Hephaestus and the Island of Terror

Zeus and the Olympians might find a new leader among metal-working warriors in this Heroes in Training adventure.

Fresh off their adventure with Crius’s Cronies, the Olympians set out for the island of Lemnos, and there’s a reason they receive warnings as they travel: Warriors holding intricate weapons greet them as soon as they come ashore! Then they meet Hephaestus, the leader of the island who they quickly realize is actually one of them—the Olympian they were meant to find.

But Hephaestus isn’t so sure he wants to leave with the Olympians. After all, life is pretty good on Lemnos, and he loves being in charge of the Sintians, who inhabit the island. The Sintians made him their leader because of his metal-working prowess, and he’s been doing his best to keep them safe from Cronus’s armies ever since. Hephaestus suggests that if he does choose to go with the Olympians, he could be their leader. But what about Zeus? Not everyone is convinced he is still up for the job...

Joan Holub has authored and/or illustrated over 140 children’s books, including the Goddess Girls series, the Heroes in Training series, the New York Times bestselling picture book Mighty Dads (illustrated by James Dean), and Little Red Writing (illustrated by Melissa Sweet). She lives in North Carolina and is online at JoanHolub.com.

Suzanne Williams is a former elementary school librarian and the author of over seventy books for children, including the award-winning picture books Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) and My Dog Never Says Please (illustrated by Tedd Arnold), and several chapter book and middle grade series. She also coauthors the Goddess Girls and Thunder Girls series with the fantastic Joan Holub. Visit her at Suzanne-Williams.com.

Craig Phillips has been creating cover art and drawings for books, comics, and magazines for nearly two decades. He is most at home working on tales about myth and magic. His latest book—Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts: Ten Tales from the Deep, Dark Woods—is a 200-page graphic novel about just that! It will be in stores in May 2017. When he is not drawing and writing, he likes to swim in the lakes and walk in the forests and mountains of New Zealand. Visit him at CraigPhillips.com.au.