Chapter Six

Hibernia. That was a place that Rome knew it would never control. The Gaels, the race that inhabited Hibernia, had been trading with Rome for some time, since Augustus' days. While the Gaels would dare to come so far from Hibernia to trade with Rome there was no Roman who would go so far from Rome to trade with Hibernia and thus the thought of conquering Hibernia was simply out of the question.

"Hibernia!" scoffed Claudius as he kept looking through the list of Greek kings of the Trojan War. "I'll tell you where you should go should Caligula ever become First Citizen. Nowhere! And do you know why? Because it will never happen!"

Romulus stood in Claudius' bedchamber as he watched Claudius sit behind a table looking over the list he gave him. "Funny." He said. "I seem to recall the same thing being said about the possibility about you ever becoming First Citizen."

"I shall never become First Citizen either." Stated Claudius. "Look at me, cousin. I have a limp and I am slightly deaf. What sort of a First Citizen would I be?"

"As good as one that was of poor health and often fell ill." Answered Romulus.

Claudius stared with wide eyes. Did Romulus truly believe he'd be as good as Augustus? "Do you really think that, Romulus?"

"Of course. I think Rome would truly flourish under you and it would also truly expand with you as First Citizen. I understand you believe that we should conquer Britannia."

Claudius sighed and shook his head. "I've been laughed at for voicing that belief. Now, lets see here... Here we are, you forgot Diomedes, King of Argos. With you being more Greek than Roman I'm surprised you've forgotten him. You've always loved his wounding of Venus and Mars."

"What?" Romulus took the scroll from Claudius. "Oh dear me, looks like I did. How did that ever happen?"

"You must have been distracted." Answered Claudius. "All of this gloomy talk can distract from this. How about we talk about something else?"

"Have you got a topic in mind, good cousin?"

"My brother and Alexander the Great." Stated Claudius. "Come now, take a seat."

Romulus took a seat in a chair and took a moment to think before speaking. "Well, there are similarities but Germanicus never claimed to be the son of Jupiter nor did any augur ever proclaim him one."

"My mother never made any claims to him having been Jupiter's son either." Added Claudius. "If there had perhaps he would have become First Citizen instead of Tiberius. I doubt he would have been as good as Augustus had been but he might have been better than Tiberius."

"Yes but supposing he still only lived to be three and thirty he only would have been First Citizen for five twelvemonths." Said Romulus.

"And then my nephew, Caligula's eldest brother Nero, would have been First Citizen for the past decade." Added Claudius. "To be fair I'm not sure about him and his younger brother Drusus being Tiberius' heirs since the deaths of Germanicus and Tiberius' son Drusus."

"Are you wishing that Tiberius had named you his heir after his son's death?"

"I was being pushed by some quarters as a potential heir." Said Claudius. "I'd prefer that I be heir when I am the only immediate choice left. Besides, I might not be sure about my nephews being Tiberius' heirs they should not be stepped over in favor of myself... Germanicus has certainly left more children than Alexander did: Nero, Drusus, Caligula, Agrippina Minor, Julia Drusilla and Julia Livilla... There would have been no threat of a succession crisis looming with his death."

"The thought of a certain son of Germanicus becoming First Citizen would make a succession crisis preferable."

Claudius smiled. Romulus' comment was rather amusing. "Yes, indeed... I guess in some ways Germanicus is more like Achilles."

"You mean how he never succeeded his father?"

"Yes. Achilles predeceased his natural father Peleus and my brother Germanicus predeceased his adoptive father Tiberius."

"Who then is the Neoptolemus of this age I wonder." Mused Romulus. "Nero, Drusus or Caligula? Will one of them be involved in a sack of Ilium and became the ruler of some new Epirus?"

"They are too small minded to do anything of the sort." Stated Claudius. "My nephews cannot think of anything besides Rome. The thought of being an inhabitant of some other country simply does not exist for them. It is only in you that the thought of living elsewhere exists. You would be a new Aeneas."

"You say that I am more a Greek than a Roman, and that is true for my views are often more Greek than Roman, but it would seem that I am more antique Trojan. Should Caligula become First Citizen that would be a sack of Troy!"