1 PREVIOUSLY ON 1
ANNOUNCER
Previously on Live From Mount
Olympus...
SIMON
Someone said King Minos
ordered Daedalus to design a
temple for the snake goddess
to be built so far up in the
mountains, no one will ever
be able to reach it...
PROKRITOS
I heard it's gonna be a
prison for Queen Pasiphae...
ANT
What a fool!
ERIBOEA
Are we gonna be eaten by the
Minotaur?!
THESEUS
All of you focus on the bull
dance -- I will deal with the
Minotaur
ARIADNE
If you're the son of the king
of Athens, why are you a
tribute? Princes don't
usually have to sacrifice
themselves.
THESEUS
When Aegeus claimed me as his
son and heir, the people of
Athens rejoiced! But then
your father's minions arrived
demanding new tributes -- so
I told Aegeus I would go.
ARIADNE
I have more I need to discuss
with you, but it must wait.
You need to get some sleep
before tomorrow's bull dance.
THESEUS
One more thing before you go?
Kiss.
EROS
YEEeeEeEESSSSSSS!!!!!!
2 INTRO 2
ANNOUNCER
Live From Mount Olympus is
produced by The Onassis
Foundation and is distributed
by PRX.
3 INTERIOR, PODCAST STUDIO 3
EROS
Quite a kiss, yes?
APHRODITE
Two kisses!
EROS
My arrows are so powerful. I
do so love to be the god of
love!
HERMES
Eros, you and your arrows.
EROS
Hey, old god, do I detect a
little jealousy?
HERMES
Excuse me???
APHRODITE
Eros!!!
EROS
What?! Hermes, you tell great
stories -- but I think you
may have forgotten how to
live them. And have you ever
caused two people to fall in
love?
HERMES
Eros, I don't do love, I
leave that to you and your
mother -- so let me do what I
do best and get on with the
story!
EROS
Okay --
HERMES
Try not to interrupt! As we
return to the palace
courtyard in Knossos for the
next bull dance. Ah! It's
already in full swing...
4 EXT. COURTYARD, DAY 4
Cheers from the crowd
BULL DANCE COLOR
It's been a heck of a bull
dance so far, Yorgo.
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
That's right, Niko.
BULL DANCE COLOR
That bull seems excessively
aggravated -- just look at
the way he's pawing the
ground!
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
(animated, breaking in)
He's taking off after the
youngest tribute now,
catching her by surprise --
Sound of the crowd gasping.
Sound of bull snorting.
THESEUS
Boot Leg play!!
ANT
BOOT LEG!!! Eriboea, we got
you!
THESEUS
Simon, fake left! Prokritos,
fake right! The rest of you --
distract! DISTRACT!
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
Whoa -- we've never seen
anything like this before!
Two of the young men have
begun to dance crazily, zig
zagging between the charging
bull and the girl standing
stock still. That beast
doesn't know which way to
look!
BULL DANCE COLOR
And this is giving the young
lady a moment to compose
herself -- she's starting to
dance too --
(Laughing)
All three tributes weaving in
and out while the bull looks
this way and that, shaking
its enormous head as if it's
been stunned!
Sound of bull bellowing
BULL PLAY BY PLAY
Look at the confusion in his
fiery eyes, listen to that
bellow!
BULL DANCE COLOR
That bull sure sounds mad,
Yorgo.
Sound of crowd cheering.
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
That's right, Niko. The girl
is now running straight
towards the beast!
BULL DANCE COLOR
She's bounding --
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
She is doing a triple
somersault before leaping
over the bull -- She's
leaping OVER the bull!
Crowd goes wild!
The announcer, bull dance, and crowd sounds
fade into the background.
POV moves to Ariadne and Phaedra in the
royal box above the courtyard.
ARIADNE
Phaedra! Did you see her?
PHAEDRA
Who?
ARIADNE
The youngest tribute, the
girl, didn't you see what
just happened???
PHAEDRA
(dreamily)
Sorry, I couldn't take my
eyes off Theseus. So dreamy!
