C HARACTERS
Agrippa. Octavians trusted general; father of Vipsania.
Alexander. Son of Queen Kleopatra and Marc Antony; Selenes twin brother.
Antonia. Daughter of Octavia and her second husband, Marc Antony.
Antyllus. Son of Marc Antony and his third wife, Fulvia.
Claudia. Daughter of Octavia and her first husband, Gaius Claudius Marcellus.
Drusus. Second son of Livia and her first husband, Tiberius Claudius Nero.
Gallia. Daughter of Vercingetorix, king of the defeated Gauls.
Juba II. Prince of Numidia, son of the defeated King of Numidia, Juba I.
Julia. Daughter of Octavian and his first wife, Scribonia.
Kleopatra VII. Queen of Egypt, mother to Julius Caesars son Caesarion and to Marc Antonys children Alexander, Selene, and Ptolemy.
Livia. Wife of Octavian; Empress of Rome.
Maecenas. Poet; friend of Octavian.
Marc Antony. Roman consul and general.
Marcella. Second daughter of Octavia and her first husband, Gaius Claudius Marcellus.
Marcellus. Son of Octavia and her first husband, Gaius Claudius Marcellus.
Octavia. Sister to Octavian; former wife to Marc Antony.
Octavian. Emperor of Rome; known as Augustus from January 16, 27 BC, onward.
Ovid. Poet.
Ptolemy. Younger son of Queen Kleopatra and Marc Antony.
Scribonia. First wife of Octavian; mother of Julia.
Selene. Daughter of Queen Kleopatra and Marc Antony.
Seneca the Elder. Orator and writer.
Tiberius. Son of Livia and her first husband, Tiberius Claudius Nero.
Tonia. Second daughter of Octavia and Marc Antony.
Verrius. A freedman and a schoolteacher of great renown.
Vipsania. Daughter of Agrippa and his first wife, Caecilia Attica.
Vitruvius. Engineer and architect; author of De architectura.
C HAPTER O NE
A LEXANDRIA
August 12, 30 BC
WHILE WE waited for the news to arrive, we played dice. I felt the small ivory cubes stick in my palms as I rolled a pair of ones. Snake eyes, I said, fanning myself with my hand. Even the stir of a sea breeze through the marble halls of our palace did little to relieve the searing heat that had settled across the city.
Its your turn, Alexander said. When our mother didnt respond, he repeated, Mother, its your turn.
But she wasnt listening. Her face was turned in the direction of the sea, where the lighthouse of our ancestors had been built on the island of Pharos to the east. We were the greatest family in the world, and could trace our lineage all the way back to Alexander of Macedon. If our fathers battle against Octavian went well, the Ptolemies might rule for another three hundred years. But if his losses continued.
Selene, my brother complained to me, as if I could get our mother to pay attention.
Ptolemy, take the dice, I said sharply.
Ptolemy, who was only six, grinned. Its my turn?
Yes, I lied, and when he laughed, his voice echoed in the silent halls. I glanced at Alexander, and perhaps because we were twins, I knew what he was thinking. Im sure they havent abandoned us, I whispered.
What would you do if you were a servant and knew that Octavians army was coming?