They thought everything was quiet,
and then it came again...
That eerie, scratching sound.
So the knave and the maiden sped off in the chariot.
And when they got home, they found the monster's hook
stuck in the side of the chariot!
Aahhh!
Last time I heard that,
it was a farm boy and a peasant girl in an oxcart.
Yeah, well, I got a scary story, too.
Takes place in a forest not unlike this.
In fact, it could be on this very path.
There were two... no, there were three young warriors
returning from Troy.
Then they heard this noise...
Kinda like that.
What was it, a minotaur, or a cyclops or somethin'?
Yeah, your... your stomach growling?
Ha!
No, it was harpies.
Half-woman, half-bird beasts that swoop down
and tear the flesh from your bones.
Did they have feathers like-like armor?
Was it impossible to kill?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Laugh all you want.
I swear it's true.
Swooped right down on them on that path.
Hey, lolaus.
Iolaus!
What?
You sleep through scouting class?
That marker means, "No trespassing."
So?
It's a shortcut.
What?
Son of a god and future king are a little scared?
I don't break laws just 'cause it's convenient.
Whatever.
Oh.
We'll meet you back at the academy, all right?
Okay, well, I'll see you later, you chicken.
Ooh.
Ow.
Whoa!
Harpies?
Hercules!
Iolaus!
Nice shortcut, lolaus!
Hercules?
Ah.
Cyane.
Amazons?
Uh, you can let me up now.
Oh, yeah.
In an age of light and darkness,
Zeus, king of the gods, ruled the universe.
He had a son, young Hercules.
Half-god, half-man,
young Hercules longs to find his place in the world,
the father he's never known,
and what it means to be a hero.
Before the man became legend,
before the legend became myth,
came the greatest adventure of all.
Hey, listen up, everybody.
Excuse me, guys?
Okay, now that we have everyone's complete attention,
I'd like you to meet some friends of ours.
Fellow cadets, this is Cyane.
She's, uh, the leader of the Amazon tribe.
And you guys said we couldn't meet any girls.
Who's in charge, here?
There she is.
Uh.
We are honored to meet someone who has undertaken
the difficult task in turning these boys into warriors.
Oh, I'm not master of this academy.
I'm Lilith.
I'm a cadet.
Why do I not hear the sounds of practice?
Oh, he sent a centaur to announce his arrival.
Personally, I find them lowly beasts,
but they make good servants.
Uh, Cheiron is our leader.
A centaur?
At your service.
Cheiron, um, I've offered Cyane our hospitality
in their search for a new homeland.
You are welcome.
The ancient feud between centaur and Amazon
is best left in the past.
We accept your offer, centaur.
Our fight is with the accursed Zeus, and not with you.
Uh, you know, I heard that Zeus
can actually be a good guy.
Well, once you get to know him.
Come on.
I'll show you guys where you can put your gear.
Uh, can I get that for you?
Oh!
Ow!
You see that?
That was a love tap.
She likes me.
I don't know, I think I'd go with Hercules' technique
of keepin' a sense of mystery.
Mystery?
Oh, you haven't told her that Zeus is your father, have you?
I will, okay?
And when would that be?
When the time is right.
Excuse me.
Yeah, right.
Well, that concludes the first part of our tour.
Anybody have any questions?
Pass it here!
Is that a pig's bladder they're kicking?
Uh, uh, yeah, it's filled with water.
It's one of Cheiron's foot drills.
You guys wanna give it a try?
A little, uh, coed competition?
I don't think that's a good idea, Jason.
Come on, girls against guys.
Is she one of the guys?
Uh, she's a...
She's...
A cadet.
Let's play.
Whoa!
Herc!
All right.
I got it.
Go, Herc!
Cross it!
Hercules, cross it!
Pass it... pass it over here, Hercules!
Pass it on!
Is this how it's played?
Excellent move!
Worthy of an Amazon!
Come on, come on.
Lilith!
Jason!
I got it, I got it!
Nice play!
Ohhh!
Okay.
Let's call it a tie.
Have you seen Hercules?
No.
Care to join me in my javelin drills?
Sure.
So, why do you train with boys?
Well, I wanted to be a warrior.
There was no academy for women, so I came here.
It's the best.
I'm just having a little trouble fitting in.
An Amazon warrior takes pride in who she is,
not how she fits in with others.
Whoa!
I hope I'm not interrupting anything.
Hercules, I've been looking for you.
There's something I have to tell you.
Well, good.
I've been lookin' for you, too.
Last night, Ares gave Simula a sign in her dreams...
A land we can settle as our own,
about a day's ride to the northeast.
So, tonight, there's gonna be a big celebration.
Ooh, did I hear party?
I'm there.
And for one cadet volunteer,
it's gonna be a very special evening.
Uh, uh, and that would be me.
Well, I guess you haven't found the right time to talk.
Not with you two butting in all the time.
Hey.
What?
Come on, they painted me to represent
the male in the Amazon culture.
It's colorful.
Yeah, and practically useless.
Oh, they couldn't have found a better representative.
Hey, Hercules, dance with me?
Oh, ha!
