The oracle's words stand as a warning.
A prophecy.
Sparta will fall.
All of Greece will fall.
And Persian fire will reduce Athens to cinder.
For, Athens is a pile of stone and wood and cloth and dust.
And as dust will vanish into the wind.
Only the Athenians themselves exist.
And the fate of the world hangs on their every syllable.
Only the Athenians exist.
And only stout wooden ships can save them.
Wooden ships... and a tidal wave of heroes' blood.
Leonidas, my husband.
Leonidas, your king.
Leonidas and the brave three hundred, are dead.
The free men and women of Greece...
are not bound by a beautiful Spartan death.
War is not their love, yet he lay down his life for them...
for the promise Greece holds.
Tis our enemies who forged our freedom in the fires of war.
It was King Darius who came to take our land.
Ten years ago, when (inaudible) burned in our eyes...
before this bitter war forced our children to become men.
Ten years ago this war began...
as all wars begin... with a grievance.
Marathon.
The Persian king Darius...
annoyed by the notion of Greek freedom...
has come to Greece to bring us to heel.
He makes land full of the field of Marathon with an invading...
force which outnumbers the Greek defenders, three to one.
And so at dawn, the hopeless Athenians do the unthinkable.
They attack.
They attack the weary Persians as they disembark...
their ships on shaky legs, after a month at sea.
They attack before they can establish their war camp...
and supply their soldiers.
And who is the architect of this mad strategy?
A little known Athenian soldier...
his men called him... Themistocles.
He gives the Persians the taste of Athenian shock combat.
All thoughts of glory are gone.
Thousands dead, hundreds of them their own...
all for an idea, a free Greece...
an Athenian experiment called democracy.
Could this idea be worthy? Worth all this sacrifice?
Themistocles would let the good King Darius decide.
For through the chaos, a moment appeared...
and Themistocles would seize it.
A moment that would ring across the centuries...
a moment that would raise him from simple soldier...
to the height of the Athenian political power.
No...
A moment that would make Themistocles a legend.
Yet even as the praise and glory were heaped upon him...
Themistocles knew in his heart he had made a mistake.
It was Darius' son, Xerxes.
His eyes have the streak of destiny about them.
Themistocles knew he should've killed that boy.
That glorious mistake would forever haunt him.
And so it was Themistocles himself who sent a ripple...
across the Persian empire.
And set into motion forces that would bring fire...
to the heart of Greece.
For as the good king lay dying...
all his greatest generals and advisers...
were summoned to his bedside...
none greater than his finest naval commander...
Artemisia.
Her ferocity bested only by her beauty.
Her beauty matched only by her devotion to her king.
Darius favored Artemisia among his generals...
for she has brought him victory on the battlefield.
In her, he had the perfect warrior...
protege that his son Xerxes would never be.
So sweet... my child.
My sweet... child.
Father...
Xerxes... do not repeat your father's mistake.
Leave the noble Greece to the waves.
Only the gods can defeat them.
Only... the gods.
For seven days Xerxes mourned, paralyzed by grief.
On the 8th day...
Artemisia whispered the seed of madness that would consume him.
Your father's words are not a warning...
but a challenge.
"Only the gods can defeat the Greeks?"
You will be a God-King.
Artemisia gathered the priests, wizards and mystics...
from every corner of the empire.
They wrapped the young king in Sumerian gores...
dipped in ancient potions...
and set him to wonder the desert.
Till, in a delirium of heat and thirst...
he stumbled upon a hermit's cave.
Xerxes passed the vacant eyes...
and empty souls of the hollowed creatures that dwell...
in the dark corners of all mens' hearts.
And in that darkness...
he surrendered himself completely...
to power so evil and perverse.
As he emerged... no part of the human man that was Xerxes survived.
His eyes blaze like scarlet coals.
He was stripped, cleansed, glamorous and smooth.
Xerxes was reborn a god.
Artemisia trusted no one.
