296 B.C. -I Really Did Admire Her- 280 B.C.

I'm just going to type this in modern English, because I, frankly, don't know how they spoke way back then, and it makes it easier for you, my favored viewers, to read. No need to thank me, your praise is enough. Also, the German and Greek will be modern for exactly the same reasons.

…"And then he just glares at me and runs off! I mean, what the hell? You know what I mean, Mama Greece?"

"Mm-hm, of course, dear." Mama Greece said off-handedly, focusing on the red strip she was embroidering onto the white cloth.

"No you don't! You're not even listening to me~!" Young Rome whined, kicking his legs in frustration as if he were still a child. Of course, he'd always be a child in Mama Greece's eyes. A child just like any of her other city-states, even if he wasn't really hers.

"Of course I have been." The beautiful, long and curly haired woman continued sowing. "Germania has been hassling your troops near the northern edge of your territory for the better part of a century, but whenever you go out to meet him he just goes back to hiding in the trees. Which rather puts you off." Rome huffed and she smiled. Children really were so predictable, and yet so hard to manage at the same time. The only real reasons she hadn't tried to take him was because the Great Alexander of Macedonia had been busy chasing Persia out of Egypt, all the way to a woman who called herself India. But that was over now. With the death of Alex and Cassander, Macedonia's house was, thankfully, in chaos and Greece was getting her strength back together.

Rome shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the long silence and the draft in the corridor. "Are ya done yet, Mama Greece?" He wanted to put his toga back on!

"You're obsessed with that Germania, boy. Why is that?" Ugh, she was avoiding the subject again. Roma really hated it when she did that. But it was Mama Greece. Who was he to argue?

Rome shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest to think. "I don't know," He didn't deny the obsession, "It's just that he's so… Quiet… and serious, and he actually made me pay tribute that time, and he really pisses me off! And his eyes are blue!" Greece glanced over at him for that. What an odd thing to say… Rome noticed he'd caught her attention and kept on. "They are! I've told ya this before, right? I mean, seriously, yellow hair and blue eyes? Nobody looks like that! Well, 'cept the Gods, that is."

"Oh, so you mean to liken this barbarian to a God?" Greece inquired, gesturing to a statue of the great goddess Athena, Minerva to Rome, at the end of the hall.

"No, not at all!" Rome protested, not missing the dangerous note in her tone. "He's just… outlandish, is all."

Mama Greece nodded, satisfied that he hadn't meant any sacrilege. Terrible things happened to those that dishonored the Gods, even to nations. She remembered a time when she'd insulted the great goddess Aphrodite… That entire Trojan business had just been a fiasco, not to mention poor Odysseus's return trip! There was another long silence, filled with Rome's sighing and fidgeting, before she finally decided to relieve his suffering. "How is your hunt for Etruria going?"

The tanned boy grinned, finally finding something happy to say. "I think we got 'im this time! We raised Tarquina to the ground a few years back, and I'd nearly gutted him too~…" He'd been chasing Etruria ever since he'd kicked out his ruler two centuries ago. The Latin hated the other for forcing him to be a slave in his own house, never mind the cultural and technological benefits he received for a century's worth of rule. Rome had sworn to never be humiliated like that again. "He's holed up in the northern mountains," Rome scowled, "With Samnium some Gauls."

"Ah, so I take it that Germania will be on the scene?" Rome nodded and Greece smiled at him. "Then why so glum? Rejoice, for you might find your chance in the melee to come." Rome stared at her for a moment, wondering why he hadn't thought of it like that, as Mama Greece smoothed out the fabric. "Come, dear Rome, and see what you think."

Rome stood, still thinking about Etruscan and Germania, and walked over to where Greece knelt. He lifted his arms up so that the graceful woman could wrap the cloth around his waist and over his shoulders, wondering if have his three strongest enemies in one place could be considered a good idea.

