Seventeen years ago, the Year of Claudius, in the city-state of Syracuse, under the reign of Caesar Claudius.

The horsemen were chasing a woman who was running away with a baby. She soon found herself trapped on a cliff at the edge of the Ionian Sea.

On the chariot, Amiran was cuffed and kneeling, crying and begging Emperor Claudius…

“Please, your majesty! I beg you!”

The horsemen captured the woman with weighted net. She fell to the ground. The soldier snatched away the baby from her…

“ARETE!” she screamed…

He passed the baby to Claudius. With a pinch of his finger, Claudius lifted the baby by the wrapping around her neck. The baby was thin and tiny and barely takes a breath. Fragile, with yellow and slightly blueish skin. Her cry was so weak, her tiny hands shaking helplessly.

“Weak!” Claudius swung and threw the baby to the sea. While the mother screamed and trying to break away from the soldiers that had held her down.

Claudius pulled out his sword, without hesitation, he dissipated the woman and kicked her body down to the cliff, into the sea.

“JOCASTA!!! NO!!!” Amiran cried and burst into tears.

Claudius walked toward Amiran, he was about to kill Amiran.

“Stop, your majesty!” A cloaked man held Claudius’s hand. He was one of the three Elders.

“Lord Amiran is the only blessed priest of Athena. You will anger the Goddess if you kill him.”

Claudius places his sword back to the scabbard, he kicks Amiran out of his chariot. Condescendingly staring at the thin young man, Claudius rode his chariot away and left them behind.

The Elders unlocks Amiran’s cuffs, and lifted him up.

“Lord Amiran, the maidens in the temple of Hestia will be waiting for you…”

Before they finished their sentence, Amiran rushed and ran down to the sea side with all his strength. Ignoring the Elders. One of them tried to stop him, but another Elder let him go.

“We need him to attend the maidens!”

“Indeed, but we have our doubts.”

“Amiran is with the mind of a high tier golden soul, but his body…”

They stared at the running man, heavy in his breath, trembling legs. Although his figure was with lean muscles, he was thin in comparison to most of the average soldiers.

“If the descendants from the temple of Dionysus unable to complement the weakness within his body, what more the maidens from the temple of Hestia would able to do?”

“Shall we focus on the alternative?”

“What’s the alternative?”

“Have you heard about a boy from Eretria? As handsome as the demigod Heracle?”

The three Elders slowly walked away while chatting within themselves. Leaving Amiran behind.

* * *

Amiran arrived at the seaside, and discovered a group of fishermen gathered at a spot. They knew something had happened. Cheering and shouting, pointing their hands towards the open sea.

A young boy swam towards the tiny baby and retrieved her to the seashore.

“Lord Amiran!” The fishermen noticed him…

He ran towards the boy and took the baby, she was still breathing. Tears fall down from his eyes, and he hugged his daughter, trying to keep her warm.

“PRAISE THE GODDESS ATHENA!” He cried…

“What’s your name? My Boy…” Amiran kneeled to the boy who had rescued the baby and asked.

The 8 years old boy scratching his head… “Boy, that’s my master call me, boy.”

“He… he work for me, Lord Amiran.” An old fishermen answered while tapping the boy’s shoulder. “We are fishermen, his parents taken by Hades two years ago.”

“Boy, will you come with me?” Amiran asked.

The boy cluelessly looked at the old fisherman. The old man nodded, given an approval.

* * *

The boy was taken to Syracuse, and the old fisherman was granted three young servants and some resources in return. He was given tunics to wear, and attended school and training.

“Boy, from now on, your name is Chlorus.” Said Amiran.

“It is the name of a river at Cilicia. A noble name.”

* * *

Chlorus grown up to be a well-educated well trained handsome man under Amiran’s care. A day before he was sent to Rome, he was 23 years old.

He handed Chlorus an amulet and a small pouch with a key inside.

