Original subtitles

Come back in time. Not to a century or a millennium...

..but to an age outside of history, a time of myth and fantasy...

..a time of many Gods and one great hero...

..the time of Hercules.

HERCULES.

Zeus!

It was a time of enchanted forests...

..and secret ceremonies, a time when Gods walked the Earth...

..disguised as men.

A time of magical creatures... Centaurs...

..half man, half horse.

Satyrs... half man, half goat.

It was also a time of war.

Not a war between armies, but a war between Gods...

..as Zeus and Hera fought for power.

Their war became the war of mankind...

..as the followers of Hera...

..battled for supremacy against the worshipers of Zeus.

Drink, poet.

It was a time of Nymphs, bronze-skinned young women...

..who lived forever and protected the forests.

Hera...

..sacred Goddess...

..who oversees the journey of all living things...

..whose embrace is endless...

..and deathless...

..all renewing...

..your children celebrate your Harvest.

The sweet nectar of the Mother Hera.

Oh, Hera.

Yes, fill yourselves with the Goddess, sisters...

..for the sacred ritual is ahead of us this night.

Zeus? Zeus?

Zeus cannot harm us...

..only howl like a jealous child...

..because we worship Hera, Mother of Earth, Mother of life.

Others may abandon her and think her husband, Zeus, is stronger...

..but we know that she is greater.

Fear not.

I am not afraid of the Gods, Priestess.

I am not.

It is those who claim to speak for them that I fear.

A kiss...

..to soften your lips, Linus.

Sing for the Goddess.

* Oh, shining Mother over all *

* the summer fleeced the blast of fall *

* to hide in snow awaiting you *

* to conquer death with life anew *

Holy Mother Hera, we do your bidding.

Make winter Earth fertile once more.

Bring back life from death.

Deianeira, Nymph...

..join us.

You are wasting your time, Alcmene.

That Nymph has chosen the path of the Virgin Goddess.

But I make up for her modesty.

Then I give you the honour of the Harvest King.

Row! Row! Faster, faster!

How do I offend you, Zeus?

Why do you keep me from my marriage bed?

I've kept my vow.

I've slaughtered the Cretan pirates who murdered my bride's family.

What's left of them, I've wrapped in chains as a wedding gift.

Why do you keep me from the arms of my beloved bride, Alcmene?

Zeus rages at the night, Amphitryon, not you. It's the night of Hera's Harvest Festival.

Zeus is master here. The Goddess Hera is dead in Thebes.

Not in Thebes nor anywhere!

I am Antaeus, son of Mother Earth!

If my feet were planted on Hera's sacred soil, I tear you apart!

Not even your God Zeus could save you!

The mark of Zeus is on you, Hera worshiper. Aah!

Wake, chosen one...

..the Harvest King.

Open your eyes and witness the mysteries of Mother Hera.

We honour you, give you greatness, glory.

Hera's Harvest King.

From winter comes spring.

From death comes life.

From winter comes spring.

From death comes life.

Deliver Hera her sacrifice. Aah!

Priestess, he is male and female. He is both.

Hermaphrodite.

You cannot kill him now.

It is sacrilege for a man to see the sacred rites of Hera and live.

He is part woman. Slay the man, you slay the woman.

This, too, is sacrilege.

Zeus marks us. Hera demands his death.

He must die! Give Hera her sacrifice!

From death comes life!

Kill him! No. Kill him.

He must die.

Let the Goddess in you live...

..but the man within you will see no more of what is forbidden. Aah! Aah!

Alcmene!

Yes, I know you!

Even in my blindness, Zeus has given me a new sight!

I am Tiresias, and I say to you, you have offended the Gods!

Zeus will punish you this very night, and Hera will not answer your prayers! Amphitryon.

My husband returns from the sea.

Hera, when my husband set sail...

..to hunt the murderers of my father and brothers...

..I prayed he would not return.

Now his ship rests in the harbour.

Has the husband my father chose for me...

..a man who worships Zeus, returned home defeated or victorious?

Have my prayers been answered?

Amphitryon.

You wear your wedding cloak.

Let me see your face. Speak. No! No! No! No!

CITY OF THEBES.

Cold and empty house.

I was expecting a better welcome, wife.

The welcome is not of my choosing.

- My cloak. How did you get this? - You know very well.

You left it last night after you forced yourself on me.

No, I was stranded on my ship all last night.

And I say to you, you have offended the Gods!

Zeus will punish you this very night...

..and Hera will not answer your prayers!

I love you, Alcmene.

Love me.

Love me. Love me.

It was a Cretan prisoner... Antaeus.

He tore the cloak off me before he leapt overboard.

He even mocked me.

If a child comes, I will kill it.

Which child, lord Amphitryon? There will be two.

Tiresias?

Tell him, Tiresias.

Tell my husband that you know who raped me...

..that it was Zeus disguised in the flesh of Amphitryon.

Don't blame your lust on Zeus.

If a child is born, I will kill it.

I will help you.

Do you think that I would bear the child of your degenerate God?

Did you not hear me?

What business is this of yours? Who are you, blind beggar?

Blind, yes, lord...

..but I can see what you cannot.

Alcmene will bear two sons.

Only one will be yours.

And so I ask again...

..which one will you kill?

King Creon.

- Alcmene! Alcmene! - Megara!

That little minx has no respect for protocol.

Alcmene, Alcmene!

Look at you, my beauty.

What have you brought me this time?

An autumn pomegranate.

The Mother's promise that life will return...

..strong and sweet in spring.

And Hera is the Mother.

The Mother of us all, sweetie.

Zeus is worshiped here.

King Creon won't appreciate you teaching his daughter the ways of Hera.

Creon tolerates some Hera worshipers well enough.

He has invited my uncle, the usurper, to your triumph.

King Sthenelus.

Sthenelus is no King, only a thief.

A triumphant return, Amphitryon.

And to the victor...

..a laurel wreath.

Citizens of Thebes thank you, Amphitryon.

Amphitryon has done us a great service, Sthenelus...

..ridding us of these Cretan pirates at last...

..and avenging the murder of your brother and his sons.

You should make him your heir.

Yes, Creon, the ghost of my brother, the late King...

..and his sons may rest at last.

Amphitryon's done a mighty deed...

..but that's no reason to make him my heir.

He is married to Alcmene, your niece, and you have no sons.

I have daughters. We in the land of Goddess...

..do not fear a woman's rule.

Then why was I denied my birthright?

The throne of Tiryns fell to me when my father and brothers died.

You banished me from lands that are mine.

Because your father wed you to a Zeus follower.

No one disputes Amphitryon's nobility...

..but our people in Tiryns worship Hera. No Zeus lover will ever sit on my throne.

My throne. And I would sit it, not my husband.

And I am no lover of Zeus.

Oh? I've heard differently.

Your new seer, oracle reaches even our faraway court in Tiryns.

Amphitryon will be a proud father.

You have not heard, oh, my oracle, King of Tiryns...

..I have seen more. It is this...

..the next born son of the house of Perseus...

..will ascend the throne of Tiryns...

..and rule all the lands that you rule now.

