Hercules and Medusa are together on a romantic night. Hercules moves to kiss Medusa but although she has feelings for him she asks that he tell her the truth about his past, as she has heard rumors about his drinking, gambling, and womanizing. Hercules tells her that all of those things have happened in his past, but he has never felt the way he feels about Medusa for any other woman. Before the two can kiss, Hercules is knocked out from behind. Hercules is kidnapped by Kyros, whom he owes a lot of money. Kyros threatens to cut off Hercules’ head, but says he will spare his life if Hercules brings him a box that can only be found in the underworld. When Hercules says such a task is impossible, Kyros threatens Medusa and says Hercules has one day to get the box or Medusa will be killed.
The next morning, Jason and Pythagoras find Hercules bound and gagged on the side of the street. After being freed, Hercules explains what Kyros has demanded of him in exchange for Medusa’s life. Pythagoras suggests that it would be easier to rescue Medusa, but Hercules says they have no idea where she is being held. To learn more about descending into the underworld, they go to visit the hierophant Eunapius, a leader of the cult of Persephone.
Eunapius initially refuses to help them, and when Hercules tries threatening him, cultists start shooting arrows at the heroes. Jason manages to deflect an arrow with his sword, and threatens Eunapius until he finally agrees to help them.
Back in Atlantis, Hercules and Jason begin to enact the ritual that Eunapius taught them. First they cleanse their bodies, then they give a part of themselves to Persephone by cutting off a lock of their hair, then they drink a special drug that slows their metabolism until their heartbeat can barely be felt. To return to the land of the living, one of them must blow a horn, but Pythagoras, who is staying in the land of the living, will be unable to hear it, and will instead be alerted by the crows. Pythagoras will need to use some of his own blood to revive Jason and Hercules. As Jason and Hercules fall into a coma, Pythagoras places coins on their tongues to take with them into the underworld.
In the underworld, Hercules and Jason are ferried across the river Styx by Charon the boatman.
Back in the land of the living, Pythagoras gets distracted by a magpie and falls out the window. While he is incapacitated, the lit candles in the house start a fire that gradually gets more and more out of control.
In the underworld, a large group of shades walk towards Hercules and Jason, but one of them shoos the others away. Hercules and Jason are surprised to see their friend Cyrus, who was killed back in their bull-leaping days. Cyrus offers to guide them to Campe’s lair in Tartarus, where the box is hidden.
Pythagoras wakes up to find that the house fire has been put out, but the bodies of Jason and Hercules have been removed, since they were believed to be dead. Pythagoras rushes off to try to get them back.Cyrus shows Jason and Hercules the entrance to Tartarus, which lies at the bottom of a deep black pit.
Pythagoras rushes into the house of the corpse-bearers only to find that Jason and Hercules aren’t here. The corpse-bearer doesn’t know what Pythagoras is talking about when he asks about the housefire and suggests that his friends might have been taken for burial by the corpse bearers on the other side of the city. Pythagoras runs off again.
At the bottom of the pit, the heroes find the entrance to Tartarus underneath a stone slab. As they descend into the darkest part of Tartarus, Cyrus warns the heroes that they must not disturb the tormented souls of Tartarus, or they might never get out again. The heroes tiptoe around a group of souls at rest and arrive at Campe’s lair, where they find the box. Campe attacks them, appearing as a monstrous creature that is part human and part scorpion. Jason manages to wound Campe and take the box. Campe warns them that this box must never be opened, for it once belonged to Pandora and contains all the evils of the world. Campe then screams and summons the spirits of Tartarus to stop the heroes from leaving. As the heroes flee, Cyrus tells Jason to blow the horn and get out of the underworld.Unfortunately, Pythagoras gets to the correct corpse-bearer only to learn that Hercules and Jason have already been sent to be buried on the far western side of the city. Pythagoras hears crows cawing and realizes that his friends must be trying to get back, but he can’t revive them without their bodies.
In Tartarus, the heroes are trapped between the stone trapdoor and the hordes of Tartarus.Just in time, Pythagoras reaches the western gate and digs up the fresh graves of Jason and Hercules. Once he puts some of his blood on their lips, they wake up to find themselves mostly buried.
- Hercules: Why in the name of the gods are we in a grave?Pythagoras: It’s a very long story that involves a lot of running and a lot of digging.
Kyros’ thugs bring the heroes to Kyros, who releases Medusa in exchange for the box. As expected, Kyros immediately opens the box, but all he finds inside is a snake. The heroes flee into the streets of Atlantis, pursued by Kyros’ thugs. Medusa runs home while the heroes fight the thugs. In the battle, Jason kills Kyros. Realizing that Medusa doesn’t know the real box is at home, the heroes rush back to stop her before she can open it.At the house, Medusa hears strange voices coming from under the floorboards and looks down to find the box. The box entices Medusa with its hypnotic spell and she opens it.
The heroes rush home to find Medusa gone. They search the streets and see stone statues standing around near the gates. Jason realizes the statues are people who were turned to stone. Hercules catches up to Medusa, but she begs him not to look at her. Jason gives Hercules a shield so he can see Medusa’s reflection without turning to stone. Medusa reveals to Hercules that her hair has turned to snakes, and that anyone who looks at her will be turned to stone. Hercules promises that he will never give up until he finds a way to lift Medusa’s curse, but she flees as the Atlantean guards approach.
Jason gives Pandora’s box to the Oracle, so that no one will ever open it again. The Oracle tells Jason that Medusa cannot be cured, as this was her destiny, and one day Jason will have no choice but to kill her, as that is part of his destiny. Cursing her and the gods, Jason storms out of the temple and looks up at the sky, stating “do your worst,” as thunder rumbles.
Tropes
- Bound and Gagged: Hercules and Medusa when they are captured by Kyros.
- Continuity Nod: When Hercules says that entering the underworld is impossible, Kyros says he expected more from the man who slew the Minotaur.
- Jason and Hercules talk to Cyrus in the underworld and tell him that they won their freedom from bull-leaping.
- Forced Transformation: Pandora's box turns Medusa into a gorgon.
- Genre Savvy: Jason’s Fish out of Temporal Water status gives him some familiarity with Greek myths, as he immediately realizes what has happened to Medusa after he sees the statues and warns his friends not to look at her.
- I Have Your Wife: Kyros threatens Medusa to get Hercules to bring him Pandora's box.
- Running Gag: Pythagoras has to keep running from one side of the city to another to find the bodies of Hercules and Jason.
- Sadistic Choice: The Oracle tells Jason that one day he will have no choice but to kill Medusa or thousands will die. Jason curses her and the gods for giving him and Medusa such horrible fates.
- Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter: After cursing the Oracle, Jason storms out of the temple of Poseidon and says “do your worst.” Thunder rumbles in response.
- Stating the Simple Solution: Pythagoras points out that it would probably be simpler to rescue Medusa than to descend into the underworld. Unfortunately, the heroes have no idea where Medusa is being held, so they go with the more complicated plan.
- Taken for Granite: Several Atlantean guards get turned to stone by accident after Medusa is turned into a gorgon.
- Wham Episode: Medusa is turned into a monster and there is nothing the heroes can do to help her.
- You Can't Fight Fate: The Oracle says that Medusa’s curse can’t be lifted, as this was her fate. Jason protests that Medusa doesn’t deserve such a fate, but the Oracle says that fate isn’t deserved, it just is.
