Summary

When Calypso asks Apollo for his godly strength, he tells the reader that he once fought a Germani (Nero’s soldier) with a burst of strength, but has not been able to do so since. Calypso picks a lock in the cafe using her intimate knowledge of weaving that she practiced on the island. After Calypso wonders if the animals are being turned into food- and Apollo tells her this is food for the animals - Apollo remembers his time with Commodus. The two had been in an intimate relationship during the war conquest of Commodus’s father. However, Commodus found it all boring and would rather enjoy brutal games instead. When they learn that Commodus’s father died in combat, Apollo gives Commodus his blessing but tells the reader that this was the start of Commodus’s descent into a brutal emperor. Calypso...