The wine not to your tasting, uncle?

I am of the house of Perseus.

As am I, niece. As am I.

But you have no sons, my aging uncle.

Sons from the line of Perseus.

And my belly is full of them.

Shh! Shh! Twins, my lord.

I never saw two twins slip out so swiftly. One after another.

Which was first born?

Which was first born?

They come so fast...

My Goddess, I... fool. How will we know?

How will we know who is heir to the throne?

It doesn't matter.

A son has already been born to Sthenelus.

They named his Eurystheus.

He is the next born son of the house of Perseus.

He will rule.

Sthenelus will not cheat me out of my throne again.

I swear to Hera, he will not!

Which of those is my son, and which is...

..Zeus' bastard?

Someone's bastard.

I will find out, husband.

Hush, child, hush.

He wails his despair the deeper we seek Mother Hera's magic.

Only Zeus' son would grow so discontented...

..unlike his fat, happy brother.

If you've decided already, why have we come to this dreary place?

Why, indeed?

Tell, or the next will pierce your flesh.

I seek minions of the great Mother Hera.

Who makes demands of Hera's servants?

Her Priestess Alcmene. Shh! Shh! Shh!

Silence that squalling man-thing.

Or I will.

Wait, sister.

You are Alcmene, violated of Zeus?

Then you know my sorrow?

Two sons... one destined for Hera, the other the spawn of Zeus.

But I do not know which.

You've done well to come here.

The one who suckles at my breast is the son of Hera.

Their names?

Mine I will call Iphicles. Zeus' son deserves no name.

This one suckles strongly and greedily.

Consecrate him to Mother Hera.

I knew he was the one.

He won't let go! Get him off! He bites!

Cunning, cruel Zeus. That is his child.

He bites the breast that feeds him. Ugh!

But name him before you slay him.

Call him Hercules.

Hercules... glory to Hera.

Perfect, sister.

No, you must kill him! I fear the wrath of Zeus.

Fear Hera's wrath.

You bore him. Bury him.

Do not ask where I went or how I know.

- I know that this is my son. - So is this one.

He is a sin inflicted by your God.

If you love me, Amphitryon...

..destroy that which brings us shame.

Let us start again with Iphicles...

..our son and true heir...

..to bind our love.

I am sorry.

It's your fate.

I won't care for him. Keep him away from my son.

He's your responsibility. Yes.

And if he is a son of Zeus, as you claim, I will not be responsible for his death.

I will find a nurse for him.

Your child is hungry.

It's Hercules. Where's your nurse? No...

..it's Iphicles.

Oh, Zeus.

Zeus...

..he must be your son.

Keep your guard up.

Wound. Keep your guard up, Hercules.

Wound. Well done, Iphicles.

Disabling wound, Hercules. Well done, Iphicles.

Disable, oaf. Didn't you hear Chiron?

Fatal wound. Match, Iphicles.

That's enough, clodpoll, you are dead.

No more lessons for today, boys. We've other matters.

Your uncle Sthenelus has died.

Has the old buzzard? Praise Hera.

King Creon requests we attend the funeral with him at Tiryns.

We must prepare.

Does Creon's daughter, Megara, go, too?

All of royal Thebes, including us.

Come on, Iphicles. I will race you home.

You run like a girl.

Iphicles shows some skill with the sword.

He has the cunning of a warrior, but an indifferent passion for it.

It is all merely exercise for his vanity.

You are blunt, Chiron. I chose their trainer well.

And Hercules?

Patient with strategy, but a rare flair for fighting.

Give him a club instead of a sword and point him to the crash of battle.

The bravest soldier will quake at the sight of him. Hyah! Hyah!

CITY OF TIRYNS.

I, Eurystheus, send my father, King Sthenelus of Tiryns...

..to you, Mother Hera.

You should become closer with your cousin Eurystheus.

He sits on your throne only because of the trick of time.

Eurystheus is almost as pretty as your brother, Iphicles...

..don't you think?

I know nothing of pretty men, Megara.

No you wouldn't, but I do.

They're the most beautiful young men here.

You are the most beautiful woman here, Megara.

You are no beauty, but you are bold.

I am Iphicles, son of your mourned father's niece Alcmene.

A part of our family dies with yours.

Oh, my clever son.

That was most moving, Iphicles.

I am Hercules, brother of Iphicles.

Also son of Alcmene and Amphitryon.

As my brother says, we share your grief.

Clod. You diminished my offering.

But his was original. You must admit.

Pluck the strings. Don't throttle them, Hercules. Like your brother.

Very good, Iphicles.

Pay attention.

Since you're so interested in Silenus' affairs...

..we will mix a little biology with music.

What would the offspring of that seduction be if the old goat succeeds? Uh...

..a Nymph, if it's a girl child.

If it's a boy, it would be a Satyr.

Excellent, Iphicles. And if a prehuman mates with a human?

Species is always determined through the father.

Prehuman men breed prehuman children.

Human men breed human children.

So, if I mated with a Nymph, my child would be...

..an idiot. Like his father.

Practice! Practice.

Iphicles is right.

Your child by Nymph would be human.

Not that any Nymph would have him.

Practice.

You make catgut sound as though it were still in the cat.

It will not penetrate that thick skull of yours!

Now practice! Ugh!

Linus! Linus!

Oh, Mother Hera.

Mother!

Hercules has murdered Linus!

No, Iphicles, I didn't mean to!

Murderer! Murderer!

Linus? Linus!

Deianeira, daughter.

What is it, my father?

Linus. He needs your healing touch.

They couldn't even find Linus' body.

Some carrion eater must have dragged it off.

Well, what was their verdict?

Leave us, Iphicles.

Leave us.

I didn't mean to kill Linus.

Enough, Hercules. King Creon and his judges accept your defence and pardon with conditions.

Conditions?

You are banished from Thebes.

But this is my home.

You will tend to my herds in the mountain pastures.

I will send Chiron with you. You will continue training.

You will hunt, and you will eat well.

It's because I am a bumbler, isn't it, an embarrassment?

I know I am not as smart or as fine a son as...

..you are as fine.

No man could ask for a finer son.

I wish you were mine.

What do you mean, father?

I love you, Hercules.

I will always think of you as my son...

..but you were born of greater blood than mine.

I have a gift I've been keeping for you.

Hold out your arms.

You slew these snakes whilst you were still in your cradle.

My son, but not my son...

..your father... Is Zeus almighty.

You can't escape the son of Zeus!

Come here.

You are supposed to be chasing cattle.

Nymphs are so much easier to catch.

And they smell so much better, Chiron.

That wild boar is on the rampage again.

Old ragged tusk?

Finally, some excitement.

I will find him and throttle him bare-handed, like I did these.

You pile of soft flesh, off with you! Oh.

How dare you. You forget who I am.

How can I? You bore everyone with your interminable boasting about it.

You still have no defence.

Your father, Amphitryon, would be ashamed of you.

My father is Zeus, a God!

Get your head out of the heavens.

Your name doesn't earn you respect. Your life does!

Make it have meaning!

You will never be a hero or a God until you learn to be a man first.

