Zeus had already promised to grant Semele her every wish and thus was forced to grant a wish that would kill her: the splendour of his firebolts, as god of thunder, destroyed Semele. Zeus saved their unborn child, Dionysus, from the womb and kept him in his thigh until the baby was ready to be born.

How did Theban princess Semele die?

Zeus tried to spare her by showing her the smallest of his bolts and the sparsest thunderstorm clouds he could find. Mortals, however, cannot look upon the gods without incinerating, and she perished, consumed in a lightning-ignited flame.

Why did Zeus punish Dionysus?

Actor. Dionysus, also known as Mr. D, is the Greek god of grape-harvest, wine, madness, parties, religious ecstasy, and theater. He also serves as the camp director of Camp Half-Blood, having been placed there by his father Zeus as punishment for chasing after an off-limits nymph.