[Woman] Egypt is dead.
Our empire was once vast and unchallenged.
The sound of our approaching army struck fear in the hearts of our enemies.
Now we cower behind our borders.
We trade. We barter. We negotiate.
If my father were still alive, he would strike us all down as traitors!
We have allowed ourselves to become weak and small.
But in our hearts, we are just as strong as our ancestors.
Greece is defenseless.
Their gods were nearly destroyed by the deity Dahak.
If we attack now, they won't have a prayer.
Why attack a country that's not a threat?
The Greeks are strong and proud.
They won't take long to restore their former glory.
We've achieved great prosperity through peace.
And while my dear Amensu is too young to remember,
the rest of you will know that war brought us nothing but death.
[All Muttering]
I have invited Greece's most famous and noble son...
to discuss an alliance,
and I will not have this court entertaining matters of violence!
Be careful, Mother. You may find yourself in the minority on this one.
Then it's a good thing I am queen.
Your proposal is rejected.
Once again, my mother demonstrates...
her courage and wisdom.
If the Greeks are coming,
then we must prepare a feast in their honor.
This court is adjourned.
Well done, Mother.
I only wish your sister was more behind our cause.
[Iolaus] So then the-the good god, Osiris,
was persuaded by the evil god, Iset, to-to lay down in the sarcophagus.
But you see, what Osiris didn't realize... Was that it was all a trap.
Osiris was killed, and that's when he became Lord of the Underworld.
I didn't realize you knew so much about Egyptian history, Herc.
Well, when you hear the same story four or five times in one day,
you start to catch on.
Sorry, buddy. It's just, l-I'm so excited!
I mean, it's Egypt! You know? The Sphinx, the Nile and... and the food.
Oh, I can't wait to get my first bite of genuine Egyptian asp.
Mmm-mmm, goody. Herc, this should be further over.
Hey! Guess how many stones there are in the Great Pyramid.
I don't wanna guess. Oh, come on!
I don't know. What... Uh, 2,300,000.
Don't you get tired of being right all the time? Uh, no.
I don't want to disappoint you, buddy,
but I don't think we're gonna get a chance to do a whole lot of sightseeing.
Huh? Queen Nefertiti said...
her advisors are in a conquering mood.
Hopefully, we can show them that Greece is a friend. Hercules is right.
From what I've heard, there's been a lot of unrest in Cairo lately.
Oh, come on. Since Queen Nefertiti took over,
Egypt has been one of the most peaceful countries in the known world.
I guess we'll find out when we get there tomorrow.
Actually, Hercules, we've made good time. We'll reach Egypt tonight.
[Chuckling] Yes!
Hey! Do you wanna know what they do with the pharaoh's insides before they mummify him?
Do I have a choice? Huh?
Sure, yeah. I said, yeah. Who wouldn't wanna know?
Okay, so first, they have to take the brain out.
So they get this long kind of spatula thing, and then they go up the nose.
[Footsteps Approaching]
Maybe we're, uh, early.
It looks like nobody's up yet.
[Hercules] Strange. What?
The royal palace...
not a guard in sight.
Something's not right.
[Screams]
There it is.
I hope we're interrupting.
What do you think that does?
Well, why don't you find out?
Any closer, she dies!
I haven't heard that one before.
[Nefertiti Screaming] Iolaus!
[Man Narrating] This is the story of a time long ago,
a time of myth and legend,
when the ancient gods were petty and cruel,
and they plagued mankind with suffering.
Only one man dared to challenge their power...
Hercules.
Hercules possessed a strength the world had never seen,
a strength surpassed only by the power of his heart.
He journeyed the earth, battling the minions of his wicked stepmother, Hera,
the all-powerful queen of the gods.
But wherever there was evil,
wherever an innocent would suffer,
there would be... Hercules.
- [Screeching] - [Roaring]
Hail!
[Screaming]
- Iolaus! - What?
Hang in there, buddy! [Gasping]
I'm busy!
Hold on! Herc!
[Shouts]
Come on.
I gotcha.
[Cries Out] Whoa!
This is just a guess, but you must be Hercules.
Um...
Thanks. Mmm!
Scarab pudding. Wow!
Herc, you gonna eat that?
It's all yours, buddy. Thanks, buddy.
Mmm!
Hercules, Iolaus,
we are honored by your presence.
