WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Blood of Zeus Season 1, now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix's Blood of Zeus finds Olympus embroiled in a civil war as its king, Zeus, leads an army that consists of the likes of Hermes, Apollo, Zeus' newest half-human bastard, Heron, as well as other humans, such as the warriors Alexia, Evios and Kofi. Their mission is to get a unique cauldron back from Hera who controls Heron's half-brother, Seraphim, gods such as Ares, and the Giants that sprung up from the blood of the last Titan eons ago.
However, amid a couple of betrayals and sacrifices, it comes down to Heron accepting his place as Zeus' son and an explosive brotherly battle that redefines the fate of the Earth, as well as Olympus itself.
How The War Finally Ends
Hera, tired of Zeus' cheating ways, finds herself brutally assaulting her husband on the battlefield, but this leaves them open for attack by the Giants. Zeus had warned her not to trust them and the leader lives up to expectation, using his snakes to rip Hera in half as her control over the cauldron (which can trap the Giants' souls) weakens. However, Zeus saves his wife and sacrifices himself, blowing up the leader by becoming a lightning bomb; throwing her a wink to remind her that part of him still loves her.
This allows Seraphim (powered with dark energy after eating the body of a Giant) to try to kill Hera, but while she escapes, he cuts her hand off and takes her soul gauntlet. Now that he has control of the Giants, he embarks on one final fight with Heron, but when he summons his bident spear while bear-hugging Heron, the hero realizes anger isn't the way to victory. Heron allows the weapon to impale him, but he also shoves it through Seraphim before harnessing Zeus' lightning.
Heron accepts his place as Zeus' successor and shocks the life out of Seraphim. But just as the fallen Giant tries to squash them, he places his brother's hand on the cauldron and wills the souls back into it, eliminating the Giants. The season ends with Heron reuniting with Zeus' other sons, as well as his human colleagues in the alliance. This ushers in a new age for Olympus as everyone tries to rebuild following the war, however, the final scene depicts more trouble to come in a second season.
Season 2 Sets Up A Siege by Hades
Seraphim's in the underworld, fearful as his soul looks doomed to suffer in the hell known as Tartarus. However, Hades appears and indicates the bident was his, originating from the earliest war against the Giants. He demands Seraphim kneel, clearly wanting to subjugate him the same way Hera did. Seraphim doesn't want to but it's clear he's being set up as Hades' puppet. This would reverse the dynamic in Season 1 wherein Zeus tried to teach Heron the way of light. By contrast, Hades looks like he wants to rise up and take New Olympus, and now has the ideal general to train.
It appears that Hades was manipulating things all along as he left his spear for Seraphim to deftly wield in Season 1's dispute, probably hoping Olympus would be weakened amid the collateral damage. With Zeus dead and Poseidon still recovering after the Giants invaded, now's the perfect time to move for the throne. Hades could help Seraphim form a new army from the bodies of the Giants; plus, he may also have a demonic legion of his own the villain can use, as Seraphim absolutely hates what Heron and the gods stand for, especially as Hera tricked him into killing their own mother.
Season 2 could also dissect Hera's future, as she still holds affection for Zeus after the Giants and Seraphim turned on her. She could redeem herself by helping Heron, which would show tremendous growth given how much she hated him. It would also prove she still believes in duty, as the less-experienced gods need her seniority.
Ares was also saved by Hermes, so Hera's followers have a chance to atone for their mistakes as well by helping to protect New Olympus. There's a strong chance, now that he has Zeus' power, Heron will try to save his brother. Though, as Zeus kept reminding him, wisdom and calm trumps vengeance. If he can recover the adamantine sword from Talos' lair, Heron may prove he deserves to be king by rebuffing Hades and freeing all those the dark gods he enslaved; in particular, Seraphim.
Starring Jason O'Mara, Mamie Gummer, Chris Diamantopoulos, Derek Phillips and Jessica Henwick, Blood of Zeus Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.
