Just a few short hours later, I woke with the same pain in my lower abdomen, only intensified and more frequent. I sat up and propped myself against the pillows as best I could to find some comfort. Achilles stirred and woke a few minutes later to my heavy breathing. Without a word, he knew what was happening and immediately sent for Thetis to be brought to the palace. He also sent for Lyra, one of my most trusted servants to look after Leo while I was in labor. She picked him up from his cradle, still sleeping soundly, and took him to the other side of the palace so he would not hear my cries. I was glad to know that he would be looked after so my pain would not scare him. After all, he was still only a baby.

Thetis has been right about the pain. This labor was not as painful as the first. Achilles stayed at my side diligently, seeing to my needs and that I was as comfortable as possible while I was in labor. I breathed through times of pain and we shared some conversation when I was able to calm down from the pain.

"Do you think this child will be another son?" I smiled at Achilles.

"Only the gods know that." He smiled back. "Son or daughter will be loved equally."

"We have not even thought of any names."

"Don't worry about that right now, we'll know once the child is born what the name will be." He brushed back my curls and kissed my forehead.

"I worry about Leo. What if he feels like we abandoned him?"

"We will make sure he won't feel like that and let him know that we love him and are never going to leave him."

I felt another wave of pain coming on and braced myself, holding my belly and breathing as much as I could through the pain. My entire body felt tense and rigid as I endured it. Achilles stayed at my side, helping me through the pain and massaging my back. It was the most painful one yet, but I knew it would not be the last I endured. This was the price to be paid to be a mother, but I was glad to pay it because I loved my children.

When Thetis arrived some time later, she began instructing me to push because the baby was ready to be born. I was surprised that it was happening so fast, but followed her instructions and began pushing. Achilles held my hand and allowed me to squeeze it when I felt too much pain. Less than an hour later, Thetis told me to stop pushing because the head was out and she needed to grab a towel to catch the baby. When she was ready I pushed one last time before I felt the baby leave my body. A few seconds later, I heard the piercing scream of my second child. Achilles kissed my forehead in happiness and went to Thetis's side to see our child for the first time. Minutes later, he brought a bundle to me. The baby was wrapped in a white blanket with a gold lion embroidered into the fabric.

"He looks just like you." Achilles kissed me.

"We have two sons." I smiled and looked at my newborn son.

Achilles was right, he did look just like me. We had the same dark hair and eyes, but he had Achilles's nose and chin. My intuition had also been right that he was much smaller than his brother, but he was just as precious to me. I held him for a few more minutes before I handed him back to Achilles so that I could change and get comfortable again. My body was tired, but not as much as the first time, which I thanked the gods for. Once I was back in bed, Achilles handed me the baby once again. He was precious. I looked down into his eyes and saw so much of my family in him. He reminded me of Paris and Hector, my beloved cousins, and of Priam, the uncle who took me in as a daughter so many years ago.

Lyra brought Leo back to our room a while later to meet his baby brother. He crawled up next to me and peered into the blanket at the baby, curious and unsure of how to react. Achilles took Leo in his arms and allowed him to get closer to the baby, showing him that it was alright to touch his new brother gently. When Achilles kissed the baby's forehead, Leo mimicked the action lovingly. As I watched my sons and husband interact, I could not help but smile. These were the most important men in my life, my loving husband and two precious boys, and I loved them more than I could possibly ever describe. The four of us sat together in the bed, a family.

"What are we going to call him?" Achilles looked down at the baby.

"I was thinking of Jason, after my brother." I gazed down at my son. "Jason Nathaniel."

"Your brother?" Achilles looked at me quizzically.

"I had an older brother. He was my best friend growing up in my own homeland, always teaching me things and showing me the stuff he would find on the beach. When I was five, he got sick and died of a fever."

"I had no idea." Achilles looked at me with guilt.

"I rarely speak of Jason to anyone. Even Paris and Hector do not know of him. My uncle never told them that I had a brother. They only knew that my parents died, which happened sometime after Jason's death."

"How did your parents die?" Achilles held Leo in his lap as he started to drift off to sleep.

"My mother died of a broken heart from losing Jason, though the doctor said she was sick with fever. My father was so distraught of losing a son and wife that he was driven mad and jumped from our palace wall."

"I am so sorry Briseis." Achilles leaned in and whispered, kissing my cheek.

"I barely remember my home before Troy. I was only five-years-old when I was moved to Troy to live with my aunt and uncle. Sometimes I wish I could remember my mother better."

