Maia

Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. She and her sisters, born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, are sometimes called mountain goddesses. She was a girlfriend of Zeus and the mother of Hermes.

History
Maia and her sisters were pursed by Orion, and turned into doves to preserve their safety.

Zeus, in the dead of night secretly begot Hermes upon Maia, who avoided the company of the gods, in a cave of Cyllene. After giving birth to the baby, Maia wrapped him in blankets and went to sleep. The rapidly-maturing infant Hermes crawled away to Thessaly, where by nightfall of his first day he stole some of his half-brother Apollo's cattle and invented a lyre. Maia refused to believe Apollo when he claimed Hermes was the thief and Zeus then sided with Apollo. Finally, Apollo exchanged the cattle for the lyre.

Maia also raised the infant Arcas to protect him from Hera, who had turned his mother, Callisto, into a bear.

Appearance
Maia was the oldest, most beautiful and shyest of her sisters. She is called 'mountain Maia of the lively black eyes'.