Note from Kanuro5: Now that the prologue is out of the way, I get to introduce the characters of the story. Hope you all will enjoy it.

I

Absent Thoughts

Alesia

The weather in Rome-controlled Gallia was a brisk yet bone chilling cold that covered the entire region, yet such weather was common in the autumn in the capital of Alesia. It has been five years since Lucius Julius took the Gallic capital; and in those five years, Lucius transformed the large desolate "mud hole" into a livable and thriving Roman city that rivaled the Julii capital of Arretium.

Instead of flimsy wooden huts, citizens of Alesia now lived in sturdy stone homes. Simple derelict roads were transformed into new paved highways. Concepts of plumbing were introduced to Alesia along with improved barracks, stables, and missile ranges for the legion to train and to rebuild their numbers. Such construction prowess has not been seen since the time of the Julii leader, Flavius the Builder.

But the most impressive building in the former barbaric capital was the new Governor's Palace which was erected in the middle of the city. And inside the palace, a very special Roman was being trained in the arts of war.

"Again!"

Inside the center of the palace, two Romans, one young and one old, were sparring against each other using practice wooden Gladii to hone their skills with the sword.

The older Roman was a reasonably handsome man who had just broke into the age of 35 not too long ago. He stood at six feet and was blessed with the physique of Mars himself. He had dark brown short hair and sported a neatly trimmed beard and goatee. One noticeable feature on his face was a long protruding scar that went from his left ear lobe, all the way to his lip. He wore the ebony black and red armor of a Tribune and was the second-in-command and Captain of the Legio XXVIII; he was Gnaeus Antonius.

The younger Roman had just become a man a week ago on his 16th birthday. He was short, standing at five feet and four inches with a thin figure. His young childish face was smoothed with perfection without a strand of hair or boils blemishing his bare face. His short wavy hair was a fair shade of auburn while his bangs were tinted black. But something made this young Roman stand out from all the rest; it wasn't the wealth of his family, or their positions in the Republic; but of the boy's own eyes. The boy received his mother's sapphire blue colored eyes in his right eye; but he was born with his left eye emerald green. Two different eye colors in Rome were extremely rare and the young Roman was often ridiculed for his strange eyes when he was a boy. But he learned to later accept it and eventually took pride of his uniqueness throughout the Republic. Among the Julii, he was known for his outstanding maturity for his age and for his idealistic nature. He was cheerful, honest, kind, and knowledgeable; he exhibited all the virtues of a true Roman. The young Roman is of the House of Julii; his name is Vitus Julius, and he is the younger son of the Julii faction heir Lucius Julius, and nephew of Julii leader Decius Julius.

"Again!" Antonius smirked as Vitus got back up to his feet.

"I will get you this time!" Vitus eagerly smiled as he fixed his stance.

"That's what you said the last dozen times, and still words bear no fruit," Antonius chuckled.

"But I've been getting better since we started today, you cannot deny me of that."

"Indeed you have, but it still stands to be seen that you have not laid a single blow on me." Antonius indeed recognized that Vitus' skills with the sword were improving at a rapid pace, faster than any legionary or centurion he trained. Although he was small, Vitus was quick and nimble with the sword and could out-move his opponents when he was on his feet. At the rate he was improving, in six months of centurion style training, Vitus could possibly surpass Antonius himself.

"Let us switch now," Antonius commanded, "I be on the offense and you counterattack on the defense. Now remember, to always put power on the killing blow."

Antonius and Vitus got into position and slowly but carefully advanced closer to each other until they were in handshaking distance. Both men paused and stared into each others eyes. Antonius smirked as he saw confidence and eagerness shine from Vitus' multicolored eyes.

Antonius started as he drove his wooden sword down on top of Vitus' head. Vitus took a half step back and blocked the incoming attack. Antonius then pressed his attacks with multiple hacks and thrusts; but Vitus kept his distance and blocked each of Antonius' attacks with relative ease. Antonius last attack came in a heavy slash whilst he let out a thunderous yell.

