Hercules and the Princess of Troy

Once upon a time in ancient Troy,

this sacred flame burning bright

meant a maiden was to be sacrificed.

Once each month, a brave group gathered on Troy's beach,

and while most Trojans hid in safety

behind the city walls,

the chosen maiden would be sent to the altar rock,

an offering to the sea monster.

Princess Diana,

a maiden soon old enough to become Troy's queen is there.

Petra, her uncle,

now Troy's king, is there, watching like the others,

as the High Priest asks the girl

to fulfill her destiny.

- Come child. - Oh!

The Trojans know too well

that only the sacrifice of a maiden

can appease the Gods.

Only that gift will satisfy the monster's appetite,

keep it at sea, away from the city.

Keep it from devouring the terrorized people.

My heart is heavy,

but it is the will of the Gods.

One single human being must be sacrificed

to save us all from destruction.

The Gods permit us to fight against the sea monster.

Who will do so for your daughter?

I will go.

Oh.

Ortag, may you break the spell which darkens our lives.

No.

Though Troy's law forbids it,

families flee from the city to save their daughters.

But pirates wait offshore,

and most who flee Troy are soon captured.

The fathers and brothers, tortured...

Or made galley slaves.

Mothers and virgin daughters, torn from their men,

are prisoners hidden in the damp black hole below,

and destined now for the slave markets in far-off lands.

But sailing the same sea is the ship Olympia,

with its crew of strong, free warriors.

Carrying home to Thebes,

Ulysses, son of its King.

Diogenes, philosopher, scientist, skeptic.

And the master of The Olympia, Hercules.

Born of a mortal woman,

but fathered by Zeus, King of the Gods.

Like his mother, Hercules is mortal,

even though his father has given him god-like strength.

As befits a godly gift,

Hercules' strength is used in the cause of justice

to protect the weak, to avenge the wrong.

A sail, off the bow!

Hercules.

- Hercules! - Hercules!

Pull away!

The rope. Hurry.

Look, Diogenes, they're fleeing.

They'll never make it.

Cut those men loose!

How long have you been locked down there?

Two months.

But more like an eternity.

Smash their chains, and get them all aboard The Olympia.

And put fire to this ship!

If the wind picks up,

we should be in Troy in less than...

No!

Not one of us wants to go back to Troy.

- Why? - The sea monster.

We'll never let our daughters go back.

The monster has been holding

a shroud of terror over Troy for two years.

He is the evil power,

which is destroying the city and its people.

The ocean casts him out each month.

And every month in Troy, another family mourns in grief.

And so you all fled the city?

We could never go back even if,

even if we wanted to.

We're considered traitors at home.

We violated the law by running away.

What law can prevent a man from protecting his own?

The monster is a curse of the Gods.

No one must escape him.

But you ascribe too many things to the gods, my friend.

Hasn't anyone dared to feed your monster a little steel?

Many have tried.

But none of them has returned.

We will go to Troy just the same.

- What do you mean? - It's simple.

He is impatient to reach Troy,

so he can twist your sea monster's neck.

Is your friend joking?

Yes, he's joking.

But he's also telling you the truth.

I want to free your city from this terror.

You know, this ship is like a magnet,

the way it attracts trouble.

Always complaining.

Why didn't you just stay in Thebes, Diogenes?

With that tongue of yours, you would've made a vicious orator.

To tell the truth, my friend,

I don't mind a voyage to Troy right now,

not in the least.

You see, I have a wife in Thebes

more menacing than all monsters,

including yours.

Over there! A man!

Drop sail, we've arrived. We're in Troy.

With The Olympia beached in the bay of Sirens,

Hercules enters the city.

Troy knows his fame,

admires his great deeds.

But he brings with him,

those who had fled from Troy to save themselves,

those who had broken the law

and had left friends behind to face the terror.

So, instead of cheers,

doubt and suspicion welcome him.

I welcome you to our city, Hercules.

We've heard much of your adventures.

You must be young Ulysses.

Yes.

His father, the King of Thebes,

entrusted him to my care.

In the vain hope that he will learn something about life someday.

And I recognize the wit of Diogenes.

I welcome Hercules' companions as well.

Thank you.

I'm sorry that your welcome cannot also be extended

to the Trojans we brought back with us.

They violated a painful law, but, I must enforce it.

You see, I'm only temporary ruler of Troy.

In two months, I will surrender the throne

to my niece, Diana.

And the only gift I can make her is an example

of a just government,

especially in times of disaster.

Times will change, Petra.

The sea monster will take no more victims.

Would you challenge him?

With your permission.

You alone could face the creature.

But are you aware of the danger of the task?

The seabed beneath the altar rock

is white with human bones.

Hercules will vanquish the monster.

He is the son of the Gods, an immortal.

No princess, my life can also end.

But then, one doesn't have to be immortal

to challenge the sea monster.

One of your subjects did so and didn't die. Ortag.

But we saw him snatched by the black claws.

He wasn't killed. We pulled him from the sea.

At this moment, he is aboard our ship, The Olympia in the bay.

Diogenes has no equal as a setter of bones.

In his care, Ortag will recover.

Ortag may have escaped the fate of all the others,

but are you certain you will be as fortunate?

I have the feeling Petra is reluctant

to accept Hercules' help.

If I've given this impression, then I will correct it at once.

I not only desire it,

but I am ready to offer every assistance possible.

All the world knows the fame

of the two invulnerable horses

the Goddess Minerva gave this city.

Are you ready to offer him these two?

If they can help you, they're yours, of course...

But I fail to understand what use they can be against the monster.

Actually, they're of no use in the sea.

But on dry land, it becomes a different matter.

Then you shall have them.

Let me show them to you.

Fool! No one is allowed to ride those horses.

They're divine and not to be made sport of.

Whoa! Hey, steady, steady, steady.

You disregarded my orders.

Take him away!

Thank you, Hercules.

Forgive this unfortunate incident,

but these horses need all the special care we can give them.

Even the water they drink must be taken from the grottoes of Minerva.

Yet the temptation to ride them

is often too great for my men.

I must admit to feeling tempted myself, Petra.

I should consider it an honor

for you to ride them, Hercules.

And to make any use of them you wish,

in your fight with the monster.

Then we shall try them soon, together, Ulysses.

They're wonderful.

Here.

You can't hurt them.

Maybe they are invulnerable, but,

when I think that this arrow might penetrate them, I...

Allow me, then.

Diogenes does not believe his own eyes.