He wanted to head home and not linger. He took his daughter by the arm and guided her away. He nodded his farewell to friends and colleagues. He nodded to Scauras and left for his villa.
Θ
“That went well I think,” Greg said.
“Yeah, I ate the hell out of that bread and cheese,” Dean said and laughed.
“Me too,” Marco said.
“You think any of you got a sponsor?” Thad asked as they made their way down to the second floor.
“I think I got a couple sponsors,” Septimus said.
“Yeah, no shit,” Dean laughed and Septimus pushed the smaller man playfully but Dean nearly went sprawling.
“Dude, you almost shoved me down the stairs,” Dean said and tried to shove Septimus back.
“Dude, it is because you are a little man,” Septimus said and laughed. Both Felix and Septimus had picked up a few phrases from Thad and his friends. Dude was one of them. The group sniggered and got to the cell. The cells on the second floor were unlocked. There were guards that were posted throughout the Ludus Magnus and escape was not an overly large concern.
There was a single torch lit and the men got ready for sleep. Greg sat on the end of his bed. It had been a good day and he had actually enjoyed himself. Six months ago, he wouldn’t have thought it possible. He had flirted with several of the women at the party upstairs, many were older women, but he didn’t care, it was just nice to do something different that didn’t entail fighting for his life. Several merchants had talked to him and had admired his skill. He almost felt like some kind of athlete superstar in his own time.
His grandmother would say it was the calm before the storm. He sighed as he pulled the covers up. He missed her terribly and he hoped she was okay. He knew that she was devastated by his disappearance. He dreamed about her from time to time and woke up feeling a heavy sadness in his heart. It was a bittersweet moment upon waking from a dream. He looked up when he heard the men chuckle and saw that Dean was sneaking out to go and meet Zaza. Dean had been very popular with the women upstairs. They had hovered around him like bees to a flower. Greg didn’t know how he did it, he just drew them in so easily.
Dean had laughed and flirted outrageously but Greg knew that Dean was in love with Zaza and the couple spent every moment they could together. There were very few women here and though there were several slave women who eyed him, they were much too old for Greg. Zaza said that the other women gladiators were with the highest-ranking male gladiators. Greg shifted in his bed; it was a hell of a lot better than sleeping on the cold hard ground. He let his mind drift and thought that maybe one day, he’d meet a woman, like Dean had. It might take a while, but Greg thought it could happen. A soft smile creased his face as he faded into sleep.
Dean held Zaza in his arms, her body warm beside him. They had found a room, it was a storage room that held blankets, baskets of sandals, belts and other items that were for the gladiators. He could not see her since there were no windows. It was quiet but for their breathing. He hadn’t known when it had happened, but he’d fallen in love with this woman. Though, in his time, she would be a girl, she was seventeen and yet she had fought in numerous bouts on the arena floor. She had been taken from her home and made a slave, only to face rape and defend herself.
He couldn’t imagine a seventeen-year-old from his time surviving this kind of life. He was glad they didn’t have to. He’d started out just flirting with Zaza and then they had become intimate. But the more they got to know each other, the more he found himself falling in love with her.
“I want to tell you something, Zaza. But, you can never, ever tell another living soul,” he said softly into her neck. He felt her shift and turn toward him. He lifted a hand blindly and smoothed her long hair away from her damp face.
“What is it, my love,” she asked and he loved the way she said it. He was reminded of the Blue October song, Calling you. The song ran through his head and he felt tears prickle his eyes as he felt the loss for his own time keenly.
“I’m not exactly sure if you’ll believe me. I’m from the future, two thousand years from now,” he said softly and he waited. She stiffened and pulled away.
“Do you tease me?” she asked, uncertainty in her voice and he wished he could see her face.
“No. My friends, we were visiting Rome and we went down into the ruins of the amphitheater across the road. There was an earthquake and somehow, we came through time to this place. In my time, there are no gladiators. There are no games where people kill each other,” he said. He gently pulled her back to him and she didn’t resist and laid her head on his chest.
“I do not understand, how is this possible?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I only know that my world is very different from this world. We have wars and fighting, but people are not slaves and they aren’t forced to fight for sport to kill each other. At least not in most countries,” he amended.
“Can you go back to your time? Could
