Tacitus' account of Piso's miltary-political manoevering, which Graves follows, presents a very delicate balancing act between Piso and the imperial house. Pulman eviscerates a very complicated series of events along with their plethora of participants to confect this scene in Tiberius' office.

According to Tacitus, it was Piso's son who was sent to test the waters with a less than supportive Tiberius. Piso and Plancina, after their ding-dong-Germanicus-is-dead island party extravaganzas, took the long route back to Rome. Sadly missing from this episode is the angry exchange between their fleet and that of Agrippina off the coast of Turkey, as well as P&P's attempt to gain an audience with Drusus (aka Castor) in Dalmatia. Once in Italy, they hooked up with a legion, put in at Rome at Germanicus' final resting place, and generally pissed off the populace when they threw the biggest bash this side of the Palatine since the toga was invented- during a time of national mourning. The diabolical duo was publicly rejoicing at the death of Rome's most beloved hero.

While Pulman puts the squeeze on the P&P pre-trial PR campaign, at the same time he expands the role of Martina beyond her historical expiration date.