Genius in the Brothel

Rome, 71 b.c.

I was sitting in the room with Pompeia, my mother, waiting for her to finish with a client. It used to scare me and make me sick whenever I saw Pompeia with a client, but now, I didn't care anymore. I didn't see her as my mother anymore. Not really. I'd lost respect for her years ago. She always told me to be a normal boy and to stop pouting. It was never a pout, but a sneer of disgust. Eventually, I wasn't even doing that. At the age of eight, I was already completely void of any emotion. I didn't see the point in it anymore.

When the man was finally done, I looked away and waited for them to leave. I wasn't allowed anywhere else in the brothel without someone with me and there was rarely anyone available or willing to lead an eight year old around. And I avoided Miss Renata because she would beat me whenever she had the chance. I had to do everything myself, never receiving any help from anyone. I taught myself how to read and write, I could read music and play music, I would experiment with chemicals for fun, anything to keep me occupied.

"Just go to the front desk and Miss Renata will collect your payment there." The man my mother had serviced nodded his head.

"Of course." He spanked Pompeia once before walking out of the room. Then Pompeia looked at me with a slight look of contempt.

"What's wrong, Titus?" I rolled my eyes.

"Every day, you ask me the same question and every day, I tell you the same thing. There's nothing wrong."

"No one would ever know with a face like yours. It's like looking in the eyes of death. You're so vacant." I looked at Pompeia and didn't change my expression and said my sarcastic piece.

"And I'm sure that you as a loving mother are very concerned about my mental wellbeing." Pompeia sneered at me and walked over to slap me. I didn't even flinch when she hit me. It was a far cry from the worst I'd ever been through. Even being whipped didn't hurt anymore.

"Watch the way you speak to me, Titus. I'm your mother, and I will be treated with the respect I deserve."

"You haven't earned that respect from me, Pompeia. You're not my mother, only the woman that carried me while I grew." She slapped me again and I still didn't flinch.

"I brought you into this world and that makes me your mother. You will address me as your mother and treat me with the respect I deserve as your mother."

"You're my mother when it's most convenient for you, Pompeia. Otherwise, I'm just a burden you were forced to bare."

Pompeia glared at me wide eyed for a moment before she slapped me one more time and left the room altogether at long as. When she was gone, I took out a knife and some wood and made myself something. Miss Renata always took these things away, but it was one of the few ways to entertain myself that I had here.

It took me an hour and a half to finish what I was making, and when I was done I was really proud of it. I'd carved the image of Cerberus and had made him as gruesome and powerful looking as I could. It was written down stories of the gods and their pets that taught me how to read. When I was done carving it out, I left the room as quietly as I could and looked through the brothel for paint. I knew there was some here, certainly enough for me to make Cerberus black with red eyes like the stories say.

When I found it, I brought it back to the room I was supposed to be in and started painting. Shortly after I got back, Pompeia came back with another customer. He was probably a soldier. He looked desperate from what I could tell. He looked a little surprised to see me, but as soon as Pompeia started servicing him, he forgot all about me. I'd learned a long time ago to just ignore her whenever she had a client. Even if she was on all fours taking balls to the face.

I ignored them the whole time and kept my attention on my little figurine that I'd made, trying to make it look perfect. I painted carefully, not wanting to risk smearing the paint with my fingers, so painting took a little longer. Pompeia and her client were finished with their business before I was done painting, but I was almost done. All I needed to do were the legs and eyes. Pompeia told the man to go to the front desk where Miss Renata was and she looked at me as soon as the man was gone. I ignored her.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a figure."

"I can see that. A figure of what?"

"Cerberus." She gave me a weird look.

"Why would you make a figure of a guardian of the dead?" I held back my sarcastic sigh.

"Cerberus isn't a guardian of the dead, he guards the River Sticks so souls can't escape Hades. You'd know that if you ever read any of the scrolls we have lying around the brothel." Pompeia was silent a moment, so I didn't pay her any mind. Then she took the Cerberus figurine from my hands, looked at it a moment, then rolled her eyes at me.

"If you're so god damn smart, why don't you just read them?"

Without another word from either of us, Pompeia left the room with my Cerberus figurine in hand, most likely planning to give it to Miss Renata to dispose of. With nothing left to do, I left the room to look for a scroll and went right back to the room when I found one. I didn't see Pompeia for the rest of that day, to my relief. I didn't see her again until late in the afternoon when she was getting ready for bed.

"Did you save some food for me?" Pompeia nodded.

"Yeah, it's downstairs. There wasn't much left when I last checked, so you better get down there quick." I rolled my eyes with a silent sigh as I closed the scroll and walked downstairs. Far be it beyond my mother to make sure I eat.

