"Scipii: My family, the House of Scipii, are beloved of the gods. A proud boast, but true all the same. In return we have served Rome, ruled well, led irs armies to glory; it has cost us dearly, despite the love of the gods. Sometimes the hatred of men is stronger. Our dead lie in many graves, put there by Carthaginian swords...and a few Greek ones. Even Roman blades have taken Scipii lives; that, we do not forget, or forgive. So, now our time has come. The spirits of the dead cry out for blood. I will lead our family in this undertaking. The gods will grant us vengeance. When Sicily is Roman, when Carthage is crushed, when the other Roman families are gone, when the world is mine...then I will stand before the gods and be worthy of their love. And worthy to rule Rome!"