"Even though Athens is in the grip of a bloody war, you want me to march into the King's palace and say, "Hello, King." "You don't know me, but I'm your son"?" "You want me to bed the priestess?" "If I do this thing for you, you must do something in return." "I'd like you to use your skills for a kidnap." "What does he look like?" "His feet are painted blue, dark blue." "What does he want him to do?" "Sorry, Lord." "He won't tell me." "I am your servant, Majesty." "An oracle must be a virgin, yes?" "Their gift depends on it." "Tonight, you will present that gift to your King." "I've missed you, old friend." "I have found someone who will act as your eyes... so that you can carry on working." "I defy anyone to not fall under her spell." "The prisoner's climbing out." " Does he have blue feet?" " How'd you know that?" "Where's the ring?" "I have it." "Come on, let's go." "You're not coming with me, Oracle." "70 days he's been banging that drum." "When the sacking comes, he's who I'll kill first." "When the sacking comes, we'll all be dead of starvation." "Ah!" "Pull it out!" "I know I look like a Minoan, but I'm actually a friend of Athens." "I'm here to see the King." "He's..." "Well, he's my father." "So if you just let me go," "I promise not to harm anyone... else." "The King's your father, is he?" "We'd better take you along to see him, then." "Mother." "Go wait for your master in his room." "Where is he?" "I'm expecting him any moment." " When, exactly?" " What is your interest in this blue-footed fugitive?" "Who else have you told about this?" " No one." " Your darling scribe?" "Kimon loves me." "He is Pallas' creature." "Once, perhaps." "Now he's mine." "Lykos." "Look me in the eye." "Have you told him?" "No." "Remember..." "The only person you can trust in this world is me." "And what about Father?" "He has other things on his mind." "Like the Priestess of the Moon?" "Like the war, his people, the burden of state, and, yes, the will of the gods." "He is losing this war, and has already lost his people." "He is all we have." "I am better suited to lead." "You're still young, Lykos." "But I'm ready!" "You may not see it, but I..." "I feel it." "The flame has sparked inside me." "Its fire burns brighter by the day." "You are falling for your scribe." "No!" "It's the Lexicon." "I can sense its power growing, calling to me." "I'm ready to lead, Mother." "How many campaigns have you fought?" "Your time will come..." "I promise." "But you must be patient." "Now is not your moment." "Bring me my fugitive the moment you have him." "You gave your oath." "You said you've never failed." "Not so." "I said I've never failed, but once." "Your payment returned." "Why would someone tie you to my bed in the middle of the night?" "Why indeed?" "And how could you possibly not notice it happening?" "I'm a heavy sleeper." "You spent the night with the Oracle of Gaia?" "Well..." "only the Oracle of Gaia," "I'm afraid to say." "Not the woman." "How could someone slip into my quarters in the middle of the night and do this?" "Obviously, it was no ordinary someone." "What do you mean?" "The Athenian spy escaped in the night." "Are you saying he snuck past my guards, came in here, tied her up, before he spirited himself away?" "Was it him?" "No." "So you did notice who it was." "Well, I was half-asleep, of course, but I thought it was your father, the King, who tied me." "Why?" "Fetch me a knife." "There will have to be an inquest." "Athenian spies do not escape out of my prisons." "Should I call the Captain of the Guard?" "Yes." "I hope her interpretations of your dreams were worth it." "All right." "I'm sick of both of you." "What happened to your eyes, you poor fellow?" "An allergy to poisonous hornets." "I hope it doesn't interfere with your work." "No." "It's going very, very well." "See?" "What's this?" "A digging machine." "I call it "the digging machine."" "What is it for?" "Your troops will march into the heart of Athens... underground." "That's ridiculous!" "Where's the glory in that?" "I want to march through walls, not under them." "What's the difference?" "Quiet." "I'm trying to sleep." "You must delegate more, Daedalus." "My daughter tells me this young man is very talented." "Use him." "Who would have guessed a virgin would be so good at manipulating men?" "Perhaps that is why you are still a virgin." "What are you going to do with that oil?" "Why would the Athenians risk so much to free him?" "I don't know." "He's cursed." "Perhaps..." "I can help clear your mind." "He's gone." "But you're still here." "Tell me about you." "What does the virgin Oracle want?" "Relax." "Pleasure... is as fleeting as birdsong." "When it comes, you must surrender to it." "I know you have secrets..." "Desires you've never told anyone." "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "King of Athens!" "What just happened?" "I... had a vision." "A vision of what?" "A vision I've had before... of Aegeus, King of Athens, destroying our world." "And unlocking the Lexicon inside his son, Lykos?" "I don't know." "Don't worry." "My father will get to Aegeus before that happens, and take the Lexicon for himself." "Lord Pallas." "An