The Glory That Is Rome (a Percy Jackson AU)

Blood On the Streets

     Piper was fed up with Octavian. Since the increased taxes, he had decreased the amount of food that all the lupae were given. Piper watched her friends grow skinnier and sicker and she felt anger course through her bones. They were the ones who gave him his wealth. He had exploited them. He had used their bodies to enrich himself and now he was slowly, but surely killing him.

    The only lupa who had not grown skinnier was Drew. In fact, she had gained weight, but she looked as tired as the rest of them. She had taken to crying at night and Piper knew that she was as hungry as any of them, so why was she growing larger when the rest of them were disappearing?

    She found out one morning. She had finished putting on her paint when she heard a moan and saw Drew running over to a vase. She retched into the vase for three solid minutes. By the time she was done, she was whimpering and her face was wet. Drew had always appeared beautiful and as in control as a lupa could be to Piper, but now she looked as scared and fragile as the rest of them. Piper wondered if her attitude was just her way of blocking out the pain.

    She walked over to Drew and rubbed her back. Piper helped Drew wash her face and put her makeup on her as if she was Drew's ornatrix. 

   "How far along?" Piper asked, her arm around Drew's shoulder.

    "It must be three months at least," Drew sniffed. "Oh Piper, what am I going to do? I can't carry a baby. Nancy will find out."

    "Do you want it or not?" Piper asked.

    Drew sobbed and then shook her head. Piper understood her choice. The baby would have no father. 

    "I'll go with you to a physician this evening," Piper promised.

    Drew looked up at her and asked, "Why are you being nice to me? I've been nothing, but unpleasant."

    "We're both lupae," Piper said. "We need to stick together."

****

    Piper was thankful when dinner was over. She picked at the stale bread. Her stomach was knotted with hunger, but she had no appetite. The lupae went to sleep early. Sleep was the best substitute for food.

    Piper and Drew left after the other lupae had fallen asleep. Drew had coins with her, but Piper brought her own two denarii in case they needed it. As they walked through the streets of Rome, they heard whistles and avoided ogling men. 

    Piper was glad when she found a physician. She stepped up to the house and knocked on the door. She heard a grunt and then footsteps. A few minutes later, a blonde man opened the door.

    "Will," he said. "What medicine do you need tonight?"

   Drew and Piper exchanged glances.

  "We'll discuss this inside," Drew said.

   Will nodded and let the women in. He let the two women sit down on a couch. He stayed standing.

   "You do realize that this procedure is dangerous?" he asked. "You could die and you will have to stay the night."

   Drew nodded. Piper hugged her and left. As she walked back to the lupinaria, she realized that she was crying. How did she come to this? How did this all happen? There were no answers to the feelings in her head. Piper had felt pain before, but this was different. It was pain so strong that it blocked out all other emotions. She felt completely numb.

    She was near the lupinaria when she heard an oily voice say, "Come over, pretty lady."

   Piper continued to walk.  

   "I said, come over!" the man said. 

   Piper stiffened. It was the man from the popina. She picked up her pace, but she felt a hand around her neck. She gasped and flailed her arms out. She managed to hit his shoulder, but he was stronger and eventually, like a bird caught in the claws of a cat, she gave up. Bloodied and hurt, she sank to the ground and waited to die.