In Veritas Memento
Rating: NC 17
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All aspects of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena are owned by Steven De Knight and Starz. This is for pure entertainment value alone.
This story takes place after the episode Missio, yet it veers completely into an A/U after the events of that episode. I am a huge fan of the series Spartacus; however, my favorite character is Gannicus. This is his story…
Warnings: This story is much like the show. It contains foul language and smut! If that is not your cup of tea, turn back now.
Pairings: There is multiple pairing in this story. Gannicus has more than one partner in this story. However, Gannicus/Melitta is my end game. If you are offended by multiple pairings of the characters, then this story is NOT for you.
If you are like me and just want Gannicus naked as often as possible, then read on. LOL
Chapter 68: Vini, Vidi, Vici: I came, I saw, I conquered!
Circus Maximus: Upon the Pulvinus
With the last-minute addition of Marcus Crassus, his wife and (to Octavia's displeasure) Lucius, every available chair within the large luxury seating area was now filled, even those in the third row, which usually remained open. Batiatus returned to his seat, so the front row now consisted of Claudius and Octavia in the center chairs, with Batiatus and Marcus Crassus on Octavia's right side. On Claudius' left, was Lucius and Argonaut's lanista, Gaius Plautus. Seated behind Lucius, in the second row was Varis, Cossutius, his twin, Cosssutia and the local Magistrate. Behind Batiatus and Crassus there was Gaia, Senator Vettia, Lucretia and Tertulla Crassus. In the third and final row sat the Magistrate's wife and their son, who had lost seating due to the late arrivals, and Tullius, who was once again placed in the obscurity of the last row, but his was intentional.
Standing behind Lucretia, Melitta's pulse sped up when Gannicus took to the sands. He was a golden god dressed in his new armor. He spun in a circle, roaring for the crowd. She could not help but notice how happy he looked being in the arena again; his laughter floated across the air, giving proof to his joy. Funny, he was facing death, yet he stood carefree and joyful, while she, who stood no chance of dying this day, was overcome with anxiety. She said prayers for him last night and this morning, lighting candles, as well as offering a small tribute of her blood to give added weight to her appeal for his well-being and to see him back to her arms.
She marveled at the golden wolves who accompanied her lover to the arena. They were quite frightening, and she held her breath as the huge beasts snarled at the crowd and struggled against their handlers to break let out a sigh of relief when the men handling the wolves finally managed to bring them to heel and they exited the sand without anyone being injured or maimed. Their absence meant Gannicus was free to pose and preen for his audience in elated fashion without worrying his escort would show fangs and bite.
The nobles within the pulvinus along with the average citizen applauded the golden wolves and their fierce showing as they exited the arena.
Gaia leaned forward to speak with Octavia. "You never fail to impress," she said, and kissed her friend's cheek. "The wolves were nearly as spectacular as that Celt with the charming grin."
Octavia chuckled. "Trust words, they are not at all as impressive."
"You tease," she said, crossing her legs and squeezing her thighs together.
"I remind you of what we discussed." She turned to Gaia. "It will be glorious."
Gaia brushed a kiss against Octavia's cheek. "One moistens at the thought."
"Yes, one does," Octavia agreed softly, her eyes focused on the blonde gladiator as he took position before the pulvinus. His armor caught the sun, and he glowed, giving him a true God-like appearance.
The crowd whistled and cheered his appearance.
"Gannicus, I love you!" could be heard from many a woman's voice throughout the stadium.
He chuckled and pointed his swords at them, posing for the women, and roaring for the men, making the mob love him.
Tertulla Crassus nudged Gaia. "You have lived with him for how many months?"
"He is in the Ludus," Gaia said, unhappy to have Tertulla using her to make Octavia jealous.
"Still..." She pulled Gaia close. "Have you fucked him?"
Gaia could see the twin spots of color flushing Octavia's cheeks, so she decided to torment Tertulla instead to pay the woman back. "I'll never tell," she teased. "But he is a delicious beast. Is he not?"
"He appears as Apollo, down from Olympus, aglow in rays from heavenly sun," Cossutia said. She turned to Octavia. "Who knew such beauty was wasting away in Capua. Blessed by Apollo. Thank the Gods you decided to make trip south to find this one!"
In better spirits after seeing Tertulla's face flame red with anger. Octavia smiled brightly. "Actually, it was through Gaia we were so blessed," she said. "She made introduction to Batiatus for Quintilius."
Varis nodded. "Tavia speaks truth. I fear without Gaia we would have never discovered Gannicus."
Octavia turned in her seat and her eyes met Tullius' in the back row, she smirked at the man. "We would have been forced to settle for a gladiator from that little shit Vettius' stable." The blonde brought gaze back to her friend and winked at Gaia. "Someday, she will be rewarded for her efforts."
Gaia flushed with pleasure as she realized the double meaning in Octavia's words. "Perhaps someday," she repeated, giggling, rubbing it in a bit for Tertulla's sake. "Soon to be embraced."
Octavia giggled too, also adding salt to the other blonde's wounds. "Indeed."
Tertulla Crassus crossed arms over chest and shot her husband a stern look that promised hell to pay if he did not get her what she desired!
The editor announced Argonaut next. He was Champion of Rome and had a large cheering section, so the roar of the crowd was rather deafening for the big German, much as it was for Gannicus earlier.
"Both men inspire the crowd," Varis noted.
Finally, after the Pompa and cheers died down, the gladiators stood before the pulvinus, heads bowed in tribute to the Romans. In the center of the track, six unkempt and shackled men stood holding a variety of weapons from swords to spears, with one convict carrying a huge battle axe. The men were all convicted child rapists/killers sentenced to death and to be dispatched ad gladium before Gannicus and Argonaut were to fight one another.
Claudius stood and raised his arm. "Glory to Apollo! Glory to Rome!" he shouted in a voice used to public speaking. "Begin." And with that, he dropped his arm.
