The Delian War - Gods of Men, #2

Far away from Sparta, a great naval battle is fought between the mighty fleets of Corinth and Megara against Corinth's ancient former colony, Corcyra, which has made an alliance with Athens, who have dispatched ten warships to join the Corcyraean fleet near some islands called Sybota. Little does anyone know, that from this battle, the bloodiest war in Greek history would spring.     As the greatest army ever massed on the Isthmus of Corinth prepares its invasion of Attica, Brasidas is sent with a force of Spartan hoplites to Messene, to put down any signs of helot rebellion and to patrol the coast.     Lysander, now an elite of the 300 hippeis (Dioskouri) is also dispatched to Messene on a separate mission.
To take command of a small militia at the city of Methone, in defense against possible Delian skirmishes, little knowing that a fleet of 150 Delian war triremes, a 100 of them Athenian, is sailing for the poorly defended city, with an invasion force of near a thousand hoplite marines.     Besieged, Lysander can do little against such a force but fight to the very death, street by street, and with just a handful of Spartans, and a militia of loyal helots, he must hold Methone and hope that help will arrive in time.     Pericles of Athens, has not only taken on the might of Sparta, he has taken on the might of the gods themselves and soon, Death comes to Athens with the outbreak of plague, plunging the city into a disturbing and surreal world of madness and death.