Whoever it was, was thirsty … and impatient.

  Suddenly, from around the sides and under the privacy curtain, there was a brilliant flash of light.

  “Gracious One,” they heard Lucius say from his seat. His voice was deeper than usual and sounded very tired. Pandy gripped Alcie’s arm.

  “Status report?” said a voice that nearly caused Pandy’s knees to buckle. She dug her fingers into Alcie’s arm until Alcie had to pry them out. Pandy leaned and whispered into Alcie’s ear.

  “Hera!”

  Both Pandy and Alcie voluntarily slowed their breathing and locked their legs.

  “What do you know?” asked the goddess.

  “Caesar revealed the aureus today,” Lucius began. “He held it up to the gawking eyes of the grotesque populace without the permission of the Senate!”

  “He doesn’t need you or your silly Senate,” replied the goddess with a laugh, at which point Alcie gently poked Pandy in the ribs.

  “Not Hera,” she whispered.

  “All the gods admire that about your new ruler, Lucius. He has the arrogance of an immortal, but it’s well deserved. Me, I like dealing with mortals who’re a little more wishy-washy and bendable. Weak … like you. If I had felt for an instant that Caesar would have agreed to my bargain I would be dealing with him now, not you. As it turns out, Caesar didn’t need my help to attain the highest office in the land. Unfortunate for me.”

  “If Juno will allow me to continue?”

  “I suppose I must. Have you come up with some sort of plan now or shall I think of that for you as well?”

  Lucius cleared his throat; Pandy couldn’t tell what emotion lay behind the noise: frustration or fear.

  “Caesar also announced that from now on, the aureus will bear the likeness of the ruler of Rome. It’s not simply his bluster in the Senate anymore; he has decreed it to the entire citizenry; it’s law! And so I have already arranged for the engraver—an artist by the name of Varius—to be taken from Caesar’s home and placed in … let’s just say, a secure location, where he will either create a new aureus with my likeness on it or he will be put to death slowly and painfully.”

  “A kidnapping?” asked Juno. “All that commotion? Will it not wake the rest of the household, perhaps even Caesar himself?”

  “The artist is housed in a small building at the back of the insula. It is used for storage and houses the slave lavatoriums. No one will hear; and beside this, Caesar and most of his entourage were and still are feasting at another senator’s house this past evening. No one is at the insula except the artist, two or three house slaves—old women, and the ruler’s new stableboy who also happens to be my gladiator whom Caesar stole from me today. I may have to kidnap him as well.”

  “No, no … patience, Valerius,” he thought to himself. “Just a few more days.”

  Alcie flinched and grabbed Pandy’s hand.

  “I like it. And Hera will like it, once she hears of it,” Juno said after a moment. “But don’t play coy with me, mortal. What do you mean by ‘secure location’? You will have no secrets from me.”

  “We are taking Varius from Caesar’s insula in Subura …”

  “You know, that’s the one thing that bothers me about your ruler,” Juno interrupted. “He’s not yet built a royal palace on the Palatine Hill, preferring instead to reside in the same garbage dump he was raised in. I don’t care if it is the largest, tallest insula in Subura. It’s silly. Common. Go on.”

  “That’s why he should never have become ruler. He’s stupid and showy in his commonness,” Lucius spat.

  “My, my,” Juno smirked. “I haven’t seen such a hunger for power—or anything, for that matter—in ages. Normally I like it, but on you it just looks foolish. Ah, well, since beggars—even immortal beggars—cannot be choosers, continue before I grow bored: you’re taking the artist …”

  “Yes, from Subura to … well, as I said, his quarters also house the slave lavatoriums, so it will be relatively easy for my men to remove a few stones, create a nice-sized hole underneath and pull the poor young man down into the sewers. They replace the stones and no one is the wiser. The sewers are about to undergo extensive renovation so Caesar has blocked the main entrances. No one will think to look there. Of course, after the feast in my home when I unveil the new coin, no one will think to look at all. With my likeness on the aureus, the Senate and the citizenry will have no choice but to hand me the imperial crown. It must be done by Caesar’s own decree! Caesar will be executed and I—”

  Lucius’s voice broke.

