Persephone/Lore

## History

### **A Pink Thumb**

Persephone was created solely by her mother 19 years before the start of the story. She was created through Demeter's own will and a million perfect roses. Because Demeter did not have the same skills as her own creator Metis, she still had to carry Persephone to term. Seeing Zeus as a morally corrupt ruler, Demeter decided it would be best to raise her daughter in the Mortal Realm, away from Olympus.

Born Kore, the young goddess spent most of her life in the Mortal Realm, with the company of her mother and the nymphs that worked for her. When she was first born, Demeter saw fit to have her receive blessings from the other goddesses. She received a blessing of intelligence from Athena, a blessing of generosity and creativity from Hestia, and a double blessing of beauty from both Aphrodite and Hera. Unknown to Demeter, Kore was also blessed with wrath by Eris.

As a child, Kore created two flower nymphs, Krokos and Withy, in a special garden dedicated to flower nymph restoration. Becoming her "first friends," the two nymphs later began to act as Kore's handmaidens. The three became very close, however, Demeter was overprotective to the point that she would only allow Persephone to leave home with them accompanying her. Due to this, Kore often felt frustrated by them following her around.

Persephone explains that she was created to be the Goddess of Spring, and initially loved her role and the tasks that came with it. However, Persephone explains that she was also born with a "feeling," represented by sinister yellow eyes in shadow. After mastering her mother's version of spring, Persephone explains that she peaked, her powers began to let her down, and the "feeling" became harder and harder to ignore. Unknown to both her and her mother, this "feeling" was actually Eris' blessing of wrath surfacing.

Persephone also recalls that her mother would frequently begin to hide her away as she honed her powers, out of what Persephone believed to be fear. Kore rebelled and created her own version of spring without Demeter's permission. Her unauthorized rendition got her in trouble, and in an attempt to control and distract her, Demeter pushed Kore to begin a number of lessons and hobbies. At another point, Kore's nymph handmaidens alerted her to the presence of a God injured in the woods. Dismissing their desire to accompany her, Kore went into the forest alone, where she found the God Ares impaled on a tree. After unknowingly healing his wounds, Ares followed Kore into the meadow where she was reading alone. Playing on her empathetic nature, Ares convinced Kore to help him learn to read and write, which was in truth a ploy to seduce her. When the two eventually kissed, Kore discovered the planner in Ares' bag, quickly finding out he could in fact read and write. Infuriated over being taken advantage of, Kore called for her mother, who quickly restrained and punished Ares. Despite Kore's initial smugness over this, Demeter would then further restrict her alone time. Kore quickly became frustrated over her overprotective mother, leading to a desire to live on her own and become more than what she saw as a "stupid village girl".

When Kore decided to go to college, she wanted to attend the university on Olympus. Demeter took this opportunity to have Kore earn a scholarship through The Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood, intending to later have her join. Kore and Demeter met with the current members, where Demeter pushed her desire to have Persephone commute to college. Artemis, one of the TGOEM members, realized Kore's hesitance with the situation, and offered to have Persephone live with her on Olympus. After arguing with Demeter, the two left, but not before Kore showed her appreciation by adorning Artemis with a flower crown.

### **The Bringer of Death**

Kore reluctantly began to come to terms with commuting to college, although she was clearly displeased. After an intense argument with Demeter, Kore went to be alone and was quickly accompanied by her nymph handmaidens. As she was about to angrily tell them to go away, she witnessed their sudden deaths. Shaken and filled with grief, Kore quickly found the mortals who had killed her friends; the group was plucking sacred flowers from the garden despite a treaty to stay away from it. Although initially it was believed Persephone took vengeance on the mortals, carving a path of destruction through their settlement with glee, in truth Persephone lost control of her powers. The "feeling" took over after the mortals ignored her pleas to stop and began to taunt her, causing her to decapitate one of them. Realizing what she had just done, Kore was consumed with horror at her actions and uncontrollably grew to Titan-level size. She began to destroy her surroundings, unable to control her powers or evacuate the mortals. This event would cause her name to be changed from "Kore" (The Maiden) to "Persephone" (Bringer of Death). Demeter performed damage control, keeping the incident under wraps by buying Hermes' silence. Realizing she could not control her daughter, Demeter reluctantly allowed Persephone to move to Olympus to live with Artemis, although Artemis was unaware why she had changed her mind so suddenly.

