#Demeter To Hades (A Mother's Fury)

[words-and-coffee]

You smell of death. Everything about you  is an endless goodbye

Nikita Gill, Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monster - Demeter To Hades (A Mother's Fury)

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Red drops fell onto the frozen earth. Dripping off the knuckles of Demeter’s shaking fist, the pomegranate crushed between her fingers.

"You tricked her." Her voice was barely a breath, but it was in every howling gale sobbing in the barren trees.

Hades, lovesick, pained yet unrepentant, met her eyes without a word.

"So be it." The parched ground groaned under Demeter's feet, but she did not hear it, her eyes fixed on Hades' stoic face. "You took my child from me, then take all to keep her company. I shall not nurture earth she does not walk upon."

For the first time, Hades started back, but Demeter was turneding away from him already, casting her sunken eyes to the heavens.

"I will be deaf to their pleas, like you were to mine!" her voice screeched, and breaking, shuddered on: "And there won’t be a parent among them, even as they curse my name, who can swear they would not have done the same..."

Silence fell. And the wilting earth wept. Until a voice came from the dark like a song and Hermes, swift-footed, emerged from the mouth of Hades.

"Six seeds, dear uncle, sweet aunt of mine. Only six out of a whole fruit..."

His smile was winning, but his cunning eyes were wide. As wide as the as the vast fields, ploughed to breaking in human desperation, that stretched lifeless past every horizon.

"Six seeds...six months..." He looked from the lord of the dead to the mistress of the harvest. "Six months above, with her loving mother, six months below, with her faithful husband."

The very breeze held its breath as hope and fury mingled in Demeter's eyes and Hermes bowed, his knuckles pale around his winged staff.

Hades stood, silent, and then quickly stepped, allowing Hermes to pass. And behind him, led up the endless steps of Hades, came Persephone. Dressed in rayments as fine and dark as the night.

"Mother!"

It was a commonplace cry. Cried by every fledgling tumbled from the nest, every cub turned around in the woods, every child lost in the dark. But the whole world breathed as Demeter answered.

Hades averted his eyes, Hermes grinned at the sky, and holding her daughter once more, tears finally welled in Demeter's frozen eyes. Raining down upon the earth, where grass began sprouting between Persephone's feet.

[7s3ven]

HELL-FIRE. luke (pjo) - pt 1

PART 1 > PART 2 (in progress)

IN WHICH… Y/N doesn’t want to admit it, but perhaps she and the mischievous son of Hermes have more in common than she originally thought.

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. I see my reflection in your eyes.”

Warnings : mentions of abuse

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

—

The cold water lapped at Y/N’s shoulders as she sank into the tub placed strategically in the corner of the empty cabin.

Life as a forbidden kid was hard. You had no siblings and everybody was expecting you to do grand things. A small sigh slipped past Y/N’s lips as the water heated up until it was at a temperature that almost scolded her skin. Perhaps it was because Hades, the king of the Underworld, was her father but Y/N always found herself fascinated by fire. She loved to watch the blue, orange, and yellow flames flicker in the dim darkness.

It wasn’t until her arrival at Camp Half-Blood did it all make sense. Y/N, the daughter of Hades, was able to control fire. Though, she hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it. It all came in random bursts and every time she walked along the crisp green grass, a trail of brightly lit flames slithered after her.

The Demeter kids hated her for ruining the plush red roses that took them weeks to nurture. Y/N could understand their fury and she did her best to avoid their plants now, especially because her fire favoured the taste of Demeter’s flowers.

A quiet knock on the wooden door interrupted Y/N’s peace. She slowly rose from the water, droplets running down her finger tips. She slowly dried herself with a soft cotton towel before slipping her bright orange shirt over her head. She slid on a pair of loosely fitting pants before turning the knob, harshly pulling the door open.

“Do you need something?” Y/N asked, frowning at the small kid in front of her. He trembled and took a nervous step back.

“Luke… he… he told me to give this to you.” The kid stretched out his hand, practically shaking as Y/N stared down at the dark red rose. A lousy gift in her opinion.

Luke was the son of Hermes and the head counsellor of his cabin. He was popular amongst the campers and girls constantly swooned over him. Y/N, on the other hand, had no interest in romance. It had always been that way ever since she was born.

Y/N was conceived into this cruel world with a cold and empty heart. Her mother thought of it as a personality disorder at first until she realized that it was just how Y/N was. No amount of love forced into her arms could change the deep anger boiling inside of her.

Y/N took the rose, peering at it and scowling. “You’ve done your job. Scram.” She shooed the young Hermes kid away, almost shoving him off her rickety wooden porch. She caught sight of Luke watching her through the clean window of his own cabin.

He had never shown much interest in her before until a year ago, where we witnessed her easily take down some of the best fighters in camp.

He grinned at her, a gesture that should have made her heart flutter. But it didn’t. Y/N silently stared at him, feeling the sudden heat rush to her fingers. She lit the rose alight and it didn’t take long until only a few crisp and blackened petals remained in her grasp.

She quickly dropped them, scattering the remains of the once beautiful flower everywhere. It acted as a constant reminder that no matter how hard Luke tried, she was simply immune to his charm.

It’s not like Y/N didn’t want to love, because she did. She saw the Aphrodite kids treating Valentine’s Day like it was some big festivals. And she noticed how many of the boys in the Apollo cabin always had their eyes glued to one of the Athena girls.

They looked at her like she was a pile of treasure; like a precious jewel. They stared at her with such admiration and adoration that Y/N felt a little jealous. How come she couldn’t love while others could?

It was probably because of the darkness lurking within her, feasting away at every small spark of happiness until it was gone, resting in the belly of the beast. Anger, jealousy, and hatred consumed her easily. And she was bitter because of it.

It was pitch black by the time Y/N collapsed on her soft mattress. She was clad in shorts and a black crop top to battle the humid weather during Summer. She was half asleep when a quiet tap and rattle woke her.

Y/N quietly groaned. She knew who was waiting by her window, wearing a spare camp t-shirt and dusty grey shorts that stopped above his knees. His tapping become quicker and sharper until Y/N had no choice but to fling the window open.

“What?” She hissed at Luke.

He always came at the same time every night. Twelve o’clock sharp in hopes of wooing her. Y/N wasn’t stupid, she knew he was after something else that wasn’t romance related but until she figured out what, she wasn’t comfortable being alone in his presence.

Luke simply smiled, resting his chin on the sill. “Walk with me?” He questioned, jabbing a thumb over his right shoulder.

“It’s past curfew.” Y/N sharply retorted, glowering at him. Beams of moonlight shone down on the pair, acting as if the world were a stage that needed to be lit. Y/N could clearly see Luke tilt his head to the side, gazing up at her through his lashes.

“It’ll be quick.” He was persistent as always.

“What part of not interested confuses you?” Y/N threw the covers back over her body, prepared to crash her head against her feathered pillow and let her eyes flutter shut.

"One walk and I'll stop annoying you for a week."

That made Y/N pause. She stared at Luke, narrowing her eyes. A week wasn't long but it was better than putting up with his presence constantly. "Okay." She slowly said, causing Luke to victoriously grin. He pumped his fist.

"If we get caught, you have to take the blame." Y/N warned Luke as she stepped out of her cabin, pointing sternly at him. He wrapped a lock of her H/C hair around his finger, standing too close to comfort.

"I'd take every blame for you." He whispered, playfully winking. Y/N rolled her eyes in reply.

"I'd let you rot in a ditch." She pushed him away, storming down the stairs of the small porch. He clicked his tongue, eyes glazing over her movements. He jogged to catch up with her, his hand brushing against her leg.

The slight breeze surrounded the two of them as Y/N glanced up at the shining stars, her eyes darting around to spot all the different constellations. Luke followed her gaze, arching an eyebrow.

"What are you staring at?" He asked, licking his chapped lips. Y/N's eyes darted to look at him before she rolled her eyes, not saying anything.

"Can't you take a hint to be quiet?" She muttered after a minute of painful silence.

"No, I can. It's a choice to annoy you." He slyly smiled, bumping Y/N with his hip. She scoffed, shoving her hand into his face.

