They had been ensconced in Pompey's palace for five days now and it had been a round of feasts and 'social gatherings' and generally a time where Rome's finest did their best to outshine each other, as they jostled to get a look at the barbarian Queen whole ruled over a tribe of women, and where men had been reduced to the role of mere possessions.

The Roman matrons and their daughters were fascinated by the concept, almost as much as they were fascinated by the hulking presence of Hercules. On more than one occasion he'd heard a Roman noblewoman speculate on the attributes of any other men that the Amazon's had at home. But there were other occasions when he truly wished he were deaf as they discussed his potential virility and various portions of his anatomy. It had taken all his strength of will to avoid blushing at some of their more pointed comments.

On top of all that aggravation, since their meeting with Pompey, they'd had no further news of any of their friends. Hercules allowed a frown to crease his brow as he thought about that first meeting between Ephiny and the Roman.

"I know why you're here," Pompey had said with smiling confidence, "You want to take the Warrior Princess back to Greece, and you want to rescue the true Queen of the Amazons, Gabrielle." He sat back and waited to hear the response.

Ephiny had stiffened for a moment, before relaxing back in her chair, resisting an impulse to look over at Hercules. She knew it wasn't a well known fact that Gabrielle was true Queen of the Amazons. It was something both the bard and her people tended to keep to themselves as much as possible, because the Queen being out on the road, even with a 'personal bodyguard' like Xena, was risky. Gabrielle would make a tempting target for anyone seeking to hold the Amazons to ransom.

Settling on his haunches, knowing that he was in for a long session, Hercules waited to see how Ephiny would handle the situation. The Regent pursed her lips as she directed a calculating stare at the Roman, "We came here looking for Queen Gabrielle," she admitted, "Xena ...." she paused for a moment seeking the best way to tackle that particular bunch of thorns. "Xena is currently serving a sentence of banishment imposed by the Amazon council, but she remains Queen's champion, and as such is of concern to the Amazon people."

Hercules had watched Pompey intently through that speech, seeing no reaction, which gave the impression that the man already knew the situation ... something not really possible, - Unless he's been given a full briefing by someone. - He covered a frown by running his hand over his face, pushing his hair out of his eyes, - And the only way for someone to have such intimate knowledge of Amazon affairs is if they are an Amazon, - an idea that he discarded almost immediately, - or a God! - His thoughts immediately turned to Ares.

Pompey smiled. Hercules had never met either him or Caesar before, but from what he'd heard there was really little to chose between them. Both were obsessed in gaining ascendancy in Rome, and once that had been achieved, they wanted to rule the World! The one thing that was stopping either one from attaining his goal, was the cutthroat competition they had going with each other. - A small mercy to be thankful for, - thought the son of Zeus, - that and the fact that their hate for each other might just allow us to get our friends out of here. -

"Caesar has Xena," Pompey dropped into the silence, "but you already know that, or had guessed it. They are on their way to Rome, according to my sources, and should arrive any time now." He watched the blonde Regent for any sign of impatience, and found only a pair of brown eyes that had turned rock hard as they bored into him.

"He also had your Queen ...." he began before Ephiny interrupted him.

"Had?" she questioned pointedly.

Pompey smiled, as he rose from his seat and moved across to a table where refreshments had been laid for them, "Some wine?" he inquired politely, pouring one for himself and his guest when she nodded acceptance.

Ephiny, Hercules noted, had schooled herself to patience and had not pressed her question. The Roman was controlling the game for the moment, she needed to exert restraint if she was going to maintain a tenable position. She accepted the goblet that was passed to her and sipped appreciatively at the sweet red wine.

"Brutus was detailed to bring Queen Gabrielle back to Rome for safekeeping," he explained as he resumed his seat, "He also had two men, friends of hers I believe, in custody. The three of them escaped by picking the locks on their shackles and jumping off the ship in a storm ... quite a daring escape by all accounts."

