Milonia Caesonia was five and thirty, by Roman standards not young. By Roman standards she was not beautiful either but Caligula considered her so. He had shown affection for hr by threatening to have her tortured or killed, an odd way but he had been an odd man. When Cassius arrived at her and Caligula's bedchamber, where Caesonia was with her daughter, he at first entered alone.
"You rebuffed my advances, Caesonia." Grey Cassius said, approaching her with his bloody blade drawn.
Bravely, Caesonia stood before the murderous monster. "I would never lay with one of your ilk, Cassius." She said, staring Cassius in the eye coldly. "Your vile namesake Gaius Cassius Longinus was called 'the Last of the Romans' by evil-hearted Marcus Junius Brutus. None shall ever call you that. He was twice the man you will ever be."
"Caligula is dead." Cassius uttered, now beginning to circle Caesonia. "Does that not frighten you?"
"There is nothing that lives that does not die." Caesonia answered, keeping her child close to her. Still she was cold and without emotion.
"We killed him!" Cassius roared. "My fellow Praetorians and I killed him just as my namesake and his co-conspirators killed Julius Caesar but we shall be viewed as better than they were!"
"You killed Caligula just as your namesake killed Caesar and you shall be defeated by a better man like your namesake." Caesonia said, still without emotion.
"There is none better than me!" Cassius exclaimed. "My fellow ring leaders are nothing more but puppets! What man can possibly defeat me?"
"The one that did so all those twelvemonths ago." Caesonia answered. "I was there, only a child with my parents. I remember how you were humiliated by—"
Cassius snatched Julia Drusilla Minor from her mother's grip and before Caesonia could speak, he bashed her daughter's head against a wall. Julia Drusilla Minor was dead. Milona Caesonia could only stand there with wide eyes. There had never been any escape for her, she knew that. She only hoped she would have died first.
"Anything more to say, Caesonia?" Cassius inquired, dropping the corpse of Julia Drusilla Minor.
"Strike and be quick." Caesonia requested. "I would join my daughter quickly."
Cassius did as he was requested and after that he and his Praetorian guard exited the bedchamber and made their way through the palace. They had to find the rest of the family. Claudius, his wife, his daughters all, every descendant of Augustus, every descendant of Tiberius, everyone with a drop of Julio-Claudian blood in them had to be eradicated.
They searched the palace, never being able to find anyone. Where was that stammering, crippling idiot Claudius? There was no possible way he could have escaped Cassius was certain of it. They continued their search until they finally came to the throne room, where they found Romulus sitting upon the throne with the lanista Lucius at his right side the gladiators the Gallic Marcus and the Germanic Titus. All four of them were armed and dressed for battle, even seven-decade old Lucius. Romulus himself was holding the sword of the Germanic chieftain Arminius, whom Germanicus had defeated at the Weser River.
In three litters nearby were the cadavers of Caligula, Caesonia and Drusilla. In the time Cassius and his men had been searching for other Julio-Claudians, Romulus and his band had found the corpses.
"You are responsible for these deaths?" Romulus asked, knowing the answer already. "All of them?"
"Gladly do I say 'aye.'" Cassius responded, sneering as he did so.
Romulus narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the Sword of Arminius's hilt. "You would kill my wife and children?"
"And more!" Cassius answered with a chuckle. "My ambition would fill all of Great Neptune's ocean with blood. To your companions I harbor no ill will, Romulus, but you humiliated me before countless people of importance who were and would be. My fellow Praetorians will not interfere, I promise you that. The battle is just between you and me."
Standing up, Romulus strode towards the Praetorian Leader. The two stared into each other's eyes, Romulus' the eyes of a man and Cassius' the eyes of a beast.
A few moments passed and then sword clanged against sword. Both combatants were striving to get an opening on the other. Before statues of Augustus and Julius Caesar did the two fight with neither being sure if they could even win. Cassius was fighting a man ten twelvemonths younger than him while Romulus was fighting a man that had served under Germanicus and this time Cassius was not simply trying to defeat him but outright slay him. Still, as a gladiator Romulus had learned how to cripple or even kill a man. If he were to kill Cassius instantly he'd have to go for the neck or the heart and to cripple him he'd have to go for either the arms or the legs.
Cassius was eager to revenge his humiliation, and in his eagerness, he forgot to pace himself. Romulus was finding it easier to avoid the Praetorian. There had been some near misses on Cassius' part early on but now he was lacking the ability to even make a near miss. That alone did not give Romulus the confidence to go in for the kill. He had no intention to get so close that a killing could be mutual and he wanted to try and get out of this unwounded.
Eventually, the Sword of Arminius slashed Cassius' right cheek. Taking a few steps back, Cassius brought his hand to his cheek and then brought it back. Romulus had actually drawn blood, the first of them to do so. Without hesitation, he soon returned the favor. Thus, was Romulus left with a mark of his own, one that ran across his right eye and cheekbone.
His eye had not even been damaged! Cassius couldn't believe it! Fuming with anger, he struck once more! Romulus blocked but Cassius struck with such force that the Sword of Arminius broke and Cassius' own sword went flying from his own grip, falling before the statue of Augustus.
Hurling his shattered sword aside, Romulus dove for Cassius'. The Praetorian grabbed him by the right ankle, dragged him back and then proceeded punch him repeatedly in the face. Romulus' answer was to begin trying to gauge out Cassius' eyes when the fool leaned in smile maliciously at his battered foe, something he could have done without leaning in, something he could have done without even being in arm's reach of Romulus.
Cassius wrenched Romulus' hands from his face. Romulus attacked again by bringing his right knee to Cassius' groin and then punching him in the side of the head.
Getting out from under Cassius, Romulus took a moment to breathe. Unfortunately, Cassius was doing no such thing when at his age he should have been pacing himself. He prepared to run for his sword. Thinking quickly, Romulus grabbed the broken Sword of Arminius and stabbed Cassius in the back on the left knee.
Letting out a scream of pain that sounded more ape than human, Cassius could only watch as Romulus dashed for his sword and grabbed it. He would have been quick to move but he was starting to feel tired as well. Standing at the base of the statue of Augustus, Romulus took a moment to take his breath. He had never gotten like this when fighting as a gladiator. Why now? Probably because fights to the death were rare among gladiators. Alas, he didn't get a chance as a guard handed Cassius his own sword to continue the fight. So much for no interference.