Kratos

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This article is about the main character in the SCEA games God of War and God of War II. For the character in Greek Mythology, see Cratos. For the Tales of Symphonia character, see Kratos Aurion.

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Kratos
Kratos, as the new God of War.
Game series	God of War series
First game	God of War
Creator(s)	David Jaffe
Designed by	Charlie When
Voice actor(s) (English)	Terrence "T.C." Carson
Voice actor(s) (Japanese)	Tesshō Genda
In-Universe Information
Weapon	Blades of Chaos, Blade of Artemis, Blade of the Gods, Athena's Blades (God of War II), Barbarian Hammer (God of War II), Spear of Destiny (God of War II), Blade of Olympus (God of War II)
Special ability	Rage of Poseidon, Medusa's Gaze, Zeus' Fury, Army of Hades, Rage of the Gods, Typhon's Bane (God of War II), Cronos' Rage (God of War II), Head of Euryale (God of War II), Atlas Quake (God of War II), Rage of the Titans (God of War II) and Superhuman Strength
Home	Mount Olympus, Sparta
Age	N/A

Kratos (クレイトス, Kureitosu^?) is a video game character and anti-hero of Sony's God of War series created by David Jaffe. He is voiced by Terrence "T.C." Carson.

[edit] History

Kratos and his brother, whose name is unknown, were born in Sparta, Kratos being illegitimate son of a woman that would come to be shunned by rumor and superstition related to the identity of her son's unknown father. When Kratos was little, his mother fled with him and his brother to Sparta, seeking a new life. Kratos would not discover until many years later that his father was Zeus, making him a half-god/demigod, which partially explains his superhuman strength and the incredible power he wields, power that no true mortal could ever possess, as well as the half-brother of Ares and Athena.

In Sparta, Kratos was trained from an early age to be a fierce warrior. Unfortunately, his brother, deemed too weak to be a warrior, was sent into the mountains of Sparta to fend for himself. The child died and grew up in Hades, gaining a vast amount of demonic power and a burning desire to exact his vengeance on Kratos, believing that his brother had abandoned him to his horrible fate. Kratos, on the other hand, grew up still bound to the mortal coil and became the youngest and boldest captain in the Spartan army. He started off with fifty men, and with time his forces grew well into the thousands.

Fighting as much for the glory of Sparta as for his own, Kratos' tactics were extremely brutal and ruthless, but at the same time, effective, and was an inspiration to all who fought at his side. During this time, he also married a Spartan woman and fathered a daughter. Because his reputation as a warlord with inhumanely destructive and questionable methods, only his wife was brave enough to face his fury. His daughter, despite being scared of her father, loved him dearly.

[edit] The War with the Barbarians and Kratos' Bargain

Kratos was undefeatable in battle, but his greatest challenge had yet to come. From the northeast, a massive Thracian barbarian army emerged, threatening Sparta, as well as all of Greece. Kratos and his men were sent to deal with the incoming menace expecting an easy victory like so many before. Despite the strength and discipline of the Spartan forces, and the brutality of their captain, they were not ready for the savagery and sheer numbers of their opponents. The barbarians overwhelmed the Spartans, slaughtering them mercilessly.

While the Spartans and barbarians clashed below, Kratos and the barbarian chief engaged in single combat atop a mountain of corpses. Kratos was bested, and facing certain death at the spiked war hammer of the chief, he called for assistance from Ares, the God of War. Ares appeared to Kratos, and the Spartan swore to serve Ares if he would be saved from death. Accepting Kratos' offer, Ares obliterated the barbarians in a swift turnabout and a gruesome display of divine malevolence, effectively ensuring the Spartans' victory in an instant.

As for Kratos, since a mere sword and shield would not befit the newest servant of the God of War, Ares had a special gift for him: the Blades of Chaos. Forged in the fires of Hades itself, the Blades were attached to magical chains, which were seared into Kratos' very flesh as he beheld them, becoming as much a part of him as his own arms and a permanent reminder of his servitude to the God of War. Immediately upon acquiring them, Kratos used his new weapons in grand fashion, effortlessly decapitating the barbarian chief. Afterwards, Kratos and his forces began to serve Ares, carrying out his will by slaughtering anyone and everyone who stood against the God of War. What Kratos did that day would effect his fate, for all eternity.

