Amyntor finished his tirade and dumped the letter onto his desk, visibly fuming.
"I said I'm sorry, father."
"Iulus is the son of a traitor, Hephaistion. His father fought against your grandfather and so doing threatened our democracy! Iulus, by all accounts, is not unlike his father and Antony is not a man I would have wished you associated with."
"Yes. Like I said twice before, I'm sorry."
Amyntor sighed, "Then take care around Iulus and those like him in the future."
"Yes, father."
"There's something else, Hephaistion," Amyntor said. He hesitated. Hephaistion sat down, anxious as to what could be coming. Amyntor came forward and guided his son to the couch. He put his hand on Hephaistion's shoulder, looking extremely reluctant.
"There's something you need to know, Hephaistion," he said seriously. Hephaistion could feel his heart speeding up.
"What happened? Is grandfather angry with me?"the words tumbled out.
Amyntor shook his head, " Hephaistion, he doesn't know. It's worse than that. It's your aunt Julia, she's about to see grandfather right now." He paused then took a breath. "She's about to be punished, Hephaistion, and very severely."
A mere "why" was all Hephaistion managed to get out.
Amyntor sighed, "Last night, someone tried to kill your grandfather and –" Hephaistion gasped, horrified. "No, no, he's fine," Amyntor assured. "But Aunt Julia's not. A man who grandfather thinks is her lover was the assassin. This morning he was found guilty and executed. I don't think my sister is going to be executed but she's facing charges of adultery and treason."
Hephaistion swallowed, "So what's…what's going to happen now?"
"She'll see Augustus and hear her punishment."
"Can't you do anything? Surely Aunt Julia wouldn't harm Augustus?"
"I'd like to think not. When her sentence is read to the Assembly, then I will be able to speak out. But then it might just be too late."
Hephaistion nodded, "Shouldn't…shouldn't the children be here so long or something?"
"Augustus won't allow it. No doubt Livia will be poisoning their minds right now."
Hephaistion glanced up at his father's bitter tone. Then he continued, "Anyway, that's also why I'm not impressed with last night, Hephaistion. I need you to behave for the next while, okay?"
He nodded. Amyntor sighed then hugged him, "We mustn't be cross with each other- least of all now, if we want to challenge Augustus."
The following morning Aunt Julia left. Augustus had wasted no time: already the old nursery in his house was ready for the children. The two babies did not seem to mind but her older children went with anxiety. Their mother had told them of Livia's cruelty to her when she was a girl, indeed they had just seen it take place. So Gaius believed. Whispering to pale Hephaistion at sacrifice the morning of Julia's quiet departure, he confessed his hatred of the woman he now labelled a witch. Afterwards the children came to Amyntor's house to spend the morning while Hephaistion went to school.
They were discussing foreign policy, commonly simplified to Athenian-Macedon relations.
"Well, let's talk news from the frontline," the teacher said.
"There is no frontline," Chares said bluntly. They all laughed.
"No, not, yet but if you'd follow the news you'd know there might well be soon. Now, tell me the news and let us discuss politics, my boys."
One boy put his hand up, " Macedon is at war again,sir."
The teacher sighed, "Very good start. Now someone tell me the juicy details. Treachery, broken peace agreements, murders, bribes…let us name the sins of the Macedonians- not to prejudice you, but so that we may view corruption in politics and discover how we might curb it."
"War is inevitable, you know," Hephaistion said softly to Iulus. They were walking towards the noble quarter, having run into each other at the gymnasium.
"I know," Iulus replied.
Hephaistion glanced at him, "You really don't care what happens?"
He shrugged, " I want Athens to win, of course. Sometimes, though, I wish she'd lose just to blight your grandfather's career."
"You hate him that much?"
"I don't agree with everything he says and does," Iulus smiled. "But I'm enough of an Athenian not to pray for a Macedonian victory."
Hephaistion laughed softly. They were just inside the quarter now. "You should probably go now. You know how my father feels about you."
Iulus smiled, that mischievous, knowing smile and nodded.
Hephaistion swallowed, "Where do you live?"
