Hey guys! Here's the chapter I know you all have been excitedly waiting for. I decided you all deserved a fast update for being so wonderful!

Re-edited: 7/21/17


I tried not to wince at the pain in my fingers as Annabeth squeezed my hand, hard. She bore down with all her might, as she had been for many long, excruciating minutes now, birthing our new son. The hospital room was crowded and chaotic, but an odd peace had settled over everything at the same time. Everything slowed around me; all sound was muffled in my ears as I focused intently on one person and nothing else. I heard everything else, but my brain just didn't process it. The result was an easily ignored buzz.

At last, a single strangled, sound of exertion and pain escaped her lips and Annabeth fell back and relaxed, crying and completely exhausted. Her face was flushed and sweaty, and her hair, braided out of her face hours earlier by my mom's skilled fingers, was by now half-out of its plaits in a tangled mess.

I thought she'd never looked better.

In the next moment, a piercing cry filled the waiting ears in the room, and everyone seemed able to breathe again. He was small and pink, a wiggling, bloody bundle with a mop of dark hair. He was carted quickly away to be cleaned off and examined on the other side of the room. I still held Annabeth's hand in mine. I placed a gentle kiss to the back of it now, aware of the tears that filled my own eyes.

A few minutes later, she was tucked into bed and resting comfortable, looking ready to drop. We waited together for the medical staff to finish with our baby across the room.

I sat in the chair beside her and met her tired eyes. I'd seen the whole process before, but I was amazed all over again at just how strong she was. She wrapped her fingers around my wrist, resting on the best beside her, and gripped it tiredly. "You did so great," I told her quietly.

She just closed her eyes, resting against the pillows behind her. "I forgot how much that hurt," she said answered just as quietly.

"You were amazing," I told her again. If I could hear the awe in my tone, I knew she could too.

Fatigue washed over me now as the adrenaline faded. I realized now just how tired I actually was. Annabeth had first woke me up at around three AM. It was nearly eight o'clock at night now. The baby was born at 7:22, just over half an hour ago now. I was ready to sleep, and I imagined Annabeth, after her sixteen-hour labor, wanted to even more.

"I love you," she murmured, eyes still closed.

I gave a small smile that she didn't see. "Are you sure? After all that, I would totally understand if you changed your mind."

She opened her gray eyes slowly and stared at me without a word "That will never happen," she said finally, her voice firmer than it had been a second ago, and though I'd heard her say it before, it still made my heart soar. I smiled wider, and then leaned forward and stood up to bring my lips to hers.

"I love you too," I told her after a second with my mouth still an inch away.

"Good," she said. I smiled and sat back down. She watched me for another second and then closed her eyes again. She was still enough to be mistaken for sleep if I hadn't become so in tune with her over the years to be able to recognize the changes in her breathing. And even if I couldn't, Annabeth would never sleep before she held our son. She'd gotten him for a few minutes just after the baby had been born, but he'd been taken away after that for the doctor's exam.

I watched her, resting my crossed arms atop the mattress beside her. She was seriously so beautiful, even now.

My mom, just like last time, had gone with the medical staff when they'd taken the baby to the nursery for examination and cleaning. She walked back into the room now, after a soft knock, with a cradled bundle in her arms. I placed a gentle hand on Annabeth's arm and she opened her eyes, looking first at me and then at the new arrivals. My mom's smile grew. "I have someone here you might want to see," she said quietly, stopping to stand on the other side of the hospital bed.

She bent slightly and placed the newborn in his mother's waiting arms. She cradled our son with the professional grace of someone who knew what she was doing. She gazed down at him. I moved and slid onto the bed next to her, taking extra caution not to jostle them, and took him in with her.

My mom stepped back. "I should call Paul," she said, "Should I put Logan on if he asks?" I looked at Annabeth. It was up to her. She nodded. My mom smiled and stepped toward the door, already dialing.

It was just the three of us. I stroked the baby's soft dark hair—the same color as mine. His eyes were closed, and newborn eyes were almost always cloudy blue anyway, but I had an odd feeling that one day they would be the same color as his mother's. He looked so much like Logan had as a baby, though the latter had been a few ounces heavier and almost an inch longer.

"He needs a name," Annabeth said quietly, and I looked away from the baby for the first time to find her expectant gaze on me. I nodded and looked back down, thinking now. We'd narrowed the list down to three names, but looking at him now, there was really only one I liked. And it happened to be Annabeth's favorite.

