Salutius nodded courteously. “I know your own work. But we do feel very strongly in Psyche that we’re entitled to our proper share of the rescued ancient art.”

“I’ll put it to the committee,” Simmea said. “And meanwhile, be welcome to the Just City. This sleeping house is at your disposal. You may eat in Florentia, or anywhere you are invited by friends, of course. I’ll call an immediate meeting of the committee and talk to you again tomorrow or the day after.”

We all parted with great courtesy and formality. Once back in the street, Maecenas turned to Simmea. “You sounded as if you were considering it!”

“Well, what’s the alternative?” she asked. “I think we’re going to have to give it to them, if they insist. Some of it, anyway.”

“Never!” Maecenas said. “Nobody made them leave, nobody makes them stay away. If they want to share our art, they can come back.”

Simmea looked at me. “How do you feel about it?”

“Much the same as Maecenas,” I admitted. “Think how horrible it would be to divide it all up. Think of only having half the Botticellis in Florentia.”

Simmea winced. “I’d hate that. But would you fight to keep them?”

“Yes, I certainly would,” Maecenas said, without a heartbeat’s hesitation.

Simmea shook her head. “Being on the Foreign Negotiation Committee I’ve developed a sense for when people will and won’t give way on issues. This seems to me like something they won’t give way on.”

“Surely it would never really come to fighting over art?” I said.

“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine. But Plato gives rules for warfare. And it could come to that.”

24. Arete

24

ARETE

Father came back at dawn. I saw him from the masthead where Erinna and I were both looking out. Maecenas had sent us both aloft as soon as we came on watch. “Let me know of anything unusual, on land or sea,” he said.

Erinna was very quiet.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Of course I am,” she snapped. “Sorry. I’m just trying to deal with the fact that I killed at least two people yesterday.”

“But you’re an ephebe,” I said. “You’re trained.”

“Knowing how to do it is different from actually doing it,” she said. “Is that—no, it’s just a dolphin.”

“They were trying to kill us,” I ventured.

“Maybe Plato’s right and we should have been going out to battles since we were little children, so that we could get used to it.”

“Is that really what he suggests?” I was horrified. “Slaughter is such a horrible thing that it’s hard to imagine thinking it right for children to watch. But the Lucian children were there yesterday.”

“Yes. And I don’t think having seen it would have helped when it came to killing people myself. Didn’t it bother you at all?”