We all make mistakes. Whether you forgot to cite all your sources for your latest research paper, or you accidentally called your volleyball coach as “Dad,” or your finger slipped and you hit the like button on your worst enemy’s IG post, these little blunders can feel like the end of the world.

But most of the mistakes we mortals make are relatively harmless. We may cringe or lose some sleep over them, but the rest of the world moves on. Fortunately, most of us don’t have enough clout for our errors to leave a lasting impression.

For the all-powerful Greek gods, on the other hand, it’s a different story. When figures such as Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena make a slip-up, we mortals are usually the ones who pay the price. And sometimes, the ramifications of their mistakes last for centuries on end.

And the worst part of it all? The Greek gods are allergic to accountability. This is why we have decided to explore a few of the pantheon’s greatest gaffes. We’re not likely to receive apologies for them anytime soon, but hey, they should at least make you feel a little better about that time you almost put a fork in the microwave.

Athena: Creating Her Own Greatest Nemesis, Arachne

Contrary to what you might think, the goddess of wisdom is as prone to making mistakes as anyone else. Take her history with the formally mortal weaver named Arachne, for example. Some claim that Arachne challenged Athena to an extreme weaving competition; others swear that Athena challenged Arachne. Either way, the contest ended in a tie.

Athena was infuriated that a mere mortal woman could display as much skill and talent in an artistic field that the goddess herself invented. So what did she do? Athena swiftly destroyed Arachne’s creation and transformed the weaver into a horrific, immortal spider monster. Thus, Athena’s greatest nemesis was born, and her demigod children would suffer Arachne’s wrath for generations to come.

Maybe we could understand Athena’s unsportsmanlike behavior if she’d actually lost the competition. It’s one thing to be a sore loser, but it’s another thing entirely to act out as a sore participant.

Poseidon: Gifting Salt Water to the People of Athens

While we’re on the subject of questionable actions taken in the name of pointless rivalries, who else remembers the feud between Athena and Poseidon when they both wished to lay claim to Attica? The citizens petitioned Poseidon and Athena to provide a gift to the fledgling metropolis. The winning god would be granted the honor of being the city’s official patron, as well as a 50 percent discount at the tile store.

Considering that we now refer to the former Attica as Athens, you can guess the outcome. But did you know that Poseidon’s gift was a drinking fountain that only provided salt water? Confusing human anatomy with that of fishes and dolphins is a serious blunder that really has us questioning the mental acuity of the god.

Maybe it makes sense when you remember that Poseidon hangs out almost exclusively with sea creatures and can’t distinguish between homo sapiens and marine mammals. If nothing else, this explains his complicated romantic history . . .

Artemis: Unleashing the Kalydonian Boar

These days, we tend to think of Artemis as one of the more reasonable and well-adjusted members of the pantheon. Must be all that time she spends in the woods instead of hanging out with her dysfunctional family.

But even the stoic goddess of the wilderness can, at times, succumb to vicious fits of rage. Take the Kalydonian Boar incident, for example. After King Oineus of Kalydon failed to honor Artemis during the harvest season one year, she decided to punish the forgetful monarch by unleashing a giant ravenous boar upon his city.

The boar caused widespread destruction not only throughout Kalydon, but also the surrounding countryside. In her eyes, Artemis’s biggest miscalculation was most likely the collateral damage that resulted from the boar’s rampage. All those homes and marketplaces destroyed? Meh. All those trampled bushes and trees? Maybe we crossed a line there.

After a great hunt, the Kalydonian Boar was eventually found and slain, but not before winning the Prize Pig Blue Ribbon at that year’s state fair (to this day, we still think Artemis bribed the judges).

Zeus: Cheating on Hera and Inadvertently Causing the Olympian Riot

It’s a well-known “secret” within the pantheon that most marriages between gods and goddesses are somewhat . . . unethically polygamous, for lack of a better phrase. You’ll struggle to find many deities who take their marriage vows seriously. Infidelity seems to be a rite of godly passage. At least until the other god or goddess in the marriage looks for some loving on the side. Classic “rules for thee, not for me” mentality.

So, Zeus’ biggest blunder wasn’t just the cheating. It was the cheating on Hera specifically. When you repeatedly defile the sanctity of marriage with the goddess of marriage herself, you should expect a major response.

What Zeus clearly never expected was for Hera to team up with Apollo, Artemis, and Poseidon to stage a full-scale revolt against him and his unilateral system of governance. Hera’s revolt led to Zeus being bound in unbreakable chains for a brief period before he was freed by a few of his loyal non-divine followers.

The pantheon’s hopes for a democratic council were dashed, the rebellious gods were subject to severe and horrific forms of punishment, and somehow, despite his not being involved with the riot whatsoever, Hephaestus wound up with every bone in his body broken. All in all, it was a nasty incident that lives in infamy and remains a sore point of contention within the pantheon even to this day. So please don’t bring it up at the dinner table.

The real takeaway is that whatever Hera and Zeus are paying their marriage counselor, we bet it’s not enough.

Ares: Attempting to Start a War Between the Big Three

This is more recent history, so we don’t need to get into the sordid details of this matter. In short, Ares (under the control of an outside force) attempted to instigate a serious conflict between Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades through the theft of their most cherished fashion accessories.

Ares’s plans were ultimately thwarted by an obscure child of Poseidon and his equally unknown friends. It was thoughtless of Ares to try to get the three most powerful gods to break their uneasy alliance, and the outcome was embarrassing for him to boot. If we’ve learned anything from the blunders listed above, it’s that the Greek gods and goddesses are simultaneously thin-skinned and quick to act on their vengeful wrath.

Ares probably could have started a war between the Big Three simply by spreading the rumor that Hades doesn’t like Poseidon’s new haircut and that Poseidon thinks Zeus chews too loudly when he eats. No need whatsoever for the intervention of the Titans!

We’re starting to think that Ares’s lover, Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, is perhaps more effective at starting long-lasting conflicts than the god of war himself. We thought that by now he would have learned a thing or two from her experience in kicking off the Trojan War, which now that we think about it, is likely the greatest godly blunder of them all. But that’s a story for another time . . .

In your eyes, what are the most catastrophic mistakes that the Greek gods and goddesses have made? Be sure to let us know!