"Let me see!" "No!" "Not ready!" "It isn't fair!" "Come on." "You've seen mine." "No." "I am Venus, goddess of love, totally irresistible." "Nubia!" "You look beautiful." "You be Venus." "I'll stick with Minerva the all wise." "Nubia, have you ever been kissed?" "Not mother kiss?" "Not mother." "You know..." "GIGGLING" "Was that you?" "Maybe dogs?" "How long have you been hiding?" "We are here since nightfall." "You didn't sleep under my bed, did you?" "No." "Look." "There's a loose brick." "The hole leads from my house straight into yours." "A secret passage of our own!" "We can come and go as we like." "We need a signal that it's safe." "Three knocks?" "That's good, Lupus." "..Where did you get that?" "Oh, no!" "Lupus, did...?" "Flavia!" "Have you seen the sponge stick?" "It's not here!" "Sorry, Uncle Gaius." "Do you need a fig leaf?" "I'll get one." "One of the many wonders of the Roman civilisation - the bottom-wiper." "THUMPING Who's that?" "Probably your father wondering where you've gone." "Who is it, Alma?" "I'll get you some scraps." "You can't come in here." "Father?" "!" "Flavia?" "!" "Master?" "Whatever happened?" "Shipwrecked." "All lost." "Tincture of poppies." "It will help him rest." "His head, please, Flavia." "He's very weak." "Alma, can you prepare a light broth?" "My chicken soup will soon see you right, Master." "They need to be bathed in salt water." "I can do it." "Father, do you need more medicines?" "Boys, I have another task for you." "It is not pleasant." "It is for the best, I promise you." "Eeurgh!" "That looks...good." "Eurgh!" "I need a drink." "The prisoner, having paid bail to the presiding magistrates and no witnesses being present to speak against him, is released." "Venalicius..." "Hey!" "You are free to go." "Captain Geminus, the sores on your feet are infected." "Soon the flesh will blacken and I will have to amputate." "What is amputate?" "Cut off." "Please, Doctor Mordecai, you can't!" "There is another way." "Maggots?" "!" "I sent the boys to get them." "These creatures will clean your wound." "They eat only rotten flesh." "Will you trust me?" "(Flavia!" ")" "Venalicius is free." "No, is not true!" "Did you see him?" "Lupus stormed off." "I've never seen him so angry." "He hates Venalicius." "You want to earn some money?" "Here, watch my clothes." "I need some exercise and a massage." "I had a bout today." "All my brother's wealth was washed away with his ship." "Misfortune rains on my family like ash from the volcano." "Miriam, I don't want to hold you to your promise." "Don't say that!" "Of course I'm promised to you." "I don't even have a place to live." "We could live here." "My father would be happy." "I couldn't." "It wouldn't be right." "Lots of people do." "I'm not a boy starting out." "I'm a farmer." "It's my life as well as my livelihood." "I have my pride." "Men!" "I've paid you already." "You want to hire me?" "You're a bit young for that, aren't you?" "Who?" "200 sestercii?" "!" "Forget it." "I'd have to leave town after, leave the country." "100,000 might cover it." "Now, go on!" "Clear off home!" "Father, what happened?" "Two days out of Alexandria... ..in calm weather...this..." "..enormous wave comes rushing towards us." "Do you think it was caused by the volcano?" "This...great wall of water... like green glass." "I can see the fish in it... hanging over the Myrtilla." "She breaks in two... we cling to the wreckage." "By morning, I'm the only one left." "Poor Father!" "Castor and Pollux don't desert me." "Some fishermen pick me up." "They're rough, but they share everything they have." "Every harbour we come to is damaged." "And so we creep home." "And you..." "little owl." "Right by the volcano, when I thought I was sending you to safety." "Ihavetheauthoritytoenter  these premises." "You can't come in here!" "What are you doing?" "Here to recover debts of Marcus Flavius Geminus to the value of 100,000 sestercii." "But it's not due yet!" "This loan can be called any time." "Still, this place should fetch a good sum." "But where would we live?" "Anything else of value?" "The slave girl..." "No!" "Nubia's not a slave, she's free." "I have witnesses." "Watch the door." "Nothing leaves the house." "I'm ruined." "Gaius Caecilius Plinius