On the streets of Atlantis, the heroes try to help an old man whose cart has lost a wheel. A bearded young man in black armor walks up, escorted by the Atlantean guards, and demands that they clear the way for him. When the old man explains that they can’t do so immediately, the bearded man begins beating him. Jason intervenes and strikes the man, which leads to him, Pythagoras, and Hercules all being arrested.
In jail, Pythagoras explains that Jason struck Lord Heptarian, a servant of Poseidon and the nephew of Queen Pasiphae.The three heroes are brought before the royal court in chains. Jason admits that he struck Heptarian but explains that he was coming to the defense of an innocent man. Heptarian justifies his own actions by saying the old man had offended him. When Jason accuses Heptarian of lying, Minos is outraged that Jason would raise his voice in court and is about to order the guards to kill Jason right then and there. Hercules humbly begs the king to have mercy on the grounds that Jason is new in Atlantis and not familiar with all their laws. Hercules also reminds Minos that he had previously said the city was in their debt for slaying the Minotaur. Minos orders that to appease Poseidon for this insult, they will have to face the bulls.
Pasiphae calls out Ariadne for being attracted to Jason when she is going to be betrothed to Heptarian. Ariadne opens up just enough to suggest that Pasiphae could ask Minos to grant clemency, but Pasiphae refuses, claiming that Jason’s fate lies in the hands of the gods.
Jason, Pythagoras, and Hercules are taken to the amphitheater where they are introduced to Palos, master of the bull court. Palos teaches them about bull-leaping: they will be on a team of bull-leapers, and they have one week to train. On the last day, if each member of the team leaps over the bull, they will be released, but if they fail, they will all die. In addition to Jason, Pythagoras and Hercules, their team includes a young woman named Elpis, a young, bearded man named Cyrus, and a Nubian prince named Shabaka.
Pasiphae tells Heptarian that Ariadne has feelings for Jason, and warns him that if Jason lives, he might disrupt their plans of Heptarian marrying Ariadne. Heptarian brushes off these concerns since Jason is unlikely to survive his time as a bull-leaper.
Palos trains Jason’s team to leap over a wooden bull. As the group practices, Jason notices that Pasiphae and Heptarian have come to the amphitheater to watch. Jason is unnerved by the way Pasiphae watches him, and Pythagoras mentions that she is rumored to be a witch. When Jason performs an acrobatic leap over the wooden bull, Pasiphae becomes more concerned that Jason might survive. She decides that she will have to arrange for him to be killed.
That night, while the heroes sleep, Elpis sneaks over to Jason and cuts off a small piece of his hair, giving it to one of the guards. Cyrus notices this. The hair is delivered to Pasiphae.
The team watches as another group attempts bull-leaping, with fatal results. Jason tries to persuade their team that to survive, they will have to work together, but not all the team members get along with each other. Shabaka is a Nubian prince, while Cyrus is a common thief. Neither is particularly ready to put their lives on the line for the other.
The team practices in the arena with a real bull. Jason leaps over the bull but is injured in the landing. When Jason seems to be unconscious, the other team members spring to life and distract the bull away from Jason. Pythagoras later realizes that Jason pretended to be hurt to get the rest of the team to work together. For the moment, it seems to have worked, and at dinner the team are on better terms with each other, with Cyrus and Shabaka even laughing and joking together. Elpis sits apart from the others.
Meanwhile, Pasiphae goes to a secret room where she begins performing a magical ritual to create a voodoo doll of Jason.Cyrus confronts Elpis about taking Jason’s hair while he slept. Palos interrupts the conversation, and after Elpis leaves, Palos stabs Cyrus to keep the matter a secret.
The next morning, Cyrus is found dead in the bull pen, apparently having been gored by its horn. The heroes are suspicious of this, as Cyrus was too lazy to go feed the bull unbidden. Elpis mourns for him, remembering how Cyrus used to help steal food for her back when they were first enslaved. Elpis tells Jason that she was told she would have her freedom if she took a lock of his hair. Pythagoras realizes that Pasiphae must want the hair to enact a curse against Jason. When Jason wonders why Pasiphae hates him so much, Hercules spells it out for him: Ariadne loves him.
