"Bear witness, Zeus and all you gods of high Olympus!" "I condemn my daughter, Danae and her son, Perseus, to the sea!" "Her guilt and sin have brought shame to Argos." "I, Acrisius, the king now purge her crime and restore my honor!" "Their blood is not on my hands!" "Now!" "It is done." "lking Acrisius of Argos has abandoned his daughter and her child to the sea." "Then he will be punished." "Cruel and ruthless crime!" "Blasphemy!" "How dare the tyrant pray to me to forgive his savage jealousy and cowardly revenge!" "Acrisius has always shown devotion to the gods of Olympus!" "He has built many temples and dedicated them to you great Zeus, father of the gods." "A hundred good deeds cannot atone for one murder." "A thousand temples or sanctuaries or statues, whether dedicated to me or to you, Hera, my wife or to Thetis, lovely goddess of the sea." "Or to you, Athena, ever wise and full of care." "Or to Aphrodite, goddess of love." "Nothing can wipe out or forgive this one contemptible act of blood!" "Does it matter?" "The death of a girl and her child?" "Girl?" "His daughter!" "After a lifetime's devotion" "Enough!" "I've decided." "Acrisius must be punished and his people with him." "My lord, Poseidon I command you to raise the wind and the sea." "Destroy Argos!" "And to make certain no stone stands, that no creature crawls I command you to let loose the last of the Titans." "Let loose the lKraken!" "The kingdom of Acrisius must be destroyed!" "As you command." "Yet, be certain no harm befalls young Danae or her son." "Bring them safe to some remote and peaceful shore." "Go now, swiftly." "No pity, no mercy." "Why?" "Zeus, your husband, loved the girl." "Danae?" "She is very beautiful." "So beautiful that Acrisius grew jealous and guarded her from men locked behind iron doors." "But Zeus transformed himself into a shower of gold..." "...and loved her." "Then why should I show compassion?" "Let her drown!" "With her child!" "The child, Perseus, is Zeus' son." "That is why he is to be saved and why Argos is doomed." "Danae and her child have been brought safely to the island of Seriphos." "Seriphos." "There let Danae and her child live, safe and happy." "Perseus, grown to a young man." "He's had a happy childhood." "With a strong body and a handsome face what more could any mortal desire or deserve?" "And what of my son Calibos?" "His crimes are unforgivable." "Be merciful to him." "Show pity." "lmpossible!" "Calibos had every advantage!" "You, as patron goddess of the city of Joppa, have spoiled and indulged him since birth." "You let him rule the Wells of the Moon, and he destroyed every living creature!" "He's trapped and killed my sacred herd of flying horses and now only the stallion, Pegasus, remains." "Your son must therefore be punished." "No, I beg you." "Be merciful." "He will become abhorrent to human sight." "He'll be shunned and forced to live as an outcast in swamps and marshes." "He'll be transformed to a mortal mockery." "The shameful mark of his vile cruelty." "This is my final judgement." "No, I implore you." "He is to marry Princess Andromeda." "He would rule all Joppa and Phoenicia." "Let the princess look upon him now!" "Be comforted." "He may change his mind." "Had it been his own child Perseus, he would have forgiven him." "But for my son Calibos, there is to be no mercy, no hope." "And no marriage with Andromeda." "How can there be now?" "Yet if my son is not to marry her then no man will." "My priests of Joppa are loyal." "I will speak to them in dreams and omens." "As my Calibos suffers so will Andromeda." "I promise you." "The son of Zeus is to be left to the whim of chance while mine is punished with deformity." "It is time for chance to intervene." "Time you saw something of the world, Perseus." "Time you came face to face with fear." "Time to know the terrors of the dark and look on death." "Time your eyes were opened to grim reality." "Far to the east, across the sea in Joppa in the kingdom of Phoenicia." "Who are you?" "Who are you?" "Show yourself!" "Who are you?" "First tell me where l am!" ""Where"?" "Where am I?" "You mean you don't know where you are?" "I don't know." "Now let's be patient for a moment." "My name is Ammon." "I am a poet and a playwright." "And you?" "My name is Perseus." "l am heir to the kingdom of Argos." "By the gods!" "How did you get here?" "I'm not sure I know where "here" is." "Well, this is the amphitheater of Joppa." "Where?" "The great city of Joppa." "But how?" "I was lying on the seashore, looking up at the moon." "Oh, the moon!" "That might explain things." "You see, the moon affects the