Chapter 2
The man entered the baths after the day spent training. He slammed his sword on the bench and began untying the strings that held his armour together.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbfTniZH43
"Do not let a few failures in the training arena dampen your spirits, brother." A fellow gladiator, Caius, consoled him. The man was Marcus, Marcus Atticus. Indeed he was a native of Rome. He had gotten himself into debt by betting too much too fast on the gladiatorial games there. His only option was to fight for Tetraites and clear his debt that way.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxpKPFWpJj
"He put me against Augustus on purpose, he knows I am weak fighting against those with nets and spears."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHsa1g34Me
"Then it is for that reason he did it. How else would you learn?" Caius said, taking off his own armour and walking towards the baths.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xAGTGGDcA
The steam separated them momentarily as they each stepped into individual copper bath tubs of steaming water fused with scented herbs. As the steam cleared, Caius' face came once more into view. He was reclining against the back of the tub, allowing the hot water to soothe his aching limbs.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRC2sLIMeH
"He did not have to put me up against him in front of the other men. I was not the only one who fell, Cato did too."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbmkFahJXW
Both men turned to look at the man in question. Cato was a man in similar build to Marcus and indeed had lost more fights than Marcus had. At that moment, he himself was stepping out of one of the copper tubs and heading towards the cold baths. He was sporting a bruise on his left eye and several gashes on his legs and arms.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhi4NFyJuQB
"Then he will humiliate Cato some other time. Tetraites is fair, Marcus. Even you cannot argue with that. He could have easily sold you by now to clear your debt, and trust me, he is one of the best. Not just in regards to training, other gladiators are lucky to get the benefits we do. Tetraites is one of the few that understand that a gladiator's well being is linked intrinsically to his performance in the arena." Caius said. His eyes were closed and his head lolled back on the edge of the tub. Marcus could not relax in such a manner. Caius was an experienced gladiator, and had been in Pompeii since his childhood. He was one of the few Tetraites had managed to hold on to over the past year.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqX6vy3zgj
Marcus merely grunted in response, being unable to find fault with Caius' argument.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTD1MgHNPe
"I am bitter, I suppose. I miss Rome."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKllOgIIVFv
"Do not say that around here, brother. The relationship between Rome and Pompeii is not a great one, and it seems always to be strained. Your kind are not widely accepted in these parts."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWmnchktto
"My kind. We are part of the same empire, surely my kind is our kind."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIh0Wrgz3Mp
"Tell that to Rome." Caius said, sinking further into the water. "The people here don't get a say over what goes down in the capital or in the rest of the empire. We're on the outskirts, it seems. Besides, what did Rome do to aid our city after the earthquake all those years back?" Caius spoke of the earthquake of 62, when the city was ravaged by the earth moving beneath them. At the time, Caius was only a child and not yet a gladiator. It was because of the earthquake, and the collapse of his house and the deaths of his parents, that led to him being taken in by Tetraites.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ze0rxnZng
Marcus sighed heavily and lay back in the water.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHOH9wqWaY
"You cannot begrudge me for missing my home."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yTV4AgLCy
"No, I cannot." Caius reasoned. "It is probably just best for you if you refrain from mentioning where your home is."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAcAQ4fJdp
"If Pompeians hate Romans so much, then why do you bother with me?" Marcus asked, glancing over at his friend in the tub adjacent to him. Caius cracked one eye open, and smiled a cheek-splitting grin.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8OkvqK9EH
"Because I'm a nice person, Roman. Besides, you've grown on me." His eye slid shut once more and he adjusted his position in the tub to attain maximum comfort.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQo7lQzTon
Marcus grinned to himself and finally allowed himself to relax.
As the water began to cool, both Marcus and Caius stepped out of the copper tubs and made their way to the sauna. Most of the other gladiators had gone back to their rooms already, or had gone to the kitchens to see what food they could scavenge. The food was not the best. Although Tetraites was fair and generous, the gladiators themselves were, the majority, still slaves that had been bought and sold and trained to kill for the entertainment of those above them in the social order, which was well, pretty much everybody. Only when a gladiator had won a number of fights did he win his freedom. Only when he was presented with a wooden sword as a trophy was he allowed to walk freely away from the arena.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsn3n3cKFW
"One day I'll clear my debts, Caius." Marcus said as they sat on one of the stone benches that lined the walls of the sauna.
"Every man says that, Marcus. I have been here for most of my life and even as a child I understood that the men that come through here, the men that live and breathe and train here, they do not always win. Someone has to lose, Marcus. Don't delude yourself by thinking it won't be you."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDI6v4wACCe
"Must you always be so logical? I must admit, it sometimes brings the atmosphere down a notch."1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyejuwzaBAg
"I am being truthful, friend. You or I or any of the men here could have our last moments at any time." Caius did not appear to be troubled by the prospect of death; Tetraites had taken him in as a child of six years old. Being too young to fight, he was tasked with running around for the kitchen staff – going to the market, plucking feathers, removing bones from fish – and so he learned at a young age that death comes to us all, and it comes even sooner for a gladiator. However, when he turned sixteen and Tetraites asked him to fight, he did not tremble. He accepted the position and thanked Tetraites heartily. If not for him, he would have died on the streets as a child.
Marcus allowed the steam to cleanse his thoughts and leaned back against the wall.
"I hear there is a great party being held tonight." He remarked casually.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWKREjakZE
"There is always a great party being held, Marcus. There is always something to celebrate in Pompeii... and if not, the people will find something to drink to!" Caius said, smiling.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXbatdijX7
Marcus joined him in laughter. At first he thought that it was his laughter that had caused his vision to shake slightly, but as he looked across the room and saw the startled expression on the faces of the other men, he knew it was his eyesight that was failing him. Beside him, Caius was sitting with his back perfectly straight and his hands gripping the stone bench beneath him. Even he, who was usually so calm and laid back, was startled. The room was shaking, the ground beneath them was moving slowly and dust began to fall from the ceiling. But just as they stood up, just as they began to make a move for the doorways, the shaking stopped. The floor stopped moving and the dust stopped falling. Small statues of the gods and godesses that had fallen from their perches were picked up and placed gently back on their pedestals. The men recovered their wits and sat back down.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyWG9NMRzu
Caius was visibly shaken. Memories returned to him of the great earthquake of 62. The earthquake that almost destroyed Pompeii completely. Being who he was, however, he chose to mask his lingering fear with an attempt at humour.1072Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOH0wES5a4s
"Well, it seems that they'll be celebrating the mountain's vitality tonight. Didn't I tell you that they always find something to drink to?"
