Diana's POV

Looking down to the gardens I watched as Alec played with Levitica, they both seemed to get along quite well. I felt tired though and everyone was worried about me, I felt like I had lost my home. I still believed in Achilles for some reason but I didn't know how long I could keep up with the lie. In my heart, I knew that he had another woman, that's just who he was and how he was raised.

The morning I received word from him, apparently, he knew exactly where I was because when the messenger arrived the seal was still unbroken which meant that Meg hadn't seen it yet. Taking the letter from the messenger I break the seal along with a part of my heart. His words made no sense and it seemed to be a drunken blur to most but something told me this was him releasing me from whatever once held us together. Emotions welled up inside of me as I screamed as the top of my lungs and then feel to my knees in tears. How dare he! After all I had done for him, all that I had sacrificed!

Hector rushed into the room with Paris not too far behind him. Hector took me into his arms as I wept while Paris took the letter from my hand. He read it silently at first until Hector told him to read it aloud.

"As much as it hurt my heart, I cannot keep my claim upon your heart, through that claim we have a wonderful son together and I pray that you teach him well. I cannot be a father to him for I do not know how to be one. I am a warrior first and always. I release you Diana of our vows and claims. May the gods forever grace you with happiness." Paris said as he looked over to Hector and I. "Ending a marriage through a letter, that is true cowardice."

My hand rushed to my mouth as I tried to calm myself but nothing seemed to work. Hector released me for a moment then took the letter from Paris and went to the fireplace. Without one word, he threw it into the flames. Hector looked back to Paris.

"Keep watch on the children, allow me to have some time alone with Diana." Hector tells his brother.

Nodding Paris leaves the room. Still on my knees in a crying mess I feel Hector come behind me and embrace me. Holding me close to him I couldn't help but be comforted by his warmth and scent that all seemed so familiar to me.

"You are stronger than this Diana, don't let him have this power over you. Prove him wrong to leave you behind. You are a strong independent woman. Your son will look up to you more than he ever would to Achilles." Hector tells me and all the words he speaks to me make perfect sense.

Turning to Hector I hug him back. I didn't know why I did it at first but as I looked back at Hector to see him calm and understanding even though he had never been in my situation made me not want to leave him. Leaning in I pressed my lips against his and though I knew it was wrong I wanted to feel loved again, to be wanted or needed by another. Hector entangled his fingers in my hair pulling me closer to him as he deepened our kiss.

Maybe it was a mistake or maybe it was nature finally correcting a mistake? Who had a right to judge me? Certainly not Achilles who no doubt had moved on a long time ago. As much as I ignored the signs something deep inside me knew it was only a matter of time before Achilles left me go forever.

Three more days had passed, three days of me questioning my own judgement. Going to bed with Hector was the not the best idea that I knew but I didn't regret it at all. Obviously Achilles had no problem forgetting about me, I'm surprised he even wrote the letter to release me of my vows. Knowing now that I would have to defend Alec on my own if we ever did leave the palace, I had to beg both Hector and Paris to teach me what they knew about combat. Don't get me wrong, I learned what I could from watching Achilles but he would never teach me himself.

"Diana, if this is the path you chose, to fight and defend you and your son I have nothing against that but why not accept Hector's offer? You and he obviously still have something." Meg says as she and I walk through the market.

"I have thought about it Meg, I feel bad though, it feels like I would be using Hector yet something about him makes me never want to leave the palace." I tell her with a sigh as we look at one of the stands, just as I went to grab my coin purse I felt someone cut it from my hand.

Turning around and following the culprit I ran as hard as I could to keep up with them. Whoever they were they seemed to be very fast and I was close to running out of breath but then took a vase from a nearby stand and threw it right at the person. My aim was still good because it hit them right in the back of the head making them tumble to the ground. Meg winded finally caught up to me and we went to the thief and with a blade I now always carried on me I knelt down and took of their hood to reveal a beautiful woman, just my luck.

"What do you think you are doing?" I question her as I bring the blade up and put it right at her neck.

"Di, she probably needed it for food or something. Maybe to even feed her children don't kill her." Meg says putting her arm on my shoulder.

"Release her." A firm male voice that is unfortunately familiar to my ears calls out to me.

Looking up I see Achilles standing nearby with a smile on his face and a half eaten apple in hand. Anger and pain overwhelmed me. Keeping my head I blink and look down to the woman and disobey my ex husbands orders locking my arm around her neck and making her face Achilles who face now goes to shock at my suddenness.

"Diana, you wouldn't harm a fly let alone kill a woman." Achilles chuckles as he takes a bite of the apple clearly unworried.

Knowing this woman's death wouldn't do me any good though I do release her and push her right into Achilles arms. No doubt she was one of his women of the night, out to get whatever prize they could when the spoils of war had ran out.

"Take your whore and leave." I tell Achilles as I turn around and begin to walk.

"Already gone running to Hector I see, even taken my son to your new lover. Did you think I would not come for him?" Achilles says pushing past the woman and grabbing my forearm to turn me around to face him.

"Your letter said you could not be a father, so take this as your gods telling you to back off and go back to your wars and whores." I tell him as I pull my arm away from his grasp. "I should have never chosen you, Hector was a better man for me than you. To think he could have been Alec's father and this kingdom would have a true heir instead I was foolish and married you. A man who only looks out for himself and what his name will mean after his death. Well allow me to tell you what it will mean, it will be the name of a man whose weakness was his ankles."

My harsh words take little time to register with Achilles before guards suddenly appear and Paris right along with them, no doubt that everyone had just heard our discussion. Coming to my side Paris looked between Achilles and I and seemed to understand what was going on.

"Come Diana, let him make a fool of himself not you." Paris says as he takes my hand.

"Oh both brothers now is it, and you say I am the fool." Achilles laughs and I look back to him.

"No, I am the fool for ever thinking you could be selfless, instead you will always be prideful and that will be your down fall.'' I tell Achilles as I grasp Paris hand and we begin to make our way back to the palace but Achilles follows us.

"I want to see my son!" Achilles yells out to me as we reach the gates of the palace.

"He doesn't want to see you." Hector's voice rings aloud and clear as he pulls Paris and I inside the palace walls. "He doesn't think of you the same way anymore Achilles, he knows how badly you hurt his mother. He wants nothing to do with you."

"He's my son Hector, get your own!" Achilles yells and thrashes against the gates.

Closing my eyes I shake my head in embarrassment not only for myself and Achilles but for my son and Hector's family as well. Why didn't Achilles just stay away? He had released me from our vows and said that he couldn't be a father to our son, so why did he suddenly show up here and demand to see Alec?

"Leave Achilles, you'd hate to be branded a fool." I warn Achilles who narrows his eyes at me. "Go to the women you claim, I am no longer yours and neither is Alec, you made your bed now sleep in it."

"I will get to him Diana! You have no way to keep me away!"

"I'll kill you if you ever dare come near him." I threaten Achilles who not even a moment later is taken away from the gates by the guards.

"Double the guards, Achilles is not a fool and until he decides he can't get what he wants he will try anything and everything to get to either Diana and Alec." Hector said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me further into the palace.

Well things just seem to be more complicated by the moment and no matter what I tried to do to make sense of it, nothing seemed to work. Achilles is the one that released me, not I. This was his decision and he didn't deny it either. I had to protect my son so now the palace would be the safest place for us and if I had to I would keep my threat to Achilles.