- Autolycus, - thought Hercules immediately, - he must be with Gabrielle. But who's the other man? Iolaus or Toris? -

Ephiny softened her look a little, although the big man guessed that she was burning inside with impatience. He knew that she had a fiery temper, but his admiration for her rose as she, not only kept it firmly in check, but also presented the image of cool control as she asked, "And just where is my Queen now?"

"That," he admitted, "is a little difficult to say right now. Reports suggest that she and the two men with her, plus another two men that Caesar is interested in, are all currently heading south for Rome." He gave her a charming smile as he set his wine cup down on a side table, "Of course, Brutus is desperate to make good on his failure, and has got half the men stationed in Italia patrolling the area to make certain that they are safely back in custody, before Caesar returns."

- Four men? - thought Hercules distracted by the number, - Ephiny said that three letters were sent out, one to Iolaus and the others to Toris and Autolycus. Who's the fourth man? -

"What then," asked Ephiny in a level tone, "are you offering, or suggesting here?" Her look made it plain that there was nothing in what he had said that was of any real use to her.

Allowing the smile to linger on his face, Pompey leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered, "I'm suggesting, that we take Caesar's toys away from him and upset his little plans." He gave her a speculative look of his own as he continued, "I've no doubt that you know all about my little ... shall we say contest, with Caesar. At the moment .. by holding the Warrior Princess and, if he retakes her bard .. he has the upper hand in our game. The pair are but pawns on a large chess board. I could...." He frowned, taking a draught from his cup before continuing the sentence, "easily find ways to remove those pawns from the game ... for good. However," he again smiled as he set his cup aside, "I found Xena to be quite stimulating when we met a short time ago and I would regret doing something permanent to her ... or your Queen of course."

Hercules saw the tightening around Ephiny's mouth as she recognised the veiled threat to her friends. Yet she waited, knowing that Pompey was merely establishing his position, knowing that he still had more to say. Something that he obviously believed would gain her co-operation.

"Personally," continued Pompey unworried by the sharp look he had attracted, "I'd far prefer to take them all away from Caesar and send them back home with you. It would annoy him far more, and of course, has the added benefit of retaining Xena as a threat to his personal safety."

"And do you have a plan for doing this?" asked Ephiny neutrally. She could not afford to appear too eager here. She would need to discuss her options with Eponin and Hercules before deciding what to do.

"Actually, I do," he told her with unassumed confidence, "At least as far as your Queen and the men with her are concerned. It might take a little work to extract Xena from Caesar's clutches. He really has an obsession with her, you know? Not that I blame him exactly, but it's going to make it all the more difficult to free her, and we're probably going to need her help."

Ephiny still wasn't sure whether this Roman could be trusted, but she recognised that he was playing a game that coincided with her own requirements, so for now, at least, it made sense to work together, "Xena will do nothing to endanger Gabrielle," she told him with certainty, even though her memory winced at the image of the bard being dragged from the village behind Xena's horse. "Before we can get her co-operation, we're going to have to prove to her that Gabrielle is safe."

"That is not going to be easy," he conceded. "Getting Gabrielle here and away from Caesar's men, may prove to be less difficult than could be anticipated, but getting a message to Xena, in a way that she would accept the message for truth ... now that is going to be far more problematical. Caesar has a full maniple of guards around her at nearly all times. No one gets to see her without direct authorisation from him. She has at least six guards watching her every move both day and night. The only time she's free of really close scrutiny is when she performs in a pit fight .. but then there are usually guards stationed everywhere around the pit watching her every move." He grinned, "Just in case she decides she's had enough and opts to try and dismember Caesar."

Ephiny frowned. She wasn't really surprised an that. Xena would, given the opportunity, attack Caesar no doubt about it. "These pit fights," inquired the Regent, an idea forming in her mind, "Just what happens? Are weapons used? And just what is the set up?"

"Can you honestly see Caesar willingly allow Xena to get her hands on a weapon? Any weapon?" he laughed at the thought of the discomfiture that such a situation would bring to his rival, "To be honest, she did actually get a dagger in one of those fights she had in Narbonensis. Some fool dropped the weapon to his fighter, hoping he'd beat Xena with it. She got hold of it and threw it straight at Caesar. He's got a nice scar down the right side of his face to show for it." He laughed again.

