02x03 - Winter is Born

[bunniefuu]

I saw a bolt of lightning last night.

Odd, considering
there wasn't a cloud in sight.

You wouldn't know
anything about that, would you?

You're gonna have to learn to control it.

And that won't be easy.

Wielding that kind of power
can become intoxicating, if you let it.

So, to what do I owe the pleasure?

I was hoping you could help me.

If I wanted to find the sword
Zeus forged for me, how would I do it?

Why?

It's... all I have left of him.

Is that the only reason?

Well, you'll need some adamantine,

but not just any adamantine.

It must be mined from the same vein
you drew the sword from.

Place it in here,

and she'll lead you to your sword.

- Thank you.
- If you decide to go, be careful.

The last I heard, the sword
was still lodged in Talos's head.

Half of them have come
to say their goodbyes.

While the other half are here
to confirm the thunderous demise.

Father was complicated,

which is a kind way of saying flawed.

But no one dared challenge him.

Except for Hera.

Is he really gone?

Gone from here.

After tomorrow's ceremony,
he'll journey to the Underworld.

But... he's an immortal.

How can he die?

We don't die the way mortals do.

But we are judged, nonetheless.

And we can take comfort in the fact
that he d*ed well.

But we can fade into the abyss
of the Underworld if we're forgotten.

So we must tell the tales
of our father's deeds.

Remind others
to make offerings in his name.

I promise you, my followers will build
many temples in his honor.

I won't allow our father to slip away.

And while we safeguard
his legacy on Earth,

we must protect it here as well.

The League of Olympus
united all of the divinities of Hellas.

But there are no never-ending alliances.

Only the fear of our father and uncles
kept the others at bay.

Where is the Lord of the Underworld?

BLOOD OF ZEUS

Take a walk with me.

Do you know where we are?

My heart aches, and my senses fall,

for into the Lethe River I've sunk.

Every time I pass,
I contemplate drinking its waters.

For the Lethe erases
all memories and pain.

Frees you of the past
and all that ails you.

But I don't.

Do you know why?

What would become of my wife?

My children?

They'd still be bound to this place.
As would I.

Maybe one day,
we'll be free from it...

in the world above.

That is what I hope for.

Happiness. Real happiness.

And you could have the same.

Wish for felicity,

and the river will show you
your happiest memory,

so that you may feel joy again.

I know the pain that grips you.

The greater the love,

the greater the sorrow.

I've lived it too.

I never wanted this realm.

The poets tell tales of my vast treasures.

And all the realms I hold sway over here.

But they don't know the truth.

Living in the Underworld poisons you.

There's only so much you can endure.

I didn't have the sky or the sea.

My kingdom...

was a prison.

One that not even I could bear.

No one wants the constant shriek
of the dead.

My time away
from the Underworld is limited.

And an overwhelming pain sets in

when I'm gone for too long.

I still remember the first time I saw her.

No amount of pain could keep me away.

She was the shelter I needed.

The tenderness that I missed.

Who's there?

I knew her mother, Demeter,
would never approve of me,

that no goddess,
especially a ray of light like Persephone,

would want to live in the Underworld.

But when you're cut off from the world,
seeing someone like that is a gift.

You not only need it,

you feel compelled to return to it.

No.

There, there, my friend.

But what could I offer her?

There, there.

For your equine friend.

I thank you.

It's you again, isn't it?

The one who visited me before?

Why don't you show yourself?

I wanted to,

but I knew
there would only be heartache if I did.

So I decided to stop visiting her.

I, too, know what it's like
to love someone you cannot have.

I, too, know what it's like
to live in isolation and pain.

My prison was the Underworld.

Yours was that forest,

where you hid from Acrisius and his sons
as they hunted you down.

The priestess was the star
in all your darkness.

While Persephone was mine.

And just like you,
as hard as I tried, I couldn't stay away.

I began to visit her

and speak to her from the shadows.

When all you know is darkness,

you seek light.

We both found a safe haven in them.

A peace we never thought we'd know.

Gardening has taught you
to see the world differently.

How so?

Well, you notice the details
in everything.

The veins on the leaves,
the moisture of the dirt.

Paying attention to those details
is vital for the survival of your garden,

which is why you appreciate
even the smallest of blessings.

You give me too much credit.

The truth is, gardening is an escape.

From what?

My mother.

She means well, but she's...

She's difficult.

How so?

Well, for one,
she keeps pestering me to marry.

Well, you can't blame her for that.

She wants you to be happy.

