by C. C. Ekeke
As much as I loved Age of Heroes, I have to say that I love Monsters Among Men even more. The twists and turns. The revelations and heartbreaks. I got sucked into the world and the characters that inhabit it easily. And I hope you did as well.
As you can see, sides have been chosen now for Hugo and Greyson. No going back now. Hugo is the hero of this story and Greyson definitely the villain. What now? Both characters definitely have a ways to go in their respective journeys. As we see now, Hugo will begin training to be a hero the proper way while Greyson needs to regroup and rebuild his new life now that he is a fugitive. Plus, Hugo has developed an alliance with Quinn. Expect their stories to be more intertwined earlier on in future books! I think that was part of why I enjoyed book 2 so much, thanks to the union of Hugo’s and Quinn’s plots.
Revealing Titan’s real killer was a fun story arc even though I’m not a mystery writer. But I love watching a good murder mystery unfold when done well. The killer was always a superheroine. But I didn’t want this to be the typical case of Titan losing interest and the female superhero goes full Fatal Attraction on him. Hence the tragedy of Morningstar came from a few places. What would happen if we saw a #MeToo case gone horribly wrong? A female wronged by a superior and sexually harassed, only to be so broken by the experience and the lack of support by her coworkers that she went to seek justice in the worst way possible? Even more so, what if this person saw themselves as the hero no matter how awful their deeds were? Let’s just say that we will see this situation ripple a bit more throughout the next few books, especially with how it affects The Vanguard going forward. Can the public trust them again knowing how they covered up Titan’s misdeeds? And what about those who felt Morningstar was in the right? #JusticeforMorningstar. Plus, even though Hugo came in with an assist, this needed to be Quinn’s victory. She stumbled upon this case. But once she found reasonable doubt, Quinn was like a pit-bull and didn’t let go, even when it nearly got her killed. We will see Quinn tackle a new story in Book 3, the fallout from the experience of nearly getting killed and almost losing her best friend. Plus, we will see more about her new relationship with members of the superhero community. Excitement!
One of the big themes in The Pantheon Saga is deconstruction without destruction. While Morningstar was definitely deconstruction and destruction, she will be an extreme case. The key is to show these heroes as flawed-humans who strive to do the right thing and protect innocents, but can make huge mistakes at times. Hugo, even after he officially becomes a hero, will be faced with these hard decisions. And not all of them will be the right choices. Fall Fling was a bad and impossible choice for Hugo which he will have to live with as a hero. How can that make him a better hero and inform his future decisions? We will see! As for Greyson, we will see how far this man will sink in his new role as a villain. What will his goals be? What kind of villain will he evolve into? And of course, when will he and Hugo cross paths? Answers are coming in future books.
Another note I wanted to discuss is the state of the Hugo/Briseis relationship. Looks pretty much done, huh? But is it? Brie El-Saden as a character came originally from my dislike for how Lana Lang was portrayed on the show Smallville. A princess on a pedestal that is worshiped and lusted after with a personality based on being perfect and pretty. Ugh. I disliked how Clark had blinders on for Lana no matter how awful she could be. What if the love interest was a mean girl with all kinds of damage? And what would happen when Hugo sees who Brie really is instead of this perfect image that he’s built up in his own mind? I’m excited for you all to see the evolution of the Brie/Hugo relationship, and what needs to happen before things get better between them. Or if they get better… And speaking of, you all noticed the back and forth between Hugo and Jordana? That won’t be the last time we see those two flirting. Book 3 continue that relationship and how it affects the Hugo/Brie dynamic. What can I say? I’m a sucker for teen angst and (good) love triangles.
There are some bigger threads planned for Book 3, Generation Next, which have been hinted at in the first two books. I’m wrapping up my first editing pass for Generation Next before sending it off for brutalizing by my editor. She is great by the way and very fast. I’m looking forward to how her input with better Book 3’s story threads.
A big thanks Corine and Wanda, my wonderful beta readers who gave this story a proofing late in the game. Thanks to so many folks who provided their thoughts, feedback and help in bringing this second novel to fruition.