I will show that old nag who's a hero.

Let Thebes think me dead.

Wasted myself there.

Losing my edge, composing dreary ditties for dim-witted patrons.

This is the life.

I am content to lull in your forest, Deianeira.

It's the Goddess' forest.

You are welcome to lull as long as you like.

When my head heals, I will go to Tiryns for a while.

They'd appreciate a poet of my skill.

But for now I will seek inspiration in the serenity of nature...

..where you can hear the muses whisper.

So young Hercules has done you a favour.

He's reunited you with the purity of your art.

That lout couldn't recognize art if it impaled him on the end of a javelin.

Not surprising, really, considering his violent conception.

I was there that night...

..you know. So was I, Linus.

I saw Zeus take Alcmene...

..in the shadow of Hera's altar.

I heard her pleas.

I saw the mark of his divinity upon him... a thunderbolt.

Hercules has inherited all of Zeus' brazen audacity.

What?

Ragged tusk, the boar I've been hunting.

Throw me my bow.

Well, well...

..the Goddess Artemis, the huntress herself, in all nature's glory.

Put that down.

But I am a nature lover, Goddess.

I am not Artemis the huntress. I am almost as good an archer.

You will be dead if you don't put down my clothes and go.

But what a vision I will die with when you rise up to shoot.

A Ceryneian hind.

Wait, Nymph!

Hercules.

The ghost of Linus!

Ghost?

I did not mean to kill you.

Do not look upon me!

It was an accident.

I didn't know my own strength.

I didn't know I was the son of Zeus.

- Please forgive me. - Forgive you?

I see how you grieve for your sin, molesting innocent maidens.

Well, the living must go on living.

That sweet Nymph, Deianeira...

..is a Virgin Goddess and sacred.

Go to the Virgin, return her things, beg for forgiveness...

..and vow never to abuse her with your foul lusts again!

Yes, ghost, my foul lusts.

Away, go! Go now!

Go! Go!

Go!

Deianeira!

Virgin Nymph...

..Hercules, son of Zeus, abates himself at your door...

..to crave your pardon and return your...

..away. You don't want to do this now.

Honour demands it.

If ever again I abuse you with my foul lust...

..may your arrow pierce my heart.

Though in truth, Lady, your beauty has already pierced it...

..which is my meagre excuse for my overeager attentions.

Forgive me, Nymph.

Apology accepted given such public contrition.

So, these are the weighty matters with which Demigods fill their days?

Oh, Hercules. I thought you were saving your foul lusts for me.

Megara. Father...

..what are you all doing here?

We came to hunt boar and instead, we find a bore.

Hercules, your cousin Eurystheus...

..and prince Theseus of Athens pay a visit to King Creon.

Theseus? The same Theseus who slew the minotaur?

An honour, prince.

We thought we'd seek some sport with this rogue boar we've heard about.

Ragged tusk. I've been stalking him all morning.

That's not the only thing you've been stalking.

Join us, Hercules. You must know the boar's haunts and habits.

You will need our help.

This is a hunt for princes, not herdsmen and Nymphs.

So many spears for one little pig would hardly be much sport.

Ragged tusk is...

..King of Tiryns.

It would make more than a match for you all.

But surely not for the son of Zeus.

Just let them join us, father.

It may be more sport than you know, Eurystheus...

..to see how a God hunts.

I will bring you back a pelt. Megara.

Whoa. Hercules, ride with me. Ho! Hyah! Hyah!

I will be waiting for my pelt, Hercules!

The leaves are turning.

Hera's Harvest festival is not far off.

And I have a gift for you.

This year, you will be allowed to attend the festival.

My first festival.

You must tell me all that I need to know, Priestess of Hera.

I want to be ready. Whoooooaaa!

Hercules, let the dogs flush him out!

I promised the lady a pelt!

I will show you how a God hunts!

Or how a God dies.

Over there!

I am not giving that lug the glory!

Well, you can die, too.

An empty throne is easier to seat. Ugh! Aaahh!

That pelt should have gone to you.

Your arrow laid ragged tusk alone.

I've never seen a finer shot.

That looks serious. I will send a physician.

Deianeira is a Virgin of the Mother.

The Goddess has taught her well.

Her healing skills are very strong.

He is in more need of her archery skill.

Let them laugh, my son.

You have greatness in you.

Time will reveal it.

Your father is a wise man.

Our paths will cross again.

I look forward to that day.

Farewell, my young friend.

Thank you, Theseus. Farewell. Come now, come.

Megara.

I am sorry. I... did I hurt you?

It's all right. You were dreaming.

Do you always kiss as though you're slurping a leg of mutton?

I am a passionate fellow.

Passion is not all fumbling paws and crushing lips.

No one ever kiss you tenderly?

Your nurse?

Your Mother?

I suppose not.

Don't purse them so tightly.

Make them soft, moist...

..and pliable. Mmh.

Everything need not be a bruising, charging conquest.

Slow sweetness can stir passion, too. Hmm?

Why did you choose the Virgin path?

Because men and women refuse to learn...

..what you have just learned. Love is not a power struggle.

Not war but peace.

Well, I've learnt it.

So I will marry you.

It's more than mere kissing.

It's realizing that passion needs patience.

Victory is sometimes found in surrender.

Some strengths are small and soft.

Besides, I am much too old to marry you.

No. You are a Nymph.

You will remain beautiful for hundreds of years.

Hera, though beautiful, is ancient.

Zeus is young. Ever since they mated, they've been at war.

We could be an example for them.

You, servant of Hera, and I, son of Zeus...

..can show them how to love each other.

Sweet thought, Hercules.

But you don't love me.

Your heart is set on another.

That's as hopeless as Zeus and Hera.

Would you like me to teach you another soft strength? Hmm?

Don't choke it.

It's a bow, not a thunderbolt.

It needs the patience of the Mother, not the force of Zeus.

Caress, not a grope.

Find a balance.

Target's that way.

Remember the balance. Let it fly.

Wait till Chiron sees how I can handle a bow.

You are a much more patient teacher than he is.

Perhaps you've become a more patient student.

I know about the Harvest festival tonight...

..some dark rite that Goddess Hera demands of her followers.

Not some dark rite they demand of her.

I've upset you, Deianeira. Forgive me.

It's not you.

It's just that as the ancient mysteries of this world...

..trickle down through the ages...

..they lose their form and purpose.

And their magic is misused.

And arrogant humans who claim to serve the will of the Gods...

..serve only their own petty ends.

Learn the difference, Hercules.

I will.

Megara.

What happened? Are you hurt?

Megara, it's all right.

Megara! Megara!

Let her go.

Harvest festival is over.

Seems reluctant to go with you.

Now it won't be.

Well, I won't let it go.

See, that belongs to my father, lord Amphitryon.

Amphitryon?

Then I will enjoy stealing it all the more.

I said it's not going anywhere. Hyah!

I lied. Amphitryon is only my adopted father.

Zeus is my real one. Ohh!

Now, get up and fight.

Son of Zeus, I am Antaeus, son of Mother Earth.

Grovel before her.

Hercules! Aah! Aah!

