God of War III

God of War III is a 2010 video game released by SCE Santa Monica Studio for the Playstation 3 console. It follows immediately after God of War II; Kratos, seeking revenge on Zeus, leads the Titans up Mt. Olympus. He is betrayed by Gaia, the mother of the Titans, and falls into the Underworld. With the help of Athena's spirit, he seeks retribution on the Titans as well as the gods.

Kratos

Zeus!! Your son has returned. I bring the destruction of Olympus!!!!

My vengence... ends now!

All I remember is what I have lost.

The hands of death could not defeat me, the Sisters of Fate could not hold me, and you will not see the end of this day!!

Hope is for the weak, Pandora.

Zeus

My brothers, we were forged in victory. A victory that ended the Great War and brought forth the reign of Mt. Olympus. Born from the depths of the Underworld, rooted in the River of Souls, our mountain emerged out of the chaos. As it grew, so too did the might of the Olympians. We created a world of peace, a world of prosperity. A world that lives in the shadow and safety of my mountain, a mountain that has come to be the absolute measure of strength and power. Now, on this day, that power is to be tested. The mortal, Kratos, seeks to destroy all that I have wrought. Brothers, put aside the petty grievances that have splintered us for so long. We will unite. We will stand together, and I will wipe out this plague. Olympus... will prevail!!

Petulant child! I will tolerate your insolence NO MORE!!!

Your pawn has failed you, Gaia. Perhaps you should have chosen the other one.

I created you and I will be your end!!

Hades

I knew you would be back, Spartan. Did you miss me?

I can understand why Zeus was so taken with you, Kratos. You are a capable warrior.

Welcome, Spartan. Come in. Make yourself at home. This time, you won't be leaving.

[as Kratos gazes upon the coffin of Persephone] Now, it falls to me to collect payment for the pain you have wrought.

Kratos. So glad you could carve out some time for us. You know, we need it. I sense some bad blood between us, Kratos. Oh, all the memories... they're overwhelming, really. Let's see... How many sins have you committed against me? Oh, that's right, you murdered my niece, Athena. And what else? What else?! Ah, and you killed my brother, Poseidon. And I have not forgotten that it was you who butchered my beautiful queen!! I will see you suffer as I have suffered! Your soul is mine!!!

Pandora

[to Kratos] Hope is what makes us strong! It is why we are here! It is what we fight with when all else is lost!

Others

Minos: By the gods of Olympus and order of Zeus, we are the Three Judges. Face your final judgment, mortal. King Aeacus has found you wanting. King Rhadamanthus has found you worthy. It falls to me, King Minos, to make the final decision. Your future is cloaked in shadow. The realm of the afterlife is not yet ready for you. Beyond that door waits your destiny.

= Dialogue

Poseidon: You challenge me, mortal?! A god of Olympus?!

Kratos: A true warrior does not hide, Poseidon. Leave the sea, and face me!

Poseidon: You have disrespected the gods for the last time, Kratos!

[after Kratos rips Poseidon out of his watery construct onto a nearby ledge and throws him against a wall]

Poseidon: Zeus should have kept you where you belonged. No matter how many gods fall, there will always be another to stand against you.

Kratos: They will fall as well.

Poseidon: The death of Olympus means the death of us all.

Kratos: Then prepare for your death, Poseidon.

Kratos: What will you do, Father?! You can no longer hide behind the skirts of Athena.

Zeus: Athena is dead because of the rage that consumes you. What more will you destroy?

Kratos: The hands of death could not defeat me. The Sisters of Fate could not hold me, and you will not see the end of this day. I will have my revenge!

Zeus: Petulant child! I will tolerate your insolence no more!!

[Zeus summons a large lightning bolt and throws it at Kratos, who manages to absorb it with the Golden Fleece, but severs most of Gaia's hand and sends Kratos and Gaia down Mt. Olympus. Gaia manages to grab hold a ledge.]

Kratos: [struggling to hold onto Gaia's back] Gaia! I can hold on no longer!

Gaia: [still struggling to hold on the ledge] If I help you, we will both fall. Even now, Zeus gains. [grabs hold of a higher ledge]

Kratos: [stabs the Blade of Olympus into her back, but slides back] The destruction of Zeus is why you saved me from death.

Gaia: I saved you to serve the Titans.

Kratos: Do not deny me my revenge!.

Gaia: Listen carefully, Kratos. You were a simple pawn, nothing more. Zeus is no longer you concern. This is our war, not yours.

