"If your Bronze Bull fails to breach the gates by sundown, you will watch as my priests pull the entrails from your stomach." "Only Chronos can manipulate time." "He is the guardian of the Lexicon, the key to opening the door to Olympus." "You think I love you?" "Yes." "If Daedalus can indeed break through the city gates, we cannot fail." "By nightfall, the Athenian will be on his knees." "What witchcraft is this?" "Not witchcraft." "Warcraft." "How will we retaliate?" "Our men are cowering in their burial jars." "If Daedalus intends to scare us into submission, he's succeeding." "Heave!" "Slow and steady." "Heave!" "Heave!" "Heave!" "How... how can he possibly breach the gates with that?" "Has Daedalus ever let you down before, Papa?" "It's moving slower than a snail!" "Have faith!" "It may have a sting in its tail." "It doesn't have a tail!" "It doesn't have a body!" "It doesn't even have legs." "I hope my priests are hungry, because I'm certain they'll be eating Daedalus' entrails for dinner." "A bull's head?" "Ready your archers." "Archers!" "What's that?" "Oh!" "Put your backs into it, men!" "Where are you now?" "My darling witch." "Now!" "Love, it seems, is blind." "What have you done to him?" "I am making him whole." "By killing his love?" "You, my dear, are a small price to pay." "You cannot go back to Athens." "Why not?" "Your father, the King, is a danger to us all." "We must keep the Lexicon away from him." "You've been spending too much time with King Minos." "And you've been spending too much time with that witch." "Medea, at least, is helping me solve my riddle." "You think she's doing it for you?" "Whoever she's doing it for, it still helps me." "How can you be sure?" "It's what I want." "I need her." "And now, thanks to your compassion, you need me more than ever." "I couldn't kill her, not because I love her, but because I owe her too much." "Like what?" "My life!" "Without Oracle, you wouldn't have a riddle to solve." "So I should thank her?" "There must be another way." "I cannot sacrifice this love to the gods." "You've not only failed that test, Hero, you've also given up the Ring of the Magi." "Now you won't have its protection when you next meet Chronos." "Why Chronos?" "He's the beast who stopped time and almost killed me." "Your death would have cleared the way." "I'm sorry to disappoint you." "So be it." "We start afresh." "Return to my apothecary, where I have all I need to treat you, should you survive your next encounter." "Father!" "We must evacuate!" "The enemy's already in the palace." "Please!" "We must run." "My father, King Pandion, died on this throne." "The heritage of your forefathers, he told me... will give you strength." "Father, there is still time." "We can hide in the mountains!" "Regroup, gather our allies!" "Hide?" "Like a coward?" ""Aegeus the Coward King"?" "Is that how I want to be remembered?" "We will come back stronger." "We all die." "The blessed among us get to choose how." "Leave me alone." "I choose a noble death." "They're here!" "Finish them off!" "King Minos has taken the city." "Daedalus' bronze bull must have worked." "Daedalus did this?" "Daedalus... of course!" "Where are you going?" "To find Daedalus." "Why?" "If I'm to face this beast without the ring's protection," "I need Daedalus's help to plan my next move." "But he's a man of science, not sorcery." "Exactly." "King Minos will kill you." "Really?" "Why?" "Doesn't he want the Lexicon just as much as you do?" "We can solve its riddle elsewhere, Hero." "We don't have to return to Athens." "My father's there." "King Minos will surely have had him executed already." "No." "King Minos won't kill King Aegeus until he gets the Lexicon from you." "He won't kill... because he can't kill." "What do you mean?" "You said the Beast of Time was the guardian of the Lexicon." "So?" "So who's he guarding it for?" "The god who created it." "Zeus." "And what would become of Zeus' Lexicon if I were to die?" "It would die with you." "All hail King Minos, son of Poseidon," "King of Crete." "Well, well, well... there you are." "Well done, well done." "How's the throne?" "Very comfortable." "And now warm for you." "Thank you." "Ah... ahem." "You've done it yet again." "Extraordinary." "You see, all you need is a little motivation." "I know you find my methods extreme, but they do get results, do they not?" "Will I keep my entrails?" "Oh, absolutely!" "They'll be treated to an extra special feast all their own." "Thank you, Majesty." "Your generosity never ceases to amaze." "I thought it would be bigger." "All hail King Minos... son of Poseidon..." "Find me the son of Aegeus!" "Wait." "There's something you should know." "I left