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‘He will soon be plotting his comeback, his vengeance, for he believes that it is owed to him. That is why we must do everything in our power to make sure Claudia arrives safely to make her claim.’
‘I’m thrilled to finally have an empress,’ said Voluptas.
‘About time, too,’ agreed Feronia.
‘But where is Minerva?’ asked Securitas.
The goddesses stopped talking among themselves, turning to Diana and Venus. They had all been witness as Minerva and Jupiter battled, throwing the pantheon into chaos. Now both were absent from the world of the heavens.
‘Minerva is away travelling, in search of her father,’ said Diana, though she wasn’t sure this was true. ‘The fight isn’t over.’
‘What can we do?’ asked Feronia.
‘I am ready to serve justice,’ hissed Salacia.
‘Jupiter will soon find a man, any man, and engineer his rise to power, no matter how depraved or ignorant he is,’ said Venus.
The goddesses grumbled in agreement.
‘Other gods may aid him or attempt to make claims of their own. Claudia has a cousin, Marcellus, who served in the Legion, but he is a servant of Mars. This will cause further divisions in the pantheon – division we hope to take advantage of. Each of us must now sponsor a mortal woman of importance and guide the women of Rome to serve and support the empress.’
‘I do not fraternize with humans,’ said Salacia.
‘Then now is the time to start,’ said Venus, brightly. ‘They can be quite charming, if you give them chance.’
‘I doubt that,’ said Salacia.
‘Those of you who have already built up a relationship with a mortal must influence them to stand with our cause,’ instructed Diana. ‘Use whatever power they have to benefit the reign of the empress. Those of you who do not partake in mortal games, must select a candidate. Choose a mortal woman who can aid us, whose world view and aspirations align with our own. We’ll need allies in every sector of society if we’re to assure our victory against Jupiter, from bottom to top.’
‘And what if we get caught?’ asked Eponia.
‘Then you will say nothing,’ said Diana. ‘If one goddess turns against us, then all of us will pay the price for it. All will suffer. But if we stand together, we shall remain strong. This is why we must not get carried away with idle chatter. We must be very careful who we trust, and what we say.’
‘I like gossip as much as the next goddess,’ said Venus, ‘but if the leagues of Jupiter should learn of our meetings, we will lose our advantage and the mortal world will descend into depravity – and not the good kind.’
‘If we fail, all hope of a better future will be lost,’ said Diana, thinking of Fortuna, her blind eyes and broken wheel; thinking of Minerva, battling her father in the amphitheatre of the gods; thinking of Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried by Vulcan’s fire. ‘We must not allow men to destroy the world. To prevent the fall of Rome, we must ensure the fall of the gods.’
Mortals believed the gods were infinite – that they could never be wounded or die, but this was untrue.
A god could die at the hands of another god.
A god could die at the hands of a goddess.
1. JUPITER’S REVENGE
The first empress of Rome stood at the bow of a ship as it sailed through a thick black smog. Softly illuminated by the faint reddish glow on the horizon, the ship’s sails were ragged and dirtied by soot, much like her once-fine robes, and the hull was damaged, baring a jagged hole that resembled the gnawing pit in her stomach.
No stars could be seen in the sky, no coasts, no islands – just this deathly, fire-tinged fog in every direction, so deep and dark and empty; an endless, hopeless void.
It was vast and terrifying, much like the gargantuan task ahead of her, so enormous she could barely hold it in her mind.
Claudia Caesaria knew she might only be empress for as long as the ship sailed – that when she arrived in Rome, it might be to her own death or denouncement – yet she vowed to keep faith until the last possible moment, stubbornly deluding herself into visions of victory.
For as long as they were at sea, she was the ruler of the world.
She envisioned herself draped in purple, waving at a balcony before an adoring crowd, her hair braided with flowers. The people revered her, not out of fear or duty but admiration and affection.
She was loved, and she was good.
