Guest Post: Amalia Dillin

Why I Love My Heroes: Garrit DeLeon

In the FATE OF THE GODS series, a lot of the characters are larger than life. Thor, the god of thunder; Adam, the First Man, who dreams of reclaiming the world; Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war; Ra, the Egyptian Sun god, with his falcon eyes, and creator of the Covenant which binds the rest of the gods into a peaceful co-existence. And then there’s Garrit DeLeon.

Garrit isn’t exactly normal, even if he is purely human, without an ounce of divine power of his own. After all, his family has a very strange, very different understanding of the world. They believe, and rightly, that they are descended from Eve, the first woman, and her first husband at the dawn of Creation, named Reu. They believe that Adam is a villain, a tyrant, waiting for his chance for world domination – and their myths make it clear he isn’t any kind of benevolent as a leader. And lastly, his family has benefitted from a very long and very close association with a thunder god.

In FORGED BY FATE, it’s clear that Garrit didn’t believe the stories he’d been told, growing up. But when he realizes that the woman he’s engaged to is Eve herself, reborn and returned to her family, he knows his life will never be the same again. Myth blossoms into reality, and suddenly, the weight of Eve’s thousands of lives, thousands of husbands, comes crashing down on his head.

To say that it’s an adjustment is an understatement, and Garrit is human, after all. Human enough to struggle with the knowledge, and his duty, to say nothing of his love for Eve, who has loved so many men before him. But when he realizes that Eve is in danger, that Adam has come for her and it’s time for the House of Lions to stand in her defense, he doesn’t hesitate. Eve’s safety and Eve’s happiness take center stage in his life, and Garrit pushes everything else aside out of more than just duty – but love.

But the thing I love most about Garrit (and a trait, it seems, he’s inherited from his forefathers), is best demonstrated in FATE FORGOTTEN. Because in book two, Garrit doesn’t just have to worry about facing off against Adam. He squares off against the gods, as well.

Garrit DeLeon is just a man, but he never lets that stop him when it comes to the protection of the people he loves.

Book 1
After Adam fell, God made Eve to protect the world. — Adam has pursued Eve since the dawn of creation, intent on using her power to create a new world and make himself its God. Throughout history, Eve has thwarted him, determined to protect the world and all of creation. Unknown to her, the Norse god Thor has been sent by the Council of Gods to keep her from Adam's influence, and more, to protect the interests of the gods themselves. But this time, Adam is after something more than just Eve's power—he desires her too, body and soul, even if it means the destruction of the world. Eve cannot allow it, but as one generation melds into the next, she begins to wonder if Adam might be a man she could love.After Adam fell, God made Eve to protect the world. — Adam has pursued Eve since the dawn of creation, intent on using her power to create a new world and make himself its God. Throughout history, Eve has thwarted him, determined to protect the world and all of creation. Unknown to her, the Norse god Thor has been sent by the Council of Gods to keep her from Adam's influence, and more, to protect the interests of the gods themselves. But this time, Adam is after something more than just Eve's power—he desires her too, body and soul, even if it means the destruction of the world. Eve cannot allow it, but as one generation melds into the next, she begins to wonder if Adam might be a man she could love.

To win the world, Adam will defy the gods, but his fate rests in Eve's hands. — Since the gods returned Adam’s memory six hundred years ago, Thor has been a scourge on his lives. But when Adam learns that Thor has been haunting his steps out of love for Eve, he is determined to banish the thunder god once and for all. Adam is no fool: Eve still loves the man she knew as Thorgrim, and if she ever learned he still lived, that he still loved her, Adam would lose any chance of winning Eve to his side, never mind liberating the world. But after everything Thor has done to protect Eve, everything he’s sacrificed, the thunder god won’t go without a fight. Not as long as Eve might love him again. 

Which means Adam has to find a new ally. The enemy of his enemy, complete with burning sword and righteous resentment of the gods. But in order to attract the Archangel Michael’s attention, he needs Eve — an unmarried Eve, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

It shouldn’t be too difficult to find her in the future. Not now that he knows how to look.