"I didn't know about it until a few months ago myself," he explains. "How I understand it is that Luo Binghe was able to somehow -- infect Claudius' blood with his magic? And in doing so he could cause Claudius to be in intense pain whenever he wanted, wherever he was. Which, I've been told he did, multiple times." The look on Dionysus' face as he says this is a mixture of worry, anger, and sadness.

"So, not to put too fine a point on it, but if he's involved, I won't be. I -- I can't do that to Claudius, even if I weren't his god."