Kratos: [loses hold of the Blade and falls] Gaia! [speaking in his mind] I have lived as a warrior. I have died as a god. Having suffered the ultimate sacrifice, I have been denied release. I... I will defeat Olympus. I will have my revenge. [lands in the River Styx]

Kratos: [leaving the River Styx, weakened by the souls in the river] We are not finished, Zeus. The gates of Hades have never held me.

Athena: [as a spirit, appears behind Kratos] Death cannot hold those with purpose, Kratos.

Kratos: Athena!?

Athena: I have missed you, Spartan.

Kratos: I... I don't...

Athena: My sacrifice to save Zeus has brought me to a higher existence.

Kratos: You still appear to be an Olympian.

Athena: Appearances can be deceiving, Kratos.

Kratos: So can the children of Olympus.

Athena: Perhaps, but remember, my death came by your blade.

Kratos: My blade was meant for Zeus. Be quick with your words.

Athena: As we speak, the war for Olympus rages on and mankind suffers.

Kratos: Let them suffer. The death of Zeus is all that matters.

Athena: Zeus will not fall as easily as Ares. To destroy the King of the Gods, you must seek the source of his strength: the Flame of Olympus.

Kratos: You once sacrificed yourself to save Zeus, and now you seek to destroy him!? What has brought about this change?

Athena: I see truths where I did not before. [goes through Kratos and grabs the ruined Blades of Athena] Perhaps these will earn back your trust. [uses her powers to transform them into the Blades of Exile] These are the Blades of Exile. These will help guide you on your journey to the Flame. [sends them forward to Kratos' hands] Remember, as long as Zeus reigns, there is no hope for mankind. Destroy the Flame, Kratos, and the very foundations of Olympus will crumble. [fades away]

Pandora: [appearing in a small flame] Father?

Kratos: Calliope?

Pandora: Oh!

Kratos: You are not my daughter.

Pandora: But I know who you are.

Kratos: You know of me?

Pandora: They said you would come.

Hades: [his voice echoing about] Playing with toys, Kratos?

Kratos: Show yourself, Hades. Another one of your tricks?

Hades: [laughs] As usual, Spartan, you are gravely mistaken.

Kratos: Face me, coward!

Hades: So eager, Kratos. Relax. Soon enough, we will have our time to play...

Hephaestus: [sorrowful] Leave me be. I tell you... I have paid the price.

Kratos: Calm yourself, smith god.

Hephaestus: Ghost of Sparta? It is you... Well, well, well... I thought Zeus would have killed you by now.

Kratos: I thought you would have escaped this cavern by now.

Hephaestus: Zeus may have imprisoned me here, but you are the reason I live in torment.

Kratos: I did you no wrong, Hephaestus. I pursue only one Olympian.

Hephaestus: Well, as long as it's only one Olympian. [laughs]

Kratos: I seek the Flame of Olympus. Do you know of it?

Hephaestus For what purpose, Spartan?

Kratos: For the purpose I have chosen. Now tell me, do you know of the Flame?

Hephaestus: All true children of Olympus know of it. We have all come to respect its power, but don't be fooled by its enticing glow. Neither god nor man can touch its lethal flame.

Kratos: I only need to find it.

Hephaestus: If you can find your way out of the Underworld, I am sure you can find your way to the Flame of Olympus.

Kratos: [leaving, mockingly] You have been truly helpful, Hephaestus.

Helios: Kratos, I have not forgotten the debt I owe you. Save me now, as you once saved me from Atlas, and I promise to repay you in full.

Kratos: If you wish to repay me, tell me where I can find the Flame of Olympus.

Helios: The Flame? You will never defeat Zeus, Spartan. You will forfeit your life in trying.

Kratos: Of all the lives you should worry about, Helios, mine is not one of them.

Helios: Feel the power of the sun! [tries to blind Kratos using his powers, but Kratos blocks the light and stomps his head to the ground several times; grabs Kratos' foot] Wait! Wait! I can tell you that to destroy Zeus, you must step into the Flame to receive its power.

Kratos: [angrily] You lie, Helios! Hephaestus told me the Flame kills all who touch it.

Helios And you believe him? That freak has fallen from the graces of Olympus!

Kratos: That is exactly why I believe him.

Helios: My death will not lead you to Zeus.

Kratos: That is where you are wrong. [grabs Helios by the neck and twists it, but Helios' resistence causes Kratos to hit him in the head. Leans back and rips Helios' head from his body]

Hera: [upon Kratos entering the forum, drunken] Bravo. Bravo. Our hero has arrived. Applause for another bastard child of Zeus. Just in time for the final act.