Iulus pointed down the road, "Five minutes in. You live on the other side, hey? The fancier side."
"The even fancier side, yes."
Iulus leaned against the Herm-pole, "Perhaps one day I can show you the plainly fancy side."
Hephaistion coloured, "Yes. Well, bye then."
He was turning to leave when Iulus caught his arm and pulled him behind a coach. Hephaistion gasped, "Iulus?"
Iulus grinned, still holding his arm, " Couldn't leave you again without a kiss." Suddenly Iulus had his arms around him and had pressed Hephaistion tightly against the wooden frame. His lips touched Hephaistion's gently, then began sucking each lip individually. Hephaistion moaned softly, one arm coming up around Iulus's neck and the other on his chest. Soon their kiss got more passionate and Iulus had lifted Hephaistion's legs up, draping them around his waist. Their passion was disrupted as voices came from across the street. They broke apart, breathing heavily. Iulus grinned devilishly, "Best hurry home, then."
Hephaistion exhaled, unsure of what to do. Iulus's grin widened, "That was better than I imagined, you know."
Hephaistion managed a shy smile, "You wanted me?"
"I liked you from the start."
They started walking down the road. Hephaistion smiled, "I like you, too."
Iulus grinned, "You're quite a kisser, Agrippa did you good it seems." Hephaistion blushed, astonished. Iulus brushed his hand against his own, leaned in and whispered cockishly, " My imagination alone left me hard. That was just from imagining your lips. Now that I've tasted them, maybe I can move on to an even nicer part of you. Who knows? I might get even harder."
Iulus laughed and brushed Hephaistion's thigh with his own. Hephaistion felt a thrill run through his body. Iulus's words that day had left him eager for more. Although nothing more had happened yet, they'd managed to share their passionate kisses every day in the strangest locations. The things they did for love and the places they went for privacy! Just yesterday, after conspicuously avoiding each other at the gymnasium, they'd gone to the storage room, behind the barrels of fresh sand, made out and Hephaistion swore to have felt Iulus's erection. He was so sure they would have done it there but then they'd heard voices and had fled.
Iulus leaned closer, "Why don't we go outside for a bit?"
They were at a party at Kyros's house, celebrating Athens's victory in the islands. Hephaistion nodded, eager to make out again.
They went outside separately. Then they made out gently in the shadows. Iulus pressed a kiss against his cheek, whispered softly, "Come with me."
Hephaistion tried his best to look at Iulus's face while his face was plastered with kisses. Iulus kissed his eyelid, moving down to nibble on his earlobe murmuring, "Say yes."
Hephaistion smiled blissfully and agreed. Iulus kissed him deeply and he moaned deeply in his throat. Iulus put his arm around his waist and guided him out of the house.
"Where are we going?"
Iulus smiled mysteriously, "You'll see."
Eventually they arrived lower down in the quarter in front of a large but rather plainly adorned house. Hephaistion glanced alarmed at Iulus, realising where this was going. The slave opened the gate and Iulus stepped inside. He turned back to look at Hephaistion who hadn't moved. " I thought we were ready for this, Hephaistion. We'll just hang out."
Hephaistion smiled amused, "I highly doubt that." But he stepped inside.
Sure enough, they were making out passionately from the door. They made it to a couch in the dining room where Iulus squashed Hephaistion beneath him. He spread his thighs and they continued kissing desperately. This time, Iulus's arousal could not be mistaken and neither could Hephaistion's.
"Hephaistion…mmm,"Iulus groaned. "Let's move to my bedroom."
They ran upstairs and collapsed on Iulus's bed. Iulus moved away and quickly stripped. Hephaistion leaned on his elbows and took in Iulus's massive erected penis, dripping with semen. Soon, Iulus was pulling Hephaistion's clothes off and spreading his legs. He reached for the oil and coated Hephaistion. Hephaistion moaned and gripped Iulus's hips as Iulus pushed inside of him. He wasn't gentle but Hephaistion was too aroused to care. He hadn't had sex since Agrippa had left for Euboea and that had been two months ago. He was fourteen and Iulus's long hard thrusts that night were like paradise.