The crickets chirped loudly as Y/N walked past them, Luke following close behind. The air was colder now and Y/N relished the feeling of it against her skin. She almost forgot the son of Hermes was with her before he cleared his throat.

"No fire following behind us?" He questioned. He was used to the flames that often licked at Y/N's ankles but never dared burn her.

"That would get us caught." Y/N retorted. She faltered for a second, "Me, I mean. It would get me caught."

Luke lowly chuckled. "Nah, too late, Blaze. You said us. So there is something between us. And here I thought you only saw me as an obnoxious idiot."

Y/N sharply clicked her tongue, glaring at him. "Don't call me Blaze. And yes, I do see you as one."

"What would you prefer then? Conflagration? Inferno? Oh, what about Holocaust?"

"I didn't even know you knew those words." Y/N uttered, blankly staring at Luke. But Blaze was surely better than being called Holocaust.

"Blaze it is." Luke slung an arm around Y/N's shoulder, carefully testing the waters. The smell of burning flesh wafted through the air and Y/N quickly shrugged Luke's arm off, panicking slightly.

"Don't touch me." She said. It was supposed to be a harsh command but it came out as more of a desperate warning. Y/N's eyes darted to Luke's burnt skin. She scowled, at both his persistence to hold her and her inability to control her angry flames. It's not like she was actively trying to hurt people. It just... happened.

"I think it's time for you to leave." She said, her voice nothing more than a whisper. "Get your arm checked."

"It's late, no Apollo kid will be awake." His sizzling flesh didn't phase him in the slightest. He had dealt with worse, far worse. Like Clarisse's spear. "Besides, I like walking with you."

"At least soak your arm in water. It'll bring down the stinging sensation as well as protect it from risk of infection." Y/N was hesitant to even get near Luke, afraid of what her ability might do lest she lost control. But Luke was fearless. He'd grip her wrist a million times, even if it meant getting burnt, just to feel her skin against his.

He was like Icarus, unrelenting in his pursuit for greatness. He adored Y/N like Icarus loved the sun; too fast and too close. In a way, Y/N was death reincarnated. Pupils so big that it was unsettling, a glare so intense it could swallow you up, and a dark grace that followed her every move. Icarus died with broken wings but a fulfilled soul, just as Luke would if it meant he could hold Y/N.

Y/N led Luke towards a small pond and dipped her hand into the cool water. It started bubbling and Y/N instantly recoiled. Luke watched her, curious.

"Why do you do that?" He asked, gaining Y/N's wavering attention.

"Do what?" She muttered, furrowing her brows in confusion. Luke lightly chuckled, staring down at the rippling water.

"The fire thing. And heating up water. Why?"

Y/N shrugged. "It's not like I do it on purpose. It's random. Heating up water is easy enough but the flames are weird. I've tried spotting a pattern but I just can't see it." Y/N held up a finger, heat rushing to the tip. A flame flickered but it wasn't like her usual orange or blue ones. It was pink.

A light pink hue reflected off Luke's face as he peered at the fire, his eyes darting to follow its wild movements. He slowly dipped his charred arm into the water, grinning at Y/N who found slight amusement in playing with the pink flame.

"You ever think your flames follow your emotions?" He piped up, tilting his head to the side.

"Excuse me?"

"Your emotions. Maybe they control your fire." He shrugged, "Your flames are usually orange but when you get angry, which happens a lot, they turn blue. And the pink... I don't know. Love?"

Y/N sneered. "Love? Who would I be in love with?" It was a ridiculous suggestion. Stupid, even. Love didn't exist in Y/N L/N's world. Luke raised his brows, silently gesturing to himself. "I'd rather kiss a dragon."

Luke reached out to touch the flame and Y/N pulled away in a panic. "Don't!" She exclaimed, but Luke's hand was already waving through the fire. It didn't hurt in the slightest and Luke smiled. Y/N's whole hand exploded into pink-toned flames and she jumped, waving her hand around until the fire went out.

"Blaze... Do your emotions... scare you?" Luke asked. Y/N lightly scoffed, glaring at Luke as she always did. A flicker of blue glazed over her E/C eyes and then it was replaced with orange which quickly shifted into pink. And it finally returned to blue before disappearing as quickly as it came.

"Your eyes... they, uh..." Luke didn't know how to describe it. "Do they... somewhat flame up a lot?"

"Ignore that." She grumbled, shielding her face from Luke's hawk-like gaze.

"You intrigue me. Why do you act so bitter all the time, Y/N?" Luke questioned, clearing his throat. She paused, lightly biting down on her bottom lip. He didn't have room to judge because despite carrying around a kind and caring facade, Luke was just as mean as her underneath it all. Y/N just... didn't bother to hide it while Luke turned his head every time his eyes darkened or his lips curled into a disgusted sneer.

"I don't have a reason. Do you ever think that maybe I'm not acting and that I was born this way? Because I'm pretty sure I was."

"There's a reason for everything."

"Okay, you want to know why?!" Y/N exclaimed, fed up with all his questions and teasing. Luke calmly gestured her to continue.

"I hate them. I hate the deities above who call themselves our godly parents. They are just as fucked up as us, if not more. I mean, what were they thinking? Fucked up people give birth to fucked up kids. They underestimate us and abandon us and still think that we'll worship the ground they walk on. If I'm being honest, I don't think they love us. My father... Hades... he had an opportunity to save me from the abuse my mother was inflicting on me."

Luke's facial expression softened. His eyes locked with Y/N's angry ones and for a split second, he saw himself in her. A demigod desperate to prove themselves to their parent only to be disappointed.

"And you know what was worse? I saw him. I met him. He came to our house one day and I didn't know it was him in that moment but after I got here, it all made sense. The man who randomly showed up on the doorstep all those years ago and acted like he knew everything about me... was my father. The same man who dumped me in the horrible care of my mother. Hades, the supposedly only God who loved his half-blood child, actually abandoned her when he had the choice to take her with him."

"I get what you mean." Luke muttered, shifting closer to her. She didn't stop him. "I feel abandoned too. My dad, he did something similar. I agree with you when you say that the gods don't love us... because I don't think they do either. We're just... their pawns. You see this scar?"

Luke's finger trailed over the scar that adorned the side of his face. "My father... he gave me a quest that Hercules had already completed. I didn't want to do something someone else had already done but I thought, how hard could it be? And I failed it... I failed the quest. And some stupid dragon scratched me and gave me this scar."

"I don't get why they think we're expendable." Y/N's hands clenched into fists and she clicked her tongue. She turned to Luke, flinching at how close he was all of a sudden.

It all happened too quickly. One second Y/N's lips accidently brushed against Luke's and the next the whole field around the pond burst into a flood of pink flames. Y/N and Luke stood in front of Chiron, hands clasped behind them. Luke stared at the ground in shame while Y/N wasn't scared to look Chiron in the eye.

"You not only snuck out past curfew, which is breaking rules, but Miss Y/N, you also burned a fellow camper and set flames to the grass."

"Chiron, sneaking out past curfew was my idea." Luke, as promised, took responsibility for his actions. "And she can't control her fire and I provoked her so I deserved it anyway." Luke shrugged.

"That still doesn't excuse your behavior. I expect you to clean all the sword before the Ares kids mess them all up again."

Y/N scoffed under her breath. "This is all your fault. I can't believe I snuck out with you of all people." Y/N poked his shoulder and a small pink flame danced across his shirt before dissolving into thin air.

"Pink means love." Luke teased.

"I will burn you again." Y/N threatened, stomping on his foot.

"Hey, you wouldn't burn your ranting partner so soon, would you?" He grinned.

Y/N didn't want to admit it but she did share a lot of similarities with Luke. From their hatred for the gods to the feeling of being abandoned. "Talking with you wasn't entirely terrible." She muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Thanks, Blaze." He gently grasped her hand, pressing a chaste kiss to her knuckle. Y/N jumped and everything went up in flames again. Literally. "Y/N... Y/N, you're on fire. You are on fire!" But it didn't hurt. The flames wrapped around her like a comforting blanket as Luke stared at her in both awe and confusion. "It's kinda cool actually. It looks like you're glowing." Luke chuckled while she glared at him, wildly trying to pat the pink fire out.

