Chapter XII - Betting
(May 290 AD)
The nights that Anthonius spent with Diocletian suddenly stopped abruptly when he was introduced to a Greek athletics coach. Until then, the 12 year-old had never heard of the games for boy athletes that the Emperor held every year in a small arena within the Imperial palace complex, supposedly in honour of the gods.
When Anthonius was told about the juvenile games, he quickly appreciated Diocletian's real motive for holding the annual event because he learnt that, as well as being excellent athletes, the specially selected young participants were expected to be very pleasing to the eye. The Princeps had devised an ideal way to inspect some of the boy elite of his Empire, especially as the only attire they were permitted during competition was a tiny thong coloured light blue.
Anthonius was also sure that Diocletian would have followed the Greek fashion of complete nudity for athletes if public Roman morals had allowed. The Emperor might even have ignored such prudish attitudes if he had still not felt entirely secure on his throne.
Anthonius was now advised by the coach that Diocletian wanted his new servant to participate in the next juvenile games, which would take place in one month's time. The boy would be the first Imperial page to do so, and he would spend the next four weeks preparing for the event, during which period his body would have to remain chaste and free from Imperial molestation to ensure proper athletic readiness.
Anthonius was informed by the coach that one of the facts that Diocletian had discovered about him, whilst enquiring about him in Lycia, was that the boy would have been a promising athlete if his royal status had not prevented him competing. The Emperor had been told that the prince had been successful in private challenges with some of his friends who were champions, or nearly, in their age group.
This was the first time that Anthonius realised the extent to which Diocletian had enquired into his background, and he could not deny the truthfulness of this particular piece of information. The boy was a very fast sprinter, who also possessed good stamina for longer runs.
Anthonius was not as big and strong as many boys of similar age but he made up for this, in events such as throwing the discus and javelin, with excellent technique. His one weakness was in wrestling. No one was supposed to fight a Lycian Prince and so he had had little practice. Only his closest friends had secretly tangled with him and they had usually emerged victorious.
Anthonius was advised by the coach that Diocletian wanted to give him the opportunity, denied to him in the past, to compete and literally show his paces publicly. He was not informed that Casperius and Lysus had cleverly seized the opportunity, when the Emperor had drunkenly bragged that his new boy favourite could beat anyone at the forthcoming juvenile games, to suggest that the page be allowed to justify such Imperial faith.
Knowing that Diocletian liked challenges, Casperius and Lysus then supplemented the Emperor's agreement by entering into a bet. If Anthonius matched his reputation by coming first in his discipline, they would pay for the games' costly closing banquet. However, if the boy failed to achieve such success, they could have him publicly flogged as part of the entertainment at the function for incompetence and shaming his Imperial master.
The motives of Casperius and Lysus were not, of course, just relating to their desire to see Anthonius flogged. The wicked conspiratorial pair also hoped that athletic defeat would at least begin to undermine the boy's obvious popularity with Diocletian, which could endanger their own positions if seriously prolonged.
Casperius and Lysus confidently expected Anthonius to fail, given that his boy opponents would be professionals who participated regularly in games throughout the Empire. However, the pair also decided to take no chances.
Lysus had, as usual, been charged with organising the juvenile games. He proposed to make certain arrangements to make sure that Anthonius was not successful in the event.
Meanwhile, Diocletian in sobriety regretted his decision to command Anthonius to participate in the juvenile games but not out of any concern for the boy's welfare. The Emperor was instead unhappy at the prospect of losing his current favourite bed companion for at least a month.
Diocletian felt that he could not change his decision about commanding Anthonius to participate in the juvenile games, as such action would cause both of them to lose face and would undermine his drunken boasts about the boy. Having adopted this stance, the Emperor also believed that he had to give his young page every chance of making such bragging come true, even if this meant that he was excused the Imperial bed for a month. However, the latter Imperial attitude again had no regard for the interests of the 12 year-old.
Diocletian hated being proved wrong and he wanted Anthonius to succeed in the juvenile games only for that reason. Furthermore, if the boy failed, the Emperor considered that a subsequent comprehensive public flogging would be well deserved for embarrassing his Imperial master. The Princeps was also parsimonious, and so he liked the idea of Casperius and Lysus paying for the banquet marking the end of the annual event.
