8=l < Every time a lover caresses my face I can't help but feel a yearn that pulls at my soul 8=l < How long have I been denied such basic affe%ons 8=l < The night of our marriage Aphrodite felt my damp %in and her face contorted into something that felt evil 8=l < She didn't have enough words to convey how disgusting I was to her, for simply e%isting the way I was hatched 8=l < My dampness was akin to sickness, a %eevy illness she c001d catch on contact 8=l < She threw things at my head to get my attention, neighver held me, neighver embraced me 8=l < Something to torment but not to love 8=l < I was naught more than a beast to her 8=l < But %oey holds my face as if I am her most tender possession 8=l < Eirene lic% my %in when I'm avoidant of touch because my towel is out of reach 8=l < Moros grabs my hand and ignores my sticky palms 8=l < Kronos holds me and puts his teeth in my %in like the taste of salt is no different than the sea 8=l < These trolls make me feel like a person in a way I neighver c001d among the gods 8=l < They make me feel normal, and like I deserve love 8=l < And that's a far greater gift than any power I was given