ARIADNE
Oh, so that's your type?
PHAEDRA
Just look at him -- athletic,
graceful, cute -- He's
everyone's type!
ARIADNE
(laughing)
Yeah, I guess I see the
appeal.
PHAEDRA
Too bad there's just one more
day before he becomes
Minotaur meat.
Sound of Ariadne gasping.
PHAEDRA
Sis, I think you've got a
soft spot for Theseus too...
ARIADNE
Okay...I do maybe have a
slight thing for Theseus...
PHAEDRA
I knew it!
ARIADNE
But this bull dance is...
PHAEDRA
...super entertaining.
ARIADNE
No! It's barbaric! -- We're
sending human beings to a
gruesome death! The tributes
may be Athenians, they may
not have the sophistication
of Knossos -- but they're
still human beings! We have
no right to terrify them with
this dangerous dance -- and
their deaths by Minotaur will
be even more horrific!
PHAEDRA
Hmmm...I hadn't thought about
it that way... You're right,
this is all pretty
gruesome...
Gasp from the crowd.
BULL DANCE COLOR
One of the young men has
stumbled -- and the bull is
charging right towards where
he is sprawled on the field!
Sound of crowd gasping.
THESEUS
Koronis, Menestho, Lysidike --
time to fly!
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
The young Athenians have
split into two wings,
surrounding the bull, and
protecting the fallen tribute
-- The bull is distracted,
he's running towards the
three girls who are now
charging HIM!
BULL DANCE COLOR
And now they're grabbing his
horns and somersaulting over
his back in quick succession!
I don't believe what I am
seeing!
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
Uh oh...
ANT
(warning)
Theseus! Watch out! Behind
you! Behind you!
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
Suddenly the bull is veering
right -- it's heading -- it's
heading -- it's heading
straight towards Theseus!
ARIADNE
(under her breath)
Eyes up, Theseus! Get out of
the way!
PHAEDRA
You really do care about
him...
THESEUS
Squibb Kick! Now!!!
ANT
We got your back, Theseus!
Prokritos, Idas -- Go!
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
Theseus is whipping around --
Now he's running backward, at
an angle, keeping his eye on
the bull, who has slowed his
charge... Suddenly the two
tallest tributes swoop in and
each grab ahold of a horn!
One is pushing, the other
pulling, curving the bull's
head into the ground...
BULL DANCE COLOR
While Theseus is running
straight for it!
Leaping onto its back -- he's
grabbing the horns from
behind, his teammates have
let go in unison, the beast
is going wild, trying to
shake Theseus off, running in
wider and wider circles as
the tributes scatter!
ARIADNE
(to herself)
Hang on, Theseus! Hang on!
THESEUS
T formation! T formation!
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
Theseus has called a play,
but it doesn't look like
anything we've seen yet --
the tributes are running
straight at -- no, it can't
be, Niko --
BULL DANCE COLOR
It is, Yorgo! They're all
running toward the ringside
platform where King Minos
sits on his throne! And the
bull is chasing them! They
are luring the bull straight
toward the king!
Crowd goes wild
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
Theseus has turned this
contest upside down!
The guards have closed ranks
to protect the king -- what
will happen next???
BULL DANCE COLOR
Theseus is pulling back the
bull's horns -- it's slowing
down -- it's staring straight
up at the sky!
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
How is Theseus controlling
that massive beast? He made
it stop just inches before it
slammed into the platform
holding King Minos!
BULL DANCE COLOR
The bull's front legs are
bending -- Somehow Theseus
has made the beast kneel down
before Minos! It's almost eye
to eye with the king!
THESEUS
(snarky)
Your highness.
MINOS
(through clenched
teeth)
WHAT. IS. THIS.
THESEUS
This beast and I bow to your
power and superiority, mighty
king. Are you not
entertained?
MINOS
Enough! In two days time,
when the moon is full, you
will be the first tribute
sent to the Labyrinth,
Theseus. Let's see you try to
play games with the Minotaur!
