Unexpectedly, he chose to ride his father’s sun chariot. He was never trained to ride it, so if he did not follow the right line, he could create a disaster for human beings.However, Phaeton rode the chariot without hesitation and, as expected, he could not control it. As a result, the grassland dried up and the forest was set on fire. The lakes became deserts.
然而法厄同選擇的卻是太陽神萬萬沒有料到的太陽車！要知道法厄同根本不會駕駛太陽車，如果不按照規定的航線行走，那必將釀成大禍。可是，自負的兒子完全聽不進勸告，跳上太陽車，沖出了時間的兩扇大門。星星一顆顆隱沒了，金色的太陽車，長著雙翼的飛馬，無盡的天空，魔鬼一樣的幻象……法厄同根本控制不了太陽車，任由它在時空里毀滅性的穿梭。草原干枯了，森林起火了，莊稼燒毀了，湖泊變成了沙漠！地上的人們不是凍死就是熱死，天昏地暗，人世間充斥了無數的怨氣。

Hayley could not forsee such a disaster and admitted it was her fault, but it was too late. She had to let her scorpion out to bite his ankles and it was too late to save him. The burning Phaethon and the chariot fell into the Eridanus. Naiades buried him with tears. For his death, Hayley cried for four months and became a poplar tree. Her tears became the sap of the tree.Zeus gave a name to this scorpion, that is, Scorpio as constellation to warn people not to be arrogant.
赫莉眼睜睜看著慘劇的發生，知道是這一切都是自己的錯，她無奈的嘆著氣，狠心放出一只毒蝎，咬住了法厄同的腳踝，眾神這才欲趁機阻止他，但是一切都為時太晚了，燃燒著的法厄同和太陽車一起從天空墜落到廣闊的埃利達努斯河里。水泉女神娜伊含淚將他埋葬。而赫莉絕望的痛哭了四個月，最后變成了一棵白楊樹，她的眼淚變成了晶瑩的琥珀。宙斯為了警示人類自負的弱點，以那只立了大功的蝎子命名了一個星座，叫天蝎座。