Anthonius was kept ignorant about the prospect of a comprehensive public flogging if he failed in the forthcoming juvenile games. The boy was therefore rather innocently fascinated and excited by the prospect of participation, as he enjoyed contests, especially athletics. The bonus of not having to sleep with Diocletian for at least a month was also pleasant.
Anthonius was astute enough to appreciate that many of the spectators, who would be invited to the juvenile games by Diocletian, would not be there to enjoy the competitions as such. Most would undoubtedly share the Emperor's sexual tastes and so would simply revel instead in seeing young beautiful near-nude boy athletes performing.
This correct appraisal of the nature of the crowd that would watch the forthcoming juvenile games somehow caused excitement in Anthonius' groin whenever he thought about the matter.
Chapter XIII - Training
The Greek athletics coach had been nominated and hired by Nonianus, head of the Imperial Household. Diocletian had wisely deliberately kept Casperius and Lysus out of the process because he did not trust them not to attempt to win their bet by sabotaging Anthonius' training for the forthcoming juvenile games by appointing someone truly inept or bribed to act so. However, the Emperor actually did not mind such chicanery, as such trickery represented part of the fun of gambling and he would have tried to act similarly if he had been in their position.
Nonianus performed his duty well. The Greek athletics coach proved very capable and incorruptible. However, the latter commendable attribute was largely due to the big fee that he was earning, with the promise of a substantial bonus if Anthonius was ultimately successful, plus a stern warning from the head of the Imperial Household not to be influenced by Casperius and Lysus.
Consequently, when Casperius and Lysus inevitably did approach the coach, their attempt to bribe failed. However, the wicked conspiratorial pair was not too disappointed by the rebuff because they had other options to pursue to ensure that Anthonius failed and was flogged.
The coach subjected Anthonius to a month of rigorous training, mainly within the currently usually otherwise deserted small arena within the Imperial palace complex that would eventually host the forthcoming juvenile games, and a nearby gymnasium. The man did so despite confirming early in the process that the exceptionally beautiful former prince was a remarkably excellent natural athlete, who should be able to compete seriously with even professional boys of his own age in all events other than wrestling.
The coach was motivated to inflict a rigorous training regime on Anthonius because he was a true professional who constantly sought further improvement in whoever he supervised. The man was even hardly disturbed by the sight of the boy's ignominious brandmarks, which made the former prince look more like a slave than an Imperial page of royal Lycian background.
By the end of the month, Anthonius had become accustomed to performing whilst attired in just a minuscule thong, despite the embarrassment resulting from the fact that his shameful brandmarks were fully visible when he wore such sparse attire. He was helped in such acclimatisation by the fact that his coach was not a pederast and therefore did not watch him, as some others did, with off-putting lecherous eyes. In fact, given his profession, the trainer could not afford to have a liking for young males, who represented his clientele, as the resultant diversions from the tasks in hand would probably have ruined what he was attempting to do.
Anthonius, however, never quite became comfortable with what his coach invariably held in his hand as he supervised the boy's training. Like virtually all Greeks in his profession, the man constantly carried a light but long whip when working in order to encourage his young athletes to devote their best efforts to whatever they were practising and not to make silly mistakes. Hellenic athletic judges used such implements too for similar reasons.
The whip was designed not to harm but to sting athletes into performing properly. Fortunately, Anthonius proved such a dedicated and competent trainee that he was rarely the target of the light lash during his month of preparation.
Consequently, Anthonius' gorgeous body was not besmirched by any striped bruises by the eve of the juvenile games.
Chapter XIV - Sabotage
(June 290 AD)
After a month of intensive training and absence from Diocletian's lustful clutches, Anthonius found himself dancing again at a banquet. This one was held to celebrate the opening of the juvenile games on the following day.
On this occasion, Anthonius was the first entertainment of the evening and his body was attired only in his sparse light blue athletic thong. The boy's bare bottom and demeaning brandmarks were therefore again visible for all to see.
Later, Anthonius' coach escorted the boy, who remained attired only in his athletics thong, to the communal barracks that accommodated the now assembled 400 or so boy athletes. The prizes for success in the Imperial juvenile games were such that the young competitors had gathered from all over the Empire and beyond.
The barracks were located under the terracing, catering for a few hundred spectators, of the small arena that would host the games. The simple communal accommodation comprised five main amenities, namely the separate sleeping quarters of the young athletes and their coaches, plus joint refractory and bathing and toilet complexes.