Did you see that?

He lifted you up as though you were a child.

I had an unfortunate view of it, yes.

Hercules...

..you will hurt yourself...

..or worse, me.

Hercules?

If a common cattle thief can do it, so can the son of a God.

Hercules. Hercules!

King Creon.

Megara.

My daughter is with child.

Wonderful!

She says you are the father.

I am proud to say so.

Proud? Violator.

What?

You confess your ravishment?

Ravish? No.

- Seize him! - Megara!

Hercules!

Megara has given birth to triplets... all sons. My sons.

Creon does not harm them?

No. Nor does he acknowledge them as his heirs.

And Megara?

Does her heart soften?

Towards the children. Not towards you, their father.

Nor does Creon's heart.

He's arranged the marriage of Megara and Eurystheus...

..heir to the throne of Tiryns. He wants to unite the Kingdoms.

Stay out of Thebes, Hercules.

You will see home again someday, Hercules.

Only if I return a hero.

A colt is not a centaur, Hercules.

The colt will get bigger.

How will that make you a hero?

Pound by pound.

He must be divine.

Or merely determined.

He has lifted that horse every day since it was a colt.

They have grown bigger and stronger together...

..strength that is wasted up here.

Now isn't a good time for Hercules to return.

A monstrous 2-headed creature ravages the hills around Thebes.

We've called it a Hydra.

What better time? I will slay this Hydra.

More seasoned warriors than yourself have tried and failed.

No one man can kill it. We hunt it in packs now.

I came to tell you. You must stay in hiding.

King Creon and his soldiers are very close.

They're in the lowland pastures, stalking the creature.

Then let me stalk it.

You once said I had greatness in me, father.

I am not going to find it hiding in these mountains.

A hero seeks his destiny.

That destiny might be your death.

If not from the Hydra, then from Creon's soldiers.

Have patience, my son. Your time will come.

I must get back to the King and rejoin the hunt.

My time is now, Chiron.

Aah! Ow! A frightened ghost?

Hercules, help me. Help you?

I want to kill you, spirit!

Let me go. I am no spirit.

Not yet. I've been exiled because of your tricks!

Come along!

King Creon, Hercules... and the creature. Hercules! Aah! Hyah!

Hercules!

No one man can slay it, huh? Aah!

Move about. Distract it.

We must save the King.

Hercules!

The fire sears the necks! New heads can't grow back! Aah! No! Ugh!

Amphitryon, no.

Save the King.

Zeus is your father. He won't forsake you.

Your course is set.

You will be a hero.

You will find the strength within yourself.

A God is in you.

* They cowered, all...

..when fangs were flashed *

* and he alone withstood the foe *

* with flame and club...

..the hero slashed *

* and lay the Hydra's head all alone *

Forgive me, Hercules. I have wronged you.

Allow me to serve you.

I will sing your glories...

..across the land and in the courts of Kings.

Son of Zeus.

Here lies the only father I ever knew.

He raised me...

..believed in me...

..loved me.

I come to do him honour and you.

I shall not forget what you did for me and for Thebes...

..and I reward you.

My marriage to Eurystheus was all but ordained...

..but your brutish son ruins everything.

Creon hails him a hero, and I am his prize.

Pride of the victor.

You should've murdered him in his crib.

I tried. Zeus protects him.

We are helpless to destroy him.

So this is the hope you and Hera offer me?

Have more faith in the Goddess you serve.

One day you will take my place as a High Priestess.

We cannot destroy Hercules...

..but he can destroy himself.

Hera will show the way.

Why does she wait to bring him down?

It is her way.

All things in their season.

The slower vengeance ripens...

..the sweeter when plucked.

Over here, boys.

They're for you.

They come from my friend Chiron the centaur.

He knows horseflesh.

Someday he will train you to be great warriors just like your father.

We have no father! We have no father!

Stop that! Stop!

You will hurt them! Come here!

Mother! Mother! Mother!

You leave them alone.

You should teach them gentler ways.

What do you expect, given their ungentle begetting?

Is that the lie you tell to keep the love of Eurystheus?

I am their father and soon your husband.

You think it that simple?

How can you love what you do not know?

To hunger for my beauty is not love.

One lunatic night on a mountain is not love.

Like Zeus and Hera...

..we must learn to love one another. "must" is a God word.

Hera will never love Zeus...

..and I will never love you.

You are going to die!

You are dead!

Not my children.

His children.

The blood of Zeus flows in them.

They will be Hera's tools to destroy her enemy.

I will never be as great a Priestess as you.

My heart is too tender.

The tender heart makes the truest sacrifice...

..but those children will never serve the Mother.

They're like their father, little brutes...

..like the God they sprout from.

And if you have a child with Eurystheus...

..do you think that they will stand by while you raise another, one conceived in love, above them?

Rid yourself of all your mistakes at once.

From blood comes new blood.

From death comes life. Fresh fruits and vegetables for your table. Seeds, sackcloth, nutmegs from the finest corners of the Earth.

One well-aimed arrow...

..will bring war, Eurystheus...

..and deny you your desire.

Do you think that Creon would surrender his daughter...

..to the man who killed the hero of Thebes?

Let Hera work her way.

The thought of his hard hands bruising your flesh...

..his body crushing yours.

He won't lie with me ever again, I swear.

No, never again.

Eurystheus, get the wedding guests.

Go. Prepare yourself.

I understand no more than Eurystheus.

Why not let him kill Hercules?

Because he won't kill Hercules.

No matter how good his bow-arm, Zeus will protect his son.

Well, then why plot with Eurystheus?

He stands in our way as much as my brother.

If he can't kill Hercules, what good is it to pit one against the other?

Because Hercules may kill Eurystheus.

Give me the word. I will kill him.

That won't get you the throne of Tiryns.

Who do you think that they would prefer...

..you, Iphicles, or Hercules, the hero of Thebes?

Then why have me cosy up...

..with my cousin all these years?

Let Hera work her will against Hercules.

I will not pit you against your brother.

You are afraid of him!

You are afraid of that muck-brained, bumbling ape!

Who has bumbled his way to greatness above you despite your mocking of him.

Oh, my dear Iphicles.

Let this be a war between Hera and Zeus.

The water cleanses past sorrows...

..past sins.

Come to your wife fresh and pure.

Come to your husband fresh and pure.

Two unblemished souls bound together...

..in sacred wedlock.

Hercules?

Gifts for you to give your sons.

Amphitryon's idea.

He had them made long ago, hoping for the day...

..that you could be reconciled with them.

The blood of Zeus flows in them.

Rid yourself of all your mistakes at once.

Gifts...

..for my sons.

Send them away now.

The wedding cup first...

..Lord husband.

You are weary, husband.

I will return later when you're more fit to perform your duties.

I am fit.

Hera and Zeus need not war, Megara.

Let go of me!

Let go!

- Let go of her! - I hate you!

I hate you! Don't hurt my Mother! I wouldn't hurt her!

I wouldn't!

You will not win their affection by abusing their Mother.

It is his head.

Please don't cry, Mother.

She mustn't cry anymore.