Sound of crowd going wild.
ARIADNE
(to herself)
No! I must find a way to save
him, I must...
PHAEDRA
I bet Daedalus might know
what to do.
ARIADNE
Great idea! Cover for me sis,
I'll go see Daedalus before
breakfast tomorrow. But
tonight --
PHAEDRA
I'll cover for you. Just make
sure to tell Theseus I say
hello!
Ariadne gasps.
ARIADNE
You know?
PHAEDRA
Of course I do -- I'm your
sister, remember?
5 INT. CHAMBER, NIGHT. 5
Sound of snoring
Sound of quiet footsteps
ARIADNE
Good...
(clearing throat and
lowering voice)
Good evening, Ant. Where is
Theseus?
ANT
(a little snarky)
How's it going, "Icarus?"
ARIADNE
(low voice)
Well. You know, it goes very
well. Just doing classic
Icarus stuff. And with you?
ANT
Bull dance was fire! But the
full moon is another story...
ARIADNE
(low voice)
True, true.
ANT
(nonchalantly)
Someone's waitin' for you in
the dream chamber.
ARIADNE
(low voice)
You know about the dream
chamber?
ANT
Theseus told me ALL about it.
Sound of footsteps.
ARIADNE
(in low voice, worried)
All?
Sound of footsteps.
ANT
Lemme fix your 'stache,
"Icarus;" it's crooked.
ARIADNE
(low voice)
Oh my, I um... You know,
crooked is the hippest way to
wear a mustache these days.
Sort of, in a falling off
kinda style...
ANT
(whispering)
Your secret's safe with me,
princess.
ARIADNE
(low voice)
Whaaat? Boy, I'm no
princess...
ANT
(A little soft at
first)
Hey, hey -- You're good for
him. You lift his spirits.
(harder)
And we're all counting on you
to help him stay alive...
ARIADNE
(kindly, in own voice)
I will figure it out. I
promise. Thank you for caring
for him as much as I do.
ANT
You're welcome, Princess.
ARIADNE
Or you could call me goddess-
to-be...
ANT
Don't push it.
Both laugh
Sound of Ariadne's footsteps as she walks
away.
6 INT. TEMPLE, NIGHT 6
THESEUS
Ariadne!
ARIADNE
So Ant knows, huh.
THESEUS
Of course, Ant knows. Ant
knows my heart.
ARIADNE
I thought it was supposed to
be our secret --
THESEUS
I trust Ant with my life.
ARIADNE
I saw that at the bull dance
today -- I almost screamed
when the bull came straight
towards you, and then Ant
warned you just in time...
THESEUS
The bull may have chased me,
but I believe you're the one
who's in danger, Ariadne.
ARIADNE
What are you talking about??
You're going to be sent to be
eaten by the Minotaur in two
day's time...
THESEUS
During the banquets, some of
my team heard stories -- dark
stories...
ARIADNE
Darker than death by
Minotaur?
THESEUS
In some ways, yeah -- They
overheard noblemen talking
about Minos building a new
temple for your mother, high
up in the mountains -- a
temple that will be her
prison!
ARIADNE
(dismissive)
Oh, those rumors have been
swirling for years. My father
has never hidden his desire
for sole power over Crete.
But Mother ignores them.
THESEUS
That may not be so wise...
ARIADNE
The snake goddess has ruled
our island for thousands of
years, represented on earth
by my mother, by her mother
before her -- and one day by
me.
THESEUS
Well, that may be -- but
Prokritos and Menestho heard
that your dad plans to marry
you off to some foreign king
and send you far away --
ARIADNE
Ridiculous. The only person I
would ever consider leaving
Crete for is standing here,
with me, in my dream chamber.
THESEUS
Give me your hands... You
have...um...
(SILENCE)
ARIADNE
Were you planning to finish
your sentence?
THESEUS
Sorry um... When you smile,
you have this little dimple
in your left cheek, I
couldn't stop looking at
it...