Vitus brought his blade up and blocked the heavy downward slash and the two Romans were now locked together in a battle of strength. Antonius being the bigger man was easily winning the power struggle. With his back bending under the weight of his opponent, Vitus used all his strength in his young legs to pivot out of the struggle and caught Antonius off guard. Now Vitus went on the offense.

Vitus pressed Antonius back with powerful, yet slow wild swings followed by shouts that could rival the doomed souls of Elysium. With each barbaric swing of Vitus' sword, Antonius would simply evade each strike, not even putting up his sword to block.

Throughout the assault, Vitus' form grew sloppy and his moves began to slow as he grew tired. But with his last reserve of strength; Vitus shouted at the top of his lungs and lunged forward to stab Antonius in his stomach.

Antonius, seeing the move a mile away, took a side-step to his left and spun out of the way of Vitus' lunge until he was right behind Vitus. With his back towards Vitus and without turning around, Antonius struck the back of Vitus' knee with the edge of his sword and caused the young Roman to crumble to the floor.

Vitus lied on the floor gasping for air as he stared into the ceiling of the palace. Antonius casually approached the lying Vitus and placed the tip of his sword to his throat. Vitus turned his eyes onto the victorious Captain as he stood over top of him.

Antonius raised his left eyebrow and broke out an arrogant grin, "Now I know that your legendary father has taught you never to swing wildly, am I right?"

"I . . . only did . . . what you instructed me . . . to do," Vitus gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

Antonius pressed his sword harder into Vitus' throat, "That being?"

"To put power behind the killing blow."

Antonius began to chuckle and removed the sword from Vitus' throat, "I said 'the killing blow' not every blow."

"But isn't every blow the killing bow?" Vitus asked.

Antonius began to laugh to himself at the truth behind the question. Antonius extended his hand towards Vitus and pulled him up to his feet and dusted him off.

"Well . . . your words do ring true," Antonius chuckled as he placed a hand on the young Vitus' shoulder, "But you do not put all your strength behind all your strikes. No benefit can ever be reached from such ways of thinking. If all strength in the body is conjured into every attack during a battle, it leaves the body slow and vulnerable, just like you were not too long ago."

Vitus weakly chuckled to himself as he understood how he misinterpreted the Tribune's wise words.

"Another thing which claws at my thoughts," Antonius continued, "During the bout, upon what part of my body were you aiming to commit grievous wound or death?"

"Uh . . . I, absent words cannot move tongue," Vitus chuckled embarrassingly, "I did not take into account of where to aim my blade; I was committed to cleave you in two."

"Just like a barbarian would. Please open ears to advice; while using all strength to swing like a man cursed with madness, you waste precious energy and time to deliver fatal blow." Antonius took a step back from Vitus and drew his real Gladius and showed Vitus the precious steel sword.

"Our swords are great tools of war," Antonius said as he moved the sword around, "They can hack off the limbs of barbarians and slice apart the fragments of their weak armor, but the secret to our swords is the thrust. This is primarily for stabbing the enemies in their exposed bodies. Why waste energy and precious seconds hacking and chopping; while you can use a simple thrust to end it all?"

"It seems the Tribune is fond of bringing up dead barbarians during instruction," Vitus smirked.

"As should you be, young Vitus. The barbaric tribes are lowly savages who do not know the meaning of discipline. They charge wildly into battle and sometimes enter battle completely naked. They flail their weapons around as if they were possessed by demons. You see Vitus; barbarians rely on numbers and brute strength; while we Romans rely on tactics and precision. And that is what you need to have when you are fighting on horseback or on foot; precision!" Antonius said as he thrust his sword out for emphasis.

"When you fight for the first time, you may want to strike at every little thing that crosses your path. But that cannot be; you will need to find openings and then strike with great precision to kill your enemies. Strength is not your greatest asset, but speed is for you. Find a way to use your speed and to seek out your enemies' vulnerability and you will be unmatched."

"Many thanks Antonius. But if I should get better, why can I not train with actual steel?"

"Because your mother will not allow it," a voice said behind him.