"Come on, just admit you like me, Blaze. Even just a little bit. You find me pretty, don't you?"

"I do not!" Y/N exclaimed, the flames growing stronger. Luke teasingly raised his brows, staring at her with a knowing smirk. She scoffed, spinning around.

"See ya later, Blaze!" Luke called out as she stormed away. She turned around, deeply scowling at him.

"Shut up!" She shouted, a glowing trail of fire following after her and burning its way through the grass. Campers squealed at the sight, jumping out of the way.

Luke chuckled to himself, watching when Y/N sneered at a young Apollo boy. "She's so cute." He muttered to himself, shaking his head in amusement.

From the window, Chiron sighed at the familiar sight of Y/N's fire. "She's getting stronger." He said, frowning.

"So? At least her pink flames are harmless, unlike her blue ones. And don't get me started on that huge blowup she had last year. I didn't even know black flames existed until she blew up! More like exploded!" Mr D scoffed, shivering at the memory of Y/N's black flames. It was like a massive bomb went off.

Chiron was silent for a moment until he looked at Mr D. "She likes Luke." He quickly said.

Mr D instantly sat up, slamming his hand against the table in front of him. "Oh, yeah, definitely! I started shipping those two ever since they started bickering. Catch up, Chiron!"

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[apiswitchcraft]

greek god epithets

this post includes zeus, hera, athena, demeter, ares, hephaestus, and poseidon. for part two including hades, persephone, hekate, aphrodite, hermes, apollo, artemis, and dionysus click here

epithets are surnames (as <god's name> <epithet>) used to call upon the greek gods without saying their name directly. the epithet that you choose often corresponds to the purpose you are invoking them for

ZEUS:

-OMBRIUS/HYETIUS/APHESIUS= of the rain

-SCOTITAS= the dark/murky

-CERAUNIUS= of the thunderbolt

-ASTRAPAEUS= of the lightning

-CATAEBATES= the descending

-LABRANDEUS= the furious/raging

-ICMAEUS= of moisture

-CONIUS= of the dust

-MAEMACTES= the boisterous

-EVENEMUS= of fair winds

-LIMENOSCOPUS= the watcher of sea havens

-BASILEUS/CORYPHAEUS= the king/chief/ruler

-HYPATUS/HYPSISTUS= the supreme

-CTESIUS= of the house/property

-HERCEIUS= of the courtyard

-BULAEUS= of the council

-AMBULIUS= the counsellor

-TELEUS/ZYGIUS= of marriage

-MOIRAGETES= the leader of the Fates

-CLARIUS= of the lots

-SEMALEUS= the giver of signs (like clairvoyant messages)

-MECHANEUS= the contriver

-COSMETES= the orderer

-THEUS AGATHUS= the good God

-EPIDOTES= the giver of good

-PLUSIUS= of wealth

-PHILIUS= of friendship

-XENIUS= of hospitality/strangers

-HICESIUS= of suppliants

-PHYXIUS= of refuge

-PALAMNAEUS= the punisher of murderers

-CATHARSIUS= of ritual purification

-PROSTROPAEUS= the turner of pollution

-APEMIUS= averter of ills (ailments)

-SOTER= the savior/deliverer

-MILICHIUS= the gracious/merciful

-PANHELENIOS= of all the Greeks

-LAOITES= of the people

-POLEIUS= of the city-state

-SOSIPOLIS= the city-savior

-ELEUTHEREUS= of freedom

-CHRYSAORUS= of the Golden Sword

-STATIUS/AREIUS= of war/the warlike

-STHENIUS= of strength/the strong

-TROPAEUS= turns to flight/who defeats

-PHYXIUS= puts to flight/banishes

HERA:

-PAIS= the girl

-NYMPHEUOMENE= the betrothed bride

-TELEIA= the (adult) woman/the goddess of marriage

-CLEIRA= the widow

-GAMELIA= of marriage

-ATAUROTE/PARTHENOS= the virginal

-ZYGIA= presider over marriage

-HENIOCHE= of the chariot

-ANTHEA= of the flowers

-ARGOEA= of the ship Argo

-HYPERCHEIRIA= whose hand is above

-BASILEIA= the queen

ATHENA:

-NIKE= victory

-AREIA/PALLAS= of war/the warlike

-ZOSTERIA= girded in armor

-STHENIAS= of strength/the strong

-POLEMODOCUS= the war sustaining

-HIPPIA= of horses

-CHALINITIS= bridler of horses

-ERYMA= the defender

-SOTEIRA= the savior

-ALALACOMENEIS= the protectress

-POLIAS= of the city

-POLIUCHUS= the city protectress

-POLIATIS= the keeper of the city

-ERGANE= the worker

-PAEONIA= the healer

-HYGEIA= of good health

-ALEA= of escapes to refuge

-AMBULIA= the counsellor

-PRONOEA= of foresight

-APATURIA= the deceiver/of deception

-MACHANITIS= contriver of plans

-OXYDERCES= the sharp sighted

-CORYPHASIA/CORYPHAGENES= relating to the head (like her birth)

-PARTHENUS= the virgin/maiden

-CORIA= the maiden

-XENIA= of hospitality (especially to strangers/foreigners)

DEMETER:

-CHTHONIA/DEO= of the earth

-CHLOE= the green/the first shoots

-EPOGMIA= of the furrows

-ANESIDORA= she who sends forth gifts

-PLUTODOTIRA= the giver of wealth

-CARPOPHORUS/MALOPHORUS= bearer of fruit

-THERMASIA= of warmth/heat

-MEGALA THEA= the great Goddess

-MEGALA MATER= the great Mother

-THESMOPHORUS= the bringer of law

-THESMIA= of the laws

-PROSTASIA= the patron/leader

-PANACHAEA= of all the Greeks

-ERINYS= of fury/wrath

-MELAENA= the black

-LUSIA= the bathing/purifying

-HORAPHORUS= the bringer of season

-POLYPHORBUS= the all nourishing/bountiful

-AGLAOCARPUS= the giver of goodly fruit

-AGLAODORUS= the bestower of splendid gifts

-CALLISTEPHANUS= the beautifully crowned

-EUSTEPHANUS= the lovely crowned

-EUCOMUS= the lovely haired

-XANTHE= the blonde/golden-haired

-CYANOPEPLUS= the dark veiled/cloaked

-CALLISPHYRUS= the beautiful

-CHRYSAORUS= of the golden blade

-DIA THEA= the bright Goddess

-SEMNE= the holy/revered

-HAGNE= the pure/chaste/holy

-ANASSA/POTHIA= the queen

-POTHIA THEAON= the queen amongst goddesses

-CYDRA THEA= the glorious/noble goddess

-ORGIA= of religious orgies

-MYSTERIA= of mysteries

ARES:

-THERITAS= the beastly/brutish

-HIPPIUS= of the horses

-APHNEIUS= the abundant

-GYNAECOTHOENAS= feasted by women

-MIAEPHONUS= the blood stained/bloody

-LAOSSOUS= he who rallies men

-BROTOLOEGUS= the manslaughtering

-ANDREIPHONTES= the destroyer of men

-CHALCEUS/CHALCOCORUSTES= of the bronze/armed with bronze

-TEICHESIPLETES= the stormer of cities

-AATUS POLEMOEO= insatiate of fighting/war

-ENCHESPALUS= spear-brandishing

-RHINOTORUS= shield/flesh piercing

-OXYS= the sharp/piercing

-THOOS= the swift/fleet

-THURUS= the violent/furious

-OBRIMUS= the strong/mighty

-DINUS= the terrible/fearsome

-ENYALIUS= the warlike

-CHRYSOPELEX= of the golden helm

HEPHAESTUS:

-CLYTUS= the renowned/famed

-PERICLYTUS/AGACLYTUS= the very famed/the glorious

-CLYTOMETIS/CLYTOTECHNES= famed for crafts/skills

-POLYTECHNES= of many skills

-POLYPHRON= the ingenious/inventive

-POLYMETIS= resourceful

-AETHALOIS THEUS= the sooty god

-CHALCEUS= the bronze/copper smith

-CYLLOPODIUM/AMPHIGYEIS= referring to his disability

POSEIDON:

-BASILEUS= the king/lord

-PELAGAEUS= of the sea/marine

-AEGAEON= of the Aegeon sea

-PROSCLYSTIUS= who dashes against

-ASPHALIUS= who secures safe voyage

-EPOPTES= the overseer/watcher

-GAEOCHUS= the holder of the earth

-ENNOSIGAEUS= shaker of the earth

-HIPPIUS= of the horses

-HIPPOCURIUS= the horse tender

-PHYTALMIUS= the plant nurturer

-GENETHLIUS= of the kin/the kindred

-DOMATITES= of the house

-LAOITES= of the people

[mirrorbvllhoon]

SACRIFICE (Hades!Jay x Persephone!fem!reader!)

