Lore Olympus: Volume One

Persephone, daughter of Demeter, is the Goddess of Spring and the co-protagonist of Lore Olympus. She makes her debut in Olympian society in Volume One, which follows the first two days in her new life. Persephone has pink hair and skin. She prefers to wear her hair in a short, pixie cut; however, when she loses control of her powers, her hair grows to incredible lengths, which she finds cumbersome. Little is shown of her powers, except for her (sometimes involuntary) ability to generate flowers, blossoms, and flower crowns. This leads to occasional embarrassment when the sudden appearance of flowers betrays her inner emotions. Persephone is also beautiful, which causes trouble for her when Aphrodite becomes jealous. Smythe uses Persephone’s beauty to emphasize that she is not at fault for the way other women and men respond to her; Persephone’s beauty is not an excuse for Aphrodite’s antagonism or Apollo’s manipulation. Persephone has a warm and bubbly personality, bordering on childish at times, though this is due to her naivety stemming from her sheltered background. Demeter was a protective mother in the extreme; she would not let Persephone associate with the gods of Olympus, instead raising her in the mortal realm, far from Zeus’s “immoral” reign.