Entering into the room accompanied by a number of scantily dressed female slaves was a middle-aged woman of status. She wore a crimson stola that covered her from her neck to her feet but was open enough in her chest to show off her ample cleavage. She was decorated in exquisite jewelry that was worth more than ten ordinary house slaves. She had long flowing auburn hair that went past her shoulders and stopped at her lower back. Her name is Octavia; and she is the wife of Lucius Julius and the mother of Proculus and Vitus Julius.

Another woman of equal status was walking right beside her. She was Appia and she is married to the older son of Lucius and Octavia, Proculus Julius. But unlike her mother-in-law, Appia was young; she was 20 years old and did not have a single wrinkle on her face. She had blonde hair with the front half of her hair in small curls while the back was coiled into a bun. She was a benevolent and pious soul with a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts.

A smile grew on Vitus' face at the sight of his nurturing mother and his cheeks began to blush bright red at the sight of his beautiful sister-in-law. "Ah, evening mother, good evening Appia," he said as he approached his family with open arms.

His mother hugged her son and kissed his rosy cheeks. Upon closer inspection of her younger son she back away filled with surprise.

"Vitus! You are absolutely filthy!" she exclaimed.

"Well thus is the result of a hard day's training," Vitus explained to his doting mother.

"Yes well, a warm bath can solve the problem of 'a hard day's training'," Octavia replied with smile.

"When the time comes for me to go out in battle, such luxuries would be far removed from thought," Vitus countered.

"Not as far removed as one might think," Antonius joked as he walked behind them, "Such luxuries is a common soldier's paradise after a hard fought campaign."

"Excuse myself Captain," Appia politely spoke up to Antonius, "But why is Vitus training like a legionary on foot? Doesn't his purpose lie more on being on the horse rather on his feet?"

"Very astute Domina; indeed young Vitus here will be in the heavy cavalry, but a General should be prepared for anything that comes across. And sometimes, a General will need to lead on foot."

"That is why father has also trained me in the spear, the shield, and bow; to make me a better soldier," Vitus added as he dusted his tunic off.

"Well I believe that the Gods are making you into a fine warrior Vitus," Appia smiled as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

Vitus started blushing harder as he stared into her flawless face, "Y-Y-Yes! Thanks to Father's help!" he began to stutter.

"Words bring such reminder. Antonius, when will my husband arrive?" Octavia asked the Captain.

"The General should be back within the hour haste from constructing a watchtower at the border. I have lookout for when the General retu—"

A Numidian slave quickly approached the aristocratic family and bowed his head towards them, "Apologies Domina, I bring word that Dominus has just returned to the palace."

"What? He enters the city and no one informs me?!" Antonius snapped at the messenger.

"Quickly Vitus you must be presentable for your father," Octavia said as she licked her thumbs and tried to clean up Vitus' hair. Vitus quickly swatted his mother's hand away.

"Mother, I am a man now, I can clean myself. And father will not mind if I am covered with dirt and sweat."

The grand palace doors began to crack open and there entered the Julii heir followed by a dozen of his ancillaries. He was in his 50's yet stood at six feet and three inches with a hard body that looked as if it was carved out of marble. His hair was a thinning black, and began to show signs of greying, along with developing wrinkles beginning to form on top of his brow. Aside from his aging face, he was a rather good looking man. He had a strong rugged jawline with a neat broad face that radiated maturity and sex appeal. This man was the famous commander of the Legio XXVIII, Lucius Julius the Mighty.

"A thousands apologies General!" Antonius said as he ran up to the entering general, "If word had reached my ears sooner I would have made a proper welcome for your arrival."

"Ah think nothing of it Antonius; I was only gone two weeks to set up a watchtower at the border; not quelling a rebellion. I actually appreciate entering my own city with anonymity every now and then," Lucius laughed as he patted his loyal Captain on his shoulder as he passed by him.

Lucius' eyes were fixated on his family. As he walked closer to them, he extended both arms out and ran to hug them. His wife, Octavia, was the first to reach his arms and the couple engaged in a long embrace.

"Seeing you come back lifts heart," Octavia whispered as she gave him a tender kiss.

"Ah Octavia, it was only two weeks."

