"Remember," his predecessor had whispered while packing his bags with trembling hands, "never look him in the eye, but never look away. Never laugh unless he laughs, and for the love of the gods, if he asks you to dinner, bring your own taster."
One evening, Caligula leaned in close to Lucius. The smell of expensive wine and madness was overwhelming. "Do you know why I keep you around, little scribe?"
Lucius knelt in the wet sand, dutifully filling chests with seashells. He labeled them: Spoils of the Ocean, conquered by the Living God. [S4E1] Working for Caligula
Lucius didn't blink. He dipped his reed into the ink and began to write. Article I: The Consulship of the Equine.
Lucius survived by becoming a shadow. He learned to anticipate the shifts in the Emperor's "divine" weather. When Caligula declared himself a god and demanded to be addressed as Jupiter, Lucius didn't flinch. When Caligula ordered a bridge of ships to be built across the Bay of Baiae just so he could ride across it in the armor of Alexander the Great, Lucius simply calculated the tonnage of grain ships required. "Remember," his predecessor had whispered while packing his
"Gather the spoils!" Caligula screamed over the roar of the surf.
Caligula laughed—a high, shrill sound that echoed off the marble walls. "No. It’s because you are the only one who doesn't look like you’re waiting for me to die." "Do you know why I keep you around, little scribe
Lucius kept his voice steady. "Because I record the glory of the son of Germanicus, Caesar."