FADE IN

A small bedroom. Gabrielle is lying in bed. Xena walks over to a bed across from her setting her armor and boots on the ground beside the bed. She sits down, sighing.

XENA:
     Artemis...

GABRIELLE (turns on her side, leaning on her elbow):
     Can't stop thinking about it, huh?

XENA:
     I can't imagine... (trails off) She must be controlling them.

GABRIELLE (sits up in bed):
     Xena...they're just people. We haven't heard from Artemis in months. Maybe...they're telling the truth. Maybe Artemis has done some good for them. For once.

Xena lies back in her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

XENA:
     You really expect me to believe that?

Gabrielle lies back, too.

GABRIELLE:
     We can't just condemn these people because of their faith.

Xena looks over at Gabrielle.

XENA:
     We won't. (firm) We'll just keep an eye on them.

Pan back for a wide shot of the two of them lying in bed, then move out the window to see a view of the full moon.

DISSOLVE TO

Day. Xena is walking through the village. It's bustling with people going about their lives. A woman carrying a basket of fruit walks by. Xena passes by a shopkeeper who tries to sell her cooking knives.

At the edge of the village in a small sheltered courtyard. A wooden shrine stands surrounded by a garden of blue flowers. Xena walks up to the shrine and sees a small painted stone statue of Artemis at the back surrounded by incense candles. A silver basin stands at the entrance of the shrine with water in it. A rack of scrolls sits on the altar in front of the statue.

Xena walks up and looks at the statue.

XENA (mutters to the statue):
     You've got this village wrapped around your little finger, haven't you?

She takes one of the scrolls and opens it up. The words have been written with silver ink, glittering in the light of the candles.

XENA (holding it up, reading):
     By the grace of the goddess, protect us. Guide us. Though the road may look dark, you are our path to light. You are our hope, our savior. Without you, we are nothing--

Xena rolls her eyes.

XENA (drops the scroll onto the altar):
     Wonderful.

BOY (off-camera):
     Hey!

Xena turns back and sees a teenage boy behind her.

BOY (angrily):
     Those are sacred scrolls--they must be handled with respect. (pause) Apologize.

XENA (sighs):
     Sorry.

BOY (shakes his head):
     Not to me. (nods toward the statue) To her.

Xena grits her teeth and turns toward the statue.

XENA:
     Sorry, (forcing the words to come out) goddess.

Xena turns and leaves the shrine rolling her eyes as she goes. Behind her, the boy rolls the scroll up and places it back on the rack, giving Xena a long hostile look.

CUT TO

Rena is in her garden beside her house. Darion is sitting with Ilana in the grass, showing her something that he had carved. She looks intrigued and he smiles.

Gabrielle walks into the garden. She looks over at Darion and Ilana sitting and talking, then walks up to Rena.

GABRIELLE:
     They're really getting along.

RENA (pulling a weed from the ground):
     Ilana admires him because he was brave.

GABRIELLE (she sits down on a bench, across from Rena):
     Can I ask you something?

RENA:
     Sure.

GABRIELLE:
     It's about Artemis. (Rena looks up at her) To tell you the truth...Xena and I were a little surprised last night when we heard you worshiped her. It's just...we happen to know a not-so-friendly side of her.

RENA (stands up and sits down next to Gabrielle):
     What did she do?

GABRIELLE (looks down):
     It's a long story.

RENA:
     She must have had reasons.

GABRIELLE (looking off into the distance and nods):
     She did...

RENA:
     Gabrielle, Artemis has done a lot of good for this village, and many of the villages around here. She protects us.

GABRIELLE:
     Protects you from what?

RENA:
     This part of Greece has been plagued by raiders' vicious attacks on villages large and small alike. Not much is known about the attacks, only that those villages never survive. Everyone is killed and the village is burnt to the ground as if it had never existed. There was a sheep herder who, one evening while out in his field tending to his flock, saw a huge plume of smoke and fire where his village was. When he went back, he found the ground charred and everything turned to ash.

GABRIELLE (horrified):
     But who...?

RENA:
     No one knows who did it or why.

Pan to Gabrielle for a close-up; she looks bewildered and appalled.

RENA (continues):
     Many of us spent many days in fear, wondering if our village would be the next. Then a messenger from Artemis came and told us that we would be protected from these raiders if we worshiped her.

GABRIELLE:
     And you agreed.

RENA:
     Not at once. Most of us didn't know much about Artemis, except that she was the goddess of the hunt and of the Amazons, a maiden who submitted to no male. Then she sent a sign..

GABRIELLE (intrigued):
     What sign?

RENA:
     The neighboring village, Andres, had just pledged their devotion to her. One night, two of our young men were out hunting by moonlight. They saw an army marching through the forest heading for the village. Out of fear, they hid and watched as the men arrived at the gates. When they were about to attack, a bright light engulfed the village. Artemis appeared before them and the light that shone from her form was so blinding that the two men had to shield their eyes. The warriors fled back into the forest. (pause) That's when we knew we could trust the Goddess to protect us from all harm.

Gabrielle gives her a thoughtful look.

CUT TO

Inside a room in Rena's house. Gabrielle is standing by the window; Xena is sitting on the bed, looking thoughtful.

XENA:
     So this is how Artemis is gathering followers.

GABRIELLE:
     You think she's got something to do with the attacks?

XENA:
     Maybe. I'm going to go out to one of those destroyed villages and find out.

GABRIELLE:
     We're going. Samuel's asleep; I'll ask Darion to check up on him.

CUT TO

Xena and Gabrielle riding through a forest.

CUT TO

A young woman and young man are dragged along a dirt path in the forest, each held by two men as they try to struggle. A person in a hooded black robe, visible only from the back, walks ahead of them. The young woman cries out, "No!" but the man dragging her clamps a hand over her mouth.

