The episode begins with Xena, Gabby and Eve riding into Amphipolis to see Cyrene. Eve is very excited to meet her grandmother. They enter a very dark and stormy Amphipolis. It reminded us of the scenes from A family Affair with the lightening, the darkness and the wind that episode displayed. They enter the house to find Cyrene but everything is ramshackle and cobwebs are everywhere. Xena hears some voices upstairs and decides to check them out as Gabby checks the back of the house while Eve stays in the main part. 
 
Xena sees Cyrene being pushed around the hallways by two men. She runs towards them as they disappear down a different hallway. Yes, Cyrene's tavern had grown quite largely over the 25-year span. As she turns down the same hallway they are gone. Eve hears the voices and sees Cyrene come down the hall with the same guys pushing her. Cyrene runs right into Eve and disappears through her. Eve feels her pain and suffering and is very upset about it. Xena comes down to meet Eve and Gabby and Eve tells her she saw Cyrene. Xena mentions that Eve has never seen her and she tells her she felt it was her when she passed through her and that she was suffering a great deal.

Xena doesn't like what's going on and tells the girls she's heading to the Mausoleum to check some things out. She enters to find the crypts in disarray and is very upset about it. She finds Cyrene's crypt open with candles, junk and bones on it. The bones are charred black and as we see Xena at the crypt a person is watching her in the wings. She tearfully swears to her mother that she will find her and that she'll make everything right by her. We see Xena disappear from the person waiting in the wings.

Eve and Gabby are talking about Cyrene in the house as they are waiting for Xena's return. Gabrielle is munching on an apple and Eve looks at the other fruit, which has maggots on them. From this point on there are spew alerts folks! Gabrielle sees it and gets ill. She runs out of the room to throw up...can't say I blame her. Eve exits the house and throws the bad fruit on the ground as millions of maggots appear. She's appalled as is Gabby who is wiping her face off with water and sees a maggot impeded in her hand. Trust me...it's pretty gross at this point and turns into a horror flick. Don't eat at this point! She tries to pull the maggot off her hand and they multiply. Well, she's freaking...just like anyone would at this point and then all the flesh peels off her hands and she is looking at bloody bones for hands. She's freaked for sure! 

Xena grabs a villager that has been watching her. The one that was watching her from a distance.  He explains that he comes in there to get away from the bad weather. Xena asks about Cyrene and he tells Xena that her mother waited and hoped for her return. She asks about the charred bones of her mother's and he explains that Mephistopheles (the king of hell) cast evil spirits on her tavern many years ago and the villagers believed Cyrene was a witch. He explained that the house was cursed and Cyrene fought off the evil spirits as much as she could, but they drove her mad. He explains that he tried to dissuade the villagers and convince them that she was a good woman, but they didn't believe him and burned Cyrene at the stake. 

Meanwhile, Eve is looking at the maggots and kneels down praying to Eli and the powers of the heaven to caste away the evil, which works and all the maggots disappear. Gabby's hands turn back to normal and after she catches her breath from her ordeal she heads out of the room. Eve re-enters the house as Xena is on her way back. Gabby hears voices in one room and tries to figure out where they are coming from which are coming from the floor that has an impression of a face with horns of the king of hell. It reminded me a lot of the mask from 'Scream.' She leans down to hear the voices and is grabbed through the floor by some demons and pulled through the floor into some water. The demons were green and looked a lot like Bacchaus. They were trying to drown Gabby and keep saying something to her. Xena entered the house knowing something was up with Gabby...she could sense it. She found the room she was in and figured out where Gabrielle was by the voices. She reached through the floor and pulled Gabby up to safety. Gabby is yelling she's burning from the fluid on her and they rush her into bath her. The gory part is over now...you can eat again! 

