In ancient Greece, Demetrios trains to become a Spartan soldier but grows depressed over the loss of his mentor, Andreas. His desire for them to retain their monogamous relationship is overcome by Lysandra's devious attempts to have Andreas fulfill his duty as her betrothed.In present day New York, Andrew's life is in shambles when his father threatens to evict him for being gay. When, Andrew stumbles into Demetrios' world through a dream portal, their encounters provide each with the incentive to confront their demons ... together.
BUY THE eBOOK *** READ THE EXCERPTEXCERPT:
Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.
When he rose from his nest, Andrew found himself in an alien but bucolic landscape. He took no more than a step or two when the uneven rustling of dry grass betrayed someone else’s presence. He turned in time to see a guy of his own age and height scurry behind a chiseled stone stele like a frightened rabbit. Andrew froze so as not to upset him further. He could make out the top of a head of curly black hair. Within seconds, the rest of the face appeared. His proximity enabled Andrew to perceive hazel-colored eyes.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” Andrew blurted out. Upon the realization his words may be incomprehensible, he beckoned with his hands. Since Greek was the only other language with which he had any familiarity, he said, “Addio.” He chanced another step or two but didn’t dare to get any closer. Instead, he held out his right arm with his hand palm up. In his mind, it was a sign of universal acceptance.
The ‘rabbit’ emerged from his cover with an awestruck look on his face. Andrew knew the only chance to win his confidence was to be gracious. So he pulled back his extended hand, put it over his heart, and bowed slightly in a classic gesture of subordination.
As Andrew raised his eyes and emerged from his bow, the stranger edged closer like a curious child. Sunlight danced over this boy’s darkly toned body. His devastating beauty rendered Andrew speechless. Moreover, a physical similarity to his friend Demetri was uncanny. The stranger’s juvenile reaction described a youthfulness he did not actually possess. Subtly roughened facial features, a thick neck and a hirsute body directly contradicted that behavior. A tunic of white fabric like finely woven burlap wrapped around his taut torso; a delicate rope cinched it at the waist. That a well-developed body was concealed beneath it was obvious. Laced leather sandals revealed enough of his legs to indicate a predilection for climbing. Under his breath Andrew whispered, “I am definitely not in Kansas anymore.”
His brief reverie melted as soon as the stranger spoke.
“You don’t appear to be a Macedonian soldier. Have you been sent by the gods?”
“No, actually, I’m not from around here,” Andrew replied. But where in the hell was he? And how is it they could understand each other when they were obviously from different cultures? Quite possibly even diverse time periods!
“From where then?” queried the stranger.
“From Astoria. It’s a place in New York. So is this ...”
“Then, what are you doing at the Temple of Artemis Orthia?” he persisted.
At a loss to reply, Andrew thought for a moment. As he did, he took the opportunity to dwell on the stranger’s inquisitive eyes. It was near impossible to look away from them.
“I ... I came to ... inspect buildings. That’s it. I’m here to study the structural integrity of the temple’s foundation. You see I’m a student of ... of architecture.” Not very sure of the credibility of his explanation, Andrew felt it was still worth the attempt.
“You speak in an odd way but I believe you. If you were a god, I don’t think you would waste time with a mere mortal.”
“Oh, yes I would,” Andrew replied with a bit too much enthusiasm. He knew by the stranger’s speech and references this was another era of history. It was like a dream but one steeped in a sensuous and realistic environment. He decided circumstance necessitated a polite distraction at this point. “Maybe you would like to show a newcomer around the area,” Andrew ventured.
“Do you mean the place where I live and train to be a warrior? If so, I’d rather stay up here while it is daylight. There are some beautiful spots here in the hills I could show to you.” Subsequently, he followed a narrow path the long grasses tried to hide. Crawling along at first, he picked up his pace when he saw Andrew shadow him step for step.
His interest piqued, the explorer within Andrew emerged. “How come you’re here on your own? Don’t you have any friends you could be with?”
“Only Andreas, my inspirer. But he is otherwise involved this day and I have no one else. And you?”
“Oh, I always travel alone but I have many friends back home. Besides, I like to make new friends as often as possible,” said Andrew in an attempt to perk up his new buddy.
They sauntered along for only a short time before yet another panoramic view forced them to yield to its beauty. This one dropped even steeper than that of the inland valley to include the rugged Tainaro cape of the Maniot peninsula, the southernmost point of Greece.
“That is the port of Gytheion,” his guide offered with a nod towards the distant shoreline.
Indeed, Andrew discerned tiny fishing boats and inhaled a hint of sea air. The combination of an agreeable climate, a peaceful locale and exotic herbal scents intoxicated Andrew. He thought there should be some cultural or temporal shock but he felt just too good. “May we sit somewhere for a moment?” Andrew inquired.
“That is in my mind also. I love to meditate on the vastness of the ocean. Were it not a sacrilege to say so, I would tell you it makes me feel like a god myself.”
“You are ... uh.” Andrew faltered as he sat down and almost lost his balance. “I know exactly what you mean.” He wasn’t aware of anything wrong in the physical sense but felt bewitched. Then again, he reasoned to himself, maybe the altitude was to blame.
His new friend remained quiet. Then, to Andrew’s surprise, the silent stranger sat down next to him. He wondered if this were his normal behavior: stoic, but with unspoken warmth.
“By what name are you called? I am Demetrios of Pitana, soldier of Sparta.”
Speechless he had not thought to ask first what he knew to be a rule of common courtesy in any culture, Andrew was doubly shocked by a name similar to his closest friend. The very same one, in fact, to whom this Demetrios of Pitana bore such a great resemblance! Was there a connection? And ancient Greece of all places! He did not even fantasize about stuff like this. Before his mind could wander further he answered: “My name is Andrew.”
“Today I feel blessed by the gods in making your acquaintance,” Demetrios said with sincerity.
History books be damned, Andrew thought. If this were truly ancient Greece then it was one hell of a misrepresented culture. However warrior-like, it was obvious these people were not at all uncivilized. He could tell by Demetrios’ entire demeanor, by his longing glance, by his ... Andrew did not know what distracted him so but he began to think things he had never thought of before. Not with another man anyway. The response inside his pants told him so. Could it be he harbored this same inclination towards Demetri and had not acknowledged it? Or, at least, never wanted to?
In lieu of an involved response, Andrew simply said, “I suppose I am also blessed.”
LIKED THE EXCERPT?? CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK
No comments:
Post a Comment