A year has passed since the last season, and King Minos has died. Ariadne is now queen of Atlantis. Pasiphae has been banished from Atlantis, but now that Minos is dead, Pasiphae has mustered an army from Colchis to attack the city of Thera.
Jason, Hercules, and Pythagoras travel to Thera and manage to rescue Lord Sarpedon from Pasiphae’s soldiers. They bring Sarpedon back to Atlantis, where Ariadne notes that she will need his council in the troubled times to come.
Pasiphae notes that Atlantis will fall if she can acquire the magical statue that protects it: the Palladium.In his chambers, Sarpedon opens the trunk he took from Thera, revealing a mysterious woman inside: Medea. Medea sneaks out and uses magic to break into a treasure vault beneath Atlantis, where she takes a small figurine of a goddess: The Palladium. When the Palladium is moved, an earthquake begins. Medea escapes on the back of a flying monster.
Ariadne summons Jason, Hercules, and Pythagoras and informs them that the Palladium has been stolen. She needs them to retrieve it quickly, but discretion is important: if the Atlantean army finds out that the Palladium is gone, their morale will be shattered, and they will desert when Pasiphae’s army arrives.
Sarpedon asks Ariadne about her feelings for Jason, but she says that her duty to Atlantis comes first. Guessing that the thief of the palladium must have had an accomplice, she orders that everyone in the palace be questioned.
Jason goes to consult with the Oracle. The Oracle tells Jason that he must see through her eyes, and she gives him a drink of Kykeon to clear his mind. Jason sees images of the future including Atlantis in flames, him battling soldiers, Pasiphae smiling victoriously as he kneels before her, a storm-tossed ship named the Argo, and Ariadne with blood on her hands.The Oracle tells Jason that only he can stop this future from coming to pass.
Medea presents the Palladium to Pasiphae but is distraught.
- Medea: When I removed it from the plinth, the earth shook. I have never seen such power.Pasiphae: You are a princess of Colchis. You should not fear anything. (The Palladium glows) It senses our power. There is nothing that can stop us taking Atlantis now.
While the heroes ride forth to recover the Palladium, Hercules berates Jason for dragging them on such an impossible quest, blaming it on his love for Ariadne. Jason retorts that this is about more than just Ariadne.
- Jason: Ever since I came to Atlantis I’ve been told I have a destiny, a purpose. For the first time I think I understand it.
Ariadne is informed that the thief’s accomplice has been found. In the dungeons she is shown a battered man who was found with blood on his clothing. When he refuses to speak, Ariadne says he must be made to talk.
The heroes are attacked by a group of Colchians and kill all but one of the soldiers. The last soldier begs for his life, and Jason can’t bring himself to kill an unarmed man. Pythagoras argues that they can’t let him carry news to the Colchians of their approach but finds he can’t kill in cold blood either. They end up letting the soldier live, and he promises he won’t fight for the Colchians again.
In the dungeon, Sarpedon thanks the prisoner for his loyalty, and then poisons him so the Atlanteans can’t get any information from him.
While Jason sleeps, Pythagoras and Hercules discuss what Jason said about destiny, and wonder what their role in his story is, and how they have been changed by his presence.
- Hercules: I’ve spent my life in taverns claiming to be a hero. I know the real thing when I see it. That’s why I follow him on these ridiculous missions, in the hope I’ll become the man I pretend to be.
Ariadne is informed by Dion of the prisoner’s death, and that the prisoner told the guards that the Palladium was no longer within the city. It is only a matter of time before word spreads and morale breaks down.Under the cover of night, the heroes infiltrate the Colchian camp and steal back the palladium, escaping by shooting themselves out of a catapult.The next day, the heroes are attacked by Colchians, and Jason is hit by an arrow shot by the same soldier whose life they had spared the other day. Hercules and Pythagoras carry Jason across a rope bridge spanning a gorge to a cave where they can take shelter. Pasiphae uses magic to cause a rockslide, trapping the heroes in the cave. Then she orders her army to march on Atlantis.
As the Colchian army approaches, Ariadne is urged to surrender by Sarpedon, who notes that the soldiers are deserting in droves, but she refuses to give up hope.
After patching up Jason’s wound, Pythagoras and Hercules desperately look for a way out of the cave, unaware that they have stumbled into the lair of a cyclops…
Tropes
- Annoying Arrows: Averted. Jason is shot by an arrow, and it is treated as a serious injury. He is unable to fight or even walk and would clearly die without medical attention.
- Becoming the Boast: Hercules discusses the possibility of this, hoping that by helping Jason, Hercules can become the hero he has always claimed to be.
- Breaking the Bonds: A variant: Hercules breaks the chains holding the chest that contains the Palladium.
- Catapult to Glory: The heroes do this to escape from the Colchians.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Downplayed. The Colchians fail to shoot the heroes during their first skirmish, but it's justified by the heroes diving for cover and Jason blocking shots with his shield. When the Colchians catch them by surprise later, they succeed at shooting Jason.
- Mercy Kill: Sarpedon poisons his accomplice so he can’t be tortured by the Atlanteans.
- The Mole: Sarpedon, as it turns out.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Jason spares the life of an enemy soldier who ends up shooting him.
- On Three: Discussed by Pythagoras when the group is pinned down by Colchian archers.Jason: On the count of three: One, two…Pythagoras: Why is it always three? It’s very interesting. Why not four, or five, or…
- Pythagoras: Sorry.
- Out of the Frying Pan: The heroes escape the Colchians only to end up in the cave of a cyclops.
- Sand In My Eyes: Hercules uses this excuse when Pythagoras notices him tearing up in response to Pythagoras' declaration of love for Hercules and Jason.
