Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Octavian brings his army back to Rome and negotiates with Cicero over the rewards for defeating Antony. Denied a triumph, he obtains the consulship instead. Cicero expects to manage the younger man but discovers how little control he has gained when Octavian demands action against Caesar's assassins. Armed soldiers make opposition inside the Senate dangerous. Cicero turns back towards Brutus and Cassius, urging them to rescue the Republic from the new Caesar. Their approaching army also changes Octavian's calculations. Faced with a stronger common enemy, he reconciles with Atia, who helps bring him and Antony into an alliance.
Vorenus returns to the Aventine with the rescued children and begins making room for them in the life he built while believing them dead. He tells his men what the children have suffered and demands respect for them. Their apparent reunion hides fear and resentment: the daughters blame him for Niobe's death and his curse, and they try to run away to Lyde. She sends them back to survive under his protection. Vorenus makes costly peace with his rivals, hoping to keep the household safe. Eirene also needs reassurance that Pullo's loyalty to her matters alongside his friendship with Vorenus. A family meal suggests calm, but Vorena the Elder secretly makes a hostile gesture behind her father's back.