Related Hercules Episodes: Highway to Hades.
Xena, still trapped in the body of her nemesis Callisto, is sitting by the campfire one night when she and Gabrielle are surprised by the arrival of Joxer. Searching his pockets, he quickly produces a scroll containing an important message meant for the real Callisto, who is still languishing in Xena's body in the Underworld. Her curiosity aroused, Xena opens the scroll to find an invitation from Ares, the god of war, to attend a meeting of warlords in a small seaside village nearby. Sensing trouble, Xena and Gabrielle, who is in a much more aggressive mood than usual, travel to the village. There they see a couple of the warlords, who have been bitter enemies, treating each with unexpected civility. Baffled by their behavior, Xena continues to observe as Gabrielle wanders off to the local fish market, where a brawl among the villagers quickly ensues. Confused by the spectacle of innocent people turning violent and warlords on their best behavior, Xena and Gabrielle enter the village tavern to find a sloppy drunk babbling at the end of the bar. Much to their surprise, the man turns out to be Ares, stripped of his godhood and vulnerable to all the frailties of mortal men.
The fallen Ares explains that his sword has been stolen by a mysterious thief, thus robbing him of his powers and condemning him to life as a mortal. It was the thief, not Ares, who sent the invitations to Callisto and her warrior brethren. Ares further explains that without a sitting god of war, peaceful people have lost the self-discipline to control their anger. He refers to Gabrielle, who has become unusually contentious, as a case in point. Only seasoned warriors, who are accustomed to channeling their compulsions, can now control their passions. Xena orders Gabrielle to stay behind as she and Ares set out for the warlords' meeting place. As an added incentive, Ares promises Xena that if they succeed, he will put her back in her real body. On the way, Xena intercepts one of the warriors and knocks him unconscious, enabling Ares to steal his invitation to the gathering. Upon their arrival, the warriors, ten in all, are ordered to surrender their weapons and board a boat. Once on deck, they receive the message that the god of war is retiring and one of them will be selected to take his place. The boat eventually docks at a dilapidated castle, where the group is greeted by their host Sisyphus, the Machiavellian king and trickster who, it turns out, was the thief who stole Ares' Sword while escaping from the Underworld. Sisyphus tells his guests that whoever slays "The Baracus" -- a vicious beast lurking outside the castle -- will win Ares' Sword and the godhood. Sisyphus himself will then be granted immortality.
Several small cliques form as the warlords begin a full-scale war among themselves to determine who will get the chance to win the invaluable prize. Xena is paired with Ares and finds that his experience as a mortal has made him dramatically different from the cold killer she has known in the past. Ares tells Xena when he regain his godhood perhaps he'll be more like he now. Xena tells him once he regains his godhood, he'll be the same tyrant he was before he became mortal. Meanwhile, Gabrielle and Joxer, who have reached the island on a small boat of their own making, are both suffering from severe cases of anxiety; they sneak into the castle via an underground drainage pipe through which they hear the unholy howling of the Baracus. Joxer's courage starts to fade quickly as the pair head towards the beast's lair until he sees the "monster" itself: a huge noise-making drum, designed to magnify the shifting winds into terrifying roars and moans. As he takes out his aggressions on the inanimate object, Xena and Ares face off against the dreaded Tegason and Virgilius, the only warlords who have escaped death at the hands of their fellow competitors. Xena finds Ares' Sword hidden in the cold hands of a dead warlord and in an epic battle, she and Ares kill their attackers. Sisyphus then pleads with Xena to destroy Ares and claim the prize, but Gabrielle and Joxer burst in and reveal the secret behind The Baracus.
Bitterly defeated, Sisyphus confesses that Hades promised to make him the new god of war if he delivered the world's ten best warriors to him. Xena hands the sword back over to Ares, then watches solemnly as Sisyphus returns to his previous punishment, Ares returns to his cold and emotionless ways, and Gabrielle returns to her peaceful and happy self. Later, when Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer head to the boat, Xena suddenly appears in her real body again.
Guest Starring: Hudson Leick (Xena), Ted Raimi (Joxer), Charles Siebert (Sisyphus), Kevin Smith (Ares), Chris Ryan (Virgilius), Bruce Hopkins (Tegason), Marcel Kalma (Sadus), Jason Kennedy (Carus), John Smith (Boat Captain), Patricia Donovan (Old Woman), Tony Ward (Messenger)
Starring: Lucy Lawless as Xena/Callisto, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle
Written by Paul Robert Coyle
Directed by Charles Siebert