They are dragged out into a clearing where a long stone slab sits under a tree, and shoved to their knees near the slab. The person in the black robe stops, turns around, and pulls the hood down. It is a woman of about forty, with a clear air of authority about her. There is a band around her hair decorated with a silver half-moon, and a silver laurel branch is embroidered on the front of her robe. She pulls out a dagger.

WOMAN IN BLACK (shakes her head, disappointed):
     Hilaera. (the young woman looks up, an expression of fear and desperation on her face) You have disgraced the name of the goddess, defiled the purity of her sanctuary, and broken your sacred duties as a priestess by indulging in your...passion for this man. (She spits out the word "passion" with obvious disgust; Hilaera hangs her head in shame) The goddess must be appeased...in blood.

She nods to the men, who grab Hilaera's arms, haul her to her feet and drag her, struggling, to the slab. They force her down on it and shackle her hands and feet. The woman in black approaches her, holding the dagger.

YOUNG MAN:
     No!!! Please, spare her life. Kill me!

WOMAN IN BLACK:
     Oh, we will. But first, you'll watch her die.

HILAERA (looking toward the young man, tears in her eyes):
     Forgive me...

The woman in black raises the dagger over Hilaera's chest.

Close-up on Hilaera's face as she closes her eyes and grimaces, preparing for the blow.

Close-up of the dagger, swooping down.

There is a sudden swoosh and a sai appears across the screen, knocking the dagger out of the woman's hand as it is carried away by the prongs of the sai right into a tree behind them. The woman looks at it in shock and anger, then turns back to find Gabrielle standing face to face with him, Xena by her side.

GABRIELLE:
     You really shouldn't play with sharp things. Someone could get hurt.

WOMAN:
     Who are you to interfere? This is justice.

XENA:
     Not where we're from.

Xena throws her chakram, which shatters Hilaera's shackles--first on the hands, then on the ankles--and comes back to Xena. Hilaera sits up with a gasp, rubbing her wrists. Meanwhile, Gabrielle charges the guards holding the young man and downs them with a couple of swift kicks, then helps the young man to his feet. Hilaera jumps down from the slab and runs toward the young man. They embrace.

YOUNG MAN (to the Hilaera):
     Are you okay?

Hilaera nods and he holds her close. They look over at Xena and Gabrielle.

HILAERA:
     Thank you.

The woman in the black robe steps up. She looks livid.

WOMAN:
     Do you know what you've done? Do you know what they've done? (She points to Hilaera and the young man) They have disgraced the name of Artemis, defiled the purity of her temple...

GABRIELLE:
     And that's a reason to kill them?

WOMAN:
     The goddess must be appeased, or else we'll have to face her anger!

XENA (narrows her eyes at her):
     Well. Right now, you're getting me pretty angry, and believe me, you don't want to face that. So I suggest you leave these people alone.

The woman snarls and retreats with the guards.

GABRIELLE (to Hilaera and the young man):
     We should take you two home.

HILAERA (shakes her head):
     You don't understand. We can't go home.

Xena and Gabrielle exchange a look, then look at the two young people. Gabrielle nods, understanding.

GABRIELLE:
     Your village worships Artemis.

HILAERA (sighs and nods):
     It was my own mother who turned us over to be sacrificed.

Close-up on Xena's face, set in a hard stare.

GABRIELLE:
     Do you have a place to go?

YOUNG MAN:
     I have relatives in a village half a day's walk from here that is still free of these zealots. They'll shelter us for the night. Then we can escape to Athens.

XENA:
     Good. Be careful.

HILAERA (nods, tearing up):
     I can't believe I'll never see mother and father again.

XENA:
     Maybe you will. (after a pause) Hilaera, what do you know about a village around here that was burned to the ground in an attack not too long ago?

HILAERA (shocked):
     The unholy land?

GABRIELLE (puzzled):
     Unholy land?

HILAERA:
     Yes, that's what the head priestess calls it. We've been strictly forbidden to go there.

XENA (grimly):
     Then that's exactly where we want to go.

DISSOLVE TO

The interior of the fortress, where a table is laid out with food. Ares is sitting beside Pandion; Iona and Zarek are at the table as well. They are eating and talking.

CUT TO

Outside, a warrior in black on a horse rides toward the fortress.

CUT TO

He rides up to the gates and two of the guards hold out their spears.

WARRIOR:
     I wish to speak to Ares.

The guards look at each other.

CUT TO

The dinning area. A soldier comes in and stops beside Ares. He turns to look at the soldier, holding a bird leg in his hand. The soldier salutes Ares.

SOLDIER:
     Lord Ares.

Ares looks up at him expectantly.

SOLDIER (continues):
     A messenger from Brygus.

Close up of Ares' face.

CUT TO

The warrior we saw earlier walking down a corridor, flanked by two soldiers.

CUT TO

The warrior enters the dining hall and stands before Ares.

ARES:
     So what is this message that Brygus has for us? Keep it short--you're interrupting a good meal.

WARRIOR:
     Oh, it's short enough. Brygus knows you're trying to defeat him. You will not succeed.

ARES (chuckles):
     Would that be the great Brygus who keeps sending out his goons to do his bidding and isn't man enough to show himself? (sarcastic) Ooh, I'm so scared.

WARRIOR:
     He'll show himself--when it's time.

ARES:
     Time to kick his ass? I hope so. Nobody insults the God of War and gets away with it.

WARRIOR (smirks):
     Brygus, insult the God of War? (laughs) Hardly.

ARES (stung but nonchalant):
     Oh, I get it--because I'm no longer the God of War.

MESSENGER:
     No, because he is.

Ares, Pandion and the others exchange shocked looks as we:

FADE OUT

END OF ACT THREE