Editing Amphion and Zethus (section)

===Childhood===
[[File:Zetoyanfion.jpg|thumb|Dirce's punishment - Roman wall painting in House of the Vettii, Pompeii.]]Amphion and Zethus were the sons of [[Antiope (mother of Amphion)|Antiope]], who fled in shame to [[Sicyon]] after Zeus raped her, and married King [[Epopeus]] there. However, either [[Nycteus]] or [[Lycus (brother of Nycteus)|Lycus]] attacked Sicyon in order to carry her back to Thebes and punish her.  On the way back, she gave birth to the twins and was forced to expose them on [[Mount Cithaeron]].  Lycus gave her to his wife, [[Dirce]], who treated her very cruelly for many years.<ref name="Apollodorus, Library, 3.5.5">[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], 3.5.5</ref>

Antiope eventually escaped and found her sons living near Mount Cithaeron. After they were convinced that she was their mother, they killed Dirce by tying her to the horns of a bull, gathered an army, and conquered Thebes, becoming its joint rulers.<ref name="Apollodorus, Library, 3.5.5"/> They also either killed Lycus or forced him to give up his throne.<ref name=":0">Roman, L., & Roman, M. (2010). {{Google books|tOgWfjNIxoMC|Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman mythology.|page=58}} </ref>