The Gryphoi Archon
This story is for anyone who loves modern retellings of classic myths, like Madeline Miller's Circe or the Percy Jackson series, but with a more mature, introspective tone. It will especially resonate with those who enjoy stories about discovering hidden worlds, exploring family secrets, and watching a strong female protagonist grow from a place of grief and skepticism into one of power and self-acceptance.
Centuries ago, the gods vanished—and the world moved on. Champions like Odysseus, Achilles, and Jason; beasts like the hydra, the gryphon, and the Minotaur; relics and oracles like the Golden Fleece and Cassandra. All sealed. Scattered. Forgotten. But now, a divine war stirs once more—sparked by a godling left behind, one who dreams of dragging mortals to their knees. And to do it, he needs the Gryphoi Archon: the ancient commander of the skies, bound by blood to a mortal rider.
Cassia Markiri never meant to chase gods or go mad like her mother did. She had graduate school to finish—and god willing, she would.
But when a call comes from her late mother’s landlord—deep in Cyrosia, Greece—urging her to finally collect her mother’s things, Cassia takes a reluctant sabbatical and moves across the world to do just that.
Among her mother’s final wishes: a note tucked in the will.
Cassia, go. Please. Just once. See the mural at the Gryphonian ruins in Cyrosia. Then you’ll get it.
Cassia expects dust, maybe closure.
What she finds beneath the ruins is something else entirely.