Claire Simpson

Breath of the Earth Claire Simpson

Publisher Marketing: While her mother is trying to pair her off with a never ending procession of unsuitable older men, Persephone is more interested in exploring the old shrines of fogotten gods and fending off the attempts at friendship extended by her half-sister Helen. Unhappy with the responsiblity of her demi-god status, Persephone chooses instead to simply ignore her abilities, which can be difficult when the grass is quite literally growing beneath her street. Helen has her own problems, her father is a godly playboy who has trouble remembering the names of all of his children, and her mother's increasingly unpredictable mental state has seen Helen shipped off to stay with her step-mother in the country. Determined not to loose what remains of her social standing, Helen is happily prepared to marry a stranger, viewing it as a purely business arrangement. It's a shame that the only male within ten miles that she might even consider is happily living with a mountain nymph on his father's farm. Set before the events of the Trojan war, and long before Paris' famous kidnap of the married Helen of Troy, the event that marked the start of Troy's downfall, 'Breath of the Earth' winds together the stories of Persephone, Helen and Paris. After being abducted by Hades, the god of the Underworld, Persephone focuses all of her attention on fending off his advances and helping others trapped there, while above her the world, now deprived of her abilities, is dying. As her confidence in her escape starts to dwindle, Persephone soon finds that her own life is seeping away, and she's certain it won't be long before the Underworld claims her as one of it's own.