The good part is upon us folks! :)  Gabby is naked and showering off as Xena and Eve are helping her. Xena explains what happened to Cyrene and Gabrielle tells her the demons mentioned that they seek the blood of the messenger and she says that it's Eve's battle. Of course, Xena isn't about to allow Eve to fight it by herself. She turns and sees a vision of herself younger beside her dead brother Lyceus' body as Cyrene enters the room. Cyrene slaps Xena and blames her for her brother's death and the young Xena turns and looks at Xena as the vision ends. Xena and Eve leave the room and are separate from one another as Gabby is finishing her shower. Eve sees blood come up from the cracks in the floor and kneels down again...praying to Eli and the powers ofheaven. Gabby's lovely shower is messed up again as blood starts coming out all over her and she looks like it's very painful for her and collapses off the screen as it cuts back to Eve. It seems that when Eve prays to Eli and the powers above the evil stops. 

Xena is looking for Gabrielle and heads back into the room, but she can't find her. We see Gabrielle's bloody hand and the camera pans up to her face with her hair all spiked out and she looks up with yellow demon eyes and one wickedly delicious smile on her face when she hears Xena calling for her. We see Xena entering farther into the room and she looks up to find a naked Gabrielle hanging from the rafters of the house. She flies down and attacks Xena who rolls on top ofthe very naked Gabby, grabbing something clothing in the process and rolls back over the opposite way, fully clothing Gabby in her crucifixion outfit from the "ides of march!" She has many skills folks! As she is rolling onto Gabby, she's able to clothe her with two separate ensembles of a top and a bottom. Now, how many honestly admit they could do the same? :)  

Gabby is one wicked, twisted, sexy sister as a demon! Eve comes in as Xena is holding the sexy demon Gabrielle down. Mephistopheles tells Xena (through Gabrielle) that he needs the blood of her daughter to come to earth and reign there possesses her. ROC did an awesome job as the demon and her facial expressions were incredible. As she's relaying the message, she sticks her tongue out and licks Xena's hand in a slow, sensual way with one hell of a sexy devilish look on her face. Eve explains that she can caste away the evil and grabs Gabby, doing the same praying she did before. It doesn't quite work and Xena is shown a vision of her mother's death. He told her Cyrene cried out her name even in the end and we see Cyrene being burned at the stake ala Joan of Arc style. He explains through Gabrielle that Cyrene has to spend eternity reliving all the agony that Xena put her through unless she spills her daughter's blood and brings him into the world. Xena isn't about to have that and tells him no. She tells Eve to try again and she successfully drives him out of Gabrielle.

Eve tells Xena that he's afraid of her and Xena has to find a way to release Cyrene's soul. After a touching reunion hug, Eve leaves the room and goes outside. Gabby changes into a pretty cool outfit and they both try to leave the house but the doors lock by themselves and they can't get out. Their hands touch and as they do, their arms become one. The look like they have arms made of silly putty and struggle to break free unsuccessfully. As this is a happening, a table, chairs and chandeliers (I think it was the one discord got knocked in the head with from season four) fall around them. Then their legs touch and merge together. They try to leave and chains wrap around Gabrielle's leg and neck trapping them there. Xena pulls out her sword and cuts the chains off. They both do a great impression of a three-legged race without the potato sack and exit the house. Xena shouts for Eve who runs to them and prays to Eli and the heavens (she had to do a lot of this and it's the first episode we really find out what Eve's purpose is about), releasing their joining. 

Eve becomes very weak and they hear the king of hell's voice telling Xena that she's dying and this is a battle that she won't win, leaving her soul to him in the end. He wants her blood to enter the world. Xena tells Gabrielle that she's going to put the 'pinch' on herself to enter the spirit realm and that she wants her to put the 'pinch' on her to bring her back from there. Gabrielle is very nervous and tells her she doesn't think she can do it. Xena tells her that she believes in her that she'll bring her back. Gabby retorts with "I can't believe you are teaching me this now!" Xena does the ''pinch' on herself and goes to the spiritual realm to meet Mephistopheles (okay...it took us forever to figure out how to spell this cat's name so, I'm giving him a nickname...KOH...king of hell...and I'm sick of spelling it!). She sees Cyrene talking through hell wailing holding a blood axe. She's crying and saying she killed her husband because she had no choice. Xena tries to talk to her, but she doesn't acknowledge she's there and disappears. Xena promises to find a way to save her soul. KOH appears and is very condescending and they fight. Xena kicks him and he flies backwards in slow motion. The special effects are awesome! Excellent scene! (They reminded me a lot of the slow motion scenes from 'The Matrix'...very cool)

KOH tells Xena that she can't hurt him in the spirit world and she promises to kill him if he ever enters her world. He informs her that whoever kills him takes his place to reign as the king of hell. 