I don't need a man to be happy.

If she knew me at all,

she would never make arrangements
with suitors without my consent.

Are they all really that bad?

All she cares about is royal descent.
But they're so full of themselves.

Especially Ares.
The mere thought of him nauseates me.

They're not like you.

You appreciate
even the smallest of flowers,

or just talking here in this field.

You actually listen.

I feel like you know me
in a way they never will.

I look forward to next time.

And I as well.

I was in love.

But I vowed not to cross that line.

As you did too.

It got harder and harder each day.

It was driving me insane.

My desire to see her only grew and grew.

I've missed you. Where have you been?

So, it's true.

There's someone else.

- What are you doing here?
- Who is he?

I just want to know
who I'm competing with.

You're not competing with anyone.

You've already lost.

Don't be so sure.

Are you drunk?

I brought you a gift.

It's made of chromium steel,

and the leather is from the finest
of Zeus's heifers.

You shouldn't have.

- Try it on.
- Please don't touch me.

Hey, what are you doing? Get off me.

Enough, Ares!

Go, or I'll cut you down.

Are you all right?

- Yes.
- So, he's the one.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

And you should watch
who you thr*aten, old man.

You're an even bigger fool than I thought.

Leave, or there will be bloodshed.

I choose bloodshed.

No!

It's over!

No.

It's just begun.

Thank you.

I thought
you'd never reveal yourself to me.

I brought this for you.

What is it?

A parting gift.

What? Why?

I can't bear to see you,
knowing that we can't be together.

I want to be with you. I do. I love you.

But I don't want to hurt my mother either.

As difficult as she is,

I love her too.

I understand.

But now I know what I want

in a way I didn't know before.

What about your mother?

My mother must learn to accept
what I want.

When two souls are meant to be together,

nothing can keep them apart.

No, don't!

If you eat the food of the dead,

you'll be bound to the Underworld

forever.

It's... your mother.

I have scoured
the heavens and Earth for you.

What happened?

Are you all right?

Hades saved me.

Saved you?

I don't know what I would have done
if it wasn't for him.

Mother, there is so much
I have to tell you.

You can tell me at home.

Let's go.

I'm not going.

I'm staying here.

Mother.

I've decided on my suitor.

You can't be serious.

I am.

My dear, you are upset.

Now is not the time
to make rash decisions.

No, I've never been more certain
of anything in my life.

Listen to me.

You're a flower, child.

With no sunlight,
you will wither and die in this dank hole.

I won't allow it.

Now, let's go.

I'm sorry, but my mind's made up.

What are you doing?

I'm cutting the cord.

No!

Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds,

binding herself to the Underworld.

For me.

Only Demeter wouldn't stand for it.

She told everyone I kidnapped her,
and was so furious,

she brought desolation
to the fields of the Earth,

demanding Persephone's return.

To appease her, Zeus decided
that since Persephone ate six seeds,

she would spend six moons here
and the other six with Demeter.

But during the time she spends here,

Demeter makes certain
everyone suffers as she does.

That's why the Earth
sleeps under frost each winter.

But I've had enough.

I refuse to have my wife
stripped away from me time and time again.

To watch my children shed tears
at the start of each spring.

The time has come to take action,

and no one understands that
better than you.

Look there.

They are the wraiths
who cannot afford to cross.

Drifting aimlessly in torment.

You never knew what happened to her.

But death reveals all.

She was going to abandon her vows

and all the honor that come
with being a priestess.

For you.

You were going to run away together.

But two days before you were set to leave,

you found out where the man
that gave you that scar was.

The man that cut down
the woman who raised you.

She begged you to run away with her,
to let go of the past.

Do you remember what she said?

"Don't let hatred turn you
into the very thing

you set out to destroy."

Yes, but you didn't heed her words.

You broke your promise,
and you struck out seeking revenge.

We both know what happened next.

You didn't meet her in the forest.

Instead, you were reborn that night.

And when you finally
could go look for her,

you couldn't find her.

Because she was here.

What happened to her?

Tell me.

Why? You can't change what happened.

But you can help her.

She doesn't recognize you.

She only sees the monster you've become.

Let go of your rage and help her.

Give her the peace she deserves.

But this is your last chance.

I won't offer it again.

Look at her! Look at how she suffers!

Help her. It's your fault she's here.

Help me, and we can put an end
to the suffering of our loved ones

once and for all.

All right.

But only if you promise to bring her here
and have her drink the water.

I want her to lose all memory of me
and the pain that I caused her.

Help me!