Marius came from an old dynasty of plumbarii who had served the Empire for generations. His father, Gaius Plumbarius and his grandfather, Publius Plumbarius, had worked mending Rome's pipes all their lives. They had toiled day and night in the aqueducts, but the only things they left theis son were the love for the craft and an old leather travel case.

Marius had never opened it.

His father and grandfather had said that he should only look inside when he had lost all hope. And since he had never reached such a point of despair, the case was nearly forgotten in the corner, serving as an uncomfortable stool.

Marius was not struggling, but he could have certainly given himself a more comfortable life. 

He had a great talent to keep his purse empty. His five daily sesterces were not enough to live up to the high image he had of himself, because Marius would rather skip a meal than be seen wearing old sandals.

One morning, just before dawn, he got out of his apartment at the insulae, carrying a piece of bread and cheese packed in his saccus. As always, he paused in front of a fountain on his way to work and watched the clear water flow while thinking:

"Without plumbarii like me, there would be no water to drink, no baths to get clean and no Empire to live in."

In his grandest fantasies, he saw himself receiving the recognition he deserved: applauded by senators, pointed at in the street, having a statue of his image, one hand resting on a lead pipe, standing at the plaza at the end of the Via Strata.

Marius was so lost in thought he did not see a richly dressed man stepping out of the shadows.

"Excuse me young man, do you know of a good plumbarius?" He asked.

"Well yes" said Marius, "You are speaking to the best one in the district."

"Wonderful!" the stranger exclaimed. "My master, Numerius Patricius Maximus, is in great need of a pipe repaired beneath the Thermae..."

"The gods have answered my prayers," thought Marius. "A wealthy client has come to me!"

Marius was far too delighted to pay close attention to the man's explanations. He caught the address, remembered the time, thanked the man, and rushed off to the state office. Even a prosperous future was no excuse to be late for work.

The hours crawled by.

All afternoon Marius spent thinking on all the things he would buy. A handsome tunic, a soft woolen cloak, a new cinctus to wrap around his waist...

By sunset he had wolfed down his bowl of lentils, gathered his tools, and headed straight for the Thermae instead of home.

The stranger was waiting for him at the entrance, holding an oil lamp.

"We are not getting enough water to the baths, it has been like this for several months" he said. "Come with me to the hypocaust."

Marius quietly followed him through the gardens and down a narrow path at the back of the building.

"We will pay you fifteen sesterces to find out what the problem is, and 45 more once you have fixed it," explained the man. "The last plumbarii we hired could not even discover what is wrong, so we increased the reward."

"There is a solution for everything," said Marius with a confident smile.

The stranger gave him a doubtful look.

"Please report back to me at the end of the night. We do not want more plumbarii  disappearing before any work is done."

"Pardon?"

"I mentioned this earlier," said the man with a sigh. "We are not paying the advance anymore. All the men that we hired took the money, and we never saw them again."

"Ah yes, I remember now..." lied Marius. "You will not have to worry about that with me."

"I hope so..." the man replied. "Now then, I will leave you to your work."

Marius wandered through the dark basement, oil lamp in hand.

He banged on the lead pipes with his tongs, listening for the hollow ring of a crack or the dull thud of a blockage.

"Would you stop that?" cried a voice from the dark corner.

Marius sprang backwards, turning his head to every side.

"I am trying to sleep," the voice complained, "and here you are playing such awful music." 

Marius held the lamp high.

Curled up in the corner lay a great hairy monster. It had the body of a lion, the face of a bearded man, fangs as sharp as needles, and a long scorpion tail that it wrapped around itself in place of a pillow. 

Marius stared. What an unfortunate looking creature.

"Have you been chewing on the water pipes?" 

"Yes," the monster replied. "Whenever I'm thirsty."

"And have you frightened away the other plumbarii as well?"

"What plumbarii? I live alone here."

"So no one else has come down to this hypocaust?"

"Oh, I am not sure..." the monster yawned. "I just want to take a rest."

Marius tapped his foot, impatient.