offering... to our beloved mother, Athena." "Goddess, protect our King at this, our greatest hour of need." "How fares my brother?" "He's recovering well, and busy planning our defence." "Good." "The people must know they are in sound and capable hands." "We must all reassure them, whatever our private needs." "Indeed." "Mighty Zeus Melichios... pass your serpents' tail into the soul of the fearless King of Athens And let your paternal spirit inflame his heart..." "With love for his eldest son." "Queen Medea has the King locked in the embrace of one of her most intoxicating priestesses." "Why am I not surprised?" "I don't follow." "If she and Price Lykos are indeed planning to negotiate terms of surrender, the last thing she needs is an alert and sober king." "Ah." "Shall I exert a little influence on this Priestess of the Moon?" "No." "If the Queen is secretly using Prince Lykos to woo the enemy, then perhaps it's time for us to secretly woo Prince Lykos." "Put the tunic back!" "I only mean to borrow it." "Borrow it?" "In these dark times?" "Is that Minoan Armour?" "It's not what you think." "Are you a spy as well as a thief?" "Please, let me explain." "The guards will kill me if they find that here." "I'll hide it." "I promise to bring the tunic back." "Just let me explain." "You better have a good story, or I'll start screaming." "It's a story that leads all the way to the palace and the King." "You're an assassin!" "No!" "I am a son of Athens." "I want to help the King, not hurt him." "You?" "How would you help our king?" "Just let me borrow the tunic and I promise to come back and tell you everything." "That's no way to greet the warriors who protect you." "They're thirsty!" "They need wine!" "And meat." "How can they protect you with empty bellies?" "Let me go!" "There's nothing." "Check the stall, if you don't believe me." "My men have... many appetites." "Let her be." "Who's this, then?" "He's almost as pretty as she is." "Not for much longer." "Slow yourself, Prince." "No good comes of haste." "Uncle." "Sit!" "Thank you, but I need to see my mother." "Sit!" "Clever woman, your mother is." "You make all the moves, yet, somehow, she wins all the games." "We know about the man you sent to Minos' camp... the Dorian." "Bold move." "Was it a success?" " I..." " Has Minos agreed To start negotiating our surrender?" "Surrender?" "What do you mean?" "Come, come!" "What other reason would you have to send a delegate to our enemy?" "You realize, if the court knew, they would roast you alive for treason?" "You've got it all wrong!" "I didn't send him to negotiate." "So it's true." "You did send a Dorian." "Please, Uncle Pallas, let me explain..." "There are many who would regard a peace treaty as Athens' only chance of rescue." "What?" "We must lay the ground with your court, and when the time comes, present your negotiation, not as treason... but as our salvation." "When Athens is sacked, we'll all be put to the sword, our people burned in mass graves, and you will be tortured by King Minos' priests until they extract the Lexicon and open the doors to Olympus for their King!" "Then... you, too, will be killed." "If you negotiate." "Offer the Lexicon in return for peace." "Then we will all live... and you... good Prince, can assume the throne as our King and champion." "Athens stands on the brink of destruction, our people facing genocide." "This is no time for modesty or doubt." "Hold your head high and accept your destiny." "The gods have chosen you to carry their light, and you, good Prince, can assume the throne as our king." "Is anything wrong, Majesty?" "How do I get a message across enemy lines?" "This marks the start of a new dawn." "Can you see me as your king?" "I already do." "However... your people don't know you as I do." "Your mother has kept you locked away." "Perhaps it's time you walked among them... showed your army who really commands them." "Ever since the Athenians started using underhand tactics..." "Poisoning our herds, devising midnight raids and ambushes..." "We've lost 7,000 men." "The time has come for a decisive assault." "Behold..." ""the Serpent's Claw."" "Serpents don't have claws." "Why are the streets deserted?" "Athenians are scared, Majesty." "Bow before your Prince!" "Your Majesty." "What's going on here?" "Minoan spy, Majesty." "We found him hiding his Armour." "Hand me your sword." "Let it be written that the Prince of Athens shares in his men's struggle..." "He will kill for them!" "I'm no spy." "The man with blue feet." "Who are you?" "If you're the Prince of Athens, then..." "I'm your brother." "Oracle?" "Oracle!" "Oracle!" "Yes?" "Can you ask the sacred goddess whether she favours "the Serpent's Jaw."" "The blessed goddess of Earth and Sea rarely engages in the details of war, Majesty." "For that, you need to ask Athena." "Isn't she the goddess of Athens?" "And the goddess of warcraft." "Ahh." "No wonder we're faring so poorly." "Then go on." "I can't see the Athenian goddess being any less helpful than my generals." "An old man crosses through a field of wheat." "He holds a conch shell with a thread running through it." "That's Daedalus!" "He pulls the