Kratos finding the Flame of Olympus in God of War III.
The Flame of Olympus was the absolute power that was formed by the Gods, and was also one of the only ways to defeat them. It may have an enticing glow, but its touch was lethal to both Mortal and God.
History
The Flame of Olympus was originally meant to be the lock for Pandora's Box. However, Hephaestus lied to Zeus to safeguard Pandora, preventing the need to sacrifice her if Pandora's Box had to be opened, by convincing Zeus to lock it on the back of Cronos. After Kratos opened Pandora's Box, it was relocated to its original lock, the Flame of Olympus, which would prevent all from touching the flame, and by extension the box without using Pandora to extinguish the flames.
After Gaia betrayed Kratos and let him fall in the depths of the Underworld, Athena returned to aid a de-powered Kratos in his quest to kill Zeus. Puzzled on why Athena would help him kill their father (especially after she gave her life for him), Kratos learned that the Flame of Olympus was the only way to defeat a God-including the King of the Gods. When he reached the Flame of Olympus, Kratos discovered Pandora's Box at the heart of it; the very box that he used to kill the former God of War, Ares. Athena explained that the true power to kill a God rested within, but to reach it, he must first seek out Pandora herself. As explained by Hephaestus, he used the Flame to help him forge the Box to contain the evils born from the Titanomachy. The Flame itself would be the perfect safeguard for the Box, but to pacify it, a key was required. The key he created was born out of the heart of the Flame: Pandora.
Kratos sought out Pandora and managed to rescue her from the Labyrinth. But to get her to the Flame, he had the raise the Labyrinth. Kratos descended into the Caverns where it was stored and solved it- thus assembled the Labyrinth, before he broke the Chain of Balance down in the Underworld, and freed it from the grasp of the deceased Judges. Then, using a crank by the Flame, he raised the Labyrinth; brought Pandora to it, while it caused the foundations of Mount Olympus to crumble. After a fight between Kratos and Zeus, Pandora attempted to enter the Flame, but was stopped by Kratos. He attempted to pull her away from the Flame, with her begging him to let her go, and Zeus encouraging him to save her. However Zeus' "encouragement" soon involved him taunting Kratos about his failures, which enraged Kratos to the point of releasing Pandora into the Flame in order to attack Zeus. That granted Kratos access to the Box, but when he opened it, it was empty.
Gallery
Trivia
- Although Hestia didn't make a notable appearance in the God of War Series, it may have been possible that she was the Flame of Olympus, since she was the oldest daughter of Cronos, and, as she was inside the Titan's stomach had a brutal effect on Hades, it was possible that she was completely disintegrated by the stomach acids, but being Immortal, she couldn't have died, which would also make sense since the Flame of Olympus was created during the War.
- If Hestia wasn't the Flame of Olympus, it was likely that she died either in her father's stomach, or during the Great War. Also, as the Goddess of the Hearth, it could be possible that she tended to the Flame, but was accidentally killed by it.
- However, that was untrue as Hestia made an appearance in the Novelization of God of War II.
- Another theory was that the Flame was the primordial "flame" that created the Universe. At the beginning of the game, the Flame appeared and exploded into trillions of stars. If that was the case, then it stood to reason that the power of Creation was greater than even the Gods, and explained why Hephaestus was unable to re-make Pandora; for he lacked the power of the Flame.
- The latter of that was confirmed by Hephaestus himself: dozens of Pandora Statues were hung from the ceiling of his Forge- failed attempts to recreate her.
- This theory, however, ended up being disproven since it was revealed by Ascension and the God of War Comics that the universe was created from the body of the primordial Ouranos while he was fighting in the war, and that the Primordials themselves were spawned by Chaos, the void that came before everything.
- The latter of that was confirmed by Hephaestus himself: dozens of Pandora Statues were hung from the ceiling of his Forge- failed attempts to recreate her.
- The Flame of Olympus should not be confused with the Fires of Olympus as they were two separate things.
- That arena was used in Mortal Kombat as PS3 exclusive.