I glanced back at her. "Still like 'Nicholas?'"

She managed a tired smile, small but genuine, and nodded. "What about a middle name?"

I thought for a second. A name I remembered her bringing up in the very beginning came to mind. I was pretty sure she'd forgotten about it and maybe had meant it as little more than a joke at the time, but it did flow rather nicely and it was an interesting twist. "…Chase?" Annabeth smiled.

"Nicholas Chase Jackson," she tried it out, "I actually like it."

"Oh, thanks," I said playfully, and then smiled. "I like it too."

"Okay," she agreed, "Nicholas Chase it is."

My mom reappeared a minute later, cell phone in hand. "It's Logan," she mouthed from the doorway. Annabeth held out her hand for the phone. I lifted the baby—Nicholas—from her and held him in my arms, still seated on the bed beside her as my mom handed her the phone. She pressed the speaker button.

"Hi, Honey," Annabeth said, making an obvious effort to sound less worn out than she was.

"Hi," the two year old replied, sounding glad to hear his mommy's voice.

"What'cha doing?" Annabeth asked him lightly, looking between me and the baby.

"Nothin'. We're goin' night-night soon."

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh." He paused, and then asked, "Are you okay, Mommy?" He had woken up a few minutes before my mom and Paul arrived at our apartment to watch him and, though Annabeth had done a good job at hiding her pain from him, he knew something was up.

Annabeth smiled a little. "I'm okay, Logan," she assured him.

"Did—" he began hesitantly, "Did the baby hurt you?"

Annabeth hesitated for half a second, clearly trying to formulate an answer for the toddler. "He did," she settled on saying, "But I'm okay now, and guess what."

"What?"

"He's here now. You're a big brother!"

There was an intake of breath, Logan gasping in elation. "Yay!" he said happily, "Can I come see him and you?"

"Tomorrow," she answered, "But you have to go to sleep tonight, okay? And then tomorrow, you can come here and see us."

"Okay."

"Okay. Be good for Grandpa. Grandma will be there soon too."

"Okay."

"We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

"Goodnight, Buddy," I put in quickly.

"'G'night, Daddy."

"Bye, Logan," Annabeth said.

"Bye, Mommy."

My mom, smiling, took the phone back and ended the call. She looked between the three of us for a moment and then asked, "Did you need anything else?"

Annabeth shook her head, wearily, apparently having used the last of her energy on the phone call with Logan. "Go home, Mom," I told her, "Get some sleep. We're fine here."

She waited a second before nodding. "Alright." She smiled, hug me, and kissed Annabeth's forehead rather than assault her already sore body with an embrace. "Congratulations, you two. We'll bring Logan by after breakfast. You get some sleep too." She glanced quickly at Nicholas, "You're going to need it."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, the baby still in my arms, "Do you want me to walk you out?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Stay here," she said, "I'll be fine." I didn't argue—it would get me nowhere—and instead just nodded. She smiled and turned for the door, calling one last "Bye!" over her shoulder before slipping out and closing the door behind her.

I turned back to my wife after she had gone and found her eyes on me. "You look exhausted," I noted.

"I just gave birth," she said dully. Her eyes landed then on the sleeping newborn still in my arms. "Are you okay with him for a while?"

"Sure. Get some sleep."

She nodded and closed her eyes, but said, "You have a lot of phone calls to make, you know."

I sighed lightly, smirking to myself. "I know."

Not two minutes later, Annabeth was asleep, her breathing deep and even beside me. I stayed where I was for a while, gazing down at my new son in my arms. I realized then just how lucky I was.

We had two kids now. Two beautiful boys. Boys who also happened to be legacies of powerful demigods, which was a scary thought, but I was pretty confident we'd manage. Nicholas had only been in the world for about an hour, but already it seemed like he'd just always been there. It just seemed right. And words couldn't even describe how excited I was for Logan to meet his new brother in the morning.

I stood eventually and crossed the quiet room to Nicholas' plastic crib in the corner. I placed the sleeping baby inside and then moved it closer to the bed for when he'd need feeding. Then I stepped outside to make the nearly-dozen phone called that were owed to family and friends before trying to get some sleep myself.

Because, like my mom had said, we were definitely going to need it.


Percy and Annabeth are in for it now! Just imagine how much trouble Logan and Nicholas will get in together in a few years.

Anyway, I hope you liked it!