Olympus Gardens
Take the hallway out into the rain, where it becomes evident that Kratos' ruthless murdering of the Gods has reaped unfathomable consequences on the Olympians. After the cut-scene, head to area where Hera had wandered off to fight off some Olympian warriors and collect red Orbs. At a seemingly dead-end on the left, use Helios' Head to uncloak the hidden chest containing the last Phoenix Feather.
Now head to the left, past the save point, to pick up Hera's Chalice. Continuing on, Kratos encounters some more enemies, one of which is a Golem. Hopefully by now, you've maxed out at least one weapon and should be dishing out loads of damage. The Nemesis Whip is a great weapon and is the author's weapon of choice from this point. Level it up as much as you can. Clean out the chests along the way and skip the gated door, heading instead to the hallway. Here Kratos encounters a new enemy: a Satyr--and two of them! These guys, like many of the past enemies, are susceptible to the Hyperion Ram (L1 + Circle). We liked using the Nemesis Whip against them (big surprise) and unleashing devastating combos in the air. Air combos keeps one of the Satyrs completely at your mercy, and the other out-of-reach since Kratos is in the air. Win-win.
Once they're defeated, lift up the gate blocking the way and head into the courtyard. Head to the immediate right and follow this to two red Orb chests. Whip out the Helios' Head to unveil a third chest holding a Gorgon Eye. Loot the rest of the Orb chests and move to the next area. When Kratos steps on the circular platform in the center, a strange effect takes hold and turns your perspective into reality. Barrel down the gate and climb the steps before this effect wears off. Cross the bridge to the gate on the right and enter another part of the courtyard.
There's a pillar here with some steps atop it--swing it around so that the steps slant upward to the right, and drag the pillar into the adjacent area. Shove it in between the brown chalice and the small waterfall on the right. This guides the water into the empty chalice, filling it up and making it heavier. With the gate opened, run down to meet up with Hera one final time. Afterwards, set the visible bramble ablaze to free the entangling roots take her limp body and throw it onto the circular platform here to activate the Hyperion Stone effect.
Locate the movable pillar and this time shove it to the far left, to the gate adjacent the new empty chalice. This spills water into this chalice and fills it up. Now drag the pillar all the way to the lower right, remembering to first rotate the pillar so that the stairs slant upward to the left. Slide it into the end crevice to complete the stairwell. Pick up Hera's body and drop it off by the stairwell, and prepare to hit the circular platform to prolong the Hyperion Stone effect. Haul Hera's body across and deposit it in the empty chalice. Finally, take the pillar and use it to keep the platform weighed down.
Follow the newly formed path all the way to the end to trigger a cut-scene. Agitate the Harpy and ride it across, hopping from Harpy to Harpy. After being ferried to the other side, turn the crank to open the way to the Caverns, but before proceeding use Helios' Head to reveal a chest on the left side. Open it for a Gorgon Eye. In the hallway, ready weapons to take on slithering Scorpions. These are no match for Kratos' current power and should bite the dust with relative ease. At the end, turn the wheel to be lowered.
Remember that Helios' Head can guide you through the darkness. There's nothing to worry about as Kratos progresses; just a few skittering scorpions here and there. Eventually, he arrives at the Caverns.
