As Joxer ran from the cave, Jace yelling at him as he followed close behind, his vision blurred and he couldn't hear his brother's voice. Everything seemed to turn dark then and the air grew heavy as he breathed.

When Joxer's vision cleared a few minutes later and the air returned to normal, he found himself standing in the middle of a strange forest. "Hey, what's going on?" he muttered as he looked down at himself. He lifted his head and just a short distance away from him, Adora, Eve and a strange little creature that appeared to be made of living rock that Eve was carrying piggyback style were staring at him with wide, astonished eyes.

Adora took one cautious step forward. "Papa?" she asked uncertainly. "Is it really you?"

Joxer smiled and nodded.

With a joy-filled shout, Adora ran over to Joxer, Eve following close behind her once Behlem scrambled down from her back. The gargoyle watched in silence with large, round eyes as the three had a brief reunion.

"I'm so glad to see the two of you and that you're both okay, but why are you soaking wet?" Joxer asked after giving them both a huge embrace.

"We were attacked by some strange fire creatures, Uncle Joxer. Dorie stopped them by using her powers," Eve explained softly. She pointed over to the nearby stream to show him.

"I see," Joxer said, realizing that that was how their connection had been reestablished.

Adora turned away then, mumbling, "I suppose I'm in trouble for using my powers."

Joxer shook his head. "No, Dorie. You did the right thing in trying to protect Eve, yourself, and your, uh, rocky little friend over there," he said, peering down at Behlem curiously.

The gargoyle bristled at Joxer's last words and put his tiny clawed hands on his hips. "My lady Brigandu has charged me with the very important duty of protecting her granddaughter!" he squeaked indignantly, stamping his right foot for emphasis.

"Well, you're pretty rot... OW!" Adora yelped when Eve quickly stepped on her left foot to prevent her from saying anything else. She glared at Eve before turning to gaze at a very perplexed-looking Joxer. "Behlem, this is my father."

"But... But... But, mistress...! Your father..." Behlem began to protest, but stopped when he saw the furious expression on Adora's face. "It is an honor to meet you," he finally said, bowing slightly.

Joxer's eyebrows disappeared underneath his bangs. "Um... Thank you." He looked up at the darkening sky. "I think we better try to get out of here before we can't see."

Behlem jumped up and down in excitement. "Mistress, I can help!" he exclaimed.

The three exchanged amused glances. "Okay. How?" Adora asked skeptically.

"Watch, mistress!" Behlem closed his eyes, held his hands in front of him and cupped them in a circle. As he concentrated, a small, round glowing ball eventually appeared and cast a soft light around them, making it easy for them to see. It floated away from his hands where it rose up until it was a little bit higher than Joxer's head and stayed there. "See?"

"That's great!" Adora smiled at Behlem, who returned it happily. "Let's get out of here before anything else tries to attack us."

The others nodded in agreement and they began walking down the path to see if they could find a way out of the forest.

"So... Your pop still won't leave, huh?" Autolycus asked Gabrielle as they approached the northern wall, following a short distance behind Xena and Jett.

Gabrielle sighed. "No. When my father makes his mind up, he can be very stub..." She stopped talking when he snorted with laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Never mind, Gabrielle," Autolycus replied with a smirk, which quickly changed to a frown when he almost ran into Jett, who had stopped in the middle of the path. "Hey! What's the deal?"

Jett put his hand over his forehead. "Something's wrong..." he growled. "...And it's something to do with Jox."

Gabrielle's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you sure?"

Jett nodded curtly, his head turning in the direction of the caves. He started to step away from the others.

Xena grabbed his arm before he could leave and quickly turned him around to face her. "You're needed here, Jett," she said sternly, the expression on her face silently daring him to defy her.

Jett pulled his arm from Xena's grasp, his nostrils flaring out angrily. "Don't push your luck, Xe...!" he began saying when an arrow whistled just over their heads and stuck in the ground right behind them.

Xena's eyes widened and she ran towards the wall, drawing her sword as more arrows came over the side and the sounds of clashing swords, battle cries and the screams of the wounded and dying started.

Gabrielle took off after her friend, sais at the ready.

Jett stood still, his body stiff as he watched the women running.

Autolycus grabbed Jett's arm to get his attention. "Come on! Are you going to just stand there and get yourself killed, or are you gonna help us?" he yelled, his face literally inches away from Jett's.

Jett didn't say anything but the look on his face was enough to make Autolycus gulp and release his grip. He took one last look in the direction where his brothers, mother and son were before he withdrew his sword from the scabbard and ran towards the wall, Autolycus right next to him.