Secundus, at your service." "Pliny?" "!" "The Admiral's nephew." "Sorry to bother you." "I'm putting together an account of his last days and your family..." "Look, this really isn't the time." "Yes." "No." "Of course." "Another day." "I have your uncle's last notes." "Would you like them?" "Yes, please." " Nothing leaves the house!" " They belong to him." "This way." "Watch the stairs, please." "If anyone comes warn us. .." "Nubia, the signal." "But the notes?" "Jonathan?" "No, watch the stairs." "Very good." "What's up?" "Actor is here." "Exactor, the debt collector." "Nubia, your flute!" "Quick!" "..Scuto, out of the way!" "Is not dogs property?" "Good boy, Scuto, through to Jonathan's house." "Scuto, get out of the way!" "Someone's coming!" "Quick, quick!" "So, if you could give me his last tablets..." "I'm sorry, they're in bad condition." "Don't think you can hide anything from me, girl." "Manifest prejudice against a debtor is expressly forbidden." "Isn't this a respondentia bond?" "Listen, son!" "Don't you come the smart young lawyer with me!" " Where's the dog?" " What dog?" "Dead!" "Ran away!" "Buried in the garden." "What a dreadful man!" ".." "Sorry." "I thought he was safe at sea." "Ships were lost all down the coast." "Did you hear about the Aphrodite?" "Full of gold and precious goods." "She was wrecked by my seaside house." "Can't the treasure be salvaged?" "They sent down divers but no-one was successful." ""I can dive." Dive for treasure?" "Are you sure?" "Well, you're welcome to stay at my villa if you want to try." "I need to talk to the bank." "You need to recover your strength." "He's coming back tomorrow to take everything." "We can't just wait here!" "If the bankers see him like this, do you think they will be reassured?" "They've gone for now." "Vultures!" "I could wring their necks!" "Uncle Gaius!" "Marcus Flavius Geminus!" "Yes." "I heard you were at death's door." "It's..." "It's a very welcome surprise to see you so...recovered." "Well, I...my ship was, but I'm..." "Dear father!" "We feared the worst but my father's very well." "(I don't know if this will work. ) I was so scared of the exactors." "They won't come again, will they?" "I don't know, Flavia." "It's not up to me." "If you needed the money, why not let me know quietly?" "With all the disasters - volcano, bad harvest, storms - really no option, so many troubles." "I'll give you troubles!" "Seeing you are so much better than reported, we could give you a week to raise the money." "A week is not long enough." "It is the best that I can do." "I'll talk to my patrons." "I'd like that in writing." "To avoid misunderstandings." "What do you think Pliny's villa would be like?" "I wonder how much treasure there is?" "Enough to pay all our debts?" "If Lupus dives, it should be his." "Oh!" "But we'll all be helping." "He should still get the emperor's share." "Yes, but..." "If I had the money and Lupus needed it I'd give it to him." "You're not the only one who needs money." "What about your uncle?" "His whole farm was destroyed!" "He's part of MY family!" "Betrothed to MY sister!" "Before you eat the stew, catch the goat." "What goat?" "My grandmother says." "Many fail to throw up the treasure." "Is wrong words?" "No." "But we will get the treasure, won't we, Lupus?" "Welcome to my villa." "It's simple, but I hope you'll find it pleasant." "I am Miriam, daughter of Mordecai." "I am to care for Marcus Flavius." "Splendid." "Gaius Plinius Secundus." "I thought one of the garden rooms." "They're very cool and quiet." "Isn't it beautiful?" "Behold!" "What was that?" "Dolphins!" "The dolphins of Laurentum - very well known." "They are creatures of good omen, one of our many blessings." "Can we go down to the beach straight away?" "Yes." "How exciting!" "One of the fishermen will show you where the wreck lies, just off the Cormorant Coast." "Ask for Phrixus." "You'll never reach it." "Too deep." "That treasure's down there for good." "..Not this deep." "Fellows here have all tried." "Only two got down to it." "One never came up." "Why not?" "They say there's a monster down there." "Have you tried?" "Do I look crazy?" "No, give me a boat." "Down there... too dangerous." "If it don't kill you, it messes you up." "Lupus, are you