"The pit fights are kind of like private entertainment for the rich and the nobility. Most of the larger houses have their own gladiator pit, and often, during a celebration or dinner party, the host will have arranged a series of pit fights to entertain his guests. The guests usually wager outrageous amounts on the outcome of the fight, and Caesar has accumulated quite a large fortune by wagering on Xena." He thought for a few moments noting her interest.

"The rules and conditions of the entertainment are decided by the owners of the slaves or gladiators being matched together. Some may want to see a blood match where the fighters use weapons and fight until first blood is drawn. Others might wish to see a death match, which is pretty self explanatory. Caesar only fights Xena in unarmed combat, sometimes she's matched against a single opponent, more often she's expected to fight off two, three, four or more. The fight ends when one side is unable to continue."

"The gladiators in Rome are of a far tougher breed than those found in the provinces, and I have little doubt that Caesar intends to continue to use Xena to stuff his treasury. It's unlikely that he'll risk her in the coliseum fights, unless there is some huge prize to be won. The fights in the coliseum are always performed with weapons, something he'll probably consider too dangerous to allow. As far as I can see, the only way we can possibly contact her is to get someone into a pit with her." He arched an eyebrow in question at her, "Could one of your Amazons be persuaded to take on the task?"

Ephiny relaxed into her chair and allowed her eyes to warm a little, "I think we may be able to arrange something," she agreed.

Hercules groaned inwardly. He just knew that that particular task was going to come down to him. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, knowing that he'd have to spend some time here while Ephiny and Pompey exchanged a little social banter. It proved to be a long evening.

His mind focused back on the present as he pulled himself up off of the bed and walked through to the opulent bathroom where he poured water into a marble bowl and splashed it over his face, before groping for a piece of linen to wipe the excess off.

After the meeting with Pompey, Ephiny, he and Eponin had discussed what they had learned back in Ephiny's chambers. The Regent had fully explained everything to her Weapons Master and they had discussed at length their options. Eponin had been eager to send out some Amazon scouts to track down Gabrielle, but had to reluctantly agree with Ephiny that that particular move would have attracted far too much attention. It irked the dark Amazon that they had to 'play politics' as she put it, rather than take a far more direct approach.

"Pompey knows exactly what we're doing here," Ephiny had reminded them, "How? Only the Gods know!"

"Never a truer word," put in Hercules, and continued when he saw her questioning look, "I think it's a fairly safe bet that Ares is taking a hand in this somehow, even though Pompey made it clear that Gabrielle was betrayed by that healer, Patroclese. Any information he gave Caesar, about the Amazons and Gabrielle's position with you, would have been kept strictly between the two of them, Pompey couldn't have got it from that source. And given Ares infatuation with Xena, I can only presume ...."

"Fine, so we've got him to worry about too," groaned Ephiny.

"Probably not directly," assured the big man. "Ares has a connection to Caesar. I doubt if he'd want to damage his relationship by direct interference, which is probably why he's using Pompey."

"We'll just have to keep it in mind," shrugged Poni, "and hope Artemis is watching out for our interests." She grinned looking at Hercules, "What kind of terms are you on with your sister?" she asked.

"I try to avoid too much contact with members of my father's family," he replied dryly, "It's not good for my peace of mind."

"Getting back to the point," Ephiny interrupted, "We need to keep Pompey happy and play along with him. If he thinks that we're not going to be of use to him in his conflict with Caesar, he may just decided to eliminate Gabrielle and the others. By doing that he'll probably ensure Xena's death, because I have little doubt that she would do something ... rash."

"Well what's the plan?" asked Eponin, straight to the point.

"I think that Ephiny has got it in mind that I earn my keep," offered Hercules smoothly. "I'm going to need to establish a reputation amongst the Romans as a pit fighter of some quality."