- Jason: I’ve barely said two words to Ariadne.Hercules: It isn’t about the words, it’s in the eyes.Pythagoras: Is it? I thought it was the words.Hercules: Ah, well that’s because you’re a fool with no knowledge of women. (To Jason) And it seems the Queen has also noticed the way Ariadne looks at you. And now she wants you dead.
Heptarian asks Ariadne to go with him to the next bull-leaping, but she reacts coldly, saying she has no interest in seeing people go to their deaths.Pythagoras comes up with a plan to protect Jason: since Medusa now works in the palace kitchen, they could ask her to retrieve the hair, so Pasiphae won’t be able to enact her curse. As luck would have it, Sophia, one of Hercules’ former lovers, is working at the amphitheater. Gritting his teeth, Hercules must flirt with Sophia to get her to deliver a message to Medusa.
As Medusa searches the palace for the lock of hair, the team is brought to the arena. Palos offers Elpis her freedom for her actions, but Elpis chooses to remain with her team, even though it means risking her life in the arena.
Medusa hides as Ariadne and Pasiphae approach. Pasiphae says she can’t go to the arena, but that Ariadne must attend. Ariadne expresses her dislike of Heptarian, much to Pasiphae’s anger. When Ariadne leaves, Pasiphae goes to her secret chamber, unknowingly being followed by Medusa. Medusa watches as Pasiphae starts chanting over her voodoo doll of Jason.
Jason’s team enters the arena watched by a huge crowd. Jason looks up to see Ariadne and Heptarian sitting together. The team salutes King Minos, and the bull enters the arena. At this moment, Pasiphae starts sticking pins into the voodoo doll, causing Jason to grab his leg in pain. Shabaka distracts the bull and successfully leaps over it. Hercules goes next, with a spectacular jump. Palos glares at Elpis, but she distracts the bull from Jason and leaps over it. Unfortunately, Jason is so hurt that he can’t even stand, let alone leap.
About to add a third pin to the doll, Pasiphae is distracted by smoke from a burning cloak Medusa left behind. As Pasiphae goes to investigate, Medusa steals the voodoo doll and sneaks out.As soon as the pins are removed from the doll, Jason’s strength returns, much to Heptarian’s dismay. With difficulty, Pythagoras makes his leap, and Jason finishes the show with an acrobatic flip over the bull, to Ariadne’s relief. Minos announces that Poseidon has spared the team, and now they are free. Medusa reaches the amphitheater just in time to wave at Hercules.
Later at the palace, Ariadne and Pasiphae continue their game of cat-and-mouse. While Ariadne tells Pasiphae that she made an offering of gratitude to Poseidon, Pasiphae warns her that if Minos knew she had feelings for Jason, Jason’s life would be in more danger.
- Pasiphae: I know you think me harsh, but as queen, you cannot always follow your heart.
Tropes
- Gladiator Games: A variation, as bull-leaping does not require anyone to die, but it fits the role, and Jason’s team even says the classic last words of gladiators: “We salute you, we who are about to die.”
- Have You Told Anyone Else??: Palos says this to Cyrus before he stabs him to preserve the secret of Pasiphae using Jason’s hair to make a voodoo doll.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: Pasiphae’s plan is for Jason to die by the bull in the arena. She can’t let Ariadne know what really happened, or she will hate Heptarian forever, which would work against Pasiphae’s plan for the two of them to be married.
- Palos makes Cyrus’s death look like an accident by putting his body in the bull pen.
- Voodoo Doll: Pasiphae makes one of Jason and uses it to harm him in the arena while Jason is trying to leap over the bull.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Jason is shirtless for the bull-leaping trial.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Jason pretends to be injured by the bull to get the rest of his team to work together.
