Chapter Two

Back in the palace, in another room, a man with a scar on his forehead was talking to the senate of Rome. The head senator having a discussion with the senators happened to be Nero's cousin, Vulcan. And right beside him is Mars, his centurion and right-hand man.

A fly started buzzing around and Vulcan waved at it with his hand. "Yeah," said Mars, "I got it, Vulcan." The fly landed on his forehead and he smacked himself to get rid of the fly, but failed.

Bored with the senators' talking, Vulcan said "It is not our concern whether your family has- what was it again?"

"Um, food?" said one of the senators.

"Ha! You really should have thought of that before you became a senator! Now we're done. Meeting adjourned."

Before the senators would say anything, Vulcan took off. He walked through the hallway to the throne room, with Nero absent. He sat on the throne, rubbing his face and moaning.

Then Nero's voice quietly said "Having a hard time with the senate?"

"Tell me about it…" said Vulcan, then he freaked out before noticing Nero's beside him. "Your highness. You almost scared me to death."

"You were doing it again." said Nero.

"Doing? Doing what?"

"Doing my job. I'm the emperor and you're the head senator. Remember that?"

"Yes, I remember, but logically, I have the right to take command of the senate in your… absence."

Then Mars arrived and said "Good thinking, Vulcan. What do you say, Nero?"

Mars tapped Nero, who jumped back and said "Whoa, no touchy! No touchy! No touch!"

"Sorry. Oh, and by the way. The picador in the coliseum is requesting food for the lions. They're hungry."

But Vulcan objected "That request is temporarily suspended while we are attempting to secure the chain of command."

But Mars looked clueless from hearing that. "Meaning what exactly?"

"What part didn't you get?"

"Not a word."

Then a guy showed up. "Uh, excuse me, your highness." he said. "The village leader is here to see you."

"Oh, great, send him in." said Nero before turning back to Vulcan. "By the way, you're fired."

"Fired?!" shocked Vulcan. "How can you fire me?"

"Uh, how else can I say it? You're being let go, your department's being downsized, you're part of an outplacement, we're going in a different direction, we're not picking up your option. Take your pick. I've got more!"

"But I- I, uh-" Vulcan didn't know what to say. But he continued "…but your highness, I'm your cousin; your only heir. You can't fire someone in your bloodline."

"Hey hey, you're just my cousin… three times removed. That's not what I call being an heir. So, who's in my chair?"

Mars said with bright, excited smile "Oh, oh, I know! Vulcan! Vulcan's in your chair, right?"

"Very good, Mars! Here, get the snack!"

Nero threw a cookie across the room. "Got it!" said Mars chasing after the runaway cookie, then he ran into a column and accidently bumped himself on the head.

"Okay, you heard the man!" said Nero. "Up, up, up!"

"I'm okay! I'm alright!" said Mars.

Frustrated, Vulcan got off the throne and left, muttering under his breath. With him gone, Nero sat back down on his throne for his guest. "Okay. Come in."

Outside the throne room, Pyrrha and her father were at the entrance. "Pyrrha," said her father, "wait here for me." He entered the room with a scroll in his hand. Pyrrha was eavesdropping on their talk. "Uh, afternoon, your highness. I'm here because I received a summons-"

"Hey, there he is!" said Nero. "My main village man!"

"Uh, Helius." the man said. "Anyway, I got this summons-"

"Helius! That's right, you are just the man I wanted to see!

Puzzled, Helius looked at the emperor with a clueless look in the eye. "I am?"

"Word on the street is you can fix my problem." said Nero getting off his throne and coming over. "You can fix my problem, can't you?"

"Sure, I'll do what I can."

"Good, good, that's just what I wanted to hear. Are you aware of just how important your village is to the empire?

"Well, I know we grow the crops that you use here at the palace. We also herd the sheep that you-" But before Helius would finish, Nero lifted a sheet to reveal a small model of Helius's village. A nice looking place at the edge of a cliff by the Tyrrhenian Sea. "…my village?"

Without anyone looking, Pyrrha sneaked into the throne room and eyed at the model.

"Oh yeah." Nero replied. "You've got a pretty sweet little setup up there on the edge, don't ya?

"Yes, my family has lived there for the last seven generations."

"So tell me, where exactly is it?"

"Oh, I'd say just 42 miles north from Pompei. When the sun hits that cliff just right, the birds sing."

Then Nero said "Well that settles it. Problem solved, thanks for coming."

"That's it?" asked Helius, puzzled again. "That's all you wanted me for?"

"I just needed an insider's direction before I okayed this spot for my pool."

"Uh…. What pool?"

Suddenly, Nero slammed down a model of a Roman building on top of where Helius's house was. "This pool!" he said. "Welcome to Nerolympus, my ultimate summer getaway! With four hundred acres of waterslides! Awesome, right? It's my birthday gift to me!"

Pyrrha, still spying on them, looked shocked to see and hear that.

"Uh-I don't understand how this could happen." said Helius.

"Well, let me clear it up for you." said Nero, trying to make things clear for Helius. "At my birthday celebration next week, I give the word, and your town will be destroyed to make way for this. So if I were you, I'd pick up some change of address forms on the way home and give the word."

Then Pyrrha showed up and asked "But where will we live?"

Surprised, the two looked back to see her standing right by them. Without asking who she is, Nero replied "Hmmm… don't know, don't care. How's that?"

"Wait a minute, you can't just-" But before Pyrrha could finish, two guards blocked her path with their spears.

Worried for her safety, Helius said "Your highness, please forgive my daughter. She's only-"…

Then Nero motioned his hand to make him stop talking. "When I give the word, your little town thingy will be bye-bye. So… good day!"

Then the guards escorted the peasants out of the room. Nero was smiling proudly, believing everything was going his way.