The Arena
Gannicus immediately broke away to put some distance between himself and Argonaut. The six criminals they were facing came charging across the sands, and not trusting his supposed partner in the slightest, Gannicus sought to ensure the German could not ambush him in the confusion of an eight-man free for all. As the Celtic gladiator broke right, three of the convicts went right to attack. They were a motley looking group. Octavia had told him the men had all committed rape and/or murder against children, some as young as his own son! Her words, "make them hurt", reflected his own feelings as well, and with that in mind, he turned and met the earliest attack head on with something he rarely felt within the arena—vengeance! He ducked the first man's wild attack with an axe, kicked the second man in the stomach, sending him staggering back before spinning about with a roar to meet the swing of the third man with the sword. Gannicus blocked his attack, and the clang of steel meeting steel rang out. Using his superior athleticism, Gannicus rolled along his opponent's back, flipping over the man to land behind him. When the prisoner spun about, seeking his opponent, Gannicus was waiting.
"Rrrhhaa!" the blonde gladiator yelled, viciously slashing and gutting the man with a terrible wound that completely opened his belly and spilled his guts upon the sand in a gruesome pile. The very last sight the child killer had was that of his intestines leaving his body before he collapsed on top of his innards, dead; a fitting end for a beast who abused and murdered kids.
The crowd went wild. Gannicus turned to set eyes on Argonaut, checking his whereabouts. The German did seem to be fighting his three, rather than waylaying him, so the blonde gladiator turned focus to putting down the other two monsters facing him, all the while keeping a wary eye on Argonaut.
The two other convicts still standing decided to work together and tried to come at him at the same time. They shouted a battle cry together and rushed him, weapons ready to do damage.
When they swung their weapons, Gannicus bent knees and leaned backwards as their axe and sword swung over and above, missing him. He then surged forward, slicing one convict along his back as the man tried to turn and avoid Gannicus' attack, while using the hilt of his other sword to bash the second criminal in the face, shattering the man's nose and sending copious amounts of blood gushing.
The crowd exploded with cheers for the blonde gladiator.
"Rrrhhaaa!" he shouted as he drove his two opponents back across the sand, his dual swords moving fast and furious, deadly in their intent. One of the men leapt forward in attempt to take down the blonde gladiator, but Gannicus deflected the man's sword with one of his own, then thrust his other blade into the man's neck, causing an eruption of arterial blood that sprayed both Gannicus and the remaining convict who rushed in upon him.
The mob came alive once again, shouting their approval for the gory amount of blood Gannicus offered.
In the arena, the child killer swung his axe, and Gannicus used both his swords to bat the axe away with a loud *clang, but the criminal, a large man, managed to lower his shoulder and hit Gannicus, sending the smaller man to the sand. The convict again swung the axe, but Gannicus rolled away and quickly got back on his feet.
"You shall pay for that," he muttered to the man and went on the attack.
They were near the wall in front of the pulvinus, so Gannicus showed his athleticism by scaling the wall and spinning off it to kick the bigger man in the chest on the way down. The convict was sent staggering and Gannicus rushed forward to slash the criminal's right thigh with a loud roar, slicing openthe man's quadricep muscle and leaving him practically neutered as he fell to the sand.
Gannicus was down to only the single man who was presently on his knees and the crowd started to chant his name.
"Gan-ni-cus! Gan-ni-cus! Gan-ni-cus!"
Circus Maximus: Duratius' Primus
The battle between Duratius and the Nubian, Quasir, was a bloody one. Both gladiators had sustained several ugly looking wounds that were dripping blood. Duratius batted aside the big Nubian's sword attacks with his axe again and again, yet Quasir kept coming, attacking the Egyptian gladiator with an exuberance and stamina that belied his size, which was well over six feet. Luckily for Duratius, Oenomaus had recently implemented longer training sessions with no breaks for water. It probably saved him.
The two gladiators were trading blows back and forth when Duratius noticed Quasir's attacks were becoming wilder and he was dropping his shield after each attack. This let the big Egyptian know his opponent was getting tired. Duratius bided his time until the Murmillo gladiator swung far wide and left his shield side low. Doing a move Ulpius had taught them all, he lowered his shoulder and plowed into the other gladiator, sending him to the ground hard.
He was on him in an instant. He kicked Quasir's sword away before the man could regain sense and raised his axe. With a loud roar, he brought it down, splitting the other gladiator's skull in two and causing a nasty blood bath within the arena, much to the absolute joy of the crowd watching.
Wanting more approval from the audience. Duratius raised his axe again and took Quasir's head off. He tossed aside the helmet before holding up the gruesome trophy, blood still dripping from the neck.
He roared, spinning around so all the audience could see the macabre body part. "For you citizens of Rome!" he yelled, hurling it into the rabid mob. "A gift from Capua!"
The crowd screamed his name and cheered loudly for the gladiator from Capua who offered blood as well as gifts.
The Arena:
Down to just one opponent, Gannicus turned to see where Argonaut was, ensuring the brute was not charging him. To his surprise, the big German still had the same two convicts keeping him busy. As Gannicus observed Argonaut, the convict with the injured thigh staggered to his feet and picked up a spear. Gannicus caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to face the criminal just as he threw the weapon, looking to end the Celt. Gannicus easily dodged the pointy missile and then hastened forward to end the man. The criminal, who had lost his axe, managed to grab a sword that lay upon the sand, next to one of his fallen fellow convicts. He raised the weapon, trying to block Gannicus' attack, but he was tremendously outclassed in sword play. The killer swung wide, and the gladiator jumped back and out of the way of his attack. The man stumbled forward, his injured thigh causing him to limp terribly, making his attack feeble at best. The injured convict swung his sword again, but Gannicus chortled happily and batted the attack aside with his sword. It was obvious, the blonde gladiator was playing with the man, like a cat would a mouse, laughing and taunting the criminal as he easily defended every attack the man made.