"Yes, but it was a lonely two weeks Lucius," she whispered sultrily in his ear.

Lucius began to chuckle, "Then keep thighs moist for ten minutes longer and see loneliness fade into the wind back in our bedchambers."

Octavia giggled like the young girl she was when she had first laid eyes on Lucius when he was younger. The mature couple began exchanging tongue filled kisses as Lucius' hands fell to grasp her tight, firm rear end. The tender, intimate moment was finally broken up by young Vitus clearing his throat, disgusted at the sight of his parents kissing like young lovers.

Lucius broke away from his wife and turned his attention to his younger son. A smile began to grow on Lucius' face so large that his own cheeks began to hurt. He broke out into a hearty laugh and hugged his son and picked him up into the air and swung him around in a happy embrace.

"My son is finally a man!" the giant father said as he crushed his son in his arms. Vitus could only gasp for air as he was being held in mid-air with his feet dangling while kicking his father to let go of him. The happy father finally let his son down and allowed him to get his breath.

"I fear I may not be a man much longer if I receive such embrace again," Vitus joked as he patted his father on his shoulder.

Lucius' jubilant smile slowly turned into a frown. He placed both hands on Vitus' small shoulders and looked Vitus deep in the eye, "Vitus, I offer my humblest apologies for missing your donning of the toga virilis," Lucius sadly apologized to his son, "You must understand, I had to construct the watchtower to guard Ales—"

"Be at peace father," Vitus interrupted him, "For I do not hold any qualms against your actions. Your actions were to ensure the safety of this city, and to us, your family. I am just glad that you came back safely to us," Vitus said with the sincerest of smiles.

Vitus' selfless words brought an even bigger smile on Lucius' face. He patted his son on the back and kissed his forehead.

"Vitus, don't you want to tell your father the gifts that you received?" Octavia eagerly suggested.

"Of course mother! Father, I received many trinkets of gold and silver throughout the Republic. But the best that was given me to was a large bag of coin from Uncle Decius. Father, guess the amount."

"For you? 20, 30 denarii?" his father asked seemingly humoring Vitus.

Vitus smiled hard at the thought of his father's reaction, "100 denarii! Father, Uncle gave me 100 denarii!"

"100 . . . he gave you 100 denarii?" Lucius asked in total disbelief. By the Gods, my brother is more generous than I remember, Lucius thought to himself. Lucius broke out of his thoughts and laughed with his son on the extraordinary gift he received, "That is a lot of coin Vitus; I hope that you will spend it wisely."

"Such gain of wealth at an early age is a sign that the Gods will bless you with fortune throughout your life," Appia prophesied to her brother-in-law.

"And the gifts from the Gods will never cease to flow! Be prepared tomorrow, for my gift arrives for you," Lucius added.

"I indeed hope that another gift is prepared to arrive tomorrow," Appia mentioned to her father-in-law, "For it is Proculus' birthday tomorrow."

"That is right father, brother turns 21 tomorrow!"

"Words do ring true," Lucius said as he ran his hand through his thinning hair, "Both of my sons will receive extraordinary gifts tomorrow around noon. Appia, where is Proculus anyway?"

"I do not know, I woke up with him in the early morning but I have not seen him after."

"Now that I remember, I have not seen him either," Octavia added.

"As have I," Vitus added as well.

"Proculus was not present at personal training with the sword with young Vitus," Antonius muttered in a low spiteful tone.

"Hmm, did he take his body slave with him?" Lucius asked his family.

"No, I saw Euphatos in Proculus' bedchambers not too long ago. I shall go fetch him for you father," Vitus said as he ran off. Once Vitus was gone, Lucius turned attention to his Tribune.

"Tell me Antonius, how does Vitus fare on foot with the sword?"

"He fares better than most legionaries, he has a keen eye for minute details, much less stubborn than a recruit, and follows orders to the letter, a little bit too well I might add," chuckled Antonius.

"Such signs of maturity in an early age is another a sign from the Gods that young Vitus will grow to do great things," Appia giggled.

"Well he is a man now, fitting his mature nature," Octavia smiled proudly.