"I need to repair that pipe, but my work will be pointless if you chew on it again."

"Well, I need to drink water, so I will chew on it then."

Marius sat to think. Could he convince the monster to leave? He certainly did not have the strength to defeat it in a fight. But if he returned to his client saying that a beast had decided to reside in the hypocaust he would not receive his pay. 

He had to finish his work, one way or another.

He went outside and hurried accross the dark city to the house of his dear friend, Lucius Minucius, hoping to get some advice or some help. 

Lucius climbed out of bed with remarkable patience, and listened to Marius' problems like the good friend he was.

"Marius," he said at last. "What a predicament you have! I'll pray to the gods for your safety and all that." 

Then he handed Marius his very own amulet for divine protection and sent him off on his quest.

Marius left the house with a sigh, a lazy advice, and a phallic charm.

But he did not give up. 

He went down to the river to go talk with the nymphs, for if anyone knew about magical creatures, surely they did.

As he reached the waters, enchanting laughter fluttered through the air, and beautiful feminine figures appeared behind the mist.

Marius mustered his courage and went to explain his terrible problem to them.

"So," asked the nymphs, splashing happily in the shallows, "what sort of monster are we talking about?"

"He has the face of a man, the body of a lion, and a scorpion tail."

"Did you not get his name?"

"I did not think to ask..."

"If you call a beast by its true name it may do as you say."

"May?"

 "It depends on its manners." 

"But be careful," added another nymph. "He might go on and take a bite. He sounds like the kind that feeds on humans like you."

Marius widened his eyes in surprise. 

He thanked the nymphs and ran back to the baths as fast as he could. 

He arrived at the hypocaust and knocked loudly on the pipes to wake the monster up.

The monster stirred.

"You have been feeling a little unwell lately, have you not?"

"I have," answered the monster. "It is kind of you to ask" 

Marius held out a bowl of heavily salted water.

"Here, I brought a remedy for your stomach pain." 

The monster sniffed it suspiciously, pulled a face after the first mouthful, but drank every last drop.

Soon his face turned green, and started vomiting his guts out.

Out came three pairs of sandals, one hammer, one chisel, and five leather purses bulging with coins.

The monster sighed with relief.

"Oh... I do feel much better."

"I am delighted to hear it," said Marius. "Now then, might I ask your name?"

"I am Manticore, and what is your name?"

"Marius," he answered, with a confident smile. "So tell me, Manticore, have you happened to see the other plumbarii that came to work down here?"

"Perhaps." 

Manticore rose slowly onto all four legs. His tail lifted into the air and began to sway from side to side.

Marius took one cautious step back.

"Lie down, Manticore. Go get some more rest."

Instead, the monster took a step closer.

"No... now I feel rather hungry."

"Is that so?" said Marius. "Then let me fetch you some dessert!"

Manticore frowned, trying to work out what that meant.

By the time he had finished thinking, Marius had already bolted through the doorway. 

He ran as though Mercury himself had laced his sandals, and he did not stop until he had crossed a full mile. Only then did he stagger through his own front door, dripping with sweat, gasping for breath, and as pale as as a ghost.

"Oh Jupiter!" he cried. "What am I to do now? I thought the other plumbarii had simply fled. But now that I know what became of them, how can I leave such a monster lurking beneath the baths?"

He buried his face in his hands. His heart deep in distress. 

Then he remembered.

The old leather travelling case. 

The time had finally come. 

With trembling hands, he unclasped the worn leather straps.

Inside he found no gold or silver, no cape or sword. 

Instead, there were maps. 

Bundles of maps, parchment and plans. Secret documents from the ancestral plumbarii who had built the first sewers in Rome. Every tunnel, every well, every pipe, all marked with loving care.

He searched eagerly until he found the plans of theThermae where he was working at. 

There was the answer.

A narrow maintenance tunnel leading straight into the hypocaust.

"So that's how he got in..."

Soon Marius started crafting a plan in his mind.

