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Jul 15, 1000
Marcus and Gaius are Born
Marcus and Gaius, ancient Roman boys suspected to be half-brothers, are born. These boys are best friends and do everything together. They share a deep bond that reverberates throughout the entire novel. Eventually, these boys will grow up to be the infamous Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus. -
Constant Harassment by Suetonius
Bullying Scene
Throughout their early adolescences, Marcus and Gaius are bullied by their neighbor and foe, Suetonius. Suetonius, though much older and stronger than the two boys, shows no mercy and practices cruel and unusual punishment on the boys (such as hanging them from trees and beating them almost to death). -
Renius Arrives
Renius, a highly respected and well known gladiator, agrees to stay at the Caeser estate and train young Gaius and Marcus. Renius is cold, mean, and tough on the boys--however, he teaches them to be excellent swordsmen and survive in ancient Rome. -
Alexandria
Alexandria
During one of their training sessions with Renius, Marcus and Gaius spot a beautiful slave girl across the way--this girl is Alexandria. Renius is infuriated with the boys' lack of concentration and beats them (he also beats Alexandria, to the boys' surprise). Alexandria becomes a key character in the novel and has love affairs with both Gaius and Marcus (mainly Gaius). -
Slave Revolt
As time progresses, Rome grows restless and slaves begin to rebel. A slave revolt within the Caeser estate unfolds and a bloody massacre drags on throughout the night. During the endless fight, Julius (Gaius's father) is smothered by a mob of slaves that he cannot fend off and is killed. Gaius witnesses his father's death as he fights by Tubruk's side. -
Marius's Triumph
After the Caeser estate is burned to the ground and Julius is killed, Gaius leaves with Marcus, Alexandria, Renius, and Cabera and heads to his Uncle Marius's estate within the city of Rome. Marius takes a great liking to Gaius and teaches him about politics in the Senate; he also allows him to be part of his Triumph. A triumph is a great parade and march throughout the streets of Rome to honor the conquests of a general (in this case, the general was Marius and he conquered lands west of Rome). -
Primus the Surgeon
Amputation SceneWhile Gaius mentors under Marius in Rome, Marcus is sent off with Renius to join a new legion--the Fourth Macedonia. Before their journey commences, Renius drags Marcus to his older brother Primus's estate. There, Primus saws off Renius's limp arm with the help of a reluctant Marcus. Renius's arm is limp due to a previous training accident with the boys in which he tore his shoulder and arm ligaments/nerves beyond repair. -
Marcus and Pepis
In order for Marcus to reach his new training grounds, he must spend quite a bit of time on a ship out at sea. While sailing on the Lucidae, Marcus meets a young and spirited boy, Pepis, who he adopts and treats as a younger brother. Marcus also tries to win the loyalty of the crew by attempting to accomplish ridiculously hard tasks set by the crewmembers. -
Gaius and Cornelia are Wed
After Alexandria refuses Gaius's love, for they could never be together, Gaius turns his attention to the daughter of a wealthy Roman by the name of Cinna. Cornelia, the beautiful daughter, and Gaius meet in secret for a long time before Gaius decides to publicly declare his love for her in marriage. They are wed almost immediately and they enjoy a happy and passionate marriage. -
Blue Savages
Savage Fight
Upon Marcus's travels across the unknown and unconquered lands of Europe and Italy, he comes into contact with a native tribe of blue savages. Marcus fends off the savages in a fight to the death, lucky to escape with his life, for the savages dueled just like highly skilled Roman legionaries. -
Free at Last
Alexandria, who was previously sold to Marius by Gaius, finally buys her freedom and fulfills her lifelong dream. In order to buy her freedom, Alexandria had taught herself to work with metals and make a profit from her creations--she saved up everything she had and, as she wanted, ended her slavery with her own determination and efforts. -
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Tribute to Zeus
Gaius and Marcus find the corpse of their beloved raven, Zeus, in the woods near their estate. Previously, the boys had captured the raven, but Tubruk had made them release him. To honor the bird, the boys plan to burn him and scatter his ashes--however, this plan fails when the fire refuses to turn the bird to ash and merely 'cooks' it. -
Sulla Leaves
Sulla and Marius are constantly battling each other for control over the city of Rome. However, both must protect Rome no matter what, and when a distant army threatens to overtake Roman lands, action needs to be taken. In an attempt to rid Marius and his legions, Sulla asks the consul members to take a vote as to who they would rather see leave with their legions to defeat Mithradates and his armies. The Senate, to Sulla's dismay, votes for Marius to stay in Rome and for Sulla to leave. -
Sulla Returns
After beating Mithradate's armies, Sulla returns to the gates of Rome. However, Marius has locked Sulla out and prepared for a fight in which he hopes to take over Rome and overcome Sulla's legions. Sulla, however, anticipated Marius's lockdown and planted warriors in disguise as commoners throughout Marius's estate. Upon Sulla's return, his secret gladiators make themselves known and fight Marius's men in an epic and bloody war. Before Marius dies, he orders his men to burn Rome and kill Sulla.