“Chlorus, keep this pouch. If anything happened to me, please pass it to Arete.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Chlorus, I need your help. Will you take up this mission?”

“Yes, my lord! For you, Chlorus will do anything!”

Amiran pauses a while and says: “The amulet, it is for you. Wear it every day. Treat it as your family heirloom. Let everyone in Rome know this belongs to you.”

“Yes, my lord!”

It was a well-crafted amulet with the mother of pearl.

“This amulet belongs to the fallen noble family of Ionian Island. The blessed people of the Ionian Sea. The worshiper of Poseidon. The society in Rome is full of condescending people. I want you to live like a free man from a noble bloodline. NEVER let anybody in Rome know your background. ESPECIALLY THE ELDERS.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Amiran sighs and continues, “Remember this, Chlorus, and never forget about this truth…”

“We are still servants. Our master, are the people.”

* * *

After the day the boy Chlorus rescued the baby Arete, Amiran attended the Temple of Hestia. But the maidens despised him, for they knew he had lost the favour of the Three Elders. To avoid the Emperor Claudius, Amiran sent the baby Arete to Thebes. Vitellius of Thebes, the father of Jocasta, maternal grandfather of Arete, had taken Arete to his care.

To their surprise, Claudius arrived at Thebes with his soldiers. Vitellius was nervous. He ordered his servants to hide the little Arete in his secret library. While Claudius’s soldiers gone door to door and took away every baby girl aged below a year old.

“Kill all of them! Weaklings shall never populate our nation!” Claudius ordered. They dump the infants in front of the Temple of Dionysus. While Vitellius anxiously ran out, kissed and hugged Claudius’s foot.

“Your majesty! Please! Have mercy to my children! Please!”

“Useless! I shall not tolerate any form of weakness!” Claudius shouted and kicked the obese old man away from his foot.

“No, your majesty! It… it must be the food and the water! You see, your majesty! Must be the food and water in Syracuse! Look at our beautiful Theban child, they… they are all healthy and strong. Look at them! Look at them!” Vitellius grabbed a baby girl from the floor. The girl cried sharp and loud. Her strong cry pierce through everyones’ ears. This baby jolting angrily, kicking and punching. Her pinkish skin and chubby full body was so heavy. Vitellius tried to hold her towards Claudius.

He never seen such large and strong baby girl before. Below the age of a year? While Claudius was unaware, the baby grabbed his beard and pulled out a few strands of his beard hair out. The pain surprised him. And everyone was frozen in fear! A baby girl just dishonoured the Roman Emperor! Everyone was silenced, the loud cry continued, and Vitellius immediately hugged the baby to his side. Vitellius was bald and with clear face. The baby continued to struggle by grabbing his robe and tore the expensive silk apart.

At that moment, Vitellius dare not to speak a word. He knew he won’t be able to do anything. His mind was all blank.

He… he is going to burn all the infants alive!

Claudius lightly wiped his beard. Looking at his palm, he noticed some tiny blood traces. He lost a few beard hair strands and feel some little stinging. But he was calm, as if something had strike his mind. He stare at the bald Vitellius and the crying kicking infant.

Claudius suddenly pulled out his short sword. Is he going to kill her? He slowly guide his sword to his own neck and started to shave away his beard. To everyone’s surprise. A servant immediately pull out a mirror and kneeled in front of him. Another prepared a warm wet towel for the emperor.

After Claudius done his shaving, he did not say a word. He waved his hand, a gesture to retreat.

While Vitellius still clueless and kneeling on the floor, he was covered with cold sweat. Raising the baby on his arm, whose infant she belonged to? Who was her parents? The Theban all came and claimed their own child who were brought to the temple ground by Claudius’s soldiers. But her parents were afraid to claim that baby. The baby who had pulled the Emperor’s beard.

“She is my grandchild!” Said Vitellius.

“The chosen one! The perfect one! She is the noble one! Agave of Thebes!”

...to be continued