Chapters 39 through 48 Summary

In chapter thirty-nine, Cleopatra begins building a fleet of ships to serve as a navy. She predicts that Cassius and Brutus, both exiled from Rome, will unite. That prediction comes true. Cleopatra knows that union means there will be war. The country battles famine, and fast on its heels comes a plague. Olympos says the disease could be airborne. Bodies are cremated because no one wants to touch them. A messenger comes on behalf of Cassius who demands the use of Cleopatra's navy. She tells him that there's a plague and that it's dangerous for anyone to enter the country, eventually convincing him of the truth of her statements and thus delaying her promise to deliver the fleet as soon as possible. The political upheaval in Rome draws Cleopatra in. She notes that Octavian has achieved in less than two years...