[edit] The Ghost of Sparta

Having gained immense power and gone from undefeated to unstoppable in battle - a trait which would continue throughout Kratos' life - Kratos set in motion events that would lead to his greatest sacrifice. Under orders from Ares, Kratos and his men attacked a small village whose temple was dedicated to Athena. His men making short work of the villagers, Kratos himself headed for the temple. He was stopped at the temple entrance by the village oracle, who warned him not to enter, for the price he would pay for it would be extremely dear, more so than even one such as he could bear. Ignoring the Oracle's pleas, Kratos shoved her aside, kicked the door down and slaughtered everyone within its walls, blinded by fury and blood lust.

The screams of his two final victims brought Kratos out of his torrent. To his horror, he discovered that he had just murdered his wife and daughter in cold blood. As he knelt before their lifeless bodies, Ares appeared and told him that he was on his way to becoming a great warrior, and that he had placed them there so Kratos could get rid of the last vestiges of his humanity. With his wife and daughter gone, nothing could stop Kratos from becoming, as Ares put it, "Death itself!" Full of remorse for what he had done, Kratos cremated his wife and daughter, and in doing so he gained a new goal in life: to eliminate his former master.

As he exited the burning temple, the oracle confronted Kratos. Because of the horrific nature of his crimes, Kratos was cursed by the oracle to bear the ashes of his wife and daughter upon his skin, giving him the appearance of a ghost as a mark to let everyone know who he was and what he had done. The Ghost of Sparta had been born.

[edit] Kratos' Redemption

See also: God of War For the next decade, Kratos traveled throughout Greece in service to the gods (save of course for Ares), fighting his own demons as well as those that ravaged the mortal world in physical form, in hopes that Athena and the other gods would forgive him of his crimes. While traveling through the Aegean Sea, Kratos encountered legions of undead soldiers, as well as the serpentine Hydra amid several wrecked ships. Poseidon, god of the seas, commanded the Ghost of Sparta to destroy the Hydra, and lent a helping hand by bestowing upon him the powerful magical spell called Poseidon's Rage, which allowed him to unleash terrible storms of shock waves (thunder) and lightning.

After killing the Hydra and its spawn, Kratos acquired the Captain's Key from the captain inside the throat of Hydra and shoved him down into the beast's belly, ironically as the captain thanked the gods that he had come, and gained access to the Captain's cabin. Inside, he found the survivors being slaughtered, which brought back memories of his past deeds and murders.

While Kratos battled with scores of undead and the Hydra, Zeus called forth Ares and Athena, the latter warning her of her brother's impending invasion of Athens. Although the gods were forbidden from both personally interfering with their counterparts' plans and waging direct conflict against each other, Athena and the other gods could use mortals (such as Kratos) on their behalf. Recognizing Kratos' potential, Zeus was satisfied with Athena's choosing the Spartan as her city's savior and Ares' murderer. However, he also showed great concern at that same potential, fearing that perhaps one day Kratos would become too powerful for even the gods to control.

After making sure the Hydra was truly dead, Kratos returned to the seas, and was once more plagued with constant nightmares of his family's slaughter at his hands. Neither copious amounts of wine nor the company of countless women could erase the horrific memories from his mind, or even ease the pain they brought him for a mere moment. Being able to stand his torment no longer, he called out to Athena, who told him that if he could succeed in stopping Ares from destroying her namesake city (via killing him, of course), the gods would then forgive his past.