There wasn't much left, but it was enough to tide me over. How I wasn't skin and bones, I'd never know. It was a slimy soup like thing that tasted awful, but it was comparatively better than most food I got to eat. I went right back upstairs when I was done eating. I didn't want to encounter Miss Renata today. I heard she was in a really bad mood today, something to do with her husband. I didn't pay attention to the extent of the details. All I knew was that today was a day I wanted to avoid her.

Pompeia was already asleep when I got upstairs to our room, so I took my normal spot as far away from her in the room as possible and tried to sleep. I always had a really hard time sleeping. I would lay awake for at least an hour before I was anywhere near tired. It felt like as soon as I went to sleep, I was forced awake again early in the morning from Pompeia roughly nudging me awake.

"Wake up. There's breakfast downstairs. If you want any, you better get down there." As Pompeia walked out of the room to go downstairs, I pushed myself out of bed, feeling groggy and heavy-eyed.

When I got downstairs, there was still some food left, so I grabbed enough to keep me satisfied. I wasn't sure who cooked the food at the brothel, but I was convinced this person was slowly trying to poison us all with rancid food. When I finished my food, I left the kitchen area and ran back upstairs so I could get a bath before any of the other women in the brothel. When I was done with my bath, I looked for an instrument to play and went back to the room I was supposed to be in when I found something.

I was relieved to have the whole room to myself for most of the day. It wasn't often that I ever had more than one hour to myself to do what I please without being scolded or yelled at. But later in the day, I heard the tell tale footsteps coming towards the room and did my best to ignore it. Pompeia came in with a customer who looked like he was in a good mood until he saw me. I tried to ignore him, but he didn't pay me the same respect.

"Why is there a child in here?" Pompeia looked at me, then back at her customer trying to get his attention back.

"Pay him no mind. He's just my son. He won't be a bother." The man looked at her surprised.

"You let your child stay in here when you have a customer?" Pompeia tried looking innocent. It never ceased to disgust me how easily manipulated a desperate man was. I kept my rolling eyes to myself of course.

"It doesn't bother him. He keeps himself entertained and doesn't pay attention to what I'm doing."

"Of course he pays attention. He's a child." Pompeia finally lost her patience with the man and crossed her arms.

"Either you want a good fuck or not."

"Not when a little kid's in the room. Get rid of the boy, and there won't be an issue." Pompeia sighed and looked at me.

"You heard him, boy. Get out." I finally looked at them and didn't change my apathetic expression. I wasn't surprised I was being kicked out anyway.

"Where am I supposed to go?"

"I don't care where you go. Just get out of here. I don't make any money if I don't couple this man, and if I lose money because of you, it's the whip." I held up my hands in mock defensiveness.

"Oh, I'm so scared, Pompeia." Without another word from either of us aside from a sneer from Pompeia, I walked out of the room and let her get to work.

Miss Renata was out for the day to my relief. The brothel was being run by her daughter for the time being. Her daughter thought I was cute, so she never bothered me. I took a seat in the showing room where customers would come in and see the whore selection and sat down on one of the pillows and started playing. There was another person there. He wasn't a boy, but he wasn't quite a man yet either. I didn't pay him any mind when I got in the room and started playing until he started talking to me.

"Are you waiting for your dad too?" I laughed without humor.

"I've been waiting for my dad for eight years." The guy was quiet a moment, probably trying to figure out what I meant. When it clicked, his voice seemed filled with pity. It made me mad.

"So your mom's one of the whores here?"

"I prefer to call her Pompeia." Once again, he looked confused a moment.

"You call your mom by her name?"

"So?"

"So, isn't that being disrespectful?" I looked at him with mock surprise.

"No, you think?"

"No need for sarcasm. It was just a question." I sighed.

"Yes, and next time you have a question, make sure it's a good one before you waste my time with it." The guy looked offended and looked away from me. I kept playing my instrument and was ready to end the conversation all together. But he decided to continue.

"I see you have a whore's polite demeanor."

"I learned from the best."

"I'm sure your mother's very proud." I laughed without humor. He actually laughed a little himself, which took me by surprise, though I didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that. "I'm Evander by the way." This time, I did look at him strangely.

"Titus."

"It's nice to meet you, Titus. I can tell you're not really a talker, but would you mind talking to me while I wait for my dad?"

"I can't imagine why you would want to talk to me, but feel free." He laughed a little.

"For someone who was born a slave, you're quite outspoken."

"For someone who's waiting for his dad to finish his business with my mother, you're quite talkative." This time, he laughed loudly. It took me by surprise. No one's ever considered my sarcasm and snarky attitude funny.