Both sleeping quarters contained both large and small dormitories, with varying numbers of simple but clean uncovered beds with straw mattresses. Anthonius found himself deposited in one of the littlest, where no one else had chosen to sleep. The boy presumed correctly that his coach had used the influence of his court appointment to ensure that his young charge, who was after all an Imperial page intimate with the Emperor, was allowed to rest alone without disturbance.
After his coach had departed, Anthonius lay on his crude bed and contemplated the day ahead until tiredness and sleep finally overcame him. However, the boy's slumber proved short-lived.
Anthonius was suddenly awoken around midnight by the entry into his small dormitory of five other supposedly similarly aged boys. By far the biggest of these unexpected intruders was carrying a torch and he shouted to the others "Get him!"
The biggest boy was Ceionius, who came from one of the Spanish provinces. He was an undefeated in the octathlon, which happened to be the multi-disciplined event for which Anthonius had been entered in accordance with the bet agreed between Diocletian on one hand and Casperius and Lysus on the other.
Ceionius had been champion in his age group at all the games he had attended throughout the Empire, and he had won the event for 11 year-olds at the previous juvenile event held by Diocletian. A former Roman legionary trained him, and he knew all the dirty tricks of his new trade, which was one of the reasons why his young charge had never failed to be victorious.
Such victories had enriched both the legionary and Ceionius. However, both were ruthlessly determined to become even richer by whatever means necessary.
The first advantage that Ceionius had over the other boys in his current 12 year-old age group was the fact that he was actually 14, and big and strong even for that age. A senior official in the boy's hometown had received a large bribe when certifying the young athlete's birth date.
The second advantage was that Ceionius' coach researched the opponents well to identify the most likely challengers to the boy's supremacy. They then proceeded to nobble these threats, usually doing so, as now, with the help of an acquiescent little gang of lesser athletes, whom they had managed to ally to them, mainly through fear of the consequences of not being their friends.
Ceionius and his coach, with the help of their young allies, had already made sure that three other boys would under- perform in the octathlon for 12 year-olds at the forthcoming Imperial juvenile games. Anthonius' turn to receive a relevant visit had now arrived, although as usual the former legionary who had planned the occasion would not be present, as he left the actual operational side of his plotting to his minions.
The former legionary would have sought to sabotage Anthonius' participation in the octathlon without any inducement other than to ensure Ceionius' victory. The bribe that he had coincidentally accepted to do so from Lysus, who was ignorant of such an evil intent, was therefore an unexpected but nevertheless very pleasant bonus.
Ceionius and his four smaller and younger allies had waited patiently for Anthonius' anticipated belated arrival in the barracks and now they put the former legionary's plan into action. In doing so they were relying on Lysus' assurance that the boy would not complain to his Imperial master about bullying and sabotage.
Diocletian apparently disliked telltales and also had no interest whatsoever in his pages' personal problems, which he expected his catamites to resolve themselves. The Imperial attitude had been impressed on all the boys, including Anthonius, by Casperius, and was backed up by his threats of a serious beating if the Emperor reported that one of them had complained to him about something.
As far as the legionary and Ceionius were concerned, they believed this scenario. After all, their informant, Lysus, was not only one of Diocletian's favoured courtiers and the organiser of the forthcoming juvenile games but also the estranged half-brother of the boy whom they intended to sabotage.
The newly awakened and shocked Anthonius soon found his limbs pinned in a spreadeagled formation by the four smaller intruders. After placing his torch in an empty holder on the wall to illuminate the scene, Ceionius then produced some long leather cords and used them to bind the boy's wrists and ankles to the sturdy bedposts so that he was firmly spreadeagled.
Ceionius subsequently rapidly muted Anthonius' protests by stuffing a cloth into his mouth, which he retained in place by application of another cord tied around the now helpless boy's head. He then stood back to admire his work.
Despite his shocked bewilderment, Anthonius had already guessed correctly that the biggest of the gang of young intruders was the leader before he quietly said "Hello, Imperial bumboy, I'm Ceionius and we'll be competing against each other in the octathlon tomorrow. I do like to introduce myself in the proper manner to fellow athletes!"
Ceionius next confirmed that he had noticed Anthonius' degrading bodily markings when he added "Now, what have we here? You've been branded like a slave. I thought you used to be a Prince. My, you've really come down in the world, haven't you!"