May this be the beginning of a fruitful relationship...
between our two lands.
I would like nothing better. To peace.
Yeah, to peace. [People] Peace.
Peace is the last defense of the weak.
My daughter's tongue is sometimes too quick for her brain.
Hmm. Iolaus has the same problem. Huh?
Oh, wow!
Asp stew! I've always wanted to taste this! Yeah, you told me.
We've heard many stories of the legendary Hercules.
And considering the events of last night, I'm starting to believe them.
Thank you for saving my mother's life.
You're welcome. Do you have any idea who would wanna harm your mother?
I'm afraid that could be almost anyone.
My mother's policy of peace at all costs is not being received as well as she had hoped.
Even by her own daughter.
She and my mother have...
differing views on how to run our kingdom.
And this is neither the time nor the place to discuss it.
Still, I'd like to help out in any way I can.
[Scoffs] Are you saying that our government cannot handle its own affairs?
He's doing nothing of the kind.
Your offer is generous, Hercules,
but asking a guest to take on such a responsibility...
would be considered an offense in our country.
You've already done more than enough.
To be honest, I'd be more offended if I couldn't help.
[Garbled] That's true.
As you wish. You have the run of the palace...
on one condition.
You must take some time to experience the beauty and serenity of our land.
For now, please,
enjoy the bounty provided us by the Nile.
Um could somebody pass me the locust cake?
Thanks.
Don't you think you should pace yourself? Huh?
Iolaus, did you find anything?
[Groans] I don't know, Herc.
I can't find anything suspicious.
Oh, boy. [Stomach Gurgling] I gotta sit down.
Yeah, we're missing something.
Those assassins couldn't have disappeared without a trace.
[Stomach Sloshing] [Groans] Well, no one saw them leave the palace.
Maybe they never went out that door.
[Belches, Groans]
I think I had too many locust cakes. [Stomach Sloshing]
What are you lookin' for? Well, I'm looking for a...
a secret passage.
Herc? There's a secret passage. Herc?
Now we know one thing...
It was an inside job.
[Amensu] I'm sorry that we have to meet in secret,
but I do it only for the good of Egypt.
The queen has diverted our military resources to the arts and sciences.
You know as well as I do that scrolls and statues won't protect us...
when our enemies come banging on our doors.
Nefertiti has brought nothing but good fortune to Egypt.
The queen has lost sight of everything that our great empire once stood for.
Any loyal Egyptian would know that.
Soon you will be faced with a choice.
You can allow the queen to tear down our kingdom stone by stone,
or we can work together to resurrect the Egypt of our ancestors.
Your actions will determine the future for this land for us...
and for our children.
I thank you for your time. May Ra shine upon you.
[All] Praise be to Ra.
Interesting speech.
Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Hercules.
It's liable to get your head cut off.
- What do you think about that? - Well, I think it's potentially fatal.
It's good delivery, excellent style. I'd give it a 4.5.
Style I'll give you, but originality? Nah. 3.0, tops.
You don't have any idea what's going on here.
From what I can tell, your mother has done...
everything in her power to bring peace to Egypt.
Now, what's wrong with that? Oh, so she has you fooled as well.
Frankly, I'm surprised. I thought you were more intelligent than that.
- My mother is not the saint that you make her out to be. - What do you mean?
You wouldn't understand. Enlighten us.
I don't have time for this.
Oh, but you have time to plot against your mother.
Why don't you get on your boat and go home before you overstay your welcome?
Can't. We spent all our frequent sailor miles just to get here.
- Nice comeback. - I've been waiting a while to use that one.
Every year, the Nile overflows its banks.
Yeah, thus depositing a rich, black...
well, it's-it's almost loam, really, or silt, which nourishes the next year's plants.
That's right, Iolaus. Did you know...
at the Temple of Karnak there are over 134 columns?
Actually, I didn't. I'm impressed.
Apparently, Iolaus is an Egyptologist.
I'm honored.
From here, you can see the pyramids.
They're beautiful, aren't they?
Now, you see the first one there?
That's the Great Pyramid. That was built first.
The second one... that's the Pyramid of Kafhre... that was built second.
And the third one over there that's the Pyramid of Menkaure,
and that was built, uh, third.
What about that last one? My husband started construction on it just before he died.