brain." "I think we'd be safer inside, out of the night air." "I must apologize for this dramatic finery and the theatrical effects." "I put them on to frighten away the curious." "It makes them think the theater is haunted." "Why is everything so neglected?" "lt's a sign of the times." "This kingdom is cursed, and the city is in despair." "Everyone goes around muttering:" ""Call no man happy who is not dead!"" "Now then, my young friend." "You say your name is Perseus, heir to the kingdom of Argos?" "Yes." "But up to now I've lived all my life in Seriphos." "Someday I will return to reclaim Argos." "After I was born, my mother and l-- -l know!" "You do?" "Certainly." "The beautiful princess and the jealous tyrant you and your mother thrown into the sea and the destruction of Argos." "It's been a popular story here for the past 20 years." "I, myself, wrote a poem about it." "Rather moving, as I recall." "Then can you explain what happened to me tonight?" "The gods of Olympus are mysterious, and their motives are erratic." "My advice to you:" "Return to the calm of Seriphos as quickly as you can." "But my mother's last wish was that I would restore her homeland." "Joppa would be a better starting place than some remote little island." "Well, in that case you ought to get something more becoming to wear." "I mean, something more fitting something more appropriate for a prince, so to speak." "Get out!" "And look at this!" "Ah, that looks well." "That will do very well." "Your sword." "Welcome to Joppa, Prince Perseus." "You set him down half-naked in a strange, despairing city?" "Chance?" "Not chance and you know it!" "A deliberate and malicious act unworthy of a goddess!" "You accuse me?" "Well, one thing is certain." "My son needs more than an actor's cloak and a wooden sword!" "Provide him with suitable weapons." "Weapons of divine temper." "A helmet!" "A sword!" "A shield!" "And he must have them with all speed!" "All for love of Danae." "No!" "So many women have attracted him, he couldn't remember her." "It's his foolish pride in a handsome son." "As you say, so many women." "And all these transformations he invents to seduce them." "Sometimes a shower of gold a bull or a swan." "He tried to ravish me disguised as a cuttlefish." "Did he succeed?" "Certainly not." "What did you do?" "Beat him at his own game." "I turned myself into a shark." "Why, you're up with the sun." "Beautiful morning!" "Magical!" "I found this here by the statue." "That is the likeness of the goddess of love. lt's remarkable." "A sword, eh?" "Yes." "This is no ordinary sword." "lt's a strange metal." "It's neither brass nor iron." "It's like no metal I have ever seen." "By the gods!" "There's a shield!" "And over there's a helmet!" "I was right to say, "By the gods!"" "Who else could make a sword that slices through solid marble without leaving the slightest blemish on the blade?" "If the sword can do that what about the helmet and the shield?" "We'd better-- That is, you'd better find out." "l'll try the helmet." "No!" "Try me first." "What did you say?" "l didn't say anything." "The sound came from over by that statue of Hera." "From that shield!" "Turn me around!" "Perseus!" "Perseus, Perseus." "Mark me, Perseus." "These weapons are gifts from the gods." "Guard well this shield for one day it will guard your life." "Guard my life?" "When?" "You will know when the day comes." "What about the helmet?" "It has the power to render its wearer invisible." "Invisible?" "Invisible." "Wait!" "Wait." "Who are you?" "Find and fulfill your destiny." "Destiny?" "A divine gift should never be questioned simply accepted." "Invisible." "Can you see me?" "Nothing." "Nothing of you at all!" "Where are you?" "l'm invisible!" "Can't you see that?" "l can only see footsteps." "The gods are truly remarkable." "Perseus where are you going?" "To Joppa!" "Your sword!" "Oh, impetuous foolish...." "Ah, dear, the young." "Why do they never listen?" "When will they ever learn?" "A stranger here?" "A stranger to sights like these." "Was he a criminal?" "No." "He was a suitor for the Princess Andromeda." "That woman over there is her mother, Queen Cassiopeia." "A royal suitor?" "Burned?" "A suitor, yes, but not royal." "l don't understand." "These are strange times, my friend." "Andromeda was destined to marry Prince Calibos." "Then he was struck down, deformed, punished by the gods." "Andromeda refused to marry him." "The priests prayed, read the signs and declared that Thetis was angry." "Since then, any man may present himself as a suitor." "l wonder that any man would even try." "Andromeda is very