HEARTS OF OLYMPUS

Book excerpt: Books One and TwoFor Love of WarAres, the Greek god of War, has fallen on hard times. Modern technology has left him a proverbial fish out of water, relegated to finding a poor substitute for battle in rough biker bar fistfights. When Hermes shows up with an offer from Zeus, king of the gods, Ares thinks he's finally found a way to regain his past glory.A demigod on Earth has come into his powers, and they're strong enough to send a ripple through Olympus. Zeus needs the fledgling demigod dead. Dion, the demigod in question, has no idea of his Olympian roots until he wakes up to find Ares there to kill him. But Dion isn't totally defenseless, and Ares soon discovers he's caught in a web of lies that only the Fates will be able to untangle.Styx and StonesAt his wits' end and in need of a decent night of sleep, Hermes seeks a nap in what he feels will be the place where he's least likely to be disturbed - the Underworld. Although he aims for the Elysian Fields, he misjudges his landing and ends up in a decrepit castle full of dirt, mold, bugs, and rats - and the stunningly gorgeous, epically dangerous god of Death, Thanatos.Thanatos has been cursed to remain in the horrid castle until another god lets him out. Hermes, he reasons, is exactly who he needs to gain his freedom, whether Hermes likes it or not, but in escaping, he finds himself literally chained to Hermes.To gain their freedom from one another and the revenge Thanatos seeks for being locked up for centuries on false pretenses, they must confront powerful, often bloodthirsty gods, and possibly incur the wrath of the most powerful creatures in the Universe - The Fates.