So dangerous

Full of darkness like a criminal

But here you are

Full of brightness and light

₊˚ ✧ Sacrifice (Eat Me up) (Dark Blood)

WC: 3.9k

Warnings: angst and fluff, Jay being a gentleman, slightly suggestive, being tricked into kidnapping someone, Zeus being Zeus.

Through the fields of the earth wandered the goddess Demeter and her beautiful daughter y/n, their mere presence made the trees and bushes blossom with all kind of gorgeous leaves, when their feet touched the grass flowers sprung, fruits and vegetables were bornt from the earth, the mortals were happy as they could feed from the gifts the earth goddesses gave them.

However in Mount Olympus, the city of the gods and goddesses another story was being written, it was no secret that the young goddess was beautiful, with her long hair and beautiful factions, truly blessed by the gods beauty, but although she was already of age to be wed, her mother wished for her to remain virgin as Artemis and Atena, and if life hadn’t occurred as it did, as herself.

Even when y/n had been just a little girl, Demeter had already talked with the goddess Aphrodite and her son, Sunghoon, so they could stay away from the love business that could interfere with her daughter’s life, but the gods of love were tired of not being able to interfere in the love-lives of the gods and goddesses, although their presence wouldn’t be necessary for love had already a way of appearing in the life of the young goddess.

“Let me see if I understand, you are promising y/n’s hand to me?” asked Jay, the god of the underworld.

“Brother, you have been alone enough centuries, don´t you believe?, you’re telling me that you really don’t wish for a companion?” Zeus answered, hoping for his brother to agree

Jay hesitated to answer, being one of the gods aphrodite and his son weren’t allow to control it’s love life and living in the underworld, where his only companions aside from cerberus, the furies and Sysiphus, were the souls waiting to reincarnate and love again, of course he felt alone, not only was he feared by the mortals but even the gods and goddesses all just because he was the ruler of the tartarus, something he didn’t even choose but was assigned to him, being in love couldn’t hurt, at least that’s what he told himself.

“I’ll take your silence as an affirmation” Zeus answered, taking Jay aback from his thoughts

“Wait, does she know? or well?, is she okay with me being with her?”

“Of course she is, even Demeter believes you would be such an amazing husband”

Jay tried not to doubt his brother’s words; however he knew that changing his mind would result in a far more difficult task, so he just sighed, hoping that whatever was to happen wouldn’t result in something he and others would regret.

“So, when should I meet y/n?”

“Oh, she’s in the forest almost everyday, so you should find her there, and… Jay, make sure to surprise her”

He should’ve known that Zeus had just tricked him, but he didn’t know, he just went back to the underworld, to continue his monotonous excuse for a life, hoping that the next day would arrive, so he could encounter y/n.

And then the sun rose, and as promised, there was y/n in the middle of the forest with the nymphs, picking flowers and fresh-cut fruit, however in the middle of their day, an earthquake shook the earth,the nymphs were scared, yet they decided to abandon y/n searching for her mother, since the god of the underworld was powerful enough to kill them all, but even before they were gone, Jay took y/n and through the valley the earthquake had created that connected the underworld to the earth, both of them dissappeared in the glimpse of an eye.

“Where am I?” asked y/n, hoping that the answer that was about to come off his mouth was different than the one she was thinking about.

“Of course in the underworld” Jay answered nonchalantly, a smirk drew on his face.

“Why did you bring me here? What do you want from me?” y/n answered, her eyes teary, shock was taking hold of her.

Jay let out a sigh, the smirk falling off his face, his nose scrunching and the already warped crown in his head crooked by a millimeter, threatening to fall from his head while he shook it nervously..

“You didn’t know, did you?” He asked, fear in his voice enveloped with a slight level of shame and regret.

“Know what?, I don’t know a thing about what's happening” Her voice was breaking and shaky, filled with melancholy and uncertainty.

“Zeus, my brother, promised your hand in marriage, he said that Demeter, your mother, and you, knew about it already”

“Well I can assure you, we in fact didn’t know a thing… so can’t you just take me back to the surface?”

“I’m afraid I can’t, I made a deal, a blind deal if you will and I can’t break that, but even if I did break it, I can take things or souls of the living world to the underworld, but I can’t give things from the underworld to the living world. I’m sorry darling”

She nodded, “I guess that even gods have their limitations” she left a bittersweet giggle, her knees giving up on her, her body was fainting, she would have fallen to the floor if it weren't for a pair of arms that held her.

Jay stood beside her, his arms holding her torso and because of the lack of chairs he dropped her gently to sit on his throne, once she was sat down, he spoke, his voice was still but sweet.

“Although I live in the underworld, I can assure you that I’m no monster, you can stay here for as long as you wish, I’m sure that someone will come looking for you, you’re loved by mortals and gods, when that time ought to arrive, you’ll be free to go”

“You promise me that?”

“I do”

The day had almost finished, and sleep was already taking hold of y/n who wandered through the underworld, Jay, down in his throne, could notice that; but the young goddess was too stubborn or scared to ask him where she could sleep for the night, so she just rested on a rock not so far from where Jay was seating, doing the duties he as a king of the underworld had to do, receiving the new souls that arrived and seeing the records of the deceased and reincarnated… When he noticed the young girl asleep on a rock that seemed far from comfortable, her face flinched at some moments, yet she tried to sleep unsuccessfully.

Jay stood from his throne and walked towards the young goddess, her face was beautiful as every inch of her, of course he couldn’t deny the fact she was perfect, even asleep she looked ethereal, yet… she didn’t love him, he reminded himself. He stopped wandering in his thoughts and sat at her feet, holding her hand to try and wake her up, which took no effort, she wasn't asleep yet.

“If you want to sleep, you can do so in my chambers, I assure you they are more comfortable besides I barely sleep after all” He started talking, his thumb soothing the palm of her hand, while she sat to talk to him face to face.

“It’s unnecessary-” Y/n started, however Jay interrupted her before she could even finish her words “That’s nonsense, you will sleep in my chambers that's the end of the discussion” Jay and y/n’s eyes interlocked for a second that felt like an eternity, a smile drew in her face contrasting Jay's cold features, that only hid the warmness of his soul. “May I?” He asked, one of his hands under the crook of her knees and the other one on her neck, y/n nodded, allowing herself to be carried again.

Y/n could see the view over her, Jay's sharp features and the crown in his head slightly crooked, she tried to fix it which led for her to play with his hair for the smallest of seconds y/n was so concentrated she missed the smile that drew on his face, of course y/n didn't know the crooked crown was intentional, yet Jay couldn't allow himself to tell her so.

“Thank you darling”, he said quietly, she nodded.

Once they finally arrived at Jay's chambers, he dropped her carefully on the bed.

“I know that's kind of cold in here, I will search you for a blanket or for something you can cover yourself with...” he continued rambling, until Y/n’s voice interrupted him.

“Jay, I don't mind the cold” she said with a smile on her face, fear continued to dissipate from her system, maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.

“Well not yet, but soon it will get colder”

Her mouth opened agape, she didn’t say a word, and allowed him to go out and find her something to cover herself.

“I hope that if you fall asleep I won't wake you up, I apologize in advance if I do” Jay said, she nodded while laying down on the mattress.