He would pour wine down the pipe from which Manticore drank, that would put him to sleep. Then he could sneak inside to slay him...

Or just bind him?

His stomach turned. 

The plan was too dangerous. How could he know whether the monster was truly asleep? What if it merely pretended? It would only take a single jab with his stinger to leave him stone-dead right there.

The more he thought, the less certain he became. 

"You keep praying to Jupiter and forget about me," said a young man from across the room.

"And what is your name now?" asked Marius, tired of all those strangers appearing unannounced from the shadows.

"I am Fontus, son of Janus and Venilia," he said. "The god of fountains and underground water."

Marius jumped on his feet and bowed. 

"It is an honor beyond words, Fontus! What do you need from me?"

"I think that it is you who needs my help," said he. "I've watched your little schemes tonight, Plumbarius. They were quite clever."

"You have?"

"I have," he nodded. "So let me come along with you. I will help you slay the monster."

Marius' face gleamed in joy under the dim light of his lamp.

"I will even allow you to keep all the glory," continued Fontus, "I ask only one thing in return."

"Anything."

"You will do an offering for me at the Fontinalia, every year, for the rest of your life."

"You are very generous," said Marius. "Once I have succeeded on this task, I assure you that your offerings shall grow richer with every passing year."

"Very well!" exclaimed Fontus—who is also the god of wells.

And so they set off together towards the Thermae, each carrying an amphora of wine.

Once there, Marius unfolded his ancestral maps once more.

He found the pipe he needed, dug carefully down to it, and opened it with practised hands.

Fontus stepped inside. 

Or rather, he became water, and flowed through the pipe without making so much as a splash.

Then Marius began to pour the wine. 

The rich scent drifted through the underground tunnels.

Manticore awoke at once. He hurried to the pipe and licked at the dripping wine. 

He drank and did not stop until his stomach was inflated. Then he rolled onto his back and passed out completely inebriated.

Fontus wasted no time. 

With one swift stroke he cut the monster's throat.

With another he cut off his tail.

Then he crushed the poisoned stinger beneath his heel. 

When all was quiet once more, Fontus returned to the surface and beckoned to Marius.

"There he lies," he said. "The terrifying monster who kept these Thermae closed for years. I am happy now that the waters will flow again."

Marius looked upon the fallen monster and felt a great weight lift from his heart.

"You have saved my life, Fontus," said Marius, holding back tears of joy.

"And it is almost dawn, hurry up and tell your master."

Marius thanked him once again and hurried away.

His legs trembled from exhaustion after running back and forth across Rome the entire night, yet somehow they still carried him to the baths before sunrise.

There he found the man that had hired him.

Panting and sweating, Marius announced:

"The problem is solved."

He led the man into the hypocaust and proudly showed him the slain body of the beast. The creature that had caused a leak on the pipes and swallowed every unfortunate plumbarius who had come before.

The steward stood speechless.

Then he paid Marius every coin he had promised, along with the coins that the late plumbarii would not need anymore.

With the monster gone, Marius was finally able to fix the pipes over the following days. 

Afterwards, he had the secret passage sealed so that no monster could sneak in again.

Numerius Patricius Maximus, Marius' wealthy client,  recommended him to every rich household he knew. 

Soon everyone wanted the clever plumbarius who could mend any pipe and solve any problem.

And so, with his wit, his hard work, his fame, and the secret contents of his leather case; Marius prospered. Never again he worried about sandals, about hunger or pay.

As the years passed, he added new maps and fresh plans to the old leather case, until it became the greatest collection of plumbing knowledge in all of Rome.

He bought a fine house where he opened a workshop and taught apprentices everything his father had taught him.

In time he had a son. He too became a plumbarius, and so did his grandson and his grandson's grandson.

So the old leather case continued its journey from one generation to the next, waiting patiently for the day another plumbarius would need its wisdom.

During that time, at the end of the Via Strata, an elegant statue stood.

Not of Marius, but of Fontus, the quiet god of fountains, who asked for no glory at all. Yet it was his waters that brought glory to Rome.

The End.