 The dying warrior Gregor gets Hercules s promise to give his wife Janista and teenage son Titus in Fallia a jewel and sword, and tell Titus the art of war is not about killing but defending the innocent. When Titus and his young village friend Ximenos go stag-hunting, a Trojan war-veteran in Ares s service hands the kids heavy clubs to duel  to the death ; in fact they run but Ximenos is recruited for the god s bloodthirsty troop after a ritual brand mark on the arm. Janista is embarrassed to receive the son of Zeus in her shambled home, but he even helps her fix the roof. The female blacksmith Atalanta  beats  him at arm wrestling but while forging is magically branded by Ares and makes weapons for his bloodthirsty troop in a semi-conscious trance, then reports to Hercules there were mysterious killings in neighboring villages. Hercules finds Hera s nearest temple empty except for a war god-symbol. When Titus chickens out of joining, captain Aurelius invokes Ares, the hero s evil half-brother makes him use the kid to lure Hercules to their cave, where he s buried under rocks; Atalanta nurses and follows him, till Ares s blood allows Aurelius to turn Atalanta bad, but Hercules throws her in the water which reverses the curse. Jacinta joins the rescue party for her Titus an the other boys, which incurs more of Ares s magic and the appearance of the evil divinity...