She should have been more careful about this, though she certainly wasn't expecting it to be this bad. Besides, how could something like this happen to her? She was healthy. She took care of herself, made sure she got her daily vitamins, exercised hard whenever she got the chance, and tried to get as much sleep as she could. She didn't stress out too much since the Phantom trial ended, and she was getting along fine in the office she worked at. Not even her hearing was much of a problem as it used to be. Her life was finally balanced out and everything just seemed right with the world. Getting diagnosed with something like cancer was the least of her worries, until now.

As she dwelled on everything that led up to this point, Athena couldn't deny that she should have suspected that something was wrong when she found herself short of breath whenever going on her daily runs. Or that she was feeling more tired than usual, and when she tried to sneak in a few minutes of sleep when her coworkers were out, she ended up sleeping through the rest of the day. She really should have been a little more concerned when she had this unbearable pain in her neck that wouldn't go away, or when she got on the scale and noticed she had dropped fifteen pounds without even trying. She definitely should have realized that something wasn't right when she practically went twenty hours without eating anything and still didn't have the least bit of an appetite. Yet, she still tried to convince herself that she was alright. She was Athena Cykes and she was fine. But then, she had that scene in court.

She was in the middle of cross examining a witness when she suddenly felt rather dizzy. Of course, being determined as she was, she continued to press on as if everything was normal, despite Apollo's constant asking if she really was fine. But the dizziness only seemed to increase the longer the trial wore on, and on top of all that she was starting to feel rather feverish as well. Apollo had asked her again if she really was her normal self, and this time she was going to respond that she didn't feel all that well and needed a glass of water, but before she could even get her voice to work, her body had had enough and she promptly passed out at the defense's bench. Hours later, she regained consciousness in a hospital bed connected to an IV and a heart monitor. After being informed by a nurse of what had happened, she knew now that it was time for her to come clean to the doctor about how she wasn't feeling like herself these past few months. She thought it was going to be something minor, like an iron deficiency or maybe some cold that her body was having trouble fighting off. But the next thing she knew, she was being wheeled off to do more tests and a biopsy, shortly after the doctor finished examining her. When she asked why she was doing all of these tests, her doctor responded that it was because he felt swelling on where her lymph nodes were at. That response alone was enough to rattle her nerves.

She spent a few more days in the hospital before finally being discharged, but even still Mr. Wright did not want her to come back to work, instead preferring she rested up a bit more in the comforts of her own home. As much as she wanted to start taking up cases again, she knew herself that she wasn't in her right mind right now, not when the possibility of her having a serious illness loomed over her, though she didn't bother telling her boss that. The doctor said that Athena would get the results of her tests and biopsy in a week, so in the meantime she was advised to do research on the lymphatic system, specifically any diseases and treatments that involved it. She did as told, but there was still some part of her that was in denial about all of this. There was just no way in the world that she could be suffering from a disease. It just wasn't possible.

Now a week went by since the incident in court and her hospitalization when the doctor phoned her to come in for an appointment. When she was shown to the consultation room, she was not prepared for the news which she was about to be delivered.

"Your results came back. I'm sorry to say, Ms. Cykes, but the growth I discovered on your lymph nodes…it's Stage II Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Unfortunately…it's the low-grade type as well."

For Athena, it felt like time had just frozen in place as her mind tried to register those ground-breaking words. No matter how many times she replayed the news in her head, she still could not bring herself to believe it. Cancer…she had cancer…it just didn't seem real. This had to be a very bad dream. She was too young to deal with something like this.

Her doctor paused for a moment, letting her take all this in, before continuing on explaining just what exactly the disease was, treatment plans and remedies for the future, medications, but Athena could hardly hear her doctor speaking, as she was too caught up in her own emotions to focus. She found out about this type of cancer when she was doing her research. Evidently, the causes for it are unknown and that it takes years for it to progress before the person starts experiencing symptoms. She probably had this illness since she was thirteen and it could have been spreading through her all this time! And the low-grade kind…there were treatments for it that could stop the symptoms and get her back to a somewhat normal lifestyle, but there was the chance that it couldn't be cured. And though it wasn't likely she could die from it, Athena was still afraid. It was still cancer after all, there was no telling how it would affect her life. Just the thought of going in weekly for chemotherapy and radiation sent shivers down her spine, and…oh, how was she supposed to tell Mr. Wright about this? Or Apollo? Or Junie? Or Simon? How was she going to tell all of her friends and family that she was just diagnosed with cancer?

After the consultation was over and a word of encouragement from her doctor, Athena went home. For once in her life, she was deaf to the voices in the hearts of the surrounding people, instead just hearing her own. It was 5:30 in the evening. The sun was setting, traffic was starting to pile up, and the weather of the Californian air was cooling down. There were people waiting at the bus stops, walking to their cars, or power walking along the sidewalks as they chattered on their cell phones. As usual, life just continued on, not taking into account the struggles she was now faced with like it held no meaning whatsoever. It was rather depressing to think about.

Her work building came into sight, and she purposely took another route so her coworkers wouldn't see her pass by. She wasn't in the mood to face anyone she knew right now. As she half-walked half-limped her way to her apartment, Athena's mind began to wander for probably the umpteenth time that day. How much longer would she still be able to see the city of Los Angeles like this? How many more walks would she be able to take before she becomes too weak to even take a step? Would she start worrying about going to bed out of fear she may not wake up the next morning? Would people still ask for her to defend them even if her health was deteriorating? Would Mr. Wright even let her continue to go out investigating with this condition? Just what was her life going to be like from now on?

Soon, her apartment came into sight and Athena paused to look at it, silencing the questions in her head. Instinctively, she lifted her right hand and placed it over her heart. She felt it thump lightly against her chest in a rhythmic beat, just as it was supposed to. Closing her eyes, she took in a long breath and exhaled deeply. A comforting sensation washed over her as she listened to the sound of her breathing- though it was a little raspy- and felt the beating of her heart, reminding her that even though she was just diagnosed with a dangerous disease, she was still very much alive…for now, at least. As such, she was just going to continue life as normally as she could without questioning if today or the next was going to be her last. Because she was Athena Cykes and she was indeed fine.

Ready to live and fight another day, Athena jogged the rest of the way home, ignoring the pain and fatigue in her legs that the disease brought on.

AN: Well...I just had to vent my feelings somehow and this was the result. I don't have cancer, but I do have an illness that makes living difficult. But I keep on moving forward because it's all I can do. I might continue this story, write out how Athena copes with this and how she'll receive support from her colleagues, once I get time for it. In closing, this is for any of you who struggle, whether it be physicially, emotionally, or both. Stay strong and live to fight another day. Have a good week.