"You've got a point I suppose. With a sense of humor like this, everyone must love you."

"Quite the opposite actually. Just about everyone here hates me. They think I'm depressing and cynical."

"I do too, but that's what makes you amusing. Growing up in a whore house, I'm amazed you have a sense of humor."

"What sense of humor? I point out people's stupidity because I have nothing better to do."

"I can see that."

"Why did your father bring you with him to a brothel? This isn't an errand that a father and son do together."

"This was actually supposed to be for me. I'm turning twenty two soon and this is my father's gift to me. I didn't like any of the girls, so he's taking me somewhere else later and having some fun while he's here."

"Wow. Nothing says happy birthday son like a good fuck from a prostitute." He laughed again.

"Exactly. So how old are you?"

"Eight." Evander looked surprised.

"Seriously? I figured you were at least thirteen. You act older than you are."

"I get that a lot."

"So do you know who your father is? My father's a meat vender, so he might know him."

"Why would being a meat vender make him know my father?"

"Because, meat venders sell and cut meat for most the whole city. And with all the regulars, it's easy to remember them by name and face." I looked at him a moment and shrugged.

"Do you know Titan Valero? Pompeia says he's my father." Evander, to my surprise, smiled and nodded his head.

"Sure do. He used to be a soldier, now he works for this man from the country as a hit man. Don't worry, you're not missing anything. He's kind of a prick."

"Shocker." Evander laughed a little again and shook his head.

"Maybe I should tell him about you. He might just free you."

"How wonderful. A bastard father sounds ten times better than a brothel of whores that hate me."

"You could just say, 'Don't bother'."

"No, I'm saying that's a good idea. Sorry, I'm so used to being sarcastic that I have a hard time speaking in any other manner." Evander smiled.

"I understand. The sooner you leave the brothel, the better. You're already nuts. A few more years and you won't be worthy of being called a human being anymore."

"I'm not already?" Despite it being a serious question, Evander laughed at my statement, taking it as a joke.

"Funny, Titus."

"Glad my rudeness is amusing to you."

"Indeed it is, Titus." I wasn't really sure how to respond to Evander. I was so used to being treated like a thing that it was bizarre being treated like a human being and being spoken to like an equal.

Evander kept our conversation going for a good hour before the man Pompeia had been with came down and told Evander they were leaving. Evander smiled at me one last time before waving and saying goodbye to me. It took a minute for me to come up with an appropriate response to his actions. I was so confused by the way he was treating me. When they were gone, Pompeia came back downstairs and grabbed a hold of me and pulled me with her back up the stairs.

"I should make you stay out of the room more often. Once you were gone, he paid all his attention to me."

"How nice."

"Nice indeed. I think I've just hooked a new regular. So that'll make Miss Renata very pleased." I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"You know, Pompeia, for a woman that's a sex slave, you seem oddly eager to please." She nodded at me with a sneer.

"Yes, and you know what that gets me? Treated decently. We all might actually like you if you made an effort to be a half way decent child."

"And I might act like a half way decent child, Pompeia, if you were a half way decent mother. I would've been more normal if I were raised by wolves."

"I'm a hair away from feeding you to the wolves, Titus." When we reached the room, she threw me in and I managed to gain my balance before falling over. "Now stay in here and keep yourself out of trouble. I have work to do."

When Pompeia closed the door after leaving the room, I sat against one of the wall on a pillow trying to think of what I could do to pass the time. There was nothing in the room for me to carve, so I walked out of the room and looked around for something to do while being sure to stay out of sight of any of the other whores. I ended up finding a large bag filled with bottles in the hallway. I opened the bag to see what was in it and was pleasantly surprised to find a whole bunch of different tonics and chemicals.

I looked around really quick to make sure no one saw me, and I took the bag with me to the other room when I knew I was alone. I looked through all the bottles trying to figure out what they all were. Conveniently enough, they were all labeled. Some of them were mushrooms and flowers while others were colored liquids that smelled like fruits and vegetables. The bag also had bowls with mashers for the other herbs in the bottles.

I looked at each bottle and put things together that smelled good. I used an excessive amount of the mushrooms that were in the jars. They wouldn't blend with the other tonics I was mixing together, but I kept them in anyway. The mushrooms were odd colors and it seemed like it would do something. I combined several different tonics until I came out with a liquid that went from deep purple to clear as water. I was stunned by the sudden change in color.

"What are you doing?" I looked up and saw Pompeia in the doorway giving me a weird look. I shrugged.

"Mixing."

"Mixing what? Where did you get that?"

"I found it."

"You found it where?"

"In the hallway." Pompeia's eyes widened.

