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It seems I've caught you.
It seems you have.
To the victor, the spoils
What is it?
I have such feelings for you.
And I for you.
I hear so many stories
Stories of my many good deeds
and heroic acts?
Stories of your gambling,
your drinking, your debts
your fondness for women.
Lies. Lies spread by small,
cowardly men, jealous that I have
captured the heart of the most
beautiful woman in all of Atlantis.
All I ask is that you speak
the truth.
I have been known to drink,
and gamble.
There were debts,
there were women - many of both.
It is all in the past.
All the women I have known,
I have never felt this way before.
Then I shall put these
stories from my mind.
Kyros.
I was just on my way to see you.
I had your money, the entire debt.
Unfortunately, I was attacked
and robbed.
Save your breath, Hercules.
I'll get you your money!
I swear on my life!
Enops is very skilled.
Your death will be swift.
Kyros. I beg of you!
I have known men to live a moment
after the head has been
severed from the body.
The look of confusion is
most amusing.
Please! I will do anything!
You are full of promises
when a sword hangs over your neck.
I swear to you.
I am a man of my word.
No!
Perhaps there is a way for you to
keep your head upon your shoulders.
Tell me what it is you wish for me
to do.
I will spare your life if you
perform a simple errand for me.
I wish for you to retrieve a box.
What's inside this box?
That, you do not need to know.
You must deliver it to me unopened.
Where will I find it?
It is to be found in Campe's lair
in Hades.
Are you insane? You expect me
to journey to the Underworld?
All of Atlantis has heard you boast
of how you killed the Earth Bull.
Surely what I ask is not beyond
a man of your talents?
I was exaggerating.
To descend to Hades means
certain death.
You might as well kill me now.
As you wish. But you will not
be the first to die.
She is not a part of this.
Let her go.
I will let her go when you place
the box I seek before me.
If you harm her,
I swear to the Gods I will kill you.
You have until midnight tomorrow.
Bring the box to
the Square of the Armourers.
If you attempt to rescue
Medusa, I promise
she will suffer most
cruelly before she dies.
Hercules!
Hercules!
Hercules!
There is more mould on this bread
than there is bread itself.
If we are to eat breakfast today,
we will have to visit the market.
Hercules.
A dozen more paces and he would have
actually made it to his own bed.
Wake up, you drunken fool!
I am ashamed to call you a friend.
They've taken Medusa.
If I don't deliver the box
by midnight, Kyros will kill her.
What's inside the box?
Kyros wouldn't say.
He said it was to remain unopened.
He was very specific about that.
Where can the box be found?
It is in Hades.
Hades? The Underworld?
The realm of the dead?
That's suicide.
We should attempt to rescue Medusa.
We don't know where
he is holding her.
He said he'd kill her
if any attempt was made.
How is it even possible to
descend to Hades?
There's the conventional route -
which involves dying.
I suggest we find an alternative.
I've heard stories of people
descending to Hades and returning.
How? How did they do it?
That is known only to those versed
in the sacred mysteries of Eleusis.
We must find the hierophant,
Eunapius.
Who is this Eunapius?
He is a servant of Hades' bride,
Persephone.
It's believed that she revealed
the secrets of the path of Hades
to her most devout followers.
They are sworn to protect
the ritual.
How are we to persuade him
to reveal it to us?
I'll persuade him
by holding a sword to his throat
and threatening to kill him
if he doesn't.
Are you Eunapius?
If I am not,
you will have had a wasted journey.
We were told that you could help us
descend into Hades.
Descending to Hades
is simple enough.
There are many ways to die,
and many people willing to kill.
We wish to descend to the Underworld
then return to the
land of the living.
Ah. That is more complicated.
I'm afraid I cannot help you.
I do not wish to hurt you, old man,
but you will tell me
what I need to know.
Look around you.
I've seen the ruins.
Look again.
I thought you said that he was the
only surviving member of this cult?
Perhaps it's regaining
its popularity.
Much blood has been
spilt in our temples.
Leave before there is more.
Our friend's life depends on us
descending to Hades.
We will not leave until you tell us
what we need to know.
Kill him.
Who are you?
I am a man who will do anything
to save his friend.
I have sworn a sacred oath
to Persephone.
Then be sure to tell Persephone
that you kept that oath,
when you join her in Hades.
You do not realise
the dangers involved.
We're willing to take our chances.
Very well. I will reveal to you
the knowledge you seek.
You must first cleanse your bodies.
You must give a part of yourself
as an offering
to the Goddess Persephone.
Drink the kykeon from the phial.
