On the third day of the battle, a local resident named Ephialtes revealed a hidden path around the Greek position to the Persians. This allowed the enemy to attack the Greeks from behind, effectively encircling them. King Leonidas, aware of the impending disaster, ordered most of the Greek forces to retreat. However, he and his 300 Spartans chose to remain behind and fight to the death.
The story of the movie 300: Rise of an Empire (often referred to as 300 Part 2 ) follows the Athenian general Themistocles