Emily and her winged horse face a war of Olympic proportions in this second book of an adventurous series. Emily, newly recognized as the Flame, is living in Jupiter’s palace on Mt. Olympus. Her friends, Joel, Paelen, and—of course—Pegasus, are there as well. The only person missing is Emily’s father, who is still being held prisoner by the CRU back in the human world. Emily wants to go find him, but Jupiter won’t allow her to leave. However, Emily does have access to a winged horse… Determined to rescue her father, Emily and her friends make plans to sneak away from Olympus and back to New York. Then Cupid, Emily’s sort-of crush, decides to come along as well. It will be hard enough to hide a winged horse from the prying eyes of the CRU, but a winged boy as well? And when the gruesome Nirads begin a new invasion, old grudges are unearthed, new enemies are discovered, and Emily and her friends become entangled in a conflict more dangerous than they ever anticipated. In this latest book in the Pegasus series, all seems swell in Olympus. Surrounded by loyal friends like Pegasus and Paelen, Emily is making the challenging transition from young, mortal New Yorker to being the physical embodiment of the Flame of Olympus. But Emily knows she and her allies must return to New York against Jupiter’s orders to rescue her father from an evil government agency. O’Hearn once again delivers such sympathetic characters, swiftly paced action, and unexpected turns that the occasional clichéd phrasings are quickly forgiven. These books build great narrative suspense—this one involves a scary Gorgon showdown—and the next book undoubtedly will as well. Grades 4-7. --Abby Nolan Kate O’Hearn was born in Canada, raised in New York City, and has traveled all over the United States. She currently resides in England. Kate is the author of the Pegasus series, the Shadow Dragon series, the Titans series, the Valkyrie series, and the Atlantis series. Visit her at KateOHearn.com. Olympus at War 1 OLYMPUS WAS UNLIKE ANYWHERE EMILY had ever been before. It was a magical fantasyland filled with people and creatures beyond imagination. A place where rain didn’t fall but the lush green gardens never wilted. Flowers bloomed constantly, filling the air with their intoxicating fragrances. The air itself seemed alive. It was honey sweet and warm and enveloped you in a blanket of peace; it was rich with the sounds of singing birds and filled with insects that never stung. If a bee landed on you, it was only because it wanted to be petted. The buildings in Olympus were as beautiful and unique as the land itself. Most were made of smooth white marble with tall, intricately carved pillars reaching high into the clear blue sky. There were open theaters where the Muses danced and sang for the entertainment of all. The wide cobbled streets were lined with statues of the strongest fighters and heroes. There were no cars or trucks pumping pollution into the air. The Olympians walked or flew wherever they needed to go. Occasionally they would ride in a chariot drawn by magnificent horses. Then there were the libraries, more than Emily could count, containing the texts from the many worlds the Olympians visited and guarded. Some of her favorite books were in the library at Jupiter’s palace, brought in especially for her. Emily could never have imagined a more perfect place. But living in Olympus, amid all this splendor, Emily was miserable. She missed her father. She spent every waking moment thinking and worrying about him. He was back in her world, a prisoner of the Central Research Unit. The CRU was a secret government agency obsessed with capturing aliens and anything out of the ordinary to use as weapons. She had been their prisoner for a short time and knew how single-minded and cruel they were. But they still had her father. What were they doing to him? Were they punishing him because of her escape? Had they killed him? So many fears and unanswered questions tore at her heart that she could never be completely happy or stop worrying about him. Even spending time with Pegasus didn’t ease the pain. Emily was desperate to get back to New York to find her father, but Jupiter wouldn’t let her go. He insisted her place was here among the other Olympians. And with the invading warrior race of Nirads still posing a threat to Olympus, Jupiter couldn’t risk sending any of his fighters to Emily’s world on a rescue mission. No matter how much she pleaded with the god, he refused to allow her to leave. Emily paused as she walked through the gardens of Jupiter’s palace. She raised her face to the sun and felt its warm rays streaming down on her. Was this the same sun that shone in her world? Was her father allowed to see it? From her own experience as a prisoner in the CRU’s deep underground facility, she doubted it. Emily felt even more determined. If Jupiter wouldn’t let her go, she had no choice but to run away and rescue her father her