During the Greco-Persian War, a humble Athenian hoplite with extraordinary abilities fights for the Greeks. This hoplite’s name is Theophilus, but his friends call him Theo. Now, some would say he’s too humble, like his commanding officer, who thought, “Wow, this kid is incredible. He can control spears with his mind. He’d make a great bounty hunter.” As a result of this ingenious logic, he decides to send Theo on a super important mission: track down and capture Artemisia, the Queen of Halicarnassus. You see, Artemisia is a very clever woman, regarded by many as the brains behind King Xerxes’s war effort. But, after the Persian failure at the Battle of Salamis, she fled the scene and went into hiding. Balance Rising is a prequel to the Lost Souls series and follows a young Theophilus as he journeys with his best friend, Illias, to capture Artemisia before she can cause any more harm to the Greek people. But, little does he know what he has just gotten himself into….