He must never make her cry again.

Mother?

Strike it. No.

Strike it.

Strike it! Strike it!

Harder! Harder!

Harder! Harder!

Hercules.

Hercules.

Beware.

Demons. Demons! Aah! Aah! Aah! Hercules.

Murderer!

You murderer! No-o-o-o-o-o-o! Aaahhhh!

He's killed my children!

Demons! I thought they were demons!

Murderer! I thought they were demons!

My so-o-o-ns! Aah! Aah!

Aah!

Aaaaahhhhh!

Hercules, no!

Aaaaaaaaahhhhh! Zeu-u-u-u-s! Aaahhh!

He lives!

Kill him!

Avenge my children!

It was a madness, lord Creon. A madness seized him.

He slew my children!

All in madness. Zeus, with his own thunderbolt, punishes him...

..and I am satisfied with his judgment!

Afraid... afraid to demand his death because he is the son of your God.

A wise man fears his God.

And I annul his marriage to Megara...

..and banish him from Thebes.

But he lives or dies by Zeus' will, not mine.

And if he lives, let him seek the oracle at Delphi...

..and find a way to atone for this horrible sin.

Deianeira.

Damn it!

Deianeira...

Aah!

How long have I been...

Many days.

You've cared for me all this time?

And Linus.

I don't deserve such loyal friends.

You should have let me die. No.

There's nothing left for me but to die.

You can heal the body but not the soul.

You alone must do that.

How?

Be strong...

..and endure what must be endured.

Is it the dreams again?

More memories.

Let them be dreams... Just dark dreams.

Not all of these dreams are dark.

Some would make a Virgin blush.

Only dreams.

In my dream tonight, someone told me to seek out the oracle of Delphi...

..and atone for my crime. That was a memory Creon suggested.

What atonement can there be... For my crime?

I slaughtered my children.

Zeus spared you for a reason.

Seek the oracle.

Priestess of Delphi...

..I am Hercules, guilty of great horror.

How am I to atone for my sins?

From death and disgrace must Hercules be reborn.

Tiresias? You are the oracle of Delphi?

Like nature, Linus, I am many-sided.

One thing is always many things, but balance is all, Hercules.

No riddles, man-woman.

How am I to, as you say, be reborn?

Megara has married Eurystheus.

You must surrender your power and pride in the service of their glory.

Six times must you serve them...

..three times for three slain sons...

..and three times for Hercules... dead as a hero, dead as a God...

..who must be reborn as a man.

He's not dead as a hero or as a God.

Please, Linus...

..the oracle is right.

I believe Zeus' thunderbolt was meant to kill me.

Zeus would not abase his true son before his enemies.

I am no immortal.

Perform your labours for Eurystheus, Hercules...

..and you may still find immortality.

Hercules.

Welcome to Tiryns, my Kingdom.

I come to you stripped of glory...

..naked but for my body... might... and loyalty.

I am your vassal... Here to serve.

If you wish to serve me, murderer... die.

Darling, he will.

You promised. "Trust in the Goddess" he still lives.

My sons have died for nothing.

Your sons died to make way for this child...

..to give you your prince and your throne and to defeat Hercules.

The Goddess has now put him into your power.

How will she slay him?

I've decided your first labour of atonement.

In the far-off land of Stymphalia...

..there is a swamp where dwells certain... Birds.

I've heard of these Stymphalian birds...

..and this marsh.

It was once a lake with sweet water...

..teeming with fish before these birds came.

No wonder Eurystheus wants them killed.

Oh, my lyre.

Who disturbs our peace?

I am Hercules!

Hercules? Hercules?

You know me?

We named you, son of Zeus.

Harpies. They're not birds at all. They're Harpies!

I seek the Stymphalian birds.

You found them.

Hercules! Hercules!

Hercules, the trees!

You are still the best shot in Greece, sire.

I see no place for me in Hera's plan.

Megara gets fatter with child every day.

Iphicles.

Throw it! High!

Forgive me, cousin... brother...

..as I rush to tell you of my success.

You killed the Harpies?

You knew the Stymphalian birds were Harpies, Mother.

I had heard rumours only.

One feather hardly proves you slew them.

A son?

A daughter... a beautiful daughter.

I will name her Iole, after the moon of the Goddess.

Well, you will need your rest.

Oh, my poor, poor sister.

Alcmene...

..cursed of Zeus...

..disrespectful of Hera.

Why didn't you kill Hercules when commanded?

You and your sister should have killed him.

- So, you tear me from my death rest to chide me? - No...

..for an answer?

If you were not strong enough to kill Hercules, what servant of the Mother is?

The Nemean lion.

These unattended flocks are an open invitation for a lion.

What kind of fools let the livestock stray like this?

Frightened fools, stranger...

..too full of misery and too few of us to care anymore.

My village burns empty pyres for bodies that were never found.

- None returned. - This lion?

A lion that doesn't feed on our flocks, only our young men.

First, the unsuspecting were slaughtered.

Then those that went to avenge them were killed.

When no one went to hunt it, it hunted them.

And the lion?

It waits for fools like you.

High on the bluff is its den.

It dares you to come. It knows none return.

- None? - One... Ballioclaude.

With his dying breath, he told of a beautiful woman...

..a captive in the beast's lair.

A woman?

And then he died.

No one knows her name or how he keeps her there.

S-some tried to rescue her but...

..let me guess... none returned.

There's still time for you to turn back, you know.

Nonsense. I am bound by my word to be your servant and bard.

I release you from your bond.

I am also bound to you by my art.

A poet needs inspiration.

Try love.

My deeds can't inspire when...

..they're merely penitence for shameful acts.

That's why they inspire.

An imperfect man can do great deeds...

..and a great man imperfect ones.

And it's not oaths or a poet's need to prattle that binds us...

..but friendship.

Because you are my friend, I will not risk your life in this.

Well, I don't want to miss the beautiful woman.

Damsel in distress...

..talk about inspiration for poetry.

I think this song will require a darker tone than your last.

I've already got the refrain... and none returned. Aah!

* And none returned *

* and none returned * * and none... *

* returned *

- Move. - What?

Move.

Linus, the woman.

Lady... your rescue is at hand.

Kiss me, hero.

Let me know you are real.

You are truly beautiful.

Where is the lion?

Here.

Linus, my bow!

You can't kill it, Hercules! It's a sphinx!

Come on!

Welcome, Tiresias.

So, you left Delphi and you want to set up a shrine in Tiryns.

Why?

My visions tell me great events unfold in Tiryns under your rule.

Really? Well, I do owe you a debt.

If your prophecy had not warned my father...

..Hercules might be wearing the crown instead of me.

Or even you, Iphicles.

What do you see for my daughter?

- Megara... she should not marry. - What?

You doom my daughter to a childless existence.

If she were to marry, her husband will kill you. Yes.

She will remain a Virgin of the Goddess the rest of her days.

Megara, we will have other children.

Set up your shrine, Tiresias.

And many thanks.

I want a son anyway.

Easy, fellow. I am not one of them.

Who did this?

The Cretan bull.

The man they call the Cretan bull!

