Her stomach was so bloated by all that delicious pizza and tiramisu that Liv could almost see a food baby forming from under her flowy tunic. Walking hand in hand with Zach, she reflected on their first day as they made their way back to the Domus. The cooking was harder than she anticipated, they couldn't walk outside without drawing a lot of unwanted attention, and eating only roman food went out the window the minute they spotted a small pizzeria in one of the narrow alleyways. Glancing sideways to Zach, who was chewing on his bottom lip, Liv could tell that he was growing increasingly worried about this deal they had made. But Liv still believed they could do it. They just had to stick together. And even if a few things didn't exactly go like planned, today was still an exhilarating day. They had already seen so much of the city, had been chased through the streets by some tourists like some sort of celebrities. Who could say they've been chased throughout the street of Rome? If anything, Liv couldn't wait to see what tomorrow might bring. 

Just as they crossed the threshold of the Domus, a booming voice greeted them, "Finalmente! I was worried you had lost your way."

"Thank you for your concern, oh great Jupiter," Liv grunted, rolling her eyes at Zach to which he grinned.

"Concern? More like fury, you ungrateful mortals!" The speaker inside the statue hollered.

Zach cleared his throat, "why fury? We haven't done anything wrong. I mean, the kitchen is a little scorched, but it's not too bad."

The speaker in the statue sputtered. "Scorched? Is my kitchen scorched? Che palle! Never mind, I'll send Amar to fix that. What is more concerning is your lack of devotion to the gods. You are a disgrace to the empire for not even bringing any offerings to your household gods."

"Sorry," Zach gulped, "we forgot."

"Forgot forgot. Incazzato! What kind of Romans are you?"

"New ones," Liz retorted. "We'll bring some offerings to the Lemures before midnight. Cut us some slack! We were chased through the city like animals." 

"Only because you went to the most touristy area, and yes, I have been informed." 

"Well, maybe if you had warned us in the first place, none of this would have happened," Liv yelled back, almost fuming, until Zach placed his hand on her shoulder. "We'll be more careful next time. Right now, we would like to discuss work. You said that the paterfamilias could work for more money?"

"Yes," Jupiter's statue relented. "I have a GTAs position for you at the Sapienza Università di Roma." 

"That is amazing," Liv gasped. Zach, however,  was not so thrilled. "Will I have to enter the university like this?" he gestured to his toga.

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"No," Liv shrugged, but Zach snapped back. "Yes! I can't go in looking like an idiot. I'll become a laughingstock."

"Nonsense, I've informed professor Esposito of your contract with me, and you'll be tutoring archaeology students," Jupiter emphasized. 

"That's even worse," Zach sputtered. "I'll never be able to show my face in the field again. They'll think I'm crazy."

Liv tried to reassure him. "No, they won't Zach. Just keep your head high and be -"

"That's easy for you to say." Zach rebuked, "these clothes look good on you. I look like Ceasar's scrawny  cousin."

"Fine!" Liv spat back before turning her attention to the statue. "I'll gladly take the position."

Jupiter huffed, "you can't, Ms Davis. You're a woman."

"What did you just say?" she glowered.

"You can't take the position because only Roman men worked in these government positions. If Zachariah doesn't want the position, then there will be no money."

"I'll do it." Zach relented, much to Liv's surprise, and as Jupiter gushed on about the position, she saw Zach hunch over in fear. He didn't want this, but there was nothing she could do to help. They had to play their respective roles; she as the demure housewife, and he as the strong, bold man who provided for the family.

A/N: As always thank you so much for reading. If you want to help this story to reach more readers, don't forget to like and comment. This was a bit of a short chapter, but tomorrow will bring a new, longer one.

I love talking with you guys in the comments and are open to any questions/suggestions you might have. Stay safe, my stars!

Total word count: 8.845 words