domitius ahenobarbus, wary of having octavian's propaganda confirmed to the public, attempted to persuade antony to have cleopatra excluded entirely from the military efforts launched against octavian. publius canidius crassus made the counterargument that cleopatra was funding the war effort and, as a long-reigning monarch, was by no means inferior to the male allied kings antony had summoned for the campaign. cleopatra refused antony's requests that she return to egypt, judging that by blocking octavian in greece she could defend egypt more easily from him. cleopatra's insistence that she be involved in the battle for greece led to defections of prominent romans such as domitius ahenobarbus and lucius munatius plancus.