At least, so it seems to Darius, son of Zeus, God of the Gemstones. Darius, a bit of a lover, was known for all his dalliances with married ladies and it is that, which trips the old boy up. Darius' "gift" was his ability to turn himself into a statue... which comes in handy when he is playing footsie with Queen Aara in her bedroom. When King baby pops in startling them, Darius goes into his statue routine to protect the Queen from her jealous husband. Only, the King thinks there is something rotten in Denmark...oops wrong local... something wrong with his wife's statue...so he chops off a part of Darius of which he is rather "fond" and then pushes Darius the stoneman out the window, smashing him to pieces. Patsy Cline's song kept popping into my mind as I read this! Daddy Dearest, Zeus, is not happy with the fate of his son, so curses him to remain bodiless, until he can find the perfect statue to possess and once more grant him the ability to return to mortal form. Well, artistic talent must have been sadly lacking, for it was three millenniums before Darius gets a second chance at breathing. Fortunately, for Darius, fate brings Alexandra de Marco his way.
Alexandra is a brilliant sculptor. She and her sister were orphaned when they were very young, and now she is facing the task of saving the orphanage where they grew up from being closed because of a lack of money. She comes across the history of our boy Darius, God of the Gemstone, and the tale of his marble statue, which had been shattered to pieces. She is so taken with the myth that she turns her talents into creating a statue of the most beautiful man she can, lovingly bringing the marble into the perfect form under her talent. She plans to auction off the brilliant work at the Ladies' Annual Charity Auction and donate the money to the orphanage. It would save the place that sheltered her as a child, while at the same time, be a great PR showcase for her talent.
Only, Darius finally has the means to return to mortal form, little knowing about charities or Ladies Clubs, and he does so right before the stunned audience. While Alexandra is impressed with her creation, she can hardly auction HIM off - though a few might have other ideas...lol. She is furious because she needs that statue to save the orphanage. Darius doesn't give a fig...mainly, because the statue was in the old Greek style - au natural. But the fun begins as Darius finds life in the modern world is a long way from Mt. Olympus.
The writing is witty, quirky and the author shows a deft pen in crafting this wickedly funny tale. So original!! Will definitely be watching for more from this wonderful writer!