So in the cover of night...
the palace was cleansed of all Xerxes' allies.
All those he trusted.
All those who had raised him.
All those he had once looked to for counsel...
were quickly introduced to her wrath.
And as the God-King stood before his people...
Artemisia watched her flawless manipulation take shape.
For glory's sake...
for vengence sake...
War!
War is coming to Greece.
In the visage of a monster army, over a million strong.
It should be little more than a formality for Themistocles...
the hero of Marathon...
to finish what he began.
Please, we must appeal to Xerxes' reasons.
Coward!
Athens is a city of cowards! Shut your cockhole!
Shut your own! I'll kill you, Spartans!
Silence! Silence, for the hero of Marathon!
This is a democracy, not a street fight!
The Persian attack...
will come from both the north, and the south.
The City-States should negotiate a truce.
Yes, yes, we must negotiate!
Negotiating with tyranny...
give me one example of when that has ever profited a nation.
My fellow countrymen, we can only judge the future...
from what we have suffered in the past.
Now many of you here stood with me at Marathon...
and for those of you who served...
and faced the cut and thrust of battle...
you know how true peace is forged.
Do not be deceived.
Xerxes, the son of Darius is a wolf at our door.
Right here, right now.
We must choose. Do we stand and fight for Greece, or not?
Argos...
Corinth, Megara, Athens...
not even Sparta can match the Persians alone.
We must persevere as one nation...
or we'll perish clinging on to our own self-interests.
Send us the ships that we need to defend Greece.
Themistocles would need more than our city's ships.
He'll need our children to join the fight.
And what of Sparta? We send every ship that we have...
to the northern coast of Euboea.
I will go and seek the help...
of the great Spartans...
Still no word from the messenger you sent to Sparta.
King Leonidas may have been insulted by your generous offer.
Perhaps I need to march to Sparta myself...
and burn it to the ground.
Remember... when a king is loved as I am...
much can be accomplished.
He will be forced to resist my divine power.
Athens is attempting to assemble a coalition.
It will be nothing more than a patched work of ships.
Once these waters have been traversed, I will lead my force...
across the land.
I will remind the cowards of Greece...
that we have not forgotten their insolence.
Rest and water the horses. It's best I go alone.
Spartans... don't get along well with others.
Spartans...
Themistocles... you old snake. What brings you this far south?
I've come to see Leonidas, to warn him that the Persians...
are on the march.
Well, you're too late.
A Persian messenger already presented his terms to Leonidas.
A symbolic offer, of earth and water.
Spartans! Know this, and know it well.
Today Spartan's finest moment...
the greatest fullfilment of all he holds dear...
is that moment...
when he has fought his heart out for the preservation...
of Sparta... and lies dead on the battlefield.
Victorious!
Now... who is willing to die at our king's side?
Themistocles.
You've come a long way to stroke your cock...
while watching real men train.
Queen Gorgo, shouldn't you be training them...
to live at their king's side?
A new age is dawning, Gorgo.
It won't be long before men rise up...
and shatter the yoke of mysticism and tyranny.
That sounds like a threat. No.
An opportunity to join the rest of free Greece...
and stand against the true tyrant.
Unless of course, you and Leonidas...
have already made a deal with Xerxes.
No terms were reached.
Xerxes' messenger was... well, he was rude and lacked respect.
He didn't understand the same threats made in Thebes and Athens...
would not work here.
This is the birthplace of the world's greatest warriors.
Men whose king would stand and fight and die...
for any one of them.
Xerxes' messenger did not understand...
this is no typical Greek City-State.
This is Sparta.
So it was clear to the messenger there would be...
no Spartan submission.
It was clear.
Even now, Leonidas is in council with the oracle...
over his battle plan.
The Festival of the Carneia is all that stands in our way.
Surely the oracle will see we must fight.
Then my timing is perfect.
I am commanding a fleet of ships...
that will represent a united Greece.
I need Sparta to join me.