  “I will be ruler of Rome!”

  “And then the fun begins. Let’s go over the bargain again, shall we?” Juno said. It sounded to Pandy and Alcie as if the goddess was now pacing about the room.

  “Once I am supreme ruler …,” Lucius began.

  “Excuse me?” Juno squeaked, her footsteps halted.

  “Of Rome! Only of Rome.”

  “That’s better.”

  “When I am ruler,” Lucius said, as if he were biting down on a sweet apricot cake, savoring each word, “I shall double the number of armed guards. Then I shall order the destruction of all temples and the death of all priests and priestesses of every deity except yours. The new guards will see to it that my orders are followed and anyone who tries to intervene will be executed as an enemy of the state. Then I shall triple the number of temples to you, my queen. I shall decree that any and all sacrificial fires burn only for you, that only your statues grace homes and gathering places. Your star will shine brighter than any other in the heavens. Even moreso than that of your husband!”

  “And with respect for his power greatly diminished,” Juno said, “it will be a simple matter to take his power for myself. Once I am secure as the most powerful immortal, we shall help Hera to take the place of Zeus in the hearts and minds of those ridiculous Greeks. Then, finally, the world will begin to run right!”

  “If I may be so bold as to inquire?” Lucius said.

  “Yes?”

  “Where is Hera? I know she is instrumental to our … your plans. But you have told me the Greek gods have been in Rome for some time; why does she not help you now?”

  “Because,” Juno voice quieted, but her words became clipped, “I have only tonight discovered that my lovely counterpart lies in pieces in a storage room underneath some abandoned insula. I have been played for a fool, lied to for days as to her whereabouts; told that she was off visiting temples and the like. And yet all the while I have felt certain that something was terribly amiss. Hera and I have been in almost constant communication for the last several weeks about her plans for the destruction of that brat, Pandora, including her intention to follow Pandora to Persia. But I have not heard a peep in days, and then the Greek contingent began to arrive and along with them, the lies.”

  Pandy looked at Alcie, both realizing the amount of hatred aimed at them was now doubled.

  Juno sighed.

  “No matter in the long run, I suppose. Everyone who has stood against us will suffer. Very well, your plans are in motion. And so are mine. In a very short time, you will rule this city and I shall rule the earth and sky. Stay true to your course, Valerius. Don’t make me have to turn you into a tree frog and find someone else.”

  “I will not fail you, Gracious One.”

  “Good, although I’d like to see you hopping about in a tree. I think Caesar himself said something about it earlier today. Amusing image. We shall speak again soon. Farewell.”

  There was a flash of light under and around the sides of the curtain and then … silence. Pandy and Alcie heard more water being poured and the sounds of drinking. Then Lucius began to mutter as he made his way out of the room.

  “I wonder if she’s as revolting in Greece …”

  Chapter Eight

  Into the Night

  “You know, you both didn’t have to come with me,” Pandy said softly, as two centurion night guards walked by slowly on patrol.

  “Exactly what do you mean by ‘both’?” asked Alcie, craning her neck to peer out from their hiding place beside a large doorway. “Do you mean that neither of us had to come with you or that you would have preferred only one of us to … to …”

  “Accompany,” said Iole from behind Alcie.

  “Thank you,” Alcie huffed. “… accompany you, Pandora, and if so, which one?”

  “Stop it, you goof,” Pandy said.

  “I wasn’t going to be kept from seeing my Homie.”

  “And I wasn’t going to miss seeing Alcie see Homie,” Iole said.

  “I know,” Pandy replied. “I’ve just been so … so … Iole, what’s the word for not feeling like doing anything?”

  “Unmotivated.”

  “Right, unmotivated for days, that the first time I do feel like taking action, it puts you two right back in danger.”

  “Danger is my second-to-last middle name! Bring it on!” Alcie said, following Pandy as she stepped out into the now empty street and slashed at the air in front of her in a mock fight.

