ancient greece · olympian gods · mythology · divine romance · forelsket · iron age · temple setting · mythical creatures · historical fantasy · polytheism
900 BCE. The sun beat down on the marble of Athens, where Orion, a tyrant king, lay dying of a suspected curse. His son, the future ruler, watched with cold detachment. Suitors from across Greece flooded the palace gates, desperate for the crown, but the heir’s mind was set on solitude. He viewed marriage as a chain, a hindrance to his vision of a stronger kingdom. For now, he played the patient prince, stalling the eager nobles while his father’s life ebbed away. Only death would grant him the freedom to rule alone, unburdened by a spouse or the grief-stricken Queen Sophia.