I completely rejected the love goddess Aphrodite, and instead became dedicated to Artemis, virgin goddess of the hunt. I had never known the inner-workings of woman, but like any young man, I certainly felt a strong affinity for them. I learnt to control this hunger for the femina. I became a recluse, spending all my time in the wilderness, in forests. I would hunt down wild animals and sacrifice them to Artemis. I developed an obsession with the moon.

Theseus saw it as an affront to both his lifestyle, his bloodline and his love godess Aphrodite. Theseus became so offended by me that I was sent to Troezen, where I lived with great grandfather Pittheus. Pittheus knew our heritage better than Theseus, and revealed to me that I was the great, great, great, great grandson of Zeus; Zeus begat Tantalus, who begat Pelops, who begat Pittheus, who begat Aethra, who begat Theseus, who begat me, Hippolytus.

In Troezen, I remained chaste, despite Pittheus' protests. To distract myself, I began to train my body daily. My nights were spent in the element, with the creatures. I would exercise during the days at the stadium. Occasionally, I would notice young women watching me eagerly from hidden spots. Pittheus suggested I not strip off all my garments before my daily routines. I explained that I was born into nature without clothes, and there was no need for them. As for the hidden women, I simply ignored them, keeping my vow to Artemis true.

One day, after a very exhausting hour of sprinting around the stadium, I fell onto my back and took a rest in the sand. I thought I saw a familiar face watching my form at rest, but she disappeared before I could confirm.

Later that day, I was greeted by Theseus and Phaedra, an expected arrival. Theseus, fresh from murdering the sons of Pallas, felt that he needed to be purified for his crimes in Troizen. Pallas' son were Theseus' cousins, and such a crime demanded cleansing. I was still angry with Theseus for sending me away, so I quickly left with Phaedra. Phaedra revealed that Theseus was lying, to protect his pride. The truth was Theseus fled Athens because of a violent revolt that threatened his reign. Phaedra admitted that both Theseus and herself had been in Troizen for nearly a week; hiding from both Theseus' enemies, and at Theseus' suggestion, me. I noted that Theseus was also still angry with me. Although it broke with my tradition of sleeping outdoors, Phaedra wished me to stay in Pittheus' home that night. I reluctantly accepted.

Later that evening, I was in the midst of sacrificing a chicken when Phaedra entered my room. As I mentioned before, nature has taken ahold of my body, and I do not always wear clothing. Phaedra didn't seem to mind, and told me to lie down on the bed. I complied, stretching out on my back, and wondered why Theseus' wife had approached me so late at night. It soon became apparent.

Phaedra lay next to me, and explained how she had been watching me all week, exercising in the bare. Phaedra went on to admit that she was madly in love with me, and she needed me to be madly in love with her as well. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to ignore my buried lust for women. I had rejected Aphrodite, and all masculine desires for a very long time. It was no use, as I watched Phaedra strip off her clothes. Her beautiful form glowed, taunting me to become one with her.

My vow of chastity to Artemis seemed suddenly meaningless; Even still, I started to protest, and Phaedra silenced me with a kiss. That night, I gave into Aphrodite, to my biological urges, and nature truly took ahold of me. I, Hippolytus, have lain with only one mortal woman, and it was Phaedra.

In my slumber, I realized that both Phaedra and I were descendents of Zeus, albeit from different families. It was a form of distant-incest, but it didn't really matter to me. I decided that I loved Phaedra. Still unconscious, I decided to take Phaedra and run away from Theseus, before he found out what I had done with his wife. I woke up the next day to find a note lying in Phaedra's spot. Phaedra apologized to me, claiming that to be possessed by a demon. She went on to explain how guilty she felt about lying with me, her step-son, and the guilt was unbearable. Phaedra claimed all responsibility, hoping Theseus could forgive me. I was very sad to see Phaedra hanging from the rafter, right above the bed.

Incredibly bad timing sent Theseus in, to find his wife dead and his son crying nearby. Wordless, Theseus read Phaedra's final words. Finally, Theseus demanded the truth. I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent. Theseus was vehement that both son and wife had betrayed him in such a manner. I was banished from Troizen, and left quickly on one of Pittheus' horses, to Argos.

On the way there, from the sea charged a bull, heading right for my horse and I. The horse became frightened, and I was thrown off. I died next to the sea, on the rocks, under the hooves of the horse. It is strange that my name means 'loose horse', for a loose horse contributed to my death. Thus, ends the life of Hippolytus.

To Be Continued.....

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-Originally posted September 16th 2006

EDIT: There was supposed to be a third chapter as conclusion, but it's unfinished.

EDIT: If you want a better idea of the geneology, email me and I'll give you the link to the map.