"A trait that Proculus should be accustomed to by now," Lucius bitterly remarked about his oldest son.

The smiles of Octavia and Appia quickly faded after Lucius' remark. They both stared at him in disbelief in how he addressed his son.

"Lucius—" Octavia tried to say.

"No Octavia," Lucius snapped as he cut her off, "It is known among us that Proculus has no motivation, no ambition for elevation in this life! For such complacency, he has cast out maturity in favor of acting like a child."

"Because the Gods have not provided proper opportunity," Appia mentioned with a smile in the defense of her husband.

"He has received many opportunities and yet has embarrassed himself and has squandered them all the same. I cannot foresee the Gods giving him another chance."

"Lucius, he is our son!" Octavia yelled at her husband.

"And so is Vitus, yet Vitus' has accomplished twice as much when Proculus was just 16."

Appia backed away in shock from the disappointed father. "How can you clearly favor one son over the other?" Appia asked as if she was the one whom the insult was hurled at.

"It must be easy when one protrudes around the city like a bastardized drunkard," Antonius snarked under his breath.

Both Lucius and Octavia glared at the grinning Tribune and condemning him with their eyes at his unneeded and rude comment. Antonius dropped the grin and bowed his head and looked at the floor, "Apologies."

At that moment, Vitus came running in the room with Proculus' body slave Euphatos by his side.

"Mother, Father! Most troubling news! I cannot find the coin that I received from Uncle!" Vitus cried out.

"What? Are you sure Vitus? Did you misplace it?" his concerned mother asked.

"I am sure that I did not mother!" Vitus said as he ran his hands through his hair as he paced back and forward, "One could never misplace that sum of coin!"

"Wait...Euphatos, where is Proculus?" Lucius asked the thin Greek slave.

"I-I...I do not know Dominus..." Euphatos stuttered as he tried to avoid eye contact with the imposing general.

Lucius straightened his back and walked up to the timid slave and got in his face. Lucius' face began to contort as he studied the facial expression of the frightened slave. "I know that you are not bearing false tongue to me slave; if that were the case, you would find yourself crucified out in the bitter cold in the wilderness. Now find clear words or meet your end!" Lucius shouted at him.

Euphatos began to tremble, "A-A-Apologies Dominus...but young Pro- er, Dominus ordered me to not tell of his activities."

"Slave! I am his father! My position as father and patriarch of this family succeeds his title of Dominus. I am your true master! Not Proculus! So open mouth and speak of his whereabouts!"

"Yes Dominus. Apologies Dominus...I was with him around noon, but his friends arrived to visit him for celebrations before his birthday tomorrow. I did not hear of what their plans were, but young Dominus did command me to stay at the palace until he returned. I did as he commanded; but before he left, he entered into the younger Dominus' bedchambers and walked out with a small box."

"Wait, a box?!" The worried Vitus asked, "Did it have any peculiar markings on it, with strange colors?"

"Uh . . . Yes Dominus it did, it had three exotic colors swirled on the side, and it resembled a breeze in the wind. The colors were . . . red, yellow, and a dark purple Dominus."

Vitus was gripped with shock and didn't move for a few moments, "What? Why?" he muttered to himself, "Mother! Father! That's my box! That's the box that I placed my 100 denarii in!" he spat in a sudden burst of anger.

"Why? Why would Proculus take from Vitus?" Octavia asked her husband.

"There has to be an explanation for this," Appia spoke up as she raised her arms up to calm the situation down.

"The only explanation that I would be willing to hear is from himself! Where is he?!" Lucius shouted.

"General, with knowledge of who Proculus is, I believe I know where he can be found," Antonius answered the livid general. Antonius first took a glance at the rest of the family and began to think of his words carefully.

He leaned over to Lucius and whispered his thoughts into Lucius' ear. The changing of Lucius' expressions added to the mystery to the curious family who were gazing on with intent. Lucius' face changed from uncontrollable anger, to a mildly confused look, and then into a look of absolute disgust. Once Antonius was done whispering his opinions; Lucius walked a few feet away from the group and stared out the palace balcony. He sighed heavily and buried his face into his palm.