beautiful." "Besides, whoever marries her will rule the entire kingdom." "For that, men are willing to die." "They have only to solve a riddle." "A riddle?" "ls that all?" "The riddle changes for each suitor." "And those who fail do not tell what they were asked." "And this Calibos..." "...what of him?" "We live in fear of him." "Fear of what he may do in vengeance against Andromeda." "Where is she?" "ln the highest tower above this smoke and stench." "She will not speak or eat in protest of this ritual." "She remains alone, away from these accursed, hell-sent swarms of blood-gutted marsh flies." "Thank you, friend." "Andromeda." "I've found my destiny." "Calibos." "The vulture flew toward the east." "Toward the swamps!" "Toward the lair of the Lord of the Marsh." "We must find a way to follow the bird." "If and when it appears to the princess again." "Yes." "But how are we going to follow a creature that flies through the air?" "There just might be a chance, you see." "Remote, I grant you." "Tonight!" "When the full moon shines on the water, they say Pegasus, the last of the winged horses, comes to drink." "Listen!" "Look there!" "l see nothing." "Over there!" "Pegasus!" "That's it, that's it." "Easy, easy." "Whoa, easy." "Easy!" "That's it." "Steady, steady." "That's it, that's it, that's it!" "Good boy, good boy." "The most beautiful stallion in the world." "But thirsty." "I'm not surprised." "I could do with something myself." "Here." "Stay with him." "Pegasus." "You're beautiful." "Now don't you fret." "Your friend will be back in a moment." "Slow, slow." "Pegasus." "We did it!" "No, you did it." "You did it!" "A gift for you." "Calibos, why have you summoned me here again?" "Because if I cannot look upon your true beauty I can see its mirror, and remember how you once loved me." "Remember me how I was." "I remember, but now...." "Then it is time for you to learn a new mystery, a new question!" "No, I beg you." "No more bonfires." "Mark well, Andromeda." "A new question for a would-be hero." "Mark, and remember." "When the time comes when the next suitor presents himself you will remember." "Calibos, I implore you lift your curse from Joppa and release my soul." "Show pity, Calibos." "As you loved me once be merciful now." "Go." "Pegasus!" "Pegasus!" "Pegasus!" "Once again I, Cassiopeia, the queen present to you my daughter, Andromeda." "If there is any man here worthy to seek her hand in marriage let him make himself known!" "is there no one?" "No man worthy in my whole wide kingdom of Phoenicia?" "No man of courage in the whole world?" "Who are you?" "Perseus, prince and heir to the kingdom of Argos." "You!" "You know him?" "Only from a dream." "I beg you, abandon me." "Ask your riddle." "In my mind's eyes I see three circles joined in priceless, graceful harmony." "Two full as the moon." "One hollow as a crown." "Two from the sea, five fathoms down." "One from the earth, deep under the ground." "The whole, a mark of high renown." "Tell me, what can it be?" "Have courage, princess." "What can it be?" "Three circles joined." "Two moons and a crown." "Tell me!" "The answer is a ring!" "Two pearls in a circle of gold!" "The ring of the Lord of the Marsh." "The pearl ring of Calibos." "Here, on the claw hand of Calibos himself!" "The ring." "A gift from his mother the goddess Thetis." "is that the answer?" "is that the answer?" "Tell me!" "Yes." "We fought in the swamp!" "I spared his life on one condition." "That he renounce his curse." "There will be no more bonfires." "No more nightmares." "Light has conquered darkness." "You're free." "Thetis, divine goddess of the sea." "Hear the prayer of your son Calibos." "Show me the way to justice." "Show me how to punish Perseus for this blasphemy!" "Look on this!" "In wounding me he has insulted you!" "Then surely he must be punished." "Show me." "Help me." "Perseus is protected by Zeus himself." "There is nothing I can do." "Then punish those that Perseus loves!" "The queen, Andromeda the people of Joppa!" "Persuade your devoted Lord Poseidon to let loose the lKraken on the city." "Let the lKraken destroy Joppa as it destroyed Argos!" "I demand justice!" "Justice, or revenge?" "Did you love Calibos?" "Before he was punished?" "No, it was never love." "He was handsome and fascinating." "I was very young." "And now?" "Now I feel pity for him." "When you fought in the swamp, why didn't you kill him?" "Perhaps because I too felt pity." "I still don't understand." "We met today and yet you say you've loved me for much longer." "I did see you once. I saw you asleep." "From then on I was hopelessly lost." "Asleep?" "Just