Chaos reigns in Olympus as Zeus publicly declares Persephone a traitor and issues a warrant for her arrest. But Hades defies his brother’s decree, sheltering Persephone in the Underworld—and as the pair spend more time together, they are able to speak openly about their pasts. The goddess of spring admits the truth behind the bloody secret that led to Zeus’s ire, and the king of the Underworld shares the trauma he suffered at the hands of his power-hungry father, Kronos.
But as Hades and Persephone’s relationship grows stronger, others begin to fall apart. The bond between Hades and Zeus is stretched to its limit, threatening to fracture the peace between their realms. Persephone and Artemis’s friendship hangs by a thread as the goddess of the hunt slowly uncovers the vile truth about her twin, Apollo. A line is being drawn in the heavens, putting everyone’s loyalties into question as all the gods are forced to choose sides.
And as the cracks in the foundation of the pantheon spread, something darker and more earth-shattering might soon be released. . . .
Quick Read
I always read two volumes in one go, as they are readable in an instant. The colorful and big-image style of the webtoon/comics makes it easy to get through the pages. Nonetheless, there are some emotionally more dense scenes and some illustrations that surely make you pause and take a deep breath in. I try to keep this review short and not to repeat what I already mentioned for volumes 4 and 5, although many of the remarks still apply.
Greater Familiarity
What I especially enjoyed in this book is getting to see Hades and Persephone discussing their relationship. They aren’t taking big steps, which absolutely fits with her insecurity and her recent experience with sexual contact. This abuse is also recurrently discussed, not only by including someone new as a confidante but also by Kore speaking up to Artemis and setting boundaries. I also loved seeing her go to therapy. I appreciate this representation and the relatability of the story despite its ancient Greek source material. But not only Persephone goes through some troubling days and weeks. With these volumes, I feel more comfortable in telling the characters apart and enjoying their individual stories. The new added characters are fortunately easy to distinguish from the known ones.
Stormy Times
Besides Persephone having to eventually face the consequences of her lately revealed deeds, we also get to hear her perspective on the story. We’re additionally allowed to look into the past of some more characters and grow more familiar and even fond of them. Especially Daphne’s story stands out as a struggle for self-determination and a turn away from a toxic relationship. Rachel Smythe convincingly incorporated the well-known tale of her persecution by Apollo into this modern rendition. She made it even more tragic and emotional by embedding it into the greater narrative. There are some other smaller easter eggs—or ancient stories—implemented in this adaptation and I really much enjoyed them.
In conclusion
In these two volumes, I found some well-written implementations of the stories Greek source material, which goes beyond inspiration. I enjoyed that just as much as the very considerate relationship development between our protagonists and Persephone’s facing of her past in many regards. A great continuation of the story that ends twice in quite a cliffhanger.
The author:
Rachel Smythe is the creator of the Eisner Award-winning Lore Olympus, published via Webtoon. Source