It was not long before Gannicus tired of playing with his opponent, and on the next attack, the blonde gladiator kicked the man in his injured leg, causing him to cry out and careen towards his injured right side. Gannicus then jabbed one of his swords into the man's other thigh, slicing through muscle and bone. The prisoner screamed in agony, and with both legs now ruined, he dropped to his knees, unable to walk. Knowing the end was near, the Celt put on a show as he spun about and brought his sword down on the man's right arm, neatly amputating half the man's arm, sword still clutched within hand. The audience screamed its endorsement for such gruesome displays, and the stadium shook with their howls and cheers for more death and blood. The criminal wailed, clutching his stump, trying to stop the blood squirtingfrom his amputated forearm.
In truth, it did not matter because he was already dead, he just did not know it. Gannicus stalked around the man and came to stand before him. He slashed the man across his chest, sending more blood flying. "This is where I would tell a gladiator I am giving him a glorious death." He paused and smirked. "Except, you are not a gladiator." He swiped his sword across the man's belly, adding more blood to the sand beneath the criminal. "More importantly, you do not deserve such honorable end." Gannicus crossed the tips of his swords at the man's throat in preparation to execute him. Putting on a show, he roared for the crowd and with great flair, he slashed his blades along the man's neck, opening his throat, but not quite killing him. The wound was brutal and sent copious amounts of blood spurting across Gannicus' sculpted chest and arms, giving the blonde gladiator a dangerous beauty that appealed to the Roman mob.
Normally, he would finish off a gladiator in that condition, but leaving this criminal to suffer was, in Gannicus' opinion, a fitting end to a man who enjoyed raping and killing children. He thought of his son, and if he could, the Celt would have given these men far more suffering; hurting children was unacceptable. Unfortunately, Gannicus only had the time allowed within the arena, therefore, his justice could only be carried out there.
Upon the Pulvinus:
Crassus turned to Batiatus, a smile on his face. "Gannicus is of rare form. I have never seen another fight in the style of dimachaeri so effortlessly." He waved a slave over for more wine. "How much coin would you require to rent him to me for a day of lessons in wielding dual swords?"
"You want sword lessons from my Champion?"
Crassus nodded. "He is the best. If I want to be the best, I must be trained by the best."
"You wish to train as gladiator?" Batiatus was confused by this, and it showed. "Why?"
"The whys do not concern, Batiatus," Crassus replied arrogantly, and Quintus shrank back, put in his place. "I merely ask what it would cost to have use of Gannicus as my own trainer for the day?"
"I would have to give it thought..." Batiatus hedged, intimidated by Marcus Crassus and showing it.
Crassus pushed his agenda forward. "Come Batiatus, I am not asking to purchase your man..."
Octavia hearing this exchange nudged Claudius. "Crassus is pressing Batiatus to rent him Gannicus."
Claudius interjected himself into their conversation. "Marcus, let the man enjoy the Primus," he suggested firmly, but with a gregarious smile. "Put in writing what is required from Gannicus, and I will have my solicitor draw up contract, with terms to be discussed." Claudius smiled to both Quintus and Marcus. "Fair enough?"
"Very fair," Batiatus said, lookingtremendously relieved when Crassus backed down.
"Very well," Crassus sighed. "Gratitude Aurelius. You shall have it in writing by business end this week."
"Fine," Claudius said, and then he waved a hand towards the arena. "Now, let us enjoy the man you are haggling over." Claudius turned to Quintus and pointed towards Gannicus in the arena, finishing off his final opponent. "Marcus' assessment of his skills rings true. He is impressive, Batiatus. I've seen many fight dimachaeri, Negrimus fought in that style, yet I have never seen another wield them as if they were born with sword in hand like your man does."
Quintus beamed. Having the attention of these powerful Romans focused on his champion made him feel powerful by proxy. "He came to me with skills already acquired," he said, taking a sip of his wine. "The man is Celtic. A warrior caste and has had two swords in hand since he was a child!" He shrugged. "He simply needed some guidance and discipline to mold him into the champion you see today."
Vettia leaned forward, having heard the exchange back and forth between them all. "Is that true? Did you say he has been fighting since he was but a child?"
"It is," Octavia replied, without thought. "His uncle gave him swords when he was in his fifth year."
Lucius' jaw tightened at hearing this, and he leaned towards his sister. "And how would you know such personal information, dear sister?" He smirked. "Pillow talk?"
Octavia flushed red hot due to embarrassment and anger. It was one thing to say such things in private, but this was quite the public venue.
The Pulvinus went silent after Lucius' comment.
Claudius opened mouth to lose mind on his brother in-law when Lucretia thwarted him.
"Apologies," Lucretia said, bravely stepping forward to put Octavia's beast of a brother in place. "I fear you are mistaken," she said, a friendly smile pasted upon her face. "Octavia knows of Gannicus' origins through me. His Domina."
Standing behind said Domina, Melitta was positive Lucretia neither knew of, nor cared to know of Gannicus and his life before coming to the Batiatus Ludus. Octavia could have received that information from only one source... Melitta's dark eyes were drawn to him within the arena, posing for the howling mob after killing the last of his three designated criminals. He was a glorious sight, and Lucius Severus was correct, the woman must have learned of Gannicus' childhood during pillow talk, after sex, just as she herself had. Melitta felt sick as her conversation with Gannicus the night before returned to trouble mind. He had admitted they had become close, but he was obviously more involved with the woman than he had led on, otherwise why would he ever tell her something as personal as his life before being taken as a slave by her people!
Furious, Claudius took advantage of Lucretia's theorem to take his brother in-law to task. He stood. "Severus, a word," he growled, and left the Pulvinus, not even bothering to see if Lucius was following. As a consul, Aurelius was used to being obeyed, and it was obvious that demand had been issued from position of Roman Consul, rather than brother in-law.