The four traveled down the path, hoping to find a way out from the dense forest. The light Behlem created glowed softly as it lit the path so they could see and it seemed to be leading them to safety. Joxer walked ahead of the girls and their strange little companion to (hopefully) protect them from danger. They had walked for some time when he came to a sudden stop in the middle of the path. The girls managed to stop just in time before they walked into him.

Joxer frowned as he looked around. He didn't know what was wrong, exactly, but he had a strange feeling that something wasn't right either.

"Uncle Joxer? What's wrong?" Eve asked in a concerned voice.

"Yes, Papa. What's...?"

Joxer placed a finger over his lips to signal them to be quiet and when he spoke, it was in a hushed voice. "I know I don't have your mother's sixth sense, Evie, but I feel that something's very wrong. Stay close and..."

"Why? So you can protect them? The whole concept of you protecting them from harm would be extremely amusing if the idea wasn't so pathetic at the same time," a deep, smooth voice observed. There was a flash of bluish-white light and Teutales appeared before them with a smirk on his darkly handsome features. He looked at Joxer appraisingly before he added in mockingly, "Hello, lover."

Behlem ran behind Adora and peeked out from between her legs. "Mistress, save me!" he wailed.

They stared at Teutales for a few moments before Joxer finally spoke up, his voice shaking - not from fear, but from sheer anger. "I'm not your lover! I'm your worst nightmare!" he snarled. He stood in front of the girls in a fighting stance ready to take the God on.

Teutales laughed, clearly amused at Joxer's words. "You're right, little man. You're not my lover," he admitted before his face grew serious. "You're just the stupid fool that got in my way."

Adora's nostrils flared as her own temper stirred to a fine boil. "Don't you dare call my father a stupid fool! He's got more integrity in his mortal heart than you'll ever have in your little toe! He didn't ask you to plant your seed into him! He could take you on one on one - and he'd WIN!"

Eve grabbed Adora's arm. "Are you out of your mind? Uncle Joxer's no fighter - and he's not immortal. He wouldn't stand a chance against him! Are you trying to get him killed with your boasting? One good zap and he's toast!"

"She's right, mistress! Your friend's right. He has no chance against Teutales!" Behlem exclaimed. His face twisted up in worry as he looked back and forth between the girls, a furious Joxer and a very smug Teutales.

Joxer felt his heart sink when he heard Eve's words, but Adora shouted over Behlem's anxious squeaking. "I believe in you, Papa! You're my hero! You can take this jerk down! I love you, Papa."

Eve looked at Joxer and saw something stirring in his eyes - something that she had only seen in her mother's eyes before and felt ashamed of what she had said. "Dorie's right, Uncle Joxer. You can take this idiot down!"

Teutales laughed at the two girls. "They're so young and foolish! Are they not anything but vessels that simply serve different purposes?" His eyes flicked in Adora's direction and she visibly flinched, averting her face away from him. His gaze then passed over Eve briefly and she felt her mouth go dry before he refocused his attention on Joxer, a mocking smile hovering about his lips.

Joxer swallowed hard, but he straightened himself up to full height and defiantly returned the God's stare. "No. They believe in me," he replied in a soft yet determined voice.

The smile turned deadly. "You'll need more than their misguided faith in you to save your miserable life, little man!" Teutales yelled as he conjured up a fireball and threw it at Joxer.

Somehow, Joxer just barely managed to avoid the fireball by dropping to the ground and rolling away. It sizzled past his ear and landed on a nearby boulder, which immediately smashed into smithereens upon impact. Rubble rained over the girls and Behlem, who were forced to raise their arms over their heads in a futile effort to protect themselves from the debris.

"Pretty impressive for a mortal waste of space!" Fireball after fireball shot from the furious War God's hands, gathering speed as they kept coming, but Joxer somehow avoided those as well.

Finally, the fireballs stopped and Teutales stared down at the heavily panting Joxer with a disgusted sneer. "Someone is helping you out, scum," he growled through clenched teeth. "And when I..." Before he finished his sentence, his head shot upright and his eyes widened in sudden realization. They flashed with a bright bluish- white light as his face twisted with fury and he disappeared into the ether without another word.

Adora and Eve ran over to Joxer and helped him to his feet.

"You did it, Papa! I knew that you could!" Adora exclaimed, throwing her arms around Joxer, who hugged her to him.

Eve smiled and said admiringly, "You really did great, Uncle Joxer."

Joxer smiled wearily as he put his arm around Eve's shoulders. "Thanks, you two, but I really didn't do that much. I just managed to get lucky, that's all."

