Gaia
First appearance	S0E01: Past Transgressions
Last appearance	S0E04: Beneath The Mask
Profession	None
Race	Roman
Relationships	Lucretia (Friend)
Status	Deceased (Killed by Tullius)
Actor/Actress	Jaime Murray

Gaia is a Roman woman and a close friend of Lucretia.

Contents 1 Appearance 2 Personality 3 Story 4 Quotes 5 References 6 Comments

Appearance

Gaia was endowed with beauty and charm. She is often seen dressed in stylish robes, wearing a bright red wig and possesses a great amount of jewelery.

Personality

Gaia is a manipulative, adventurous individual with few inhibitions when it comes to men and sex. She has a reputation for seducing married men, but she also seduces Lucretia and speaks excitedly of sleeping with the gladiators. When she has a goal in sight, Gaia will charm and manipulate those around her to achieve these goals. Despite this, she is honest and caring towards Lucretia and wishes to help and protect her, but she does not discount the option of furthering her own goals (like finding a husband) at the same time. She wants to marry a rich man and is constantly on the lookout.

Gaia is a Capua native and close friend of Lucretia's and they have known each other since they were young. She has many contacts among the social circles of both Rome and Capua, and amongst these is Tullius, who often tried to seduce her when they were younger, to no avail. Even though Gaia has many contacts and friends amongst the Roman and Capuan societies, it appears that the only person she genuinely cares about other than herself is Lucretia, and she puts herself at risk for her sake.

Story

Gaia is first introduced in the Spartacus: Gods of the Arena episode Past Transgressions where she is just returning from her travels. She and Lucretia spy each other in the marketplace and decide to catch up. Gaia confesses that her husband died and now she is looking for a new husband to satisfy her rich tastes and support her. She is invited to stay in the House of Batiatus until she is able to marry a rich man; shortly before this, she gives Lucretia a very expensive wrist band; this, with Gaia's wig in the last episode of Spartacus: Vengeance, is eventually dropped off the cliff.

Gaia is close to Lucretia, both emotionally and physically. She introduces Lucretia to the option of having sex with someone other than her husband (perhaps even a gladiator), and the two first become intimate under the influence of Gaia's opium. At later times, Batiatus is involved and they have threesomes. When Titus first returns, he stumbles upon the three of them naked and shows a strong dislike for Gaia thereafter. Gaia first helps Lucretia and Batiatus with their business when she lures Varis to their household and convinces them to satisfy Varis's desires to see Gannicus have sex with a slave, Melitta. In doing so she manages to secure Gannicus in the primus of the arena games through Varis's favour. However, news of the pleasures that the house of Batiatus offers is whispered amongst the high social circles. Soon, more men approach Lucretia wishing to see these with their own eyes. With Gaia's help, Lucretia and Batiatus organise an evening of events, inviting many men and offering them masked slaves (and gladiators) to spend the evening with. The villa becomes the site of a night-long orgy. Tullius arrives late, but does not partake in any of the pleasures on offer.

Lucretia is unsettled by his presence, so Gaia decides to seduce him to try and gain favour for Batiatus. Once alone, Tullius tells her of how he longed for her when they were both youths, and says that he will indulge her passion for him as long as she passes a message on to Batiatus. Later, as Tullius leaves, he tells Lucretia that Gaia has this message. Gaia is then found dead in the room, her head violently smashed open.

To hide the murder and to remain on good business terms with Tullius, Titus decides that Gaia's body should be thrown off the cliff, as if she had wandered out of the villa and fallen off whilst drunk. Lucretia witnesses the guards throwing her body off and swears vengeance for the death of her dear friend.

Lucretia keeps Gaia's characteristic red wig and adds it to her collection of blonde and brown wigs. She is seen wearing it many times during Spartacus: Blood and Sand; the wig is later dropped off the side of the Ludus, and the cliff, in the last episode of Spartacus: Vengeance and in the same episode, Lucretia throws herself off the cliff too, being reunited with Gaia, the wig and Batiatus.

Quotes

About Gaia from Batiatus: "That woman is a force of fucking nature, one that has blown many an unsuspecting man to his ruin"^[1]

Gaia (about Gannicus): "Gannicus? That Celt with the ridiculously charming smile?"

Gaia (of Titus): "He is a Gorgon with a cock turning all those around him to stone."^[2]

Gaia: "In desperate times fortune must give way to more assertive hands."^[2]

References

1. ↑ Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Prequel; Episode 1
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Prequel; Episode 4