Lucius sighed and got to his feet. He knew he was in deep with Claudius after his comment of pillow talk was so adroitly rebutted by the gladiator's Domina. He met the eyes of his sister. "Apologies Octavia. I was jesting. It was in poor taste." He shrugged as if embarrassed. He glanced to the other nobles and bowed his head. "Apologies. Apparently, I am unfunny."
Apart from Gaia and Lucretia, the other Romans laughed his comment off as the jest he was claiming.
For appearance's sake, Octavia nodded in acquiesce. "Gratitude Lucius. You offer balm for thoughtless words. However, I suggest you not leave Claudius gathering steam for long. He tends to blow like unattended hypocaust! (1)"
"Words of wisdom," Severus said. "And well received." he turned and followed Aurelius.
Lucius found him just outside the pulvinus. "Claudius. I was but—"
Claudius was not having it. "Your tongue rattles too freely in your mouth!" he snarled. "I am saying this once and only once. Keep commentaries of my wife behind fucking teeth! Or see yourself removed from Rome much farther than Hispania."
When Claudius would have walked away, Lucius grabbed his arm, preventing him from returning to his seat. "I think you forget who you speak with, Aurelius. You may stand as husband, but I am, and forever shall be, her Paterfamilias." Lucius paused, waiting for Claudius to show fear, as he always had in the past. Yet, this time Aurelius did not flinch. Not in the slightest. "I could have your marriage set aside," Severus added, looking for the reaction he was expecting. It did not come.
"That is true, you are the Paterfamilias, of a House that has more political history and debt than power and coin." He shook off Lucius' hold on his arm. "You can try and set my marriage aside, however,you would need the blessing of the Senate. Think you have the clout needed, when every senator on Capitoline Hill is aware you have been living off my coin for the last ten years since your father took to the afterlife?"
For a moment the two men held eye contact, neither giving an inch, until finally Severus, like most bullies do when confronted, backed down. "You have changed over my last campaign, Aurelius," Lucius commented, stunned how four years could change the easily intimidated young man he had left behind into the confidant and dangerous man standing before him presently. And Severus did recognize Aurelius could be dangerous, especially if Octavia's well-being was at stake.
"I have," Claudius acknowledged. "One thing has remained the same. You still live off my coin. So, make choice. Vettia has put forth a proposal to the Senate this very morning that you head the newest campaign to finally capture or kill Quintus Sertorius (2) in Hispania and end his damned war once and for all."
Lucius' eyes widened. "You cannot do that!"
"I can. I have," Claudius replied. "You are going to accept offer and leave for Hispania immediately after festivities for the Apollinares ends."
"And if I choose not to accept?" Lucius asked, jaw tightening at being forced into leaving Rome again so soon after returning.
"If you choose not to go?" Claudius' smile was crafty. "I will cut you off financially and the next post offered to you will be Farasan Islands, in the outer regions of the Arabian Peninsula (3) where you will live off nothing but your salary as Imperator." Aurelius smirked. "Which, for most men, would be sufficient, but not you, Severus. No. You have become used to the extravagances my coin buys you. So, I say again. Make choice. I shall expect an answer at the end of the games."
With that said, Aurelius returned to his seat, leaving Lucius standing at the back of the Pulvinus, shaking with impotent rage and glaring at Tullius, who was suspiciously avoiding eye contact, which left Lucius to wonder if he had been badly misinformed or intentionally led astray to the detriment of his very livelihood.
Before returning to his own seat, Severus paused by Tullius' chair. "There will be a reckoning, Tullius, and if I find you have intentionally led me afoul with false tongue. I shall see it torn from mouth! You best pray your man does not fail today."
The Arena:
After he dispatched the last of the monsters he had been tasked to end, Gannicus was perplexed to see Argonaut still fighting the same two criminal opponents. Suspicious, he paused for a moment, and then he knew... "So, that is how he thinks to end me..." He believed Argonaut was biding time, waiting for himto finish off his own challengers, come to the German'said, and then, in the commotion of four men fighting, the German would find opportunity to try and kill him in the four-man brawl.
He laughed. "Well, let us not disappoint..." Swords in hand, Gannicus sauntered toward Argonaut; his grin ever present. "You are having difficulty dispatching your men." He called out loud enough for the audience to hear. "Do you need assistance?"
He was clearly mocking Argonaut, and the crowd laughed and began to chant "Gan-ni-cus. Gan-ni-cus. Gan-ni-cus again."
As he approached the three fighting, Gannicus made a show of waving his arms in time with the mob chanting his name, as if conducting their mantra. After a moment, he paused, a good ten feet from Argonaut and his opponents; nowhere near close enough for them to attack him at once effectively.
"They appear to favor me," he said to the big German, pointing his sword towards the thousands of seats surrounding them. "Let me lend assistance. Perhaps the crowd shall forgive your incompetence." Gannicus pointed his sword at Argonaut. "Or is your inability due to treachery?"
The mob was clearly turning on Argonaut and the German did not like it. "Argonaut needs no help from the pretty little man from Capua!" the brute shouted.
The Celt chuckled. "Gannicus thinks Argonaut needs substantial help since you are still fighting two child murderers, and all my monsters are dead." The handsome gladiator chuckled. "Come, allow me to lend aid. Odds are obviously too great for you."
The insult worked. Argonaut lost his temper at being publicly humiliated and let out a roar before killing one of the two men he was fighting. The look of surprise on the man's face right before the German stabbed him in the neck was telling.
Even more incriminating were the words of the other convict who accused Argonaut of "not following the plan, you cock sucker!"
Laughing with the sheer joy of fucking up Argonaut's design to end him, Gannicus joined the fight. As expected, the brutish gladiator tried to attack him before finishing off his third prisoner. In reaction, the crowd turned rabid on Argonaut. They began to throw things at him. Rocks, pieces of wood, fruit, even a couple live chickens were hurled at the big German, signaling the ugly temperature of the mob. Loud and angry cries of "pars stercore" (piece of shit) were even heard throughout the audience as it became clear that Argonaut was attempting to kill Gannicus in an underhanded manner.