He closed the door as she closed her eyes, and hours passed by, the underworld was indeed a cold place, with the river styx carrying souls, and the deceased wandering through the voidless place, shivers started to appear on Y/n’s sleeping body, and while Jay tried to find her something that could actually cover her and give her some rest, he kept failing, the underworld wasn’t made for a goddess like her. When he finally found a blanket that would keep her warm he went back to his chambers, with a shivering-already sleeping y/n, her body was in a fetal position, yet when Jay covered her body, the shivering didn’t stop, he was afraid of what could happen to her if she kept being cold, so beside his hate for using his powers he created a small fire on the hearth, to keep her warm, he repeated himself maybe he should've done that from the start.

“Don’t go…stay…please” y/n voice was a mumbling incoherence yet Jay could make it out, he sat down at the end of the bed, until he decided it was his time to leave, he tried to tuck the young goddess in, when her arms opened and a hug engulfed him.

At first he tried to run from the hug, not because he disliked it but because he was sure once y/n woke up, she would regret it, feeling guilty because of grabbing her, if only he hadn’t believed Zeus.

Jay stayed the whole night allowing himself to sleep just to do the goddess company, and in the night he didn’t even notice how he unconsciously hugged her with the same intensity she was holding him with.

The second day arrived, this one went almost unnoticeable, Y/n was surprised by Jay’s kindness, and even if she couldn’t recognize it, she felt slightly attracted towards him, however she reminded herself, he only took her to the underworld because of a deal he had made with Zeus, and because he was being tricked, he wasn’t really in love.

“Y/n, I asked if you wanted to see the river, I mean if you don’t you can say so” Jay’s steady words finally took her out from her trance, she nodded. “Then you can come with me” he said.

Jay showed her the river, charon the boatman took both of them from one end to the other, and while y/n stood most of the time staring at the river’s water it was Jay’s reflection what she was really looking at, once on the other side of the river, they walked alongside it, while the view was mainly formed of rocks and stalactites of dark colors and strange shapes, she kept looking astonished at the marvelous immensity of the underworld.

“I know it’s not as beautiful as the earth” Jay started, staring at her through the reflection of the river.

“Such nonsense, I believe both places have their charm” Y/n replied,

Jay chuckled at her words, and for the first time she heard him laugh, he extended his hand for her to hold and follow him, so she wouldn't get lost, as if that could even be possible, the truth was he wanted to keep her close even if he couldn’t admit it.

The second day had ended, and as the night before him, Jay took y/n to his chambers, prepared the fire and stayed there with her, this time they stayed awake longer, y/n kept talking about her life in the earth and how she longed it, Jay heard every word of her mouth as if it was hypnotizing him, “I’m sorry, I haven’t allowed you to talk, I must be boring you right now” Y/n said, turning her head down in embarrassment, “You could never in the whole eternity bore me” Jay replied, taking her chin with his hand, their eyes interlocking once again, she could see him this time even more perfect as before if that were even possible, his crown perfectly over his black hair, his sharp features only looking more appealing in the dim moonlight, and all he could see was her, in her breathtaking beauty, in the darkness of the underworld and in the dim light of the fire, she was angelical. Their bodies started to draw near each other, Jay’s hand already sneaking to y/n’s cheek.

“Thank you for being so kind to me” Y/n said, drawing back herself.

“Of course darling, is the least I could do after all” Jay answered, 《of course she wouldn’t kiss me》, he thought, maybe he had mistaken her kindness for interest.

They went to sleep that night with tears in their soul, both of them kept resisting the obvious tension in between them, afraid of what would happen if they gave in.

Suddenly it was the fourth day of y/n in the underworld, she was losing hope, maybe her mother had forgot about her, and while Jay kept being sweet towards her, it continued to be difficult to her resisting his charms and beautiful words, she couldn’t deny the fact she was starting to fall in love with him, if only she knew he felt the same way.

She spent most of the time wandering in Jay’s palace, which seemed as endless as his kingdom, however she felt alone, he kept ruling his kingdom hoping that his duties could distract him from the fact she was in love for the first time in centuries, however he couldn’t resist no more, and decided to search for her, he needed to talk to her, to confess his feelings, maybe it was selfish of him, maybe it was wrong yet, in that moment all he could think about was y/n.

Y/n was in the outskirts of the palace, watching the river flow in silence, allowing her to put in order her thoughts, what she would do, debating about the feelings that flew through her mind, she had promised her mother to maintain herself virgin, but her mother would understand wouldn’t her? she was in love, true love.

“Y/n!” Jay shouted from a distance, she put herself on feet and started walking towards the palace again “Y/n, please tell me you are still here” Jay kept mumbling to himself after being unable to find her, yet she continued to run, hearing the sound of his voice drawing her in.

Both of them had decided, they were in love, there was no cure or power for that, there wasn’t an arrow or a curse or a prophecy, it was only them, it was their love.

Once they saw each other they started running until their bodies rejoined, he grabbed her waist and carried her spinning her in the air, his crown, which after y/n had straighten out was never crooked again, fell to the side of his head slightly, the dress she was wearing flew through the air.

“I need to talk to you, but please, allow me to kiss you first” Jay said, his voice was as tender as always.

“The feeling’s mutual” Y/n answered, allowing him to engulf her in the kiss, their lips collapsed in each others, their tongues ravished the others mouth, Y/n had never been kissed, yet it was far from what she though a kiss could feel like, it was pure love turned into the most carnal desire, they were drunk in each other’s presence and whatever else just ceased to exist, her hands stood to her sides, unsure of where to move of what to do, he took them with care, guiding her hands to wrap around his neck, where they eventually found their way towards his hair, while Jay’s hands maintained firm one in her waist and the other one on her neck, their lips separated for the smallest of seconds allowing them to regain their breath, y/n’s cheeks were flushed yet she couldn’t stop herself from wanting more.

“I think it would be good for us to talk before doing that again” Jay said, his lips plump and his messy hair adorned with the crooked crown on top of it.

“Of course, we should take this somewhere else,” Y/n answered.

Both of them went to Jay's chambers, the night already falling, yet all they could think about was each other's presence.

She sat at the end of the bed, Jay decided to stay on feet in front of her, scared of the words that were about to leave his mouth.

“I think I'm in love with you”, Jay started, “I hope that you feel the same way and I would like for you to become queen of the underworld, if you'd like of course…” Jay rambled

“You're asking me to marry you?” She asked,

“I am, if you wish to, there’s no need for you to accept, I won't get mad neither will my demeanor change if you say no…” He started talking, his words emancipated sounding almost like gibberish, and his fingers fuming with the slightest of fires, but suddenly all the havoc in his mind and the gibberish that fell from his lips was interrupted by a small kiss.

Y/n kissed him quickly, circling his hands around his back pulling him close, then he kissed her again cheekily,

“Jay, I do want to marry you”

He smiled and kissed her again and again, until his crown was on the floor and his lips explored her whole body, until the world and underworld had been nearly forgotten.

The days passed and the day of the wedding arrived, Y/n woke up to a beautiful wedding gown on the bed, it was beautifully crafted in gray hues, she couldn’t understand how such a beautiful piece could be given to her, however Jay thought that no wedding gown could be pretty enough for her, to his eyes it didn’t matter how beautiful the dress were, y/n would overshadow it with her beauty, but the dress that lied on the bed was a close match.

Finally with her dress on, she went to encounter his betrothed in the throne room, where they would finally be wed. Jay was dressed in a full black wedding attire, the crown in his head and the black locks falling into place adorning the frame of his face, he looked as devilishly handsome as always.

Once they were in front of each other, although because of the small height difference y/n had to look up to meet his gaze, he took a crown as hauntingly beautiful as the one he wore, and with care he positioned it over her head.

“You look beautiful, my queen” He couldn’t resist the urge and kissed her for the smallest of seconds, "I love you with all of my being”, he whispered again in the middle of their kiss.

“And so do I, why else would I decide to stay here if it weren't for you?” Y/n kissed him again, he smiled in the middle of the kiss and separated once again.

“I brought you something”, he said, taking from his robes a pomegranate, “The seeds of this fruit are what could make you stay here in the underworld, you wouldn’t be cold anymore in the nights, and you could wander freely…”

He took a dagger and cut open the fruit, taking the seeds out and in the process staining his fingers and his attire, it didn’t matter, he wanted to do it for her, he handled her the seeds which she immediately ate, she was about to eat the seventh seed when a loud rumble stormed their dream wedding day.