By the way, if you’re curious about the wild Halloween that Hugo was talking about at the end of the book, check out Friday Night Frights. That story tales place during Monsters Among Men. It’s a fun little side adventure.
More to come, so hang on for the ride, folks!
Later,
CCE
PS. If you want to find out when the next Pantheon Saga book will be release, there are several ways you can stay informed.
Come over to the Facebook Group, CC Ekeke’s Super Cool Readers, and say hi. You get to hang out with other readers and geek out over all things sci-fi and stuff.
Follow me directly on Amazon. Head over to my Amazon author profile and click Follow beneath my picture. Amazon will now notify you whenever I release a new book. All you need afterward is to check your emails. Easy, right?
You can join my newsletter list by clicking here. This way I can stay in touch with you directly, and get notified of all my new releases.
Doing one of all three of these (recommended) will ensure that you hear about each new release in The Pantheon Saga. Go ahead and do one of them. I’ll wait.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.C. Ekeke is a California native by way of Georgia via Missouri, spending his childhood on a steady diet of sci-fi movies and television shows, as well as superhero comic books. It was in college studying for a degree in advertising that he stumbled across a desire to write books. You can find him occasionally navigating the globe like Waldo (minus the red-striped sweater) or on www.ccekeke.com.
Monsters Among Men is Ekeke’s sixth full-length novel.
Unexpected
For most teens, a sick day from school when you felt mildly unwell was a godsend.
Jen Thomas hated missing class. Then again, doctor’s orders.
At least she was speaking with one of her favorite people.
“Sorry to call again, honey,” said her Aunt Steph on the other line.
“It’s fine, Auntie,” J-Tom replied, cellphone pressed to her ear. Restlessness had her pacing around her living room in snug pink boxer shorts and a loose grey Paso High sweatshirt hanging off her slim body. “Mom and Dad called twice each, so you’re even with them.”
“Because we care.”
Aunt Steph’s insistent reply warmed J-Tom more than the afternoon sunlight needling through the window blinds. “I know.” She scratched at her ringlets of ginger hair piled atop her head. “And I love you guys for that.”
Aunt Steph, Dad’s old college friend, was family in all but blood. With her high-pressure media job, any time she visited or checked in was a blessing.
Brie, Jody, Spencer, Lia, and Natalie—her squad—as well as Kendall Caruso, Brent Longwell, and Raphael Turner all checked in a lot the last few days. But it wasn’t just them.
J-Tom hadn’t expected the tsunami of calls and texts from classmates, teachers, and volleyball team after news of her hospital stay spread. Did she really have that many friends?
Nonetheless, J-Tom would rather be learning in class and gossiping with her girlfriends. Plus, she wasn’t getting a break from classwork emailed by her teachers—which she’d breezed through already.
But finishing her homework early left her at the mercy of mulling over Rocco’s Halloween party last weekend.
She trembled. As someone with a great memory, losing two hours of her life was unmooring.
Someone had done something to her at that party, and she couldn’t remember a thing after that stupid fight with Spencer. J-Tom trembled a
gain.
Being in Dad’s home office, surrounded by his jam-packed bookcases, restored her sense of security.
“On the bright side,” J-Tom continued, pushing away her paranoia, “I’m caught up on Season 5 of Battalion.”
Aunt Steph made a contemptuous noise. “You still watch that shitshow?”
J-Tom sucked in a scandalized gasp. “Hey! Don’t judge me!” No one derided her favorite superhero drama. “You who watches that Missy & Monty’s Misadventures ‘unscripted’ crap!” She air-quoted “unscripted.” The reality show about Missy Magnificent and her D-list hero husband making another comeback was the drizzling shits. God, Missy really had hit rock-bottom since leaving the Extreme Teens.
“I hate-watch Missy & Monty,” Aunt Steph corrected. “But point taken.”
“Enough about me.” J-Tom headed out of the office for the living room. “How’s work?”
“New day. Same crazy.” Aunt Steph sounded more stressed and guarded than usual. “How’s the engineering project?”
