"In the Age of Gods there was good and evil, light and darkness. Only Zeus, King of the Gods, held the power of Mount Olympus in his hands. From his might came two sons. The first son, Ares, toyed with mankind for sport and pleasure. The second chose honor for his place among mortals. His path was filled with danger. Only his courage would show him the way. Before the man became the legend, before the legend became the myth, came the greatest adventure of all..."

Hercules steals a chalice from Ares' cave. Back in town, street thief Iolaus tries to grab it and accidentally releases a whirlwind that threatens to sweep them away until Hercules manages to close the cup.

Hercules reluctantly agrees with his mother to attend Cheiron's Academy. When he arrives he insults Cheiron, deceives Jason, and sabotages Iolaus's training. When he tries to stop Iolaus's escape from school, their fight is interrupted by the arrival of beautiful new cadet Yvenna.

Jason receives word that his father King Aeson is mortally ill. He gratefully accepts both Hercules' and Iolaus' competing offers to go home with him. On the way to Corinth, Hercules admits that Alcmene's late husband Amphitryon is not his father.

Meanwhile, back in Corinth, Ares, God of War, in disguise as Aeson's long-lost brother Peleus, is plotting with his sister Discord to destroy Hercules despite Zeus's order forbidding the other gods from harming his son. As they near Corinth, the boys fight off a chariot attack on a beach and learn about Peleus's return. They find the city desolate, houses burned, people crucified. Iolaus devises a way to sneak into the palace, distracting the guards by pretending to be drunk.

Jason confronts Peleus, who taunts him that only the Golden Fleece can save Aeson. Hercules proposes that they get the Fleece, knowing its healing power. He admits that Zeus is his father. The boys recruit other cadets to join their quest, and Yvenna volunteers her uncle's ship the Argo.

On shipboard, Yvenna explains that she joined the Academy to become a warrior to free her village from a warlord. Later she admits to Hercules that she had run away and hidden during the attack.

A Siren lures the ship to a remote island. Discord in disguise, she seduces the Argonauts with food and wine. Hercules resists and ties up the others up to prevent them killing each other. In the morning, they discover that the cadets left on shipboard are dead and Iolaus blames Hercules for bringing the wrath of the gods upon the Argo. Hercules prays for Zeus's protection and begs for at least his acknowledgement.

The Argonauts find the Golden Fleece protected by a giant. Yvenna is wounded in the fight, and even the Fleece can not save her. Iolaus and Hercules reconcile over her funeral pyre.

Meanwhile, back in Corinth, Ares and Discord prepare for the Argonauts' return. Jason revives his father with the Fleece, but Ares immediately breaks the King's neck and stabs Jason. Ares reveals himself to Hercules, and they fight over a fiery pit. Iolaus helps the blinded Hercules, and Ares is finally crushed by a giant stone portrait head of himself.

The cadets use the Fleece to revive Jason, who decides to stay in Corinth to be its king. Hercules and Iolaus leave together to look for adventure.

CAST

Ian Bohen : Young Hercules
Dean O'Gorman : Young Iolaus
Chris Conrad : Young Jason
Johna Stewart : Yvenna
Kevin Smith : Ares/Peleus
Meighan Desmond : Discord
Nathaniel Lees : Cheiron
Rachel Blakely : Alcmene

Michael Hurst : The Jeweler
Taungaroa Emile : Thamus
Paolo Rotondo : Enya
Mfundo Morrison : Liardus
Som Peri : Mikos
Lionel Woaku : Alcestor
Nick Kemplen : Attica
Shane Dawson : Talos
Marek Sumich : Cradus/The Knifer
Josh Gilbertson : The Runner
Anouk Koene : The Siren
Sam Williams : The Charioteer
David Mackie : The Artisan
Campbell Rouselle : Guard at Corinth
Mike McGee : King Aeson

CREW

Director : T.J. Scott
Producers : Liz Friedman, Eric Gruendemann
Executive Producers : Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert
Production Designer : Robert Gillies
Co-Ordinating Producer : Bernadette Joyce
Director of Photography : John Mahaffie
Editor: Steve Polivka a.c.e.
Costume Design : Ngila Dickson
Music : Joseph Lo Duca
Visual Effects : Flat Earth Productions

The Soundtrack from Young Hercules by Joseph Lo Duca is available on CD.

• 1 Prologue / Ares and Discord
• 2 Bathing / Introduction / The Lost Boys
• 3 The Gods take that away / The Stick Fight
• 4 The Promise
• 5 Slain Warriors / Bath & Scheme / Argonauts Sail
• 6 It's a Twister
• 7 Stable Rumble / Yvenna
• 8 Talking with the Moon
• 9 The Welcome Wagon
• 10 Be Honest
• 11 The Fleece / The Urn
• 12 Very Big Foot / Still Kicking
• 13 A Legend is Born
• 14 End Titles
• 15 Main titles

A series of paperback books was published to tie in to the series.

Young Hercules: 'Cheirons Warriors' by Keith R. A. Decandido Published August 1999.

"A fun book to write. As a big fan of Young Hercules (as well as the shows it spun off of.)..it was a great thrill to write this book. I tried to capture the feel of the show while taking advantage of the longer format to really delve into the characters. In addition to the YH regulars Herc, Iolaus, Jason, Lilith, Cheiron, Ares, Strife, and Discord, Cheiron's Warriors also includes some familiar minor characters from all three shows: Ophistus and Balian from the court of Corinth on YH; Graegus, the Dog of War, from Hercules; and a younger Tyldus, the centaur warrior from Xena. I hope readers have as much fun with the book as I did (which won't be easy)." -Keith Ra Decandida,

Young Hercules: 'The Ares Alliance' by Keith R A. Decandido Published December 1999.

"The Ares Alliance was special fun to write for two main reasons: 1) It was a chance to have Ares and Hercules team up, which annoys the heck out of both of them. 2) Most of the novel takes place in West Africa and deals with the Yoruban gods, in addition to the Greek gods. Some very successful episodes of Hercules and Xena have involved interaction with other gods, and I thought it would be fun to do the same with the Young Herc mythos. And the Yoruban god of war, Ogun, is not just a different version of Ares -- there are significant differences, as both Ares and Ogun find out over the course of the book... In addition, there are some cool new monsters -- the Sasabonsam, the Mokele-Mbembe, and the Hai-uri -- for Herc to fight, an appearance by Cyane and her Amazon tribe, and even quick cameos by Zeus and Aphrodite! " -Keith Ra Decandido

Young Hercules: 'Mission From Zeus' by Daniel J Fingeroth Published February 2000.

Hercules must capture the horns of the Minotaur -- if he can survive the quest! Training against a battle robot with Iolaus, Jason, and Lilith, Hercules saves the day when the robot goes berserk and begins trashing the Academy. Then Zeus appears and orders Hercules on a mission to bring back the horns of the Minotaur -- the fate of the Olympian gods depends on his success. Eager for his father's love an approval, Hercules embarks on a perilous journey armed with weapons specially crafted by Hephaestus.

Meanwhile, Jason's Nemean neighbors are threatening war, and assassins lurk at every turn. Knowing that only Hercules can prevent bloodshed and save their friend, Iolaus and Lilith set out to find Hercules and bring him, back. But Hercules is torn. If he abandons his father's quest, the gods will die, but if he doesn't return to Corinth, Jason and his kingdom will be destroyed

Editorial Reviews from Amazon.Com