Minos in a dark mood." "It's not safe for me to return to him." "What did you do?" "I escaped, like you, once I'd told him the truth about you." "Then stay here." "No." "I belong with you." "No, I'll not have your blood on my hands, too." "Wait for me at the temple of Aphrodite, and when this is over, I'll find you." "No, look, please, listen to me." "Regardless of how he might react," "I have to come with you." "There's something I must do, a test of my own." "What?" "I'd rather not talk of it now." "Is it to do with my father, the danger to us all?" "Don't mock me, my love." "I carry a terrible burden." "Which is it?" "Stay or go?" "I must trust in the protection of the gods." "No." "Stay close to me." "I will protect you." "So this is the son you offered me in return for peace?" "One look at him and you would've known he was an empty promise." "Where is the real son?" "At the doors to Olympus." "With the witch?" "They will return with the wrath of the gods, to exact bitter retribution." "Where did they go, King?" "Where did they go?" "Perhaps your brother will tell me." "Huh?" "Well?" "I don't know where they went." "Would you like me to talk to them, Father?" "I would." "I would." "Mm..." "Lord Pallas." "Please... step forward." "No!" "No..." "You mustn't stand." "Perhaps you should face your King." "I can tell that you are a man of integrity..." "Lord Pallas, a man who prides himself on helping his brother... counseling him in the rule of law, justice, and truth." "Yes, I..." "No, you mustn't speak." "But I want to help you, really..." "If you speak..." "I might have to cut out your throat." "Do you love your brother, King?" "I... yes..." "No!" "You mustn't speak!" "I thought I had made that clear." "If you speak," "I will have to cut out your brother's throat." "Now then..." "Where did your son and queen go?" "I'm afraid I don't know." "He doesn't know." "None of them do." "Kill the Athenian, then we can share the women between us." "Kill this man and you can tell your King you've murdered the first-born son of King Aegeus." "What are you doing?" "Saving your lives." "Why should we listen to you?" "Because I am the Oracle of Gaia and counsel to King Minos." "He wants this man alive." "So... you're trying to tell me, Oracle, my love, that you fled from my side so you could just... search for the son of Aegeus and bring him to me?" "You were angry, and we were running out of time." "Indeed." "I was." "I felt sure you'd respond more favorably to actions rather than words." "But you lied to me." "You knew his true identity and you kept it from me." "That was before I fell in love with you, Majesty." "And how did you convince the son of Aegeus and his witch to follow you to their enemy?" "I am the Oracle of Gaia." "My holy mother turns the hearts of men." "Persuasive as you are, this beggars belief." "Yet she's here... with him." "Do you still carry the Lexicon?" "Yes." " Does he?" " Yes, Majesty." "Then why are you here?" "To negotiate." "Ah!" "To negotiate." "And what are your terms?" "My father, his queen, and family unharmed, our citizens spared, and left to live in peace." "And what do you have to give me in return?" "The Lexicon." "Well, what's to stop me and my priests from taking it anyway?" "The riddle cannot be solved without his consent." "Oh, my priests have their methods." "Your priests know nothing." "We shall see." "Take her down!" "Majesty." "We need her!" "Medea has studied the Lexicon for many years." "But she's our enemy." "If she helps to lead you to the doors of Olympus to sit alongside the gods, won't our mortal differences seem... trivial?" "Medea is a witch and a trickster." "Darling daughter, we need all the help we can get." "Besides, what could she possibly do on her own against us... the mightiest force in the civilized world?" "Will you do this thing for us?" "Will you let me live, if I do?" "Will you give up your secrets to my priests?" "Will you let me prepare as I wish?" "Yes, I will." "Oracle... you may have a rival for my affections." "How and when do we start?" "First, I must burn an offering to Athena." "Priest Kre-Kre, take the sorceress, pool your talents, and make sure you're able to perform the sacred ceremony tonight." "Tonight is too soon." "You will get used to my impatience." "It's the main thing that drives me." "Now hurry, there's much to be done." "Go." "Not you, Oracle." "We have a lot of catching up to do." "They'll do the same to us, cut our throats without blinking." "We must keep quiet, Father." "If the others in these prison caves find out who we are, they may want revenge." "For what?" "I am their King." "For losing the war." "Has it come to this?" "If our enemies don't