thread... and finds a spider on the end." "What does that mean?" "Well, Arachne was more ingenious than Athena." "She spun a more complex web, so the Goddess turned her into a spider." "Ingenuity will breach the walls of Athens, not an army, and the only mind clever enough to find a way is Daedalus." "He's very angry at me for some reason." "He won't do anything I ask." "Let me talk to him." "I don't need another son." "The one I have is disappointment enough." "But he's your first son, so the Lexicon is inside him." "The Lexicon." "Bah!" "The blood of Ares fills my veins." "Athena anointed me, and me alone, to protect this city." "He is your child." "The blood that beats in your breast beats in his." "Where is he, then?" "No." "Not until I have your assurance that you will accept him as your own." "How do I know he won't have a dagger for me?" "Because you are his father, and if you act like his father, he will embrace you." "Are you sure?" "The way to his heart is through tenderness and love." "Way to his heart?" "I am King!" "I don't need to woo my blood!" "Yes, you do." "He might be your blood, but he is not yours yet." "We will need to convince him to let us take the Lexicon." "I am a better king than I am a father." "If you want to open the door to Olympus and become an immortal, you must learn to be both." "Daedalus." "Hey!" "You can't come in here!" "Who are you?" "I'm the Oracle of Gaia, charged by your King to help motivate his architect." "That's my job and I don't need any help." "Indeed, you don't, but your talents are wasted here." "What?" "Daedalus is a..." "a genius, of course, but he's no match for you, good Thybus." "You know me?" "Your considerable reputation has spread on the wings of Hermes to the widest reaches of our empire." "Hermes?" "And although your efforts here are important, the King has asked that you help solve the riddle of the mines at Verno." "What sort of riddle?" "Supplies have slowed, almost to a standstill, and no one knows why." "They need leadership and brains." "Where are these mines?" "300 miles to the west, so you must hurry." "Whip your steed, until he flies on the tail of Pegasus." "She has a gift, no doubt about it, but she's not being completely honest with us." "What woman ever is?" "She's protecting the Athenian spy." "Mm." "Well, he's a handsome young man." "There is more to it than that, Father." "Yeah, perhaps, but she's also a welcome diversion from the drudgery of war." "And for the time, if we show her patience and love, she will completely come over to our cause." "Let me probe deeper." "I want you to be a sister to her, Ariadne." "We might be able to take the Lexicon by force, but we will need mystics like her to help us unlock its riddle." "Why would they blind you if they need you to work?" "Ahh, King Minos was never one to let common sense get in the way of his sadistic pleasures." "Now..." "can you see anything?" "Not really." "It will improve, little by little, as the poison washes through your body." "And Thybus?" "You won't see him again." "Ah." "Seduced the King, have we?" "Not "seduced," exactly." "More... influenced." "I hope you know what you're doing." "He might seem friendly... but deep down, he's a spoiled, ruthless, vengeful despot who delights in the misery of others." "No different from any other man I know." "You can't manipulate him." "He's too cunning." "Listen to me, Daedalus." "You have to find a way to breach the walls of Athens." "What?" "The Mercenary has the ring and has got into Athens to find his father." "He escaped?" "I did that, you know." "You said the ring has the power to kill a god." "Ah, what of it?" "I think I've got this all wrong." "I thought the gods had brought us together to try to stop my vision of the apocalypse, but now it seems we're actually making it happen." "You have to get us in there so we can try and stop him." "Only if I can have the ring when we do." "Look at you... in your peasant's tunic." "You're no son of a King." "Take him the ring!" "He'll know if what I say is true." "Who is your mother?" "Aethra from Troezen." "How do you know my mother, Medea?" "I don't." "You're lying!" "The two of you are plotting something." "No!" "She knows you're the eldest son, that you carry the Lexicon." "That's why she tried to abduct you from Minos and bring you here." "She tortured me!" "Stuck rods in my arms!" "Bled me!" "For years!" "For nothing!" "Scribe." "Where is your master?" "I'm looking for him myself, ma'am." "Who else knows you're here?" "The gods... and they will punish you for this." "The gods." "Is that the best you've got?" "Well, where are they?" "Looks like it's just us here... brother." "A bronze bull?" "I'll need 200 men and 4,000 swords to smelt into its Armour." "And of course," "I'll need all our craftsmen, carpenters, and blacksmiths to work night and day if we're to have it ready in five days." "Four days." " Four days?" " Five days is too long." "But it won't be ready." "Use more men." "It's not the number of men, Majesty, it's the type of men." "If I am to provide such a considerable force for one of your elaborate gambits, then deliver it in three days." "Three!" "General Kastor, see