Herc, Xena, and Salmoneus make their way to Elysia via hilly terrain. They stop for a bite to eat, with Salmoneus assigned the task of catching some quail for lunch and Herc the task of cooking it, leaving Xena to go scout ahead. As Salmoneus attempts to locate some quail, he's tackled by Iolaus, who doesn't believe Salmoneus's claim that he's Herc's best friend. So, Salmoneus takes him to meet Hercules, not knowing Herc and Iolaus are already acquainted. Herc even pretends not to know Iolaus, before dropping the act and greeting his friend. He asks what brings Iolaus to these parts, to which Iolaus replies that he heard that Xena is on the loose. Rather than explain that Xena is now good, Herc instead tells Iolaus that the real problem is Darphus. Confused by Herc, Salmoneus walks away to continue catching quail. Meanwhile, Xena comes upon a group of soldiers looting the bodies of some villagers. She attacks, but one of them, Quintas, gets away. She yells after him, "Tell Darphus I'm coming for him!" That night, Quintas relays Xena's message, and even though Darphus is glad to hear it, he feeds Quintas to Graegus for abandoning his comrades while they fought Xena. Meanwhile, Herc, Iolaus, and Salmoneus are sitting around a campfire, enjoying roasted quail. Herc is about to tell Iolaus about Xena, when the warrior princess joins them. Iolaus immediately goes on the defense, but Herc assures him that he and Xena are on the same side. Iolaus assumes Herc is falling into the same trap he fell into, and tries to leave, as he refuses to watch history repeat itself. Herc stops him, though, insisting that Xena has changed. He fills in his friend about Xena saving the baby in Parthis, but Iolaus is still skeptical of her. However, he is willing to stay and help them with Darphus. The next day, Herc and company are back on the road, Iolaus intentionally trailing far behind. They reach a canyon, and Herc stops, pointing out that it's a good spot for an ambush so everyone should stick together and be on alert. They proceed, only to get trapped by some falling rocks, thanks to Darphus up top.
Thankfully, Herc managed to catch the biggest rock, and holds it up on his back while Xena and Iolaus try to dig their way out, with Salmoneus sitting frozen in fear. Meanwhile, Darphus and his army celebrate the death of Hercules. They hear Graegus growling, and Darphus raises a toast to the dog of war, saying that they will soon join Graegus in helping Ares fulfill his destiny of ruling the world. Back down in the canyon, Xena and Iolaus manage to dig their way out, while Salmoneus still sits paralyzed with fear. Propping up the rock he was holding, Herc gets himself and Salmoneus out of there before the whole thing caves in. Out in the fresh air, Salmoneus expresses shame for his reaction, believing himself to be a coward. Herc reminds Salmoneus how he'd helped him take on some centaurs when he'd lost his eyesight, but Salmoneus will hear none of it and wanders off. Turning her attention to Iolaus, Xena offers to bandage a wound he sustained on his head, but he refuses her help and wanders off as well. That night, Herc, Xena, and Iolaus sit around a campfire, with Salmoneus asleep nearby. Iolaus excuses himself to go check the perimeter, leaving Herc and Xena alone. Xena worries about Iolaus and his hatred of her, but Herc assures her that when the time comes, Iolaus will put his resentment aside to fight Darphus. Xena then asks Herc if he too will go back to hating her when this is all over, pointing out that she's done so many terrible things. Herc argues that she's off to a good start towards redemption, what with saving that baby in Parthis. Xena counters that when Herc helps people, he does it to honor his wife and children, whereas Xena has no such motivation. Herc, however, disagrees, saying that Xena has the goodness in her heart. The next day, Darphus and his army prepare to pillage a diamond mine, planning to use the diamonds to pay tribute to Ares and the miners to feed Graegus. Afterwards, he says, Graegus will be at full size, ready to fulfill Ares's will. Meanwhile, Herc and company are trying to evacuate the diamond mine ahead of Darphus's attack, but the miners refuse to leave. Just then, Darphus and his men arrive. Rather than flee, though, the miners actually help Herc and company fend off the raid. At one point, Iolaus is outnumbered, but Xena intervenes, saving him. Then, seeing Darphus, Xena tosses a sword at Darphus's chest, but to no effect. However, as Darphus sees his men getting soundly defeated, he quickly calls for a retreat. As Herc and Xena watch Darphus leave, Iolaus comes to inform them that everyone's fine, but that Salmoneus is missing.
Later, Iolaus has a talk with Xena. He asks her why she saved him, and she responds that they're on the same side. He reminds her that it wasn't that long ago that she tried to kill him to get to Herc, to which she expresses regret. She says she was twisted up by hate, and she figures that that's the same feeling Iolaus has for her. Iolaus replies that he doesn't hate her anymore, and the two shake hands.
