octavian, mark antony, and lepidus formed the second triumvirate in 43 bc. they were each elected for five-year terms to restore order to the republic and bring caesar's assassins to justice. cleopatra received messages from both gaius cassius longinus, one of caesar's assassins, and publius cornelius dolabella, proconsul of syria and a caesarian loyalist, requesting military aid. she decided to write cassius an excuse that her kingdom faced too many internal problems, while sending the four legions left by caesar in egypt to dolabella. however, cassius captured these troops in palestine, while they traveled en route to syria. serapion, cleopatra's governor of cyprus, defected to cassius and provided him with ships. cleopatra took her own fleet to greece to personally assist octavian and antony. her ships were heavily damaged in a mediterranean storm, however, and she arrived too late to aid in the fighting. by the autumn of 42 bc antony had defeated the forces of caesar's assassins at the battle of philippi in greece, leading to the suicides of cassius and marcus junius brutus the younger.