kill us, our own people will?" "Holy Mother Athena, accept this offering as tribute for your watchful gaze." "Write down every word, understand?" "I want a comprehensive account of everything she says and does to add to our compendium." "Anoint your chosen vessel and protect him from the fire of your immortal kin." "Embrace the son of Aegeus with wisdom and courage." "Now that you have us in the belly of the beast, what is your plan?" "Ask to see Daedalus." "Spread your benevolent wings across our innocence." "How do you know he'll help us?" "I know." "The architect..." "Daedalus..." "Where is he?" "Does he love you?" "No, of course not." "But you love him." "You have him now." "What more do you need?" "Have you kissed him?" "Why?" "Is that what you want?" "I always get what I want." "I'm sure you do." "The challenge is..." "Knowing what that is." "Do you know what you want," "Oracle of Gaia?" "My heart is devoted to serving my conscience, my holy mother, and my King." "Yes. but... what does the woman you've hidden away deep inside, behind all that pompous talk of gods and kings..." "What does she want?" "You must feel it when you are with him... desire mixed with regret and danger." "No?" "So it's true." "You want the man, flesh and blood." "That's what you really want." "I want to serve Gaia." "Gaia, the mother of our Earth, whose children became our gods." "What lust burns in her loins, Oracle?" "Hmm?" "She is no virgin." "Her pleasures light our skies at night." "Desire mixed with danger." "Stop." "Do you say "stop"" "because you are a virgin, or because I am a woman?" "It's just, the King, someone might see..." "Yes, yes, someone might see." "We are risking much." "How do you know you want him if you don't even know you want me?" "He's different." "How?" "We share something I can't describe." "Oh..." "Oracle!" "Come." "I want to share your talents with my generals." "We're discussing the future of Athens." "Ha!" "You're alive!" "Uh, wait." "Should they know we're friends?" "We're all in this together now." "Excellent!" "And about time, if you don't mind me saying." "Now..." "Where's my ring?" "It's gone." "Gone?" " But..." "Gone?" " Daedalus..." "This is Medea." "Oh..." "Exactly." "How did you lose it?" "The gods took it back." "So now we need your help." "The gods?" "What gods?" "Where?" "Why?" "Princess Ariadne asks to see the son of Aegeus." "He needs to stay here with us." "If King Minos wants us to perform a sacred ceremony tonight, we'll need every minute until then to prepare." "Ask her if she will wait a while?" "The Princess insists." "Ah, insists?" "In that case, you should take him immediately." "No..." "No!" "What shall we do in the meantime?" "We shall have to divide our resources." "I will continue with the holy tributes here, while you and your priests anoint the sacred vessel." "Daedalus?" "Are my men looting?" "We cannot have a breakdown in discipline." "We are Minoan." "We respect the dignity of defeat." "We are not barbarians!" "As a child, I was kept locked in my room." "Our royal custom depends on shielding heirs to the throne from the outside world." "I had all the toys and trinkets I could want..." "And daily lessons from my strict tutors, but... almost nothing else." "One day, when I was eight, this stone was thrown through my window." "It broke the cup on my bedside." "I have... no idea who threw it, but..." "I imagined a tall, handsome hero... just like you." "Now I, uh, I would like to return it to you... as an apology for the way I treated you when we first met." "Ariadne, that's very generous..." "Shh, shh, shh." "Please..." "Do not fight me." "A moment longer with you is all I ask." "This is a measuring optic of my own design." "It allows me to gauge the distance of objects by sight." "Peer through here." "Should we be worried about the bean-headed scribbler?" "Who?" "Our spy scribe, who appears to be writing down everything we say." "Don't worry about him." "I have a plan." "How does this help us?" "When Icarus and I were flying..." "Flying?" "Yes, flying." "As we flew," "I happened to look down, and I'm certain I saw..." "You've flown, like a bird?" "Yes." "Daedalus?" "I saw a pattern." "What kind of pattern?" "A pattern left by the gods." "Why will you not kiss me back?" "You can force me to be here, but you can't force me to love you." "We are meant for each other." "I have to prepare for the ceremony." "Your father's expecting it tonight." "Take me with you." "Where?" "Wherever it is you are going." "Please..." "let me go." "Or do you want to disappoint your father?" "Just one kiss." "Before you go." "Please?" "Tell me you did not feel something." "I must keep my mind on tonight's