Atop the great Mt. Olympus, blessed kingdom of the Gods, the great God Zeus stirred and was moved to gaze down upon the earth. There he saw a wondrous sight, the youth Ganymede stretching to great the day. The morning sun reflected upon his shining body, his naked flesh a beacon of light, and Zeus was aroused, transfixed by the beauty of this boy. "O to taste the lips of such a beauty", great Zeus decreed, "He will be my own." Great Zeus transformed Himself into the likeness of an eagle and abandoned His magnificent home on the mountain to find the one that moved Him, this youth with unspeakable beauty.

When Zeus found the boy He surprised him, and Ganymede, startled, flew back in terror.

But Zeus soothed him, saying "Fear not, for I am King of all the Gods, and I am moved by your beauty."

Ganymede knew then not to be afraid and he was comforted by the touch of Zeus, of flesh against flesh.

"If you will come with me," the Great Lord began, "I will set you on high. You shall be the chalice and I the sword. You will bear the Sacred Cup to all the Gods, and will be forever at My side. I will make you immortal that your youth and beauty will never fade, and we shall be together for always."

Moved by the words and touch of the Great Lord, Ganymede spoke: "Great Lord of all the Gods and men, my heart is filled with love and I am yours. To you I surrender my body. To you I surrender my heart. To you I surrender my essence. I can do nothing else but to accept my wondrous fate and flee this earth with you who shines so brightly in my heart."

And Zeus was moved by the words of love, spoken by the innocent and carried him aloft into the morning skies towards the great Mt. Olympus.

"Forever you shall be known as my special one", Zeus declared. "And forever shall you be kept in comfort and pleasures, matched in strength only by my power, and your beauty."

And so it was that Ganymede became the Cup Bearer to the Gods, and the lover of Zeus.