Zeus, Hera and Hercules. The origin of the Milky Way. From Natalis Comitis MYTHOLOGIAE, printed at Pavia, 1616. - Zeus God of Thunder - Out of all of the Olympians, Zeus was the most powerful. - Hera was the wife of Zeus, and also his sister, and sister to Hades, Poseidon, and Hestia. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. The Titans, Oceanus and Tethys brought her up on the Ionian Island of Samos. When war broke out between the Titans and the gods, she returned to Samos to live with her adoptive parents. She was the protector of marriage, and married women were her peculiar care. - Hercules is the Olympian hard man; called in by various deities to work for them when his particular skills are needed. ?Topfoto / Fortean