Enslaved (Eternal Guardians, #5)

by Elisabeth Naughton

[Cocktails and Books]

Grphyon had suffered such unspeakable tortures at the hands of Atalanta and Kronos, I had to wonder just how Elisabeth Naughton was going to bring this "broken" argonaut back into the land of the living. What she gave us was a man who was so very worthy of his argonaut markings, but also the daughter of the Gods.

Gryphon, in the other Guardian books, was also such an easy going character, so his transformation into this hardened, tortured soul is tough. He thinks he's losing his mind because he constantly hears Atalanta calling for him and he has this darkness that he can feel inside him. The darkness makes him lose control and that scares him just as much as reliving the things he was subjected to or done in the Underworld. His only solace coms when he's near Maelea. Something about her soothes his darkness and makes the voices go away. Gryphon thinks it's something about Maelea that takes away the voices and the darkness, especially after his discovers who her parents are, but the calming effect is more about his soul finding it's mate than who or what Maelea is. She brings out all the qualities Gryphon had before his time in the underworld and helps him shed the despair that has hung over him and be the man he was always meant to be.

Maelea was one of those characters that had this inner strength that was to be envied. For three thousand years she's lived in the human realm knowing she was wanted by either of her parents. Despite that, she was determined to make it to Olympus and would do whatever was necessary to get there. Gryphon wasn't part of her plans, but she soon saw the man he was beneath the tough exterior and knew she would do whatever she needed to do to make sure he was happy, even give up Olympus. She doesn't have it easy, especially when people saw her as a small, weak woman, but she had that inner strength that had her fighting for herself and Gryhon to make sure they both had what made them happy.

Given how Enslaved ends, you have to wonder just what the Argonauts are going to be up against, especially with Zeus now a player. It should be interesting and guaranteed to be a wild ride. Give us Titus....we're ready!