Upon the Pulvinus:
Varying degrees of shock and anger spread across the nobles seated inthe pulvinus as it became obvious Argonaut was not abiding by the rules of the contest. The loudest hue and cry, of course, came from Batiatus himself.
"Jupiter's cock! What the fuck is he doing?" Batiatus snarled when Argonaut attacked Gannicus. It had been expected, but to see it come to light was still enraging and he rounded on Plautus. "What is this treachery? Your man was supposed to end his challengers before attacking Gannicus!" Quintus waved his arm towards the arena. "Yet now he works with criminals to end my champion! What the fuck kind of Ludus are you running?"
Almost every eye turned to the lanista for the Ludus Maximus with suspicion.
Gaius Plautus looked as shocked as the rest of the Nobles. "Apologies!" he cried, holding up his hands. "May the Gods strike me down if my tongue breaks false! I swear, I have no part in this. Me or my Ludus."
Enraged that her theory discussed with Gannicus earlier had indeed become truth, Octavia was ready to plunge blade in both Argonaut and his lanista herself! "You had best hope not," she snarled. "For if I discover you had a hand in this. I'll ensure the only venue willing to host dogs from the Ludus Maximus will be the Pits of Neapolis!"
Claudius turned on the lanista as well. "This is unforgivable, Plautus," he said, shaking his head. "Your man has dishonored not only himself, but your Ludus as well. It cannot go unchecked."
Plautus' pale face was a furious shade of red, whether from anger or embarrassment was anyone's guess. "I am aware," the lanista said, shaking his head. "I am assuming this just became a sine-missione match?"
Octavia snorted. "Do you need to ask?"
Claudius nodded. His demeanor not quite as irate as his wife's. "I will of course compensate you for the loss of a gladiator."
The lanista inclined his head in acceptance, which was more than generous considering circumstance. "Much appreciated, Consul Aurelius and I understand."
"If he dies..." Octavia muttered, her hands clutching the arms of her chair in a white knuckled grip.
Gaia and Lucretia leaned forward, offering comfort to their friend, but also reminding her to ease anger. Gannicus was not her gladiator.
Gaia kissed her cheek. "Best not remind anyone of Lucius' reckless comments," she whispered. "Deep breaths, Tavia. That Celt will win. Look at him. He's enjoying himself."
And he was, Octavia realized as she heard him laughing boisterously. "Gratitude," the blonde said, and relaxed back into her chair. She set gaze to watch her lover bandy insults with Argonaut as if he was not staring death in the eye, while desperately trying not to show how worried she was for him to do so.
Funny, the entire Pulvinus was in an uproar except for two men. Tullius and Severus. Oh, they frowned worriedly, but if you looked closely, you just might see a slight smirk when the women seated in the pulvinus, especially Octavia, gasped or cried out when Gannicus was injured by Argonaut.
The Arena:
The blonde gladiator defended himself from their combined attack valiantly, his swords moving with lightning speed, until Argonaut caught him from behind while Gannicus was repelling an attack from the convict. The German snarled and slashed the Celtic gladiator under his shoulder blade, causing Gannicus to cry out in pain.
Gannicus spun away from Argonaut, putting distance between them before he leaped into the air and kicked the child killer in the chest sending him flying backwards to land upon the sands with an "ooomph". The Celt then turned to face Argonaut. "You dishonor the brotherhood. I shall end you in the same manner I have these child killers. No glory, only suffering."
Argonaut let out a roar and rushed the blonde gladiator, shield up and sword held high.
Circus Maximus: Barca's Primus
The Dacian, Gato, was leanly muscled, sleek and fast. He dodged right and left as he sped up on the much larger Beast of Carthage, attempting to avoid Barca's spear while stabbing the bigger gladiator with his trident. His plan failed, Barca avoided the trident and sliced the smaller gladiator along his side in a deep, ugly wound that spilled buckets of blood on the floor of the arena. Gato was now sporting several nasty looking wounds, while Barca had none.
The Beast grabbed his crotch, jiggling it at the Dacian in disrespective manner, before he threw up a fist for the crowd.
They responded in kind, their cheers obviously favoring Barca.
Gato tossed his net at the big Carthaginian, but Barca was able to catch it and throw it aside with the end of his spear. Enraged at being mocked and thwarted, the Dacian again tried to rush forth to make use of his trident, but Barca read the move in advance and spun about to face his opponent, surprising the smaller gladiator with his agility. The Beast rammed his spear into the Dacian's mouth, causing a gruesome explosion of teeth, blood and brains to go flying across the arena, much to the frenzied adoration of the blood thirsty crowd.
The Beast of Carthage raised his arms in victory and roared for the massive Roman audience.
The mob responded by chanting chant his name. Bar-ca! Bar-ca! Bar-ca!"
So far, it was a good day for The House of Batiatus.
The Arena:
Gannicus and Argonaut went head-to-head, the sound of their swords clanging against each other was loud within the arena. Seeing the Celtic gladiator distracted with the German, the convict tried to take advantage, but Gannicus surprised the man, by spinning about to face him. The coward stopped dead in his tracks, turned tail and ran away towards center track where the statues of the Gods were located.
Gannicus watched the man run away from him with a somewhat bemused expression. Argonaut decided to once again play dirty and rushed him from behind to stab the Celt in the back. The blonde gladiator narrowly avoided the cowardly attack by darting to the right at the last minute, side-stepping the bigger gladiator and his sword. As the German hurried past him in his failed attempt to kill him, Gannicus used his superior athleticism to jump into the air and kick Argonaut in the back of the head, sending both the huge gladiator and his helmet flying forward. The bearded brute landed hard against a marble statue of Neptunus Equester, the patron God of horse racing located in the center of the Circus' racetrack. His head, absent helmet, hit the statue hard, and the blow knocked the man unconscious.