Give me your ships, Gorgo. I will make sure that Xerxes...
wishes he'd never crossed the Aegean.
You will receive no Spartan ships, we're not interested...
in united Greece.
That is your dream, Themistocles, not ours.
All I am concerned with, is the preservation of Sparta.
My guards will see you out.
It's funny that you mock freedom here in your selfish isolation...
yet freedom in her wisdom...
has chosen you to defend her.
My Queen.
Will Sparta join our fight?
Apparently the Persians have offered the Spartans...
something they cannot refuse. And what is that?
A beautiful death.
They say you are the bravest of our captives.
They say you are a whore from the Eastern seas.
You are not the smartest.
Your commander is a Greek, just like me.
You Persian men, take your orders from a Greek woman.
Yes my brother, I am Greek by birth...
And I have Greek blood running through my veins.
But my heart...
is Persian.
Within hours...
the Greek fleet will be shattered.
What about our Master and the much feared Spartans?
There is nothing to fear.
Only King Leonidas and his personal guard of three hundred...
have marched to fight.
They'll collapse instantly.
You...
do you agree?
Many will perish.
Your confidence leaves me with a strong impression.
It's a curious thing for a simple ship guard...
to not lower his eyes when questioned by me.
That could've been just a lack of discipline.
A man's hands do not lie.
They can reveal every imperfection and flaw in his character.
You see, your hands are not rough enough...
to work the rigging of the ship.
I know every single man beneath my lash. You explain to me...
how I don't know you?
Forgive me, Commander.
Let me introduce myself.
Seize the spy!
Coward.
The storm is upon us.
It's just some mad Greek weather.
Themistocles... come.
Calisto... what's spoken here must not be repeated.
Anywhere.
My son has not earned the right to sit at the table...
of combat veterans, but you can trust him.
Very well.
Tell me.
A Greek woman commands all the Xerxes' ships, to the south.
Artemisia...
I know of her.
Artemisia is murderous by trait, with true skills on the sea...
and she has thirst for vengeance.
Rumors are her entire family was murdered...
by a squad of Greek Hoplites.
I have heard all the stories.
And the Hoplites spared no one, on that day.
The story goes that they raped and murdered her entire family.
Then they turned their attention towards her.
After years of being kept in the bowels of a Greek slave ship...
she was discarded and left for dead...
where she was found near death by a Persian emissary.
Artemisia vowed that day to return to Greece...
only when she could watch it burn.
She was fed, clothed and trained by the finest warriors...
of the Persian empire...
until no match could be found...
for her skills and gift for the sword.
The great King Darius was impressed by her commitment.
And she quickly rose to command at his side.
He has sold her soul to death himself.
Well, some could say that I've sold mine to Greece.
What do you think? Me?
Yes, you are the future of this country.
I am ready to fight.
I like him... reminds me of you.
We will need every last man. Well, he's still just a boy.
Much younger have defended our country, father.
Enough!
You're a dreamer who will speak of this, no more.
Themistocles, I've set your plan in motion...
and my land force will be assembled by the second day.
You won't be needing it...
I can assure you of that.
Now, there's bad news.
Leonidas has marched North, to the Hot Gates.
Bad news? The Spartans at the Hot Gates?
Our victory is assured.
If the army were with him...
but, between the Oracle and the Carnea...
Leonidas has marched to Thermopylae...
with just three hundred men.
So, the only thing standing...
between Athens and total annihilation...
is Leonidas, and three hundred Spartans.
Go search out the veterans among the army.
Establish an order around the volunteers.
Good. There's little time to teach these farm-hands strategy.
Just keep them well fed...
and sober.
Anything else?
It wouldn't hurt if they could swing a sword.
Oh, I'll be damned.
Shit!
Does your father know that you're here?
No, sir.
And this shield and sword? My grandfathers'.
My mother entrusted them to me, this morning.
And she gave you her blessing? Yes, sir.
With a sharp blade, none the less.
