Leonidas of Athens

Twelve-year-old Leonidas of Athens, his beloved slave Zacchir, their friend Didymus, and the nymph Chloris are the first storytellers to embark on the adventures of the mirror and the lantern. Through dreams—a gift from the gods—and with the aid of a magic lantern invented by an obscure sorcerer, they will journey into the great epic poems of their time, from the *Iliad* to the *Odyssey*, and from the myth of Pegasus to that of Perseus. The story unfolds in the 4th century BC across various locations in ancient Greece: the districts of Athens—such as the Acropolis and the Agora—the city of Olympia, Mount Ida, and the city of Troy. The children will intertwine their own adventures with those of great mythological figures: Achilles, Odysseus, Aeneas, Andromache, Astyanax, Pegasus, the goddess Athena, Apollo, Hecate, and many others. Guided by the philosopher Socrates and threatened by the mad wizard Herpo, Leonidas and his friends must face perils and adventures, solving riddles and mysteries along the way. They will experience the horrors of war and the power of compassion, the cruelty of men and the strength of friendship, ultimately discovering that stories are nothing less than life itself.