Castor

Seeking protection from the chasing eagle, the swan dove down into the arms of the beautiful queen of Sparta. She held it close, sheltering it from attacking claws. As a thank you, the swan raped her. Then the king of Gods left, content with yet another victory.

That night Leda lay with her husband to mask her shame. If she wanted to forget all about what had happened that day, luck seemed not to be on her side because as a reminder she bore two eggs.
From it hatched two children. From the first egg came Kastores, followed by Polydeuces. The second brought Clytemnestra and last came Helen.

The Spartan king was not pleased, to say the least. Of these four, only one was male. Although this meant he had three heirs, it also meant he could only raise one warrior. So Tyndareus made a drastic decision; the oldest child would officially be known as a boy and be raised as one. Those aware of the child’s true gender were silenced by bribes and threats.
Castor’s fate was sealed.

As the siblings grew up, differences between them all became clear. Where the two youngest, Pollux and Helen, were care-free and loved by everyone, the eldest two were more serious and thought before they acted. It was written off as an usual distinction between older and younger siblings.
But other things became obvious.

Pollux was, for a lack of a better word, nearly perfect. He had inherited his mother’s beauty, for one. His black curly hair, bronze skin and sparkling blue eyes made him adored by everyone. His wit brought laughter wherever he went.
His twin was not so fortunate. She, or he depending on your point of view, was a worrier, a thinker. A frown was usually present above deep green eyes. If ever, she spoke softly and with a stutter, blush gracing her cheeks. Most of all, Castor did not look like either of her parents. She was pretty like her mother yes, but her hair was a colour seen only on warriors that came from the north, a very light blonde. She stood taller than expected from a girl her age, even surpassing Pollux.

Tyndareus, who had not been aware of the way his children were born, began to doubt his wife’s fidelity. He demanded an explanation.
Accompanied by tears and shame, Leda finally told him of what had happened those years ago. After being shown the evidences in the form of the shell, he rushed out in anger to the nearest temple. In a fit of rage he loudly accused Zeus and outed threats heard by the entire of Olympus. Under pressure of his furious wife, the king of Gods came down to take his responsibility.

His words, however, were not what Tyndareus had been looking for.
“Two of the children you call tours, are born from my seed. These two have the gift of immortality and are protected by the gods. But it is not those you name that are mine. It is not my blood that runs through the veins of Kastores or Clytemnestra.”

Both kings returned home to not speak of it again. Leda was forgiven.
Despite now knowing the truth, the Spartan king was unable to shift his attention from his favourites. It were still Pollux and Helen that bathed in most of his love.
But the knowledge that the king raised children that were half-gods spread quickly.
And so it reached the ears of two men, called Theseus and Pirithous. In a fit of megalomania they decided they needed to marry daughters of Zeus. Pirithous had his eye on Persephone and Theseus settled for Helen. At this point Helen was only seven years old, making it not too difficult to lure her away. The two brilliant men then left the girl with the mother of Theseus while they travelled to the underworld to find Persephone. A journey only one of them would return from and only by paying a great price.

When the twins discovered their youngest sister was gone, they followed without a second thought. The two children found their sister without trouble and took her back. Upon arrival back home, Tyndareus scolded the two for leaving without a word, but his eyes glinted with pride.
Their training continued. They grew up.
Pollux never lost his innocence or the joy surrounding him. From a perfect boy, he turned into a kind and handsome young man.

Behind him stood the always loyal Castor who, in her own way, made many hearts beat faster. Still as shy and drawn back as ever, her looks did not help to be left alone. Still differing like day and night, it was rare to find one without the other. Both had become more than skilled fist fighters by now.
They joined Jason and the Argonauts on their voyage in search of the Golden Fleece. An expedition important to their future.
Not only did Pollux prove his boxing skills by killing the king of the Bebryces, it was this journey that led them to being recognised as the patrons of sailors.
When a storm arose on the journey, the Argonaut Orpheus prayed to the gods and played his harp. The storm immediately ceased, and stars appeared on the heads of the twins.

They returned home. Helen got taken away to Troy. Life went on.
One day they carried out a cattle raid together with their cousins Idas and Lynceus. The latter two then tried to cheat Castor and Pollux out of their share of the cattle. The twins decided to take the cattle themselves but were caught as they started to sneak away. They got ambushed.
Castor was fatally wounded by a blow from the spear of Idas. Zeus saw what was happening and hurled down a thunderbolt which killed Idas, while Pollux managed to kill Lynceus.

Sitting next to his dying sister Pollux begged his father to give her the gift of immortality, so that they could stay together. Zeus refused. The desperate twin gave up his own immortality in reponse. The king of Gods yielded. He allowed them to spend one day as mortal souls in the realm of Hades and the next as Gods on Olympus.