Since then, he'd had two fights, arranged by Pompey as he hosted two elaborate gatherings in honour of the Amazon Queen. The gladiators had been good quality fighters, but they proved to be of little consequence to the demi-god, although for the sake of appearances, he did make something of a show of both contests.

That's when his problems with the matrons of Rome had really started as well. There was something about a big muscular guy, who could beat the stuffing out of other men, without raising a sweat, that really turned them on. If he hadn't been a grown man, Hercules would have cried in frustration. - At least Eponin's leaving me alone, - he brooded moodily.

He knew that Ephiny had had a long serious talk with the other Amazon after seeing just what the big man was being called upon to endure. Eponin had grinned mischievously and muttered something about 'being able to wait' that had made the hairs on the nape of his neck rise, but at least she had backed off for the interim, for which he was profoundly grateful.

Pompey had not been able to get them any further information about the hunt for Gabrielle, although he had mentioned, earlier in the day, that the area around Rome had become thick with patrols as the net was slowly tightened to catch the game that was being hunted. He had also dropped some hints that he had men of his own out on the hunt, although they were having to be circumspect so as to avoid clashes with Brutus' men.

Hercules sighed. He was currently doing his best to stay hidden in Ephiny's rooms. There was another fight scheduled for the evening and he was supposed to be resting. He felt relief at being out of the public eye, but he was feeling unsettled; he was not used to sitting on the sidelines while events unwrapped themselves around him. He knew that he just had to be patient.

The encampment was set in the fold of a range of rolling hills. It wasn't big, consisting of a command tent and a few other tens for the men who had returned from their patrol and were grabbing some sleep before being sent out again. There were several similar camps dotted all around Rome, but this was the one where Brutus had established himself.

There was much coming and going as scouts were sent in to report on trails discovered and areas swept for sign of the fugitives. The frustrating, commonplace, answer was that no trace of the five, hunted, people had been found or, which was worse, that the trail had been lost. Brutus was beginning to get nervously fidgety, knowing that Caesar was on his way back to Rome.

Sitting within his tent, the darkly good looking Roman was contemplating the ruination of his political aspirations. He had been friends with, and confident to, Julius Caesar since they were little more than boys first making their way in Rome's turbulent society. He'd recognised the genius in his friend and had firmly hitched his wagon to that of Caesar's rising star, making a lot of enemies in the process, but counting that a fair exchange for his own advancement.

- Now, - he brooded silently, - Now, every thing looks like it's going to be destroyed by some bratty Greek bard, just because she gave me the slip! - he slammed his hand onto the table in front of him that was strewn with maps of the search area immediately around Rome. - She is somewhere out there, just beyond my reach, - he breathed heavily, - I can almost feel her. I just need a little luck and I'll have her! -

He looked up as Tribune Granius, the duty officer for the day, entered his tent and saluted sharply, "Lord Brutus," he began, "we have reports in from our patrols that have spotted troops of men sent out by the Senate and by Pompey. They seem to be checking on what our men are doing and are causing disruptions in the search patterns."

Brutus pulled a map from the untidy pile on his desk, "Show me where they've been seen, Granius," he commanded grimly. - That's all I need, - he snarled to himself. - If that vainglorious ass, Pompey gets his hands on them, I might as well start looking for a new career, because Caesar will never forget I failed him. -

The tribune spent some time pointing out the sectors in which troops from the senate and Pompey's IInd Legion had been identified, noting that at least two of the sectors were amongst the regions believed to be the most likely to be hiding the wanted fugitives.

"Have you had any word that they've found anything?" demanded the Roman commander.

"No my Lord. Both the Senate's troops and Pompey's are keeping mostly clear of our patrols."

"Make sure we have scouts keeping an eye on these 'interlopers' at all times," ordered Brutus. "If they find anything, anything at all, I want to know about it!" he instructed.

As Granius left him, Brutus felt the roiling acid of his stomach churn with an almost fatalistic knowledge that he was playing a game that he could not win.