Greek Mythology
Hades
Hades was the god of the Underworld and the lord of the dead. His symbols were the three-headed dog Cerberus, the drinking horn, the scepter, the cypress tree, and the key. He was also one of the five gods to be swallowed by Kronos. He kidnapped and married Persephone, a goddess who was a daughter of Minyas, a son of Poseidon. The only living humans to go into the Underworld were Heracles, Odysseus, Achilles, Aeneas, Orpheous, Theseus, Pirithous, and Psyche. There were five rivers in the Underworld: the Phlegethon, which was liquid fire, the Lethe, which would erase your memory if any of the water touched you, the Styx, the river of hate, the Acheron, the river of sorrow, and Cocytus, the river of lamentation (Lamentation is grief or sorrow).
Hera
Hera was the goddess of marriage and women. Her symbols were the pomegranate, the peacock, the feather, the lily flower, the diadem, and the cow. She was the wife and sister of Zeus. Her children were Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus, Eileithyia, Enyo, and Eris. For a long time, a nymph named Echo was in charge of distracting her from what Zeus was doing at the time by flattering her and leading her away from Zeus. When Hera found out, she cursed Echo. From then on, Echo could not say her own sentences. She had to repeat the words of others.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus was the god of volcanoes (hence his Roman name Vulcan), blacksmiths, and fire. His symbols were the anvil, hammer, tongs, and the quail. His parents were Zeus and Hera. Hera thew him from Olympus, the home of the gods, because he had a shriveled foot. He was raised by Thetis and Eurynome, an Oceanid (An Oceanid is one of the 3,000 daughters of the Titans Tethys and Oceanus). Hephaestus returned to Olympus. He was the only god to be exiled from Olympus and return. He gave his mother a magical golden chair. When she sat down, the chair wouldn't let her stand up. All of the other gods begged him to let Hera go, but he refused. Finally, Dionysus, the god of wine and grapes, intoxicated (to intoxicate someone means to make them feel woozy or drunk) Hephaestus with magical wine and persuaded him to let Hera go.
A statue of Hera
Hermes was the god of commerce, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, and borders. His parents were Zeus and Maia. His symbols were the caduceus, the talaria (a talaria is a winged sandal; Hermes wore them), the tortoise, the lyre, the rooster, and the snake. He was the messenger of the gods and he guided souls to the Underworld, where they would be judged. When he was born, he jumped out of his crib and hid Apollo's sacred cattle. Then, he jumped back into his crib and pretended to be innocent. Apollo took him by the neck and went to Zeus with him. Instead of punishing him, Zeus just laughed. Later in his life, Hermes rescued Ares from a bronze jar in which he had been imprisoned in by the giants Ephialtes and Otis.