Your father is preparing a surprise raid, early tomorrow.
I choose to fight here, now.
Come aboard my ship. That is where you will fight.
Yes, sir.
We just total fifty ships.
Persian forces reported to number in the thousands.
Those ships appear hardly sea-worthy.
There're nothing like the monstrous ships of the Persian fleet.
Then we have the advantage. Speed and maneuverability.
The rest of the City-States is sending any where from a handful...
to a single ship.
Of course Athens... supply the balance.
We have report that a small advanced force...
of Persian ships...
have taken refuge from the storm, just across the strait.
If the weather breaks, we could hit them at dawn.
An early Greek victory.
The gods have given us an opportunity to wound...
the Persians and strengthen Greek morale.
Attempting distraction. We'll stick to the battle plan.
Today at sundown we will sail out to meet...
the main Persian fleet.
We'll attack them in the open water...
with no shore to narrow the battle.
To attack a force over a thousand ships, with our meager force...
is suicide.
Such is my plan.
Look at their excuse for a navy.
Their ships are of little threat.
I need a second in command, Achmenes.
And whoever proves their excellence, will own place beside me.
General Bandari has offered to lead the first attack.
Bandari!
Commander?
I'll let you lead our first offensive.
What guarantee do I have that you'll bring me a quick victory?
My word, and my life.
Good.
My rules of engagement?
Humiliate the Greeks and lay waste to their tiny ships.
They'll be dead to the last man.
My brothers, steady your hearts.
Look deep into your souls.
For your mettle is to be tested, this day.
If, in the heat of battle...
you need a reason to fight on...
an idea... for which you would give up...
all that you will ever have...
you need only to look at the man who fights at your side.
This is the "why" of battle.
This is the brotherhood of men at arms.
An unbreakable bond, made stronger by the crucible of combat.
You'll never be closer than with those you shed your blood with.
For there's no nobler cause than to fight for those...
who'll lay down their lives for you.
Well, you fight strong, today.
You fight for your brothers!
Fight for your families!
Most of all, you fight for Greece!
Hey! There's only one thing to make sure of...
when the fighting starts.
What's that?
Don't get killed on the first day.
That goes for the rest of you.
The Persian ships are strong at the front...
but they're weak in the middle. We attack them there.
Now!
Ram them!
Reverse! Now!
Go through them.
The enemy's tactics are creative.
The defensive circle leaves no front to assault.
We're losing. No, you're losing.
Pull back. Let them have this day.
I'm bored with your failures, Bandari.
I'll not let this wound slow me.
Somehow, I believe you.
My blade will be sharp and ready by the morning.
Good. Tomorrow you'll fight alongside your father.
Not bad for a bunch of farmers. And poets, and sculptors.
Who would've known that a group of untrained men...
would do so well against such a considerable adversary.
We're gonna need all of our strength for tomorrow's fight.
How long do you think we can hold them?
If my plan is to work...
long enough for the Spartans to unite Greece.
Men, who'll share their wine with me?
Report! We're still tallying the losses...
but you must understand, it's extremely difficult...
given the sea and the darkness, to get an accurate report!
Report?
Seventy-five ships lost. Thirty damaged beyond repair.
Twenty could return with a few weeks' work in a safe harbour.
The commander of the Greek force is named Themistocles.
Yes, he is an Athenian general.
He's rumored to have loose the arrow that fell...
the great king Darius, himself.
This Themistocles has shown himself...
to be quite brilliant in battle.
Which is more than I can say for any of you.
Do you gentlemen find my command unreasonable?
Is it too much to ask for victory?
Your disappointment in yesterday's losses is warranted.
My disappointment?
My disappointment is not with my losses.
A meager number of damaged ships and dead slaves...
means nothing to me. No...
my disappointment...
is in these men.
For though I stand among ten thousand...
I am alone.
I long for a soul who would stand by my side...
who I could trust.
Tell me General Kashani, are you that man?
You'll taste your victory by the day's end.
