open Neptune's Wrath

[Kali]

The palace at night was peaceful, and the prince was one to sleep past dawn. Not raising until Apollo's rays peaked through the gossamer drapes that fluttered in the gentle breeze. That night, however, Titus was awake. Fretting in his bed as he felt some sort of unnerving feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. Almost as if he knew the gods were angry for some reason. His body slave tried to get him to cast the thought away. That is just his mind playing tricks on him. Still, it needled at him. Until he finally began to doze off thanks to mere exhaustion.

That was when the earth began to quake, rattling the buildings of the city, including the palace. Titus bolted up right as the room around him shook, he could see his men slowly coming to, shouts around the palace could be heard. "We need to get to the gardens." He told them as he stood, grabbing his tunic and sandals. Pulling them on as he moved quickly out of his room. Slaves were running around trying to save what they could from being destroyed as they too headed towards where they would be safe at. 

Another tremor hit, this time stronger , forcing him to make haste before he stopped and realizing he didn't recognize any of the slaves as his younger brother's. "Get to the gardens, I need to go find Drusus!" He said, pushing his servants and his tutor towards the way to safety before making his way towards the rooms he knew housed his brother. 

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30 6 75 | sorry fort he anticlimactic starting post lol | open to those living in the palace. | no posting order, short posts are

Edited June 8, 2020 by Kali

[Eris]

For Ru, the night had ended peacefully, and she had settled into the comfort of her own bed alongside the familiar presence of her body slave easily. Drifting off into the arms of the Gods of Sleep and Dreams without much of a fight once she and her most trusted companion had finished their pillow talking. She had not expected to wake until well after dawn, as deep and long of a sleeper she was. But the gods seemed to have other plans for that night. Especially as the hours inched closer to Aurora's awakening of the sky.

They had all felt the shaking over the last week. Small tremors here and there. Gone as quickly as they happened, forgotten and stored in the back of one's mind. When the first hard tremor hit, it barely stirred the princess. Who groaned and turned to snuggle closer to her bed partner. A mumble of not now leaving her as if her sleep state figured it was someone trying to wake her. The second one nearly didn't awake until she heard vases crash to the floor and even more of the room trembled.

The duo bolted up right, looking in fear around the room as the tremors kept on and she felt herself panic. Death after all was the one thing that all of humanity had to face. "We need to get to safety, domina." She heard the nudging from her body slave. But it was like it was at the end of a tunnel. She barely registered her guard entering and yanking her up, all but dragging her down the hall as the rest of her retinue followed.

Her feet knew the path, it was heading towards the open garden. They would be safe there, yes? Then the world crashed into her psyche when she heard Titus' voice calling out that he had to go find their younger brother, and she watched in horror as her elder brother ran back into the shaking halls. "TITUS, COME BACK!" she screeched loudly, trying to move after him but was stopped as she was pulled more towards the center of the garden.

[Sharpie]

Volusa had woken her mistress almost as soon as she had been woken by the shaking. She had got her out of her room,along with the rest of Claudia's slaves but they had got separated once they got to the more occupied parts of the palace - everyone was heading to the garden and Volusa could not see her mistress any more, or Cynane or anyone else from Claudia's personal staff. 

And she could not make headway back in against the tide of people seeking safety in the garden. 

 

[Atrice]

Cynane had not really woken with a start, like many others might have. She'd felt the tremors the past week too and she was ever alert of the princess, worried this might turn worse. No really bad earthquake had happened while she'd been here so far, but she had heard stories. And she had felt the ground shake more than once since she arrived here. It was just another thing to dislike about Rome. The past week it had happened quite often though and she felt the Earth shake again this night. She slept and woke easily, so the first tremor had her eyes open. She had almost drifted off to sleep again, when the second came and this time, it didn't stop. People were shouting and paint fell off the walls and she feared the roof might fall down over her head. This was a big and heavy building. Claudia... fuck, Claudia! 

She couldn't find her. Claudia wasn't in her bed. Someone else (probably Volusa) must have woken her and gotten her to safety. Cynane had not experienced a full-blown earthquake. She understood what it was and what it could do though. And she knew she had to get out. When something like this happened, her mind switched to being very practical. As she moved towards the garden like everyone else, she did however pray to her gods that Claudia was already in the garden, and safe.

"Claudia?!" She called out for her princess, she couldn't see her. And that was honestly more frightening than the earthquake.

[Gothic]

Claudia was peacefully curled up asleep with her arms tight around her pillow. Her dreams were on the flight from Rome with her sister and brother, a time of both chaos and growth. An adventure! In her dream she felt a deep grumble, the ground shook and in the dream she heard the ground growling. Snarling at her, like a wild beast and awoke with a sharp jerk. She let out a cry of fright, and reached out for Volusa or one of her other slaves. She could not find them. Her heartbeat began to become more intense, she threw off the blankets and heard the cries from outside. Where was her household? Where was her family? Was everyone safe? 

A hand reached up to open the heavy doors when one of the praetorians took her arm to lead her towards the garden. A place of refuge in times before chaos. 

"Have you seen my brother?!" She asked in a rush, hung to his arms and looked up at his face. He answered her yet she struggled to hear him through the noise of the crowd of people. He pointed to the garden and told her that the family were gathering there. "I need to make sure everyone is safe!" She called out. Unfortunately, the praetorian had no desire to allow the princess to return inside and risk death. 

She turned and smiled in relief when she saw her twin by her side. Tiberius was safe. But what about the rest of them? Claudia headed in the direction of the garden.

[Sarah]

Quote

"Get to the gardens, I need to go find Drusus!"

That was Titus's voice. The young Caesar needed to get out; they all did. Plaster was falling from the ceiling and masonry might follow. "I have him Titus!" Tiberius called, emerging from the room opposite his own with the uncooperative eight year old in his arms, half wrapped in the woolen cloak that had been haphazardly thrown about the young man's shoulders.

The young Imperial had woken for no obvious reason and been pacing irritably when the big quake had come. The cry from the room opposite had sent him dodging Praetorian Guards and into the opposite room, grabbing up his adoptive brother who proved slightly more inclined to allow himself to be carried by his brother than by his body slave. Running back down the hallway as fast as he dared with Quintus's youngest in his arms, he fell into step with Titus, his brother in thought and heart if cousin by blood, raised together and born to serve the Empire. "We have to get everyone out, the roof could come down." He panted as he put actions to words.

Fortunately several of their family were already gathered outside; he saw Rutiliana and heard his twin call for him, and he automatically angled towards her voice. "The guards will bring everyone out." He assured her, and tried to reassure himself. It was easy to want to be heroes, but that was what the Praetorian Guard were there for. If the young Imperials went back into the building and got squashed, where would that leave the Empire? The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few.

Drusus was clinging to him now, too frightened to protest his eviction from his bed in the middle of the night. Tiberius looked back over his shoulder towards the nearest portico, hoping to see the rest of their family emerge, as the younger members headed into the Hortulus and away from the building.

Edited September 5, 2021 by Sarah