It was Demeter, y/n's mother, who stormed into the palace, the sight before her sending her into a frenzy, what was her daughter even thinking?

Jay took y/n behind his back, if there was someone to blame it should’ve been him.

“Move Jay… I'm here to take my daughter home…” Demeter noticed his stained fingers and the fallen seeds on the floor, she looked up and saw her daughter with her lips stained from the smallest of drops of the pomegranate “No, y/n… he made you eat them? what a monster, you damned…”

“Mother, stop, please”, Y/n talked, Demeter couldn’t finish her sentence, her daughter was now in front of her, “I ate the seeds on my own, I want to stay here, I love Jay, and I want to stay here… with him”

“You don’t know what you are talking about, you need spring, and I need you, please y/n, come back home” Her mother's cry made her reconsider everything again, should she go? but she couldn’t leave Jay, she… was she wrong for loving him? Jay's hand took y/n's pulling her close and taking her out of her thoughts, “Darling, I can make you a deal, so you can stay in the mortal world and in here… you only ate six seeds, that means your body can stay here for six months, the other six months you can spend them with your mother on the earth, and I will wait for you here”

Y/n agreed and although at first she disliked the idea, Demeter ended up agreeing as well, leaving with her daughter so the spring could come again.

Jay waited patiently for the months to come where he could meet his queen again, finally the day had come, and there was y/n entering the palace, their bodies reunited in a hug full of longing

“Welcome back my queen” He would whisper before kissing her, “You have no idea how much I've missed you”, he kissed her again, the first of many kisses and hugs that they would share for the months she could stay in the underworld, savoring each others presence because in that moment there was no underworld or mortal world, it was only Jay and y/n, and that was the only world they cared of.

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

a/n: I'm sorry for the wait, got kind of sick, but here's the chapter hope that you enjoy it ♡

acc: thank you for all the love and reposts lyy 🤍

tags: @solfolgi

[depvotee]

Okey, I'm going to rant a bit about the Myth of Persephone and why do I have a big gripe with most modern interpretations and I have just seen ONE piece of media retold it on the best (without attempting to)

And okey maybe some spoilers abt Furiosa.

Lore Olympus as much as it sets out to retell the myth of Persephone it fails to understand the main reason OF the myth, it's not the myth of Persephone and Hades but Persephone AND Demeter, it's about a mother who the man she conceived her with sold their daughter behind her back and Demeter on her infinite grief left the earth almost barren.

That's what most of the modern "feminist" retellings of the Persephone myth just fail, they ignore the core injustice of the tale and not only that but romanticize the kidnapping of Persephone, which sadly enough reinforces the patriarchal nature of the kidnapping.

Mind you, there's also a lack of historical thinking, never asking: Why did the Greeks of old told this story? It was not to entertain, the story itself shows the kidnapping as a bitter reality of the time. Why this story survived the ages? (Let's not mention the cruel irony of LO ending on the expressed sentiment that the myth survived due to just Persephone and Hades "love" story.)

I think the only modern piece of media that is the closest to the myth of Persephone and also making it their own thing is, well, you might wanna sit down for this:

Mad Max: Fury Road (I'M DEADASS) and the sequel Furiosa. If we see the timeline of the character Furiosa, she is Persephone in spiritual way, she was kidnapped from a place of abundance and taken to the wasteland (underworld) and her mother Mary Jabassa (Demeter) goes for her, in her own ways and means but she dies on the attempt and with her dead, it also symbolizes the last contact Furiosa had with The Green place of many mothers then she was sold off to the lord of the wasteland Immortal Joe (Hades) but Furiosa then takes her own choices and finds a way to live on this place until she has the means to get out but after the events of Furiosa, she also plants her tree, she makes the place of abundance on the barren home that was Immortal Joe's and she also ends up killing him to also protect the other women that she knows.

I just, It's incredible to me how George Miller and Margaret Sixel accomplished to tell a much more compelling story about women being kidnapped and their subsequent liberation (by themselves) than these half-asses retelling that promote them as feminist retelling just to get more promotion rather than an actual feminist approach.

All I'm saying is, if you have a kidnapping kink whatever, just market it as it is, I'm sure there's going to be some people into that, but do not try to sell it as something that it is not.

[aliciavance4228]

One thing that I honestly do not understand about some of Hades' fans is the way they claim that they like him because he is a complex figure, yet at the same time they erase all the characteristics that make him complex in order to depict him as the nicest guy possible.

"Hades never had any bastards." Yes, this is absolutely true, yet at the same time nobody is wondering why ancient greeks depicted him as having sexual relationships only with Persephone, or why Leuce and Minthe were added only centuries later by the roman poets. In order to answer to this question we have to understand why other gods are depicted as womanizers in the first place. It's because in this way it was easy for you to pretend that your father is a god, and by extension to receive a certain attention or priviledges.

"Of course I'm great. Don't you know that my father is Zeus himself?"

"How do you know that?"

"He told me in a dream that he disguised himself as an ant and then entered my mother's vagina."

"But then why didn't Hera kill you already?"

"He forgot to tell me why."

Hades, on the other hand, was equally feared and hated by ancient greeks, which is why nobody wanted to claim that they are his offspring. Romans, on the other hand, weren't necessarily afraid nor repulsed by him, which is probably why they were more comfortable writing about him having a dead lover and a mistress on top of Persephone.

"Hades never punished mortals the way other gods do." Are you kidding me, right? When Asclepcius started to bring people back to life he complained to Zeus about how Apollo's son is openly mocking death and asked him to kill him, not to mention that in some versions of the myth the reason why Zeus decided to murder him was because Hades was going to unleash his wrath on Apollo himself or destroy Asclepius' entire city. When Pirithous and Theseus tried to kidnap Persephone he trapped them for years and let them be attacked by the Furies on a daily basis.

Now, people will tell me: "Yeah but both of them were violating his rules so he had all the right to do that." and I'm not contradicting you here. However, there's another myth where he inflicted Thebes with a deadly plague after a king refused to bury some dead warriors or something like that. It is emphasized the fact that many died, and "many" could mean anyone, no matter if they were innocent, quilty, children, elders etc. The only way they managed to appease him was by sacrificing two girls. Sure, he took pity of them in the end and turned them into comets, but was the death of hundreds of mortals so necessary? Why didn't he punish only the king instead of his people? And then his stans are really going to say that Demeter is a monster for causing a global famine, even though this was clearly a result of her grief for her daughter.

Furthermore, I would also like to point out the fact that the main reason why there are few myths where he's directly punishing a living mortal is because he knows that sooner or later everyone will become his subject. Sure, you may not be punished immediately for cursing his name or badmouthing him, but thirty years later when you will be dead quess who will throw you into Tartarus!

"Hades was the least problematic greek god." First of all, there aren't only fifteen deities in Greek Mythology, but hundreds of them. And I doubt that out of hundreds of deities he's the least problematic one. And secondly, even if you think only about the fifteen major gods you cannot say that he's the least problematic one when Hestia exists. I think people are focusing way too much on his qualities and moments where he proves himself to be generous and equitable, and forget the fact that he's literally the King of the Underworld. One of the reasons why there are few to no writings about him nowdays is because a) people were afraid even to write about him and b) we're not sure how many of the few writings about him survived and how many were lost. He might have done even more horrible things that we're not aware of. Also, we do not live in Ancient Greece among people who existed thousands of years ago and had a way more clear perception on their deities. They might had good reasons to fear him other than the ones that we already know.

I do not consider anything wrong in portraying him as having a secret soft side or emphasizing the fact that just because he was the god of the dead that doesn’t mean that he was "pure evil" or "the devil himself", because we're talking about a polytheistic religion where deities are allowed to have complex, multidimensional personalities instead of being only "good" or "bad". But that doesn’t mean that you have to automatically turn him into an innocent guy who never did anything wrong in his entire life and all he wants is to unconditionally love his pastel goth wife and play with his dog Spot.

[deathlessathanasia]

How would you describe Hera's relationship with the other queens (Persephone and Amphitrite)?