Arriving in Athens, Kratos disembarked from his ship and was greeted by Ares' legions of monsters and undead. He fought his way through the city, glimpsing the God of War fighting alongside his legions on the outskirts of Athens. Along the way he fought with, defeated, and decapitated the Gorgon Queen Medusa in order to use her head as a weapon, as directed by Aphrodite; afterwards he was greeted by the Oracle of Athena. However, Harpies showed up and kidnapped the Oracle, forcing Kratos to chase her through the city. After a time, he was given Zeus' Fury, the ability to use the Supreme God's thunderbolts as magical weapons.

En route to the Oracle's Temple, Kratos encountered an old man digging a grave in the midst of Ares' assault. For someone who was apparently a senile old man, the Gravedigger knew a lot about Kratos, going so far to mention that the grave he was digging was meant for the Ghost of Sparta himself. Kratos eventually caught up with the Oracle at her Temple and stopped her from falling to her death. In gratitude she revealed the means to kill a god - Pandora's Box.

All Kratos had to do was go through the Desert of Lost Souls and summon Kronos, the last of the Titans and the father of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Kronos had lost the titan war, and when Zeus and the Olympians had gained control of the world and Mount Olympus, Kronos' punishment was to crawl through the desert until the sands stripped the flesh from his bones, with the massive Temple of Pandora chained to his back. After summoning Kronos, Kratos would have to enter the temple and retrieve Pandora's Box, something no mortal had ever done, but many mortals had attempted.

Kratos left Athens and entered the Desert of Lost Souls shortly thereafter. By eliminating three Sirens, whose irresistible song led unwary men to their demise, he gained access through the blinding sands to the path that Kronos traveled. He summoned Kronos by blowing on the Horns of Pandora. As the Titan lumbered towards him, Kratos grabbed a loose piece of chain, swung across Kronos' face and latched onto the massive side of the temple. He then proceeded to climb the sheer stone walls to the summit where the temple lay, which took him three days.

[edit] The Temple of Pandora

The Temple of Pandora, created by the master builder Pathos Verdes III, a self-proclaimed 'loyal subject and chief architect of the gods', was designed to house and safeguard Pandora's Box with a multitude of traps that pushed both mind and body to their limits. Outside the temple's main doors, the decomposing, zombie-like Body Burner was still at work, burning the bodies of the fallen mortals that had tried to claim Pandora's Box.

Upon meeting him, Kratos discovered that the Body Burner was a former Greek soldier who was the first casualty of Pandora's Temple, and was cursed by the gods to burn the bodies of all who followed and perished, as punishment for his failure. Skeptical that Kratos could do what many believed to be impossible, he gave the Spartan a word of warning and urged him to return home.

Kratos wordlessly dismissed the warning, and the Body Burner granted him access to the inside of the temple. While making his way through the massive structure, Kratos was granted two more divine boons: The Blade of Artemis, a massive weapon wielded by the maiden goddess of the hunt herself, and the Army of Hades, ravenous souls from the very Underworld itself, conjured to fight alongside the Ghost of Sparta.

Kratos braved three challenges to gain access to the upper levels of the temple: The Challenges of Atlas, Poseidon, and Hades. Once he found his way to Zeus Mountain, he faced new traps and new enemies on his trek through the treacherous Cliffs of Madness within the mountain. Despite these obstacles, Kratos hacked, slashed and broke his way through to his ultimate goal: Pandora's Box.

Athena congratulated Kratos on doing the impossible: he was the first mortal ever to retrieve Pandora's Box since the temple's construction. Back in Athens, however, Ares also sensed that Kratos had been successful in his task. As Kratos reached the gates of Pandora's Temple, slowly pushing Pandora's Box before him, Ares picked up a broken, jagged piece of column and hurled it towards the Temple of Pandora.

The god's colossal strength propelled the sharp chunk of stone the vast distance between Ares and his target in mere seconds. Kratos was impaled by the column and pinned to a wall. watching helplessly as several Harpies took Pandora's Box while his cursed soul was slowly bleeding from him, as he plunged into the fires of Hades.

