"Help me." "Who's there ?" "What do you want ?" "Please." "Help us all." "A ghost." "I saw a ghost." "Where ?" "In the woods, outside of town." "What makes you think it was a ghost ?" "It was around me, everywhere I moved." "It seemed to glide over the earth." "It was horrible." "I'll go take a look..." " you stay here." " No problem." "It's all right." "A ghost ?" "Xena, I'm here." " What do you want ?" " You, Xena." "You." "Behind you." "I'm a ghost, Xena." "The living can't touch me." " I've missed you so much." " I've missed you too, Xena." "I'm glad you came..." "I've got a lot I want to talk to you about." "We don't have time for that now." "What's wrong ?" "Why are you here ?" "Something terrible has gone wrong in the Underworld." "Good souls are in danger..." "We need your help." "How ?" "The Alconian lake." "If you just..." "Hurry !" "Listen." "Would you just listen ?" "Now, I know that you care for Marcus, but you shouldn't be doing this." "Why ?" "Well, for starters, he didn't finish his instructions." "Maybe he didn't mean for you to dive to the bottom of the lake, knowing for being unusually deep." "What else could he have meant ?" "Consider the consequences if you're wrong." "Even if you reach the bottom, you won't have enought air left to make it back to the surface." "Then I'll make it to the Underworld one way or another." "It's not funny." "The man I love has asked for my help to save good souls." "I have to try this." "Yes, you do." "Well, I'll camp here and I'll wait." "In a time of ancient gods warlords and kings..." "A land in turmoil cried out for a hero..." "She was Xena... a mighty princess, forged in the heat of battle The power The passion The danger..." "Her courage will change the world..." " You must be Charon." " No, I'm Talula, the dancing girl." "Of course I'm Charon." "Who else would be crazy enough to be down here ?" "Mind you, with all the changes that are going on," "I could be losing a job soon." "No more Mr. Nice Guy." "I refuse to take any more dead people across, unless they got a coin." "Charon, I'm not dead." " You're not dead ?" " No." " You mean you're alive ?" " Yes." "Ay-yi-yi." "What is it all coming to ?" "Charon, I know something's gone wrong on the other side." "Oh, I know something's gone wrong on the other side." "Yeah, well, you can say that again." "We got everything turned upside-down." "All the wicked are in the Elysian fields." "All the good guys are down in Tartarus." "And now we got tourists already." "I want to help set things right." "You wanna help set things right ?" "When Hades can't do anything ?" "This, I gotta see." "Here, get on board." "She's gonna help solve the problem." "Hey, you're gonna be back, you know, under different circumstances, if you know what I mean." " Can't wait." " Yeah, well, bring a coin next time." "Don't be scared." "I'm not going to hurt you." "Here..." "I'm here to set things right." "Thank you." "Have you seen my Mommy ?" "It feels so good to hold you." "I've thought about you a lot." "I know..." "Whenever a living being thinks of us, we can hear it." "Thanks." "It's meant a lot to me." "I know the problem... the Innocents are here in Tartarus." "How did this happen ?" "You ever hear of a mad-man named Atyminius ?" "Yeah, of course." "The old men in my village used to try and scare young girls by saying that, if we didn't behave, he'd come and get us." "The story had it that he specialized in killing brides before their weddings." "Not just killing them." "He liked cutting them into little pieces." "This guy stands out as a bad one even down here." "He's somehow managed to steal Hades' helmet of invisibility, and he used it to confine Hades and turn this place upside down." "He loves torturing innocents and rewarding fiends." "Where is he now ?" "Well, he moves around, but he likes the pleasures of the Elysian fields." "That's the best place to find him." " Can we go there ?" " Yeah." "I know way." "When we go in there, will anyone notice we don't belong ?" "No one pays that much attention to anything in the Elysian fields." "Come on !" "Try it !" "They have everything they could possibly want and yet they want more." "Strange thing..." "They're not happy even in Paradise." " You know him ?" " I killed him." "You ended up with the wicked after all, Xena." "I guess it's hard to make up for a lifetime of evil with a few good deeds at the end." "Tell me, who had the pleasure of killing you ?" "No one..." "My horse threw me, and I broke my little neck." "Oh, I love that." "You didn't even get to go out like a hero." "Well, listen, I want you to know, there's no hard feelings." "Sure, I hated you for a while." "But when this change happened down here, I was actually grateful to you." "It's great to be