Ceionius subsequently produced a knife and pressed the blade lightly into Anthonius' throat, in the process producing a tiny droplet of blood. The bully then moved the sharp tip delicately downwards in a zigzag fashion along the petrified boy's chest and belly before finally coming to rest on the pleasant bulge of his light blue thong, the shape of which left little to the imagination concerning what the minuscule tight garment was covering.
Goosepimples formed all over Anthonius' body as he felt the knife descend slowly down his body. However, the boy was disgusted to have to admit secretly to himself that they did not seem to stem only from his fright.
"Boys, I think I'll cut something off him", Ceionius now announced. Anthonius, in sudden horror and whilst the knife still rested on the bulge of his thong, immediately began quietly to pray to the gods that he was not going to be emasculated.
Ceionius had actually planned to introduce this very speculation into Anthonius' mind and therefore pressed the point of his dagger harder into the protuberance of the boy's thong in order to reinforce the illusion. He was immediately rewarded when the garment began to discolour.
Anthonius' immense fear had caused him to wet himself, just as Ceionius thought he might. The five young captors subsequently all laughed when they saw the dark stain discolour the light blue thong, with the leader then saying, whilst displaying a broad grin "Dear me, look what the dirty brat's done. Better have that garb off for cleaning!"
Ceionius now proceeded to sever each side of the waist cord of Anthonius' thong with his knife. He next grabbed the underneath of the garment, which was the only item that he had ever intended to cut off the boy, and pulled the cover off with one sharp yank.
Anthonius' penis, shamefully somehow now semi-erect and still expanding, and his balls, encased in their golden cockring, were then revealed. On seeing this sight, Ceionius and the other boys again burst into laughter.
Unfortunately, Anthonius' unruly penis reacted to the laughter rather incongruously by becoming fully erect by the time that the loud mirth had subsided. This enabled Ceionius now to announce "Look boys, the brat's wearing a nice cockring like a good bumboy should, and….hmmm….by the sight of his prick, he seems to like us very much!"
Anthonius immediately felt blood rush, in addition to into his cock, into his acutely ashamed face, as he blushed vehemently. This scarlet hue then intensified further when Ceionius next proceeded to encourage the further growth of his penis by rubbing the knife up and down the full length of the shaft.
When, despite his attempted resistance, Anthonius' fulsome and throbbing erection had begun to point towards his own navel, Ceionius suddenly stopped playing with the boy's cock. He had realised that time was passing and he needed a good night's sleep himself to be able to perform at his best in the octathlon on the next day.
Ceionius therefore instead finally ordered "Right, get him into position!" His four smaller companions, still located on either side of the bed in pairs, immediately placed their hands under the bare bottom of the spreadeagled Anthonius. They then lifted the pleasant curves off the straw mattress, causing the cords restraining the boy's bound limbs to bite painfully into the flesh of his wrists and ankles.
Ceionius simultaneously produced yet another long leather cord, which he wrapped tightly around the base of the appalled Anthonius' genitals. He then stood on the bed to tie the other end to an overhead beam, carefully sizing the intervening length.
When Ceionius had finished, he ordered "Right let him go!" He cruelly added "This should please the brat!"
As the four smaller intruders obeyed, they and Ceionius could hear Anthonius emit a muffled scream into his gag, as his genitals briefly took the full weight of his uplifted body. Nevertheless, the boy was still astute and capable enough to tense quickly the muscles of his outstretched arms and legs even further in order to raise his bottom a little and so temporarily relieve the pressure on his sexual organs. However, he immediately appreciated that he would be unable to maintain this highly uncomfortable pose for long before he wearied and his buttocks succumbed to gravity and began to lower once more towards the bed.
Anthonius was unsure of the distance remaining between his uplifted bottom and the bed. The boy was therefore unable to assess with any accuracy what damage would be caused when he could no longer prevent himself from finally succumbing to gravity.
Anthonius speculated that he could then find himself being excruciatingly suspended from the overhead beam with his full weight thrust agonisingly onto his genitals. Alternatively, the boy might successfully collapse back onto the mattress, having emasculated himself.
Whilst Anthonius pondered his predicament, Ceionius, having carefully surveyed his handiwork, said to his companions "Well boys, we've conveyed our greetings to our fellow athlete. It's now time to let the poor bumboy sleep. He'll need all his energies if he's up against me tomorrow in the octathlon!"
Picking up his torch and turning to Anthonius, Ceionius subsequently wished his latest young victim "Sweet dreams bumboy!"
