The heroes are hired to escort a caravan to the city of Helios to deliver the bride price for the wedding of Philemon. To reach Helios, they will have to cross the desert.As the heroes begin to move the treasure, they meet Pythagoras’ brother Arcas, who offers to join them on their mission. Arcas and Hercules spend the night gambling, but Jason notices that Pythagoras doesn’t seem pleased at being reunited with his brother.
The next morning, Pythagoras visits the Oracle. He asks if they will cross the desert safely. The Oracle tells him a lot of vague portents of doom, and that he can’t avoid the time of reckoning that is upon him. The Oracle asks Pythagoras if he wants to talk about the dark burden on his soul, but Pythagoras tearfully refuses, saying it is his to live with and his to die with.
The heroes join the caravan and meet Philemon, the bridegroom, Nilas, the caravan leader, and Baucis, a young woman traveling with the caravan. Arcas gets into a fight with Otus, the porter, who is branded with the mark of a murderer. Nilas, the caravan leader, stops the fight and tells everyone that in the desert they will all have to work together to survive. When Jason asks Pythagoras why Arcas lashed out like that, Pythagoras explains that their father was killed when Arcas was very young.
As the caravan stops to eat lunch, there is more unrest. Philemon questions why Baucis is here, thinking that having one woman in the caravan will bring bad luck, but Nilas has the final say of who is allowed to travel with the caravan.
At night in the desert, the caravan is attacked by bandits. Baucis saves Philemon from being killed by a bandit. Nilas leads the group into a cave that is sacred to the Furies. The bandits are too afraid of this place to pursue the caravan. As they shelter in the cave, Jason asks who the Furies are, and is told that they are avenging spirits born of the blood of those who have been murdered. The Furies can be invoked by a person who has been wronged, and when summoned they will pursue a murderer to the ends of the earth.While the rest of the caravan rests, Arcas invokes the Furies, begging them to wreak revenge on the murderer of his father.
The caravan continues to travel across the desert. As the group stops at an oasis, Baucis steals the treasure chest and rides off. Fortunately, Jason reveals that he had already hidden the treasure in the saddlebags to prevent it from being stolen. Hercules is so relieved he offers to kiss Jason.
The journey across the desert gets more and more ominous as dust clouds swirl into strange shapes. Baucis returns bruised and on foot, saying she was attacked by robbers. Nilas refuses to let her rejoin the caravan, but Philemon offers to let her ride with him. When Jason supports this idea, Nilas reluctantly allows Baucis to come along.
While resting in a cave, the group is attacked by the Furies, which manifest as a wailing whirlwind of dust. Pythagoras is nearly sucked away by the whirlwind, but Hercules and Jason pull him to safety. Nilas realizes that someone must have summoned the Furies. Arcas admits that he did it and he once again lashes out at Otus. Pythagoras tells Arcas to stop, and he reveals that he accidentally killed their father when their father was beating their mother. The Furies attack again and Nilas is sucked away by the vortex. Jason begs Arcas to stop the Furies by forgiving Pythagoras, but Arcas refuses and leaves. Pythagoras resolves to let the Furies take him, but Hercules and Jason stay with him, not willing to let him die. Hercules is nearly sucked away by the Furies and injures his back.Baucis and Philemon plead with Arcas to go back and forgive Pythagoras, but Arcas still refuses to do so.Pythagoras tries to sacrifice himself to the Furies, but when Hercules starts walking into the path of the vortex, Pythagoras forgets this plan and helps Jason carry Hercules back into the cave. Hercules tells Jason he had deliberately put himself in danger knowing that Pythagoras would prioritize saving his friend over sacrificing himself. Pythagoras nearly gets sucked away by the Furies, but Arcas returns just in time and forgives Pythagoras, which causes the Furies to disappear.
The caravan finally reaches Helios. Arcas decides to stay here. Philemon decides that he doesn’t want to go through with the arranged marriage after all, but to travel with Baucis to Cyrene. Unfortunately, this means that the heroes have to return the bride price to Atlantis, with no reward to for all their trouble.
Tropes
- Accidental Murder: Pythagoras accidentally killed his father by pushing him back when his father was beating his mother.
- Aesop Collateral Damage: Poor Nilas ends up being killed by the Furies despite not having murdered anyone.
- Easily Forgiven: Played straight and subverted. Philemon easily forgives Baucis for trying to steal from the group, but it’s justified by the fact that she saved his life earlier. Arcas has a harder time forgiving Pythagoras.
- Forgiveness: The overall theme of the episode. Forgiveness is the only thing that can stop the Furies, and it ultimately saves the lives of Baucis and Pythagoras.
- I Owe You My Life: Baucis saves Philemon from a bandit. He returns the favor by letting her ride with him instead of leaving her to die in the desert.
- I Was Having Such a Nice Dream: Hercules says this when Jason wakes him to leave Atlantis.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Because Philemon doesn’t get married, the heroes are unable to complete their mission, and although Arcas forgives Pythagoras for killing their father, Arcas decides to stay in Helios, meaning he isn’t likely to see Pythagoras again.
- Single Tear: Pythagoras when the Oracle asks him about the burden on his soul.
- Sympathetic Murderer: Otus was a slave who killed his cruel master in revenge for cutting out his tongue.
- Took a Level in Badass: A minor example, but Hercules notices that Jason has gotten a lot better with a sword. Jason notes that he’s been practicing.
- You Can't Fight Fate: This is the only clear thing the Oracle tells Pythagoras amongst her vague prophecies.
