Chalice of the Gods

The Chalice of the Gods was a sacred artifact of the Sumerian Pantheon. The nectar that sustained the gods and gave life to the desert land of Sumeria flowed from this chalice. Hidden by the gods in the middle of a pyramid and protected by a series of trials, only those with divine blood could reach it.

The demi-god King Gilgamesh lured Hercules to Sumeria to aid him in acquiring the chalice. He claimed if they got some of this nectar, they could restore the land of his people that lay in ruin since the gods had turned against them. Trusting him, Hercules embarked on the dangerous quest to retrieve the nectar and successfully undertook the trials with Gilgamesh. However, when they reached the chalice, Gilgamesh betrayed Hercules and consumed the nectar, leaving none for the gods. Announcing the imminent arrival of Dahak, he destroyed the chalice. As the disciple of Dahak, Gilgamesh revealed that the destruction across the land is the direct fallout from a battle raging high above, between the Sumerian gods and his master and, without the nectar, the gods won’t be strong enough to prevent Dahak’s arrival. ("Faith")

Known trials protecting the chalice in the pyramid include:
 * "You must walk in the footsteps of another." With nowhere to go but up, Hercules and Gilgamesh scaled the vertical walls of the pyramid entrance, back-to-back.
 * "Only a blind man can see his way through the eye." Upon reaching an open chasm with no floor and a whirlwind at its center, Hercules and Gilgamesh were forced to jump into the eye of the whirlwind on blind faith.