In the aftermath of the battle, Xena's men find Salmoneus hiding out in drag. He starts babbling on, begging Xena not to kill him, and even mentions that he's friends with Hercules. In the end, Xena decides to keep him around, both because of his connection to Hercules and because she finds him amusing. Later, Herc and Iloran come across the village that Xena and her men had attacked. Herc asks one of the villagers who was behind it, and upon hearing the villager's description, realizes that Xena is responsible. Meanwhile, Salmoneus is sitting down to a meal with Xena and her men. He tells her she needs some better PR, and even encourages her to smile more. Fortunately for Salmoneus, the warrior princess still finds him entertaining. Later, in Xena's tent, she and Darphus argue over their next course of action. Darphus insists that they next attack some villages to the west, which are lightly defended and will therefore be an easy victory. Xena, however, replies that easy victories make for weak soldiers. She demands loyalty from her men, she says, and doesn't want them following her out of greed. Darphus feels differently, opining that all that matters is that the men obey orders, but Xena says that it matters to her. She then announces that she's going north with some scouts, and that she'll lead an attack upon her return. That night, Darphus is still awaiting Xena's return, when he decides to go ahead and attack some nearby village, not wanting to lose the element of surprise. He orders Cretus and the others to destroy the village, women and children included. The men obey, and Xena returns to find the devastation her army had caused. She berates Darphus, calling him a butcher and informing him that his disobedience will not go unpunished. Just then, they hear a baby crying, and Xena finds an infant hidden among some blankets. Darphus orders Cretus to kill the baby, but Xena warns that if he does, he'll die next. She reminds them that she still leads the army, then storms off with the baby.
The next day, Herc and Iloran find one of Xena's men, Deros, following them. They capture him and tie him up, but he refuses to tell them where Xena is. He does, however, point them towards ominous clouds of smoke coming from just over a hill. Herc sets Deros free, then he and Iloran rush towards the clouds of smoke, finding the village that Darphus had destroyed. Realizing that women and children had been killed, Herc swears on his mother that it won't happen again. Meanwhile, Xena enters a cave with the baby, to find Salmoneus there with a woman. He explains that the woman is a shepherdess, and that he thought Xena could use some help taking care of the baby. Reluctantly, Xena hands over the infant to the shepherdess, before being pulled aside by Salmoneus, who has concerns over Darphus and the men. Xena, however, doesn't doubt her men's loyalty, and assures Salmoneus that she'll deal with Darphus. That night, Xena angrily confronts Darphus, telling him that she's relieving him of his command. However, he reveals that he's taken control of her army, and that she's the one stepping down. The only way she can leave, though, is through the gauntlet of warriors. The men line up in two separate rows, then Xena is stripped of her armor. As Salmoneus looks on, he learns from one of the men that no one has ever survived the gauntlet. Then, on Darphus's signal, the gauntlet starts, and Xena is forced to walk between the two rows of men, each taking turns beating her. She manages to fend some of them off, but there are too many and she's left battered and bloody. Finally, she crawls her way to the finish line, and stands, still alive. Darphus orders the men to kill her, but they refuse, pointing out that Xena fought by the rules and survived. So, instead, he has her exiled. The next day, Herc and Iloran are racing to find Xena and her army, Iloran struggling to keep up, when Iloran is struck in the shoulder by an arrow. Getting Iloran to safety, Herc tells him to stay put, before taking off after their attacker.
