Hercules, Iolaus and Theseus pass through a small village, asking around for the best, nearest place to catch big fish at. An old man called Aegeus suggests they go fishing in a nearby valley. They decide to take his advice. It turns out the valley lake has the fish they are looking for, but the place also has a beastly guardian called the Protector that doesn't take kindly to visitors. The three cadets try and fend off the Protector's attack, but Hercules, who has doubted himself ever since Marco was killed, is of little help. The cadets are lucky to make it to a nearby cave with their lives intact.
While searching the cave for a potential way out, the three cadets discover that there’s another "visitor" in the valley. It is Aegeus. They accuse him of tricking them into coming to this horrible place. He truthfully admits he only told them what they wanted to know. The four decide to wait until dawn to attempt to leave the valley, which Aegeus reveals is sacred to Hera, along with its beastly guardian.
During the night, Hercules and Aegeus get wrapped up in a conversation about family. Hercules learns that Aegeus has a son that he has avoided having contact with him since he believes his son is a better man without him. At dawn, the cadets manage to trick the Protector into falling off a steep cliff at the edge of the valley. The can now return to the academy. As Aegeus watches them leave, Hera's voice booms down at him, calling him Zeus! Hera lambastes her husband for playing a part in the death of her beast. Zeus states that he did what he did to help his son regain his confidence, which Hercules did by helping his friends defeat the Protector.
Starring: Ryan Gosling (Hercules), Dean O'Gorman (Iolaus), Chris Conrad (Jason)
Guest Starring: Mfundo Morrison (Theseus), John Bach (Aegeus/Zeus), Steven Antunovic (Protector), Christine Bartlett (Vendor)
Teleplay by Vanessa Place
Story by Mark Edens
Directed by Simon Raby