"Papa, he was throwing those fireballs at top speed! We could hardly see them. They should've burned you to a crisp."

Joxer looked at his daughter. "But they didn't because you two believed in me." He looked around then, frowning. "I think that Teutales was right, though. Someone was helping me because there's no way that I ever could've... "

Behlem suddenly jumped up and down, trying to grab Adora's hand. "Look, mistress! Look! There's a way out of here! Come, mistress! We're free!" he exclaimed excitedly, pointing wildly to the right.

The three turned in the direction that the gargoyle was pointing in and saw that he was right. Not only was it a way out of the forest, but it seemed to be the way back home.

"Come on! Let's get out of here before he decides to come back and start up where he left off," Joxer said.

Behlem scrambled onto Adora's back and the three ran towards the opening and into the darkness. There was that same sensation Joxer had experienced before when he had found his way to Adora and Eve and this time, it almost overwhelmed him. Just as the air seemed about to suffocate them, they burst through the other side and found themselves right in the midst of a battle.

Behlem's eyes grew huge and he screeched, "MISTRESS! WE'RE DOOMED!"

No sooner had the gargoyle uttered those words when a flaming arrow hurtled directly towards a still somewhat disoriented Eve.

"EVE!" Xena screamed, raising her chakram to throw it when Joxer suddenly reached out and clumsily pushed Eve aside, tripping over a rock as he did so. The two fell to the ground as the arrow whistled past them and landed a short distance away.

While the two slowly rose to a sitting position with Adora's help, Xena yelled in their direction as she turned her attention back to a soldier using a makeshift ladder that was attempting to climb over the wall. "JOXER, I DON'T KNOW HOW ALL OF YOU GOT HERE..." A well- aimed kick straight to the midsection sent the would-be invader, his companions that were climbing up the ladder behind him and the ladder tumbling backwards, all of them yelling as they fell. "...BUT I WANT YOU, THEM AND THAT... THAT THING TO GET TO SAFETY!" Sparks flew as her sword clashed into another opponent's.

"I AM NOT A THING!" Behlem screeched resentfully. "I'M..."

"SHUT UP!" Adora hollered and the gargoyle's mouth closed with an audible snap.

"C'mon. Let's just get out of here!" Joxer exclaimed urgently, looking up at the wall with a worried expression on his face. He saw the tips of Gabrielle's sais flash as they swiftly arced down towards her opponent's weapon and he swallowed hard, wishing he was fighting alongside her - and that she would make it through the battle.

As they began moving away from the fighting, Xena spared them a quick glance. Her eyes met Joxer's and he saw in them silent thanks for helping Eve. He bowed his head slightly in reply before he took off after the girls in an awkward run, quickly catching up with them. As they ran, the first rocket volley shot over their heads and the air grew rank from burnt Chin powder. The force of the blast as the rockets hit their intended targets nearly knocked them from their feet.

Eyes tearing from the smoke and coughing to clear his lungs, Joxer found it increasingly difficult to breathe and see. He stumbled ahead until he finally tripped over something as a sharp pain raced through his temples, making him cry out. He fell forward blindly, trying to gulp breaths of increasingly oppressive air while his head felt like it was going to explode. He blinked one last time then knew no more...

"Are you all right?" Jezda ran over to Jace, who plopped down atop a boulder and stuck his head between his legs. Gaston followed behind her and watched mother and son interacting with a concerned look on his face.

Jace slowly raised his head, eyes eventually refocusing on Jezda's face. "I'm all right, Mother," he said softly.

"No you're not!" Jezda retorted. "You're as white as a ghost and you nearly passed out..." She straightened up in realization. "It was Joxer, wasn't it?"

Jace nodded once, wincing as his temples pounded mercilessly. "I haven't felt something like that in a long time, at least not that strongly..." His hand shook slightly as he lifted it up and placed it over his brow. "I'll be okay. I just need..."

They looked up when they heard the sound of somebody running towards them. It was Stephanos, his eyes wide with worry. "People are coming!" he reported. "We can see the torches in the distance! They're heading straight towards here..."

Lila turned around sharply at the boy's words. "Are you sure? How many?"

Stephanos nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure! They've got weapons..." He thought for a moment. "Ioannes and I counted about two hundred people, but there could be more..."

Hecuba looked around at the children, nursing mothers, and people who were simply too old or too sick to fight before turning back to look at the small group that was assembled around Jace. "What are we going to do?" she asked. "We may be able to stall them for a little while with those traps that were laid around the hillside earlier, but they'll be able to get through them eventually..."