Cretan bull, Cretan bull.

Our crops, our livestock, our gold, too.

Our people slain, left homeless.

You must do something. Must I?

You expect me to send valuable troops...

..chasing after a common bandit?

From what I've seen, this Cretan bull is no common bandit.

You need no army. You have the perfect man to stop him...

..Hercules.

Chiron is right. Hercules will slay the Cretan bull.

Give us him.

He's yours.

But bring back the Cretan bull alive.

Chiron's tracked them.

They're coming.

Nestor, your men know what to do.

Pay back the debt we owe these pigs. Aah! Aah! Aah! Aaahhh! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!

Antaeus. Aaaahhhh!

You've gotten bigger, boy.

And stronger.

Son of Mother Earth, I return you to her embrace.

Oh, your mistake.

The Earth is Mother Hera's life-force...

..and source of my strength.

No, Hercules! Don't kill him.

Chiron must be avenged!

Eurystheus said bring him back alive.

You won't take me alive.

Hera's Earth sends her strength into me.

Your Goddess washes off of you, Antaeus.

Where's your precious Mother now? Huh? Aaahhh!

Hercules! Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!

The Cretan bull!

He believes his strength comes from the Earth...

..so don't lock him in a dungeon...

..but in a tower high above the ground!

Free Hercules! Free Hercules!

Free Hercules! Free Hercules!

They cheer him.

See how Hera plots.

Eurystheus begins to lose control of his Kingdom.

To Hercules. Wait.

The Mother reveals all in time.

Free Hercules!

Does the King reward Hercules with his freedom?

I remain bound to Eurystheus.

What does he ask of me now?

Nothing.

I ask nothing.

You've earned a hero's rest.

I honour you, as does all Tiryns.

But rest, Hercules.

Rest so you are strong and...

..fit to answer Tiryns' call when she has need of you again.

Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!

They told us to go home.

This was the only home I could think of.

There. Flower nectar should remove the lion scent.

Your horses won't go crazy with fear.

It was a sight, Deianeira.

Even as the sphinx's lips puckered for his...

..her claws gleamed from the gloom to plunder his heart.

Go test that on the horses.

Right.

Linus is sometimes a touch lurid in his turn of phrase.

You've done well, Hercules.

Three labours in barely...

..four years... mighty deeds.

While Eurystheus calls you a slave... People cheer you as a hero.

And pull their children away if I get too close.

I can't find the meaning that Chiron told me life must have.

You are just tired. You need rest.

I need to know where I belong, Deianeira.

I hunger for a home.

I think it's all I've ever hungered for...

..to know who I am...

..where I am wanted.

You are wanted here.

I am welcomed here, but it's not my home.

I have no wife waiting, no children.

I saw Megara's daughter watching me from the palace steps before I left.

She's beautiful, like her Mother.

Hyllus. Mother?

Someone you've often heard me speak of.

Hercules!

Your club.

Mother? Have you broken your vows?

He's a foundling I've adopted.

I've taught him many things.

Like all things in nature...

..he needs the male as well as the female.

The balance is all.

There you are. Rrraarr.

Now, it will be yours in time, my lovely...

..I promise.

But you must be subtle like Hera.

Don't force what can't be forced.

Go put it back... for now.

Ooh, more for me, too. Aah!

He is the brother of your enemy!

Who is also his enemy.

Who could also claim a right to the throne.

I've already given him that right.

What?

I've made Iphicles my heir. Why not?

He's next in blood to me.

Your daughter is next in blood.

Are you mad? If she marries, I die.

If she can't marry, she can't provide heirs.

Can Iphicles can you?!

It seems all the sons you had in you, you gave to Hercules.

When are you going to tell him?

Tell who what?

Deianeira...

..Hercules may be a bit thick when it comes to biology, but I am not.

I could tell Hercules about Hyllus...

..and I could tell Hercules how much I love him.

And Eurystheus might call...

..on the two of you to traipse off for another year or two.

Really go for it. Hard. All the more reason to make the most of your time now.

And if you don't come back?

I don't want to Hyllus a father only to deprive him of one.

Why do you deny him his Mother?

Stop mourning your broken vow.

Tell Hercules you love him.

Tell him Hyllus is his son.

Light and loose. Feel the balance.

Excellent! Now, home to your Mother.

Aw, so soon?

I am hungry.

Come on. I will race you.

Be happy, my son. Hera has spun her web.

Eurystheus trusts and loves you.

Why must my rise come only in his fall?

Forget his embraces. Now you are embraced in the glory of Hera.

Glory's embrace is cold.

Megara... what does Hera spin for her?

Leave Megara to me.

I am Megara...

..Queen to Eurystheus.

The rumours are that you are a Priestess of Hera.

I waste away in this tower so far from the Mother's touch.

Why does her Priestess punish her child?

My husband punishes, not I...

..because you failed to defeat Hercules.

And you, Priestess...

..do you come to mock my failure?

No. I come for your help.

The Mother is all I have left.

Thank you, Priestess.

Your majesty, I remain in your service.

What is my labour to be this time?

You will tame the man-eating mares.

That's not what we agreed.

No, it's better. Let her go on.

Seek the mares on the isle of Lemnos...

..tame them.

And what proof do I bring back that these mares have been tamed?

The golden cingle...

..worn by the leader of this herd.

Hercules and Linus leave already?

Back to Thebes to find a ship to sail to Lemnos.

Few know about the man-eating mares. How did you?

The Cretan bull knows many of the Mother's secrets.

That was clever of you to suggest it, but you might have told us.

My husband no longer shares his counsel with me.

You might have told me.

You do know that Iphicles is only named heir as a precaution against Hercules?

You may yet have more children with Eurystheus.

How? He is not in my bed at night.

Help me, Alcmene.

Somehow I've offended Mother Hera...

..perhaps because of my foolish mistake with Hercules...

..or because I bore his children and to my shame, I mourn them still.

Perhaps I've resisted her plan somehow.

Help me to do penance to the Goddess...

..prove to her my loyalty and devotion.

Child, if I can, I will.

Surrender to me...

..the duties of High Priestess...

..on Hera's Harvest festival.

You have trained me since childhood to serve her.

Give me this.

Let me prove myself.

On the same night, the mares of Lemnos will run.

Swiftness and agility over strength, Hercules. Ha ha!

I could get in 10 punches to your one. Ooh.

I only need one.

Hyllus, what are you doing here?

Jason, you have to take him back to Thebes.

No, we go on. When is the next round? Who will fight me?

I suppose he's your problem now.

Deianeira is going to kill you.

Deianeira's going to kill me.

Now, wait here.

I want to see you tame the mares.

This is my labour, Hyllus, and I have to do it by myself.

Make sure he behaves himself. We will manage.

Take your pick, Hercules!

Theseus! What are you doing here? And who are all these women?

I was shipwrecked here months ago.

And rescued by my beautifull saviour...

..Hippolyta, queen of amazons.

Hippolyta found me under the shattered hull of my ship...

..and nursed me back to health.

Greece thanks you, queen Hippolyta.

We can't afford to lose such a great hero.

Also good a friend.

