalanta, he beat her and became her husband. However, perhaps distracted by victory or due to simple ingratitude, Hippomenes did not pay tribute to the Goddess. Angered, she cursed the two with lust and forced them to make love in a temple of Zeus. As a punishment, they were turned into lions.
Atalanta unknowingly became pregnant and, before she became a lion, her son was taken by Aphrodite when he was still in the womb. The Goddess abandoned the baby on Mount Parthenius and gave him animal ears and eyes to make it known that he was indeed Atalanta's son and therefore the living proof that she had broken her vow of chastity.
The baby was meant to grow up as a human beast and shame his mother's name for eternity. However, the Goddess of the Hunt Artemis intervened and guided a shepherd to the boy's location. He was given the name Parthenopeus and was raised alongside his adoptive brother Telephus, another child who had been abandoned in the same location.
Their adoptive father was a simple man, a poor shepherd who lived simply and frugally. He had little, but the two were happy to hunt in the forest and earn their food. However, during a festival to venerate the Gods, the shepherd was the only one in the village with nothing to offer.
Then, the Goddess Aphrodite appeared. She kindly told him that she would show mercy and merely demand the lives of the two boys he had adopted. After all, they were nothing more than parasites who made his struggles harder than necessary, weren't they? The shepherd refused to pay such a tribute and decided to give up his own flesh instead.
The villagers were surprised, but did not weep. Parthenopeus and Telephus were furious and developed feelings of hate for the arrogant and dismissive Gods, especially after the former learned of his true origins and Aphrodite's involvement.
The Goddess Artemis took a liking to Parthenopeus. She regretted her follower Atalanta's fate and decided to take care of her son. Secretly, she covered him in ambrosia to boost his longevity, but this only upset the boy, angered that the Gods were still meddling with his life. To appease him, she gifted him magical arrows from her own quiver, only for Parthenopeus to melt them down and craft a spear.
Parthenopeus was still an immature and quick-tempered child; he could only glare at the shocked Artemis. To show his scorn and disdain, he reminded the Goddess of her role in the Calydonian Boar Hunt, that she had indirectly killed Meleager and had made his mother Atalanta cry.
"If you wish to make me happy, never show up in front of me again!"
Artemis complied. Years passed and the two boys became young men, both skilled with the spear. Although Parthenopeus had been informed of his birth and parents, Telephus was still ignorant of why he had been abandoned on the mountain. They left Partheni, their village, and consulted an oracle, who told Telephus that if he wished to meet his mother he must head to Mysia and fight for King Theuthras against Idas, a past member of the Argonauts.
And so they did. Idas found the two young warriors familiar, but couldn't understand why before he was defeated and driven off. King Theuthras rewarded Telephus with the hand of his adopted daughter Auge, but the woman recognized him. Indeed, she was his mother and the almighty Heracles was his father.
Mother and son were now reunited, but Telephus felt that it was over too soon. He had hoped that he could travel with his adopted brother for years, share adventures and bask in glory and honor. Even after King Theuthras made him prince and thus his successor for the throne, he was still hesitant. Parthenopeus began to leave and before his best friend could join, the son of Atalanta refused: "You have found your happiness, but I must still seek mine. Let us meet again when we have something to brag about!"
As a parting gift, Telephus forged for his brother a shield depicting his mother Atalanta slaying the Calydonian Boar. Parthenopeus travelled all over Greece. He made love with the nymph Clymene and unknowingly fathered a son called Promachus before being persuaded to join king Adrastus, along six other warriors, in a succession war against Thebes.
The night before the battle, the Goddess Artemis appeared before him once again. Although the fresh rage that had dominated his thoughts years ago was now gone, he remained cautious. The Goddess of the Hunt pleaded for the young man to not participate: "You are too young for war." However, he did not listen.
The young man dominated the battlefield with his wild and swift fighting style. After being assigned with the assault on the Electran Gates, he swiftly rushed past the enemy army to immediately take down the commander Actor. He easily defeated him, but couldn't land the finishing blow when he was interrupted by Periclymenus and Amphidicus. The latter almost incapacitated Parthenopeus by hitting his head with several large rocks, but he persisted and pushed them back.
The son of Atalanta was unaware that the Goddess Artemis was secretly aiding him. Even after the words of hate he had directed at her years ago, she still wished for the boy to have a peaceful life and realize the horror of the battlefield. Parthenopeus was reckless and over-confident, challenging dozens of enemies at once and angering the Theban army; at this rate, his death would be only a matter of time.
Then Aphrodite interfered again. Almost two decades had passed, but a Goddess' spite was indeed an ugly and terrifying thing. Ares, instigated by his lover, wounded Artemis and made her retreat from the battlefield while Aphrodite charmed a powerful warrior to focus all his murderous attention on Parthenopeus.
This warrior was Dryas, a descendant of Orion, the only man who had been once loved by Artemis. Dryas, controlled by Aphrodite and empowered by Ares, surpassed his human limits and hurled his javelin with monstrous strength, punching through Parthenopeus's shield and piercing the hero's chest. Ironically, the protege of Artemis died by the hands of her lover Orion's descendant.
The son of Atalanta perished on the battlefield, unable to reunite with his friend Telephus. Perhaps, after all, it was just like Artemis had said: he was too young for war.
Originally Posted by the god of world-0
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