Chapter Nine

Three days passed. The second day was absolute torture for Romulus with every noise making it seem he was in Tartarus. A howling dog, a racing chariot and anvil's clamor were just a few things he could hear that day. It was as if he could hear everything in Nola and that was nothing that someone who needed rest wanted. This truly was torture of the worst kind. Every time it seemed the noise had stopped some new sound came to Romulus' ears. He never would have thought he would be envying the deaf.

On the third day, Romulus awoke slowly but with a new vigor. The fever was gone. He was well again. As he sat up, he noticed Messalina with her head resting in her arms upon the side of his bed. Messalina soon awoke as well for Romulus had not been careful when sitting up and thus his elbow accidentally touched her head. Upon seeing Romulus fully awake and well, a smile formed upon Messalina's face as the sun shone in through Romulus' window.

Aton had heard Messalina's prayer.

Upon hearing of his recovery, Livia asked that Romulus take time to recuperate. Romulus' response to his step-grandmother was: "I'm not a horse, I do not need to recuperate after recovering from an illness." He immediately asked for a chariot to be prepared for him so he could get to Rome for Augustus' funeral but the servants instead listened to Livia when she told them to do no such thing.

"You shall stay here in Nola, Romulus." Stated Livia.

"But why? I am well now, I need not recuperate."

"You seem well now but what if you begin to fall ill again on the road to Rome?" inquired Livia. "Do as I say, Romulus, and stay here."

"As you wish, step-grandmother."

Once more in the garden, Romulus looked at the statue of Venus. He did not worship her but he often believed she would hear his prayers if only he were to speak to her. He worshipped Aton but never had he ever actually voiced a prayer to the sun. Would she hear his prayer even if he did not worship her? He wished to ask for her to bring Augustus' spirit to the abode of the gods yet he could find no voice to do so.

Messalina soon entered the garden and upon seeing Romulus looking upon the statue of Venus she asked: "What are you thinking about, Romulus?"

"Just... I don't know how to put it, Messalina." Said Romulus. "I have never voiced a prayer to any god and when I do want to voice a prayer to one I can't find the voice to. There are some gods I doubt would even listen to my prayers if I were to find the voice to say them."

"Which gods do you think would not listen to your prayers?" asked Messalina as she sat next to Romulus.

"Well, to start with one I would say Juno... Why would the goddess of marriage listen to the prayers of someone like me? Tiberius tried to have me exposed when I was an infant, he did not recognize me as his son, all of Rome knows me to be illegitimate, why would she care about me?"

"I'm sure Aton would. I prayed to him to heal you after I had prayed to Sekhmet, Heka, Isis and Ta-Bitjet but I know it was Aton who had healed you, it was Aton who made you well. It was not Juno or any of the others who healed you, it was Aton."

"I was laughed at for worshipping a minor sun god of Egypt. With everyone worshipping Amen-Ra I was seen as odd. If he has truly made me well then it seems I made the right choice."

"As have I!" said Messalina.

"What do you mean?" asked Romulus.

"I have decided to worship Aton as well. The sun has supplanted the sister-wife of Osiris."

"May I inquire why?"

"Simply because he healed you when none of the healing deities did." Stated the redheaded dancing girl.

"That is indeed a simple and good enough reason." Admitted Romulus. "I wonder why we must worship so many gods when we can only worship one? The only one I have ever seen is Aton himself, I see him every day. I would rather worship one single god I know exists than one I sometimes question exists."

"Example?"

"Jupiter. I see the sky all the time but never do I see him in it and I've seen lightning many times but never have I seen him throw it. Is he even real? I know Aton is real because I see him everyday but why do I never see Jupiter?"

"Do you doubt Venus' existence?"

"No, through my mother I am descended from her. Aeneas had to be born of someone so who else could she have been born of? Some madwoman? I doubt it. No, Aeneas was clearly born of Venus. I don't have to worship her but I do acknowledge her existence."

"I guess it is hard to believe in the gods if you do not see them." Said Messalina, looking at the statue of Venus, her keen eyes noticing a crack on the right shoulder. "But faith is not something you see with your eyes, it is something you see with your heart."

"I suppose but I would like to see some gods other than Aton."

"I would too but I think we see the gods in all things."

Romulus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. That was quite interesting and perhaps it was true. Perhaps they really did see the gods in all things. There were times when Romulus believed he could see Vulcan in fire, Minerva in a woman's weavings and even Mars in a farmer's work. Romulus may have held Mars with the same contempt and revulsion as the Greeks did but even then he had seen Mars in a farmer's work and respected him for being the god of farmers.

"It is true and I suppose they can't all be like Hercules, born a mortal and became a god upon death." Mused Romulus. "Besides it would seem I have seen a god many times besides Aton."

"Who do you mean?" asked Messalina.

"My own grandfather Augustus and now my step-uncle Tiberius. In Egypt they considered the pharaoh to be a god and since the First Citizen is called 'Pharaoh' when in Egypt that means that my grandfather was a god and my step-uncle had become one. Also, was my grandfather not called Son of the Divine One?"

Messalina smiled. "Yes, I suppose you are right. How interesting."

Footsteps then came to their ears. Romulus and Messalina both looked to see Tiberius standing at the entrance of the garden with scroll in hand.