I'll make certain of it.
I hope so.
Advance!
Now!
Don't lose sight of them!
The Greeks are retreating.
He's got him right where he wants him.
Kashani is a fine tactician.
I was speaking of Themistocles.
Rocks!
Stop! Stop! Stop!
Brace yourselves.
What are you doing here? A man's responsibility is...
to protect his family and his nation.
Who told you this? My father.
You see how Themistocles employs deception with such grace?
Why's it so much to ask for victory?
How can I make a... Silence.
You will carry a massage for me.
Now they will fear us!
Now they will fear the Greek men at arms!
He's right!
Fear the Greek fighting man. Fear his sword, his shield.
Fear his love for mother Greece...
but most of all...
fear his freedom!
Don't be angry with the boy. I took him under my command.
Anger is something I reserve for my enemies.
Themistocles!
Artemisia's ship is being anchored in neutral waters.
She'd like to meet with Themistocles.
How can you gurantee his safe return?
Well boy, the only honor for her now...
will be when she watches your crushed...
and broken fleet sink into the bottom of the Aegean...
and is able to recognize you...
nailed to the mast of your ship with her sword...
as you descend to a watery grave.
Why didn't you just say that, to begin with?
Welcome to my humble barge.
We are honored by your presence.
Your barge and you, are quite impressive.
Kind words.
Now come Themistocles, we've much to discuss.
Do you believe the Greeks have descendant from the gods?
I've heard some said that.
And what of you? Is there a god in your lineage?
My men say so, and based on the last two days of battle...
I'd say there's a spark of the divine in you.
Now, who's using kind words?
My men also say, that it was you who slayed the good King Darius...
at Marathon.
Many heroic deeds occured on that day.
It was ten years ago.
The facts of battle are often embellished.
This deed you would remember.
I'll do what I must to defend Greece.
And I'll do what I must to defeat her.
For every one Greek killed, you must kill a thousand Persians.
For every ship I sink...
you must sink a hundred.
I can sustain losses for weeks. Months, if need be.
My numbers will defeat you, and I will take your precious...
boats with my sword. I will take your Greek freedom.
You're asking me to negotiate a surrender?
No...
I offer you a chance to avoid such misery, and join me.
I'm in a need of a commander such as you.
Look at the defense you've mounted.
A handful of triremes?
Leonidas with three hundred Spartans?
It's insulting frankly, that the mightiest empire...
the world has ever seen is maimed by this.
I don't blame you, Themistocles.
You fought as if the blood of Poseidon himself...
was coursing through your veins.
No, I blame Greece.
The squabbling bureaucrats, protecting their political hides...
by sending you here, to die.
And yet, you still fight.
So, there must be...
what?
A family back home in Athens, that...
compels you to battle with such passion?
The truth is I have no time for family.
I have spent my entire adult life with my one true love...
the Greek fleet. And my one passion...
readying it for you.
Now, that brings me pleasure...
the thought of you pining away for me...
forsaking family and love...
for the promise of a deeper ecstasy.
The ecstasy of steel, and flesh.
Death, and knife...
and rage... and sweat of muscle.
Of pure joy...
and deepest sorrow.
Die with me each night and be born again with me each morning...
as you plunge your sword into the hearts of our enemies.
you fight for freedom...
I offer freedom without consequence, or responsibility.
Join me...
at my side.
Breathe each breath with me, as if it were your last.
Join me.
No.
You're no god, you're just a man.
Be quick with your sword.
You'll not have your death, tonight.
Guards!
Remove this filth from my ship.
Well, what've you learned?
Can Artemisia be beaten?
The next time that we face her...
she's going to bring all of hell with her.
Send in my personal guard.
Pull back!
Retreat! Retreat!
Themistocles, in the water!
Archers, archers now!
Archers on deck, now! Quickly!
Starboard side. Fire at will!
Fight on, boy.
Fight on!
Aim for the man on top! Up there!
Abandon ship!