wicked and dead !" "I hear we owe all this to Atyminius." " Is he running the place ?" " For the moment." "Between me and you, Xena, this is one very sick man." " You'd know." " Is he around ?" "He may be, you never know." "He can make himself invisible with Hades' helmet." "So he could be standing here right now, listening to our conversation." "He might even have heard you call him a sicko." "Yeah, I guess he could have." "I meant that as a compliment, of course." "Of course." " You enjoying yourself so far ?" " I'm not sure." "I still haven't figured out all the rules." "That's the great thing..." "There are none... at least for us." "We have the run of the whole place, even Tartarus, if we want." "The good, on the other hand, have to stay where they are." "Isn't death grand ?" "Let's keep looking around." "Yeah." "How were you able to travel from Tartarus to the Elysian fields, if only the wicked have the run of the place ?" "Xena, the place is in chaos." "I just..." "Tell me the truth, Marcus." "You were put with the wicked when you died, weren't you ?" "Well, like your friend says, it's hard to make up for a lifetime of evil with a single good deed at the end." "So if we succeed in putting things right, you'll spend the rest of eternity in Tartarus with the very people you're about to betray." "Why are you doing this, Marcus ?" "Xena, I died doing a selfless act." "You taught me how sweet that could be." "And I knew you'd do the same thing if you were in my place." "You'll pardon me, will you ?" "You can't hit what you can't see !" "I take it Atyminius has arrived." "Why all the glum faces ?" "I'm in a wonderful mood." "The thought of travelling always cheers me up." "Where are you going, Atyminius ?" "I understand you were a leader among the living, Toxeus." "Well, here, you are my slave." "It is Lord Atyminius to you." "Of course." "What's the matter, Lord Atyminius ?" "I smell mortality... one of the living is among us." "It's that woman there..." "We need to make her one of us !" "Kill her !" "Get her !" "It's not gonna work, Atyminius." "Go ahead, try to kill me." "You'll just find he's lied to you." "He's trying to cast suspicion on me because he knows I've been asking the wrong questions." "Questions, what questions ?" "Nonsense !" "Like, why do you get to keep the helmet ?" "That's right." "Just because he stole it from Hades, doesn't give him the right to lord it over all of us for eternity !" "Toxeus, how do you feel about being bullied by this maniac ?" "This is ridiculous !" "Put a sword through her and see if she's telling the truth !" "I might be dead, but I'm not gonna let you mutilate me without a fight." "Of course, that's what he wants, isn't it ?" "..." "Us fighting amongst ourselves, when we could be fighting for the helmet." " Good point, Xena." " Come on, get her !" "Kill the women !" " I want the helmet !" " Your reign is over, Atyminius !" "It's mine, it's mine !" "Enjoy eternity without a body, Toxeus !" "We'll never get to Atyminius in this mess." "Let's get out of here while we can." "You going to the festival ?" "No, I'm waiting for a friend." "Is she coming from the other side of the lake ?" "Sort of." "Bye." " I need to talk to Hades." " Reaching him won't be easy." "Atyminius has guards around Hades' palace." "Well, we've fought guards before." "No, not like these." "What are they ?" "The Harpies." "Get back !" "Get back !" "Be careful, Xena !" "Eat this !" "They're not real keen on fire." "Thanks." "What ?" " You lost some weight." " It gets hot down here." "Hades." " What are you doing here ?" " I could ask you the same thing." "Why aren't you trying to get the helmet back from Atyminius ?" "Without the helmet of invisibility, I'm almost powerless." "You have got to do something." "Atyminius plans to go up to the world of the living and start his killing spree again." "He'll be sending more innocents to Tartarus." " What did you say ?" " He'll be sending more inncocents..." "No... about the land of the living." "That was his plan." "He could be there now, for all we know." "He may have made a key mistake." "What do you mean ?" "Normally, when one of the dead goes to the land of the living, they're only a shade, a ghost..." "Unable to do anything but scare little children." "He certainly couldn't kill anybody." "But wearing that helmet will bring him back to life..." " he'll be mortal again." " I'm sure that's what he wants." "He loves his mortality, and the suffering it can cause." "Yes, but, once he's mortal, he can be killed again." "But when he dies, the helmet will return with him to the other side." "Send Marcus and me up to the world of the living." " We'll get him." " You're not dead..." "You're free to go at any time, but your friend's a ghost..." "Not much help against Atyminius." "Then give Marcus his life back." "You don't know what you're asking." "I am telling you I can't do it without him." "Has the great god Hades become so powerless, that he can't do this one small thing to save his kingdom ?" "All right, but I can only manage 48 hours... then he dies again." "Take this passage here..." "You can avoid the Harpies that way." "Which way would Atyminius have gone ?" "If he wants to return to the world as a living mortal, he'll have to travel as a mortal." "I suspect he left the same way you came in." "Thank you." "Is that you ?" "Hello, little one." "Who's there ?" "You aren't about to be married, are you ?" "Who are you ?" "No, I suppose that would be too much good luck." "Still, you'll do for a start." "Where did you come from ?" "The look of fear in those beautiful eyes... how I've missed that." "That's why I had to appear in front of you in flesh and blood." "The anticipation is the best part." "A struggle." "What a nice bonus." "Look !" "Missed me, Xena." "How does it feel ?" "Your fear excites me." "Marcus, the footprints." "There !" " Where's that maniac ?" " We drove him off." "Did you see the nosebleed I gave him ?" "There was blood everywhere." "Then he kicked me in the head, and... and then the next thing I saw was you." "It's a very pleasant sight." "Are you all right ?" "You look like you saw a ghost." "I lost him." "He took to the trees." "Gabrielle, this is Marcus." "I've heard so much about you." "I'm sorry we didn't get to meet before you were... killed." "You're dead." "But he's alive again, for a while." "We'll explain as we move." "But, right now we've gotta to go after Atyminius." "And remember," " he could be anywhere." " Let's go." "Here it is." "This must be where he came out of the trees." "Looks like they lead out of the forest." "He's got a good head start on us." "Maybe his wound will slow him down." "No, the bleeding's already lightened to a few drops." "There's none up here." "Must be a minor wound." "We'll keep going, and try to close the gap as much as possible before nightfall." "There's no way we'll be able to follow his trail in the dark." "And if we don't find him by sunset, we'll have to make camp." "Camp ?" "Who's gonna sleep with that monster roaming around ?" "I wouldn't worry about it." "He's trying to put as much space between him and us as possible." "He already knows the punishment we can hand out." "Besides, he won't attack us at night." "It puts him on the same footing as us." "He can't see us in the dark either." "No, the advantage of being invisible comes with daylight." "Just the same, I don't plan to close my eyes all night." "She had a rough day." "You should get some sleep yourself." " And what about you ?" " Nah..." "I want to be awake for every moment of life I have left to me." "You know, you don't realize the... kinds of things the living take for granted, until you don't have them anymore." "Like the evening air." "It just settles on you like a cool blanket." "And the sky." "There's nothing like it on the other side." "You know what I missed most ?" "Ah... would that be me ?" "Yes, that would be you." "There's something I wanted to say to you." "What ?" "My death was not your fault." "Things had to play out the way they did." "Sometimes, I think if I had just said things a little differently, then maybe you'd have come around before it was too late." "No." "Xena, it was a miracle you got to me at all." "See, I was convinced I could never change." "But your words finally found their way to my heart." "You did everything right..." "Don't be so hard on yourself." "And, don't give up on love." "You heard those thoughts, too ?" "Yes." "It's just that I found out how much you meant to me one moment, and you were gone the next." "It hurt too much, I guess." "I started wondering if it was ever worth it to care that much." "Oh, but it is." "One thing that I've learned, is that love is the strongest power in the universe." "It's stronger than evil..." "it's even stronger than death." "My feelings for you were the only thing that kept me going down there in Tartarus." "It was like I was carrying my own Elysian fields around inside of me." "There's somethng I've been wanting to say to you, too." "What ?" "I love you." "Help us, please !" " What happened here ?" " I don't know." "We were on our way to the festival, when, something attacked us." "It came from nowhere..." "some invisible power." "You're going to be all right." "Where did you say you were headed ?" " The festival near Pylos." " What kind of a festival ?" "A wedding." "Now we know where Atyminius was headed." "When was the marriage to take place ?" "Tomorrow." "Tonight's the ceremonial bathing." "We've gotta hurry." "The