[edit] Escape from Hades

Kratos found himself in the Underworld, falling toward the River Styx. Refusing to give up even in death, he reached out and ended up clinging onto the Captain he had killed earlier on the Aegean Sea, who was clinging onto a huge bone pillar. Kratos stabs him, pulled himself up, and knocked the captain into the blood red river. From the bottom of the Underworld, Kratos carved a path of slaughter through Hades' minions and made it to the highest point of Hades' realm.

All seemed hopeless. Enemies were all around him, and his mission was in danger of being unfulfilled. Suddenly, a rope with a huge stone attached to it dropped from above. Not one to ask questions, Kratos climbed the length of rope and when he reached the top, he found himself back in the world of the living. And of all places in Athens, he found him himself at the Gravedigger's site, having come up through the grave the Digger had been working on for Kratos.

With a message that the gods were favoring Kratos, he disappeared. Some people argue that the Digger was Zeus in disguise (largely because the two characters are voiced by the same man, Paul Eiding); others firmly believe that the Gravedigger was, in fact, the ruler of the Underworld itself...Hades. Still others hold that his playful grin and riddle like speech suggest the trickster god, Hermes.

While Kratos had been making his way through Hades, Ares had successfully gained control of Athens and destroyed the Oracle's temple. Kratos found the Oracle, dying, in a pool of her own blood. She was surprised to see Kratos alive, but he was too late: Ares had won the battle. Kratos, at that moment, couldn't care less, since his revenge was at hand. Kratos finally catches up with Ares, who underestimated his enemy, as Pandora's Box was sent crashing to the surf, courtesy of a well-aimed thunderbolt from Kratos.

Kratos opened the box and the power of the gods was unleashed upon him. He grew to Ares' massive height and prepared for mortal combat. Ares reminded him that all of his skills and weapons were taught to Kratos by Ares himself. As he spoke six spider-like limbs emerged from his back as he readied his massive sword.

Ares was a formidable opponent, but Kratos' resolve, along with the gifts of the gods, allowed him to win the first round. Never one to play fair, Ares sucked Kratos into his own subconscious. As Kratos fell, Ares explained to him about the many ways how to kill a man. But to Ares, the most effective way to kill a man was to break his spirit. And for Kratos, that meant he had to relive the moment he invaded the temple and killed his family. Staggering into the temple after his fall, Kratos kicked the doors open and found his wife and child there, alive. This time, they were surrounded by numerous doppelgangers of himself. In a rage, Kratos vowed that Ares would never take his family a second time, that he had a chance for some serious retribution.

Kratos charged into the array of doubles, and defended his family at all turns. The temple broke away, but he fought on, utilizing the extreme ruthlessness he used while commander of his Spartan troops. After the extraordinary feat of singlehandedly defending his family, Kratos declared to Ares that he had taken his family once, but not a second time, and that the price he had to pay was not worth the power he gained.

Furious that Kratos had rebuked him, Ares ripped his Blades of Chaos from Kratos' arms and used them to kill his family...again. Kratos was on his knees, lamenting the loss of his wife and child as he and Ares were transported back to Athens. As Ares taunted Kratos and prepared to deliver the final blow, Kratos saw the final gift given to him by the gods: the mighty Blade of the Gods, which had acted as a bridge from Kratos' earlier visit to Athens. Kratos avoided the blow, and grabbed the weapon, as he told Ares that he still had allies with him. The two enemies, one a god, the other a mortal, teacher and student, squared off. Now that he had the Blades of Chaos back in his possession, Ares had some of Kratos' old attacks, but Kratos had gained some new tricks with the Sword of the Gods. Some found the use of the Blade of the Gods faintly reminiscent of utilizing Artemis' blade.

Weakened by the constant assault, Ares saw that his end was near. He reminded Kratos that he came to him in his most desperate hour and that he had only been trying to make him a great warrior. Kratos flatly replied that Ares had succeeded, and ran Ares through with his sword. Ares fell over and died, his godly essence released in a massive explosion.

