Warning: There is mention of incest in the article ahead, so please do not read if uncomfortable.
After Ouranos died, it was a new era of Titans. Most of the Titans married each other and produced new children. For example, Selene and Helios, the original deities of the moon and sun, were Titans and the children of Hyperion and Theia. Or Prometheus and Epimetheus, the offspring of Iapetus and Clymene. Cronus pursued and eventually married Rhea, the youngest Titaness.
Upon learning that Rhea was pregnant, Cronus was reminded of his father's prophecy. When the baby was born, he decided not to take chances and swallowed the baby whole. That baby was Hestia, the oldest goddess. Devastated, Rhea had four more children, and one by one, Cronus swallowed them whole, in the order of Demeter, then Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.
Rhea, now pregnant again, turned to her mother, Gaia, for help. They devised a plan that would help Rhea’s youngest child, Zeus, survive. When Zeus was born, they switched him with a swaddled rock his size. Cronus was convinced and swallowed the rock instead of Zeus. Zeus, from then on, grew up on Mount Ida in Crete and was nourished by a goat, Amalthea. Some versions say that a mountain nymph named Melissa also helped take care of Zeus, feeding him honey.
When Zeus reached maturity, he eventually overthrew his father and fed Cronus a plant that would make him regurgitate his children one by one. Gods and goddesses cannot die, so they grew up one by one while in Cronus’ stomach. Some versions say that Hestia was born first, then Hades, then Demeter, Poseidon, Hera and finally Zeus. Others will say that the order goes, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, then Zeus. One thing all the versions agree on is that the moment they were regurgitated by Cronus is considered their second birth, their rebirth. In this “rebirth”, Hestia was disgorged last, so she’s considered both the oldest and the youngest goddess.
Continuing on from the regurgitation, from then on, the Titan War or the Titanomachy started. They fought for ten years and during the ten years, the gods and goddesses freed the Hekatoncheires and the Cyclops, who made some of the famous weapons that are known in mythology, for example, Zeus’ lightning bolts, Poseidon’s trident, and Hades’ Helm of Darkness. This was the tipping point in the war, and after ten long years, the gods and goddesses finally won. Zeus claimed the sky as his domain, the sea for Poseidon and for Hades, the Underworld. The earth was where all of them could meet in peace, as well as Mount Olympus, although Hades was not usually welcome on Olympus.
Thus began a new era of peace and order.
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