Chapter 8

Three years later Claudius was dead. Most believed it was old age but a few believed that Agrippina had poisoned his mushrooms. His will was read to the masses. His son Brittanicus and Aprippina's son Nero were to be co-Emperors. It didn't take long for Nero to have Brittanicus put aside without killing him. Brittanicus was a weak person and he accepted his exile without question.

At first Nero's reign started out well. He put up with his mother's nagging regarding how he should rule. Only a year into being Emperor there was a movement to bring Brittanicus back to replace him. Agrippina managed his assassination which left no one but Nero to govern the Empire. Two years after that, in a rage of anger toward her, Nero killed his mother. Rome was shocked.

In the meantime Agrippa managed to purchase and marry Maia. She was an olive skinned beauty with dark hair and eyes. As Lucius told Attia five years earlier, she was smaller. Penelope being married to Marcus as everything seemed to be going the way of a good life for the family. Not only did Attia give birth to Paula, but she also had a son which she named Paul after the Apostle. The whole family converted to Christianity and were devout in their beliefs. They continued going to secret services never being in one place. It was moved about all parts of Rome that was safe from any of Caesar's spies.

"I tell you, it's tough getting older," Penelope complained after her usual swordplay with her daughter. Paula showed no interest in pursuing what her grandmother and mother did every morning. She had her friends and dolls to play with. She was a darling child but didn't like swords, spears, bows and arrows. If she were alone, Paula often was caught singing to her dolls or humming happily around the house. Attia complained that her daughter was six going on thirty. Paul, too, didn't take to soldiering too much either.

He liked to read and write. He had authored some stories which Attia thought were quite good for a four year old. She pictured him being a great historian in the future.

"I'm tired of the Guard," Lucius complained. He had signed up for twenty years but had only done ten. Only half of his enlistment was up. Agrippa had only five years to go before retiring. Maia had given him a son named Alexander. Being from Macedonia, she always admired the stories of the great conqueror. She was thirty when she had her son and Agrippa couldn't be more proud to have a boy to raise. He started teaching him to play with wooden swords when the boy was three.

"You've got to stay there," Attia complained. "I don't want you quitting now then laying around the house or going to the baths drinking wine, gambling and becoming fat and lazy. You are too young for that."

"It's just that I don't see enough of you," he moaned. He knew he wasn't getting anywhere with his wife but he aired out his frustrations too.

"You see me at least five nights a week," Attia countered. "And you know we have a good time in bed when you are at home. To tell you the truth, my dear husband, you need those two nights away from me because you're not as virile as you once where when we were first married."

"What do you mean? We have sex nearly every night I'm home," Lucius countered.

"Yes we do," Attia agreed. "But once you could go four times a night. Now it is twice at most and then you are snoring like a roaring lion."

"So I don't satisfy you anymore?"

"I didn't say that, darling. I said that you can't keep up like you used to. I remember when I couldn't keep you off of me. Now I have trouble keeping you on me."

"Hmmpfff," Lucius grumped, feeling his ego drain a bit. But that would only be until later at night when they were alone and Attia would be after him again. It was true.

He was so tired on some nights that he could only be satisfied when she gave him oral sex then scooting her butt to his face for him to return the favor.