J-Tom stopped in her tracks. “Unchanged.” To her irritation, just walking left her winded. It was an improvement from the dizzy spells right after leaving the hospital, but still. “Everything’s in the garage.”
By everything, J-Tom meant the random drones that had literally dropped out of the sky two weeks ago while she’d been at Fall Fling. Mom and Dad had dragged them into the garage before any neighbors saw. The two drones looked just like the ones that attacked that Paso restaurant Las Mistras, which meant that they were Vanguard property. Knowing that almost made J-Tom squeal again. She wanted to pry them open and see how everything worked.
But Dad had said to wait until he decided on what to do.
“No Vanguard reps have stopped by wanting their property?” Aunt Steph asked.
Dread crackled down J-Tom’s spine. “Thankfully, no.”
“Well… They have bigger problems.” The sneer in Aunt Steph’s tone was unmissable.
J-Tom sighed. “Oh, I’ve read SLOCO Daily.” She’d never thought the day would come when the Vanguard brought such displeasure to mind. Since the truth about Titan's real murderer had come out, the Vanguard was no longer America’s favorite superhero team.
The late great Titan had been outed as a misogynist pig.
Morningstar, the target of his harassment, had been his killer and now faced jailtime.
Dynamo, J-Tom’s favorite superhero, had been revealed as a paraplegic teenage genius who then retired.
Wyldcat apparently had a nervous breakdown and was in rehab. The once-friendly news media, which included her aunt, now raked the Vanguard over the coals daily.
J-Tom shook her head to clear it. “Dad wants to return the Vanguard property.”
“Do you?”
“No,” J-Tom said without hesitating.
“Then don’t unless the Vanguard demands their property back.”
J-Tom ached to be a rulebreaker like her aunt. But for her parents, doing the right thing outweighed any curiosity. “I’ll think about it,” she decided, adjusting her sweatshirt when it slipped off one shoulder.
Aunt Steph gave a commiserating sigh. “Always a girl scout, Jenny.”
J-Tom stuck out her tongue at the phone.
“Okay, I gotta go,” Aunt Steph said. “I’ll swing by later for family dinner.”
J-Tom brightened hearing that. “Yay! Can’t wait to see you.”
The call ended soon after. J-Tom thumbed a new text from minutes ago.
Spencer: Dinner tomorrow night at my place?
J-Tom’s heart fluttered like a butterfly. She quickly typed a response, fighting to not come off as too eager.
ME: If I’m up to it, yes.
Spencer: Perfection. See you then, lover.
A crowbar couldn’t have pried J-Tom’s smile off. Spencer must’ve been in a good mood today. J-Tom hoped and prayed this affectionate streak would last a few days. Whatever the case, she wasn’t complaining. Just like J-Tom was holding her complaints about Spencer still enjoying her gaggle of handsome jock admirers. But if that helped Spencer feel comfortable in a secret same-sex relationship, so be it.
A knock on the front door startled J-Tom out of her reverie. She swiveled toward the foyer. Was this the mailman or some FedEx delivery guy? Or worse, the Vanguard? J-Tom’s heart stopped. “Who is it?”
“Hugo…from school?” a deep voice answered from outside the honey-brown oak door, sounding muffled.
J-Tom straightened. “Oh! Hi!” Why the heck was Hugo Malalou at her house?
How did he know where she lived? J-Tom had always been friendly with Hugo, despite the disgusting ways that Briseis and their other friends had treated him.
And I did nothing to stop them. J-Tom gulped down hard on that guilt. “Hold on!” She placed her cellphone on the coffee table and marched for the door. “Almost there.”
J-Tom opened the door and instantly recoiled. The man in the doorway stood about six-foot-three, Pacific Islander in race with blocky features and honey-brown skin. Lean and corded muscle stood out under his long-sleeved green tee and jeans, backpack straps on his shoulders, with black hair short as a fuse. Goddamn…
J-Tom stared up at this visitor a full five seconds before his identity registered. “Hugo.”
A nervous smile spread across his face. “Hi, Jen.” Now he resembled the boy she knew, but oddly kept one arm behind his back.
