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EXT. HILLS, NIGHT.
Soldiers in Hellenic armor climb through the hills, keeping
as quiet as possible.
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 |
|
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INT. ZEUS PALACE, DAY.
WIDEN
ZEUS and O. ATHENA have been watching the army approach
Athens on the board of their Strategy game.
|
 O.
ATHENA:
They'll be in position to attack before dawn.
ZEUS:
They'll probably win too.
|
O. ATHENA gives ZEUS a sharp look.
|
O.
ATHENA:
You've used my Maidenhood as a symbol of Athens
never being taken.
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ZEUS ignores her.
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O.
ATHENA:
How do you intend to prevent the Hellenes from winning?
ZEUS:
We agreed not to interfere.
O.
ATHENA:
And then, what of me?
ZEUS:
Its a symbol, not a reality.
O.
ATHENA:
No, my virginity is the reality, Athens is to fall
and I am to remain a maiden.
ZEUS:
(Looks up)
You may do as you wish, you are smart enough to
evade my prohibitions.
O.
ATHENA:
And what will happen to your Archeaens?
ZEUS:
I don't know, we'll have to see.
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 |
EXT. ATHENS, EVENING.
The HELLENIC army has been victorious and there are many
fires around Athens.
|
 |
|
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INT. TEMPLE, CONT.
Many WOMEN and YOUNG PRIESTESSES come running up to L.
ATHENA as she stands at the door watching the fires.
|
YP:
What will we do?
|
L. ATHENA says nothing but her expression is hard and
resolute.
|
ANGLE THROUGH DOOR
A group of HELLENIC soldiers enters the square and
redirects itself towards the temple.
|
 |
L. ATHENA closes the door.
She
turns to the others and claps.
Then
she points this way and that about the temple.
|
|
YP:
What?
We
don't understand.
YP
#2:
What
can we do?
They
are soldiers, they come to rape us, to take their
spoils.
|
The
ASSISTANT to the HIGH PRIEST looks at L. ATHENA and thinks.
|
ASSISTANT:
The
fertility festival.
Make
preparations.
Quickly
bring tables before the Goddess.
YP:
But
the festival is half a year away.
ASSISTANT:
It
comes now.
The
goddess must not be insulted by our rape. And if
we are not clever enough to manage this conceit
...
|
Tables
are being brought out before the statue of the Goddess.
Others
bring arm loads of robes.
PRIESTESSES
throw off their conventional robes and don the sheer robes
with loose ties so they can be easily removed.
The
PRIESTESSES encourage the common WOMEN to do like wise.
|
GIRL:
But
I'm a virgin.
PRIESTESS:
Not
for long.
|
[There
is a pounding at the door.]
|
PRIESTESS:
But
through the Goddess you can reclaim your virginity
and not loose your honor.
|
The
GIRL looks very unhappy about it but she begins to change.
CUT
TO
The
doors open and L. ATHENA stands just inside the doors having
pulled them open.
|
L.
ATHENA:
Welcome
gentlemen to our fertility festival.
Each
of the Priestesses represents-
|
The
LEADER of the SOLDIERS shoves L. ATHENA to the ground and
pushes past her.
L.
ATHENA almost springs into action but she gets control of
herself at the last moment.
She
smoothes her face and slowly gets to her feet.
A
soldier of no importance rips her dress from her (she still
wears the goat skin skirt).
He
grabs her breasts with one hand and frees himself with the
other. He shoves her to the floor and rapes her.
L.
ATHENA's stare moves up the columns of the temple.
The
tops look like palms and past them the wooden ceiling looks
like stars.
|
|
|
|
INT.
ZEUS' PALACE, CONT.
O.
ATHENA turns away from the table in disgust.
|
O.
ATHENA:
Barbarians!
ZEUS:
You're
jealous.
O.
ATHENA:
Of
what? I can find legions of heathens to take my
virginity.
ZEUS:
Not
of that but of her.
O.
ATHENA:
Father!
ZEUS:
You
never would have the self control to allow that.
O.
ATHENA:
Allow!
ZEUS:
You
know what she is capable of. Even if she does not
believe herself a God she could have killed that
man: the one who shoved her, the one who raped her,
half or more of their entire company.
She
could have held them off while the others escaped.
O.
ATHENA:
If
she could, why didn't she?
ZEUS:
Because
no one else could.
Those
women were not prepared to defend themselves and
hers would have been the only temple to Athena that
survived the invasion. No she told us that when
Gods interfere they weaken the people. She believes
what she said and has the strength of character
to take the consequences of what she believes.
Can
we do any less?
|
|
|
|
|
INT.
