The second book of the Branchview Series, The Epic Showdown, is a massive crossover fantasy story involving Greek gods, witches, demons, sorcerers, and a new world order.

The myths of the past are still being told today. Arguably, they are still influencing modern stories. Of course, this is not to say that these kinds of stories are lesser because they are inspired by older tales, only that there is a timelessness and an eternal resonance in their narratives and tropes. As the American film director and screenwriter Jim Jarmusch said:

Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination.

The fanciful figures, deities, and legendary beasts of the ancients continue to be remade, reshaped, and revitalized throughout the years. Ever since they were first conceived, there has been a long unceasing, and unbroken line of permutations, each adapting to the current zeitgeist and representing the current mores of the time. 

Stories are integral to the human experience. The best stories are remembered forever, cycled through various retellings, and resonating with any and all cultures. Some of the best stories are simply reimaginings of older stories, especially the ones from Greek mythology. 

Why is this so? 

Perhaps, it is also because storytelling itself lends to faith and understanding. Stories that seek to understand the world or provide an explanation of how things are usually last longer because these kinds of stories touch upon the baser and more primal aspects of the human mind. 

The old stories, the ones that survive, persist because they resonate. Even if they have been reimagined in modern popular culture, the themes and values (or those that a modern audience gleans from them) of these stories broach what it means to be human and what it means to navigate the world. Mythology, that of the ancient Greeks in particular, in its many aspects, has made a great impact in every facet of modern literature, especially science fiction, and fantasy.

Greek Mythology in Popular Culture

Because of its almost mythical status in the various cognoscenti of Western civilization, Greek mythology is heavily present and suffused in the canon of Western literature, alongside the Holy Bible and the works of Shakespeare. 

The mythology of the ancient Greeks was spread throughout the European continent via the expansion of the Roman Empire, who adopted the stories of the Greeks into their own culture—and ever since, the descendant and neighboring cultures of Ancient Rome have been consistently incorporated in cultural movements, frequently experiencing revivals and recreations, especially during the Renaissance. 

Elements of Greek mythology have always featured heavily in artistic and literary movements throughout the ages; they only flourished more when myths were exported across the globe.

In recent years, aspects of Greek mythology have become increasingly mainstream in the contemporary zeitgeist. Even without knowing its origins, there is an awareness, via cultural osmosis, of who Hercules, Zeus, Hades, etc., are. Plenty of lexical items also find their origins in ancient myths, from the names of heroes, demigods, deities, giants, monsters, mythical objects, and places. There can also be a wide range of allusions made in plenty of literary examples. Legendary creatures in Greek mythology have also become staple and stock monsters, like centaurs, nymphs, pegasi, etc.

Modern Greek Mythology in the Branchview Series

The second book of the Branchview series is The Epic Showdown. Protagonists Steven and Loraine are still going onward with their almost ceaseless conflict with the evils of the Secret Society, who seek to establish a One World Global Empire. 

Beneath this great battle, the pair are also attempting to uncover the secrets of the constantly surfacing Great House. Among their allies are the immortal entities Zeus, Poseidon, and Amphitrite, and among their enemies is the rogue god Hades. 

Will the Branchview legacy end, along with the world as they know it? Or will justice and righteousness overcome the darkness?