Nelo was the father of Xena, and was a man of mysterious background, possibly Spartan. Although Xena had fond memories of her father, he disappeared when she was a young girl. He was in fact killed by his wife, Cyrene, with an axe, in order to prevent him from killing Xena in a fit of madness. During Xena's warlord days, legends spread that her father was a Spartan king. Many years later, Ares would impersonate Nelo, going under the name "Atrius" in an attempt to coax Xena out of her redemption.