Eve goes to get water for Xena as they are worried about her being out for so long and sees all the dead people she killed as Livia. She is freaking out over it and is very upset as Livia appears. KOH is doing all of this to try and have her shed her own blood to allow him to come to earth. Gabrielle desperately tries to bring Xena back with the 'pinch' with no luck as Eve is dealing with her evil self. Livia tells Eve they are the same and they have the same lust for power. She is trying to entice Eve to shed her blood to release the dead people's suffering. Eve tells her no and jumps inside of Livia to end the taunting and all of the dead people disappear. She's crying and looks at her sword, dropping it in disgust and guilt from the blood that's on it.  Gabrielle attempts the 'pinch' five times unsuccessfully and puts her fingers to her lips. She kisses them and puts the 'pinch' on Xena again...finally releasing it and saving Xena. She helps Xena up, happy that she's back to life.

They meet up with Eve and Xena tells them they are going to give KOH what he wants.... Eve's bloodshed. Gabrielle tries to stop Xena reminding her that she will be releasing hell on earth and does she realize the consequences of that happening. She also tells her that she can't fight and beat all the demons and Xena says she doesn't have to ...she only has to defeat one. Gabby is still very weary and Xena tells her that her mother's soul is trapped in hell, her daughter is half dead and hell has opened up in her backyard. She also informs them that if she kills him she'll inherit his throne as KOH! Gabrielle isn't too happy with that and Xena says "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Gabrielle reminds her that this isn't her destiny that it's Eve's and Xena says that in her family they make their own destinies. Xena tells Eve the choice is hers Eve says that she will fulfill her destiny by delivering him to the hands of the only person who can defeat him...Xena. She asks Gabrielle if she will help her and she agrees to do so. Xena steps ahead of them and pulls out her sword with her famous, steely gaze...leading the way towards the opening to hell. Gabrielle has her hands on Eve steadying her as Eve carries a dagger to the opening in the earth that is bubbling up with different colors in the ground. Xena stands on the opposite side of them as Eve commands that the KOH shows himself and draws her own blood, dropping it through the crack in the earth. 

Xena tells them both to get back and yells for KOH to show himself, which he does. He comes to life and is quite happy that he is now made of flesh. Xena and KOH begin to fight and he asks if taking his place is suddenly not appealing to her and she tells him he's lying about that and he asks her if she wants to take a chance on that. He tells her it's her chance to get her revenge on him which she tells him no and he tells her that's exactly what he was counting on. Xena delivers the best line with conviction....'SO BE IT!" and she kills him.

Gabrielle rushes to Xena and asks if she's okay as Xena feels the transfer of the ruler of hell. She is now the King Of Hell...the difference is...she's still her usual gorgeous self! Xena and Gabrielle turn around to see Eve talking with Cyrene who is much happier now. Cyrene tells Xena she loves her granddaughter and Xena tells her she was very excited to meet her as well. Cyrene smiles and greets Gabrielle, as does Gabrielle to Cyrene. Cyrene told Xena she never gave up hope of seeing her again. Xena tells Cyrene 'I've finally found you and now you're gone." Cyrene responds, "I will never really be gone as long as you keep me alive in your heart," and disappears as Xena moves towards her.

We see the trio walking away from the house and there is smoke coming from a hole in the ground and Gabrielle mentions the legend and Eve asks her what she's talking about. She asks Xena, "you killed the KOH, now what happens?" Xena answers that she doesn't know but that she has a feeling it's not over yet as the episode ends.

I must say that the director Garth Maxwell did an excellent job with this episode. A very good episode and the subtext is evident by the endearing looks and touching done by Xena and Gabrielle... not to mention, the deliciously sexy interaction of the demon Gabrielle with Xena. The lick she gave was incredible, not to mention her facial expressions and body movements. You are all in for quite a treat!