Athens had been saved and would be rebuilt. However, the nightmares continued to plague Kratos. He pleaded with Athena to take his nightmares away. Athena said that even though his sins were forgiven, they had never made a deal for Kratos' nightmares to vanish, for so terrible were his deeds that no man or god could ever forget them. Feeling abandoned by the gods, Kratos made his way up to the Suicide Bluffs, above the scene of his climactic battle, in an attempt to rid himself of his nightmares. He flung himself off the cliff and into the waters below, with the hope that his misery would end with his death.

The gods, however, had other plans for Kratos. As Kratos sank into the water, he felt a powerful force grab him and pull him out of the waters and back onto the bluffs. There, the statue of Athena spoke to him, saying that a man like Kratos would not die by his own hand after doing the gods a great service. Also, due to the fact that Ares was now dead, there was an opening for the position for God of War. Athena opened a portal to Mount Olympus, the home of the gods and told Kratos to enter. As an added bonus, she gave him the Blades of Athena (or, Athena's Blades), a holy version of the Blades of Chaos that were bound to his arms by no will other than his own.

Kratos did so and approached the empty throne of the God of War. Trophies from his past conquests hung on either side, one of them happening to be Ares, the other is the minotaur that Kratos fought during the Challenge of Hades. Behind the God of War's throne is mounted the head of the Hydra. And Kratos then took his seat as the new God of War.

[edit] The Assault on Rhodes and Zeus' Betrayal

Despite being a god, the other Olympians look down on Kratos, having been a mortal man who had ascended to godhood by eliminating his predecessor, Ares. Having no need for the gods themselves, Kratos devoted much of his time with the Spartan armies on the ground, exceeding Ares in ruthlessness. The Spartans have launched a massive campaign, conquering city after city as Kratos watches from his throne.

While preparing to finish the siege at Rhodes, Athena approaches him, beseeching him to stop, as with every city that falls under Kratos' heel, her influence in keeping the other gods from retaliating against Kratos is getting weaker. Kratos rebukes her and Athena warns him that it was she who made him into a god. Kratos ignores her and heads for Rhodes, much to Athena's dismay.

Upon arriving, Kratos begins to destroy the city in the same manner as Ares did to Athens. However, Zeus, in the form of a sea eagle, drains Kratos most of his godlike powers. He then perches on the partially-completed Colossus of Rhodes, bringing it to life and sending it after Kratos. Assuming that Athena was behind this, Kratos vows vengeance. He wipes out what remains of Rhodes' army and even fights the Colossus several times, until he receives aid from Zeus himself.

Zeus sends down a weapon for Kratos: the Blade of Olympus, which was the instrumental weapon in defeating Cronus and the Titans in the Titan War. Only problem is that Kratos will have to take the long way around in order to reach it and is quite wary of Zeus' motives in helping him in the battle against the Colossus at this point in time. Kratos reaches the sword, which he drains his remained of his godlike powers, powering it to full strength.

After fighting the Colossus yet again, Kratos launches himself through the bronze coverings of the living statue and finds himself inside. There, he destroys the Colossus' interior structure points and escapes through the behemoth's open mouth. As he yells to the gods that he doesn't need their help, the Colossus' outstretched hand flattens him as it falls. Without his immortality, Kratos is injured severely, much to the horror of his Spartan troops. Before he can reach the sword, Zeus appears and takes the powered-up sword in his hands.

It is apparent that since Athena refused to deal with Kratos' aggressiveness, Zeus was forced to carry out the task himself. He gives Kratos one final chance to serve him forever. Kratos refused Zeus' offer, and Zeus makes quick work of the defiant Spartan, before running him through with the sword and destroying his army, vowing to Kratos that he will never become ruler of Olympus.

As Kratos descends into Hades for a second time, he receives help from an unexpected source: the mother of Earth herself, the Titan Gaia, who has apparently been watching over Kratos most of his life. She heals Kratos of his wounds and tells him that in order to change his fate, he must seek out the three Sisters of Fate. Kratos, not one to give up or surrender, hacks a bloody path back to Rhodes, where a sole survivor of Zeus' onslaught marvels at his master's return. Kratos orders him to return to Sparta and regroup. "Spartans don't surrender," Kratos says as he plans his revenge on Zeus himself.