To the bound Anthonius' horror, all five boys then departed, whilst giggling amongst themselves and leaving their latest young victim in complete darkness and suspended by his genitals from the ceiling.
Chapter XV - Athletes
(June 290 AD)
Anthonius spent the next few hours sobbing in excruciating torment in the complete darkness, as weakening limbs and gravity slowly encouraged his bottom back onto his mattress. The boy had initially believed that the compelling forces pulling his genitals downwards had to rip them from his body or at least irreparably tear them. However, Ceionius' trainer had learnt this particular torture from his legionary days, and had expertly passed on its refinements to his young athlete who, with practice and the odd early mistakes involving some inconsequential victims, had himself become quite adept in ensuring maximum discomfort without permanent damage.
Ceionius sent one of his gang just before dawn to release Anthonius. The boy's bottom had by then reached his mattress and the resultant agony in his groin had mercifully subsided. He had subsequently succumbed to fitful slumber.
Ceionius and his trainer had calculated that the humiliation, pain and sleep deprivation alone, inflicted on Anthonius by being subjected to the torture, should cause him to compete in the impending octathlon poorly. The fact that it was also very difficult for an athlete to perform with a severe groin strain would be a pleasant bonus.
After his release, Anthonius lay on his mattress for a while grasping his tortured genitals. Subsequently, after the boy eventually regained his senses and composure, he went to the baths to cleanse and attempt to restore his stretched and fatigued body.
Anthonius gave special early attention to his tear-stained face, which looked drawn, and scrotum, the base of which was red raw from Ceionius' cord. The boy then paid his wearied arm and leg muscles careful focus, particularly his sore wrists and ankles.
Luckily for his pride, as he did not want anyone to see him in his current state, no one was about at the early hour and so Anthonius had the baths to himself. The boy later redressed in a spare thong after completing his ablutions and returned to his bed but he gained little rest before his own trainer arrived.
The efficacy of Anthonius' at least superficial restoration of his body was now confirmed when his trainer noticed nothing untoward about his young athlete. This situation was helped by the facts that the red marks created by the cords that had tied his wrists and ankles had faded and that Lysus had been proved correct when he had suggested that the boy would not be a telltale.
During subsequent limbering up and performance of some exercises during final practice with his trainer, Anthonius also managed through immense willpower not to exhibit any obvious adverse reaction to his unpleasant experience of the previous night. He did so despite serious discomfort in his groin and his success in disguising his woe subsequently enabled him to take his place in the subsequent parade of about 400 boy athletes that entered the amphitheatre later in the morning.
Anthonius' superlative character was of a different calibre to that of the other rivals Ceionius and his own trainer had attempted to coerce previously. The boy had recovered sufficiently from his ordeal to want to compete successfully, if only to defeat the plans of the cheats, although he worried about the effect that the discomfort in his groin would have on his performance.
All of the parading boys heard the loud lecherous shouts and whistles from amongst the full crowd, which almost exclusively comprised pederastic men. However, most of the young athletes, attired only in their minuscule thongs, managed to ignore the ribald cacophony and so avoid faces reddening in embarrassment.
The short opening ceremonial was also soon over. This development enabled the boys subsequently to run to their various event positions, either for an immediate start or to await the turn of their particular age group.
There were the same eight events in each age group, running for 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 paces, discus, javelin, long jump and wrestling, plus the octathlon. The latter competition, which was the most prestigious and had the richest prizes, combined all of the other contests.
Boys were segregated into five age groups, namely 11s, 12s, 13s, 14s and 15s. The young athletes tended either to specialise in one or two events or try for the octathlon.
The special Imperial arena, in which the boys were currently about to compete, was elliptical in shape, with two tall columns at each end, 200 paces apart, around which runners simply ran to achieve their laps. There was a sandpit at the side for the long jump.
The throwing events took place along the main arena during intervals between the various running competitions. The wrestling occurred at various points around the amphitheatre and was always the last contest.
Anthonius and his 19 fellow competitors in the 13s' octathlon had to wait for over an hour for their first event, the 400-pace run. During this time, the gregarious former Lycian Prince had fatefully chatted amicably with another contestant, whose name was Sura.
When the 400-pace run subsequently eventually did start, Ceionius was the first to emerge in front. He soon established a healthy lead over everyone else.