"You stole a customer's tonics?!" I shrugged apathetically.

"Yeah, so?" I honestly saw no harm in stealing. I'd had things stole from me all the time. I was used to it by now and figured if someone stole something from me, I could always get it back later, so there was no point in crying about it.

"What the hell do you mean, 'yeah so'?! We're the ones that get in trouble when a customer's things go missing."

"They didn't go missing, they're right here. And he can have it all back before he leaves."

"That's not the point, Titus! You stole a customer's things!"

"You know, I wish you would react this way whenever my things were taken from me."

"What the hell's going on in here?" Miss Renata walked into the room behind Pompeia with scolding eyes. Eager to take the blame from herself, Pompeia pointed a finger at me accusingly.

"He stole a customer's things." Miss Renata immediately looked at me with a glare.

"You what?!" Having had enough of being yelled at, I rolled my eyes and stood up holding the large bag.

"Here, take it. If you're going to make such a fuss about it, then I don't want it." Pompeia walked over and took the bag from me. Miss Renata noticed the bowl filled with different things that I'd been working on and looked back at me accusingly.

"What's in the bowl?" I looked at it and shrugged.

"Something I made with the man's tonics." Miss Renata didn't look convinced.

"It looks like water filled with mashed up mushrooms."

"It used to be purple. But then I added this one herbal tonic and it turned clear." She walked over to the bowl, never taking her eyes off me. She picked up the bowl and held it to her nose a moment, then she looked impressed.

"I won't pretend it doesn't smell good." She held it to her nose a few more seconds, then looked at Pompeia. "Smell this." Pompeia looked reluctant, but she walked over and smelled it, also looking surprised.

"It does." Miss Renata looked at me again. This time her face was curious. Then she looked at Pompeia again.

"Taste this. I want to see if it tastes as good as it smells." Once again, Pompeia looked really reluctant to do it. But without a word, she took a sip of the clear liquid from the bowl and looked surprised.

"It's really good." Miss Renata looked at me and for the first time in my life, she smiled at me. It scared me.

"Looks like you finally did something right, Titus." Then she looked at Pompeia and noticed, as did I, that she looked a little disoriented. "Pompeia, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry Miss Renata. I just lost myself for a moment." We both looked at her a moment, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. I ignored it when she left the room. Miss Renata took the bowl of liquid I'd made with her and once again left me with nothing to do.

I left the room and started looking around the brothel looking for something to do. I found a scroll that I'd read several times before and picked it up and took it back to the room to read and pass the time. I couldn't ask for silence, but there wasn't as much loud noises coming from the other rooms as there usually were, so I was grateful for that much. About fifteen minutes later, I heard someone running up the stairs and didn't acknowledge them until that person barged into the room. I looked up and saw Miss Renata standing in the doorway looking at me accusingly.

"What did you make?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That elixir you made, what is it? I set up you mother with a client and she said it felt better and she was having hallucinations while servicing the client that made the sex even better." I gave her a weird stare.

"Why do I need to know this?" Miss Renata got frustrated with me and ran over to me and grabbed a hold of me when she was close enough.

"Do you remember how you made it? Do you remember the exact ingredients?" I did. Of course I did. But what was in this for me was what determined whether I told her that or not.

"Why?"

"I want you to make more of it, what else?! I want you to remember exactly what you did so I can sell this stuff. If I can make a customer's time here more appealing by inducing passionate hallucinations, my business would boom. I need you to make more." I pushed her hands away from me and walked around to the other side of the room looking suspicious.

"Why should I do that for you? What's in it for me?" Miss Renata looked appalled by what I said. But she kept that to herself and tried to reason with me.

"I'll make it worth your while. I'll be kinder to you, you'll get better food and get it first, I'll give you a working position here at the brothel, anything you want. Just tell me what you want and I'll make sure you get it as long as you make more of that potion you made."

"Why should I help you? You won't stay true to your word. As soon as I've made enough, you'll just revert back to the way you always treat me and expect me to make more when you run out."

"I won't Titus, I promise. I'll even let you have some of the money I make with it."

"I'm a slave, Miss Renata, what do I need money for? What could I possibly buy with that money? I couldn't buy my freedom. Who cares if I have the money to buy something nice if I don't have the freedom to enjoy it?"

"You're right. If you do this for me, then I'll give you your freedom when you're older and tell me how to make the elixir myself."

"No you won't, Miss Renata. The moment I help you, nothing will change. I know you, you wrinkled old whore, you won't help me." Miss Renata finally lost her patience with me and ran over to slap me. I took the slap like it was nothing at let her vent.

