One Nation, Under Jupiter

MAY 20, 2766

Gaius Scortus was elected to the Senate just four years ago, and yet he has already become one of the most beloved men in politics. The man looked more like a model ripped from a magazine ad than a Senator. His hair is sculpted to perfection, and a simple look at his charismatic smile is enough to make the women of Nova Roma faint. Were you to paint him white, he could pass for another statue of the perfect gods, resting in all the temples. Gaius Scortus would find such a fact perfectly natural. The Senator claims to be the son of Jupiter.

"Even demigods can have bad days, of course," says the Senator with a grin, pouring a glass of wine. "Would you like one?"

"Sure," I answered.

"I'll have one, too!" added Servius, raising his hand with enthusiasm. Gaius handed me a second glass, not once taking his eyes off me.

"I'll be honest, when I was a kid, things weren't easy. Far from it, in fact. My father always had more important business to attend to."

"And by your father, you mean Jupiter?" I asked.

"Well, of course," answered Gaius flatly. "Who else?"

"Just trying to be sure, you know. So did...did you ever see your father?"

"Back then? No. I've seen him since then."

"Oh, really?" I bit my lip. "Very...very interesting! But anyway, go on."

"As I was saying, my father was never around when I was a child. It was just me and my mother, struggling to make ends meet. I never forgot the things she went through, the gods rest her soul, working full-time and being a parent. Even after learning my true nature, I made sure to always be conscious of where I began."

"Your first big move as Senator was expanding the government's corn dole, correct?" Gaius nodded in response.

"We often claim Nova Roma is the greatest country in the world," he explained. "If this is true, none of our citizens should ever have to go to bed hungry. A move I'm sure you appreciate."

"Just what do you mean by that?" I asked. I took a sip of the wine, only to throw my head back. Maybe it's been a long time since I last got to taste Falernian, but the Senator's drinking some strong stuff. I placed the glass on Gaius' desk. Servius quickly snatched it up for himself.

"A man in politics has to keep up with the news. I know all about your...recent unpleasantness." Gaius put his arms behind his head, leaning back in his chair. "I hope you get back on your feet soon, of course, but even if worst comes to worst you won't starve. I'll make sure of that."

"Well, uh...thank you," I said through clenched teeth, forcing a smile with all of my strength. Servius was already halfway through my glass of wine. "So, uh...when...when did you first realize you..." I sighed. "When did you first realize you were a demigod?"

"Well, I must've been about...ten, I think," recalled Gaius. "I always thought it was strange as a kid, seeing everyone else have fathers when I didn't. One day I asked my mother why. She decided I was old enough to know, and set me straight. Jupiter had impregnated her, and I was the result." The Senator beamed with pride as he reminisced. "Imagine that, just an ordinary kid figuring that out! Me, son of Jupiter! Brother of Hercules! Of course, with my divinity came the responsibility to put it to good use." Gaius got up from his seat, walking to the bookshelf behind him.

"The primary duty of the gods is to bring order to the race of men." The Senator pulled a copy of the Institutes from the shelf. "It seemed the best way for me to follow that path was to take to the law." He idly thumbed through the book's pages for a few seconds, before returning it to the shelf. "I pored through every legal text I could find, no matter how obscure. Ha!" He removed another book. "Like this one. For a while I had this crazy idea that if I studied the laws of a more primitive time and place, it'd help me refine my knowledge of the law today. So I read this dreary thing. It's by a German attorney from the 23rd century, what was his name..." Gaius paused to look at the spine of the book in his hand. "Martin Luther." The Senator returned the book to its shelf, making his way back to the desk. "I never did need that book, but you get the idea, don't you? It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get where I am, but soon I was a lawyer, and from there, a Senator. I've done all I can to take up my father's reins and make Nova Roma a better place, help keep the pax deorum in full force. I'm pretty sure he's proud of me."