"Who is this man?' I heard Cornelius whisper to Gaius.
"Total stranger to me. Give him a knee in the bollocks if he tries to bother you.'
"Keep your knees to yourselves – or I'll have you!' remarked Aulus, in the crystalline accents of a senator's son.
After the briefest of pauses, Gaius feigned an apology. Any friend of Uncle Marcus is… an idiot.'
With a large sigh, Helena commanded,"Please be quiet, all of you!'
I found myself unable to drift off again once they had disturbed me. When Aulus stumbled in, it had seemed polite to wake up enough to mutter,"Hello; it's us!' As leader of the party, I had accepted that matters of etiquette were my job; I could not leave it to Nux to greet our host. Now I lay awake, holding Helena gently against my shoulder and occasionally shifting as she kicked out in some bad dream. In her head she was probably still travelling from Corinth. Beyond a shutter, the little owls of Athena took over the city. The level of snoring within the room rose gently, led by the dog; the level of brawling in the streets outside gradually fell. That allowed me to hear the squeaks and scuffles of the Athens rats.
As we came from Piraeus, I had barely taken in the sights, but my tired brain must have recorded them. Now my first impressions all crowded back. In any city, the street from the port looks dusty and impoverished; it tends to be lined with workshops for peculiar trades and restaurants where not even the locals eat. Now I smiled to myself over the sordid scenes that greeted visitors. Athens was in decline. In fact, Athens must have been declining for three or four centuries. Its golden age had been replaced by the drabbest kind of village life in daytime, and nights of riotous debauchery. I was now in the heart of Greece, the Greece that had sent Rome art, literature, mathematics, medicine, military engineering, myth, law, and political thought. And in Athens, the golden city of Pericles, the famous public spaces might be filled with vibrant life, but the shantytown houses were derelict, rubbish stank out the crystal air, rats scampered underfoot, and the Panathenaic Way was full of wandering sheep.
An owl shrieked, very close at hand. Since the room now contained seven people, it became perilously hot. Just as I was preparing to do something about it before somebody collapsed and crossed the Styx, I fell back asleep.
They all survived. Next morning I felt as if I had eaten rabbit shit, but the rest were cheerful. Helena and Albia had gone out to buy breakfast. I could hear the lads playing ball energetically outdoors in the street. On what passed for a balcony, Young Glaucus was discussing short-distance sprint techniques with Aulus.
I cleaned my teeth with an old meat skewer and a piece of sponge, splashed my face, combed my hair, and turned yesterday's tunic inside out. Travelling was much like my early years as a run-down informer. Young Glaucus kept himself immaculate but, from his uncombed hair and limp tunic, it looked as though Aulus had taken to the life of a lazy loner. I joined them, saluting my brother-in-law with affection."Greetings, exemplary associate! Well, this is a fine problem you have landed me with.'
"I thought you would be intrigued,' chortled Aulus. Then the hangover caught up with him; he went pale and clutched his head. Glaucus and I rearranged him in a prone position, then as the balcony was cramped Glaucus went out to exercise. I sat quietly reflective until Aulus felt up to hearing all our news.
Of Helena's two brothers, Aulus made me most wary. I never felt sure which way he would jump. Still, it was good to see him again. We had worked together; I had grown fond of him. He was about my height, sturdy, though with a young man's body – not so hard as me, and bearing fewer scars. He had the family looks, dark eyes and hair, plus the family humour and intelligence. Even in Greece, the land of beards, he had remained clean-shaven like a good Roman. He had always been conservative. Originally he had hated the thought of his sister living with an informer; later, I think he saw my good points. Anyway, he accepted that our marriage was a fact, especially after we had children. He was a cautious uncle to Julia and Favonia, still too raw to be comfortable with very young children.
There had been problems finding a career for him. He should have gone into the Senate; still could, if he wanted to. The Camilli had had a relative who disgraced himself, which by extension disgraced them. That did not help; then Aulus and his brother Quintus quarrelled over who would marry an heiress. Quintus won her. Aulus lost more than the rich wife, for bachelors don't win elections, so he sulkily gave up
on the Senate. He was rootless temporarily, then surprised me by becoming my assistant. During a case where we acted as prosecutors in the Basilica Julia, he decided to become a lawyer. I joked that for a man who complained that my career was seedy, he had chosen one even more polluted. But a legal career would be better than none (and much better than mine. The senator sent him off to Athens before Aulus had a chance to dither. But his reaction when he heard of the murders at Olympia showed that his time working with me had stuck him with a love of mysteries.
"Let's not talk about the murders until Helena returns. So, how is the academic life in Athens, Aulus?' He sat up slowly."This will be disgusting, I see.'
"Athens,' declared Aulus, working his brain into use,"is absolutely full of pedagogues, all specialists. You can choose any branch of philosophy. Pythagorean, Peripatetic, Cynic, Stoic, or Orphic.'
"Avoid all of them. We are Romans. We despise thought.'
"I certainly avoid the dirty ones who dress in rags and live in barrels!' Aulus had always been fastidious."Men with big beards and big brains teach absolutely everything – law, literature, geometry – but what they are best at…' He slowed down again, lost for words temporarily.
I helped out. Is drinking?'
"I knew how to party already.' He closed his eyes."But not all night and every night!'
I let him rest for a moment. Then I asked,"Want to tell me about your tutor? I gather he's called Minas, and has a stupendous reputation.'
"Stupendous stamina anyway,' Aulus admitted.
"Was that why you latched on to him?'
"He found me. Putors lurk in the agora, looking for newly arrived Roman innocents whose fathers will pay fees. Minas chose me; next thing I knew he had persuaded Father's banker to pay him directly. leave it to me, dear Aelianus; I will arrange everything; you will be troubled by nothing!'
"For heavens' sake!'
"I am just a lump of dough, thumped breathless daily.'
"Fight back before the pace kills you! He recognised your senatorial stripes; you should have travelled incognito.' I saw it all."He assumes your loving papa is a multi-millionaire. Now Minas can have a really good time – which Decimus is paying for.'
"I haven't worn purple stripes since I left Ostia. He can just spot a young Roman.'
"It's all in the haircut,' I informed him sagely.
"He earns his money, Marcus.' Aulus grinned."He takes me to the very best dinner parties, sometimes several in an evening. He introduces fabulous women and exotic boys. He shows me drinking games, dancing girls, flautists and lyre-players – and then we talk. We talk at length, and about all moral issues – though in the morning I remember not a word.'
"I must point out, Aulus, your mother has paid for me to come here and see what you are up to.'
"Then I retract!' he chortled."I deny mentioning dancing girls.'
He subsided into a weak heap. I gazed at him, impressed."So, Aulus Camillus Aelianus, son of Decimus, tell me. have you learned any law yet?'
Then Aulus Camillus Aelianus, prospective top-class barrister, looked at me without guile. Before he put his throbbing head back into his trembling hands, he just smiled regretfully.