The race necessitated just one lap around the arena and, by the time that Ceionius turned round the column at the far end of the amphitheatre, Anthonius, troubled by his groin problem, was a long way behind, with many other boys between him and the leader. Although the former Lycian prince subsequently made a desperate valiant effort to catch up, eventually overtaking several fellow young athletes in the process, he remained far behind the victor when he passed the winning post, represented by the other pillar.
Ceionius won the initial event of the octathlon for 13 year- olds easily, with Anthonius' groin problems causing him to finish in a disappointing 8th place in a time well below his best. As the 20 competitors were awarded 20 points for coming first in an event, 19 for second and so on, the former Lycian Prince now trailed the leader by a score of 7.
Ceionius and his trainer naturally immediately believed that their nobbling had worked and wrote Anthonius off as a threat to their dishonest ambitions. Of the same opinion were Casperius and Lysus, watching from the Imperial box, who also believed that their nefarious plans for the boy were working. However, Emperor Diocletian was not happy, as was exemplified by the disgusted look on his face, which boded ill for his young page's immediate future welfare if he continued to under-perform.
Meanwhile, Anthonius cursed himself for paying attention to the discomfort in his groin instead of ignoring the pain. He therefore decided that he would not make the same mistake again in the octathlon's next event, the long jump, which happened to be Ceionius' worst competition.
The Roman Imperial long jump event was dissimilar to that of games held in the Greek style, in that participants were permitted a run-up. However, Anthonius' first of two permitted attempts had to be aborted when, in his eagerness, his front foot crossed the take off line. Nevertheless, now completely ignoring the discomfort in his groin, he fearlessly sprinted as fast as he had ever done to launch himself into the air for his second effort.
Anthonius felt himself flying through the air and, when he landed, he heard loud cheering from the nearby crowd and especially from the Imperial box. His jump had far outstripped the previous leading effort.
Ceionius came 11th and suddenly Anthonius found himself leading his wicked rival in the competition, now having 33 points to the other boy's 30. However, someone else, with one 2nd and one 4th place, actually led overall on 36 points but there was still a long way to go.
The next event was the 800-pace run. This was Anthonius' most awkward distance because it made least use of his sprinting and stamina capabilities. Nevertheless, he finished a commendable 3rd behind a victorious Ceionius.
The last event of the day was the discus and Anthonius' excellent technique could not quite match Ceionius' power, the pair being 2nd and 1st respectively. However, the two boys left the arena now equal leaders overall, with 70 points each.
Ceionius and his trainer were naturally highly displeased by this outcome, as were Casperius and Lysus. However, Diocletian was now happy, as was exemplified by the grin on his face.
Anthonius knew that Ceionius was bound to try to do something nasty to him again that night and so he had made arrangements to sleep elsewhere. Sura, who had ended the day in 4th place, agreed to share his own single dormitory cell with him.
The earlier conversations between Anthonius and Sura had soon revealed that they had both been victims of Ceionius' nefarious scheming to sabotage potential rivals. The pair therefore proved to be more like allies than opponents in the 13s' octathlon, despite the desire each held to win the event.
Sura readily agreed to allow Anthonius to use his individual cell, where they ended up sharing much more than sleeping accommodation. The former Lycian Prince originally offered to slumber on the floor but his new friend told him not to be so silly, as there was enough room on his bed for two.
Both young and beautiful athletes had been told that they had to resist their natural bodily urges whilst in training for the games and remain chaste. However, the resultant desperate need for sexual relief and the presence of a pretty near-naked companion immediately next to them overnight produced the inevitable result.
The development all began innocently enough, with apparently accidental contacts between Anthonius and Sura, as they tossed and turned whilst seemingly trying to sleep. However, the touches gradually began to linger for longer and become more adventurous until, no opposition but rather the opposite being evident from their companion, eventually the boys' clearly shared lust removed inhibitions.
Anthonius and Sura began to fondle each other intimately and with increasing passion, until lips finally met and hands initiated acts of mutual masturbation. Only after subsequently despoiling their shared straw mattress with their semen virtually simultaneously did they finally fall soundly asleep in each other's arms.
Meanwhile, Ceionius was furious at not being able to find Anthonius, whom he was again seeking in order to sabotage more proficiently his performance on the next day by breaking one of the boy's toes. However, he realised that he could not risk searching the whole barracks for him and so would have to subvert his main rival in another way.
