Phaëthon (Ancient Greek: Φαέθων, "shining one," other Latin transliterations abound), was most commonly considered to be the son of the sun god Helios and the sea nymph Clymene. Wanting to prove his pedigree, he asked his father to be allowed to drive the sun chariot for a day. While crossing the sky, he was unable to control the horses. The Earth was in danger of being incinerated, forcing Zeus to destroy the chariot with a thunderbolt.
Phaëthon drove the chariot which took Perseus and Andromeda from the wedding feast to the honeymoon suite. The bride was unnerved by the driver's recklessness, but the groom assured her that Phaëthon hadn't burned rubber, or anything else, for quite a while.[1]