Mama Greece straightened his toga in all the right places, not doubting that he'd find a way to muss them again, and looked up at his young pensive face. Rome didn't think much. He was the kind to blow off anyone's opinion and jump into the fray, giving the fight all he got, grinning like a mad-man the entire way. It was disturbing to see him so distressed. Mama Greece graced the back of her hand down the side of his face and Rome looked up, blinking. "You should visit my house some time."

"Why would I need to?" He asked, "You've got a bunch of colonies just south of me. I can see ya whenever I want like that."

"Yes, but I'm not always here, am I?" Ah, she had him there. "You would enjoy meeting Sparta. He would insist on battling you every time you meet, but that's not really something you'd mind, would you?" Rome shook his head. "Athens could show you her temples and statues. She's really very fond of them. …Though you'd have to watch out for Thebes. He'd steal your drachma faster than you could bat a lash." Rome was grinning now and Greece leaned in closer, a smirk on her own lips. "I could treat you to some of that Gastrin you so like. What do you say?"

"Sure!" He beamed, pumped at the prospect of actually going to see her home. She'd told him much about it, and of her city-states, but there was only so much he could learn from stories. Rome really admired Greece. She was tall and regal, with long, thick tresses of dark brown hair and brilliant green eyes. He'd never seen anyone with eyes like Mama Greece.

"It's settled, then." She stood, Rome's head only coming a little below her chest. "I'll come for you in a month, if nothing happens at home. Make sure you have things settled before you leave."

"You can count on me!"

The meeting room was dark and quiet, despite the drink, and the fire-light, and decorations like the flamboyant tapestries that decorated the walls. Etruria and Samnite poured over a map of the Appenine Mountains and the lands below, crossing out certain areas where their troops had been camped. At least, until Claudius and Flamma blazed the campaign trail.

"We've been battling on the western front, but Claudius refuses to give way." The Etruria ran a hand through his short black hair. "We're standing off here," he pointed to the south-western border of his remaining territory, "but we'll need rations soon. How is it with Flamma?"

"Oh, we won't have any trouble from him anymore, the bleeding-heart bastard." Samnium had his arms crossed over his chest confidently. "A pretty girl bats her eyes, a whinin' babe or two. The man's a woman, I swear. It's the two lackeys, Maximus and Mus we need to look out fer." He leaned over the map, pointing out a place or two. "Mus is conductin' operations all in here. Fourty-five camps."

"Forty-five at once? Impossible."

Samnium grinned up at him. "Oh that's nothing. Maximus's got eighty-six." Etruria blew out a breath, running that damn hand through his hair again. Bet the little pale-skinned bastard had to actually win any of his battles himself before, the wuss. This'd be the third time he'd pitted his strength against Rome, and the second that the Etruscan had joined him, not that he did much. He even sued for peace last year, the coward! But, in speaking of his allies… "Hey, Gaul! Are you getting all this, boy?" The barbarian boy looked up from his seat at the far end of the table and stared at him, and after a moment or two of this the Samnite asked him again, in that gibberish language of his.

A female servant tried to refill his glass, but he raised a hand and she backed away, Germania still staring at the other nation. "Zeige mir, wo der Feind verbirgt. Ich werde den erledigen."

"I'm sure you will." Germania, the barbarian who didn't really have a nation, just hundreds of scattered brigands, was really rather creepy. Oh sure, he was an awesome fighter, and a loyal mercenary, but he just didn't feel. He never laughed, or cried, never even twitch an eyebrow. The most emotion he'd ever shown was when they'd been trying to haggle down his price. For someone so normally stubborn he perked up right-quick when he'd heard that they were up against Rome. …And, seriously, what with that hair?

"So, do we have a general idea of what we're up against, or is there more?" Etruria drawled.

"Other than the fact that my entire southern legion's been annihilated? No, not much."

Etruria gaped at Samnium, taking a moment to respond. "That could have been useful information before we started this meeting."