When do we tame the mares, Hercules?

The mares come only once a year.

But if there are men on the island, the mares will have their flesh.

The year has come 'round. The mares will run soon.

Sail away from here with Hercules, my love.

You must leave here.

I will not sail without you, Hippolyta.

I've told you before.

And I will not leave until I've tamed these mares.

Why don't you just kill them?

We serve Hera...

..and they are the Mother's creatures.

Some divine necessity of the Mother drives them to do this.

But the season is here.

They will come soon.

You must not be here when they do.

Hercules! Hercules!

I can't find Hippolyta! The women are gone!

Thank you, Alcmene, for giving me this chance...

..to appease the Mother.

Have you chosen your Harvest King?

I have.

Pass the laurel leaves among our sisters.

The mares.

Come, Priestess.

The Harvest King is bound and waiting. Ohh!

Jason, no!

Show him Hera's power.

Say the words, Priestess.

Do what must be done.

From winter comes spring.

From death comes life.

From winter comes spring.

From death comes life.

Deliver Hera her sacrifice.

No, mom! No! No-o-o-o-o! Iphicles! No! No! No!

Slower vengeance ripens...

..the sweeter when plucked.

I love her, Hercules.

You know what it's like to go mad.

I will take her away. Don't kill her.

I came here to tame the mares, not kill them.

I bid you to leave.

I could not stop it.

It has always been done.

Some dark thing of the Goddess demands it.

The dark thing is you not Hera.

These are the work of mortals not Gods.

You choose to let superstition and empty ritual steal your will.

Do you really think this is what the Goddess wants?

Blood and grief?

If so...

..take my blood.

Don't hide behind magic that turns you into mindless, unfeeling things.

And don't blame Hera for what has always been your choice.

It is not the will of the Goddess.

Help me.

Please don't let his body be left here.

It was not the Goddess who was against me.

It was you.

You...

..who, after Hera...

..I loved most of all.

You...

..who, since my earliest childhood...

..taught me the magic of my sex...

..the secret ways of the Mother.

But they were just your ways.

They were the ways of a bitter...

..denied woman stripped of power.

And I learned my lesson well.

Look on your creature.

I am just like you. Oh! Oh!

How dare you run away. I should be...

..I already have. Scolded him regularly for it. Oh.

You brought him back... and yourself.

Brought me back, too.

Oh. Linus. Ah!

Hyllus? My son?

Forgive me. Forgive you...

..when you've given me such joy?

For not telling you sooner.

It happened one... I remember. The dream. You gave up your vows... for me.

You have a home now...

- ..if you want it. - Oh, I want it.

Hercules has shown the women of Lemnos...

..that Mother Hera is not found in blood rites...

..and magic icons of power.

We surrender this to Hercules...

..tamer of the mares of Lemnos.

And in surrender, find strength and victory. No!

Your Mother is right, Iole.

There is a darkness within its beauty.

Your proof of my completed labour, queen.

And to make sure the mares... Ohh!

Hercules, you have done what no King could...

..do in ridding us of these blood rites. Zeus would be pleased.

It was Mother Hera who showed me the way.

I am sorry to say your own brother was a victim of these last Harvest festival rites.

My Mother must be much grieved.

You have triumphed in your labours...

..and brought honour to Thebes!

Thank you, lord Creon.

But I have not yet triumphed in all of my labours.

I have two left.

What is my next one to be, Eurystheus?

A contest between you and me.

Bows and arrows.

And the target?

The Ceryneian hind. No!

You are not afraid, are you?

If it is my labour, then I must perform it.

First shaft to bring the deer down wins.

And to make it interesting, a side wager.

If you lose, I add another labour.

And if I win, do I get to take one away?

No. You ask any other boon, and I will grant it.

Then I ask it now, in front of all of these good people...

..so you can't refuse it.

If I win this wager, reunite the house of Perseus...

..under one rule by betrothing my son, Hyllus, to your daughter, Iole.

Never.

Megara... No labour I can ever perform will erase my crime...

..or ease your pain.

Let's not bury our children's future in our past grievances.

The union of Iole and Hyllus can heal the bad blood between our warring families...

..perhaps even between Zeus and Hera.

Let's put an end to it.

That is the boon I ask.

Done.

If you kill the hind, Hyllus will never forgive you.

It's a sacred animal. To spill one drop of its blood is sacrilege.

Believe in your teacher, Deianeira. Believe in me.

So, you forgot the prophecy of Tiresias.

If Iole marries, her husband will slay you.

You forget I am the greatest archer in Greece.

I will win, and I will once more assert my power over Hercules.

He's never been in your power.

He does these labours for his own honour, not your whim.

For the sake of your vanity, you waste an opportunity to destroy him.

Except he isn't destroyed, is he?

Against plot of your Goddess...

..he triumphs, and everyone heaps scorn on me.

I am shamed before my subjects and my fellow Kings...

..and Hercules... he's worshipped as a hero.

From now on, I will trust in my own skill rather...

..than in Hera's fumbling help.

She's useless against my enemy.

Nor do I forget she killed something I prized.

So, this is all about Iphicles.

You not only want revenge on Hercules, but on me and Hera also.

Well, you may still need us yet, Eurystheus.

Whoever kills the sacred hind...

..there's still one labour left.

Two. After I kill it.

It's agreed then. Creon will judge any dispute.

Loose the dogs.

They've cornered it.

Hyllus! Aah!

Hercules, no! Hyllus.

What a shot...

..between the bones and sinews of both forelegs.

I had never hurt the hind.

It isn't dead.

I appeal to the judge.

The first shaft to bring it down... that was the wager.

Hercules brought it down without shedding its blood.

See you at home.

I cry foul. It was a trick. His son tried to ride me down.

The boy was more of a disadvantage to me.

You wouldn't have cared if you'd shot him or not.

I wish I had.

Your whelp will never marry my daughter.

I will not put another child of mine into his murdering hands.

If you can break your bargains, then so can I.

Until you honour your word and wager, your last labour remains undone.

Then let it be on your head.

We did not demand that you do these labours.

The Gods did for murdering my children.

If you honour your vow, all will see he's broken his vow.

No one would be happier for you to abandon these labours than me.

No one. But if you do, you've much to lose.

More to lose if you finish them.

Megara will yet find a labour which will kill you.

Even before the labours, we...

..we have plotted your destruction.

Why, Mother?

Because you are the son of Zeus.

You are the enemy of Mother Hera.

And because I wanted the throne which was rightfully mine for Iphicles.

I never sought your throne, Mother.

All I saw were those who barred our way...

..Eurystheus... you...

..your sons.

My sons?

Do not complete these labours, for you have no cause.

No cause?

No cause?

Hercules! These labours have meaning.

I enslave myself to my enemies...

..over a crime that I did not commit.

Show me the meaning in that.

These labours have become the struggle for the soul of Tiryns...

..and the heart of its people.

Your labours have become the battlefield in the war between Zeus and Hera.

I do not choose sides in Zeus and Hera's war!

The only soul I struggle for is my own.

I am no one's symbol or saviour, Deianeira.