The dead have no guilt. No responsibility.
Themistocles watched as the bodies of his men turn the Aegean...
red with blood.
Were they sacrificed for his ego?
Or to relieve the guilt of the long ago mistake, at Marathon?
How many men would have been saved, if Themistocles...
had killed that boy.
Not even his own soul can be sure.
My friend... we fight the odds...
together.
Listen to me, Themistocles...
You'll have to fight with twice as much strength, in the morning.
We'll fight shoulder to shoulder.
No, my son.
You will carry on for both of us.
What did he say?
I will tell you in time, boy.
Be quiet now.
Go and be with your father's spirit.
How many times do you think we will repeat such a tragedy?
As many times as we must.
We're turning young men into memories.
Do you think I enjoy this?
Witnessing my friend's final breath.
Every widow that was made by my decision.
Every child that will grow without a father.
They are my choices. This is the burden of my command.
How easy it is to silence the strong and self-(inaudible).
Let my army witness the great warriors of Sparta.
March them past these corpses.
Let them see the cost of daring to challenge the God-King.
King Leonidas and his brave three hundred...
were the finest Greece has to offer.
There'll be no saviors to rise up and vanquish us.
Nothing will stop the march of my empire.
Your Majesty...
You... take this dead king's sword to Athens.
Let them know that I am coming next for them.
Let them know...
Athens, their prized jewel of a city...
will disappear from the history.
Themistocles!
I bring word from Thermopylae.
Leonidas was betrayed by a hunchback.
The Spartans have been slaughtered.
The Hot Gates have fallen.
Such a sacrifice!
Now Greece has her martyr.
Daxos, take that message from the Hot Gates...
to every city, every village...
and every countryman hear your words.
But they're dead, all of them.
Sparta's sacrifice will be what unite us.
Now, go!
Move all our ships and men back to the safety of Salamis.
And you?
I'll take Daxos' message to Athens.
I was told that a hunchback was accountable...
for the fall of the Hot Gates.
As he sold out his country...
pulled the crimson from his back, and replaced it...
with Persian gold.
What is your name, traitor?
Ephialtes of Thrace.
I should wet this noble blade with your blood.
You'll be right to do so.
There's little beauty about me.
There's little beauty in what I have done.
Say what you must.
I beg of you...
and all of Athens...
the God-King will burn this city to the ground.
Quiet yourself!
Leonidas and Sparta's great sacrifice...
was no defeat.
It was a beautiful victory.
This... simple act of valor...
will allow us to rally each of our City-States...
and unite Greece. For one purpose.
Against one enemy.
And you, you take this message to your God-King...
We'll take whatever ships we have left...
and finish this in the bay of Salamis.
But there will be death and destruction.
Yes. There will be.
Themistocles.
I'm here to speak to your queen.
A warning Athenian, you may not receive a warm welcome.
May I offer my deepest sympathies.
I cannot change what has happened to Leonidas.
But his sacrifice will not be forgotten.
Do not lecture me on sacrifice...
and be quick with your words, Athenian.
I request of you the entire Spartan navy.
Every man, every ship that you can spare.
Have I not given enough for your dream of a united Greece?
Shall I put swords in the hands of my son, our children?
Would that please you?
Have I not given enough for your ambitions, Themistocles?
A king... husbands, fathers, brothers?
Sparta will give no more.
This belongs with you.
Avenge him!
The oracle's words stood as a warning.
All of Greece will fall.
As Persian fire reduces Athens to cinder.
For Athens is a pile of stone and wood and cloth and dust.
And as dust would vanish into the wind.
Only the Athenians themselves exist.
And the fate of the world hangs on their every syllable.
Only the Athenians exist.
And only stout wooden ships can save them.
Wooden ships...
and a tidal wave of heroes' blood.
The Greeks were fools to stand against us.
Leonidas and his pride were no match for the will of a god.
Themistocles was a worthless coward.
And now, this pathetic navy is barely worth of our attention.
