When I heard Felix say he'd been the one that had chopped off Gallus's leg, the glass in my hand slipped. I fumbled to catch it, but it shattered against the floor. Several heads turned to look at me.

  "Sorry," I said faintly. Quickly, I grabbed a broom to clean up the mess.

  "Oh, you didn't know, did you?" Gallus said cheerfully. Which made me want to ask him why he said that so cheerfully. Losing a leg wasn't exactly just a minor inconvenience. "It could have been worse. A lot worse, Maximilia. He could've cut off my head."

  My eyes darted to my father and he looked at me almost guiltily. I shook my head and he dragged his eyes away with a strange expression on his face.

  "Well, he didn't hack it clean off. It was hanging on. Hanging on by just some sinew, so it had to be completely amputated."

  I grimaced at the visual and felt an involuntary shiver go through me. The level of pain that he must have been in, I couldn't imagine.

  "Enough, spare her the details. Please," Felix said gruffly.

  Gallus snapped his mouth shut, waving his hand. "My apologies, Maxamilia."

  "Don't worry about it," I gathered up the broken pieces of glass onto a cloth. "And don't mind me. Really."

  Leaning forward eagerly, Tiberius nodded his head. "You've got some good news to share too, don't you, Gallus?"

  The man pounded his crutch against the ground in excitement. "Yes! Soon we'll finally be welcoming our first child."

  My father clasped his shoulder, giving his congratulations.

  "And it's about time," Ursus chuckled. "What took you so long?"

  "Well, Tullia was always ready. But I...I wanted to make sure everything was going well. Going well with the farm and with us. The last thing I wanted was for her to be stressed, especially while carrying."

  Smiling to myself, I took the next customer's order and hummed quietly while I worked. It sounded like he was going to be a great parent and his children would be lucky to have him. Gallus was already a good husband for worrying that wasn't.

  Tiberius relaxed back. "You're off to a much better start than Octavia and I. And probably Felix. We rather stumbled onto these circumstances and could only hope we'd rise to the occasion."

  "I got the impression that's how it goes for every every child, planned or unplanned," Ursus mused. "How many little brats are you planning for, Gallus?"

  "However many she likes. I want them to at least have a sibling. A sibling would be good."

  "The fact that your heart survived the excitement instead of giving out surprises me," Felix joked.

  "Yes, well I make sure I stay in good shape," Gallus confided in them. "I have to when there's a farm to run. And while my leg may be missing, my hips aren't. Although, I usually find myself on my back as she holds onto the stump—"

  "Pro dives!" I exclaimed in panic, nearly dropping another glass. By the gods, that was so unexpected and definitely not something I needed or wanted to know.

  My cheeks burned at the conversation I was overhearing. I'd been pretending not to listen, but that caught me completely off guard. I really did not need to know what happened in his bedroom. Or anyone's, honestly. My father dropped his head into his hands and Tiberius gave the old retired gladiator a knowing wink.

  "Gallus seems to keep putting his foot where his mouth is...if he had a foot," Ursus managed to say before roaring with laughter again.

  Tiberius grinned. "Perhaps that's why all the wrong words keep coming out, no?"

  I hummed louder, pretending not to hear them. I'd call them juvenile and no better than teenage boys, if it wasn't for the fact that it sounded exactly like the jokes Saturnia and I would make about the situation. They talked on for a little while longer, but thankfully the noise level rose as more customers came in, drowning out any more of their conversation.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  When Gallus stood to leave at last, I excused myself for a moment to embrace him again in farewell. "Make sure you send word to all of us once she's delivered," I said sternly.

  He nodded, leaving with a smile. "Of course. You sound like Felix, you know. Very much like him."

  And I, of course, took it for the great compliment that it was. Tiberius offered to see him off and help arrange for a way back to Vesuvia. It took reassurance that it wasn't pity for an old, maimed man, but rather hospitality to a good friend for Gallus to accept. They disappeared from the courtyard and my father rounded the bar to stand before me. He couldn't quite meet my eye, which was unusual for a man like him. I waited curiously.