The cowardly convict, once again, tried to take advantage of Gannicus dealing with Argonaut and attacked the gladiator from behind. Being utterly untrained, the man charged like herd of goats and Gannicus easily heard him coming. The Celt turned, caught the man's sword arm between his elbow and his body and used the man's own gladius to bash him in the face, repeatedly, shattering his nose and spewing blood everywhere, much to the delight of the crowd. The criminal stumbled backwards, blood pouring down his battered face and fell against the statues of the Gods in the center of the Circus' track. He stayed there, slumped against the leg of Mars, trying to regain sense after nearly having his brains smashed in.
Gannicus stalked the man, ready to end him. However, instead of fighting further, the criminal chose the cowards way out yet again. As Gannicus approached, he fell to his knees at the feet of Mars, the God of War and the God of the Arena and offered the missio.
Gannicus chuckled and told the man, "You have chosen the wrong Gods to kneel before and ask for mercy." He placed his sword under the man's chin. "Get up," he snarled.
The cowardly child killer shriveled upon himself and curled into the fetal position, covering his head with his arms, while frantically waving the two fingered appeal for clemency over his head. "You cannot kill me. I've given the missio. You must spare me," the man cried, as if just because he said words, it made them true.
The blonde gladiator laughed. "Truth told, I do not. There is no missio for you. You are slated for execution."
The child killer sputtered and began begging for his life. "Please! I am unarmed. You cannot kill an unarmed man."
Tired of listening to the child killer beg for his life, Gannicus' face went cold and deadly "Do not waste breath," he growled. "You will die. The only question is, will it be quick or long, bloody and torturous?" Gannicus winked. "Considering what you have done to your victims, I am hoping for lots of blood and torture."
The man jumped to his feet and took off at a run.
Gannicus laughed outright as he ran up the side of the wall dedicated to the Gods. He turned at the top of Mars' statue and jumped, sailing through the air to land in front of the child killer who accused Argonaut of not following "the plan", blocking the man's path. The convict skidded to a stop, and with a roar, the blonde gladiator stabbed the man in his belly, sending his sword directly through the killer's body until it came out his lower back. Gannicus yanked his sword up first then out, effectively gutting the man, causing parts of the man's intestines to leak from his stomach in a gruesome display that had the mob in a frenzy of blood lust.
Having the man beaten and down, Gannicus sought to finish him. With a loud "Rrrhhhaaa", he swung his other blade with vicious intent and neatly took off the man's head with one mighty blow. The child killers head spun around and around until it landed upon the sand several feet from where Gannicus stood.
The blonde gladiator started for the head, intending to toss it to the crowd when Argonaut rose to his feet. Gannicus paused, took notice of Argonaut and left off retrieving the head and made move to intercept the German instead.
Unable to resist needling the other gladiator, Gannicus gave the man a cocky grin. "Perhaps you cannot count, but I am up four men to your two."
"Fuck you, pretty man. Argonaut will have your ass this day!"
"You are obsessed with me, are you not?" The handsome gladiator shrugged. "I must confess, it is a curse being blessed with so much to offer a woman..." He tilted his head, as his eyes ran over Argonaut. "But you would not know what that is like. Would you? Not with that face. This is why you are so jealous of me, is it not?"
The audience hearing Gannicus' words began to laugh and tease the brutish looking German. Argonaut had come into this contest a champion the audience cheered for. No longer. He had lost the crowd through his own actions, now they had nothing for him, not even compassion.
"Fuck you, Argonaut can still best you!
Tired of that same old song and dance, the blonde gladiator flipped him a rude finger gesture and egged him on to come and get him. "Quit barking as rabid dog. Show fangs and bite or still fucking tongue," Gannicus sneered. "I am unimpressed with shit that falls from mouth."
"Cocksucker!" Argonaut snarled and rushed forward.
Gannicus laughed at how easy it was to get under Argonaut's skin. "Never. I prefer cunt," he retorted, meeting the man's attack with his swords. The Celt managed to use his leg to trip up the big German, sending the man to the sand. The blonde stood over him laughing. "You, on the other hand, appear obsessed with desire to fuck me. I say it is you that prefers cock." The brutish German was flat on his back and Gannicus added injury to insult when he opened a nasty gash on Argonaut's inner thigh. "I do not judge, but I am uninterested in anything you have to offer."
Argonaut lost mind. He rolled away from Batiatus' gladiator with a roar, jumped to his feet and attacked absent his usual finesse. He swung wildly over and again, and Gannicus was able to slip beneath the man's defenses repeatedly, slicing the bigger man up until he was dripping his life force across the arena from his numerous wounds.
Argonaut was panting hard, trying to raise his defense when Gannicus used the man's own shield to flip over him acrobatically, landing behind the brute and slashed the big German along his lower back, inflicting a terrible wound between his upper body armor and his cingulum. Before Argonaut could defend position, Gannicus quickly brought his other blade around and opened another painful gash on the back of the German's right thigh, above his greaves. Leg injuries were terrible because they slow a gladiator down significantly. Argonaut now had several wounds to his legs.
Argonaut was finally able to return favor a moment later when he caught Gannicus with his shield, knocking the smaller gladiator across the sand several feet. The big German stormed forward, sword at the ready, but he was significantly slower on his feet due to his injuries. Gannicus was able to avoid the worst of the attack, with only the tip of Argonaut's sword reaching flesh and opening a shallow wound upon the handsome gladiator's pectoral muscle. It was not a serious wound, but it looked worse than it was.
The Primus match was at the sixteen-minute mark, and the two combatants were fighting in front of the pulvinus.