"You listen to me, and you listen good. You're the bastard one of my whores produced and if I can get anything worthwhile out of your miserable existence, then I fucking will. I let you come into this world, and don't think I wouldn't take back my act of generosity."I fought a laugh at her ridiculous statement and didn't hesitate to make my sarcastic comment.

"Generosity? You've made my life miserable since the day I was born into this world. And no one has less to do with me coming into it as you. You can sell the stuff I made already, but don't bother asking me to make more for you. Slave or not, I have no intention of helping anyone who's hurt me. That includes you." I received another vicious slap from Miss Renata.

"Fine! I'll just get the man you stole the tonics from to remake it for me! I'm sure it's nothing he can't figure out how to do on his own! I gave you a chance you little heathen. Don't ever expect me to be so generous again!"

Then, with a deep scowl on her face and the wrinkles pronounced, she walked out of the room and left me alone at last. I heard Miss Renata try to woo the customer into figuring out what I'd done so she could make more of it. Evidently, the customer was outraged that his things were stolen and refused to do so. He also left proclaiming that he would never be a customer here again, which of course Miss Renata didn't take kindly to at all.

She brought out her frustrations on me as she usually did and once again demanded that I tell her how to make the elixir I'd made. But no matter how much she beat me, I never told her and never agreed to make it for her. I wouldn't reduce myself to a petty failure with a weak will. Even when she threatened to kill me, I wouldn't tell her.

Eventually, she gave up on me and took the elixir to a medicine man that lived near the brothel and asked him to figure out how I'd made the drug. The medicine man wasn't able to make an exact copy. The stuff he made gave the user hallucinations, but evidently, the hallucinations were always scary, portraying a person's phobia. I got a hold of the drug and was easily able to figure out the problem. He handed used the fruits and herbs that I'd used. He still used the strange colored mushrooms, but that wasn't enough to have the affect my stuff had. I had to grin when Miss Renata's plot wasn't going quite her way.

She gave up on the substitute that the medicine man made and stuck to selling mine. It hadn't taken much for Pompeia to get the reaction she had, so Miss Renata sold the drug in small containers that were no bigger than my thumb. It was a hit with any customer that was willing to try it. Of course, because it did so well, it was gone within a few days. I wouldn't lie. Seeing Miss Renata struggle with demanding customers who occasionally got violent was more enjoyable to me than it probably should be. I never thought that making this woman squirm would be so satisfying.

One day when the pressure was too much for her, she came to the room I was in and interrupted me while I was reading. She forced the book out of my hands and placed in front of me a large bag that held all the tonics I needed and then some, just in case I'm sure. I looked at the bag a moment, then looked up at Miss Renata again with a curios look.

"What's all this for?" She rolled her eyes and sighed. Somehow, I think she knew I was taunting her. I was enjoying it too.

"This is all the tonics that man had with him the other day. I checked with him, so I know they're all right." I looked at the bag, looked at her, and kept myself from smiling, trying to look serious.

"And?" The look on her face was priceless, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. It was a sneer combined with a face about to cry with a look of disbelief, all of which she was trying to keep to herself behind a straight face.

"For an eight year old, you're pretty cunning. You're enjoying the trouble this is giving me aren't you?" Again, I fought a smile and kept a look of seriousness.

"I'm but a small boy. I'm not capable of such ruthless behavior."

"Damn it, boy, stop mocking me! Child or not, you know exactly what you're doing and you're enjoying every second of it! I know you are you little bastard."

"That's not going to get me to agree to make more of that drug for you."

Though my face was relatively blank, I said it like a person would when they were lecturing a small child. It was the same tone she used with me whenever she tried to make something I did or said look stupid. She was furious, I could tell. But she held it in and tried to speak to me in a voice that was calm and rational as she could muster.

"I suppose not." Miss Renata rubbed her face a little, trying to keep her frustrations at a standstill. Then when she had enough control, she looked at me again with a stern face. "Just tell me what I can do to make you change your mind."

"Pleasing you is the last thing on my mind Miss Renata. I won't help you in your petty gains when we both know damn well that I won't get anything out of it. I may only be eight, but I know when I'm being shortchanged. I won't give you the satisfaction."

Miss Renata sneered at me again. She'd finally lost every ounce of her patience. I expected her to hit and yell at me. So I wasn't surprised when she slapped me, leading into a nasty beating that I knew all too well. But no matter how many punches she threw at me, I didn't give in to her demands. Eventually she gave up and walked out. She spent a good week trying to copy what I did and make the tonic herself. She gave up after several failures, one of which made one of the young whores violently ill. I would never let her see it, but every time she failed, I smiled a little to myself, getting joy from her failure.