The Great Pyramid? That houses theNecronomicon,
which is, you know, the Book of the Dead, for lay people.
- Thank you. - It did for a long time,
but theNecronomicon'smagic is powerful and dangerous.
And the threat of tomb raiders forced me to have the Priests of Osiris...
move it to a safer location.
Queen Nefertiti, you don't see eye to eye with your daughter, do you?
I loved my husband,
but he saw Egypt as nothing more than a machine of conquest.
When he died, I saw a chance to undo all the damage he had done.
But to accomplish that, I had to make sacrifices.
Your children.
My duties took me away from Ramses and Amensu.
Every night I'd look in on them and make sure they were safe,
but I had to leave it to the nurses and the priests to raise them.
But they felt abandoned.
As Egypt prospered, my family suffered.
But Ramses seems to understand.
Mmm. He didn't. Not for a long time.
- What about Amensu? - With age comes maturity.
One day she'll understand what it means to bear the weight of this.
Oh! The royal seal! Here it comes.
May I?
See, this was first introduced in the second dynasty...
by Tsepsbenhansu.
Iolaus. And it was used to ratify the pharaohs' decrees.
You know, at first, they didn't have this.
- They would use stone cartouches. - Iolaus...
They would stand them side by side. Hey, look! The Sphinx!
Huh? Where?
My queen, forgive my interruption.
Your presence is required in the palace.
Excuse me, Hercules, Iolaus.
A queen's work is never done.
Well, I think we now know who was responsible for sending those assassins.
Do we? I'm not so sure.
Oh, really? Well, I'm not so sure you saw the Sphinx.
Egyptologist.
Is it completed? Yes, sire.
The court is primed and ready. They won't oppose us.
Now we have only one problem... Hercules.
Have no fear, sister.
By this time tomorrow, the queen will be queen no more,
and Hercules will be sentenced to death.
[Iolaus] You know, I've been thinking, Hercules, and,
well, my money's on Amensu.
Yeah, but something doesn't add up.
Huh? Those assassins weren't assassins.
Huh? They had plenty of time to kill Nefertiti,
even before we got there.
They were there for something else.
Ramses, I was just...
What happened with your hand?
It's just an unfortunate accident. Nothing to concern yourself with.
Actually, our meeting is fortuitous, Hercules.
Matters of the court are pressing.
If you would do us the honor.
After you. That's not bad.
Iolaus. Huh? Oh, uh, I'll come back.
Glad you could join us, Mother.
I was anxious to find out why the court had been assembled without my permission.
Then I'll get straight to the point. Why did you bring Hercules to Egypt?
I thought that was quite clear.
You all know that I live only to serve my mother,
which is what makes this so difficult.
But if nothing else, the queen has taught us all one thing...
Egypt always comes first.
What are you getting at, Ramses?
You no longer have to keep up the charade.
Spies loyal to Egypt have intercepted this scroll.
In it, my mother yields half of Egypt to Greece...
in exchange for peace.
Tell me, my friends,
what use is half a soul?
You know I would never betray Egypt.
- I don't believe it. - I didn't believe it either,
until I saw that it bears the royal seal.
Greece has no interest in Egypt except as an ally.
We'll hear no more of your treacherous words.
Arrest them both... and my mother!
Why are you doing this, Ramses?
Wait!
May I look at the scroll?
This is a fake. [People Murmuring]
The seal is a forgery.
How do you know? There is only one seal,
and the queen has it in her possession at all times.
Someone made a copy of it.
Ramses, why don't you tell us what happened with your hand?
I told you... it was just an unfortunate accident.
Well, then, you have nothing to hide, do you?
[People Gasping]
[Whispering] I'm so sorry, my son.
Take him!
Come on, traitor!
Hercules,
once again, I owe you my thanks.
I can't believe Ramses was behind all of this.
I can't believe I was so blind.
It's not your fault.
Yes, it is.
The scars Ramses bears were caused by me.
If I had been more present in his youth...
We're all faced with choices.
Sometimes that choice is between two goods.
You did what you thought was right.
For Egypt, yes.
And in so doing, I neglected my duty as a mother.
It's not too late to make up for lost time.
The crime of high treason carries a sentence of death.
Ramses will be executed at dawn.
And you can't alter the sentence?
I can't change the law to benefit myself.
That would go against everything I've worked for all these years.
