Rhodes

Rhodes was the great harbor city of ancient Greece and the site of the legendary Colossus of Rhodes. It was the last city-state left standing in Greece, all others having been destroyed by the Spartan conquest waged in the name of Kratos. It was at Rhodes that Kratos fought the reanimated Colossus, accepted the Blade of Olympus from Zeus, and was then betrayed and struck down by the King of the Gods, beginning his long war against Olympus.

The last city-state#

Rhodes was the great harbor city of Greece and the home of the legendary Colossus of Rhodes. By the time Kratos came to it as the new God of War, it was the last city-state left standing, every other having been destroyed and ruined by the relentless Spartan conquest waged in his name. The Spartan armies had besieged the city, and Kratos went to deliver the final blow.

The battle with the Colossus#

As Kratos joined the siege, an eagle struck him with lightning and brought the Colossus of Rhodes to life, animating the great statue with his own divine power. The battle between Kratos and the reanimated Colossus proved difficult and destructive, while the Spartan army met increasing resistance and lost ground to the defenders. Zeus intervened from above and offered Kratos the Blade of Olympus, the weapon with which to slay the Colossus and prove himself once and for all. Kratos accepted, and with the supreme blade swiftly defeated the statue, but the price of wielding it was the surrender of his divinity and power into the blade.

The betrayal of Zeus#

Now mortal once more, Kratos was gravely wounded by the falling hand of the Colossus, having set the blade aside. Zeus then revealed himself as the eagle that had stolen his power, and offered the Ghost of Sparta a chance to repent and pledge himself to eternal servitude, which Kratos spitefully rejected. Enraged, Zeus impaled him with the Blade of Olympus, offering one last chance to relent, which Kratos again denied. The King of the Gods declared that everything the Spartan had ever known would now suffer for his defiance, and told his son that he would never rule Olympus. The Battle of Rhodes became the start of Kratos' journey to the Island of Creation and his war against the gods, for he was rescued by Gaia, an ancient enemy of Zeus, who guided him toward the Sisters of Fate. Following the death of Poseidon, Rhodes was presumed wiped out by the flood that covered all of Greece.