There was a short silence as Jace closed his eyes, his lips pursing into a tight line of determination. He slowly rose to his feet and walked over to a bag that he had carried with him. He knelt down and rummaged inside it for a minute before pulling out a rapier sheathed inside a leather scabbard that had intricate stitching running down the sides. He looked down at the weapon in his hands and shook his head once. "The last time I used this was to fight Father," he murmured, his accent disappearing. "I promised myself that I'd never use it again after that." He looked up then with a grim look on his face. "It's time to break that promise."

Jezda nodded solemnly. "I know, but you can't fight by yourself, my son."

Gaston drew himself up to full height as he patted the sword hanging at his hip. "He won't."

"That's right." Lila glanced sideways at her mother. "The two of us are pretty handy with frying pans..."

Jace looked at the older children and their mothers starting to gather around him with determined expressions on their faces and assorted weapons in their hands. He smiled slightly at Lila's remark. "Hopefully we won't have to go to that extreme, but I've got a few ideas that should slow them down further..."

"You're insane!" The woman who had yelled at them earlier rose to her feet. "These are children and you're expecting them to fight?"

Jezda started to say something, but Jace raised his hand as he turned around to look at the woman. "I'd never expect any of the children to fight. I'm not asking any of them to do this, nor would I ever force them to fight, Beryl. I grew up like that and it's a terrible way to live." He paused for a moment and took a second look at the rapier, sighing once before turning his attention back to her. "But there's a time to take a stand and fight for what you believe in, too. This is one of those times..."

Beryl turned away from his searching gaze. "I think you're just setting yourselves up to be killed," she muttered.

"Maybe," Jace agreed. "But it's better to try and defend ourselves rather than simply doing nothing at all and letting them come and get us." He cleared his throat once and said, "Let's go." His gaze refocused on Jezda. "Mother, can you and some of the others get everybody else further back in the cave?"

"Yes, of course..." Her dark eyes shimmered with tears for a split second before they were resolutely blinked away. "Be careful," she added in as she embraced him.

"I will." Jace returned the hug and smiled sadly as he watched her and Gaston share a brief kiss. "Ready?" he asked.

Gaston nodded. "Oui, mon ami!"

As the group began walking towards the cavern entrance, the ones who had to stay behind began picking up their belongings to move further back inside and helped the people who needed assistance.

Jezda walked over to Beryl, who was gathering her sleeping son up in her arms. "Beryl..."

"Get away from me, Jezda!" Beryl snarled, her face turning ugly as it twisted into an expression of sheer fury. "Just get away!"

Jezda's own temper flared briefly, but she calmed down when she realized that it was Beryl's fear talking. "All right, but please come back with the rest of us," she softly replied before turning around to see if she could help someone.

Beryl watched the others in silence as they left the main part of the cave and headed further inside, eventually leaving her in complete darkness.

"Good," she said with a smile, her eyes flashing a bright yellow- green as she threw off her mortal disguise. Aer shook her hair into place and looked down at the boulder she held in her arms, which she easily threw aside and licked her lips in anticipation. "Two useless mortals out of my way, and with all of those other mortal scum coming this way, I won't have to soil my hands with getting rid of them either..." She gazed down the passage where the rest had gone and her smile widened. "That's pretty tempting as well, but I've got better fish to fry..."

"That's what you think, hosebag!" a melodious voice rang out.

Aer turned around just as a large pink fireball hit her directly in the chest, slamming her straight into the cavern wall. Momentarily stunned, she looked up to see a beautiful blonde woman glaring down at her, wearing nothing but a pink negligee, a matching silk robe and fuzzy high-heeled slippers. She began laughing in sheer disbelief. "You - the legendary Olympic Floatation Device - want to take me on? What a joke!" The air sizzled as a bluish-white fireball shot from her fingertips.

Aphrodite dodged the fireball easily and deflected it back towards Aer. "Like puh-leeze! I could so take you out and not even break a nail while doing it!" she scoffed.

"Oh? Really? I wouldn't be so sure of that, you air-headed bimbo!" Still laughing, Aer easily slipped away from the re-directed fireball and shot three more at the Love Goddess.

One of them got close enough to slightly singe Aphrodite's robe and she screeched, "OOOO! THAT DOES IT! YOU SO LIKE TOTALLY RUINED MY ONE-OF-A-KIND VICTORIUS SECRETUS, YOU SKANK!" The air buzzed as she powered up and shot a massive fireball at Aer, who found herself slammed against the wall with rocks falling down around her.

