Bored with life of matchmaking, Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) decides it's time for a career change. Unfortunately for the men of the world, her actions cause women everywhere to lose interest in love. Iolaus (Michael Hurst) learns of this disturbing situation when he arrives in Parthia expecting a week of romance with the lovely Evanthea (Fiona Mogridge). Instead, he is slugged in the jaw by the dark-haired beauty, who storms off insisting she never wants to see him again. Hearing a familiar laugh, Iolaus turns to find Aphrodite smiling at her handiwork. He pleads with her to return love to the world, but to no avail. Aphrodite is having too much fun watching the confusion of the male villagers as their romantic overtures are spurned at every turn.
Meanwhile, Hephaestus (Julian Garner), the lame, disfigured god of fire, secretly pines away for Aphrodite in his subterranean forge. Obsessed with her beauty, he wistfully steals glances at the golden bust he has fashioned in her image. Taking advantage of Hephaestus' great loneliness, the god's fawning assistant Iagos (Mervyn Smith) devises a devious plan to gain posession of the powerful bronze shield his boss is crafting for the god Perseus. He suggests that Hephaestus propose once again to Leandra (Sarah Smuts-Kennedy), a beautiful mortal woman who rejected him 50 years earlier, prompting the angry god to put her and her village of Cyllabos into a state of suspended animation. Hephaestus decides to lift his curse and allow Iagos to reapproach Leandra, but tells his servant he's only interested if she comes of her own free will. Iagos sets out for Cyllabos, determined to bring Leandra back by force if necessary so he can be rewarded with the Shield of Perseus.
Cyllabos is just reappearing from the mist when Iolaus and Aphrodite, who is learning how to hunt in the hopes of replacing Aphrodite Artemis, pass nearby. Hearing her scream, Iolaus races to rescue Leandra from Iagos and his men. Furious that she has eluded him, Iagos gives the villagers until sundown to produce her, threatening them with a reinstatement of the curse if they fail. Meanwhile, Aphrodite, now in reading glasses and holding a scroll, bumps into Iolaus as she is practicing to be Athena, and tells him about Hephaestus' curse on Cyllabos. Later that day, the the villagers discover Leandra in hiding. With the help of a magic metal warrior given to him by Hephaestus, Iagos overpowers Iolaus and drags Leandra off. Iolaus soon learns from the village elders that Leandra was desperately searching for her three-year-old son, Skouros, who wandered away from village. The name stuns Iolaus, who realizes that his own father was actually Leandra's lost son. When the village elders try to stop him from pursuing Iagos, Aphrodite -- now praticing to be Hercules -- marches in and makes quick work of them with her mace.
Promising to kill Leandra's son and wipe out the rest of her village if she refuses, Iagos forces Leandra into Hephaestus' arms and is rewarded with the Shield of Perseus. Iolaus and Aphrodite soon make their way into the forge, where Aphrodite confronts the great blacksmith and demands Leandra's release. He refuses, but her anger is tempered when she catches a glimpse of the magnificent bust Hephaestus has made in her image. Before long, sparks start to fly between the god of fire and the goddess of love. In the meantime, Iolaus finds Leandra and breaks the astonishing news that he is her grandson. The two flee the forge, with Iagos and his formidable metal warriors in hot pursuit. After an epic battle, Iolaus manages to rescue Leandra before one last showdown with the scheming Iagos. Armed with the Shield of Perseus, Iagos becomes invisible and begins attacking from every direction. Madly swinging a broom to defend himself, Iolaus sweeps some shavings from the floor towards the voice of his opponent, revealing his enemy's footprints. With some fancy knife throwing, he pins Iagos to the wall, then sends him tumbling into the forge. Aphrodite, now back in her goddess of love attire, gazes fondly at her new lover Hephaestus, and assures a delighted Iolaus that love is once again back in the world. After bidding the two his best, Iolaus heads back to Parthia to spend the rest of his week with Evanthea.
Starring: Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Michael Hurst (Iolaus)
Guest Starring: Alexandra Tydings (Aphrodite), Julian Garner (Hephaestus), Sarah Smuts-Kennedy (Leandra), Mervyn Smith (Iagos), Bill Urale (Henchman #1), Gilbert Goldie (Village Elder), Adam Jackson (Male Villager), Damien Wood (Male Servant), Fiona Mogridge (Evanthea), John Manning (Merchant), Stefan Broadley (Musician), Darren Ludlam (Mykonos)
Written by Gene O'Neill & Noreen Tobin
Directed by Charlie Haskell