believe me when I say that I did see you." "And the sight of you passed straight through me like an arrow." "It astonished me." "From that moment, I knew that I would do anything for you." "From that moment I knew that I loved you." "As I bind their hands with this silken thread bear witness that as she is my heiress so Perseus becomes my heir." "As she is my daughter so Perseus becomes my son." "I give her to the man who has saved us from despair." "I give Andromeda the most beautiful of all prizes more beautiful than anything on earth or in heaven." "Even more lovely than the goddess Thetis herself." "Hear me, vain and foolish mortal woman." "You dare compare your daughter's beauty to mine in my own sanctuary?" "You will repent your boast and the cruel injury you have inflicted on my son Calibos." "Forgive!" "Forgive...." "In 30 days, on the eve of the longest day of the year Andromeda must be taken to the Sacrificial Rock by the sea there bound and chained to the stone she must be unknown to man, a virgin." "A sacrifice suitable for the Kraken." "She must be delivered to the Kraken at sunset or else the Kraken will destroy Joppa and everyone within the city." "For the insult to me and the injury inflicted on my son I demand the life of Andromeda." "In 30 days." "There must be a way to kill the lKraken." "No." "No way known to man." "You claim to be an optimist." "Yes, I am." "I believe that man can overcome most obstacles." "I've had enough of your philosophy." "It's time for action!" "Now wait one moment." "I said there was no way known to man." "There might be a way known to woman." "To woman?" "Three women." "Three old, blind women gifted in prophecy and knowledge." "They are wise, these old women!" "Wise as they are ancient." "Who are they?" "The Stygian Witches." "They live far away, beyond the desert frontiers of Joppa..." "...in the mountains of the North." "Even if you find them even if they show you a way to defeat the lKraken you may not live to exploit their advice." "Why not?" "They have a craving for human flesh." "When the plague of Calibos infested the city the queen sent ambassadors to visit the blind witches." "None ever returned." "Their shrine lies many days' journey from here." "We have only 30 days left to us." "But we have...." "We have a flying horse." "Three days will take three hours." "Take me with you!" "If only to the Wells of the Moon." "Just to be with you." "We've searched the lakeshore." "No sign?" "A few hoofprints by the water's edge, but no tracks to follow." "We cannot wait for Pegasus." "I'll search for the witches." "No." "We will ride with you as far as their shrine." "It is a perilous journey." "Too perilous for a princess." "You are not yet my lord and husband." "In the queen's absence, it is I who command." "Herald?" "Your Highness." "Inform the queen we are riding as escort to Prince Perseus." "We follow the North Star." "Perseus is moving into danger." "He will find the lKraken somewhat more formidable than Calibos." "Your helmet is gone?" "Deep in a swamp." "Lost forever." "Replace it with some other gift." "But what?" "Your friend." "Bubo, the owl." "Give Perseus your owl." "It is all-knowing, all-seeing." "Give it to him. lt is my wish." "My command." "Never!" "Hephaestus will do what he can." "Brass and iron are no substitute for feathers but he's very skilled and ingenious." "Let great Zeus rage till even Olympus shakes." "But I will never part with you, my beloved Bubo." "Nothing." "Nothing." "We could be lost for days in this." "Look!" "It's heading this way!" "It's flying straight for us." "is it a hawk?" "is it going to attack?" "By the gods!" "An owl!" "A golden owl!" "Too heavy for the dead branch, eh?" "How do you know that?" "He told me." "Told you?" "His name is Bubo." "Do you understand all those noises?" "Perfectly clear to me." "It's another gift from the gods." "Like the sword and the helmet." "He can lead us to the shrine." "Come on!" "Don't worry, my little friend." "Thallo will take you." "Someone coming." "Sounds like a man." "A young man." "Who has the eye?" "l do!" "Then give it to me." "No!" "I want to be the first to see him." "What do you see, sister?" "What do you see?" "Yes!" "A young man, not plump but well-made." "Have no fear. I come in peace." "Come a little closer so that we can get a better look at you." "We are honored by your visit." "What can we do to help you?" "l need your advice." "Then you must come a little closer." "You see, my two sisters here are somewhat deaf." "l still can't hear him." "Suppose we were to move a little closer to him." "Now!" "Noise, what's that