TEMPLE, DAY. (Months later)
The
PRIESTESSES are making declarations to the new HIGH PRIESTESS
(L. ATHENA has a scar across her face and her hair has gray
and black in it. She is now a lesser PRIESTESS.)
|
PRIESTESS:
The
subscription does not go well.
HP:
The
men of Athens are less horny this spring then most?
PRIESTESS
#2:
All
indications that the men of Athens are as willing
to aid in the production of grain crops by planting
their seeds before the goddess as ever but, The
Hellenese say the practice is obscene and disrespectful
to the Gods.
|
The
other PRIESTESSES are struck dumb.
L.
ATHENA nudges a PRIESTESS next to her.
|
PRIESTESS
#3:
But
the festival has been the same for over two thousand
years. If the Goddess was displeased don't they
think that in all that time she could have given
us a sign?
PRIESTESS
#2:
She
did. She let Athens fall to wiser minds.
HP:
The
audacity!
|
The
HIGH PRIESTESS takes a moment to gain control of herself.
|
HP:
Sisters,
we have served the goddess here since before there
even was an Athens, or Hellenese or even Archaea.
We are constant, the Gods are constant. Men come
and go but the gods and we endure. We will continue
to act in the manner that was given to us from a
time even before men.
|
The
other Priestesses nod their agreement, including L. ATHENA.
|
|
|
INT.
TEMPLE, EVENING.
The
temple is decorated and beds have been placed around the
base of the statue.
Many
Priestesses are wearing the sheer robe of the festival,
some are bathing in preparation, and still others -younger-
are assisting the others.
[Grand
pounding at the doors to the temple.]
Everyone
looks up, startled.
|
|
 |
EXT.
TEMPLE ROOF, CONT.
The
light is just dieing in the West.
Two
young women, too young to participate in the festival, are
sitting near a trap door.
At
the [Sound of the pounding] one girl holds up two threads,
white and black.
|
GIRL:
Its
too early.
Its
not yet full night.
|
|
|
|
|
INT.
TEMPLE, CONT.
The
doors are broken down, needlessly as they were only lightly
locked.
GUARDS
in Hellenic dress march in.
|
GUARD
CAPTAIN:
This
obscene festival is canceled.
All
Priestesses are placed under arrest until their
husbands come to claim them.
WOMEN:
Husbands?
Canceled?
They
can't! Arrested?
GUARD
CAPTAIN:
By
decry of the Council, no woman of age may leave
her home without escort and the permission of her
husband. Any woman who offers herself to any man
other then her husband will be stoned to death.
The
law of monogamy is enacted upon pain of death.
|
The
GIRLS are terrified.
|
|
|
|
INT.
HOUSE, NIGHT. (Years Later)
L.
ATHENA'S husband is a kind man, and no equal to L. ATHENA'S
personality.
HE
stands aside as young women sneak into his house to talk
to L. ATHENA.
|
YP:
We mean to do it, you can not stop us.
|
L.
ATHENA simply looks at them.
|
YP
(Nervous):
We
want you to join us. None of us have given ourselves
willingly to men but if you older priestess ...
They
hold you up as examples.
If
you came with us-
|
L. ATHENA slowly shakes her head, no.
The
YOUNG WOMEN are disappointed.
They
leave.
LA
HUSBAND comes and wraps his arms around her.
L.
ATHENA leans into him.
|
HUSBAND:
Is
there nothing you can do?
|
L.
ATHENA shakes her head, no.
|
HUSBAND:
They
shall be Martyrs to the old ways.
|
L.
ATHENA nods.
|
|
|
|
EXT. ACROPOLIS, DAWN.
At this time there are only two temples on the acropolis;
Neptune's and the Hesiod.
The YOUNG WOMEN gather at HESIOD'S temple of young women
statues.
The YOUNG WOMEN begin a with a hymn as the sun's light
first touches them.
EXT. ATHENS, CONT.
People all over town look to the Acropolis as the sound
of the YOUNG WOMEN'S hymn reaches them.
The Hymn ends and the women begin to jump off the rock
to their deaths.
PEOPLE scream in horror.
EXT. ACROPOLIS -NORTH SIDE, CONT.
GUARDS race up the mountain to stop the YOUNG WOMEN but
they have all jumped before they can reach them.
|
|
|
EXT. L. ATHENA'S HOUSE, CONT.
L. ATHENA and her HUSBAND watch with bowed heads and sadness.
[A terrible shriek of pain comes from the sky and echoes
across Athens.]
A massive rock falls from the sky and impacts in the city.
(Mount Lycabettus)
Much of the city is leveled as in a great earthquake,
except for L. ATHENA'S temple.
Rage fills L. ATHENA.
|
 |
|
|
EXT. ACROPOLIS, CONT.
