Proving Grounds
Description
In a war-torn future where gods command from the shadows, human avatars Ariel and Jenna are sent to secure weapons powerful enough to defeat the Kaigan?a biomechanical threat consuming worlds. But their mission becomes a brutal trial as a merciless AI weapons dealer subjects them to escalating tests: drone swarms, chemical warfare, orbital bombardment, and the looming threat of planetary annihilation.
Joined by Ares, the reluctant God of War, they survive apocalypse after apocalypse?only to be punished by their divine patroness, Persephone, for sins of defiance and desire. As battle lines blur between duty, rebellion, and divinity, Ariel and Jenna must decide what kind of war they're truly fighting... and who they're willing to become to win it.
More details
Person
Jay Toney writes mythic, high-stakes fiction where science, gods, and humanity collide. His stories span space opera, cyberpunk, epic fantasy, post-apocalyptic futures, and multiverse AI realities ? all rooted in deep knowledge of Greek and Sumerian theology. Blending hard science with ancient myth, cosmic horror, and character-driven intensity, his books explore what happens when mortals challenge destiny, when machines dream of gods, and when the universe itself takes sides. If you love stories where empires fall, goddesses rise, and the fate of existence hangs on a single breath ? welcome to the Net Zero universe and beyond.