Once again, I'm faced with a choice...
between my family...
and Egypt.
What should I do, Hercules?
Well, that's not my place to say.
I mean, Ramses knew exactly what he was doing.
We all have to take responsibility for our actions.
Thank you, Hercules.
If you'll excuse me, I need time to think.
One more thing.
Amensu was also...
I know.
Mother?
I heard about Ramses. I don't know what to say.
It's just the two of us. You can drop the act.
- I don't know what you're talking about. - And I don't have time...
to argue with you. No time for me?
That's new. Don't you get it, Mother? This all happened because of you.
- If you had loved us... - I am willing...
to take responsibility for what I've done.
And I'm sorry for what you had to go through growing up,
but I do love you.
I always have.
And there's nothing you can say or do to change that.
Your brother is going to die...
if I don't do something about it.
Free him.
Tell him to get out of Egypt as soon as possible.
And, Amensu, tell him I love him.
You are dismissed. But, Princess...
You dare defy a royal command?
I knew you wouldn't abandon me. Hurry.
You have to get out of Egypt before they find out you've gone.
Leave Egypt? What do you take me for, a coward?
I'm going to put an end to this once and for all.
Ramses, it wasn't me who freed you. It was our mother.
Too little, too late. Where are you going?
Playtime is over.
There's only one way to restore our father's kingdom.
Ramses?
Amensu, where's Ramses? You're too late.
Listen to me. Your brother needs help.
I have to find him. I thought we were doing the right thing.
You have a chance to do the right thing now.
Ramses is backed into a corner. He'll lash out at anyone who gets in his way.
Do you really want to put innocent lives in danger?
- Now where did he go? - I don't know.
What was the last thing he said to you?
He said he was going to restore our father's kingdom.
Out of my way! [Gasping]
[Man] Ramses, you don't know what you're doing!
What are you afraid of, Priest? Are you scared of me?
I'm afraid of what will happen...
when theNecronomicon is returned to Egypt.
Have no fear. You'll not be alive to see it.
[Groaning]
[Amensu Gasps] By the gods!
Ramses.
- Ankatink? - Who was he?
He raised me and Ramses ever since I can remember.
He used to wake us up in the morning...
and put us to bed at night.
Ramses couldn't have done a thing like this.
Yeah, I'm sure he was just tryin' to help out.
He was just doing what he thought is best for Egypt. Sometimes that means sacrifice.
How about self-sacrifice?
But then again, that's not the same thing as murder, is it?
You don't understand. Our mother will lead Egypt to ruin.
Don't be ridiculous! Even if you disagree with her,
stop denying that you love her, or you're gonna end up just like Ramses.
Think she'll be all right?
If she weren't, she wouldn't have led us here in the first place.
Somebody didn't clean up after himself.
- Ramses has the map. - What map?
Nefertiti had her priest...
move theNecronomicon to a secret place.
Inside their own temple would have been too obvious.
So in order for the descendants to find it, they would need a map.
Hmm. And Ramses needs that map to find theNecronomicon.
Now the only question is, how do we find Ramses?
Wait a minute. What better place to hide the Book of the Dead...
than in the city of the same name, huh?
You know how to get to the City of the Dead?
Do I know how to get to the City of the Dead?
No. No, I don't. But-But I do know where to start looking.
Oh, and, uh, it's not that way.
[Speaking Foreign Language]
According to the oracle, we should make a sacrifice to the gods.
It will be a good harvest...
We need to settle this.
Leave us.
I don't know what more I can say besides "I'm sorry."
Mother, can you remember when I was just a child? Before you became queen?
We used to take walks along the Nile.
We'd run out into the water before the guards could stop us.
We'd both end up soaking wet and have to sneak into the palace before Father could see us.
You were very young. I'm surprised you remember.
Don't you understand?
That is the only pleasant memory that I have.
There is nothing else.
When you took the throne, I lost my mother.
Amensu... I'm not through.
Ramses is out of control. Whose fault that is, it doesn't matter.
But I don't want to end up like him.
I suppose what I'm saying is,
I don't agree with what you did, but I'm not ready to give you up either.
I'm glad to hear that.
Okay, see? An eye,
an owl, bird, squiggly lines.
This is where theNecronomiconis.
So how do we open it? Yeah, um...
Okay, look. Yeah, see? Some hieroglyphs.
