Et tú, Clarissa?

Chapter thirteen

54 BC (Rome, Italia)

As I entered the dining room, it got quiet. All the gladiators stared at me. Ever since I became champion, everyone has been twice as scared of me as when Septimius had that power to wail over me. I walked over the floor in silence towards the cook to get something to eat with all eyes nailed at me, which was something I hated. If I could have change that for anything, I would, because if it is something I hated, it was having people staring at me; being afraid of me, but they had to.

I got the porridge from the cook and sat down at an empty table. It did not take long before I was done and as I lifted my gaze, I saw Hermes in one of the dark corners. Without thinking much of it, I straighten my back and allowed my gaze to follow him as he went over the floor towards me. Something in his gaze told me he was not happy. Suddenly his gaze moved from mine towards one of the big guys at the table in front of me and his fist followed closely. In the quarter of a second a wild full-out fist fight had broken out in the dining room and I heard how the guards were closing in. Before I had thought this through, I walked into the fight and placed me between Hermes and the big man. Just looking at them both, I made them stop. I thought at least. The big man at my right was about to take a hit at me, but I just twisted his arm up behind his back until he made a sound that sounded like a muffled scream. As the guards arrived, I tossed the man on the floor and took a steady grip around Hermes arm while I stared into his eyes.

You are going to tell the guards that we need a room, I thought to Hermes who nodded.

As the guards walked us through the corridors, I overheard them taking about a couple of changes, including clear out the scums of the arena, mutual washrooms and precautions that basically, not officially, made sure all their gladiators were the men they looked like.

The guards closed the door behind us and I snapped at Hermes so fast that he fell backwards, but he got up just as fast.

"What did you think? Attack Cicero like that. Do you want to die?"

"Do you not understand? Clarissa, you are the champion. You can do whatever you want and I cannot stand beside as you are wasting this opportunity!"

"You are not exactly making my position easier! Hermes, I am a woman in the gladiator games and they are starting to suspect things. If I do not leave before those changes enters into force, they will want to have my head."

"Let them try. We can take them. With our fight skills and powers, they would not even-"

"And turn into monsters? Never. You know me better. I would never-"

"Damn you Clarissa! Do you even know how blessed you are to have the title of champion? In Rome!"

"Blessed?"

"Do you know how many people that would, and do, kill for your title, and you are not even grateful!"

"Grateful for what? For what Hermes? That I get to kill people to amuse others? How could I be other than nauseated?"

"What is this? You are at the top of the food chain! You could not be safer. Who tells you otherwise? The Caesar's daughter?"

"You leave Julia out of this!"

"And who do you think have proposed these changes if not your little girlfriend?"

"Julia is not my girlfriend, but she would never be responsible for anything that can hurt me."

"The guards have to have gain the information about a woman in the arena from someone."

"Julia would never have done something like that. She is pure of heart and just want to help. It does not even have to be me they're looking for. If I can do this, other women can to."