I sincerely apologize for my incredibly absence. Things got hard. 3 younger people died in less than a month, one of them was very very hard to go through the grieving process and it took my oomph for writing away, so even after I began to feel like myself again I fell out of the swing of things and had little motivation to get back into it. I know you don't come to read these things to hear me complain about my life, but I had to explain SOMETHING. I don't want to give her name across the internet so let's call my friend Jane Doe. I met Jane Doe though a support group for a genetic disorder we were both born with. Around the same time she was diagnosed with a spinal tumor, and I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We were able to mutually relate to our fear, pain, and illness. I was lucky, I won my battle. Jane was tragically taken from us at much too young an age. A friend who understood me in a way no one else could, who fought the same damn fight I did, but we had very different outcomes.

Enough negative though, a few positive things overtook my life as well. I've been living with my long term boyfriend for roughly a year and a half and we started talking about getting married, so we're kinda engaged. We can't afford a diamond at this time so I wear a ring my mother gave me many years ago. Nor do we have a wedding date, but it is still a life event. I got a new and better job so settling in to the new job.

So again, an excessive absence... I thank all the people who are still reading, reviewing, and favoriting my work. I do appreciate this much more than you know, and it is you guys who keep my motivation to write going when I've lost it.

So I disliked chapter 5 of this story, for a variety of reasons. You all seem to like it, at least like it enough. So I will leave it be for now. I was trying to set something up and did a piss-poor job of it. But I hope I continue to put up content that fits your approval.

Just a note about ancient Greece: It is alluded to in Homer that people slept in the nude. Given the way they wore clothing in that era, it makes sense. Although it is hard to tell if women slept nude too as nudity was much more common for men, especially if in the army or participating in sports. This is also represented in art, although this varies depending on the specific time period and region.

Alexina left to gather linens and a clean chiton, after a lengthy conversation trying to coax her into believing that she wouldn't return to find me huddling in a corner. Once she was out of the lavatory, I sank into the now tepid water and found myself drawn to the deep colors sprawled across my abdomen, perplexed as to their existence. Whatever magic, divine intervention, miracle, or other impossible event had dragged me back to mortality, had healed my injuries but failed to heal these bruises. Perhaps other internal injuries that were still healing as well. Or the Gods were just continuing to mock me as they always had. The foreign woman returned, handing me the requested items. I felt strange having asked her for this favor, wishing I had simply gathered the items myself.

"Thank you,"

"Do you need anything else?" I shook my head, and tried to smile but it felt forced.

"I'm fine,"

"You sure?" I sighed, not wanting to argue with her again. I should have felt grateful for her concern, but the sentiment still felt foreign and forced. I questioned her motives. I had met this girl less than a day ago, and what little I knew of her told me she had no reason to ever think well of Greece or its people. I wanted to return her kindness, for Hercules' sake if nothing else. He seemed fond of her, so I owed him that much.

"Really, I'm fine." I tried to convey my annoyance at the resurgence of this argument with my tone,

"I've just... never seen something like that," Referring to the artwork on my stomach, or acting like a complete maniac? I smiled and shrugged trying, again, to play off her concerns. I considered explaining the origin of the colourful masterpiece, but I would only have made myself seem even crazier.

The water had cooled, but just scrubbing away the dust on my skin and the oil in my hair was luxurious. I closed my eyes, trying to savor washing away that foul day that already felt like weeks ago. I heard Alexina leave the lavatory, and sank deeper into the water muttering my gratitude under my breath, the bubbling water tickling my nose. I sneezed, and having been submerged I snorted an uncomfortable volume of water, and spent the next several minutes desperately trying to snort the water from my burning sinuses.

I laid in the water until it had grown cold, and reluctantly pulled myself out to redress. I looked at the clean chiton left for me, and fumbled with dressing myself. The article was too large for me, but with some fiddling I managed to don it tight enough to keep it from slipping off. My discarded lavender chiton on the floor left me pondering what to do with it. It was my only possesion, the one object in all the mortal world I owned, and I never wanted to see it again. I left it in the lavatory, and wandered to the bedroom.

Ugh... this is too short. But I need to go to work So this is... SOMETHING. Mostly an authors note with a tid-bit in it. I'm trying to get back on the wagon. I truly am.