What other readers said about the book:
"A lovely fairytale . . . The author’s imagination knows no limits as the story unfolds."
~L. Mullarkey - Amazon.co.uk reviewer
"I was glued to the pages by the author’s vivid descriptions and her beautiful, almost poetic way of writing."
~Angel Sefer, author of The Greek Isles series
"This story is a beautifully crafted, Urban Fantasy adventure. It is refreshing with a quality descriptive writing style that transports the reader to Athens from the first page."
~Amazon customer
Excerpt from The Necklace of Goddess Athena
Prologue
Efimios stood at the edge of the precipice. Down below, the sea raged with tremendous force. A howling wind caused his robes to billow like broken sails on a ship lost in a storm. He glanced at the necklace in his hand, his lips twisting with hate. The salty bite of the wind stung his eyes but, strangely enough, that gave him comfort. He couldn’t have chosen a better place for what he was about to do.
“Athena, almighty Pallada! Protectress of the city of Athens, hear me!” He cried out with all his might, yet his voice was barely audible over the deafening crash of the waves on the rocks below. As he stretched out his hand, the sky erupted with lightning and loud crashes of thunder. The pendant was now hidden from view inside his fist, but its golden chain was swirling in the wind, whipping his hand. Undeterred, Efimios looked up to the rumbling heavens, his teeth clenched, his eyes alight with fury.
“Here in my hand,” he bellowed, “I hold the necklace that you gave me when I was only a child. For all the services I have offered you, you have repaid me with cruelty! I could understand it if you were to punish only me. But my son? What has Phevos ever done to you? He is just a boy! How could you do this to him?”
Efimios shook his head forlornly, then took another look at the necklace. It sparkled under the flashes of lightning that ripped the sky, yet its beauty was lost upon him.
“Do you forget so easily?” he burst out, eyes darting skywards. “I have been at your command for so long! And this is how you thank me? Did you think that following your orders has been easy for me? Because of you, I belonged nowhere and to no one, having anything but a normal life. Since you chose to repay me in this manner, surely you cannot expect me to serve you any longer! Indeed, this is where it all ends! Your wretched cave in the Acropolis hill will never be used again! I have made sure of that! As for your precious necklace, this evil noose you had me wear around my neck, I have minded it for you long enough!”
With a forceful throw, the necklace of Goddess Athena disappeared in the vastness of the foamy sea. A multitude of thunderbolts flashed all around Efimios as he started to walk away from the precipice. He quickened his pace, and his face brightened with the promise of a smile. His heart felt lighter already. Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew one day his suffering would end.
Chapter 1
Eleven years later
First, there was this tremendous roar. Everything around them shook, and a blinding light surrounded them as they were taken through a cyclone of ear-piercing sounds.
Phevos held the hand of his sister Daphne within the forceful vortex of time. Neither of them knew where they were headed as they swirled frightened beyond description, their bodies surrendered to the powerful whirlwind. Their eyes were tightly shut against the blinding flashes of light, and a sound that resembled a tornado tortured their ears.
In the twenty years of his life, Phevos could never have imagined the intensity of the experience. Despite his agony, he managed to recall random fragments from his father’s stories while the storm of light and sound continued. Efimios, his father and teacher, had described to him many times the Passage through time, but the young man had never expected there would come a day when he would experience it himself.
Phevos gasped when his sister’s hand slipped away from his, despite his best intentions. He called out her name, but the tremendous roar of the Passage drowned out his voice. All at once, there was darkness, then a soothing silence. Next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground.
A strong buzz still sounded in his ears. It took a few moments to fade as he opened his eyes and tried to gather his wits. His body felt numb at first, but he managed to sit up and look around him. The ground felt wet under him, and the air smelled of grass. The moon shone high above in a starry sky with a velvet light that was ample for him to inspect his surroundings with ease. He was in an orchard. There were trees, plants and bushes all around him. His heart gave a thump. He was alone.
“Daphne!” Phevos darted his eyes in all directions, his expression frantic. His sister was only nineteen. Up until a few minutes ago, she was living a secluded life within the safe walls of their rich estate house and its beautiful gardens. He knew well that adventure did not suit her disposition.
“Over here!” came a wavering voice from the bushes to his left. Fearing the worst, Phevos sprang to his feet. His attire, a white shirt and jeans, although perfectly suitable for a young man his age, would have been baffling to anyone who might have known where he had just come from. Both garments were heavily stained with mud. Phevos ran jumping over the bushes, his shoulder-length blond hair waving in the air like a lion’s mane.
Daphne sat by a lemon tree, holding her head with one hand. When she looked up, her eyes were huge, childlike. Auburn hair fell on her shoulders in rich, bouncy curls. Her skin was perfectly white, her facial features flawless and delicate. She looked like a fine porcelain doll. Her deep blue dress was simple and rather unimaginative, but the stunning jewels she wore on her ears and around her neck befitted perfectly her rare beauty.
“Almighty Zeus! What has happened? Are you all right?” Phevos knelt before her, his face alight with concern. Willing himself to calm down, he used the cuff of his sleeve to wipe the blood from a minor wound on Daphne’s temple. It was only a scratch, but Phevos felt guilty all the same. He’d tried all he could to hold her hand through the Passage but he had failed. What if I’d lost her? He shuddered at the very thought.
Daphne grimaced when he pressed the fabric on her temple again, but then she forced a smile. “Don’t worry! It is nothing . . . I just slipped and fell. I must have hit my head on a rock . . .” Her voice trailed off, her face contorting with discomfort from a strong migraine.
“It’ll be all right,” mumbled Phevos, not knowing what else to say. He could see his sister’s injury was minor but felt uneasy, all the same, knowing he couldn’t ensure her safety in this unknown world. The thought overwhelmed him, and he made a silent plea to the Gods for protection.
“Come here, sweet Sister, try to stand up!” Phevos pulled her up gently. When he attempted to let go of her, she faltered on her feet and grabbed his waist to steady herself.
“I do not think I can walk, Phevos . . . I feel very dizzy,” she said, bringing a hand to her brow. Then, they both heard frantic barking. They turned and saw a small-sized dog standing a few feet away, making a noise that was too loud for its size. Phevos and Daphne were stunned by this encounter but not frightened. The dog didn’t look fierce.
Its anxious barking, combined with its small size, seemed rather comical to them, and they would have grinned, amused, had their situation not been grave. The last thing they needed was a yappy dog that could attract strangers to them.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
&nb
sp; Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the author
A note from Effrosyni
Also available
More from this author
Excerpt from The Necklace of Goddess Athena
The Storm Page 27