Kratos: Hera.

Hera: You look terrible, dear. Still wanting to kill my husband, I suppose?

Kratos: You know I seek revenge on Zeus.

Hera: Can't say that I blame you. Since you killed my son, Ares, fear of you consumes him.

Krato: His fears will not matter when he is dead.

Hera: I'll drink to that.

Kratos: Hera, I seek the child Pandora.

Hera: Pandora? That wretched little thing my son Hephaestus created? Well, we can't have you do that, my dear. [to unseen person] Destroy him.

[a thumping sound is heard, Kratos looks unintimidatedly at the muscular man in front of him]

Hercules: Hello, brother.

Kratos: This is not between us, Hercules.

Hercules: Isn't it? You were always Zeus' favorite.

Kratos: The air on Olympus affects your thinking, brother. Zeus has no favorites.

Hercules: Think about it, brother. While I was stuck cleaning the Augean stables, he chose you to destroy Ares. Not convinced? How about this? While you were being crowned the god of war, I was sent to find an apple. They called them "labours". Hah! Perhaps he did allow me to kill the Nemean lion, but he made your name known amongst the people. A fierce warrior. A killer made hero. A man made a god. But this time, brother... This time, I will destroy you. Call it my thirteenth and final labour. Soon I will become the god of war and claim the throne for myself.

Kratos: You aspire to be an Olympian, yet their reign is ending, Heracles.

Hercules: We'll see about that.

Hermes: [meeting Kratos where the Chain of Balance connects the Labyrinth; laughs] Look who it is. Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta. The fallen god. The cursed mortal.

Kratos: To catch a fly from the ass of Zeus is not worth my time, Hermes.

Hermes: A coward's words, Kratos. You don't try to catch me because you know you can't. [runs and sits on the edge of one of the Labyrinth boxes; mockingly] Kratos, where are you off to today? [laughs] Kill any family members lately?! Oh, that's right! You're off to kill your father, Zeus. [laughs mockingly] Won't happen, can't happen. Kratos is on a fool's errand... again.

Never, never learn.

Never, never change.

Kratos, the fool who killed his own blood;

Kratos, the fool amongst mortals and gods.

Forever ever cursed,

Forever ever doomed.

Consumed by vengeance to his last breath,

The Spartan lights the way to dusty death.

[In the Pits of Tartarus, Kratos notices Gaia's hand, which is then lifted by Cronos]

Cronos: The murderer of Gaia enters my tomb?!

Kratos: Cronos!

Cronos: I know it was you who killed her, Spartan! Who else could?! I live in torment because of you. After you took the Box from Pandora's Temple, Zeus was consumed with fear. He banished me to the pits of Tartarus.

Kratos: I was tasked by the gods to kill Ares.

Cronos: You killed Ares out of your need for vengeance! But this time, retribution finally comes to me, Spartan!

[On Mount Olympus, approaching the Flame of Olympus]

Pandora: There it is; I can see it Kratos! In the darkness, the fires of Hope will set us free! [she tries to run for the Flame, but Kratos grabs her wrist]

Kratos: Pandora, no!

Pandora: You know why I'm here. You brought me here to do this!

Kratos: I will find another way!

Pandora: No, Kratos! There is no other way-Let me go! [she tries to struggle free]

Kratos: NO, CHILD!

Pandora: I am not a child! You're hurting me! [she pulls free of Kratos and heads for the Flame, only to run headlong into Zeus. Pandora screams as Zeus seizes her by the throat] Kratos, help!

Kratos: Put her down, Zeus!

Zeus: Your obsession with this...this thing has become somewhat of a nuisance, my son.

Kratos: Release the girl, Zeus!!

Zeus: Don't confuse this...object, this construction of Hephaestus with your own flesh and blood! [mockingly, as he sees the glare on Kratos' face] But perhaps you already have, Spartan. Your quest for Pandora, your pathetic attempt for atonement from the family you slaughtered has caused nothing but havoc on Olympus! [gestures to the destruction around them] Look around at what you have done!

Kratos: [coldly] I see only what I have come to destroy.

Zeus: Taking pity on you has been my greatest mistake, Kratos. Just as taking pity on this thing will prove to be your greatest mistake!

Kratos: This has nothing to do with her!

Zeus: [holding Pandora above his head] It has everything to do with her!

Kratos: [draws his blades] PUT HER DOWN!!!

Zeus: As you wish! [Zeus hurls Pandora aside, and he and Kratos hurl themselves into each other]