Argonaut's stamina was nearly done when Gannicus, ever the showmen, once again used his acrobatic skills to his advantage. He scaled the wall in front of the Pulvinus and landed upon the platform directly in front of the privileged seats. The Nobles sitting there, except for Batiatus, Octavia and their combined party, all gasped in varying degrees of surprise to suddenly have him standing before them covered in blood. He flashed a grin to the men of the group, a kiss to the women, and with excitement rushing through his blood and veins, Gannicus gave an exuberant laugh before jumping from his perch, to sail through the air to the arena below. On his way down, he kicked Argonaut in the head, sending the man staggering back to land on his ass. The German fell backwards with a loud groan and Gannicus was on him before the fallen man could regain sense.
First, Gannicus kicked his sword away, then his shield. With his feet on either side of the fallen gladiator, he stood over him, his dual swords to the big German's throat. "Look who has ended up flat on back, legs spread like thin skinned whore, ready to be fucked!" He chuckled huskily. "Not Gannicus," the blonde gladiator taunted, the tip of his blade pressing just hard enough into Argonaut's throat to cause a thin line of blood to flow down the man's neck and into his messy beard.
Since this was not scheduled as a sine-missione contest, Gannicus looked to the Pulvinus for decision on whether Argonaut would live or die.
The Pulvinus:
The crowd roared. Many were yelling kill-kill-kill wanting more blood. While others were calling live-live-live, asking for mercy for the fallen Argonaut.
Claudius leaned over to Octavia. "Well love. Shall Argonaut live or die?"
"I was under the impression we were going to kill him," she said, surprised he was asking. "Darling, he dishonored himself this day and the crowd is aware of it. He must die."
"A wise decision. I am feeling a need for his blood this day as well. But let us leave it to the people of Rome. What do you think?"
Octavia rolled her eyes, knowing what the mob would want. "Just turn thumb down, love. Gannicus will see it done," she told her husband chuckling.
"But then I would stand orchestrator of his death," Claudius said, with a clarity only a politician understands. "That is not the reputation I cultivate, my love. This way, choice has been removed from my hands."
"Then by all means," Octavia told him, saluting him with her wine. "Ask the crowd."
"I shall," Aurelius said with a smile for his wife as he stood, raising his arms to quiet the masses. "Good people of Rome..." he called out, his voice strong due to regular public speaking, it carried throughout the stadium and into the hills surrounding the Circus. "What say you my fellow citizens. Argonaut has disgraced himself today and turned simple rivalry into bloody battle. Should he live or die? Decision is yours. With cheers to judge the outcome."
The audience went wild, and he quieted them down once again. "Who would see Argonaut live?" There were some calls for mercy, but it was few and far between. Claudius quieted those voices. "And, who amongst you would see more blood spilled to honor Apollo?" This time, the roar was deafening. A clear choice from the mob. Claudius nodded. He looked down the row to Argonaut's lanista Plautus. "The crowd has spoken."
Plautus nodded brusquely. "It appears they have." They had already discussed the match becoming sine-missione, but it was obvious Plautus did not welcome losing his gladiator, but he really did not have anu options. "Argonaut made choice when he disgraced himself and my Ludus this day," Plautus said with a sigh. He turned to Claudius. "Apologies, but you mentioned coin to ease loss?"
"Of course," Claudius said. "I shall see five thousand denarii to your hand by the end of the day. Will that resuscitate pride?"
Plautus' surprise at the hefty sum was evident. "It would," he replied, smiling as his ire turned to pleasure."You are extremely generous Consul Aurelius. Gratitude."
"None required." Claudius inclined his head to the man. "You shall have it by end of business today."
After such a gracious reaction from Aurelius, Plautus' eyes went to Tullius for a moment before turning back to Claudius. "When you have a moment, Consul. I believe I have some information you would be interested in hearing."
Claudius had noted where the man's eyes had traveled. He smiled rather cruelly. "Oh, I am certain you do," he said as he slowly turned his thumb down.
The mob surged to their feet, The bloodlust rushing through their veins making them unable to simply sit still. The grim chants of "Kill! - Kill! - Kill! - Kill!" blended with the deafening cheers of "Gan-ni-cus! Gan-ni-cus! Gan-ni-cus! Gan-ni-cus!". It was clear. Argonaut had lost the love of his audience, and fickle bitch that she was, the crowd now demanded he pay for his downfall.
The Arena:
"It appears the crowd no longer wishes for you to be champion," Gannicus said, pressing his blade deeper into Argonaut's throat.
"Cocksucker!" the German snarled, coughing up blood.
It was then Gannicus heard the timekeeper call the eighteen-minute mark, and it made him think of Batiatus and bet made regarding time of contest. Twenty minutes. It would not do to make the man lose coin.
Gannicus shook his head at his fallen and dishonored opponent. "In the world of a gladiator, fame and glory constructs its own truth. You were Champion. Yet you press beyond position and degrade yourself by accepting Tullius' coin to end me in dishonorable fashion, rather than proper contest." Gannicus smirked when Argonaut's eyes widened, giving truth to the plot. "You had it all. You had the crowd," he told the man. "No more." And with that he shoved one of his blades into Argonaut's belly, slicing open his gut in brutal fashion. The wound to his stomach was a death blow, but Argonaut did not die right away. He was gurgling and coughing up frothy blood and spittle, suffering. Gannicus grabbed the gladiator by his hair and brought him to his knees. He knelt behind him, yanked the man's head to the side and brutally sliced his throat open, ending contest and spraying much blood across the arena floor, to the delight of the audience watching.
Gannicus removed Argonaut's head before he stood up. He went to the center of the arena and spun in a circle, arms outstretched, holding the former champion's head aloft in hand as he laughed and ate up the adulation of the Roman public. The mob was euphoric and screams of approval for the handsome gladiator were deafening.
Gannicus was Champion of Rome.
Screams of "libertas-libertas-libertas" began to reverberate around the stadium.
Upon the Pulvinus:
Batiatus cringed as he heard the shouts for Gannicus to receive "libertas" meaning liberty or freedom.
Luckily for Quintus, Gannicus himself distracted the mob from their demands for his freedom when he tossed Argonaut's head into the crowd with a call of "Now you love me, people of Rome."
