Gideon is one of the main characters in A Ruinous Fate (2023), the first book in the young adult dark fantasy Heartless Fate series by author Kaylie Smith.
Gideon is an Onyx prince, one of two sons born to Queen Lysandra, and may be in line to become one of the fated Blood Warriors — near-invincible soldiers in the Fates’ War against the mortals, forced to fight against everyone they know and love. He is also a witch with wind powers who is down to his last roll of Witch’s die — if he rolls a sixth six, his fate will be sealed. But Gideon has learned that a creature in the Neverending Forest in Illustros, the Witch Eater, may be able to reverse the rolls tattooed onto his skin with a powerful spell and thus change his fate. After having gathered the materials he needs, he learns that Calliope, his brother Ezra’s ex, may also be in line to become a Blood Warrior — a fate neither of them want. And so, Calliope and her friends join Gideon, his brother, Gideon’s immortal military superior Kestrel, and Kestrel’s beta, Caspian, as they journey to find the Witch Eater.
At 20, Gideon is tall, athletically built through extensive training, and has midnight blue hair, black/silver eyes, some military tattoos, and a row of earrings in at least one of his ears.
Gideon is smart, tactical, confident, and tough, but not to the point of avoiding tenderness for those he cares about. He tends to be a bit closed off and sardonic but is also protective, clever, and resourceful. It’s revealed through a chapter following Kestrel’s point of view that the two men were previously lovers, which led to some bitterness when Gideon broke things off. As the gang travels together in the forest, it also becomes clear that there is a vivid chemistry and attraction between Gideon and Calliope. Though the term “bi” is never used, Gideon’s attractions to men and women show him to be bisexual, which appears to be normal and accepted in his society. Gideon is a rare example of an emotionally complex bi male lead in modern YA literature.