J-Tom smiled back. “Hey!” She still got shocked that this grown-ass man was Hugo Malalou. Another change about his appearance caught J-Tom’s eye. “What happened to your hair?”
He shrugged. “I cut it.”
J-Tom frowned. She’d liked his spiky bedhead.
Hugo’s expression turned serious. “I heard you were still sick. So I got your address from Brent.”
“Oh!” J-Tom relaxed, not realizing how tensed up she was. “That makes sense.”
“I also wanted to give you these.” Hugo whipped his arm out from behind his back, producing a fulsome bouquet of white and pink roses.
J-Tom gawked, so astounded that she almost forgot to accept the bouquet. “Oh my word.” J-Tom’s heart throbbed from the kind gesture. She brought the bouquet up to her nose and inhaled. The flowery fragrances tickled. “That’s so sweet.” No way would she send Hugo away after that. “Please come in.” She stepped back and beckoned him forward.
“You want anything?” J-Tom asked as Hugo strode through the foyer. She locked the front door behind him. “Water? Soda? Juice?”
Hugo glanced over his shoulder. “Water works.”
J-Tom passed him to reach the kitchen and set the bouquet on the kitchen table. Giddiness coursed through her veins while she grabbed a glass from a cabinet. Out of respect to Briseis, who hated Hugo, J-Tom would politely send him on his way after a few minutes.
When J-Tom returned to the living room with a glass of ice-cold water, Hugo reclined comfortably on the couch. His backpack was out of sight, resting on the side farthest from J-Tom.
Hugo’s long-limbed frame took up space like he owned the damn place, but not in an arrogant douchebro way.
J-Tom looked him up and down as she sat. Three months into sophomore year, and she still couldn’t reconcile this Samoan beefcake with the short, geeky Hugo she’d known since fifth grade. Jesus… No wonder so many girls were crushing on him.
J-Tom fought down a surge of foolish lust when handing Hugo the water. Maybe she’d wait ten minutes before sending him away, to gawk some more…
Hugo downed the glass in three gulps. “Thanks.” He placed it on the coffee table. “How do you feel?”
“Still kinda tired,” she admitted, dragging a finger across the freckles on her bare thigh. “I’ll be back in class tomorrow.”
“Right on. You were missed.”
J-Tom stared at him in surprise. “By you?”
Hugo nodded. “I wanted to make sure you were okay after Rocco’s party.” His gaze grew faraway for a moment.
Did he se
e what happened to me? J-Tom swallowed the spiking panic as best she could. “Rocco’s still in the hospital,” she deflected to take the attention off her. Their classmate who’d hosted the Halloween party had apparently been attacked by some wild animal during the gathering. These last few weeks in Paso had been dangerous. J-Tom shivered. “How could a wild animal attack Rocco in a house full of drunken teenagers?”
Hugo smirked. “You just answered your own question.”
She winced at her own blunder, and they both chuckled.
J-Tom had visited Rocco as she’d been leaving the hospital. Other than a slight neck scar, he would make a full recovery. Thank God. “My mom and I sent him homemade chocolate cake.”
“Of course you did,” Hugo teased, lightly bumping her shoulder.
J-Tom rolled her eyes at this cocky man-boy. Her reputation for what she considered basic kindness was well-known around Paso High. “You’re the only other person who’s visited me…besides Brie, Jordana, Brent, Lia, and Natalie,” she admitted before she could stop herself. God, that sounded needy.
By Hugo’s disbelieving look, he’d caught the name she’d omitted. “Spencer hasn’t visited since you got discharged?” he inquired in a sharp voice. “That was three days ago.”
J-Tom flinched from the judgement in his tone. “Spence stayed at the hospital with me,” she pushed back. “And rode with me on the way home.”
Hugo wasn’t having it, shaking his head. “She’s still a rude and spoiled bitch.”
J-Tom opened her mouth to protest…but couldn’t. “You’re not the first to complain.” While J-Tom was well-liked around Paso High, Spencer’s reputation was the total opposite.
Hugo held her gaze even longer. “You deserve the best kinds of people in your life, Jen.”
A flush crept up J-Tom’s neck. She tore her eyes away. “Thank you.”