Adonis Awakened

Andronikos 'Nik' Rystrom has always been a man with a plan. Growing up in a small, Puritanical town nestled amidst New England's borderlands, Nik has always dreamt of a bigger world full of fame and opportunity, and by the time he hit his third year of high school in 2012, he'd seemed already fast on the road after scoring his first book deal. Born of a proud Greek mother, Nik writes a historical fantasy set in the opulent Byzantine Empire, imagining the crusades and romances of one of the medieval civilization's most daring warriors. While a feat remarkable for any person, for Nik it was just one step on a long-calculated path to glory. That is, until he met Aaron Grabner, the town's other teenage success story. A local hockey legend, Aaron is projected for a successful future as a professional athlete, but while the rest of the town is enamored by his stick-handling skills, Nik finds himself drawn to everything else about him. Crossing Aaron's path the first day of his junior year, Nik happens upon an unexpected hurdle: his first feelings for a boy. As he and Aaron's relationship shifts from erotic fantasy to loyal friendship, Nik learns about a world of heroes, bigotry, and heartbreak he thought was only as real as the stories he wrote.