Author Description

In a world where men make the rules and the Gods enforce them, one young woman dares to question everything. In Ancient Greece, girls are meant to be obedient, silent, and unseen-yet Elissa has never fit the mould. Restless, sharp-witted, and skilled with a javelin, she longs for a life beyond weaving, marriage contracts, and quiet submission. But when a tragic encounter shakes her faith in the justice of her world, Elissa can no longer ignore the truth: the life laid out for her is not the life she wants. Her father urges her to forget, to choose a husband, to conform. Instead, Elissa seeks answers from Athena herself. And when the Goddess stays silent, Elissa makes an unthinkable choice-she will journey to Mount Olympus and demand the Gods reveal a woman's true purpose. Defying her family and every law of Attican society, Elissa escapes into the wilderness. She is soon joined by Teris, a disciplined young warrior sworn to protect her, and Smeme, an eccentric priest of Athena with secrets of his own. Together, they cross the sacred lands of Hellas, trading in Delphi, facing the riddles of the Sphinx, battling Harpies and giants, and confronting horrors born of fear, discord, and divine wrath. For Zeus has noticed her. And he does not intend to let a mortal girl reach the home of the Gods. With storms, monsters, and illusions arrayed against them, Elissa must decide what she is truly seeking-permission, destiny, or freedom itself. Yet the greatest trial may not come from the Gods... but from the courage it takes to shape her own path. A sweeping mythological adventure filled with danger, wonder, and the fierce hope of a young woman determined to defy a world that refuses to see her. Fans of Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint, and mythic quests with a feminist heart will be enthralled.