I don't think so.
You see, I'm more of a fighter, not really a dancer.
Oh, well, you can't fight me, because you'd lose.
Come on!
Ooh.
Hey, check this out.
So, what's your sign?
"No trespassing."
He shoots, he misses!
Ha-ha!
Well, I don't see you with anybody.
Well, that's 'cause they're Amazons.
If they were any other type of woman, they'd be all over me.
Yeah, whatever.
Well, it looks like Herc's doin' okay.
Yeah, he is.
Listen, I, um, got somethin' I wanna tell you
before you leave.
Well, go ahead.
You don't have to be shy with me.
Zeus is my father.
Oh, yeah, very funny.
You know how I hate Zeus.
I tried to tell you.
You're not kidding.
Cyane...
What part of your father's plot is all this?
- Listen... - No!
Cyane!
I'm not like my father!
Yeah, well, I don't believe you!
Bad luck, big guy.
Eh, don't worry about it, Hercules.
She would've found out anyway.
What's goin' on here?
I'm Leeseus, the king of Athens.
This woman belongs to me.
Hold it right there!
Leeseus.
Jason, my old friend.
Whoa, did I miss something?
This is Hercules, one of the best fighters at the academy.
We've met.
And lolaus.
Hey.
So, Jason, how the heck are you?
I'd be better if you didn't have that woman stuck in the net.
Don't be concerned, it's a minor matter.
They're runaway slaves.
We belong to no one.
They were tricked.
They were captured by Zared and his pack of slavers.
I have Zeus to thank for this.
You're forgetting, Leeseus.
As guests, the Amazons are under the protection of the academy.
Ah, you must be Cheiron.
Your reputation for bravery and wisdom is well-known.
Don't get involved in this.
If you do, I would be forced to destroy your academy.
Wait.
This is all my fault.
I invited Cyane here.
Good, then you can uninvite her and the matter is settled.
Whoa, you can't take the Amazons!
No one should be anyone else's property!
Leeseus has a contract.
In the eyes of the law, he's right.
But the law is wrong!
Allow us 24 hours to offer an answer.
Fine, 24 hours.
But it'll do ya no good.
Slavery's wrong, Jas, what's your problem?
Without laws, all people are slaves to chaos.
Here are the scrolls.
Is that all there is about combat by champion?
What?
This isn't enough?
Come on, there's gotta be something there
we can use against, uh, Jason's old buddy.
It may be wrong, lolaus, but the law is on his side,
and you can't just ignore the law.
Oh, yeah?
Watch me!
- Oh, yeah? - Yeah!
Can you guys just knock it off, please?
I'm gonna need both of you
if this is gonna have any chance to work.
I think I have a solution.
You were right when you said that we should obey the law.
But, you were right when you said that people
should not be slaves.
Therefore, a fair solution is the tradition of champions.
Combat by champions is a test of skill on the ropes.
First one to knock their opponent to the ground wins.
Now, if it's Leeseus' champion,
the Amazons become his servants,
but if it's Cyane's champion, the Amazons go free.
I don't need a champion.
The queen of the Telaquire Amazons fights her own battles.
Leeseus?
Yes, I'd like a champion.
I choose...
you, Hercules.
What?
Hercules?
Me as your champion?
You wanted the rules of champions.
By the way, you know, if you lose,
you serve me in place of the Amazons.
That's how it works.
Can he do that?
Don't worry.
Hercules knows what he's doin'.
Well, we're all agreed.
I'm ready to start.
I warned you.
You don't wanna fight me.
You'll lose.
Begin.
Come on, Hercules!
Wow, Cyane is an incredible warrior.
If ya haven't got the heart for battle,
you should never have agreed to be champion.
Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Come on, Cyane!
Ha!
Yes.
Yeah.
Well, Jason, you were right, as always.
He's a worthy champion.
Well done, Hercules.
Pack your things, ladies.
Uh, just a minute, Leeseus.
I think you're forgetting something.
And that would be?
The rules of champions.
You see, I win, I get a reward.
Reward.
- What're you talkin' about? - It's in the scroll.
Sorry about that.
Rules are rules.
What do you want?
Land?
Money?
A new wing on the academy?
Abolish slavery in Athens.
Y... You can't ask for that.
The Amazons will go free.
Read the law.
I can ask for anything I want.
Hey, you remember that one time, your chariot beat mine?
You told me, great kings learned from their losses.
And, today was a very expensive lesson.
I assume you're eager to settle your new homelands.
Yeah, it's gonna be a long, hard journey.
Hey, I would love to join in that journey,
if you'll have me.
Well, of course, you're welcome.
Ohh.
Yes.
But she just got here.
Women, they keep you guessin'.
Cheiron, I'm only sorry my training with you will end.
Every beginning starts at another beginning's end.
May you find what you seek with the Amazons.
You know, I never thought I'd say this to a man, Hercules.
You've taught me a lesson:
Not to judge the son by the father.
Sisters!
We leave now!
I hope our paths cross again.
I do, too.
You know, guys,
I think I learned something from all this.
You?
What's that?
This body paint is really hard to get off.