Groaning I feel something soft under me, maybe I was in bed and everything with the statue was just a dream? After all I didn't remember a thing that happened after kissing the statue and everything going dark so that was a good sigh that it was a dream...right?

"Time to wake up sleepy head." A woman's voice said as all the sudden light was all around me. "Cassia will be here soon and you know how anxious she is to see the games."

Games? Cassia? What in the world is going on here? Barely opening my eyes I look around and know that I am definitely not in my room. This room was large and the walls had painting all over. Murals I guess you could call them. Lifting myself up onto my elbows I could see and older woman opening the drapes that blocked the sun from the room.

"You can't stay in bed all day and you know it, get out there and attract a handsome young noble." The woman tells me with a giggle.

Handsome young noble? Who in the heck even talks like that? Just as I was about to say something the woman comes over and sits on my bed. Staring me down the woman's face turns to a serious one as she takes a lock of my hair and tucks it behind my ear.

"You are the eldest of my daughter and I expect you to at least find a lover before Corvus proposes to your sister." The woman sighs as she pulls the blankets off of me. "Come wear your green dress, it brings out your red hair which most roman men like."

Roman men? Ok if I didn't know any better I would say that somehow I was back in time but that is impossible...or it is? After all I didn't remember what happened after I kissed that statue so what if somehow I was able to go back in time. As I think over my situation I stand from the bed as two other women come into the room and begin to put green fabric around my body.

"Grace, please just keep an open mind with your sister today." The woman said as she raises my chin so I am forced to look at her and I decide to play along.

"Yes mother, I promise to keep an open mind with my sister." I agree not really sure what I am agreeing too but if it got me out of this room faster I was more than willing to try.

The women dress me in a long green flowing dress. Whatever family I was in it was obvious they had money and were trying to show off my "assets" to any noble man they could to attract his interest. Trying to keep my mind off of that I can feel my mother start to braid my hair. Oh yeah they really wanted to marry me off and that just made me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Sister!" another female voice calls out as a woman bursts into the room. "There you are, come we must go and see the new arrivals."

New arrivals? Really I had an idea what she was talking about but I was going to try and keep my smarts to myself since I didn't want to attract a lot of attention. Mother finished my hair quickly and practically pushed me into my sisters arms.

"You two have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do." Mother warns us as we walk down the stairs.

Something told me there wasn't much that woman wouldn't do to get me married. Rolling my eyes I follow Cassia as she does nothing but talk to me about the gladiators and how she had hoped to see them while they were training for the upcoming entertainment they were to perform at tomorrow morning. I just let her ramble on and answered most of her questions with yes or no since I didn't think she really wanted my opinion plus we had another girl with us who was sticking to Cassia like glue. She looked to be about our age and would do anything my "sister" asked of her. A brown nose if you asked me. The carriage finally stopped and there we were outside of the arena.

"Come, my cousin is in charge of the gate and he said he would let us in to see the warriors practice and maybe get some time with one of them." Cassia's best friend said with a big smile as she dragged us to a different entrance.

She wasn't lying either. There waiting was another man who looked at us with a chuckle as he opened the gates and let us inside. This was something that was normal to them? The inner archeologist in me was learning a lot.

"You've each got an hour with one after that go back to your homes and you will see them fight tomorrow." The man said leading the friend to one cell, Cassia to another and I to the very last one.

This felt like a bad idea, I knew the history of Gladiators and I knew they were ruthless and not very friendly to anyone they thought was going to take advantage of them. The man shut the cell door I was in and I turned around to see a man lying on a wooden bed with some hay laid down on it probably in an attempt to make it more comfortable. I thought he might be dead until he slowly set up to look right at me.

"Another service request?" the man asks me as his long curly brown hair get in his face but he moves it away.

"Service you mean, oh no I'm not here to have sex with you." I say completely disgusted with the idea.

That earns a chuckle from the gladiator who stands up and walks over to me. Trying to keep my distance from him he does eventually end up backing me into a corner. He did not believe a word I was saying to him and whatever he thought I wanted to do with him he wanted to get over quickly.

"Then what do you want noble?" he questions as his hand comes up and touches my cheek.

"This was all my sisters idea, I had nothing to do with this plan." I admit honestly when I can hear moaning coming from another cell. "Well her or her friend seem to be having a good time."

Looking away from the man I try to get out of his hold but it's useless, he is ten times stronger than me.

"If we don't do something I will get punished and I don't like being whipped for any reason let alone none at all." He said grabbing my face forcefully.

"Leave her alone Claudius, she said she doesn't want you so leave her be until the time is up." Another voice speaks up from the cell to my right.

Looking over I saw another man with mid length dark curly hair who was staring Claudius down with daggers in his eyes. He was dead serious. Claudius didn't seem to care though as his hand moved from my face to my throat. He began to squeeze and I tried to scream only to have his other hand cover my mouth. Not wanting to die I began to thrash and kick at him. He didn't give in though so I used the only thought that came to my head. Taking my knee I rammed it into his private area as hard as I could and his grip instantly released me and I fell to the ground gasping for air.

Claudius fell down to the ground holding himself and groaning in pain. Knowing I didn't have much time I ran to the door of the cell and banged on it as loud as I could but I doubted that anyone could hear me over the moaning one of the other girls was doing. Praying as hard as I could as I felt tears come to my eyes I saw the African American man in the cell with the man who told Claudius to leave me alone stand up and gripping a part of his cell he managed to open a small spot where I could crawl from the cell I was in to their cell.

Did I want to though? After all there were two gladiators over there and only one in here. Claudius started to move as if he were going to stand and I made a bolt for the small door. Getting my body half way through the nice African American held the opening as the other watched for Claudius. Just as my waist clear I felt Claudius grip my ankle. Thinking he would pull me back in I cried until I felt someone grab my arm. Looking up I saw the other gladiator pulling me to his side.

"Give up Claudius, you fight me tomorrow and if you don't let her go I will remove your head from its body!" the man yelled out pulling my arms as hard as he could.

Claudius didn't seem like he wanted to take the offer the man said and begrudgingly released my ankle. The man pulled me into the cell and the other gladiator released his grip on the cage. I fell right into the other gladiators arms and I tried to gain my breath back as my heart rate was going as fast as it had ever gone.

"Women should not come here for a husbands job to be done by us." The African American said looking at me.

"I have no husband and it wasn't my idea." I say trying to control the shaking of my body.

"She's shaking like a leaf." The other man said looking to the African American.

"She's pure then, no wonder she didn't want Claudius the barbarian." He replied as he went back to what appeared to be an altar.

Turning me to face him the other gladiator looked me over for a moment examining me if I didn't know any better. He didn't say much as he looked from my face down to where that jerk was holding onto my ankle. Once he was there he gently touched my ankle and I couldn't help but flinch.

"It will bruise but it's not broken, consider yourself lucky." He tells me as he helps me to stand.

"Lucky? I'm happy I can breathe again no thanks to him." I reply as I massage my neck where the jerk held onto. "Who is my rescuer?"

"I am called the Celt, if we ever meet again though you may call me Milo, noble you best get ready to go." He says pointing to my so called sister and her friend walking our way.

Nodding I walk over to the cell door when the man who put me in the cell opens the cell and laughs at me. It takes all of my self control not to break his nose right then and there. Still I knew I couldn't show that I was able to do that because all it would do is draw attention to me and cause more trouble.

"Claudius wasn't enough huh? The Celt had to finish you off?" the man questions.

"Do not speak what you know nothing about commoner." I say as I walk out of the cell and grab Cassia's arm getting us out of that god forbidden place.