So, well, I guess all I got to is, uh, push 'em in the right order.
Are you sure you know what you're doing?
Who knows all the names of the Egyptian gods?
Iolaus, I just don't think you should...
You pushed it. Yeah.
[Rumbling]
- Oh, that's good. - All right. Th-This is okay.
Uh, I just gotta try another order.
Iolaus, wait.
[Chuckling] Huh?
[Metal Scraping]
Yeah, good. Uh, okay, okay. One more. Just...
Uh-uh-uh-uh. It's my turn.
Uh, Herc. Uh, Herc?
Uh... Uh...
Come on! Want a hand? Come on!
Looks like Ramses beat us to it.
[Ramses] Actually, you're just in time...
to witness my ascension.
Ramses, you don't know what you're doing.
First, I'm gonna put a final end...
to you and your friend.
And then I'm gonna remake Egypt in my image.
I believe I know exactly what I'm doing.
- We're trying to help you! - Really?
Seems you're gonna have to try a little harder.
This can't be good.
Herc! Mine's made of stone! Any suggestions?
I'm workin' on it.
- A couple of hacks. - Huh?
Oh! [Chuckles] That's funny.
You always did like the water. Ramses.
TheNecronomicon. Our victory is at hand.
We will be gods, Amensu.
And then we will resurrect our father's Egypt.
Come. There is much to do. Wait.
Are you sure that this is the right thing?
This is precisely what we've been waiting for.
I'm just not sure that this is the way we want to achieve our goals.
The taint of the foreigner is all over you. What did Hercules do to you?
Nothing! Look, you're taking this too far. You're losing yourself in your anger.
Hercules has fed you this poison! Can't you see?
He and our mother have orchestrated all of this!
They forced us to it!
I need you. You're the only one I can trust.
We've made it this far by relying on each other.
This is our chance to bring back Egypt to its former glory.
It will all be over soon.
And then we can begin our new life together.
[Shouting In Foreign Language]
[Panicked Shouting]
Ramses has theNecronomicon. I know.
He'll have the power to destroy whoever gets in his way.
We'll see about that.
You don't understand. There's no saving him now. He's your son!
My husband was obsessed with theNecronomicon.
He thought it would make him a god.
Before he could complete the spell, I managed to get the book away from him.
Without its power, its magic turned on him, and he was destroyed.
That's how my husband died... by my hand.
Does Ramses know this? No!
I know you'll do everything in your power to save my son,
but in the end, you must do whatever it takes to save Egypt.
[Shouting In Foreign Language]
Ramses!
Congratulations. You'll be the first to bow down to me.
You know, you give egomaniacs a bad name.
I will never bow to you.
- Give me the book! - Don't!
Your father tried to use that book to become a god. It killed him.
I'm well aware of my father's failure, Hercules,
but it was his faith in my mother that destroyed him, not theNecronomicon.
- Amensu! - Your brother doesn't care about Egypt or its people.
- He's only out for revenge. - A noble attempt, Hercules,
but my sister and I are one and the same.
Our destinies lie together.
Amensu, don't listen to Ramses. Don't listen to me!
Just listen to your heart.
[Thunder Crashing]
No!
[Groaning]
You'll be the first one to die!
Ramses, wait!
Without the book, you have no protection from the magic!
[Foreign Language]
[Shouting]
Iolaus, get her out of here.
This way! Come on!
- [Iolaus] Herc, you can't save him! - I have to try!
Go! Go! Go! Come on!
Ramse-e-es!
Hercules?
Hercules.
I'm sorry about Ramses.
It's not your fault. You can't save someone from themselves.
Maybe you can.
Hercules, I'm the one to blame,
and I'm not going to make that same mistake again.
Thank you for giving me my life back. I don't know how I can repay you.
How about by becoming a family again?
Has anyone seen Iolaus?
[Iolaus] Yo, Herc! Here!
[Chuckling]
Uh, nice hat. Looks good.
Thanks! I got you one, buddy.
Really? How thoughtful. Yeah.
Come on. Put it on.
[Women Chuckling] It's gonna be a long trip home.
Huh? I said it's gonna be a fun trip home.
Yeah. You know, it is, because I met this guy,
and he claims to have memorized all of the secret codes...
Closed-Captioned By Captions, Inc., Los Angeles