Antinous is destined to die. Envied by the gods and despised by his rivals, the Greek youth from Bithynia is the most beautiful boy in the Roman Empire, summoned to the Eternal City where the emperor, Hadrian, makes him his lover. Just when Antinous thinks he has outrun destiny, he meets Leonides, a bold young soldier who conquers his heart. He desires the soldier but belongs to the emperor. If he gives in to temptation it may cost them their lives. His rivals are always talking and the gods always watching.

The body of a missing student is buried in the woods. But only a few know this. At first, it was just a running joke in the hallways of Northwoods High, a lowbrow school in a lower brow town. Finn Sexton never really thought the joke was funny, but his friends couldn't get enough of it. The punchline? New kid, Levi Brightly is gay . Levi is used to being laughed at. A side effect of being the only out queer kid at school. But he draws the line at becoming the volleyball team's personal punching bag, especially since he wants to join the team. After threatening to report Finn's friends to the principal, Finn steps in as Captain and offers Levi a deal in exchange for his silence. He'll watch his back on and off court, and Levi will keep his mouth shut. Except keeping his end of the deal turns out harder than expected, and when the joke goes too far at a party, the worst happens. Suddenly, there's a dead body and no one alive willing to take one for the team.