dale radwin

When a lazy student of Pleasant Groove University - the school, famous for its historical department’s time traveling machine - sneaks into the time lab and sends himself on a journey back to the Imperial Rome to complete a late assignment, he is bound to make some technical mistakes. Naturally, the result is disastrous.
An ordinary looking young man, who catches a ride to Rome on a simple merchant cart one afternoon, makes a bizarre discovery – he does not know who he is and he is rightly terrified. He is dressed as a student, he even possesses some money but he only remembers one thing - presumably his name - Cumulus. He does not remember why he is going to Rome. He does not know where he came from either but since he has already paid for the ride, the only logical step is to continue with the journey. A few hours later, he arrives to the Eternal City, and from the first step, dives into its crazy but oddly familiar life, full of friendly strangers, cheap eateries, rundown hostels and meager employment opportunities. After several unsuccessful attempts to hold a job (both catering and art sales business of the city are very tough and competitive indeed!), he lands an assistant position with a Roman variety of Sherlock Holmes - a Private Detective Menelaus, who is employed by the Emperor himself. Some scoundrels desecrated the image of Caligula, so the Detective is entrusted with the delicate and politically sensitive job of finding the offenders and bringing them to justice. The assignment plunges Cumulus and Menelaus into the turmoil of Roman politics.
Meanwhile, a rescue team, which consists of a Professor and his young assistant, is on its way to find the lost student and bring him back home. The good, but pedantic, Professor and his companion enter Rome under the assumed names of Proculus and Zenaya. Unfortunately, they had overestimated their knowledge of the ancient customs and the ways of speech. Therefore, it is not surprising that they get arrested on the suspicion on being, first, spies, and then, runaway slaves. Now, Proculus is turned into a slave teacher in a wealthy senator’s home and Zenaya is sent to a Temple of Cybela; they must find a way to free themselves before they can find the student. While Proculus tries to teach his only student, a son of an influential senator, that ‘learning is fun’, and Zenaya, instead of serving Cybela as a temple prostitute, sets on a quest of fighting for animal rights, the political atmosphere of Rome grows dangerously unstable. It has never been smooth tbut now it literally shudders under the iron fist of the drug and blood crazed Emperor, who prides himself on his wicked sense of humor. A group of senators and General of Praetorian Guards are racking their brains as to how to get rid of the mad tyrant, but he is a cunning customer: he knows how to manipulate everyone, including his own sisters, to his advantage, and he is quick to destroy every political plot. The story takes place in the ancient Rome during the last few months of Caligula’s reign and contains several historical personages, such as Caligula, his favorite horse, a few senators and the Emperor’s assassins.