Late May, in the waters south of Naples.
After war broke out, the Roman Navy stationed cruisers southeast of the Strait of Messina to watch for ships coming from the Western Mediterranean.
That duty now fell to Felix's squadron. As his ship passed through the area, he spotted three of their cruisers standing by in the nearby waters.
From far away, the three cruisers signaled: all clear, awaiting orders.
Felix instructed the signalman, "Tell them to continue their mission."
He raised his telescope to survey the land. Rolling hills stretched toward Naples, while a towering volcano rose above Sicily's eastern coast. Lush vegetation covered its slopes, and the snow on its summit had yet to melt, reflecting a dazzling glare in the sunlight.
South of the volcano lay Catania-the third-largest settlement on Sicily, after Palermo and Messina.
Felix remembered Mount Etna erupting a few years earlier. The Golden Horn News had reported that it was a minor eruption and had caused no casualties.
People had known since classical times that the land around volcanoes was fertile. Catania's proximity to Mount Etna gave it abundant harvests of grapes, citrus, and olives, enough to overcome some people's misgivings and persuade them to risk living there.
After a long while, the three distant cruisers raised their sails and signaled:
The current is turning. Stand ready for battle.
The Strait of Messina had treacherous waters. Its powerful current reversed direction every six hours, and sailing ships passing through had to travel with it.
For the previous six hours, the current had flowed from the Eastern Mediterranean into the Western Mediterranean. Now it was about to reverse, flowing eastward from the Western Mediterranean.
Over the next six hours, the enemy could pass through the Strait of Messina and enter the Eastern Mediterranean at any moment.