It will slow your heart until only
the faintest traces of life remain.
When you desire to return
to the land of the living,
you must sound the horn.
The one who is to stay with
the bodies will be unable
to hear the horn.
He will be alerted by the crows,
the harbingers of death.
When the crows caw, you will
revive your friends with your blood,
for it is your life's force
flowing into them that will
enable them to ascend to this world.
As the kykeon takes hold,
you will hear a sound in your ears -
a pulse and a surging,
bearing you on.
Move with the wave as it breaks
through the wall before you.
Then allow Persephone to lead you
forth into Hades.
So this is what it feels like
to be dead?
It's different to
how I thought it would be.
What did you think it would
feel like?
I thought it would be warmer.
There.
You're not a crow. Shoo!
Oh Oh, thank the Gods.
Oh, no
If this is the fate that awaits us
when we die, I'm going
to do my very best to
live as long as possible.
There's something out there.
Who are they?
They're here to greet their friends
or relatives who have crossed
over into Hades.
What do they want with us?
Perhaps they're just being friendly?
It doesn't feel very friendly.
Go! Be gone! Leave them!
Jason! Hercules!
Cyrus!
I hoped it would be many years
before I saw you in this place.
How did you die?
Was it in the bull court?
No. We won our freedom.
We're not actually dead,
as in DEAD dead.
How is that possible?
It's complicated.
And we don't have much time
We are here to retrieve a box.
Medusa's life depends upon it.
What is in this box?
We don't know.
All we know is it's to be
found in Campe's lair in Tartarus.
You journey to Tartarus?
We have no choice.
Then I will act as your guide.
We cannot ask that of you.
When we were in the bull court,
you gave us hope when we had none.
Now I have a chance
to repay that debt.
It's good to see you again, Cyrus.
Pythagoras?
Did you leap from the balcony
to escape the flames?
What? What flames?
Oh, no.
Pythagoras, Hercules
and your friend Jason,
they were not as fortunate as you.
They did not escape the fire.
What was done with them?
Where are they?
The corpse bearers have
taken their bodies to be buried.
Hey, what about the money
Hercules owes me? Hey!
Where is this Tartarus?
It is the deepest,
darkest part of Hades -
a dungeon of suffering for the most
tormented of souls.
That doesn't sound so good.
We must follow the crack in the sky.
It will lead us to
the entrance to Tartarus.
It is a place of eternal darkness.
If we are to descend,
we must make torches.
The entrance to Tartarus
lies at the bottom of the pit.
How far down does it go?
We will soon find out.
Thank the Gods.
Can I help you?
Where are they?
The bodies of my friends,
Jason and Hercules?
I do not know
these people you speak of.
There was a fire.
They were overcome with smoke.
My neighbour said the corpse bearer
took the bodies to be buried.
I know nothing of any fire.
Perhaps your neighbour was
referring to Thanos.
Who's Thanos?
He is also a corpse bearer.
You will find him across the far
side of the city by the North Gate.
Tartarus lies beyond.
How bad can it be?
The deepest, darkest part of Hades,
a dungeon of suffering for the most
tormented of souls?
That's probably very bad.
Let's just nip in, quickly grab
the box and nip back out again.
We must move swiftly and quietly.
The tormented souls that reside here
cannot learn of our presence.
What will they do to us?
They will suck all life from you,
keeping you in the dark
and suffering for all of eternity.
In all my life,
I never saw such darkness.
We must not rouse them
if we are ever to leave this place.
Campe's lair.
Keep watch.
There it is.
It's such a small box.
What could be inside it?
I've been wondering
the same thing myself.
Where's this Campe
that guards the box?
Fortunately for us, she's not here.
Let's retrieve the box
and leave before she returns.
You must not open the box.
It will cause great suffering.
What's inside it?
It is said that it once belonged to
Pandora, the first woman on Earth.
Zeus cast the box into Hades, for it
contains all the evils of the world.
Pandora's Box?
For mortal man, the temptation
to open the box is overwhelming.
If you do, you will unleash
unimaginable horrors.
I cannot allow you to leave
this place with it.
You and the box will remain
trapped in the darkness for ever.
They will come for us. Run!
We won't make the trap door.
You must blow the horn.
No. We can't leave you
in this place.
All life will be sucked from you.
You will be trapped here
and Medusa will die.
You must blow the horn.
Blow the horn.
I'm looking for the bodies
of two men who were
taken from the scene of a fire
earlier today.
They had been overcome by smoke.
Ah, yes. Poor souls.
They have gone to be buried.
Where? On the far side of the city
by the Western Gate.
