It all began in a sunny land called Calydon, where King Oeneus was having a big party. He made sure to thank all the gods for good harvests and happy times. Well, almost all the gods. He forgot one: Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and wild animals.

Now, Artemis was not used to being forgotten, and she was not pleased at all! "Hmph!" she thought. "He'll remember me next time!" So, she sent a giant, super-grumpy, and very, very big boar to Calydon. This wasn't just any pig; it had tusks as sharp as knives and a temper like a thunderstorm. It stomped through fields, knocked over fences, and scared everyone in the kingdom.

King Oeneus was very worried. "Oh dear, oh dear! What shall we do?"
His brave son, Prince Meleager, stepped forward. "Don't worry, Father! I'll gather the greatest heroes in all of Greece, and we'll hunt this beast!"

So, messages were sent far and wide. Soon, famous heroes started arriving. There was Theseus, who once beat a monster called the Minotaur, and Jason, who sailed on a famous ship called the Argo. Lots of strong, brave men came, ready for an adventure.

And then, someone else arrived. It was Atalanta! She was a super-fast runner and an amazing archer, known throughout the land for her skill.
Some of the men grumbled. "A girl? Hunting with us? That's not right!"
But Meleager, who thought Atalanta was pretty amazing, said, "Atalanta is one of the best hunters here. She stays!"

The big hunt began! Horns blew, dogs barked, and the heroes spread out, looking for the giant boar. It was very exciting and a little bit scary. The boar was fierce! It charged and snorted, and a few heroes got bumped and bruised.
Suddenly, *zing!* An arrow flew through the air and hit the boar right on its side. It was Atalanta! She was the first one to wound the beast.
The boar roared in anger! Then, Meleager, seeing his chance, bravely charged with his spear and, with a mighty thrust, he defeated the monstrous boar.
Everyone cheered! "Hooray for Meleager! Hooray for Atalanta!"

"The boar's furry hide is the prize," Meleager announced. "And since Atalanta was the first to draw blood, the prize goes to her!"
Atalanta smiled, pleased with the honor.
But Meleager's uncles, two grumpy men named Plexippus and Toxeus, started shouting. "No way! A girl can't get the prize! It should go to us, we're family!" They tried to snatch the boar's hide from Atalanta.

This made Meleager very, very angry. How dare they be so rude and unfair to Atalanta, and disrespect his decision! In his fury, he argued with his uncles, and the argument turned into a fight. Sadly, Meleager was so angry that he hurt his uncles very badly, and they didn't get up again.

Now, when Meleager was just a tiny baby, three wise old women called the Fates had visited his mother, Queen Althaea. They pointed to a log burning in the fireplace and said, "As long as this log is safe and unburned, your son Meleager will live. But if this log ever burns completely, he will die."
Queen Althaea had quickly snatched the log from the fire and hidden it away in a safe chest, keeping it secret all these years.

But when Queen Althaea heard that her own son, Meleager, had caused her brothers to die, she was filled with terrible sadness and anger. In her grief, she remembered the Fates' words. She ran to the chest, took out the special log, and, with tears streaming down her face, threw it into the blazing fireplace.
As the log crackled and burned, turning into ash, far away in the forest, Meleager suddenly felt weak. He stumbled and fell, and his life faded away, just as the last spark of the log went out.

When Queen Althaea realized what her anger had made her do – that she had caused her own son's death – her heart broke with sorrow.
And so, a great hunt and a brave victory ended in sadness, all because of a forgotten thank-you, some very strong tempers, and a magical piece of wood.

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