The first event of the octathlon for 13 year-olds on second and last day of the competition was the 1600-pace run. Anthonius had just taken the lead from Ceionius on the last lap when he sadly felt a foot hit his ankle, causing him to tumble to the ground.
The prone Anthonius subsequently espied the wicked look on Ceionius' face, as he ran past to enjoy his victory. His shocked and sore rival eventually trailed in last.
With only three events to go, there was now surely no way that Anthonius could overcome the resultant 19-point deficit to overtake Ceionius, but he continued to try his best. A supreme effort won him the javelin but his wicked confident rival was happy with 2nd place.
In the 3200-pace race, Anthonius carefully watched Ceionius. However, he forgot about his gang and one of them was also competing in their discipline.
The collision bringing both boys to the ground looked accidental but Anthonius knew otherwise. He also realised, after regaining his feet to run again, that his chase of Ceionius was forlorn, as by now his wicked rival had established a substantial lead.
Anthonius realised that he would not be able to catch Ceionius, although another boy was beginning to do that. He therefore wished him the best and concentrated instead on gaining third place.
Then, suddenly, there was a loud gasp from the crowd and Anthonius looked up to see the two leaders on the ground. As he passed the tangle of bodies, he recognised that the other boy was Sura.
Despite his earlier fall, Anthonius' stamina over the long 3200-pace distance was too good for the remaining 17 other competitors and he now romped to victory. Ceionius, having kicked Sura in the groin, eventually came next-to-last.
Sura, now hampered by his own groin discomfort, came last. Nevertheless, his efforts in other events enabled him to retain a position of 4th in the overall competition.
Anthonius and Ceionius were again level on points. However, the former's worst and the latter's best event, the wrestling, was still to come to close the competition.
The victor in each wrestling bout was the boy who caused his opponent to fall within a designated circle. No holds were barred to achieve this aim, apart from eye gouging and attacking the rival's genitals. Each fight was supervised by judges, who stood nearby and held whips to encourage observance of the rules, including actual engagement because no spectator wanted to see shadow contests in which competitors circled each other but avoided contact.
Fortunately for Anthonius, given his weakness in the event, the top four in the overall octathlon competition did not participate in the early wrestling bouts. The other sixteen young athletes competed first to reduce their numbers to a quartet who would then fight the leaders.
Even more fortunately for Anthonius, his eventual quarter- final opponent lost his advantage of being a better wrestler than the former Lycian Prince by picking up a leg injury in his previous bout. His consequent serious reduction in mobility literally led to his downfall.
Anthonius was next paired against Sura. Having won his own first bout, this boy was guaranteed at least overall 4th place despite sacrificing a good position in the last run to help his new friend by deliberately colliding with Ceionius.
The prize for overall 4th was not insignificant. Despite actually being a better wrestler, Sura therefore happily discreetly deliberately lost his bout with Anthonius, generously to allow his new friend to face Ceionius, who had been easily victorious in his two fights.
Anthonius realised what Sura had done, namely sacrifice his realistic winning chances in two events to enable his new friend the opportunity to beat Ceionius. Consequently, he was more determined than ever to overcome the wicked rival in the final contest, which actually comprised three bouts. However, he also knew that he would have to use guile to emerge victorious, as he was sure that the much bigger boy's superior size, strength and technique would be too good for him in an ordinary fight.
Anthonius formulated his plan and quietly prayed to the gods that his guile would work but not for his own glory. He instead wanted to ensure that such a cheat like Ceionius did not win and that Sura's generous sacrifices were not wasted.
The contest took place immediately in front of the Imperial box, in which Diocletian was sitting on the edge of his seat in great excitement. Casperius and Lysus were calmer. They had never expected Anthonius to perform so well, especially after the attempts to sabotage his efforts. However, they remained highly confident that Ceionius would now emerge victorious and so earn the defeated former Lycian Prince a severe public beating at the post-games banquet under the terms of their bet with the Emperor.
In the opening bout of the final contest, Anthonius implemented his plan by using his speed and the wide perimeters of the circle, inside which the wrestling took place, to full advantage to prevent Ceionius from grasping him. He knew that, if his bigger opponent achieved a hold on him, this would probably be fatal to his cause.
Ceionius was confident of beating the seemingly terrified wimp running around in front of him, desperately attempting to avoid contact. He should have waited patiently for the smaller boy to be coaxed into combat by the whips of the nearby judges, who would not allow such behaviour to continue for too long.