Oh, no.
Blow it again.
In the name of the Gods,
what is Pythagoras doing?!
The trap door. It's our only hope.
Run!
Stop, stop, stop. Wait! Wait!
You have to dig them up!
I know it sounds ridiculous,
but their lives depend on it.
Push!
I am pushing!
For the love of the Gods,
blow the horn!
Pythagoras has failed us
..and now we are to be trapped
here for all eternity.
Curse you, Pythagoras.
There is blood on your lips.
Pythagoras!
Cyrus
Why in the name of the Gods
are we in a grave?
It's a very long story that involves
a lot of running
and a lot of digging.
It's such a simple little box,
which makes me
think that whatever's
inside it must be truly incredible.
I was thinking the same thing.
Its simplicity is to make you think
there is nothing of value inside it.
When in fact, the opposite is true.
Precisely.
It's Pandora's Box.
No-one must ever open it.
You heard what Campe said.
She warned us that opening the box
would cause great suffering.
Surely Kyros will open it
as soon as we hand it over?
Which is why
we can't give it to him.
We just risked our lives retrieving
it from the darkest depths of Hades.
Yes, but it was cast down into Hades
for good reason.
We cannot allow Kyros or
anyone to open it.
If we do not give the box to Kyros,
he will kill Medusa.
Then we'll switch it.
We'll have an identical box made.
This is madness.
Kyros will see through the deception
the moment he opens it.
There will be a surprise waiting
for Kyros inside the replica box.
That will give us
enough time to escape.
You are gambling with Medusa's life.
Give it to me.
Medusa wouldn't want you to cause
suffering in her name.
We are not allowing
anyone to open it.
We need to find a carpenter.
I won't allow any
harm to come to Medusa.
You have my word.
It's time.
How are we to find them?
Ah. It would appear
they've found us.
Take us to Kyros.
I hope for yours and Medusa's sake
that you have the box.
We have it.
Let me see it.
Not until I see Medusa first.
Medusa! Hercules!
If you've harmed
one hair on her head
She is unharmed,
and she will be back in your arms
just as soon as I have the box.
Give it to me.
Medusa first.
The box, if you will.
Such aplain little box.
I have waited
many years for this moment
Kill them!
Return to my house.
You will be safe there.
I'm not leaving you. We will be
right behind you, then I promise
we will never be apart again.
Go!
I have been to Hades.
An eternity of suffering awaits you.
Where's Medusa?
I told her to return to the house.
The box.
Medusa? Medusa!
She's gone.
Where did these statues come from?
They're not statues. She's turned
What do you mean? Tell me!
Medusa!
Hercules! Wait! Wait!
What in the Gods' name is happening?
Whatever you do,
you must not look at Medusa.
Hercules!
Hercules!
Medusa. Medusa!
Stay away from me! Don't look at me!
Why would you hide from me?
I'm a monster.
That cannot be. Show yourself.
No! Please, Hercules. I beg of you.
Whatever has happened to you,
we can make it right.
Don't look at her!
You will turn to stone.
Use the shield. You must
only look at her reflection.
Show me.
I don't want you to see me
like this.
You will never be a monster to me.
I will die of sadness if I am never
to look upon your face again.
Please.
Medusa
I am cursed.
This cannot be!
I must flee. If the guards catch me,
they will kill me.
Where will you go?
How will I find you?
You won't.
I don't want you to search for me.
You can never look on me again.
You must think that I am dead.
I will not do it.
This is all my doing.
I will not rest until I find a way
to lift this curse.
Medusa?
Medusa!
I have seen the evil that it can do.
You must keep it somewhere
that no-one can ever open it.
It will be done.
Did you know? Did you know that this
was going to happen?
We both knew what would
become of Medusa.
I did not know how,
or when it would happen.
How can the curse be lifted?
It cannot.
No! There must be a way.
You were warned that the box was
a source of great evil.
This is Medusa's fate.
But Medusa hasn't done anything
to deserve such a fate.
Her fate is no more deserved
than yours or mine.
She cannot escape her destiny,
just as you cannot escape yours,
but one must happen to
serve the other.
Wait. What do you mean?
There are some things it is better
that you do not know.
Tell me.
There willcome a time when
..you will have no choice
but to kill Medusa.
No. I will never do that.
If you do not, thousands will die
and Atlantis will be destroyed.
Well, then, if that is what it takes
to break free of this fate
that has been decided for me,
then so be it.
Curse you, and curse the Gods.
Do your worst.
When all seems lost,
hope still remains.
There is a way to kill Medusa.
No, no, no!