Like most of the Greek deities, Helios had a list of lovers a mile long. Perhaps unsurprisingly, being a Titan and god of the sun meant that he didn't really seem to be bothered with the details of them too much, and that was absolutely the case with both the sea-nymph Klytie and the princess Leucothoe.
It was Ovid who wrote (via Theoi) that Helios lingered in the sky just to look down at his Persian princess, and sometimes, he stayed there so long that a day would suddenly last much, much longer than it normally should. Finally disguising himself as her mother, he snuck into Leucothoe's bedchamber one night and — after revealing his true identity — did exactly what's expected of someone who sneaks into the bedroom of his beloved.
Their affair didn't go unnoticed, though, and the wildly jealous Klytie made sure everyone knew what was going on behind those closed doors. Embarrassed by the shame and spectacle, Leucothoe's father sentenced her to death, and buried her alive. Helios tried — and failed — to revive her, and instead, planted frankincense over her final resting place. Klytie, meanwhile, was sorely disappointed that the whole thing didn't work out in her favor. Instead of running into her arms, Helios ignored her: She sat beneath him for nine days, watching as he crossed the sky above her. She's still there, and now, she's the sunflower.
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