For me, Mythology is a wonderful treasure-trove of ideas. Just look at all of the magnificent tales that have come out of them! Medusa, the Cyclops, the Hydra.
The vampires in my Immortalis series are based in Greek Mythology. They were born of an unlikely union between the Keres and a wounded human soldier. Daughters of Nyx, goddess of the night, the Keres are described as winged female death spirits with an insatiable lust for human blood. Neither good, nor evil, they were there to send the already dying on their way to Hades. What a perfect creature to be the mother of our first vampire, right? So, vampires are part demigod, and part human with a lust for blood that is matched by nothing else.
Vampires may be my first love, but werewolves come in a very close second. So, naturally, when it came time to add them into the Immortalis series, I had to go back to my Greek Mythology roots to make sure they had their own rich history.
Greek Mythology already had some pretty awesome monsters, and surprisingly enough, werewolves were already accounted for too. It didn’t take me long to spot their legend.
In ancient Arcadia, there lived a king, Lycaon. Lycaon had many sons but only one daughter. He kept her safe and locked away so that no man could have her. But that did not protect her from Zeus. What Zeus wanted, he got. So he bedded and impregnated Lycaon’s daughter. This enraged the king. He sacrificed the child, a son, and fed the flesh to the god. When Zeus figured out the treachery, he punished Lycaon by turning him into a wolf, the first of many werewolves.
That is just the shortened version of the story, but you see how wonderful Mythology can be. Even back in the ancient world they already had the monsters we love today, and many, many more.
So both creatures are a product of the gods meddling with humanity. They already have a lot in common to begin with. It’s a shame most books portray them as enemies. I like to think that since the supernatural community is so small, they’d probably do best by getting along.
So, with that said, in Pandora’s Box, I tie these two legends, these two creatures, together, revealing their rich history to each other, and showing you why it’s so important they work together.