"Knowing my fool of a son, you are probably right Antonius; he is most likely there," Lucius sighed again with shame in his voice.

"Where? Where is Proculus?" Octavia asked her embarrassed husband.

"I will reveal location once I have returned back with Proculus in hand," Lucius answered his wife as he made his way to exit the palace.

"I shall accompany you in your search General," Antonius said as he followed his general.

"No Antonius, you must remain with the legion."

"There will be no need General, I already instructed Primus Pilus Cossutius to proceed with afternoon training for the legion in case of our absence. Besides, I know the quickest route for the place we seek."

"Very well, your assistance is appreciated."

The two then took their leave and swiftly mounted their horses and rode out to find the troublesome Proculus; leaving a concerned mother, a worried yet hopeful young wife, and a betrayed bother at the palace.

The sun had fallen into the earth and the crescent moon has risen into the black sky when Lucius and Antonius arrived at their destination. The sight of the godforsaken place made Lucius bury his face one again into his hands.

"Gods, help my son," mumbled the distraught Lucius as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Well General, there are . . . worse places he could be in that are filled with those of lesser repute," Antonius mentioned, trying to lighten the mood.

"If that is your attempt at a jest, than it is of poor standing, Captain," Lucius slowly sneered.

"Apologies General."

The two Roman commanders dismounted from their horses and gazed upon the only whorehouse in Alesia. They watched as the prostitutes in a drunken stupor bare their breasts to entice the men that pass by. They noticed how one fat drunk patron walked out naked while singing tales of how his penis was the envy of the Republic. Lucius once again sighed heavily and buried his face into his palm. Out of all the places for a governor's eldest son to be, it had to be a whorehouse.

"Let us be done with this," Lucius tiredly sighed.

The two men entered the whorehouse and were immediately taken by the debauchery. The building was filled with the stench of sweat, wine, urine, vomit, and the musty smell of sex. Strings of screams and moans of the prostitutes rang throughout the building. Whores having their senses stripped away as men copulated with them in every position imaginable. Fluids of every kind was soaring through the air, Lucius even stepped in a slick of strange fluids that stuck to his boot. Out of all the places, Proculus had to be here Lucius thought to himself.

As the two waited by the door examining the depravity of the place, the strange withered owner of the whorehouse, Salvinius, walked up to the two men extending greetings for Antonius.

"Ah, Antonius," the owner laughed as he extended his hand to shake, "You come back again? Well, Seppia is busy upstairs with a few Gauls but she'll be done soon. Tell me, of what whore can please you today?"

"I come here not for pleasure Salvinius, but I came to find someone, of grave importance," Antonius emphasized as he pointed to the irritated Lucius. The sight of the governor standing in his whorehouse paralyzed the owner in fear.

"G-Governor! Apologies Governor," Salvinius stuttered as he bowed his head, "If I had known you were coming I would have made the place dece—"

"Raise head and lift heart Salvinius," Antonius cut him off, "He does not come for any inspection. Truth to the matter, the Governor would not grace his presence in this part of Alesia if by choice." Antonius leaned into Silvanius closer and whispered into his ear, "As I have said, we come in search for someone of importance." Silvanius took the hint.

"Oh, him . . . yes, well, he is right upstairs with his friends, please follow me," he said while waving to them to follow.

Silvanius escorted the two men through the chaotic palace of pleasure. As they made their way up the steps, Lucius took note of the numerous empty wine jugs and cups; and how the patrons seemed to be wasting their wine as if it was nothing by spilling them on the whores' breast and licking the spilled wine off their skins.

"I see that you have . . . an abundance of wine to give to your deprived patrons," Lucius stated to Salvinius in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Why yes, Proc—" Salvinius caught himself and quickly corrected it, "Er, the man you seek was most generous upon arrival. Spilling words of how tonight was the eve of his birthday and how he wanted to entreat everyone to free wine. He paid me handsomely of course."

"And just how much wine did he pay for to entice everyone?" Lucius asked as he dragged on the question, seemingly to hear the answer that was quite evident to him.

