More than 40 years before the events of Helen of Sparta—When Aethra's hopes for marriage to a hero-prince are dashed by his exile, Aethra's father, the king of Troezen, asks her to sacrifice her prospects altogether. King Aegeus of Athens, recently arrived, is desperately in need of a son and heir, and by the Oracle's own prophecy, Aethra's father is certain she can provide it. For her people's sake, Aethra agrees to welcome the king of Athens to her bed, but before King Aegeus can find his nerve, she's presented with another offer, from Poseidon Earth-Shaker, God of the Sea: give the god her maidenhead in Aegeus' place, and make the heir of Athens Poseidon's own son. Neither option is what she's dreamed of, the true companionship of a worthy partner and power and authority in her own right as Queen of Troezen, but the choice Aethra makes will alter the course of her life—and though she cannot know it, influence the fate of not just Troezen and Athens, but all Achaea. The Lion of Troezen, a novella, is the story of Theseus' conception and Aethra's scorchingly hot affair with the great god Poseidon, firmly grounded in the historical Aegean Bronze Age and existing in continuity with Ariadne and the Beast, Tamer of Horses, Helen of Sparta, By Helen's Hand, and The Siren's Song—a perfect read for fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, and Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships.