A Necessary Evil

Gabrielle, Ephiny, The Amazons and a revived Xena discover that Velasca survived her presumed death and has eaten Ambrosia, making her a Goddess. Fuelled by vengeance and anger, she attempts to kill Gabrielle, forcing Xena to team up with her sworn enemy.

Summary
As Xena and Gabrielle prepare to leave the Amazon village, Gabrielle hands over her Mask of the Queen to Ephiny in front of the cheering community. But the joyous occasion is soon interrupted by Velasca, who staggers into their midst, dragging one leg, her body caked in dried blood. All are amazed at her return, having presumed she was killed when impaled on spikes during the battle at Ambrosia Hall. Furious with Gabrielle for "stealing" her queenhood, she proudly holds up a small amount of Ambrosia which, after the fight in the Hall, fell to the floor unnoticed.

Velasca quickly takes a bite of the magical food and is instantly transformed into a newborn goddess. Her eyes go white and her wounds are miraculously healed. Velasca sends a lightning bolt from her fingers towards Gabrielle, who is knocked to safety by Xena before she is hit. The Amazons' ensuing attack proves to be futile.

Velasca summons forth a continuing spate of lightning bolts which strike the Amazons' swords, flinging them from their hands. Realizing she's the main target, Gabrielle agrees to take off into the woods, where she is soon reunited with Xena and Ephiny, who has ordered the Amazons to retreat. The Amazon refugees flee to a cave to regroup and tend to their wounded. Knowing she needs an immortal to fight an immortal, Xena devises a plan to pit Callisto against Velasca; Gabrielle suggests finding Hercules instead, but Xena states that they don't have time to find him. Ephiny and her Amazons set up a diversion to try to buy some time for Xena and Gabrielle, but Velasca quickly sends them running once more.

In the meantime, Xena and Gabrielle find their way to the entrance of the Labyrinth of the Gods, where the enraged Callisto, scarred by fire, was entombed by Hercules. Dodging an immediate attack, Xena offers Callisto the chance obtain Ambrosia in exchange for her help, and she agrees.

As the two emerge from the underground Labyrinth, Gabrielle is forced to confront the hated Callisto, who murdered her beloved husband. Before Callisto will cooperate further with Xena, she forces the warrior princess to make a public confession about having destroyed Callisto's village of Cirra years before.

On a rampage, Velasca destroys the Temple of Artemis, the goddess of the Amazons, as Xena leads Gabrielle and Callisto into a box canyon where she plans to have the two immortals battle each other. When Velasca enters the canyon, fully aware of the presence of the three hidden women, Callisto does a flip out into the open, flinging Xena's chakram into the rocks. Xena realizes she's being double-crossed as Callisto shouts to Velasca that they share a common bond -- their hatred of Xena and Gabrielle.

Determined to squelch a potential alliance between the two, Xena vaults into the open, screaming to Callisto to begin the attack. As Callisto protests, Velasca begins hurling lightning bolts towards Xena and Gabrielle. Knowing that Velasca is just learning to use her powers and still has periods of weakness, the two race around trying to drain her energies.

When Callisto shoves Velasca to try to get her attention, Velasca sends her flying backwards through the air with a huge lightning bolt. Temporarily drained of her powers, Velasca is then attacked by Xena, who pushes her back towards a steep rock ledge with her sword. By the time Velasca's powers return, Callisto has her in a deadly chokehold. Infuriated by Velasca's attempt to kill her, Callisto now joins forces with Xena against the Amazon. They drive her under the ledge and using Xena's chakram, cause an avalanche of rocks, which buries her. Realizing they'll have some time before she works herself free, Xena locates another canyon containing some old ruins and a lava pit, where she hopes to bring about Velasca's permanent demise.

At the campfire that night, Gabrielle and Callisto sit together, Callisto is polishing her sword. Gabrielle tries to ask Callisto questions, trying to fiture her out. Callisto asks Gabrielle to play a game of truth or dare. Callisto responds to Gabrielle question and tells her she never feels anything no pain or love. Callisto asks Gabrielle a painful question about killing her husband, and Gabrielle walks away, just as Xena arrives to talk to Callisto about there plan the following day to defeat Velasca.

