Is it love or addiction? Seventeen-year-old Gertrude Morgan, the only child of one of the wealthiest couples in America, is shipped away from her home in New York City to the American school in Athens against her will. But the city of Athens has secrets. Her host family calls them tramps. In Greek, they are called vrykolakas, or vryks, which sometimes gets translated to freaks. They are the vampires of Athens, created centuries ago by the Maenads. They live in caves beneath the acropolis without economic resources and according to rules imposed on them by the Olympians. First and foremost, they are forbidden from turning humans into vampires. The human will not turn unless all of the blood is drained, so a vampire is allowed to drink up to one pint per month from a willing mortal. Some mortals are willing because a vampire bite will infect the body for six hours, and during that time, the mortal has the powers of the vampire: flight, invisibility, strength, speed, x-ray vision, and mind control. Such great power can become irresistible, though dangerous and addicting to mortals... As seventeen-year-old Gertie, studying abroad from New York, uncovers the unfathomable secrets of this ancient city, she becomes involved with a handsome vampire. Is it love that attracts her, or the temporary powers from his bite? She's more confused when her heart is drawn to the vampire's enemy--a demigod sworn to protect the city--and she becomes an unwitting catalyst to war. This series shares the word of The Underworld Saga.