"I never knew my father."

"Did he pass before your birth?" I saw the vulnerability in my husband, something he had never shown me before.

"Mother says he died on the sea when I was just an infant. He knew that I had been born and was returning to Phtia." Achilles held Leo close to his heart as our firstborn slept.

"Achilles, I am sorry that you never met your father." I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. "I guess we have more in common than we thought. We never really have known true family."

Achilles paused. "You and our sons are my family now. I love all of you more than I could possibly ever describe and would do anything to protect you."

"I love you too." Tears were threatening to fall down my cheeks, but I held them in. This moment was one of the few times he had ever been completely open with me.

A few minutes later, Achilles took Leo to his own bed in the nursery next to our room. When he returned, I was putting Jason in the cradle next to our bed. Jason was sound asleep and content in his blanket. Achilles pulled back the covers to lie next to me. I was exhausted, but alert enough to feel him wrap his arms around me gently and kiss my neck. From there, I fell into a deep sleep for a few hours, savoring every moment because I knew Jason would be waking up to be fed after a while. While I was sleeping, I had another dream much like I had many years ago. I was walking down the beach with my family, my sons and husband. Jason and Leo were a little older, walking and running around our feet, laughing and squealing with joy. Both of my boys were so active like their father. Leo had his father's golden hair and bright blue eyes, while Jason looked just like me with his dark curls and brown eyes. They were absolutely beautiful and healthy.

The dream, however, was short lived as I woke to Jason's cries in his cradle next to the bed. Achilles heard them too as he got out of bed and walked around to the cradle and picked him up, holding his head gently and brought him to me in our bed. His little body was tense and his cries were short and nearly screams of pain. I began soothing him as I pulled down my nightgown. It took him a moment before he latched on to begin nursing. I continued humming a lullaby to him and stroking his head gently to soothe him back to sleep. As he fed, Achilles climbed in the bed next to me and wrapped his arm around my lower back. He watched our new son in wonder.

"He is smaller than Leo was."

"Leo is more like you." I paused. "Jason is like me, but he is still strong."

"He has my hands," Achilles said as he let Jason wrap his little hand around one of his father's fingers.

"Both of our sons will be great men like you. You will teach them things I cannot and show them things a father should show his sons."

"And you will teach them about things I do not understand, like the customs of Troy and about their family there." Achilles smiled at me.

Jason finished nursing and fell asleep soon after. Achilles took him for a minute, kissing his tiny forehead before putting him in the cradle to sleep again. It was not long before we both fell back asleep from exhaustion. Throughout the rest of the night, Jason would wake every few hours to eat and go back to sleep. I did not mind waking with my son, but it did take a toll on my body and mind. Achilles was a wonderful help to me though, getting out of bed to get Jason from the cradle and bringing him to me. We worked together to comfort Jason and soothe him back to sleep. Fortunately Leo stayed asleep the entire night, uneffected by his little brother's crying every few hours. It was a small blessing that we were thankful for. Though we loved both of our sons, a newborn was just draining on both of us.

The next few days and nights were the same routine with Jason waking every few hours to nurse and go back to sleep. Thetis stayed and gave all her attention to Leo, taking him on walks to the beach nearby and making sure he was taken care of lovingly. Often, when Jason was sleeping, I would sneak into the nursery to visit Leo and hug him close to my heart. I felt like an awful mother for not spending more time with him, but Thetis told me that it was perfectly acceptable for the moment since I had just had a new baby. Leo would cling to me and say "mama" over and over again to reassure that I was really there. I would sit in the chair and he would climb in my lap, laying his head on my chest. Sometimes I would bring him back to the bedroom to see his brother. He loved to kiss Jason's forehead softly, knowing that he was his baby brother.

Achilles would come by several times during the day, when he was not busy with matters of the state, to see me and his sons. Leo squealed with delight when his father would come and play with him, picking him up and swinging him in a circle. They had a bond that was deep and loving as father and son. Achilles would also come hold Jason for a while, giving me a break to sleep for a few hours. It was wonderful to have a husband who cared deeply for our children and loved them so dearly for most men of his status would only leave the children to his wife. I was also fortunate that he loved me so much. I would not have ever married another man because Achilles is my other half. Life would mean nothing without him and I would not have two beautiful sons that I love more than life itself.

A/N: Yay for another chapter! I'm glad you all are enjoying this story so much. What do you think of the new baby's name? Reviews are greatly appreciated!