ceremony." "Perhaps afterwards?" "Take me back." "Guard?" "The King has asked me to sanctify the son of Aegeus before the ceremony." "Kneel before Apollo, healer, muse, and protector of your soul." "Uh, please." "What do you see in Ariadne?" "What?" "We've been through too much for you to lie to me now." "What do you think you've seen?" "A kiss." "Ariadne is just a forceful woman." "Is that what you like?" "I like you, Oracle." "I always have." "I'm going to disappear during the ceremony." "Don't be alarmed." "Try to get away yourself." "Meet me outside the city at the Temple of Aphrodite." "Blessed Athena, anoint this holy brew with your wisdom to clear our heads." "Allow us to see beyond the veil." "Daedalus." "Hmm?" "Oh." "Mm." "Tasty." "Me?" "In the eyes of the gods, we are all equals." "Oh, yes." "Not bad." "Hero." "Good." "Uh, w... we were talking about a pattern." "When I say "pattern,"" "what I meant was more of a circle." "If this is the temple of Aphrodite... and this, the temple of Gaia, and so on, they all... appeared... to form a circle." "Are you sure?" "I mean, could it be coincidence?" "Why would the gods build their temples coincidentally?" "They obviously designed them this way so they could see them as I did, from the sky." "So your point?" "Where there is a wheel... there is a hub." "At the point where the temples connect..." "And that, you think, is where I'll find the door to Olympus?" "Worth a try, don't you think?" "Perhaps, but you're not ready yet." "First, you have to find the key." "Uh..." "I'll take my chances." "Hero, you failed your first test." "If you confront Chronos again, he will kill you." "Perhaps not." "This is pure speculation!" "There might be nothing there." "But if there is, what then?" "Isn't it worth finding out, at least?" "Minos will never let us out of his sight." "I know a way." "How?" "Tonight's ceremony." "I'm going to use it to escape." "You might not survive it." "Do you have a better plan?" "Bide our time!" "Try to solve the riddle of the Lexicon before we wander off in search of its door." "Minos doesn't seem like the sort of man who has the patience for that." "He's right." "I have to come with you." "If Minos finds you gone, too, you'll give me away." "You can't go on your own!" "I need you to stay here to convince the King that the gods have taken me away." "No!" "Medea, I need you to trust me!" "I will return for you." "Now tell me where I must go." "There!" "Oracle of Gaia." "You're coming with us." "Well, where is he?" "He is on his way, Majesty." "What about my Oracle?" "We have not seen her." "And my daughter?" "What are you planning?" "Does your father know about this?" "Do you think my father cares more for you than for me?" "You're playing with fire, Ariadne." "Do you like scorpions?" "How will you explain my death to the King?" "Oh, I'll find a way." "Believe it or not..." "I am almost as persuasive as you are." "He's looking for the best place to strike." "When he strikes..." "You will feel an excruciating pain..." "But it will be several hours until you die." "Blessed Gaia, mother of the Earth and sea, protect me now in this, my greatest hour of need!" "I am intrigued to see how your god fares against my creature." "Send your sweet breath to soothe this demon of the desert!" "This is more exciting than I could have hoped." "If he strikes, will you lose your faith?" "Look at me." "The son of Aegeus... you think he loves you, but he loves me." "Is that why you're torturing me?" "No." "Yes!" "You have no right to make secret plans with him!" "He's mine!" "Will you steal my man, virgin?" "No." "Will you pursue me?" "No!" "Will you ever think of him again?" "No!" "No." "Then I will leave you to test your faith on a simple creature of our Earth." "Close your eyes." "Feel the warm shores of Tartarus brush against your skin." "Breathe the stone fumes of Elysium." "Listen to the ancient beats of a distant drum..." "So far afield it echoes in another world." "It is the beat of your heart." "Look down at the mark it leaves on the sacred water." "Breathe... and..." "No ring to protect me!" "What are you waiting for?" "Take my heart!" "You dare taunt me?" "You won't kill me because you can't kill me." "I don't need the ring." "I just need courage." "Your job is to scare me, but if you killed me, you'd destroy the Lexicon, which is forbidden!" "You are a guardian!" "That's all!" "And listen to the peo..." "Where did he go?" "Where did he go?" "He was taken by the gods." "I'm thirsty." "I'll see if I can find some water." "Are you going to leave me on my own?" "Keep your face hidden." "And remember, everyone here is just as scared as we are." "Scared?" "I'm not scared." "Good."