O. ATHENA slaughters the remaining guards.
She shrieks and goes through the gowns the YOUNG WOMEN
left behind.
|
 L.
ATHENA (O.S.): (Godlike voice)
ZEUS!!
You've betrayed your word!
|
O. ATHENA rounds upon L. ATHENA
|
O.
ATHENA:
Zeus has been unmanned by you.
He stood by while you did nothing.
How could you allow this perversion? Women under
the control of men, even to who they lie with.
L.
ATHENA:
You are the one who let this happen.
O.
ATHENA:
ME?!
L.
ATHENA:
You have been your father's apologist all your
life.
When have you ever spoken for yourself?
O.
ATHENA:
I advise-
L.
ATHENA:
And when he is wrong what do you do?
Nothing.
You are the model of subservient women.
|
O. ATHENA begins to grow.
|
O.
ATHENA:
You go too far.
None shall insult me and live.
L.
ATHENA:
And you have never gone far enough.
|
O. ATHENA raises a wooden spear, almost ten feet long.
L. ATHENA digs into the purse made of PALLAS' goat skin
skirt.
|
L.
ATHENA:
Stop!
This is not a question of your honor or mine,
and if you insist on making it so ...
|
O. ATHENA draws back and L. ATHENA pulls MEDUSA'S head
from her purse.
|
O.
ATHENA:
The Gorgon!
|
ATHENA at some twenty feet tall begins to turn to stone
from the feet up.
|
L.
ATHENA:
I can not stop it Sister.
Choose how you would be remembered.
|
|
It takes O. ATHENA a few moments to accept
she puts down her spear.
Her shield and helmet appear with the owl motif
O. ATHENA takes a position looking to the sea before
turning completely to stone.
|
 |
L. ATHENA has placed the GORGON'S head back in her purse
but not released it.
The sky shakes and lightning strikes the acropolis but
L. ATHENA flinches not.
|
ZEUS:
Athena?!
Daughter of my mind?
L.
ATHENA:
I hold you to your word, Zeus, the "All Father."
|
ZEUS appears before L. ATHENA.
|
ZEUS:
You expect me to let this crime pass?
L.
ATHENA:
I hope you are a God of your word.
ZEUS:
You have gone too far.
No father can-
L.
ATHENA:
Can be expected to love his children enough to
let them be?
Your daughter could not keep her word. She loved
herself more then her people.
What are we to take from your model?
Are you strong enough to be an example to your
children instead of a child of emotion?
|
PAUSE
|
ZEUS:
Zeus is the mightiest of the Gods.
And never has he faced a task like this.
But he shall not fail.
|
ZEUS fades away.
|
L.
ATHENA:
And we shall be ever grateful to the father.
|
L. ATHENA fades away.
The PARTHENON forms around the STATUE of ATHENA.
PUSH IN on the city.
As the CAMERA PUSHES IN the city morphs through two thousand
years of history.
|
|
 |
|
EXT. MODERN ATHENS, DAY.
WE PUSH IN on a modern building and pass through
a window near the top.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
INT. MAGAZINE OFFICES, CONT.
We follow a female WRITER through the offices into
the Editor's office.
|
WRITER:
Here are the proofs for the article on election
reforms.
|
|
The EDITOR is L. ATHENA in modern dress.
SHE takes the proofs and glances over them.
L. ATHENA shakes her head.
|
L.
ATHENA:
(unintelligible)
|
L. ATHENA turns away, removes her dental retainer and
shoves it in a drawer.
|
L.
ATHENA:
Sorry.
You left out the most important part.
|
The WRITER looks at her Editor blankly.
|
L.
ATHENA:
Who's responsible.
Right or wrong, someone's responsible.
You don't use any names, this is too general.
Be specific. We praise if we can, accuse if we must
but our readers deserve the whole story. How else
can they respond if they don't know what they're
responding to.
WRITER:
I'm sorry, its just that ...
L.
ATHENA:
You're scared.
History says you have every right to be. History
also says the people deserve to know the truth.
Don't lie to them, and don't evade. If you're to
be condemned its better to be condemned for something
you're proud of then something you hoped would escape
notice.
|
L. ATHENA smiles at the WRITER.
The WRITER takes back her proofs, bows and leaves.
L. ATHENA puts her retainer back in and goes back to work.
PULL OUT
|
|
|
EXT. ATHENS, CONT.
BEAT
The Credits roll.
At the end of the credits.
|
 L.
ATHENA (V.O.):
One day they too will be Gods. And when they join
with the "All Father" it will be as equals
and he will finally be able to tell them for what
purpose he created them.
|
FADE TO BLACK
|
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|
