Fortune Favors

Chapter 7

Nico looked around at the expansive Domus of 18 rooms that he had rented and thought it would do well. It was only a short distance from the Hadius house and a mere stone's throw away from the Palatine's best private bathhouse. The house needed some renovations and perhaps a fresh coat of paint on a few of the walls that had been bleached by sunlight, but it was solid and in an ideal location.

He knew the place had been mostly empty for a long while, the locals believing an ill omen hung over it. They probably weren't wrong, as the house had belonged to Marcus Brutus, one of the conspirators who had murdered Julius Caesar and who had later died in battle against Marc Antony.

Not being a local, Nico figured he could just have a cleansing ritual performed and that would be that. It wouldn't do to let such a good deal pass him by over the ghosts of the past. It was a beautiful house, after all, and he had rented it directly from Brutus's mother, Servilia, who was most happy to have the house lived in again.

The slaves that had accompanied Nico were busy making the place habitable, and they had even secured the services of some local servants, people who knew how to obtain the best meats and vegetables from the market.

Nico made his way into the house's courtyard and sat down one of the wooden chairs there. The courtyard had many thriving potted plants, so it almost felt as though he was in the forest. Obviously, Servilia's slaves hadn't kept up with pruning of the trees when the house was unoccupied.

Nico was thirsty and thought of ordering wine, but there was very little left from their travels. He'd wait until his new cook had obtained a better stock from the market. It wouldn't be long, as the man had already gone to obtain supplies.

It occurred to him that this was the first time he had ever had his own home, such that it was. That was something he could enjoy, and he even thought he might tour the city a bit before telling the Hadius family he had arrived. He wanted to see the Theatre of Pompey, not only because the building was said to rival anything in Athens but also he wanted to see where Julius Caesar had been killed. Of course, he had to attend a chariot race at the Circus Maximus and his mother wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he didn't make an offering at the Temple to Minerva. He also wanted to get tickets to see gladiatorial combat, as the matches in Rome were said to have no rival anywhere.

First, he needed to arrange a cleansing ritual for the house, and he also thought of contacting his cousins. Nico's mother had been born a Roman of the Quinticus family, and Nico had been named for her brother Nicodemus Aurelius Quinticus, who had died at Actium.

His Uncle Nico had been a witty and gracious man, able to quote Cicero one moment and make a risqué pun the next. He was brave and noble and good, and his ship was taken down in a hail of fire. It was the first time Nico had lost someone he loved.

He called to a slave and told him the address of the Domus Quinticus, and he told the man to announce his arrival to his cousins. He'd never met either of them, but he hoped they would prove trusted allies.