I know of a single source in which Hera interacts with Persephone, namely Book 31 of the Dionysiaca where she manipulates her into sending the Erinyes against Dionysos. It's a hilarious speech where Hera talks shit about the Underworld, reminds Persephone of her rape by her father and also of her murdered son whose death Hera herself instigated, though naturally she keeps silent about that detail and puts all the blame on Zeus:

"Away she [Hera] went to the gloomy all-welcoming court of Hades; there she found Persephone, and told her a crafty tale: "" Most happy I call you, that you dwell so far from the gods! You have not seen Semele at home in Olympos. I fear I may yet see Dionysos, one born of a mortal womb, master of the lightning after Zagreus, or lifting the thunderbolt in earthborn hands. Cornbringer, you have been robbed! Beside the Nile with his harvests they hold festival for another, instead of your sheafbearing mother Demeter; they tell of a spurious bountiful Deo, bullbred, horned, Inachos's daughter Io. And Ares, the one I brought forth, born of a heavenly womb, my own son, was shackled tight inglorious in earthly fettersin a jar, where Ephialtes had hidden him. Nor did heavenly Zeus my husband help him — but he rescued Semele's son from the flaming fire, he saved Bacchos from the thunderbolt, while still a baby brat, his bastard son half-finished! Zagreus the heavenly Dionysos he would not defend, when he was cut up with knives!""What made me angrier still, was that Cronides gave the starry heaven to Semele for a bridegift, — and Tartaros to Persephoneia! Heaven is reserved for Apollo, Hermes lives in heaven — and you have this abode full of gloom! What good was it that he put on the deceiving shape of a serpent, and ravished the girdle of your inviolate maidenhead, if after the bed he was to destroy your babe? Lord Zeus holds the starry hall on Olympos; he has given the briny sea to his brother the water king for his prerogative; he has given the cloudy house of darkness to your consort. Come now, arm your Furies against wineface Bacchos, that I may not see a bastard and a mortal king of Olympos. Pity the wife of Zeus who prays to you, pity Deo, pity praying Themis the immaculate, that the Indians may have a little space to breathe while Dionysos is shaken. Be the avenger of my sorrow, because Cronion has given nectar to Bacchos and the blood of battle to Ares! Let not Athens sing hymns to a new Dionysos, let him not have equal honour with Eleusinian Dionysos, let him not take over the rites of Iacchos who was there before him, let not his vintage dishonour Demeter's basket!"" The whole mind of Persephoneia was perturbed while she spoke, babbling deceit as the false tears bedewed her cheeks. Goddess bowed assent to goddess, and gave her Megaira to go with her, that with her evil eye she might fulfil the desire of Hera's jealous heart."

Even funnier, in Book 44 we have this passage: "But while Bacchos yet conversed with circling Mene, even then Persephone was arming her Furies for the pleasure of Dionysos Zagreus, and in wrath helping Dionysos his later born brother."

Persephone seems quite indecisive doesn't she? Anyways, in other sources (Vergil's Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses) where Hera/Juno needs the Erinyes to do something for her she simply talks to them herself without making appeal to either Persephone or Hades.

As for Amphitrite, it doesn't look like Hera has any sort of connection with her. When she has need of the assistance of the Nereides, like in the Argonautica of Apollonios Rhodios, she talks to Thetis. I guess they could have a professional relationship but I disagree with the idea (which I used to encounter pretty often) that they would be particularly close and bond over their shared experience of being married to unfaithful husbands, especially when considering that in Homeric Hymn 3 to Apollo Amphitrite is one of the goddesses who support Leto and convince Eileithyia to allow the birth of Apollo against Hera's wishes.

[citadelredlightdistrict]

Greek Mythology Rant: Hades

You know who gets a bad rap in the modern age, and really doesn't deserve it? Hades. Seriously guys! Hades is the most chill, most responsible, and least likely god in the entire Greek Pantheon to just randomly fuck with humans. He's often portrayed as a Satan analogue, but just like with Loki, that's purely a Christian bastardization of the original character. Hades helps a lot more heroes than he fucks with, he doesn't fuck with Odysseus (the poem specifies that Persephone sends the wraiths to torment him in the Underworld), he straight up helps Heracles and Perseus (he lets Heracles wrestle Cerberus into submission for one of his labors and lets his Helm of Invisibility be loaned out to Perseus), he doesn't even fuck with Orpheus when he goes down there to bring back his love Eurydice (he actually warns Orpheus about turning back to see her and warns him that the Furies will likely never forgive him for making them cry). Most stories that have heroes getting fucked over while in or because of an Underworld god, is usually because Persephone was angry with them.

Yeah, I know, weird right? That Persephone is the evil one? Well there's a lot of reasons for that, but largely it comes down to her worship and existence IRL predating Hades, and as a result she was in a lot more ancient myths where she was fucking up heroes. Seriously, Hades has some epithets, but they're almost all respectful or neutral, Persephone however is known as Dread Persephone (no I'm not going to dig up the specific poems, and no I'm not going to go find the actual epithet in Greek, I'll let you guys do that and tell me I'm an idiot for not doing it), and not only that, but the idea of Persephone being the goddess of Spring is entirely a modern idea because she doesn't do shit for Spring. What's that? Spring happens whenever she leaves the Underworld? Yeah, you're right, because fucking Demeter, her mother, stops being depressed and holding the world hostage when that happens! Demeter causes Spring, not Persephone, the only thing Persephone is explicitly the goddess of is the Underworld.

TLDR: Next time you see someone write Hades to be a sadistic bastard or a cruel devil character, tell them to knock it off and then suggest they make an evil girl boss Persephone instead.

[dodgytransformer]

Children of Persephone headcanons (because there aren't enough)

Children of Persephone often develop bipolar disorder as a result of their mother's two different “sides”.

Children of Persephone get along well with most underworld kids, but especially Hades' kids, as they're step-siblings.

In the winter, children of Persephone tend to have a temper and a short-fuse.

All children of Persephone are born with the desire to eat pomegranate seeds at least once in their lives.

Children of Demeter are often bossy towards children of Persephone, who deliberately try to annoy them.

Children of Persephone are often very free spirits and hate being told what to do.

Persephone doesn't have very many demigod children, as she is completely loyal to her husband (though she's not above having a child with a mortal out of spite).

Children of Persephone tend to be very independent and stubborn.

Children of Persephone may have a rivalry with children of Aphrodite, though it can be friendly.

Children of Persephone are stronger in places of nature — this extends to garden centres.

Children of Persephone tend to take on a lot more than they can bare.

Children of Persephone tend to be wary of snakes and children of Zeus, because of the rape of their mother.

Children of Persephone take great offence if you use their name in vain or as the basis of mockery.

Children of Persephone become more ruthless and bloodthirsty in the winter.

If a child of Persephone sees a deer in a forest, it will come to greet them, as deer are their mother's sacred animal.

Children of Persephone would most likely skin you if you spoke badly of their mother.

All children of Persephone are beautiful, as beauty is subjective.

If looking to boast, most children of Persephone will refer to themselves as a child of The Destroyer.

When angered, children of Persephone can have a ruthless, thirst-for-blood that could rival a child of Ares.

Some children of Persephone are more feared than children of Hades.

Children of Persephone are often friendly with nature spirits.

Just as children of Poseidon can talk to sea animals, children of Persephone can “talk” to plants, in that they understand what plants want or need.

All children of Persephone have the ability to grow flowers or plants, which many accidentally do when they're nervous.

Powerful children of Persephone possess the ability to turn people into animals or plants.

Though this is rare, some children of Persephone possess a very mild form of charmspeak and are able to accentuate their beauty or the beauty of others.

Another rare power is the ability to take away the pain of death and bless them with safe passage to a good afterlife, but only for those who deserve it — if the person is deemed unworthy by Persephone, they will be given a fair judgement.

Children of Persephone can summon and communicate with the dead, but to a lesser extent than the children of Hades — in some cases, Hades may bless the child, which amplifies this ability.

As Persephone is the mistress and the goddess of the Furies, her children can summon the Furies, who will obey them without question.

Children of Persephone have the rare power to bless people/lands with fertility.

[therese-lokidottir]

I gotta say I don't think there are a dumber set of people in Greek Mythology then Theseus and Pirithous. Every time I think about the fact Pirithous wanted to kidnap Persephone as wife I realize another dumb thing about that plan.