ARIADNE
What was that about my cheek?
Kiss
ARIADNE
(a little bashfully)
I liked that.
THESEUS
Care for some more?
ARIADNE
Maybe later -- right now we
have to face what's coming.
THESEUS
Right now, I'm facing the
most beautiful girl in the
world.
ARIADNE
Theseus -- you have no idea
what you're up against. You
will have to face the
Minotaur, and he is --
THESEUS
Don't worry, Ariadne --
ARIADNE
Listen! I need to convey the
immensity of just how
dangerous he is.
THESEUS
I know it won't be easy, but
I must kill him.
ARIADNE
I know... I know that for you
to live, my half-brother must
die.
THESEUS
Your half-brother??
ARIADNE
My family is... complicated.
THESEUS
Tell me about it! What is he
like? The Minotaur, I mean...
ARIADNE
What do you know about how
the Minotaur came to be?
THESEUS
Well, I'd heard that Minos
wanted to consolidate his
hold over Crete, so he prayed
to my father Poseidon for a
sign showing he should be the
true king --
ARIADNE
And Poseidon looked favorably
on him and sent an enormous
white bull, which emerged
from the sea.
THESEUS
The same bull I sacrificed to
Athena?
ARIADNE
The very same. Mother told me
no one had ever seen a beast
so radiant and beautiful.
Father was pleased -- and
instead of sacrificing it to
the god as he had promised,
he tried to trick Poseidon by
sacrificing another bull and
keeping this one for himself.
THESEUS
Foolish move -- the gods are
very particular about their
sacrifices...
ARIADNE
Oh, Poseidon was furious. But
he didn't take his anger out
on Minos, not directly.
Instead he asked Eros to
shoot my mother with one of
his love arrows just as she
gazed upon the bull...
THESEUS
Uh oh --
ARIADNE
(quickly)
She fell in love with the
bull and they had a child...
THESEUS
The Minotaur...
ARIADNE
Yes.
THESEUS
I'm sorry for what I must do.
ARIADNE
I want to help you, Theseus.
THESEUS
Are you sure? He is your
blood. The gods are clear --
killing a member of your own
family is the worst of
crimes...
ARIADNE
It's true, the Minotaur is my
half-brother. And he is also
a monster. He will murder you
and all your Athenian
friends. He must be stopped.
THESEUS
I'm grateful for your help.
ARIADNE
(emotionless and quick)
So how will you go about
doing it then? Killing the
Minotaur? Can you be quick?
What is your plan?
THESEUS
Well, I've captured and
sacrificed one bull already --
the great white bull from the
sea, the Minotaur's father.
ARIADNE
But that doesn't mean you can
kill the Minotaur. And if by
some miracle you do, how are
you going to get out? It's a
labyrinth, you know...
THESEUS
I haven't quite worked out
the finer details --
ARIADNE
I know I can help you.
THESEUS
Ariadne -- are you sure?
ARIADNE
As sure as I've been of
anything in my life. Coming
to Knossos to fight the
Minotaur is your fate -- and
I can feel that helping you
is my fate. I love you,
Theseus.
THESEUS
I love you too.
Kiss.
ARIADNE
I'll return tomorrow night
with a plan.
THESEUS
One more kiss for a man who
must face his fate?
Kiss.
We hear Ariadne's footsteps and Theseus
sighing as she leaves.
9 INT. PODCAST STUDIO 9
APHRODITE
Did you see how Theseus
noticed her dimple? So cute!
EROS
Did you see him kiss her ear?
That bond is definitely one
of my better ones. I bet it
will last longer than most!
HERMES
And how about the love bond
that got our heroes into this
mess in the first place?
Quite an interesting
complication you created with
that arrow.
EROS
I know, that one was...
unusual. But Poseidon
commanded me to do it!
HERMES
And if Poseidon told you to
jump off Mount Olympus?
EROS
Sounds fun!
HERMES
Teenagers.
APHRODITE
Back to Theseus noticing that
dimple though...
