Xena and Gabrielle are aboard a merchant vessel being chased by pirates when the ship is suddenly forced onto the shoreline rocks and destroyed. Xena manages to make it to a nearby island but Gabrielle, having drifted back into deep water, is picked up by the cursed ship of Cecrops, the Lost Mariner. Familiar with the legend of the 300 year-old curse, Gabrielle soon finds her worst fears confirmed. Cecrops tells her that she -- and any others who come aboard -- are destined to spend the rest of their lives on the vessel. An agonizing death at sea awaits anyone who tries to escape.
When Xena realizes that Gabrielle is on Cecrops' ship, she resolves to save her friend, regardless of the danger. But she must first outwit Basculis, the pirate leader responsible for the wreck of the merchant vessel, who has taken refuge on the island to repair his ship. Xena cleverly evades Basculis' men, who have been ordered to capture her, while keeping sight of Cecrops' vessel as it rounds the shore. Meanwhile, Gabrielle learns the full story behind Cecrops' curse. The vengeful god Poseidon damned the sailor to remain at sea for eternity, or until he is redeemed by love, as revenge for arbitrating against him in a contest with Athena which made her the goddess of Athens. Athena tried to mitigate the angry god's curse by granting Cecrops immortality, hoping he would someday find that love. Cecrops sadly tells Gabrielle that the only reason he brought her aboard his cursed vessel was that she was about to be devoured by sharks. When he suddenly spies Xena escaping Basculis' men on the island and realizes that she's preparing to jump aboard his ship, Cecrops orders his men to sail away from the shore immediately. But Xena severs the rope attached to the mainsail with her chakram, causing the boat to drift inland. Dodging the arrows of the pirates pursuing her, she vaults onto the deck of Cecrops' ship through a series of spectacular acrobatic moves. With Basculis believing she is after Cecrops' treasures, he soon follows in his own ship.
Convinced there must be a way out of the curse, Xena confronts Cecrops, who confides how much he yearns to feel the earth beneath his feet once more. When she chides him for giving up hope, the bitter mariner reveals the story of how Poseidon separated him from his one true love, Tarae, by creating the mighty whirlpool Charybdis, through which he could not sail. Xena persuades Cecrops to head back towards Tarae's village, believing that the whirlpool might well hold the key to breaking the curse. Continuing on their journey, Basculis' ship quickly closes in and prepares to attack. As both vessels get ready for battle, the monstrous Poseidon suddenly bursts forth from the sea, offering Xena and Gabrielle safe passage from Cecrops' ship if they agree not to intervene. Xena refuses. Poseidon tells her she will not get a second chance. Later, Xena shows Gabrielle a trick to deadening her sea sickness, which has returned since she boarded Cecrops's ship, and Gabrielle becomes friends with Hidsim, one of the pirate's who Cecrops once brought aboard the ship. Hidsim tells Gabrielle that his dream is to be able to go home to his daughter and reunite with her. Despite Gabrielle's good fortune, she also meets Altrech, a scrawny man with only a few proud hairs left on his head, who just happens to have a puppy dog crush on Gabrielle.
Later that night, Poseidon stirs up a violent storm, causing the crates of cargo on Cecrops' vessel to smash around the hold of the ship. When a huge crate slides towards Cecrops, it is intercepted by Hidsim, who is crushed by the heavy load. Cecrops screams that Hidsim is a fool for giving his life for his, since he is immortal and can't die. As he breathes his final breaths, Hidsim tells Cecrops, whom he calls Rama (which means friend), that even though he knew Cecrops was immortal and couldn't die, as a friend shielding him from the crate was only the thing he could think to do
Overcome by grief at the death of his friend, Cecrops returns to his cabin where he is visited by Poseidon in vocal form. Enraged by Xena's earlier defiance, the god now offers Cecrops his freedom if he agrees to throw Xena into the fierce waters of Charybdis. The next morning, the storm begins to abate as Cecrops sails towards the whirlpool. But once his ship reaches the outer edge of Charybdis, Xena is the only one willing to climb up to the crow's nest to navigate the boat through the treacherous waters. From this vantage point, she watches as Basculis' vessel, still pursuing their ship, is drawn into the deadly current. Soon Cecrops' ship starts to buckle under the pressure of the unforgiving sea. When the wood mast cracks, Xena becomes entangled the rigging and is trapped in the crow's nest. As her sword plunges down into the deck below, Poseidon appears, demanding that Cecrops surrender the warrior princess to him. But rather than give in to the furious god, Cecrops tosses the sword up to Xena, allowing her to free herself, before he jumps overboard. The ship itself does not survive the wrath of Poseidon but Xena, Gabrielle, Cecrops and his crew make it safely to a nearby beach. The curse is broken -- not by anyone's love for Cecrops, but by his love for others. At Gabrielle's request, Cecrops decides his first stop will be to pay Hidsim's daughter a visit to bring her word of her father's death. Cecrops wonders how Poseidon will feel now that he doesn't have him around anymore. Xena says he will probably find someone else to torment, perhaps even someone who actually deserves it. Somewhere on the high seas, Basculis finds himself aboard a cursed ship of his own, sailing toward a foggy horizon.
Guest Starring: George Henare (Hidsim), Nigel Harbrow (Basculis), Tony Todd (Cecrops), Edward Campbell (Altrech), Frank Irwin Jr. (Colfax), John Smith (Bloomer), Michael Hallows (Tig), Charles Siebert (Poseidon)
Starring: Lucy Lawless as Xena, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle
Written by Steven L. Sears
Directed by Garth Maxwell