  He hesitated several moments before speaking. "Little one, I apologize. What happened to Gallus—or rather what I did to him—that was not something I meant to hide from you. I just..." His words devolved into a disheartened sigh. "I know you are disappointed in me."

  I blinked. "Disappointed? What do you mean disappointed? What are you talking about?"

  "Earlier, you shook your head—"

  "Father.” I held up my hand. “Stop"

  He stopped speaking and finally met my gaze. It actually felt wrong to see a man like Felix burdened like this. A man who’d dominated the arena for years, the only one who’d never tasted defeat, and a living legend to everyone in Aeterna. But I guessed that only reinforced the fact that he was only a man who loved his daughter, which was the only thing that really mattered to me. I reached up to tap the scar that ran the length of his face.

  "I shook my head because you looked at me like you felt guilty for something and I was just trying to reassure you that you really shouldn't. Least of all to me." I reached out to hug him fiercely and he returned the gesture, sighing again. But this time it was one of relief.

  Then I held him by his shoulders. "But you should probably get back. They're still running in case you forgot." By the look on his face, I could tell that he did indeed forget. "Hang on. Here. Take these with you," I instructed, holding out a crate with several large amphorae. They were filled with Fortis Aqua, the drink I'd made to help with sweating.

  He took them, kissing the top of my head. "So thoughtful. This is why you are my favorite smoothie bar owner."

  "I'm the only smoothie bar owner you know," I said, rolling my eyes. "Not to mention that I'm the only one in Aeterna."

  My father only laughed in response as he returned to the ludus. But Gallus's visit had given me some food for thought. Perhaps I should also offer a special discount to retired gladiators and their families. It also reminded me that I needed to hand over the proceeds promised as donations.

  A couple of the novicii who'd been running straggled in later, including the trio. They looked like they'd just walked out of a battle from the way they threw their arms around each other's shoulders. Together, the they collapsed onto one of the benches.

  "I thought I was going to die!"

  "Julia, I'm not going to feel bad for someone who decided to stay at the front of the group."

  "Yeah, well, if we had to suffer anyway, then I might as well make sure I get the most out of it."

  Antonius snapped his fingers weakly at them. "Enough, you two." He lifted himself up raise his hand in greeting at me. "Thanks, Max. That stuff might as well have been the elixir of the gods. Felix told everyone to make sure we thank you."

  Pushing herself up too, Julia propped her head on his shoulder and I could see Brutus scrunch his face at that. She glared at me. "Yeah, except before giving it to us, he made us all race. One last sprint the length of the course."

  I covered my mouth in sympathy. "That sounds like a nightmare, guys. I'm sorry.” Curiosity took over. “But, since you raced, who won?"

  She flopped back down. "All I know is that it wasn't any of us."

  "Maybe I should just become of one the performance gladiators," Brutus mused. "Those guys have it easier, live a long life, and some get pretty popular."

  Something about what he said lit a fire in Julia, however. She leapt to her feet. "What? Where is the heart in that? Where is the glory?"

  "Huh? No, I mean—"

  She cut him off, clearly feeling inspired by something. Maybe it was that rush of energy that came after pushing the body. Or maybe she was just loopy from exhaustion.

  "When you step foot in that arena, ready to fight, it's no longer just you. It's you and all the other gladiators who've ever lived and died out on that sand. It's you and all the rest that will follow in your footsteps. And as gladiators, we'll become eternal and invincible, even if we die. It's why we joined Ludus Invictus, right? I don't know about you two, but my spirit will never be shaken!"

  They stared at her, blinking in the wake of her impassioned speech. I also stared at her.

  Julia turned slowly. "You know what? I think...I think I'm going to go run more."

  She slowly began walking through the courtyard, picking up her pace until she was running across the training grounds. Brutus and Antonius glanced at each other before staring at me in bewilderment.

  At a loss, I found myself repeating Felix's words. "Well, it looks like she found what keeps her going when there's nothing left," I said. "That's going to be the difference between life and death for her. But what about you?"

  "Oh. Maybe we should go join her." They got to their feet wearily but with determination.

  I grinned and crossed my arms. "There you go. But also, don't let her run too long. Last thing you need is to collapse and force Caelum to help all three of you at the same time."