When Gabrielle arrives and calls out Xena's name, the mysterious stranger stuns them both by announcing that he's Xena's father Atrius (Tom Atkins), a claim the warrior princess rejects immediately. She tells Gabrielle that her father abandoned her family when she was very young, and even if by some remote chance Atrius is telling the truth, she wants nothing more to do with him. But when Xena and Gabrielle move into the camp to rescue the enslaved women, Atrius follows and intervenes at a critical moment to ensure their success. Later, while escorting the women back to their home village of Lotia, Xena returns the favor.