You are whether you wish it or not.

That is what a hero is.

Finish the task you agreed to, Hercules.

Then the Gods punish me for a crime of which I am innocent.

You slew the children.

Defending myself whilst bewitched by others.

I have told you the Gods' will.

Defy them if you wish.

I am tired of others telling me what the Gods want.

I will be my own oracle, speak to them myself.

Gods and men, hear the oracle of Hercules.

I pray to Zeus and Hera...

..Apollo and Artemis...

..Ares and Athena...

..to Poseidon, Aphrodite...

..Pluto, Demeter...

..and all the other Gods and Goddesses!

I pray to them one and all and all as one...

..and to all Gods, I make sacrifice...

..not a sacrifice of blood...

..but of reverence to their nobility...

..their love, their honour, their courage...

..their kindness, their justice.

But to their pettiness, their wantonness...

..their cruelty, their savagery...

..their vanity, their injustice...

..I make no sacrifice.

I pay no reverence.

I deny all that is ungodly in them!

I will worship the beauty they have bestowed...

..my fellow beings, the animals...

..the mountains and seas and green Earth...

..the sky, and the light of the sun...

..and the moon and the stars that keep us from the darkness.

I will worship and try to emulate...

..all that is great in the Gods... nothing more.

If that is not good enough for them... So be it.

When my time comes, they can judge me worthy or not.

But if they are truly great and truly just...

..then they can ask no more of any man than what I offer them.

He will be back now.

I know him.

Then let him come...

..and let his doom be my way.

Will it be his doom? You failed before.

This time, I will destroy him.

Even so, the triumph of his death will go to Eurystheus...

..and he will still rule.

Not for long.

To the one who slays Hercules, all Kingdoms will kneel.

And to you, my queen.

Then Zeus will tumble...

..and Hera will reign supreme once more.

Yes.

Let it be your way.

This is my last chance.

You are my last hope.

Wear this into battle.

I want it to be the last thing he sees when you kill him.

I want him to know who brings about his downfall.

So our servant returns.

Did the Gods not answer your prayers yesterday?

I've come to finish my labours...

..not for you...

..not for the Gods...

..but for my own honour.

Since you return chastened...

..I will allow you to serve me in this last labour...

..and forgive you your demand of my daughter.

Don't take pride in your broken vow, King.

When I return, I will no longer be your slave...

..and I will demand again what you refuse on fair request.

If you return, Hercules.

In the far corners of our Kingdom is a lake.

Its waters flow into the bowels of a great mountain that belches smoke.

Inside this mountain, the water turns into a river of fire called the Styx.

- The river of Hades. - Yes. The river of Hades.

The realm of the dead.

The flaming waves of the Styx lead to the gates of Hades.

Guarding these gates is Cerberus, the 3-headed dog.

Hercules must bring him back to us.

If this isn't hell, it's close enough.

Maybe there is a 3-headed dog.

Is that the gate to Hades?

Pretty doghouse.

Now where's the dog?

Hercules, look!

You can look for him if you get past me.

So the dog is really a bull. Well, why not?

Birds become Harpies, a lion a sphinx.

Why shouldn't a dog be a bull that is really just a man?

But I've beaten the man before.

Not in my domain you haven't.

Here, I am invincible! Aah!

No, Hercules, don't kill him! He was the one with Alcmene.

I saw the thunderbolt on his arm, and I thought he was Zeus...

..but he may be your father.

Amphitryon gave me this.

Maybe I paid him back by usurping his bride night.

Now Hera will be served.

I know who you serve!

And it doesn't matter who my father is...

..Zeus, Amphitryon, or Cretan.

It doesn't matter!

I am not my father!

Yes, Antaeus...

..seek the Mother's strength.

I will earn my own.

My birth doesn't matter, only my life.

I make it have meaning, no one else.

We are not Gods, Antaeus, only men.

Only very strong men! Aah! Hyah!

Father! Father! Whoa.

Hercules.

Mother, I relieve you of a long burden.

My life is chained to burdens. Which one, my son?

I killed the man you thought my father, and he was not Zeus.

I will do no penance for his death, Tiresias, whether my father or not.

Your labours are done, Hercules.

Even though I don't bring back Cerberus?

What do you bring back?

Myself.

It is enough.

Will Eurystheus think so?

Will he honour his bargain...

..and betroth Iole to Hyllus?

Your labours are done, Hercules, not your war with Eurystheus.

You will find no victory there until the highborn woman of Tiryns dies.

No more prophecies, Tiresias.

I will not kill Megara to get Iole for my son.

Megara is not of Tiryns. She is its queen.

She is not its queen.

The throne is mine and through me, yours.

I don't want your throne, Mother.

I will exact no revenge for you.

I do not ask you to.

I ask nothing from you.

But it is time that I do something for you.

I have never kissed my son.

I do not know how to live in your new world, Hercules.

And I have wronged you for so long.

Let me give you victory now.

Yes.

Mother!

I am the highborn woman of Tiryns, and I gladly die.

Where's the 3-headed dog?

Where is the dog?

You are a coward!

This is our triumph.

Guards!

Bow to your master.

No longer my master. My labours are done.

Are they? You hear the crowd. They ask the question...

..I ask... where's Cerberus, the hound of Hades?

I don't have him.

Coward.

Where is the 3-headed dog?

The only dog I found had one head, and I killed it!

Here's his collar.

Sad, savage pair.

To have no greater ambition than to thwart me.

You serve neither men nor Gods.

What do you know of Gods? When have they ever smiled on you?

It doesn't matter if the Gods smile on me or curse me.

I make my own destiny.

Give Hyllus and Iole the chance to make theirs.

No!

He tries to steal my child. Seize the traitor.

Seize him!

See, Tiryns? The great hero turns on his masters.

Hercules!

Remember who captured the Cretan bull!

Nemea remember its debt to Hercules!

Flank left! Flank right!

He failed. He failed!

He has disgraced himself!

He's no hero! Aah! Aah!

Go hide yourself.

He slew children. He defies me, his lord!

He defies the Gods with blasphemous prayers. Aah!

Eurystheus...

..I don't want your throne.

Stay your weapons!

Unite the house of Perseus through our children.

Just keep your word...

..and there will be a better future for all.

Hyllus!

Drop your bow, Hercules, and the boy lives.

Shoot me and he dies.

If I drop my bow, you will kill us both.

Hyllus, do you trust me?

With my life, father.

It will be your life or your father's.

My arrow's pointed at his head. Now lower your bow, Hercules! No!

Hyllus will never marry Iole.

It seems...

..Tiresias' prophecy comes true.

The union of our two children will heal all ills.

Not my ills.

Hercules!

Hercules! Hercules! Hercules! Hercules! Hercules! Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!

A poet is no priest, but he knows love when he sees it.

Drink from the wedding cup.

May your life together forever be as sweet as the wine you share.

The labours are over, woes all depart.

Home comes the hero, home to his heart.

We, the children of nature, have no words or rituals...

..to bless the blending of two hearts, my love.

Our hearts need none.

I offer only a prayer.

May Hera and Zeus find the love that we know.