  “Shhhhhh!” Pandy cautioned.

  “Iole, are you sure we’re still going the right way?”

  “I told you,” Iole said. “Melania was very specific about where Caesar grew up. Subura is just ahead. There are a few older Vestals we come to visit, we bring ginger cakes, et cetera. I know the route.”

  “I know what you told me,” Alcie said. “It’s just hard to imagine that Caesar likes living in this pit.”

  “Guys, quiet,” Pandy said, scanning the buildings. “Okay, we’re looking for the biggest building we can find.”

  “I wish there were more of a moon tonight,” said Iole.

  “They all look the same to me,” Alcie whispered.

  “There!” said Pandy, her finger pointing.

  Across a square, a black form rose up behind a large building, nearly invisible against the night sky. Pandy led the way around several corners until the insula was only a few meters away. But all was dark and silent inside. Pandy was desperately trying to determine a way in when they all heard the sound of scuffle, then a horse’s whinny farther down along the road. Creeping quietly along the front of the insula, they came to a narrow alley where they all saw a light spilling from a small doorway into a wooden stable.

  “Come on, horse,” a voice said, low but clear. “I have to sleep here, too. Don’t take up the whole stall. We have to share!”

  “Homie!” Alcie nearly shrieked, and ran down the alley.

  She moved so fast that when Pandy and Iole finally reached the doorway, Alcie was already holding a very surprised Homer tight in her arms—although they didn’t go quite all the way around his waist.

  “You have no idea what I have been going through, Homie,” Alcie said. “Pandy and Iole were worried too. But I … I thought I’d … And then, today, when we saw you fight, I thought that if you lost I was just going to take the end of my palm fan and plunge it right into the senator’s heart for sending you away. And then I’d do the same thing to that walking sack of ooze, Rufina! But then, you won! Okay, you didn’t win, but you’re alive! Oh, Homie, I was so proud of you, wasn’t I, Pandy? Wasn’t I proud?”

  “Very proud,” said Pandy.

  “Hi, guys,” said Homer.

  Pandy stood still for a minute, then rushed in and threw her arms around Homer and Alcie as far as they would go. Iole joined in, realizing that, since she’d become a Vestal, she hadn’t really had any physical contact with anyone; she hugged everyone as hard as she could.

  “How’d you guys find me?” Homer asked.

  “We saw Caesar mouth the word ‘stable’ when he took you away from Valerius,” Alcie said. “And since this is Caesar’s home … had to be, right?”

  “Alcie and I also overheard Valerius talking to Juno tonight about a plot to kidnap the artist, Varius, that Caesar’s had living and working here. It’s a long story, but I think it has something to do with Greed.”

  “You mean the guy who’s living out back?” asked Homer. “The guy who carved Caesar’s face on the new coin? I ran into him when I was watering the horses earlier; seems like an okay youth.”

  “Lucius Valerius is going to kidnap him and force him to create a new coin with Lucius’s face on it,” Pandy said, speaking rapidly. “Lucius is somehow gonna make a switch and Caesar will present the new coin at the final feast, which will then force the Senate to make Lucius ruler; and it only gets worse from there. Oh, by the way, we’re ten years in the future, but right now, we have to stop the kidnapping. Where’s the little building?”

  “I’ll show you,” Homer said, grabbing a lamp and leading the way back out into the darkness.

  “We’re what in the future?” he said, stopping halfway across a barren patch of dirt.

  “That took too long even for you, Homie,” Alcie said.

  “Later,” Pandy said acidly, moving ahead of him. “I’ll explain it all later; or maybe I’ll just get Great ‘We Didn’t Think It Was Important’ Hermes to tell you.”

  The first door of the little storage shed was open to the touch; Homer swung it easily back on its crude hinge revealing only blackness beyond.

  “Not a good sign,” Pandy said.

  “He might be asleep,” Alcie offered.