that Daedalus has what he needs." "But Majesty, we have yet to hear how this bronze bull will open the gates of Athens." "Isn't it obvious?" "It will ram them." "Not exactly." "It's not its horns that will breach the gates, but its tongue." "Kimon tells me Lykos sent a message to Minos by carrier pigeon." "What we need is some solid proof of their treason." "That will come." "Are you absolutely sure that he trusts our support?" "Oh, yes." "Lykos can't see what's coming." "I suppose... if he knew we were planning to expose his treason to the court, so that, finally, once and for all, we can bring his mother down, he never would have sent that pigeon." "Indeed." "What about the scribe?" "Can we trust him, his lover?" "Kimon's love for me outweighs his love for Lykos." "Timing is critical for you, Lord Pallas, to snatch the throne." "I almost feel sorry for my brother." "Really?" "No." "We must find Lykos." "I beg you... tell the King his son is alive." "And hand you my birthright?" "If you think I want to be a Prince, then you're wrong." "Doesn't matter what you think." "It matters what he thinks." "I'm sorry, brother, but I can't have you interfering." "If you kill me, you'll destroy the Lexicon!" "What of it?" "My father carried the Lexicon, and his father before him, and his father before him." "Apart from making them feel like fools, what good did it do?" "Don't you want to solve its riddle?" "If it could be solved, someone would have done it by now." "So if you're looking for a reason for me not to kill you, better give it another go." "I am your brother." "Your blood." "Can you not feel my love?" "Your love?" "Touch my heart." "Sorry." "I'm sorry." "My shoulder, it's..." "I'll loosen it a little." "Listen carefully." "Listen to my heart and you can hear the sound of the Lexicon." "It's beyond the sound of my heart." "S..." "Still nothing." "Where is the ring?" "If you accept his offer, we must light three bonfires at twilight." "Why would Lykos, the holder of the Lexicon, want to meet with me in person?" "Perhaps he can see the end in sight, and wants to negotiate peace for his people." "Ah, it seems like a trap." "It must be." "Aegeus would never allow it." "Lykos could be doing this without his father's knowledge." "Negotiating behind the King's back?" "They are probably desperate." "Negotiating..." "My men smell blood." "Do I want to deprive them of their day of victory?" "So refuse his terms, and when you do, take him." "Seems too good to be true." "What have we got to lose?" "Oracle... what are your impressions?" "An apple stolen tastes just as sweet as one given, but is far more likely to have worms." "So we kidnap him?" "The son who betrays his first father will betray his second, too." "But I shouldn't trust him?" "Are you absolutely certain?" " Yes." " Go." "What if it's a lie?" "He may not be his son at all." "If it's a lie, we will kill him." "And if it's true?" "What if he is the King's firstborn?" "If it's true..." "we will kill him." "He's trying to get to my father!" "Stop him!" "Hurry!" "Holy mother Athena, virgin goddess of wisdom, fortify your son's heart..." "Aegeus King of Athens, give him the courage to face his abandoned son." "Your holy father, Zeus, protects you from your son." "Embrace his spirit." "The mighty god of the sky has created a world where man can live without fear." "I'm a king... not a father." "You are the father of Athens, the father of your people." "My son will only want to take what I have..." "Just as Zeus took from his father." "Zeus protects you." "Zeus protects me only by warning me of the inevitable... by showing me the true spirit of man." "But you are his chosen son." "You must embrace your own as Zeus has embraced you." "Zeus killed his father!" "And divided his kingdom among his brothers." "Why will my son act differently?" "He will want to kill me!" "He will want to kill me!" "Get out of my sight, whore!" "King Aegeus?" "Who are you?" "I am the son of Aethra." "Your son." "Get out!" "Have you come to slay your King?" "No!" "I've come to return your sacred ring!" "Show me." "Your son, Lykos, took it from me." "Lies and subterfuge!" "You steal into my throne room, sword drawn, to kill your King!" "You must remember my mother!" "The forests of Troezen!" "Can you not see I have the courage of a thousand kings?" "I am your son." "Please, Father, lay down your sword." "So that you can cut me down with yours?" "I'll lay mine down, too!" "I only want to embrace you, Father, not hurt you." "Assassin!" "Kill him!" "You dare raise your sword in my sacred chamber." "Please, Father, let me explain." "Lies need no explanation!" "Get off of my throne!" "It's not yours!" "And it never will be!" "Ahh!" "Stop!" "This is your son!" "Kill him and you destroy the Lexicon, our only chance of salvation!" "He has come to slay his King." "No!" "I brought him here!" "You trust him over me?" "Put down your sword, or will you kill your Queen as well as your son?" "You're sure he's my blood?" "Athena has affirmed it." "Aegeus... he carries the promise of immortal deliverance." "Son of Aegeus, will you accept your father's hand?" "Yes." "Aegeus... embrace your son." "Son."