bride's in great danger." "Are you all right ?" "I hate jugglers." "Be glad you're not a mime." " Where's the bride's father ?" " Over there." "He's in the house." "He's acting like he's seen a ghost." " Look, there." " Are you all right ?" "I think so." " Are you the father of the bride ?" " Yes." "I need to talk to you." "I thought Atyminius was killed years ago." "I heard that too, but believe me, he's here in Pylos now." "For your daughter's sake, please, let us help you." "All right." "I'll cooperate." "What do you need ?" "Atyminius frequently struck at the ceremonial bathing of the bride." "I want you to let me take her place in the ceremony." "The traditional veil will keep my identity concealed until the last moment." "And hopefully he'll strike by then." "And when he does, Xena and I will handle it." "And my daughter ?" "She should stay here in her quarters." "No one will suspect that the bride is home in bed on the night of her bathing." "What are you saying ?" "Dear, I have some terrible news for you." "It's better if you can just get some rest." "I knew that you'd hear every word." "How long I've waited... to send you to Hades forever !" "Enjoy Paradise a while longer, Atyminius." "Stay here." "Marcus and I have something we've got to do." "What's the matter ?" "This helmet kept Atyminius mortal." "He could still appear in the flesh, but wearing it from time to time kept him alive." "What's your point ?" "If it worked for him, it could work for me." "Marcus, do you know what you're saying ?" "Yeah." "We could live out our lives together." "Without the helmet of invisibility, the wicked have no power over Hades." "He could put things back the way they were." " What about it, Xena ?" " Is that what you want ?" "It's what I want, but that's the problem, isn't it ?" "What do you mean ?" "You taught me that life..." "and death... are not about what I want." "It's about what's right." "What if Hades can't do it without the helmet ?" "It's too big a chance to take." "I guess I was too good a teacher." "You were the perfect teacher." "I can't stand the thought of you spending eternity in Tartarus." " You are a good, good soul." " That's the way it has to be." " Are you dead this time ?" " No... neither is he." "Wait a second..." "I know this guy..." "he's been dead a while." " Well, he's not dead anymore." " I don't believe this..." "There are no rules anymore." "All right, that is it." "I'm drawing the line right here... somebody has to." "So, I'm not taking either of you across unless you give me a gold coin." "Now there'll be no exceptions, no bargains, no compromises, and absolutely no deals." "Welcome aboard." "Hope you have a great time." "Come on." "Please, make yourselves comfortable." "And, keep your hands inside the boat." "Now, looking to the left, you will see the caves of despair." "And, just coming up ahead on the right, you will see the hanging gardens of disgusting diseases." "I've got a bad feeling about this." "Xena !" "Hurry !" "I'm slipping !" " Did you find the helmet ?" " Yes." " Well, where is it ?" " I hid it." "Why ?" "If you want to get it back, you'll have to put Marcus among the good." "If I don't tell you what I did with it, you may never get it back." "I can't do that... it's impossible." "Don't give me that... you're a god." "Every man and woman can be judged only once when they die." " Not even I can change that." " When they die ?" "All I'm asking is that you give Marcus a hearing when he dies." "You gave him his life back for 48 hours, remember ?" "He'll die again soon." "He deserves another judgment." "Well, have fun looking for that helmet." "No, wait." "All right, I give you my word." "I will judge him again." "But, keep in mind that all his past bad deeds" " will still weigh heavily against him." " I want to speak on his behalf." "That won't be necessary, I know everything that Marcus has done." "I don't just wanna talk about what he's done." "I wanna talk about what's in his heart." "All right, you can talk for him." "Now, where's the helmet ?" "Your time is up, Marcus." "Let's get it over with." "He could have kept that helmet and lived out his life." "You know that..." "You see everything." "He was tempted, but in the end, he did the right thing." "Look into his heart." "He told me once, that in Tartarus, he learned to carry the Elysian fields inside him." "Let him bring that love to Paradise where it belongs..." "Please." "You must go now, Xena." "Marcus is in the Elysian fields forever." "Now, say goodbye." "Keep thinking of me." "He's in the Elysian fields." "You'll be together again one day." "We'll never be apart." "He's in here, forever." "No Winged Harpies were harmed or sent to a fiery grave during the production of this motion picture."