All Romans lie. It is a statement of fact, not a supposition. How can I be so certain, you ask? Because I am a Roman, one of fame and glory, and I am the biggest liar of them all. My name is Marcus Agrippa, and what I have to tell you would shake the very foundations of Rome itself were my words to come to light today. Hopefully, by the time these writings of mine are discovered in what I hope will be hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years from now, the secret that I have borne most of my life will no longer matter. I can only pray to the gods that it is so, for you see, the name that I wear now with such ease and the one which all of Rome knows me by and admires is not the name that belongs to me. It never did. So, take heed, friend, for if you choose to go further, you will learn of such things that you cannot even imagine. Tales of heroism and deceit, honor and treachery. It is all here, written by my own hand now that I am free to tell what really happened. This is the story of a slave and a future emperor—two men entwined by destiny, the will of the gods, and a deadly secret. So read on, friend from the future. Read on—if you dare!