Thirty years before the events of Helen of Sparta... Princess Ariadne of Crete has long known what she must do. Her father, King Minos, insults the gods at every turn, and her brother, the Minotaur, lives a tormented life as his executioner inside the labyrinth. Even knowing how her brother suffers, she cannot bring herself to defy the king—to kill her beastly brother by her own hand, as he has begged her to do, time and time again. But when the Athenian tributes arrive, Prince Theseus among them, she realizes the gods have grown impatient. If she does not check Minos, all of Crete will fall. Ariadne can only pray that with the help of Theseus, son of Poseidon, she can find a way to save them all.

Long before she ran away with Paris to Troy, Helen of Sparta was haunted by nightmares of a burning city under siege. These dreams foretold impending war—a war that only Helen has the power to avert. To do so, she must defy her family and betray her betrothed by fleeing the palace in the dead of night. In need of protection, she finds shelter and comfort in the arms of Theseus, son of Poseidon. With Theseus at her side, she believes she can escape her destiny. But at every turn, new dangers—violence, betrayal, extortion, threat of war—thwart Helen’s plans and bar her path. Still, she refuses to bend to the will of the gods. A new take on an ancient myth, Helen of Sparta is the story of one woman determined to decide her own fate. The sequel to Helen of Sparta will be published by Lake Union Publishing in June 2016.

With divine beauty comes dangerous power. Helen believed she could escape her destiny and save her people from utter destruction. After defying her family and betraying her intended husband, she found peace with her beloved Theseus, the king of Athens and son of Poseidon. But peace did not last long. Cruelly separated from Theseus by the gods, and uncertain whether he will live or die, Helen is forced to return to Sparta. In order to avoid marriage to Menelaus, a powerful prince unhinged by desire, Helen assembles an array of suitors to compete for her hand. As the men circle like vultures, Helen dreams again of war—and of a strange prince, meant to steal her away. Every step she takes to protect herself and her people seems to bring destruction nearer. Without Theseus’s strength to support her, can Helen thwart the gods and stop her nightmare from coming to pass?