Before the New Moon Rises

When Poseidon's ambition is thwarted (as told in Moon of the Goddess), Princess Thalassai expects to enjoy the luxury of peace. Instead, the Earthshaker's revenge strikes like forked lightning. He recruits Aphoron, disgraced prince of Ephyra, to set off an attack on her home city. The god releases a monster shark to shut down trade and lays a sleeping spell on the four kings who hold sway in the lands claimed by the ancient goddess Eurynome.With the king under Poseidon's spell, Thalassai struggles to maintain order in the city. Her fiancé Brizo sets sail to defeat the monster shark, but in the first encounter, the shark destroys the ship's rudder and oars. Her brother Melanion chases after Aphoron and uncovers the prince's plan to attack their home. As other Olympian gods who are angry with Poseidon are drawn into the fray, conflict threatens to engulf the lands of Greece. Will it spread to the mountain of the gods? Will the young leaders find a way to defeat the Earthshaker's plans and restore peace?This edition of the ebook includes links to pictures of modern day Ephyra and the Acheron River valley. After running a family sheep farm for thirty years, Cathy Hird now lives in the woods on the shores of Georgian Bay, the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway. She retired from work as a United Church minister in December 2020 and now has more time to write. Cathy weaves tapestries and scarves, and she tells stories that draw together the threads of modern questions and ancient myth.Cathy has published novels, stories and poems. She writes a weekly spirituality column for the online news magazine, owensoundhub.org. She is an avid reader who loves to discover new authors and the worlds they build.Cathy's first YA series was set in ancient Greece. Her second is a contemporary fantasy trilogy that draws on Celtic mythology and Arthurian legends. She is working on a near future novel where magic and artificial intelligence collide. In bronze age Greece, a pampered princess is kidnapped. Despite her fear, she must find strength and wisdom to face the situation she is drawn into. A young Poseidon is seeking new devotees no matter what the cost, but an ancient earth goddess, Euryonme, will use all her power to protect her valley from his whims.