That "worthless coward," had he stood at my side...
we would have laid the world at you feet.
My king! Your humble servant...
brings you news.
The Greek fleet are defenseless, within the bay of Salamis.
You need only to finish them.
Who commands their forces?
Themistocles of Athens.
Themistocles is dead.
He's alive. I have seen him myself...
Ready my troops and armor. We will attack at once.
Wisdom...
would have sent a probing force to confirm it is not a trap.
You would dare to advise me in matters of war?
I'm the God-King. I'm the one who triumphed over Leonidas.
I am the one who laid waste of the showpiece of Athens.
I am your king.
Killing Leonidas and his men only made them martyrs.
And when you erased Athens...
you set fire to the only thing of value, in this country.
I'll attack the Greeks with my entire navy.
Artemisia, enough!
Do not forget who put the crown on your childish head...
my king.
Now sit on your golden throne...
and watch this battle from the safety I provide you.
There, in the distance...
we witness the destruction of Athens.
Alone we will face the monster...
that cast a shadow across our land.
I have prayed that the Spartans...
would come to lend a hand, this morning.
Perhaps they feel they have given enough.
You failed us all.
This is your fault, Themistocles.
Without Spartans we're just farm-hands.
We should've negotiated with the Persians when we had the chance.
You are all right.
Yes, we are down to a handful of boats...
and yes, we're just farm-hands.
We're tradesmen. We're boys...
turned to men through the sacrifice and forge of combat.
I played a dangerous game, and I lost!
If you choose to turn your back on me, on your country...
I will not judge you. You are free to leave.
You are still free men.
Very well.
Then, let us put our shoulders to work...
and free those ships from the bosom of Greece.
Today is a privilege to call our own...
a story that would be told for a thousand years.
Let our final stand be recorded to the histories.
Let it be shown that we chose to die on our feet...
rather than live on our knees!
There is only one thing you need to know, today.
Not to get killed?
No.
Your father's last words.
He told me you have earned the right to sit at the table.
Well, my brother, I've no more tactics and tricks.
This will be the last battle that we share.
We have fought next to one another...
for as long as I can remember.
Nothing will please me more, than to rest this sword.
The preparations that I required? Below deck.
Good.
Are you sure that you want to commit everything?
Yes.
Without Aretemisia's command, the Persian navy is nothing.
We will never be able to reach her.
I will reach her... and put an end to this.
There will be no room for a retreat.
I know.
Today, the last Greek ships will be destroyed.
Show them no mercy! Give them no quarter!
Today we will dance across the backs of dead Greeks.
Today we deliver submission.
Today, I wanna feel Themistocles' throat beneath my boots.
Men! Brace yourselves.
Prepare for close quarters!
Attack!
Your father watches you!
Hold nothing back! Seek your glory!
I'm not here as a witness!
Now!
And let them send their souls straight to hell.
You offer freedom without consequence, or responsibility.
Are you accepting my offer?
My answer is still no.
You fight much harder than you fuck.
Surrender to me, or meet your death.
Who would you fight, if not me?
No one could challenge your skill.
I would rather die a free man, than as a slave.
Even if the chain was attached to you.
It begins as a whisper, a promise.
The lightest of breezes dances through the rigging...
as it creeks above the death cries of ten thousand men.
It moves through her hair as gently as a lover's hand.
That breeze... that promise became a wind.
A wind that has blown across Greece, carrying a message...
told again and again of our lady freedom.
And how wise she was, to charge Leonidas to lay all at her feet.
A wind my brothers have sacrificed.
A wind of freedom.
A wind of justice.
A wind of vengeance.
You're being surrounded. All of Greece has united against you.
Delphi, Thebes, Olympia, Arcadia and Sparta.
If death comes for me today, I am ready.
I could lower my sword.
There is still time for you to ready and launch an escape.
It would be a poor choice, to force my hand into action.
Now order your ships to disengage and surrender to me.
Surrender?