  Once inside, Homer’s lamp gave a dim light, but it was all they needed to see that the artist’s room was in utter shambles. His sleeping cot was overturned as were the table and two chairs. His engraving tools were strewn all over the floor, a privacy curtain from his room to the next was lying in a heap off to one side as if it had been grabbed at, and a plate of food had obviously been flung against one wall, remnants still clinging to the mortar and stones.

  “Look!” said Iole, pointing to the floor.

  Two long lines were dug into the dirt with a messy collection of sandal prints on either side. They followed the lines from artist’s room, through three storage rooms, and finally into the lavatorium where Pandy took the lamp from Homer and began to check the stones close to the floor.

  “Here,” Pandy said, motioning for everyone to look at six large stones, which, judging from the loose mortar around them, had been hastily replaced.

  “Gods,” Homer said. “They took him down there? How come I didn’t hear anything? I would have helped him!”

  “They dragged him,” said Pandy. “From room to room. All the way.”

  “That means he was unconscious,” Alcie said.

  “You couldn’t have done anything, Homer,” Iole said, touching his arm gently.

  “Not a chance,” Pandy agreed. “These men—the ones who work for Lucius Valerius—Homer, they’re good at this. I have heard about men like this when I’ve heard Lucius talk about Rome’s past. These are the same kind of men that were used during proscription; men who would sneak into a home at night and the next morning, someone was just gone. The neighbors didn’t hear, sometimes the family didn’t even hear. These men were that good. Just like the ones tonight. And they would have killed you, Homer, without a second thought.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t hear them,” said Alcie.

  “What now?” asked Homer, visibly disturbed at not having come to Varius’s aid. “Do we follow them?”

  Everyone looked at Pandy, who was silent for a moment.

  “I’m going,” she said at last. “Alcie, you and Iole get back to the house.”

  “As if!”

  “I am dumbfounded into near silence that you would actually think we would let you proceed without us,” Iole said dryly.

  “What she said,” Homer agreed.

  “Well … then we can’t,” Pandy sighed. “We can’t tonight, anyway. We left the senator’s house well after the middle of the night. If we follow now, it could be hours before we find the right path down there and we have to be home before the sun comes up. Alcie, you remember that slave girl? The one they caught outside the house after sunrise? Rufina accused her of trying to escape and you remember what they did to her?”

  “I woke up shaking just the other night thinking about it,” said Alcie softly. “I have never heard anyone make sounds like that.”

  “It’s rumored that she still can’t walk,” Iole murmured.

  “Okay, enough,” Pandy said. “If it were just me, I’d go, but I won’t do that to you two. We’ll try again tomorrow night. The artist will need more than just one night to create a whole new coin and they wouldn’t kill him before then. Would they?”

  “It’s doubtful,” Iole said. “But we should waste no time tomorrow evening.”

  “And I’ll see if I can’t learn anything from the senator during the day,” Pandy agreed.

  They headed back toward the stables and the alley that would lead them to the street. All at once, they saw a light moving in the stables and heard a horse whinny from inside one of the stalls. Homer rushed into the stall ahead of Pandy, Alcie, and Iole. Just as Alcie was about to turn the corner into the stall, a voice rang out: clear and oh-so-girly with just a touch of malice.

  “Hi, Homer!”

  Chapter Nine

  Rufina

  Pandy yanked Alcie back from the stall entrance in the nick of time.

  “Oh, I am soooo glad I finally found you!” Rufina said, sounding to Alcie as if she’d swallowed a beehive. “You have no idea how hard it’s been, roaming these streets all alone. There were several guards on street patrol who wanted to take me away to someplace dark and cold, I’ll just bet! Oh, let’s get out of this stall with this smelly old horse. Bring that lamp!”

  Rufina marched out of the stall and headed back down toward the stable entrance. She was too fast for Homer to stop and he knew she’d spot Pandy, Alcie, and Iole in the corridor. But when he went to follow her, he found the corridor empty. Passing one of the stalls on the other side, he felt some hay straws hit his leg. Looking into the darkened stall, he saw six eyes glinting back in the lamplight.