Hermione.

Today I had an unexpected visitor. Menelaus and Helen’s nanny came over with my niece Hermione in tow. She apologised for dropping by unannounced and asked me to do her the favour of looking after Hermione for the night. She said she had urgent family issues but would be back in the morning to pick her up. I hadn’t seen Hermione in almost a year since she last visited with the nanny so I of course said yes. I just put her to bed half an hour ago, poor thing was exhausted from our girl’s night of baking and braids. Although she was happy you could tell she was missing her mother. Helen is supposed to be back from Troy the same time as the rest of them, which is in fact only a few short months away. So much as happened in the past two years, it’s going to be strange when everyone returns.

So far, so good!

Orestes took the news better than I expected. Naturally he’s a little put off but he otherwise seems fine. Aegisthus has been coming over almost every day and I’m hoping that Orestes can see that we are truly happy together in a way his father and I never were. Who knows maybe he could eventually look up to Aegisthus the way he does his father?

Bond, Clytemnestra Bond.

I feel like I am living a double life. I go from mother and homemaker seeing Orestes off to school and cleaning the house, to love-struck teenager when Aegisthus comes over. Ever since that kiss we have seen each other every day and the kisses have escalated into much more. We’ve discussed what we are going to do when Agamemnon gets back and divorce seems like the only option. Considering I would have next to no financial support Aegisthus has encouraged me to start a career and in the mean time he would happily provide for me and the kids. I’ve started applying for jobs in the surrounding cities like Tyrins and Lerna and am excited for what the future holds. The only damper on this whole plan is how Orestes will react. I’ve decided I don’t want to hide my relationship with Aegisthus so I’m going to tell him tonight after dinner.

Did that just happen?

I did something wrong. Well, it felt right. But technically it’s wrong. A few months have passed since Aegisthus and I had that meaningful conversation, and today he was acting like his usual flirty and overly friendly self. What made today special (and blog-worthy) is that this time when he made his advances, I didn’t refuse. Ever since we’ve become so close I’ve found myself asking why I should. When I’m with him I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time, he makes me feel beautiful, like a woman, and he seems to genuinely feel for me the way I do for him. Also, it’s not like the man I’m being faithful to is doing me the same courtesy. So today, when Aegisthus held my hand and leant in for that kiss, I did not pull away.

An emotional and eventful month.

Orestes and I have been home for a month now. I just couldn’t bring myself to write before now. Agamemnon has taken my Iphigenia away from me. Everything was a ploy. Wanting to see the kids, the young up and comer – all of it. He just wanted to get Iphigenia over there to help with the business. He offered her a job and after she signed the contract he sent her off to some remote village to do research where there is no contact with the outside world and won’t be indefinitely. I COULD NOT SEE HER FOR YEARS. He did this all behind my back!! As soon as I found out what he did I took Orestes and came straight home.

The situation is so close to events in my past that old memories and hurt have been filling my head and heart for weeks. I don’t know what I would have done if Aegisthus hadn’t been here to support me. Not only has he been my rock, but has had such a soothing effect on me he even got me to open up about my past. I told him about my previous family, my husband Tantalus and children, how they too were taken away, but in this case at the hand of Mycenaean Corp. products. How Agamemnon and I only became acquainted and in turn married due to a compensation deal which would provide for me and protect and save the face of the company. We were never in love, the marriage was more of a business transaction, but Agamemnon showed some humanity in agreeing to the deal. I told Aegisthus all of this and he listened, then shared his own troubled past. I don’t know how to describe it, but after this conversation something changed between us. I feel like I am closer to him than I’ve been to anyone in a long time.