[edit] The Road to Vengeance

Fortunately, despite his reputation as a battled-hardened Spartan-turned-god, now mortal once again, Kratos still has some allies on Olympus, since they send in the winged horse Pegasus. Kratos mounts the steed and he is off. While Kratos is berating the winged horse for not heading for Olympus, Gaia reminds him that he is no longer a god, nor strong enough to fight Zeus. In order to face the King of Gods, Kratos must go back in time to the moment Zeus double-crossed him and the Sisters of Fate are the ones who can help him. Gaia instructs him to head over to the Lair of the Titan, where the Titan Typhon resides.

Pegasus takes Kratos to the Lair of the Titan, where it is promptly trapped under the grip of Typhon. In his present state, Kratos cannot free his horse and is forced to find other means to free the winged horse. As he explores the caverns, Kratos comes across the former God Prometheus, now a mortal, who is chained to a massive stone hand, condemned by Zeus to have his insides eviscerated by a giant eagle for giving humans the fire of olympus.

Prometheus will be healed of his wounds by morning, thus repeating the cycle for all eternity. He begs Kratos to help him, which Kratos does by first destroying his bonds, and later uses his newest weapon, Typhon's Bane to drop the god falling into a pit of fire, giving him his eternal rest, and Kratos, the Rage of the Titans ability. Using his new abilities, he frees Pegasus and is on his way to his destination: the Island of Creation.

[edit] On the Island of Creation

Kratos safely arrives on the island, despite the fact that he had faced numerous griffins and losing Pegasus in the process. Gaia explains to Kratos about how Cronus, fearful of the prophecy that his children would overthrow him, consumed his children, with the exception of Zeus, since he instead swallowed a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, due to Rhea's interference. Zeus was spirited to the Island of Creation, where he was raised by Gaia until he reached of age to enact his vengeance on all Titans just because of the sins of just one, the sins of his father, Cronos.

In order to reach the Fates, Kratos must join the three parts of the island by using the Steeds of Time, four massive stone horses built by Cronus in a failed attempt to please the Sisters of Fate. Kratos encounters the Horsekeeper, Theseus, who holds a key which Kratos needs to unlock a critical door. Kratos demands that Theseus let him pass in exchange for his life, which Theseus replies that Kratos is no match for Zeus, let alone himself, since he is now a fallen god.

Theseus puts up a good fight, but in the end, he is no match for the fury of the Ghost of Sparta. Kratos runs him through with his spear, unlocks the door using Theseus' Horsekeeper Key, then proceeds to use the door and bash in Theseus' head several times, finally killing him. Within the main chamber, the image of Cronus greets Kratos. The ghostly image bestows upon Kratos a new ability, Cronos Rage, which Kratos uses on a mob of invading enemies with devastating results. Kratos is then successful in joining the three islands together, forming one massive temple.

Kratos, however is not the only person on the island looking for the Fates. There are several famous figures from Greek mythology in various locations on the island, each one are there for their own personal reasons, but the majority are there to hinder Kratos one way or another and are in some way connected to Kratos himself. Inside the Bog of the Forgotten, Kratos encounters an old nemesis, The Barbarian King, now undead and with his own legion of undead soldiers (one of them, in a humorous side note is the boat captain whom Kratos killed while dealing with the Hydra in the first game) stands in Kratos' path.

Apparently, the Barbarian king is not happy with being killed and like Kratos, escaped Hades and is on the island to gain an audience with the Sisters of Fate. He attacks Kratos, hoping to exact his revenge on him, but in the end, Kratos proves to be too much for him and the conclusion of the battle is that Kratos steals his hammer and uses it against him, bashing his head in repeatedly until the Barbarian king finally dies.

