A lost prince. A one-legged pirate. A perilous sea between them and the Land of the Dead.
Since opening a doorway into the magical city of Helena, everything in Penélope's life has changed-and not all for the better. She was only supposed to help Alexandria find her mother and fulfill an age-old prophecy, but the realm of Emmeson had more in store for them. Her best friend, Zeb, had trapped himself body and soul in the Underworld, and she was the only person who could rescue him.
Tagging along for his own dubious reasons is Alexandria's close friend from Harvard, Owen Godfrey III, whose charming accent and good looks hardly outweigh his obnoxious presence in their newly confined quarters. But he isn't the only man Penélope is trying to avoid. Their new captain, Prince Leandros, had on the very same ship openly declared his love for Penélope, when he still wore the guise of a menacing pirate. Now they are bound by oath to sail to the very edge of the Middle Sea to the Land of the Dead, where they hope to rescue Zeb and discover the whereabouts of Leandros' father, King Leon.
Unfortunately, the wide waters of this enchanted realm are teeming with monsters, witches, and perhaps worst of all, violent tribes of men, whose chance encounter could mean the difference between life and death. As Penélope, Owen, and Zeb entangle themselves deeper into this world's web of deceit and doom crafted by powers much greater than themselves, they quickly realize that their journey will force them to confront not only the unknown beyond the shore but also within themselves.
Following the events of The Song of Gaia from the perspectives of Penélope and Zeb, The Pillars of the Sea explores the vast, spellbinding realm of Emmeson, following in the ancient footsteps of Odysseus as he sailed the wine-dark sea back home, this time hoping to clean up the mess that Alexandria had started when she found the doorway to Helena.
But even amid the battles and storms, just as Penélope's namesake suggests, this thrilling sequel is not only an epic adventure, but also a romance, where love has the power to cross the very oceans of time, and home is not always what it seems.