When Velasca finally breaks free, she turns herself into a whirling dust devil, racing along the ground in hot pursuit of her enemies. She quickly reaches the ruins, but Xena manages to save Gabrielle from being sucked into the whirlwind.

When Velasca begins hurling huge fireballs, the three women flee to the chasm near the lava pit. Before Velasca can kill Gabrielle, Callisto attacks her, demanding the Ambrosia. In the ensuing fight, Velasca drops the Ambrosia, which Gabrielle grabs and throws to Callisto. Callisto takes a bite and is instantly transformed.

As the two immortals engage in a fierce battle on the rope bridge suspended over the lava pit, Xena slices through the ropes of the bridge with her chakram, sending them tumbling into the lava pit, hopefully for a very long time. Gabrielle asks Xena if deep down Callisto feels sorry for the things shes done, to which Xena replies with a flat no. Gabrielle tells her she has to, or she cant forgive her, Xena accepts it and the two take the long way out since the bridge is broken.

Disclaimer

 * "The reputation of the Amazon Nation was not harmed despite Velasca's overly radical adherence to an otherwise valid belief system."

Background Information

 * Original U.S Ratings (first airing): 7.8
 * This is the highest rated episode of the series.
 * Xena was injured early on as a precaution, as Lucy Lawless was still recovering from the pelvis injury she suffered from during a Tonight Show appearance.
 * Callisto was resurrected, gained immortality, acquired the scar on her face and was trapped by Hercules in the Labyrinths of the Gods during "Surprise", which premiered a couple of weeks earlier. At some point since that episode, Hercules notified Xena about what happened and where Callisto was imprisoned, which most likely happened shortly after Surprise but before the events of Destiny and Xena's death and return.


 * The establishing shot of the Labyrints of the Gods was taken from "Surprise".


 * Callisto had a sword when Xena frees her, but when she was last seen in Surprise, she only had a knife.


 * Callisto eventually escapes the lava in "Maternal Instincts". Velasca, however, is never seen again. Much later in "You Are There", Charon lists her as among those Xena sent to the Underworld (though how that happened is never revealed).


 * Gabrielle wonders why they don't just go find Hercules instead of freeing Callisto, but Xena replies they don't have time. Ironically, "When a Man Loves a Woman" premiered the same night and showed Hercules losing his super-strength, so he wouldn't have been any use against Velasca.

Memorable Quotations
"This is Callisto we're talking about! We can't free her! There's gotta be another way, Xena."

"Callisto is an immortal. She's not a god, but she's as close as we're gonna get on short notice."

"What about Hercules, huh?"

"We don't have time to find him. Velasca's just learning her powers. Every time she uses them, it weakens her, but the lagtime's gonna get shorter. Look, Gabrielle, I know how much this hurts you."

"No, you don't! Every time I close my eyes, I hear her voice! I hear Perdicus scream. Now, I have to live with that till the day I die."
 * –Gabrielle and Xena

"No, no, no. No, no. Relax, my furry little friend. No, you're not dinner. That's the boring part about immortality. You're never hungry. No, you're definitely not food. You're my little Hercules. Hercules trapped me in this little resort, and I owe him a lot. And I'm planning on paying him back for his kindness soon. Soon. So, run away like a good little Hercules. Run away. Run away. Very soon."
 * –Callisto 

(To Gabrielle) "When I sliced open your husband, how long did it take him to die?"
 * -Callisto

"Does an Amazon Queen beat a Warrior Princess?" "Do you really want to find out?"
 * -Gabrielle and Xena

Guest Stars

 * Melinda Clarke as Velasca
 * Hudson Leick as Callisto

Other Cast

 * Danielle Cormack as Ephiny
 * Jodie Dorday as Solari
 * Mark Webley as Guard #1