300: Rise of an Empire

Queen Gorgo (Lena Heady), the resolute wife of Leonidas, summons her Spartan warriors to recount the tale of Marathon's fateful battle, where King Darius I of Persia met his untimely demise at the hands of General Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) of Athens. The Persian monarch had grown weary of Greece's defiance and sought to quell their spirit with a crushing defeat. This marked the beginning of a long and bloody war between Greece and Persia.

As the Persian army, vastly outnumbering the Greeks by three to one, prepares to set up camp, Themistocles seizes the initiative, launching a surprise attack that catches the invaders off guard. In a bold move, he fires an arrow at Darius himself, striking true and ending the Persian king's reign.

Darius' son, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), witnesses his father's demise and is advised by wise men to abandon the war effort, as it was clear that only the gods could triumph over the Greeks. However, Themistocles knew that he had inadvertently killed the wrong Persian king and that this mistake would haunt Greece for eternity.

As Darius lay dying, he utters his final words, warning Xerxes not to repeat his father's mistakes and to leave the Greeks to their own devices, for it was only the gods who could vanquish them. But Artemisia (Eva Green), a skilled naval commander, misinterprets her king's last words as a challenge and goads Xerxes into embarking on a perilous journey across the desert.

Upon emerging from an otherworldly bath in a mystical cave, Xerxes returns transformed, his eyes aglow with an aura of divinity. Meanwhile, Artemisia secretly assassinates Xerxes' closest allies at court, setting the stage for her protégé's catastrophic descent into tyranny.

As Xerxes returns to Persia and declares war on Greece, Themistocles meets with the Athenian council, convincing them to provide him with a fleet to confront the Persian forces at sea. He then travels to Sparta, seeking Leonidas' (Gerard Butler) aid, but is informed by Dilios (David Wenham) that his king is consulting the Oracle and Queen Gorgo remains reluctant to ally herself with Athens, as the dream of a united Greece has yet to take root in Spartan hearts.

As Xerxes leads the land invasion, Artemisia assumes command of the sea invasion, hell-bent on ravaging Greece from both shores. The stage is set for an epic clash between East and West, with Themistocles and Leonidas poised to defend their homeland against overwhelming odds.

Here's a rephrased version of the section:

As Themistocles (Callan Mulvey) reunites with his old friend Scyllas, he gains insight into the troubled past of Artemisia, who defected from Greece to Persia after witnessing her family's brutal murder and subsequent enslavement at the hands of Greek Hoplites. This traumatic experience forged a burning desire for vengeance within her, which ultimately captured the attention of King Darius, leading him to appoint her as a naval commander.

Themistocles decides to confront the Persian fleet head-on at sea, while Leonidas (character not specified) engages with Xerxes in a separate battle. Themistocles leads his men, including Scyllas, Calisto (Jack O'Connell), and Aesyklos, into the Aegean Sea, utilizing their ships to ram into the Persian vessels. The Greeks then board the enemy ships, slaughtering many Persian soldiers before retreating from the sinking hulls.

The following day, the Greeks feign a retreat, luring a group of Persian ships into a narrow passage where they become stuck. The Greeks then attack the trapped Persians from above, claiming additional casualties. Impressed by Themistocles' military prowess, Artemisia invites him onto her ship and showcases her formidable fleet.

Artemisia reveals to Themistocles that she enjoys a significant numerical advantage over the Greeks, with a 100-to-1 ratio, and can sustain losses for extended periods. She warns him that his resistance will ultimately be futile against such overwhelming odds. Despite this, she attempts to sway him to her side by offering him a position as her second-in-command, but he remains steadfast in his loyalty to Greece.

Enraged by Themistocles' refusal, Artemisia vows to exact revenge upon him. Meanwhile, the Persians deploy tar-like substance into the sea and send suicide bombers armed with flame bombs to board Greek ships. Artemisia unleashes flaming arrows and torches to ignite the tar, but Themistocles manages to kill one of the attackers, causing the tar-covered warrior's torch to fall onto the sea, setting nearby ships ablaze. An explosion tosses Themistocles into the water, where he narrowly avoids drowning thanks to Calisto's timely rescue.

As Scyllas succumbs to his injuries by Themistocles' side, Artemisia and her forces withdraw, believing Themistocles to be deceased. The Greek naval force suffers a devastating blow, leaving them incapable of mounting a counterattack. Themistocles, still reeling from the loss, recognizes that he requires more ships to effectively challenge the Persians.

As Themistocles returns to Athens, he is met with the devastating news that Leonidas and the 300 have fallen victim to Xerxes' treachery. His ire is directed towards Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan), the deformed Spartan turncoat, who had earlier betrayed his comrades. The once-proud warrior now wallows in regret, craving death as a means of atoning for his past transgressions. Yet, Themistocles, instead of exacting vengeance, chooses to spare Ephialtes' life, allowing him to fulfill his duty by warning Xerxes that the Greek forces are gathering at Salamis. With this knowledge, Themistocles sets out to pay a somber visit to Gorgo in Sparta, still reeling from the loss of Leonidas. Though she is consumed by grief, he implores her to find solace in avenging his friend's death.

Meanwhile, Xerxes' army lays waste to Athens, its destruction a stark reminder of the devastation that has befallen the city. Ephialtes arrives just as Artemisia ( actress not specified) learns of Themistocles' survival and hastens to prepare her troops for battle against Xerxes' wishes. The stage is set for the pivotal Battle of Salamis, where the Greek ships collide with those of their Persian adversaries in a clash that will ultimately decide the fate of Greece.

As the two forces engage in a fierce struggle, Themistocles and Artemisia face off against each other, their duel ending in a stalemate as they exchange blows. Gorgo, meanwhile, has been recounting the tale of Leonidas' bravery to her Spartan army, stirring them to action. She leads her troops into battle alongside their allies, their numbers overwhelming those of the Persians.

Themistocles issues a plea for Artemisia to surrender, but she refuses, instead attempting to strike him down with her sword. He parries her blows and ultimately delivers the fatal blow, striking her through the stomach. As she takes her last breath, she is met with the crushing sight of Xerxes abandoning his troops, fleeing from the battlefield. Themistocles and Gorgo share a moment of silent understanding before charging into the fray alongside Dilios and the rest of the Spartan warriors, determined to vanquish their foes.