Herc manages to catch up to their attacker, learning that the man is named Spiros and that Spiros's wife and child were part of the village that had been destroyed. Spiros had seen Herc and Iloran in the wake of the devastation, and had attacked them because he'd assumed they were responsible. Herc, however, assures him otherwise, informing him that everyone was dead when they got there. Accepting this, Spiros accompanies Herc back to where he left Iloran. As Herc tends to his cousin, Spiros sits nearby, wracked with guilt over his wife and child. He explains that he didn't want to leave, but that their village needed help and he drew the short straw. Herc sympathizes, having lost his own family as well, and promises that they'll find Xena and her army. Spiros offers his aid as a scout, since he knows the countryside well, and Herc accepts. Meanwhile, Xena returns to the cave where she'd left the shepherdess and the baby. Seeing Xena all battered, the shepherdess moves to tend to Xena's wounds, when Xena stops her, insisting she can take care of herself. The shepherdess then informs her that her scout, Deros, had been by earlier, looking for her, trying to warn her that Hercules was on her trail. And speaking of Herc, he, Iloran, and Spiros find Salmoneus strung up in a tree by his foot, having stepped into a trap while escaping from Xena's men. Herc cuts him down, before asking how Salmoneus got up there in the first place. Salmoneus mentions he was with Xena and her men, and informs Herc and the others that the army is now on its way to Parthis. While Herc and company start heading that way, Salmoneus now among them, Darphus learns from Deros that Herc is on their trail. Cretus nervously suggests they change their plans, but Darphus believes that they have the edge and that Herc can be defeated like any other man. He points to part of a map, saying that they'll spring a trap just outside of Parthis. Meanwhile, Salmoneus is complaining, wondering how he gets himself into these messes. Herc advises him to stay away from people like Xena in the future, but Salmoneus defends Xena, insisting that she's not as evil as Herc thinks and that compared to Darphus, Xena looks like the "goddess of love and light." Just then, Iloran calls their attention to Xena just up ahead, holding Spiros at swordpoint. However, she quickly lets go of Spiros, and prepares to fight Herc instead.
Salmoneus asks why she's doing this, and Xena explains that she can get her army back if she brings back Herc's head. Herc asks if it's so she can go on to murder more women and children, but Xena defends that that wasn't her. Salmoneus chimes in, insisting that they should be teaming up to fight the real enemy, Darphus. However, the traveling salesman is largely ignored, as Herc and Xena square off. At one point, Xena has Herc down on the ground, but Iloran steps in to help, only to be kicked away for his troubles. In the end, though, Herc comes up the victor, knocking Xena to the ground. She tells him to go ahead and finish her off, but Herc spares her life instead, before asking for her help in going up against her army. She turns him down, then walks away. Recognizing she has a fight of her own to deal with, Herc lets her go. Later, Herc finds tracks that lead him to Xena's army. Iloran is eager to attack, but Herc points out an ambush the army has prepared for them. Instead, he says, they'll even the odds, and get to Parthis ahead of the army. While Salmoneus frees the army's horses, Herc, Iloran, and Spiros take care of the ambushing soldiers. By the time Darphus realizes what has happened, Herc and company are long gone and already on their way to Parthis. That night, Herc and Salmoneus finish evacuating the villagers of Parthis, just as Darphus arrives with Xena's army. While Herc and Spiros fight off a number of soldiers, Salmoneus and Iloran set off some traps they've rigged up, dropping rocks and wooden beams on the soldiers' heads. Herc starts to get outnumbered, but Xena shows up to help him out. Afterwards, she, Herc, and Spiros continue to fight her former army, forcing the soldiers to give up and retreat. Darphus, however, stays behind. He confronts Xena, and they fight, with Xena forced to kill him. Later, Herc tells Xena he's glad she came back, and Xena replies that she had to, as Darphus and her men weren't true warriors and had to be stopped. Just then, they're approached by Spiros, Salmoneus, and Iloran. Having learned about the baby that Xena had saved, Spiros asks Xena if the baby had a birthmark on his leg. She confirms that he did, and Spiros is overjoyed to realize his son is still alive. However, Xena refuses to hand him over. Spiros says he'll fight her if need be, even lay down his life. Xena then relents, satisfied that Spiros has told her all that she needed to know. She just asks that he raise his son to be as brave as him. While Salmoneus takes Spiros to his infant son, Herc and Iloran say their goodbyes. Returning his attention to Xena, Herc asks her what happens now, and she suggests they find out together. Meanwhile, a cloaked figure with blue, skeletal hands — possibly Hera's Blue Priest — approaches Darphus's body, and resurrects him. The figure calls himself an emissary of Ares, and explains that the god of war will help Darphus get his revenge on Xena if Darphus kills Hercules. In place of an army to help him, the mysterious figure gives him Graegus, the dog of war.
