The third episode of Spartacus: House of Ashur commences with Dominus seething with rage against Korris for sparring with Achillia. He demands that Korris prove his worthiness of loyalty, a sentiment echoed for all his gladiators. Achillia is viewed as his crown jewel, the key to ascending the House of Ashur.
As Korris ventures into the pits, determined to scout for new warriors, he bumps into his former "friend" Fides, who makes his displeasure known with a brief punch to the nose. Opiter, a powerful rival with his own ludus, is also present and spies on Korris. When Korris arrives at Opiter's house, he is offered a position as a trainer for Opiter's men.
However, Korris discovers an unexpected twist: the gladiators here are not just fighters but also forced to engage in pleasures on one another at the House's whim. When Opiter propositions him again, Korris refuses and counters with a condition of his own: he wants to be elevated as Doctore for his own men and his own house, with a fair chance to compete in the arena.
But Korris's return home is met with a surprise attack from assassins sent by Fides, who is enraged at Korris's dishonor earlier in the pits. The numbers are overwhelming, and Korris is stabbed several times, but he manages to survive.
In the training yard, Achillia has lost some of her initial aggression, which Hilara believes is due to her being haunted by the ghosts of her past. She thinks it may have something to do with the drawings she carved on the walls of her cage. Dominus decides to test her by sparring with her in his gear and barely breaks a sweat in knocking her out. "Why do you fail?" he asks, wanting to know what's troubling her. When Achillia refuses to answer, he redirects her focus to the wooden sparring partners instead.
The mood in the House was heavy with tension, as Dominus's displeasure hung like a thick fog, refusing to heed the counsel of his mistresses, particularly Hilara, who believed Achillia was tearing their House apart and fraying the delicate threads of loyalty among its men. Interestingly, Messia, despite not being Ashur's favorite, confessed her love for Hilara in a moment of solitude, only to be rejected as the latter reaffirmed their friendship.
In the yard, Achillia finally unburdened her soul, confessing her feelings of unworthiness and the shackles of her past. Dominus, however, offered a ray of hope, reminding her that the past did not define her but rather lived in the present and the promise of tomorrow. He encouraged her to seize the opportunity to become the champion of House Ashur.
Upstairs, the drama between Hilara and Messia continued to simmer as the latter grew increasingly jealous when Hilara was taken to bed by Dominus over her. Although it seemed like a threesome was about to happen, Dominus eventually ushered Messia away.
The schemes and intrigues continued to swirl around town, with Viridia reaching an age that demanded a husband to elevate their House's status. There was also the ongoing test of Dominus by Gabinius, which Cossutia was not happy about. She continued to try and sway her husband away from dealing with him, even going so far as to burn a letter from Dominus for Gabinius without informing her husband.
Back at the training yard, Achillia was summoned while the men stood before Dominus. Our protagonist decided to brand Achillia with a capital A, offering her the "glory" of the House of Ashur.
As the episode closed, it was revealed that the earlier attack on Korris was not fully orchestrated by Fides but rather Cossutia. When she received word from Fides that Korris was injured but still alive, she slit his throat and left him to bleed out.