While exploring Euryale's Temple, Kratos eliminates Medusa's sister, Euryale and uses her head as a weapon in turning enemies to stone. He discovers a dying Argonaut, who tells him that a monster has taken his leader, Jason, who has the Golden Fleece. Kratos sacrifices the soldier in order to gain access to the beast's lair. The beast in question is a ferocious Cerberus, and its unfortunate victim is Jason himself. The Golden Fleece in question is a golden gauntlet, complete with deflecting ability.

Inside the Hall of Atrophos, Kratos hears another voice. When he finally reaches the man, who was trapped behind the massive door, the man reveals himself to be the hero Perseus. Assuming that this is a challenge from the Fates, Perseus dons his invisible helmet and attacks Kratos, who fights back and the eventual outcome of this match is that Perseus meets a gruesome end.

[edit] Inside Atlas' Lair

The path to the Sisters doesn't get easier, and upon arriving at The Great Chasm, Kratos runs into Icarus, who has seen better days, and is on the verge of losing his mind. He is also looking for the Sisters and see's Kratos as nothing but an obstacle in his path, telling kratos that it isn't his fate and can't make it across. Kratos rebutted by telling him that he will make it across the chasm and that he will use Icarus' wings to do it.

Angered by Kratos' remarks, Icarus began fighting with Kratos causing both of them to fall off the ledge. While falling, Kratos beats Icarus senseless, and keeping his promise, steals Icarus' wings and use's them to escape while Icarus falls to his demise. Inside the lair, Kratos encountered the fallen four-armed Titan, Atlas, whom Zeus has condemned to hold the heavens on his shoulders for all eternity. It is also evident that Kratos has some history with Atlas as the titan is not pleased with seeing Kratos in his domain.

In between Atlas' attempts to squash him between his thumb and forefinger, Kratos explains to Atlas that he no longer follows Zeus and the gods as he will no longer tolerate their betrayal. Atlas decides to back Kratos in his quest and provides him with both the last of his magic and passage across the Great Chasm.

[edit] Inside the Palace of the Fates

With the assistance of two unwilling translators, Kratos sacrifices the men, allowing him to see an image of Lahkesis, one of the three Sisters of Fate, which tells him that he is close in gaining an audience with the Sisters of Fate. While hacking a bloody path through the palace, Athena warns him that there are things more important than his quest for revenge. She also warns him that the Titans are not to be trusted and regardless of Zeus' motives, he did what he had to do for the good of Olympus.

As Kratos reaches the end of his journey, a mystery opponent stands in his way. Kratos runs him through, only to find out that the man was none other than the surviving Spartan from Rhodes. The mortally wounded man explains to Kratos that Zeus has destroyed Sparta and has killed everyone, sending Kratos into a fury. Before he can vent his rage, however, The Kraken appears, and within seconds, has Kratos in his grasp. The scene then changes to a grassy field with Sparta burning in the background. A lone figure approaches Kratos, who he immediately recognizes as his wife. He asks for her forgiveness for killing her and their child, to which his wife tells him (under the voice of Gaia) that he must face his destiny and kill Zeus, otherwise when Kratos finally dies, Zeus will have Hades torture his soul for eternity.

This snaps Kratos out of his depression, and Gaia grants him an upgrade of Rage of the Titans, which he uses to take on the monster, hacking its tentacles apart before killing it by using the bridge. Kratos then hops onto the phoenix and he is on his way to the temple.

Inside the temple, Kratos gains access to The Throne of Lakhesis, where Lakhesis herself waits for Kratos. She tells him that it was predestined that the Titans would lose the battle against Zeus and the other Gods, and warns Kratos that he will die at the Sisters should he lose. Not one to back down, Kratos goes on the attack.

In the midst of the battle, the second Sister, Atropos appears and takes Kratos back to Athens through one of the mirrors, where the final battle between Kratos and Ares plays out. Kratos defeats her while she attempts to destroy the sword which Kratos uses to defeat the former God of War, thus thwarting his own death by Ares' hand. Lahkesis returns for a second round, with Atropos trying to escape from the mirror. Kratos locks both Sisters into the mirror, then shatters them, trapping them inside. Only Clotho, who spins the web of fate, is left. On his way to the last sister, Kratos comes across several engravings, one of which, interestingly enough, heralds the birth of Christ.