noise?" "What, what?" "Where is it?" "Bubo!" "The eye!" "Go for the eye!" "Where is it?" "What is it?" "What's wrong?" "lt's gone!" "It's got the eye!" "The eye!" "Don't drop the eye!" "Oh, no!" "Where's the eye?" "You have it!" "Never fear. lt is safe." "Give it to us." "Give it back." "On one condition." "Anything!" "We must have it now!" "You will have it." "After you answer my question." "Ask, then." "How may a mortal man face and defeat the lKraken?" "The lKraken is invulnerable." "100 men could not fight him." "An army could not kill him." "Nothing is invulnerable." "There must be a way." "Perhaps, one way." "But a way even more dangerous than the lKraken itself." "Tell me." "Give me the eye and I'll tell you." "First, tell me." "The head of Medusa." "The Gorgon!" "One look from the head of Medusa can turn all creatures into stone." "No matter how huge and powerful." "And her blood is a deadly venom." "A Titan against a Titan!" "You must win Medusa's head." "She's not going to give it to you." "As a present." "As difficult and dangerous..." "...as to vanquish 1000 lKrakens." "Your only chance against the lKraken." "Give us the eye." "We have answered your question." "One more question." "If the eyes of Medusa even after her death can turn all living creatures into stone..." "...what about the blood?" "Deadly and poisonous." "But you have touched the eye." "As it has the power to give sight so it can make your red cloak proof against the blood." "The eye is all powerful." "We can tell you no more." "Give us the eye." "You have told me the truth?" "We swear it." "The rest is for you." "Seek Medusa." "On the Isle of the Dead." "At the very edge of the underworld." "Give us back the eye!" "Give us the eye!" "We must have it!" "Here, catch." "Where is it?" "I want it!" "lt's my turn!" "Where'd it go?" "Give it to me!" "One of you has it!" "The sands of time run like quicksilver." "We'll be across these mountains tomorrow, near the Isle of the Dead." "And then, Medusa." "I wrote a play about her long ago." "I was partial to tragedy in my youth." "Before experience taught me that life is quite tragic enough..." "...without my writing about it." "Medusa." "She was priestess to Aphrodite." "Yes, and a most beautiful woman by all accounts." "She was seduced by Poseidon." "They made love in the temple of Aphrodite." "And that goddess was so jealous that she punished Medusa." "She transformed her into an apparition so horrible that one look from her will turn any living creature into stone." "I'm so afraid for you." "It must be done." "We've no other choice." "Tomorrow you return to the city." "No, I'm coming with you." "Then sleep now." "We ride at dawn." "So little time together." "So little time." "Sleep now." "Sleep." "The river Styx." "The River of Death has strange powers." "So I've heard." "Time to see if the legend is true." "Here." "You'll need this." "For Charon." "The ferryman." "Remember, one look from her is enough." "If you must see her, use the inside of your shield as a mirror." "Her reflection cannot harm you." "Never look her in the face." "Remember, now it's three against one." "Guard well the shield." "For one day, it will guard your life." "Find and fulfill your destiny." "Thallo!" "Hello, my wet friend." "No." "No, our task is not complete." "If you can fly...." "Good." "And if he's still alive you must try to find Pegasus." "Great Zeus, below on Earth it is now the eve of the longest day." "Very well." "Release the lKraken." "Perseus has won." "My son has triumphed." "A fortunate young man." "Fortune is ally to the brave." "What a dangerous precedent." "What if there are more heroes like him?" "What if courage and imagination became everyday mortal qualities?" "We would no longer be needed." "But for now, there is sufficient cowardice, sloth and mendacity down there on Earth to last forever." "I forbid any revenge against Perseus." "He has done well." "He will be rewarded." "This will make a fine heroic poem, you know." "Or perhaps a play." "Oh, don't worry." "I won't leave you out." "Perseus and Andromeda will be happy together." "Have fine sons rule wisely and to perpetuate his legend I command that from henceforth he will be set among the stars and constellations." "He, Perseus, the lovely Andromeda the noble Pegasus and even the vain Cassiopeia." "Let the stars be named after them forever." "As long as man shall walk the Earth and search the night sky in wonder they will remember the courage of Perseus forever." "Even if we, the gods, are abandoned or forgotten the stars will never fade." "Never." "They will burn till the end of time."