"What? Like it isn't now?" Samnium scoffed. "Besides, it's not like you can back out now." Though the yellow-bellied cur was likely to try anyways. Samnium looked back down at the map. "We need to gather out forces here, two leagues past the Sentinum plains," he said, gesturing to the spot. "From there we can organize and overtake the Roman encampment to the south. That'll throw off their lines and eliminate Maxi and Mus from the picture." He smirked at Etruria, who didn't look at all convinced, before turning towards Germania. "Think you can follow that much, Gaul?"

"Ja, du schweine."

Third Samnite War – Battle of Sentinum – 295 B.C.

All around him he saw nothing but chaos, panic, and disorder. At last, Rome's work here was done.

He'd waited two full days before attacking Samnium, which was a personal best, before charging the enemy lines. Samnium was exhausted. Rome could tell, if not because of the thousands of Samnite warriors he'd killed, then because of how easily he'd been run off of the battle field. That little barbarian brat, however, was a different story.

He and Decius Mus had led a magnificent cavalry charge that failed spectacularly against the Gallic chariots. Since when did the little yellow-haired brat get that kind of technology? And it almost looked like they were going to lose until Decius committed the Act of Devotio, riding alone into enemy ranks, knowing that he was going to die. This was enough to rally the men, and with Fabius back from his defeat of the Samnites things were not looking well for Germania.

Rome finally spotted him as he rode through the fury of swords, horses, and shields. The young Gaul reared back, slashing at a Roman soldier who had been trying to skewer his horse. Rome smirked and launched himself at the pale blond brat, catching him around the middle and slamming him into the ground. He straddled Germania as the boy gasped for breath, reaching back for his- What? Aw man! Did he really just leave his sword with his horse?

Germania took advantage of the darker-skinned boy's distraction and slammed his fist into the side of Rome's face.

Rome reeled back, dazed, leaving Germania free to grab his sword and mount his horse again, lifting his weapon into the air with a cry of, "Zurückgreifen! Rückzug!" Those remaining Gauls obeyed, leaving the field and retreating back into the mountains.

"And that's really what happened?"

"Yeah, it totally is!" Rome scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "And he stole my horse too, the little heathen!" It had been a little more than a few months until Mama Greece had finally come to get him. A few years, actually. Five years, to be exact, but he'd finally managed to force Samnium to surrender. Rome had to hand it to Samnium, he was one tough guy. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have been so merciful. …And he was still chasing that Etruria bastard! He'd skipped out before the actual fighting even started.

Greece didn't seem to believe him, but smiled and nodded all the same. "So, mikrí̱ di̱mokratía mou, who do you suppose will be your next target? After all, you never seem to be pleased unless you're waging war against someone," She teased.

Rome thought about this a moment. "Actually… I think you're my next target."

"…" She blinked. "What?"

"I really like your southern colonies, Mama Greece." Rome grinned up at her. "Besides, it'd be nice having a whole peninsula to myself!"

Rome really did admire Greece. He admired her art, her Spartan strategies, her culture... her architecture. What better way to learn how she did it all than to own a few of her colonies? Besides, it wasn't like she was going to miss them.

Much.

Yes, before anyone asks, Rome was naked for a good portion of the first scene. A body was a body, and nobody cared because your birthday suit wasn't damned by the local church. In fact, among his many other duties, Apollo was the god of young gay men. But I'm sure a lot of you know this. Something you may not know is that Gastrin would eventually become Baklava, a favorite pastry in modern-day Greece, and if you haven't tried it, you should. A little messy, but absolutely delicious.

Zeige mir, wo der Feind verbirgt. Ich werde den erledigen. - "Show me where the enemy hides. I will handle the rest." …Or, as close as I could get to it.

Ja, du schweine. - Yes, you pig.

Zurückgreifen! Rückzug! - Fall back! Retreat!

mikrí̱ di̱mokratía mou - My little Republic