Aer blinked, trying to recollect herself while Aphrodite smiled winsomely at her. "Not so air-headed as you thought I was, huh, scumbag?" she asked, lifting up a dainty long-fingered hand to admire her manicure. "You just don't know who you're dealing with here, sis...!" She let out a surprised screech when she suddenly flew across the cavern and smacked straight into the wall.

Aer's mocking laughter rang out as a visibly stunned Aphrodite slowly got to her feet, brushing the dust away from her face. "Apparently, you don't know who you're dealing with either!" she gloated and then she made a rude noise. "You're the best that Zeus could send after ME? How completely pathetic you Olympians are! It's gonna be a pleasure seeing your weak asses get exiled!" She laughed again before disappearing in a yellowish-green flash of light.

"Oh no you don't, you sleazebucket! You're so not getting away with messing up my outfit - and we're not going anywhere! 'Sides, I've got your signature now so I can track your hairy-backed hide down and finish what we started!" Aphrodite growled as she disappeared in a golden shimmer.

Jezda, having heard the commotion, arrived just in time to see the two Goddesses depart from the cave. "Aer..." she breathed, her eyes growing wide in recognition when she saw the War Goddess vanish. "That explains so much..." She lifted her head up when she heard shouts coming from outside the cave, followed up with the sound of boulders being rolled down the hill overhead. "Oh no!" She turned around and began running back towards the cave's rear, silently hoping that everyone fighting out front would be safe.

"I've got you!" Autolycus shouted, grabbing Jett's arm before he fell down. He steadied his friend, noting how pale he was. "What's the matter?"

"Jox..." Jett mumbled as sweat broke out on his forehead and began pouring down his face in torrents. "Something's wrong..."

"The only thing that's wrong is you almost passing out!" Autolycus retorted, instinctively ducking his head as the second volley of Chin-powdered rockets flew over the wall.

"GET HIM DOWN FROM THERE BEFORE HE GETS BOTH OF YOU KILLED, AUTOLYCUS!" Xena yelled, her eyes never leaving her opponent, who raised his weapon up to deliver a deadly blow. Sparks flew as their swords met with a resounding crash.

Autolycus started to pull Jett away from the fighting, but Jett pushed him away, making him fall on his back. His still-pale face twisted up in a rage-filled sneer that made the thief gulp. He watched, mesmerized, as Jett raised his sword up and he whirled around, silently slitting a would-be invader's throat and nearly decapitating him in the process.

As the man fell back from the wall, dead, Jett, his face splattered with blood that had spurted from the man's jugular vein, reached down and roughly pulled Autolycus to his feet. He was still sweating profusely but some of the color had returned to his face. "I'm not going anywhere," he said in a low and raspy voice. "And when I find the bastards trying to hurt Bro, they'll wish that they were never born..."

Autolycus licked his lips, not liking the maniacal look in Jett's eyes, which was something he hadn't seen in a long, long time. "Right!" he agreed nervously. His eyes widened when he saw movement just to the right of them. "Look...!"

Jett whirled around again and delivered a kick that knocked the sword away from a man who had actually succeeded in getting over the wall. With a yell as he pulled a long dagger from his boot, the man launched himself at the ex-assassin, who was waiting for him with a thin smile on his lips.

Autolycus turned away from the two men as they engaged in vicious hand-to-hand combat and dodged out of the way just before a blade arced towards his face and ended up slicing his shirtsleeve instead. "That does it! Now I'm really getting mad!" he yelled as he sprang towards his attacker, sword at the ready. His yells blended in with the others as the fighting continued on into the night.

Lightning flashed in the nighttime sky, followed by the crack of thunder. A short distance away in the opposite direction, an answering bolt flew back towards the spot where the first bolt had come from.

"There goes good old Dad," Hercules grunted, his nose wrinkling as the scent of Chin powder lingered in the air.

"Looks like that's not just Zeus that's up there shooting off his mouth," Iolaus noted as he pulled an arrow from his quiver, lit it and shot it over the other side of the barrier.

Hercules snickered and watched as a fireball shot over their heads and into the crowd of invaders, scattering them about in all directions as they ran away from it. "HEY!" he yelled when another one whizzed by his ear at a distance too close for comfort. His head whirled around, his fists clenching together involuntarily as he glared at Ares, who was gazing at him with a not-too-innocent expression on his face. "Watch where you're aiming those things!" he ground out through clipped lips.

Ares shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Oops?" He laughed heartily as he shot another fireball into the crowd.

Hercules rolled his eyes in exasperation as he turned around. "Ladies and gentlemen, my half-brother the comedian," he growled, bracing himself as five armed men launched themselves at him.

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