sure?" ".." "You're not diving for pennies in the harbour." "How?" "Fishermans cannot." "How can you?" "You were a sponge diver?" "You never told us that." "Your father." "Oh." "Is that how he died?" "I don't believe him." "..About the sponges." "There aren't any here, not enough to dive for." "Not from here." "Where, then?" "Symi?" "That's near Greece." "You're Greek?" "That's great." "You can help with my Greek lessons." "Symi..." "Where have I heard that before?" "On a symi-lar occasion." "You idiot!" "How to know where ship is?" "Line up the tall pine trees behind the villa and Cormorant Rock with the tower." "Stop!" "This is it!" "Cormorant Rock and the tower." "I can't see anything." "See the darker shape against the sand?" "Don't try to reach the wreck first time. .." "Start counting." "One, two, three..." "Slower." "HE TAPS OUT RHYTHM ..Six, seven, duh-duh-duh, eight, nine legionaries, ten legionaries, eleven legionaries..." "How long can he stay under?" "38 legionaries, 39 legionaries, 40 legionaries..." "..78 legionaries, 79 legionaries, 80 legionaries..." "He is gone too long." "Should never have let him go." "How long?" "89..." "Count for me." "If you get to 100 and I'm still not up, pull on the rope." "A century." "One centurion..." "Behold below!" "I can see him!" "Is it him?" "It looks very small." "112!" "You did it!" "You reached the wreck!" "Is this the ship's figurehead?" "Did you see any treasure?" "There's a crack in the hull." "Can you get in?" "Oh, no, you don't." "We need stones, rope, net." "Do it right or not at all." "The figurehead, who is she?" "Aphrodite, goddess of love, born of the deep." "Such workmanship." "Greek of course." "They really are the best artists." "Lupus is brilliant at drawing as well as diving." "Can I keep her?" "As you can see, I have a collection of fine objects." "Perhaps I could show them to you." "Will you show me too?" "Yes, it would be my pleasure." "Jonathan!" "Is that Greek too?" "Yes, It's not my taste, but my uncle liked it." "Our young urinator has a sense of the dramatic, too." "Young what?" "Some divers take a pig's bladder full of air to the sea bed - hence "urinator"." "We're celebrating your successful urination, Lupus!" "But he didn't reach the treasure." "He has to get right inside the ship." "And they say there's a monster." "Oh, shush, Cassandra!" "To honour the feast of the Meditrinalia," "I mix old and new wine and am healed of old and new ills." "Now we will make music." "Mordecai's wrigglers seem to be doing their work." "Do you want to have a look?" "Eurgh, no!" "Can you feel them?" "Just a little tickle, that's all." "The dolphins!" "The dolphins are here!" "Must get strength for dive today." "This Greek food?" "Especially urinator food!" "Salt water not good for you." "Makes you throw up." "How was the training?" "Holds breath for 150." "I've got stones and rope and...well, wait and see." "Good morning, Phrixus." "Will you help us today?" "Nearly done." "Good catch today." "Look at this beauty!" "Octopus." "Delicious!" "Lupus?" "Lupus?" "Sorry." "Didn't mean to frighten him." "He is stone, like regarding face of Medusa." "It's only small." "Admiral Pliny says there are octopi so big they can rip a man apart with their suckers." "This makes it easier to get in and out of the boat." "Like this, see?" "Here are the stones." "How many?" "Ten." "Throw two overboard." "Six dives, two spares." "It took me ages to find them." "More than six dives is dangerous." "What's the signal?" "If you go over 150, we pull you up?" "If he's inside the wreck, pulling on the rope could trap him." "Then what?" "He knows what he's doing." "..You ready?" "One legionary, two legionary... 120!" "Did you find a way in?" "Did you see any treasure?" "He's needing breaths." "Sorry, it's just so exciting." "One legionary, two legionaries..." "Why does it have to be legionaries?" "Five bossy women, six bossy women..." "COUNTING ECHOES" "Venalicius steals the treasure!" "It feels like treasure!" "Lupus tried to hire a patient of mine to kill Venalicius." "Lupus, we don't think you should dive." "The omens are bad." "We didn't find the treasure." "Now we never will." "Forgive me." "No treasure is worth Neptune's curse." "151..." "He's been down too long."