This is the story of how the honeybee got her sting.
It was the day of Zeus and Hera's wedding,
The king and queen of the gods.
So the story goes.
The ever elaborate Zeus,
In his cheerful and generous mood,
Announced before the big day that whoever created the most delicious and delightful wedding dish for him and his new wife would be granted the opportunity to ask him for anything they desired.
Hundreds upon hundreds of nymphs,
Animals and immortals were hysterical by this gesture.
The wedding day arrived and with it the banquet hall was filled with soups,
Biscuits,
Cakes,
Custards and tarts.
Who would Zeus grant his one wish to?
A flurry of excitement and anticipation filled the hall as the wedding guests eagerly watched and waited as the king and queen of gods tried and tasted their delicious creations.
In a small bowl was a somewhat sticky and goo-like substance.
Zeus dipped his curious finger into the bowl and shortly after the hall was filled with his pleasurable moan,
The sensationally sweet nectar drove his senses wild.
He had never tasted anything like this.
Come forward creator of this delicious resin.
Guests slowly started to move out the way as a very small,
Dumpy,
Round,
Fluffy thing buzzed through the crowds towards Zeus and his queen.
The dumpling's name was Melissa and she was a honeybee.
She explained to Zeus everything he needed to know about honey,
How she has to fly around to find the perfect flower to collect the nectar,
Fly it back home to the nest and then go back out and do it all over again and again and again,
Completely on her own.
After doing this consistently throughout the day,
Every day,
She would still have only a very small amount of the sweet and sticky substance to enjoy for herself.
She continued to explain to a now seemingly bored Zeus how her precious honey would often get stolen by creatures nearby who could smell the delectable scent from many miles away.
Animals far larger and much more terrifying reached the fruits of her hard labour and there was nothing she could do about it.
She went on to say that she has no weapon,
No sting like the scorpion and no teeth like the bat and so that is what I wish,
Said Melissa,
Rather too confidently.
Grant me a weapon to hurt anyone that comes near me and my precious honey and then I will continue to make it for you,
A great and wondrous Zeus.
Zeus was furious.
He couldn't believe that this small creature had the audacity to withhold her gifts for others to enjoy.
But not only that,
She wanted to wreak violence and pain to ensure her gift could not be shared.
And all of this on his wedding day,
A day that's meant to represent love and unity.
After some silence,
Zeus replied,
Today is your lucky day Melissa because I'm going to grant you not one but two wishes.
The first,
You will have a colony of worker bees of which you will be the queen.
They will help you collect this delicious honey so we all may continue to consume and enjoy it.
And not only that,
But you can have your weapon too.
Melissa buzzed with excitement.
She was overjoyed that her wish had been granted.
But you must know,
Continued Zeus,
There will be a price to pay if you are ever to use it.
The sky opened,
Lit up with slams and crashes of thunder and lightning.
And just like that,
The honeybee got her sting.
