From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
                                       6.19 Many Happy Returns   
      
   First aired on May 14, 2001.   
      
   The story starts out with Xena and Gabrielle walking through the woods.   
   Gabrielle is trying to guess what Xena has gotten for her for her   
   birthday -- the next day. Xena hints that before the birthday surprise,   
   there will be practical jokes. But when she promises there will be no jokes,   
   she has her fingers crossed behind her.   
      
   Xena is carrying a large bag with a shoulder strap with the helmet of Hermes   
   inside. They are taking it to King Thez (?) for his coronation in Thebes.   
   Xena thinks she hears something and takes out a collapsible telescope to   
   see, but she puts the large end to her eye. Gabrielle takes it away from her   
   and looks through it the right way. She doesn't see anything, but when she   
   takes it down from her eye, there is black ring around it.   
      
       Then they do hear something. Zealots have a young girl on a platform and   
   start rolling it out over a cliff overlooking the sea. She is to be   
   sacrificed. The head Zealot starts to cut the rope to release the platform   
   but Xena's Chakram breaks his sword. They all fight. The head Zealot and   
   another one pull up the stake holding the rope and the girl starts falling.   
   Xena, wearing the helmet, dives off the cliff and catches the girl just in   
   time. They fly off leaving Gabrielle behind. A young warrior is watching.   
      
       Xena flies the girl to the woods. She thinks she is dead and Xena is a   
   god. Xena takes off the helmet and the girl is upset Xena spoiled her   
   sacrifice.   
      
   Gabrielle runs up and as the girl is berating Xena, she is distracted by the   
   ring around Gabrielle's eye. Gabrielle realizes she's been tricked. She asks   
   the girl that if Xena was a god would she be able to tweak Xena's nose or   
   pinch her butt?   
      
       They decide to introduce her to Aphrodite.   
      
       Cut to the cave of Ferragus, a warlord. His son, Frankus reports that   
   the sacrifice was interrupted. When he describes Xena, Ferragus recognizes   
   her, and realizes she has the helmet of Hermes.   
      
       X&G and the girl, named Genia, come to a lake with a waterfall. They   
   decide to camp for the night. While Genia is laying out furs to sleep on,   
   X&G have set up camp and have a fire going. They are at the edge of the lake   
   and dive in for a swim. Genia is too shy to strip naked and join them.   
      
       After dark they have fish for supper and Genia is upset she's eaten one   
   of (a) god's creatures and decides to sleep on the cold hard ground.   
   Gabrielle throws her a blanket. Later after they are asleep Gabrielle thinks   
   Xena has her cold feet on her, but it is a black eel. Gabrielle hits Xena   
   with her blanket and declares war.   
      
       The next morning Gabrielle is sitting by the fire and Xena is having a   
   morning swim. Gabrielle tells Genia to never interrupt Xena's morning swim.   
   Xena looks for her clothes. They are connected to a bucket of fish guts in a   
   tree and they fall on Xena's head. Gabrielle is now worried, she thought   
   Xena could catch the bucket. Xena wishes her a happy birthday.   
      
       X&G and Genia enter one of Aphrodite's temples. When Xena calls for her   
   she appears with two half naked men. One is rubbing her feet. Aphrodite says   
   she thought virgins were extinct. Genia says Aphrodite is a myth to rob   
   women of their virtue and strip men of their pride. Aphrodite agrees with   
   the second part.   
      
       Aphrodite wishes Gabrielle a happy birthday. When Xena invites Aphrodite   
   to travel to Thebes with them, Aphrodite spoils Xena's birthday surprise   
   that Sappho is appearing there. On the road Aphrodite tries to convince   
   Genia she IS a god by doing tricks, like making a replica of the bag that   
   carries the helmet. Genia still doesn't believer her.   
      
       Once they get to Thebes, Genia is impressed by the city. Xena tells them   
   they have a show to catch. But later in a tavern, Xena apologizes for   
   getting the times wrong for the show. She has Gabrielle hold the bag while   
   she gets food. Aphrodite tells her they switched bags in the marketplace and   
   she has the one with the helmet. Xena says they were being followed in the   
   marketplace and it may be the zealots.   
      
       Ferragus and his men go into tavern to get the helmet. Xena tells   
   Aphrodite to get Genia to safety. She teleports them outside and Genia is   
   now convinced she is a goddess. Everyone fights and the bag is thrown around   
   some. It lands in front of Ferragus and he runs off with it. When Gabrielle   
   tells Xena, she tells her she switched the bags, but Gabrielle says she   
   switched them back.   
      
       When Xena calls for Aphrodite, she and Genia appear. Genia is dressed   
   much like Aphrodite and says she is her new disciple. Xena says they have to   
   go after the helmet and she and Gabrielle leave. Genia asks how can she   
   worship the goddess of love if she's never experienced it. Aphrodite tells   
   her to pick a man. She looks around and chooses Frankus, who's been   
   following them. Aphrodite does a spell to make them fall in love. He asks   
   her to marry him and they run off together. The head zealot sees them.   
      
       In Ferragus' cave, he is wearing the helmet and flying around hitting   
   his men with a mace. Xena and Gabrielle are watching and just before she   
   throws her Chakram, Frankus and Genia run in and Frankus says they are   
   getting married. Aphrodite appears behind X&G and realizes what she's done.   
   Xena has a plan and they leave.   
      
       The door bell to the cave rings and Frankus answers it. It is Xena   
   dressed as Genia's father Anthrax, and Aphrodite is dressed as her mother   
   Spitoonia.   
      
        They have brought a wedding planner (Gabrielle) named Belle. While   
   Belle distracts Ferragus, Anthrax and Spitoonia take Genia aside. Aphrodite   
   takes the spell off of her and tells her stay hidden.   
      
       Belle has redressed Ferragus into wedding clothes, but when she tries to   
   take the helmet off, he won't let her.  Anthrax starts talking about him   
   being a warlord and he starts showing off his scars. When Anthrax blows them   
   off, he takes off the helmet and puts it back in the bag to show off the   
   scar on his head Xena put there. They switch the bags and Aphrodite takes it   
   to Genia, then teleports her back to the market place, right in front of the   
   zealots, who drag her off. Anthrax, Spitoonia and Belle leave.   
      
       Ferragus looks into the bag and the helmet is missing. Then the head   
   zealot comes in and throws him the other bag, which is empty. He says he   
   will give Ferragus the helmet if they can make a deal.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)