"Oh, I say about 100 denarii worth of wine."

Lucius and Antonius exchanged glares of disgust at the thought of Proculus stealing his brother's money to pay for wine and whores. Lucius wrapped his hand around the grip of his sword and clenched it with seething anger. He was ready to beat Proculus senseless when he found him.

When they arrived on the second floor, Lucius was shocked to find that the second floor was even more depraved than the first floor. As they passed the different rooms, Lucius passed by a number of bizarre sexual acts that he wished he had never seen.

One room had a male whore on his knees sucking a pudgy old man's penis, while the old man was being penetrated from behind by a quite homely frail woman with a large dildo. Another room had six men pinning down a woman and filling up every single orifice of her body with their seed. And in another room; there was a man who was on his back having his anus licked and sucked by one woman, while a second woman sat on the man's face and was having her anus pleasured as well by the man, and a third woman was stroking the man's penis violently as she licked the dirt and sweat from beneath the man's toes.

"I bet you won't be eating your nightly meal tonight General," Antonius joked with a hidden grin at another attempt to break the mood. Lucius was too disturbed by the debauchery to respond.

Salvinius stopped the two men in front of the last room that was veiled by a bright crimson curtain. Sounds of a woman moaning in pleasure and the giggling of men came from the inside of the curtain.

"This is the room he and his friends took," Salvinius presented to the two men. Antonius peered over his side and examined the seething Lucius. His breathing grew heavy in anger as he clenched the grip of his sword tighter. Lucius was ready to tear the throat out of Proculus if he found him in the room.

Lucius exhaled his vat of anger and slowly began to calm down. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a pouch filled with denarii and tossed it towards Salvinius.

"Gratitude for your assistance dear Salvinius. Now leave us be, and take coin to silence gossiping tongues of you and your whores on my son's presence in this immoral establishment," the governor coldly ordered as his eyes were fixated on the flowing red curtain.

"Your will, Governor," Salvinius said as he turned away with a smile while counting the coins in the pouch.

The two men observed the room in complete silence for a full minute, mildly listening to the sounds of intense sex exuding from the room.

"Are you ready General?" Antonius asked.

"I am," Lucius replied as he walked toward the room and brushed the curtain aside.

Inside of the room were four men and three prostitutes. Three of the men sat down next to each other as the two prostitutes were giggling with them and began to pour red wine into their cups. The other man was naked and was too busy having sex on the table with the prostitute than to join in his friend's laughter. The woman was sitting on top of the edge of the table with legs wrapped around the man's thrusting yet sweaty body. With each stroke of his hips, the woman's nails ran deeper into the man's back as her moans turned into shrieks of pleasure.

The man himself was 20 years of age and had a strong build. He was extremely handsome, with every single muscle on his body was perfectly tone and chiseled with no excess fat on his body. He stood at six feet and two inches with short straight auburn hair and a lightly trimmed beard stubble with a strong, handsome jawline. He was the son of Lucius Julius and Octavia, and the husband of Appia; he was Proculus Julius.

Lucius' and Antonius' eyes remained fixated on the young troublemaker as he pumped his hips harder into the moaning whore. Antonius mouth dropped, Lucius began gritting his teeth. After taking another a swig of wine, one of Proculus' friends, Tatumius, finally noticed that Proculus' father was standing right behind the thrusting man. Tatumius' was gripped in so much fear that he couldn't speak. All he could do was alert his two other friends, and as they turned around, they too were paralyzed with fear. But Proculus remained focus on his attempt to reach a climax inside the prostitute.

"Oh you fuck like the Gods!" the whore moaned to Proculus as her nails dug deeper into his back.

"A fine jest," Proculus grunted as he continued to pump his hips, "You know I am a better lover than the Gods themselves!"

"Uh, Proculus, I believe you should stop," Tatumius warned Proculus while his eyes were still upon the furious Lucius.

"Nonsense, I am going to finish in about 30 more strokes!" Proculus snorted without turning his head around.

"Proculus, you have someone very important that wants to break words with you!" Proculus' second friend said.