Before moving to Olympus, Persephone spent the remainder of the year with her mother and Hecate, a goddess from the Underworld, who Persephone became friends with while the former studied poisonous plants in the Mortal Realm. One night, after overhearing Hecate tell Demeter that Hades, the King of the Underworld, had come to visit her, Persephone snuck off to find him, believing he could help her.

Upon finding the King of the Underworld, intoxicated in a separate room, Persephone transforms into a butterfly so she does not startle him. Hades, realizing right away that Persephone is not an actual butterfly, decides to have some fun with her by frightening her. Persephone is frightened badly enough that she returns to her normal form and lands on top of him with only dissolved butterflies covering her. The two then have an exchange, during which Persephone desperately inquires as to whether Hades can return mortals from the dead. Hades responds that he cannot, and Persephone continues to plead with him before ultimately fleeing when she hears Demeter coming. Hades would not remember this encounter as Demeter, protective of her daughter, makes Hades drink more alcohol to ensure he forget meeting her.

## Lore

### **Tickled Pink**

While Persephone attends a party with Artemis, Aphrodite overhears Hades commenting on Persephone's beauty and is infuriated. Aphrodite decides to pull a prank on Hades and orders her son, Eros, to distract Artemis and get Persephone drunk. The gods put the unconscious Persephone into Hades' car, unbeknownst to Hades, and she later wakes up in Hades' mansion. After wandering Hades’ mansion, Persephone encounters one of Hades’ dogs: Cerberus. While initially hostile toward her, Persephone is able to tame the gatekeeper of the Underworld after playfully petting him, much to the surprise and envy of Hades, who arrived just before he could intervene to protect her.

After scolding Cerberus, Hades helps Persephone off the ground which makes her spawn a crown of blue flowers, which embarrasses her. Persephone asks Hades if he has something she could borrow, as she is unused to the chill of the Underworld. Hades gives her a fur coat he intended to give to Hera. Persephone at first declines the gift, until Hades insists, she can keep it as neither he nor Hera want to wear it. When asked how she looks wearing the coat, Hades, while blushing, remarked that she looked sufficient and offers her coffee.

While making her a pot, Persephone notices Hades' phone is receiving a call from Minthe. Hades tries to brush her off as "just a nymph he associates with," but Persephone correctly deduces that Minthe is his lover and points out that Hades and his brothers have a reputation for having many sordid affairs. In response, Hades flirtatiously asks Persephone if he looks like a scoundrel to her, and Persephone responds that he is at least 30% scoundrel.

After filling Persephone in on how she ended up at his house and helping her with her hair, the two give each other a proper introduction by exchanging business cards; Persephone, however, gives Hades an old card with her original name: Kore. Persephone is embarrassed and asks for it back, but the King of the Underworld refuses, insisting on teasing her about its handmade nature.

Persephone questions why Eros would put her in Hades' car, believing she must have done something to upset him. A guilt-ridden Hades confesses to Persephone that he is responsible for their predicament, because he said Persephone was more beautiful than Aphrodite. Initially taken aback by this comment, Persephone breaks out in laughter and assumes Hades was just joking to make her feel better.

While Persephone begins playing with Hades’ dog Cordon Blue, Hades receives a phone call from his brother Zeus reminding him of his brunch obligations. Hades and Persephone’s day is cut short and Hades prepares to take Persephone home. Persephone, enthused by Hades' collection of cars, asks to drive. Hades at first refuses, but eventually gives in and allows Persephone to drive them to Olympus.

Just as they arrive at Artemis’ house, Artemis herself jumps out and demands Persephone get in the house and out of "this pervert's car". Not wanting to end their meeting on a sour note, Hades playfully calls Persephone Kore while Persephone tells Hades he is now at 20% scoundrel as the two bid each other goodbye.

1. ↑ Lore Olympus - Story FAQ
2. ↑ Lore Olympus - Episode 3