From: davideml@bellsouth.net   
      
   6-15    To Helicon and Back   
      
      
      
   First airing was Feb. 19, 2001.   
      
   The story starts out continuing from the end of the previous episode (Path of   
   Vengeance). Gabrielle   
   and Varia are crossing wrists. They both say 'to a strong Amazon nation.'   
   Varia asks how   
   Gabrielle's eye is (there is a cut on one eyebrow) and Gabrielle asks how her   
   hand is -  she might   
   have sprained it on her (Gabrielle's) face. They've made peace.   
      
             Xena leaves so the Amazons can crown Varia the Queen of the Amazons.   
   Xena goes into the   
   woods. The Amazons crown Varia during an eclipse. They dance. Behind them   
   sneak up some guys with   
   pale painted faces (or masks) wearing dark robes with hoods. They attack the   
   Amazons. After a short   
   while they start fighting back. Xena's psychic Gab-dar kicks in and she   
   realizes something's wrong   
   and heads toward the camp.  The leader of the attackers is wearing a beige   
   mask. Xena throws her   
   Chakram and knocks a mace out of his hand and takes out a couple attackers.   
   While she's waiting for   
   it to return, she is knocked down. Gabrielle gets knocked down and Xena runs   
   to her and they fight   
   back to back. The leader using another mace fights then knocks out Varia and   
   puts her on his horse   
   and rides off with her. The attackers flee.   
      
             Xena examines the bloody mace and says it came from Helicon.   
   Gabrielle says it's a   
   fortress on the coast. Gabrielle says Xena should lead the rescue but Xena   
   says it has to be   
   Gabrielle. They decide the best approach is by water since the best route is   
   through a mountain   
   pass and they would be expected. Xena says she will sneak through the pass,   
   knock off the leader,   
   and create a diversion so the Amazons can attack from the beach.   
      
             In the fortress the leader, Bellerophon, says he intended to kill   
   Varia but changed his   
   plans. Varia says all of the Amazons will come after her and he says he knows.   
      
             Gabrielle and the Amazons are on a boat, they're all scared. But   
   Gabrielle gives them a   
   pep talk.   
      
             Xena has made it into the fortress and confronts Bellerophon. He   
   says he was surprised to   
   see Xena at the Amazon camp. He tells her who he is - the son of Artemis. They   
   fight and he hits   
   her so hard she flies backward down a hallway. She says she's been hit like   
   that before but never   
   by a mortal. He says she was born of Artemis. The Amazons abandoned her when   
   she needed them and   
   Xena killed her. He knows Xena can't kill gods any more. He knows the Amazons   
   are in a boat. He is   
   behind Xena with a knife to her throat.   
      
             Gabrielle tells them to hit the beach in silence.   
      
             Bellerophon tells his men to fire catapults. Xena breaks away and   
   dives out of a window   
   to the water far, far below.   
      
             An exploding fireball hits the stern of the ship and it burns. The   
   Amazons abandon ship.   
   Gabrielle tells them to swim for the beach. As they run across the beach there   
   are pikes and curled   
   up thorn vines barring their way. Catapults sail exploding fireballs. Archers   
   kill more of the   
   Amazons. They are pinned down. One of the Amazons makes a run for it as a   
   diversion. She is hit   
   with a fireball and the others run closer to the cover of the sand dunes. Many   
   of them die or are   
   badly wounded.   
      
             Xena comes out of the water and runs up to Gabrielle. One of the   
   Amazons berates her for   
   not stopping them.   
      
             Bellerophon tells Varia the Amazons deserted Artemis and for that he   
   will kill all of   
   them.   
      
             Xena tells them they are being led by Bellerophon and he's going to   
   destroy them.   
   Gabrielle tells Xena she should take command but Xena says the Amazons won't   
   listen to her and it   
   has to be Gabrielle.   
      
             Bellerophon tells Varia they can come to some kind of understanding.   
      
             The catapult barrage has stopped and one of the Amazons makes a run   
   for it. She is hit by   
   a half dozen arrows, then a fireball explodes on her. Xena throws her Chakram   
   just as a catapult is   
   firing and the fireball explodes, covering the men with flaming liquid. The   
   Amazons advance to   
   relative safety.   
      
   They see Varia walking down to them with shackles on her wrists  and a   
   blindfold over her eyes. She   
   tells them Bellerophon said a queen should die with her tribe. She wants to   
   wait until nightfall   
   then retreat. Gabrielle doesn't like that plan because Bellerophon will only   
   come after them again.   
   Xena says if they go by water they can flank the fortress. Gabrielle says they   
   should leave the   
   wounded behind. Xena says they will be helpless against Bellerophon's men.   
   Varia refuses to leave   
   her soldiers behind. Gabrielle argues that he wounded will slow them down,   
   then realizes Xena is   
   right.   
      
   Varia is talking to Gabrielle and tells her she came down  a path from the   
   fortress. Gabrielle says   
   she'll go to try to find it. Xena's Gab-dar goes off again and she sees   
   Gabrielle running low   
   toward the fortress and Varia is about to shoot her with a bow and arrow. Xena   
   catches the arrow   
   just as it leaves the bow then yells to Gabrielle. She sees what was about to   
   happen and runs back   
   to the beach, fireballs exploding behind her.   
      
   Gabrielle confronts Varia about her trying to kill her. Xena sys it was   
   because Bellerophon   
   promised to spare the Amazons if Gabrielle was killed to cause pain to Xena.   
   Gabrielle tells Varia   
   she broke the bonds of sisterhood. Some of the Amazons want to kill Varia, but   
   Gabrielle say no,   
   but Varia can't come with them. Xena says they can't leave Varia behind. Varia   
   swears it won't   
   happen again. Gabrielle say she can come but jerks the queen's pendant from   
   around he neck and says   
   she's no longer queen..   
      
   Gabrielle goes to Xena to talk. She tells Xena she knows Varia was desperate   
   to save her tribe.   
   Xena says Gabrielle will have to rally the troops to fight and maybe to die.   
   Gabrielle agrees, then   
   wants to know why Xena is looking at her. Xena says she isn't the Gabrielle   
   she knows. Gabrielle   
   agrees, but she is the queen of Amazons whether she (Gabrielle) likes it or   
   not.   
      
   That night they are in the water with the wounded on rafts. There is a shark   
   in the water. To save   
   the rest of them, Gabrielle takes the unconscious Celtic queen off the raft   
   and floats her away   
   from them. She is taken down by the shark. Gabrielle asks if that was   
   honorable. Xena asks if she   
   would given herself for her. Gabrielle nods and Xena says she sent her spirit   
   in peace.   
      
   The next morning they are in the woods and Gabrielle gives another pep talk.   
      
   "Queen Mawu-Ka-- Queen Gwyn-Teir-- your friend-- Bame-- their blood-- on the   
   shores of this land.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)