From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
                                   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 he 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 says she can come but jerks the queen's pendant from around her   
   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   
   give 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   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)