"He can wait until I finish!" Proculus shouted as his tempo increased.

"Proculus! Please stop fucking the whore and turn around!" The third friend insisted.

"I don't care if fucking Jupiter himself was behind me! I would see him dead if he dares to interrupt me!" Proculus blasphemed as he was on the verge of climax.

"Then turn around and see if you can best your father!" Lucius snapped in a furious bellowing voice.

Proculus' rapid pace thrusting stopped in a blink of an eye. The sound of his father's voice caused his heart to sink to his stomach. The floor felt like it fell out from underneath his feet. The moment felt unreal, why would his father be here? How did he know that Proculus was there? Was that even his voice? Hundreds of thoughts of doubt about reality raced throughout Proculus' head in only a few seconds.

"What are you doing here Proculus?!" Lucius shouted at the frozen Proculus.

The sudden shout by his father surprised Proculus so much that he climaxed within the prostitute and released his seed inside her without him realizing. Proculus pulled out of the woman and spun around to see that both his father and Antonius were right in front of him, glaring him down with condemning eyes.

"Father! I-I-I...I can explain! I j-j-just—" Proculus stammered as he tried to conjure up any excuse that could justify his actions. But unfortunately for Proculus, he made a grave error.

When Proculus wildly pulled out of the prostitute, his seed was still shooting out when he pulled out. As he spun around to face his father and Antonius, his seed began to fly throughout the air; landing on the foot of Lucius, while a majority of Proculus' seed landed on Antonius' thigh and on the back of his left hand. Needless to say, the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

Antonius screamed in horror as the white fluid landed on the back of his hand. He backed away from Proculus, still screaming in disgust, and madly shook his hand to fling Proculus' seed off his hand. Lucius just stood there and examined his own son's semen staining his foot. He brought his head up; and began breathing heavily with his mouth closed in anger and scowled his son to shame with crazed eyes.

Before Proculus could utter a word to apologize; Antonius, possessed with rage, walked up towards Proculus and drew his right arm back, and delivered a mighty right hook towards Proculus' face. The punch caused Proculus to fall backwards and to bang his head against the edge of the table, knocking the young man out cold.

His friends and the whores sat their speechless at the sight of the governor's son lying unconscious and naked in a puddle of wine. Lucius turned his stare upon the six petrified onlookers and slowly growled with hate at them, "If anyone here breaks words of gossip of what has just happened; you all will be exiled. Now leave."

All six scurried out of the room like rabbits being hunted for sport. Antonius stood over Proculus' unconscious body and shook his head in disappointment.

"Humblest apologies General," Antonius sincerely apologized to Lucius, "I-I, I just lost control when his—"

"Be calm Antonius," Lucius said as he silence his Captain with a waved hand, "The fault does not lie with you, but this drunken fool that overstepped his position."

Lucius knelt down next to his son's sleeping naked body and gazed on in shame of his son's drunken stupor. Lucius once again buried his face into his hand and sighed in disappointment.

"What am I going to do with this boy Antonius?" Lucius asked.

". . . What should be told to his wife?" Antonius asked his concerned general.

"We tell her anything that does not pertain to this unholy establishment. She is the daughter of Consul Maxentius of the Senate. If she knows of his infidelity, his reputation could plummet and ruin all chances for position in the Senate." Lucius removed his hand and stared at Antonius with serious eyes, "I will not allow that to happen."

"Of course General."

"Although it pains heart to see son so immoral; I . . . I still have some hope for him," Lucius said as he cradled his son's head, "But take note Antonius, this is the last time that this will happen. Things are going to change."

Now how many of us have been caught doing something stupid by our parents? I know that I have, many of times.

Anyway thank you for reading and if you are confused with the dialogue in the story; I am using the dialogue based off the Latin dialogue from the Starz series Spartacus. I love the show in every way especially how they would not speak conventionally in English or use conventional grammar; which kind of makes sense to me since the Romans most likely spoke in a different way than people who speak English would. If you have not seen the Spartacus series, than you should. Please leave reviews, I would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you think the dialogue is awkward or not.

Thank you all!