The crowd responded with a huge "yes!" and that was when the cheers went to howls and the mob officially started to lose mind as they often did when the beautiful gladiator took to the sands.
To Batiatus' relief, Gannicus had accidentally ended his chance at winning his rudis in his very first contest in Rome. The lanista had no doubts it would happen again and began to plot ways to keep the man as his property.
The Arena
Gannicus posed for his fans and shouted out to the crowd for a few minutes before he started walking back towards the gate of life that led out of the arena to the carcere. As he made his way, people from the crowd would shout at him or yell his name to garner his attention. The audience were obviously crazy for him. The women, as always were a rabid lot, disrobing, grabbing their breasts in both hands and shaking them at him. Some got entirely nude and begged him for just a moment of his time, holding out scarves, flowers, anything to draw his attention. He paused and spoke to some of them briefly, smiling and flirting with the prettiest, while learning lessons from past mistakes and not getting too close in order to avoid their over eager clutches.
Some couples were fucking right there in the audience and Gannicus laughed and saluted them for having fun. A few men were pushing their women at the handsome gladiator as he walked past them, asking him to fuck their wives, pass some of his gladiator stock to their lineage. He grinned and said he felt he might disappoint those women after being married to such men. The wives begged him to reconsider, but the men utterly appreciated his answer. Once again, Gannicus proved himself to be a gladiator men could appreciate as much as their women did.
Gannicus was exhausted, but he kept up the charming grin. Anything to keep the howling mob happy. One young woman literally jumped the small wall separating the seats from the track and ran full steam at him across the track. Several guards rushed the sands to apprehend the young woman, but Gannicus waved them off. He had become much more adept at handling women throwing themselves at him, so he stopped the girl from hurling herself full force into his arms. He even managed to keep her robes on her as he allowed the girl to give him a hug and a kiss. Of course, the woman did manage to grope his cock quite thoroughly, before she danced away with a smile on her face, leaving Gannicus staring after her for a moment and shaking his head at the insanity of Romans. Finally, after one last raised fist to the crowd, Gannicus entered the gate of life and the carcere under the stadium.
The Pulvinus
Reactions to such a fine showing was unanimous. Apollo was overjoyed, as were the Romans who had watched Gannicus defeat Argonaut soundly. Well, everyone except Tullius, that is. In the back row, he closed his eyes in defeat. It appeared the Gods truly favored the blonde gladiator over him, humble merchant from Capua. Once again, his plan to end Gannicus was soundly defeated by the man himself. Tullius stood, eager to avoid certain scrutiny regarding Argonaut's treachery.
Claudius spotted him as he moved toward the exit. "Tullius!" he called out, halting the blonde merchant's hurried escape. "Hold a moment."
Tullius turned to face Claudius and plastered on a false smile. "Good Aurelius," he said jovially. "Gratitude for such a fine match. Gannicus never fails to surprise. Apollo must be pleased."
Claudius smiled. "I'm certain of it. Gannicus gave glorious showing, despite being betrayed by Argonaut." Claudius leaned in. "I'm afraid that was coin wasted, Tullius."
The blonde merchant sputtered; shocked Aurelius was accusing him so publicly. "Good Aurelius, you cannot think—I am unaware of—"
"Hold tongue!" Claudius snapped, causing Tullius' sputtering to cease immediately. "You think me a fool? Plautus has admitted you visited Argonaut at his Ludus several times, plotting Gannicus' demise, I am certain, so do not dig yourself in deeper."
"Apologies," Tullius began, but Aurelius was not having it.
"We are far beyond apologies." Claudius' smile was cruel. "You have overstepped yet again. Except, this time, you shall bear unfortunate consequence."
"To what end?" Tullius asked, hair on his neck standing up in warning.
"While you were busy spreading tales regarding my wife and trying to murder a gladiator, I have been busy acquiring controlling interest of every business venture you are attached to presently."
Claudius paused and let that sink in. The color drained from Tullius' face. "I see fog lifts to free mind. You no longer have access to trade upon Silk Road."
"You have ruined me then?" Tullius gasped.
"More than," Aurelius said with a grin. "I have paid off your creditors and claimed your debts. You owe me now. I would see coin to hand, in full, before business ends tomorrow."
Tullius staggered backwards in shock. "Good Aurelius..." The blonde merchant happened to catch sight of Batiatus standing behind Claudius, smirking at the merchant's downfall. "This is your fault," he snarled at the lanista. "Gannicus should have been mine!" His expression was full of hate as he considered Batiatus the cause of his demise. Taking no responsibility for his actions.
Octavia came forward and looped her arm through her husband's. "Like rabid dog, you bit the hand that kept you well fed." She smirked. "Now you starve."
The couple started to walk away but paused a moment. "Business end tomorrow Tullius or you will be arrested for outstanding debts," Claudius said, the threat hanging there like knife to throat.
Octavia chuckled. "Perhaps the next execution Gannicus shall be tasked to mete out will be yours."
Tullius turned on his heel and hurried away as if Pluto and the Furies were after him. He could not acquire that amount of money that soon, so he would have to flee the country. The last thing he thought as he left was 'where did it all go so wrong'? Funny, he still did not see his fault in his downfall.
A/N: Okay, Finally the Ludi Apollinare contest! Again, thank you to anyone still reading. A special shout out to any of you who take the extra time to review. It means a lot. Gratitude.
(1) Hypocaust was a form of ancient Roman heating system. Truly ahead of its time.
(2) Quintus Sertorius was aRoman who brought civil war to the Republic by carrying out the Sertorian War in Hispania between 80 BC and 72 BC.
(3) Farasan Islands were part of the Roman Empire off the Arabia Península, approximately 4000 kilometers from Rome.
Thought if Claudius were to send Lucius somewhere, it would be far-far away. LOL If you are reading this, please click that little button and let me know what you think.