HERMES
Did either of you pay any
attention to the danger our
heroes are facing?
Or do you really believe that
love is enough?
EROS
Duh!
HERMES
While I respect both your
confidence, I'm not taking
any bets. We'll just have to
see -- next time on Live From
Mount Olympus.
THE END
CREDITS
ANNOUNCER
Live From Mount Olympus is
produced by the Onassis
Foundation. Karen Brooks
Hopkins is executive
producer. Our series creator
and showrunner is Julie
Burstein. Live From Mount
Olympus is co-produced by
Brooklyn-based theatre
collective The TEAM. Our co-
directors are Rachel Chavkin,
Zhailon Levingston, Keenan
Tyler-Oliphant, and Josiah
Davies, with additional
direction by Joan Sergei. And
our actors are: Eric
Berryman, MaYaa Boateng --
ARIADNE
Maybe later... Right now, we
have to face what's coming.
ANNOUNCER
Sean Carvajal, EJ Duarte --
ANT
You're welcome, Princess.
ANNOUNCER
Jill Frutkin --
APHRODITE
Did you see how Theseus
noticed her dimple?! So cute!
ANNOUNCER
Divine Garland, Adrienne
Hopkins, Caroline Hopkins --
PHAEDRA
Hmm. I hadn't thought about
it that way. You're right --
this is all pretty gruesome.
ANNOUNCER
Natalie Hopkins, Modesto
"Flako" Jimenez, Na'Shay
Kelly, Julian Hart-King,
Libby King, Ian Lassiter,
Zhailon Levingston --
BULL DANCE PLAY BY PLAY
Theseus has turned this
contest upside-down!
ANNOUNCER
Evalisse Lopez, Kimberly
Marable, Jake Margolin --
MINOS
Let's see you try to play
games with the Minotaur!
ANNOUNCER
Marcel Isaiah Martinez, James
Harrison Monaco --
BULL DANCE COLOR
It's been a heck of a bull
dance so far, Yorgo.
ANNOUNCER
Xavier Pacheco --
THESEUS
This beast and I bow to your
power and superiority, mighty
king. Are you not
entertained?
ANNOUNCER
Joham Palma, Damir Priestley,
Angel Rodriguez, Conor
Sweeney --
EROS
I do so love to be the god of
love!
ANNOUNCER
Jillian Walker, and André de
Shields is Hermes!
HERMES
And how about the love bond
that got our heroes into this
mess in the first place?
Quite an interesting
complication you created with
that arrow.
ANNOUNCER
The TEAM's producing director
is Emma Orme, and associate
producer is Sabine Decatur.
Casting support from Melissa
Friedman, co-artistic
director of Epic Theatre
Ensemble. Live From Mount
Olympus is written by Nathan
Yungerberg, with additional
writing by Julie Burstein and
Jason Adam Katzenstein. Audio
production and mix by John
Melillo. Audio editing and
sound design by Yonatan
Rekem. Magdalini Giannikou
composed our original music,
which was performed by Banda
Magda, and mixed and mastered
by Luca Bordonaro. Jason Adam
Katzenstein created our
illustrations and is series
humor consultant. A big thank
you to our creative advisors
Dr. Michael Cohen and Richard
Nodell.
Mandy Boikou is
administrative director and
Sofia Pipa is project manager
at Onassis USA. Will
McClelland is our production
assistant and Gizelle Winter
is our series antiquities
consultant. Live From Mount
Olympus was recorded with
engineers Roy Hendrickson,
Mor Mezrich, Matthew
Sullivan, and Matthew Soares
at the Power Station at
Berklee NYC. Press by Grand
Communications. Graphic
design by Onassis Creative
Studio. Live From Mount
Olympus is distributed by
PRX. Want to learn more about
Hermes and the Olympians?
Check out our website at
www.onassis.link/olympus.
Since 1975, the Onassis
Foundation has been dedicated
to culture, community, and
education, with projects that
can effectively inspire
social change and justice
across borders. Learn more at
www.onassis.org.