Ceionius, however, was over-confident and lurched out to grab the infuriating coward. Anthonius allowed the approach until the bigger boy almost had him but then suddenly darted to one side, cleverly tripping his opponent as he did so.
To everyone's surprise, not least his own, Ceionius found himself sprawled on the ground. The initial shock actually caused Anthonius' supporters amongst the spectators, including Emperor Diocletian and Sura, to gasp before belatedly beginning their cheering. Casperius and Lysus were naturally less pleased.
Anthonius knew that Ceionius would not lose the second bout so easily, especially as the only hurt caused by his trip was to his pride. His bigger opponent would surely now be more circumspect and therefore dangerous.
The second bout eventually started the same as the first but this time Ceionius sensibly waited for the whips of the impatient judges to threaten his opponent's bare back, forcing his rival towards him. Meanwhile, Anthonius appreciated that he was in deep trouble, as the fear of the flailing scourges thwarted his original tactics. However, he also knew that there was little that he could do about the situation and so reluctantly advanced towards his fate.
Ceionius soon had Anthonius within reach and managed to grab an arm. He quickly also had a leg and soon moved his hold to the boy's nude rump, lifted with all his strength and executed a successful and fierce throw to the ground.
The successful throw hurt not only Anthonius' pride but also his bare bottom, which he appreciated was likely to bruise. The boy also knew that glorious victory or ignominious defeat would depend upon the last bout.
Ceionius' confidence had returned and he now expected the third bout to be just a repeat of the second, especially as Anthonius seemed to be hurting. However, he was quickly disillusioned.
Instead of again holding back, Anthonius, in line with his original plan for a third bout, came straight for his surprised opponent. The shocked Ceionius managed to grasp the speeding boy but not cleanly and he soon found his opponent's smaller body swiftly backing into him.
Ceionius was trying to gain a better grip when he next experienced excruciating pain shoot up his right leg. As he subsequently instinctively lifted the limb slightly to gain relief, he then felt his other begin to slip.
Anthonius had actually stamped with all his might on his opponent's right foot, which was within the rules, and was now attempting to trip the other. The manoeuvre worked superbly for, as Ceionius lost his balance, his more diminutive opponent was able, by backing in further, to use the bigger boy's own weight against him.
Ceionius soon found himself somersaulting over Anthonius and onto the ignominy of the dust below. He did so to the accompaniment of loud roars of acclaim from the crowd and especially the Imperial box, where only Casperius and Lysus were silent.
Anthonius was later full of pride, happiness and gratitude, as he collected his laurels from a similarly proud Diocletian. The boy was also pleased to see the miserable expressions on the faces of Ceionius and his trainer when they eventually came forward to receive their lesser awards.
Anthonius actually subsequently kissed in privacy the much more content expression on Sura's very pretty face, when he gave the 1st-place prize-money to his new friend to go with that for 4th in thanks for the boy's help in his victory. In doing so, the former Lycian Prince was not only being generous in gratitude but also being realistic. Living as he now did in the Imperial palace, he did not need the precious gold coins.
Anthonius later had to pay another price for his victory because Diocletian's passion for the young victor became even more intense. After dancing at the closing banquet, the boy had to share the Imperial bed not just for the whole night. The Emperor and his favourite page did not emerge from the bedchamber for two days.
Anthonius was never to know that the post-games entertainments required from him could easily have been completely different, and much more humiliating and painful, namely suffering a severe public beating for humiliating his Imperial master by being defeated. If he had been aware, he would certainly have recognised that the perpetrators of the idea, Casperius and Lysus, would plot to make up for their disappointment.
Whilst Anthonius was spending the 48 hours pleasuring Diocletain, Casperius and Lysus did indeed meet to discuss their serious under-estimation of the former Lycian Prince. Not only had their plan failed but also the boy's unexpected victory had enhanced his prestige with and attraction to the Emperor, as well as cost them a lot of money. The terms of the lost bet meant that they also had to pay for the post- games banquet, which was very expensive.
The conspiratorial Casperius and Lysus eventually decided that, for now, Anthonius' position in Diocletian's affections was unassailable and so they would patiently bide their time. They were content in the certainty than an opportunity to destroy the boy would come sooner or later.
Meanwhile, Casperius and Lysus had perceived the significant role that Sura had played in the disaster. They would just have to wreak their revenge on that young boy for now.
Preliminary End of the adapted version,
continue with 1st version chapter 9.