Inside the main chamber, the final sister, the massive Clotho, awaits. Kratos' weapons alone are no match for the hideous Sister, so he devises a way to defeat her by using one of the huge swinging blades to finally put an end to her, eliminating the Sisters of Fate. Gaia then explains to him that through the mirrors, Kratos can find his thread and go back to Rhodes to the point where Zeus had betrayed him. Kratos finds his thread and he is transported back to Rhodes.

[edit] The Final Battle

Upon arriving at Rhodes, Kratos stops his own murder at the hands of Zeus. Zeus is shocked, but realizes that the Sisters of Fate have assisted him in his task. Kratos announces that the Fates are dead as he takes the Blade of Olympus out of his other self.

Not one to take failure lightly, Zeus sends Kratos to the Summit of Sacrifice, where he grows to a immense height. Sirens stalk Kratos as he tries to fight Zeus with his newest weapon, but fail to cause any damage. Instead Kratos defeats the Sirens, which weaken Zeus to the point where Kratos is able to use the Blade to siphon a fraction of Zeus' power. Zeus reverts back to human height, and fights Kratos, the Blade of Olympus switched back and forth from between Kratos and Zeus. Kratos even goes as far as to bash a pillar over the King of the Gods to do as much damage as he could, which is followed by another heavy piece of stone. This infuriates Zeus and he goes back to giant form and unleashes a barrage of lightning which Kratos can't defend himself from.

Kratos surrenders (apparently), and Zeus reverts back to his normal size. Zeus takes the Blade of Olympus as Kratos falls to his knees, begging Zeus to kill him and end the torment of his life. Zeus raises the sword over his head, telling Kratos that he will end his life but his torment is just the beginning. However, this was all just a ruse on Kratos' part, as he blocks the sword with the golden fleece, and jumps back to his feet and attacks Zeus, pummeling and stabbing him repeatedly in both hands with his blades, before finally running him through with the Blade of Olympus (in the same fashion that Zeus killed Kratos in Rhodes).

Before Kratos can finally finish off Zeus, Athena appears and intervenes, and Zeus warns Kratos that he has started a war he cannot win. Kratos quickly knocks her to the side and lunges at Zeus, but Athena steps in, using her body as a shield as Kratos runs her through with the Blade. Horrified at what he has done, Kratos forgets about Zeus and tends to Athena as Zeus flees. Athena informs Kratos, to his surprise, that Zeus is his father. Athena then tells him that the Fates have predestined Zeus' victory and the main reason he killed Kratos was solely on fear, as with Kronos, who swallowed his own children.

That same fear of being killed by his son led Zeus to commit murder, Athena explains, and tells Kratos that the cycle of the son defeating the father must end, and that all of the other gods will deny him to save Zeus. Her body then disintegrates and then explodes in a flash of green light, signaling her demise. Kratos then declares "If all of Olympus will deny me my vengeance, then all on Olympus will die. I have lived in the shadow of the gods for long enough, the time of the gods is at an end!"

He then returns to Clotho's lair. There he finds some more thread and goes even further back in time, this time to the war against the Titans. Kratos finds Gaia there, who has been expecting the Ghost of Sparta, and tells her that in order to defeat the Gods, she and the Titans must travel to his time.

"All of Olympus tremble at my name! Zeus is weak, Ares and Athena are dead, and I wield the blade! We can win the great war, but not in this time! Together we can crush the petty gods!" Gaia accepts the offer and Kratos takes her and the Titans to the present.

On Mount Olympus, Zeus holds a war council with Poseidon, Helios, Hermes and Hades, when they hear trembling outside. Kratos has returned, leading an army of Titans from the back of Gaia, as they scaled the side of Mount Olympus, thus starting a new Titan war with Kratos' declaration.

"Zeus! Your son has returned! I bring the destruction of Olympus!"

How this battle plays out has yet to be revealed...