From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   5-14  Amphipolis Under Siege   
      
      
      
      
      
   First airdate was Feb 14, 2000.   
      
   The episode starts with semi-soldiers guarding a road. A woman warrior dressed   
   in silver comes out   
   of the woods. She says she has no money for the toll. Then a handful or more   
   like her come out and   
   shoot arrows at the men. One gets hit in the shoulder. Xena's Chakram breaks   
   the other arrows. She   
   flips and lands between the archers and men and deflects arrows with her   
   Chakram. Gabrielle is   
   holding Eve behind a tree out of danger. Xena and the leader face off and they   
   sword fight some.   
   Xena's sword cuts her cheek. She whistles and all the women warriors run off.   
      
   Xena thinks it's Ares doing it. He appears and hints it's another god. Xena   
   pulls the arrow from   
   the man's shoulder and realizes it's Athena.   
      
   The woman warrior, Ilanius (or Elanius), is on horseback with Athena. Athena   
   heals her wound, and   
   says she will kill Eve for Zeus.   
      
             Xena and Gabrielle arrive in Amphipolis and let Cyrene hold Eve,   
   then hustle them to   
   safety.   
      
             Athena and Ilanius are looking at a model of Amphipolis. Ares   
   appears and notices that   
   Athena has legions from Rome, Cleopatra's Royal Guard, knights from Britannia,   
   and her own elite   
   archers. Athena asks why he is there. He says his survival is also at stake.   
   Athena reminds him of   
   rumors about him offering to protect Xena if she'll give him a child, and   
   Ilanius mentions that she   
   refused. Athena says the people of Amphipolis are loyal to her and will give   
   up Eve.   
      
             Xena is telling the people of Amphipolis that she doesn't want to   
   bring the army down on   
   them, but won't sacrifice her child. Athena appears and asks the people that   
   if  they are eager to   
   die for Eve. Cyrene starts singing and the rest of them join in. Athena says   
   she protected them   
   over the years and this is how they repay her. And they have chosen their fate.   
      
             The armies approach. The towns folk are in trenches. Gabrielle yells   
   'fire!' and barrels   
   of a flammable liquid are thrown with catapults onto the soldiers.  Then the   
   townies attack the   
   soldiers. Gabrielle is using a staff or large spear.   
      
             Athena is suspicious of the attack and suspects Xena has some kind   
   of plan.   
      
             Xena and townies are in tunnels that will lead them behind the   
   soldiers. But Ilanius and   
   soldiers are blocking their way. They ignite Greek fire and everyone runs   
   away. Xena knocks down a   
   tunnel support to block the way and the explosion goes up and stops the   
   battle. Gabrielle, now   
   using a sword, has the survivors fall back to the trenches.   
      
             Gabrielle tells Xena that if she puts on captured armor, Xena and   
   Eve can escape  after   
   dark and Athena will stop the attack. Xena disagrees. Suddenly arrows rain   
   down on everyone as the   
   archers shoot volley after volley. Ilanuis starts to shoot a little girl. Xena   
   flips through the   
   air and catches the arrow. Ilanius laughs and they withdraw.   
      
             Inside a makeshift hospital, Athena appears to Xena, no one else can   
   see her. Xena says   
   she was the only god she respected. Athena says she has no choice, the Fates   
   decreed it. Xena   
   argues that warriors make their own fate. She offers to fight Athena with no   
   tricks or god-like   
   powers to settle it but Athena refuses. Athena says she poisoned the water and   
   asks what will she   
   give them when they are dying of thirst - love?   
      
             Xena goes into Ares' temple and calls him out. He says she's losing   
   because she's   
   fighting the goddess of wisdom and warfare. Xena offers to give Ares the child   
   he wants if he'll   
   side with her against Athena. If he'll help her, she is his. She kisses him,   
   but he jerks back   
   because he doesn't trust her. He says she's always coming up with some way to   
   mess with his head.   
      
             A pig farmer is complaining about not being a soldier and all he   
   knows about Eli is that   
   Ares killed him. Gabrielle grabs him, then berates everyone, saying they are   
   not just fighting for   
   Eve, but for all of their children. She calls out for Ares. She says she knows   
   Xena made him an   
   offer but if he accepts, she'll never love him, but she has never said   
   anything she doesn't mean.   
   He disappears with a thoughtful look on his face.   
      
             Ares goes back to Athena's camp. He says maybe he can convince Xena   
   to leave with Eve.   
   And he mentions that maybe the prophecy is self-fulfilling - what can Xena's   
   baby really do to   
   them? Athena says Zeus is already dead, and there will be no compromise.   
      
             Ares goes back to his temple and finds Xena's armor on the floor.   
   She is on a sofa   
   wrapped in a skin, offering herself to him. She throws him down on the sofa,   
   lies on top of him and   
   they start kissing. She stops and asks if he hear something, he says he   
   didn't. An explosion breaks   
   open part of a wall and Cyrene with Eve see them there. Xena says it isn't   
   what it looks like. Ares   
   says yes it is.  Cyrene says Gabrielle has started an attack on Athena's army.   
   Xena gets dress to   
   go help.   
      
             Athena and Ilanius are watching the battle. Athena tells  her to put   
   and arrow into   
   Gabrielle, who is using a long-handled croquet mallet to fight with. Suddenly   
   they see Xena walking   
   into the battle carrying Eve.   
      
             Xena says she is giving up Eve to save the people and for Athena to   
   pull back her army.   
   Xena puts Eve on the ground and Athena draws her sword to kill her. But Ares   
   appears in front of   
   her, stopping her. Xena yells to Gabrielle who yells for more of the townies   
   to attack. Ares and   
   Athena sword fight. Xena and Ilanius sword fight. The townies and Gabrielle   
   fight the soldiers.   
      
             Xena stabs Ilanius and she dies in Athena's arms, since her wound   
   was beyond Athens's   
   healing powers. As she dies, Athena tells Ares to take a good look because   
   they're next. And she   
   and Ilanius disappear.   
      
             Ares expects Xena to keep her bargain. She refuses because Ares   
   saved a doll, not Eve. He   
   asks if she didn't feel anything in the temple. She says she felt nothing.   
   After he disappears she   
   confesses she felt something.   
      
             Xena and Gabrielle, explain to Cyrene they had everything planned   
   out.   
      
             As they are walking away Gabrielle asks if Xena really felt   
   something. Xena says she   
   didn't say that, but maybe felt a little something.   
      
   ...........   
      
   Xena is back in her original leathers and armor.   
      
   And another good episode. Lots of good action, some good lines, and Xena   
   messing with Ares' head -   
   again. But it's another episode I remembered nothing about, so it's like a   
   brand new one to me.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)