Starting off kidnapping a goddess is a stupid idea. Add the fact Persephone is not only already married, but she is already married to the guy who is considered so terrifying that people won't even utter his name in fear of invoking him. Moreover, Persephone herself is known as the Dread Queen of the Underworld and commands respect and fear. It's hard to imagine how anyone thought they could get away with it, even if they didn't run into Hades and the furies. Additionally, when Persephone is not with her mother Demeter, winter arrives, and the only reason Hades could have her as a seasonal wife was because he bound her to the Underworld.

There was no scenario in which these two idiots wouldn't meet a brutal fate. Theseus and Pirithous dumbest people in Greek myology

[nighttimeebony]

I just got into the Percy Jackson series, so here is a collection of my actual thought process while reading the first book that I bothered to write down. So, spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief under the cut. I guess.

EDIT: part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5

Aww, Percy. Neurodivergent rep, I am fed

Is Mr. Brunner Dionysus? I think Dionysus is a major character in this series. But then what’s the wheelchair for? And Dionysus in mythology doesn’t have a beard like that. Oh! What if he’s actually Hephaestus? That would explain the wheelchair and the bearded old man look.

HOLY FUCK IT’S THE MINOTAUR

HOLY SHIT SALLY’S DEAD WHY

Is that tree on the property line the Olive Tree from the founding of Athens myth? Because Percy is the son of Poseidon?

Percy’s dream has got to be some kind of foreshadowing about Poseidon and Zeus fighting each other. Zeus would be the bird because he’s a sky god, and Poseidon would be the horse because in a really really old myth, Poseidon turned himself into a horse to chase down Demeter. Also, the voice from underground egging them on is definitely Hades, because god of the underworld and all that

Also goddammit, Hades is the villain?? Why????? Goddammit, not again…

Mrs. Dodds was definitely a fury, but she’s called a Kindly One. Wonder what that’s about

There’s some Thing about characters dissolving when they die. Wonder what that’s about

Oh shit. I was wrong. Brunner is Chiron. Interesting. Now the whole teacher thing makes sense

Wow, Dionysus is an asshole in this one. He’s more like his older Orphic version than the newer, modern Dionysus I’m familiar with

Everyone is so in love with Luke it's embarrassing

I just adore how casually neurodivergent Percy is. All the jokey references to Dyslexia and ADHD, I just—I love it so much. And I love that it actually is dyslexia and ADHD. And that apparently all the half-bloods are dyslexic and ADHD too. We love to see it.

Oh my God, I love all of these children so much.

HOLY SHIT AUNTY EM IS A GORGON

I WAS RIGHT

I find it amusing that Hermes named the activation password for his magic shoes after his mother

I wonder what Persephone's like

Grover's gonna be the friend to betray Percy, isn't he? He better fucking not be. I love him. If Grover's the Traitor MHA-style, I'm gonna riot

One difference between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson (the characters) is that Harry marvels at every new instance of magic. But after Percy learns about the magic system, he just stops giving a shit. Once he learns that magic is real, he is surprised by absolutely nothing and does not question the irrelevant stuff, like Annabeth's invisibility hat, or how the fuck a ballpoint pen can turn into a sword.

Percy is such a sassy, sarcastic little shit and I love him so fucking much.

ECHIDNA

"Isn't that a kind of anteater?" I love this child

*Percy wondering what all the mirrors are for in the Tunnel of Love*

Me: "It's gotta be a kink thing."

*While Ares and Aphrodite were smooching with each other they could look at their favorite person: themselves*

Me: "Called it."

Wait……. Is the traitor Luke????? He's like the only other "friend" Percy has

Thank God Hades isn't the bad guy

Aw, I wanted to see Persephone. Don't worry, Percy, I'm disappointed too

You know what, from now on, anytime a protagonist has to live with an abusive parent figure, the only resolution I will accept is turning that bitch to stone and selling him on the black market.

Thank God Percy can have a nice, stable home life with his mom in between rounds of risking his life.

I'm so on-board with Percabeth, and this friend group as a whole

I FUCKING CALLED IT! LUKE WAS THE TRAITOR!

Thank God the characters in this book have a fucking brain. Percy's an impulsive little chaos gremlin, but he's not an idiot.

I'm kind of curious to see what the shipping side of the Percy Jackson fandom looks like, cuz Percabeth is great, and I'm pretty sure that's the main canon pairing, so I'm curious….

Honestly, I can't wait for Percy and Annabeth to start dating. I'm so excited to see what their relationship will be like in a romantic context

I love this book and I want more immediately.

[brightdown00]

Why Hades x Persephone Isn't The Healthy Couple You Think They Are (Part 2)

I strongly recommend that you read Part 1 before Part 2 ...

In my first post, I thoroughly debunked the myths people have about this myth, and re-examined the historical context behind the myths, and so this post will just be wrapping things up with my own thoughts on the subject.

Another fairly minor but still common misconception I've seen is that Hades is steadfast loyal to Persephone, which is not true. In the original myth about Minthe, the word used is pallake, which is Greek for 'concubine' (even though Minthe never bore Hades a child). In the original myth about Leuke, an Oceanid and friend of Persephone, the word used is adamavit, which is an Latin verb used for describing passionate yet adulterous love. (Hades also abducted Leuke to the Underworld, so ...) The Roman poet, Vergil, claims that Hades fathered the Furies with Nyx (and Nyx is their mother according to Apollodorus). Hades is, after all, King of the Underworld and ancient kings will always have their concubines if only one can be the queen consort (see my post, Why Hera Isn't The Jealous Wife You Think She Is).

People use Persephone turning Minthe into, well, a mint plant and stomping on her as 'proof' of her love for Hades, but that's only one version of the myth, the other version of the myth has DEMETER turning Minthe into a mint plant and stomping on her, which is likely to be the original myth since there was a hill named after her in the neighborhood of Pylos, and there was a temple to Hades and a grove to Demeter at its foot (source: Theoi.com). They also disregard how Persephone has cheated on Hades with Adonis (one of the only goddesses to cheat on her husband), whom she raised as a baby (so a classic case of the abused becoming the abuser) and so Adonis chose Aphrodite over her. A girl is not going to fall in love with her uncle who kidnapped and raped her, and if she does, we would call that Stockholm Syndrome.

Really, the only inclination I've seen of these two actually loving each other (or, rather Persephone loving Hades) is when Melinoe was conceived on the banks of the river Cocytus ... but that's in the Orphic Hymns, where Persephone has sex with her daddy Zeus who is the guise of her husband, Hades. No, Hades saving Persephone from Pirithous doesn't count, because Zeus would have done the same if it was Hera (and he did, in many myths). Sure, Hades treats Persephone with respect, but bear in mind he's terrified of her mother, who made it abundantly clear (pun intended) that she could make his job infinitely harder.

Oh, and few people know this, but Demeter's son, Plutus, the God of Wealth, was originally fathered by Hades (y'know, the God of Wealth, whose name is also Plutus). Ioanna Papadopoulou, an Greek author, actually touched upon this in her retelling of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Winter Harvest.

Lastly, the final misconception is that Hades and Persephone are together for six months, which is why we have the fall/autumn and winter season, but that's a misconception dating back to the application of Victorian Era protoscience to Hellenism. The Mediterranean climate of Greece and Rome doesn't allow for four seasons, and heavy snow don't occur in Greece, the myth is to explain why crops don't grow for a third of the year (since the Ancient Greeks divided their calendar into thirds), so, really, Hades only has his wife around for four months (two in the winter, and two in the summer). In the myth of Adonis, Zeus divided Adonis' time with Persephone and Aphrodite into thirds; he gets four months with Persephone, four months with Aphrodite, and a third by himself (which he chooses to spend with Aphrodite).

I'd also like to mention the reason why you don't see other myths about Hades and Persephone is because of the taboo on death-worship in Ancient Greek culture. Ancient Greeks would address Hades by his epithet, 'Aidoneus', or his nickname, 'Zeus of the Underworld'. They would also address Persephone as 'Kore' or 'Despoina' (also the name of her half-sister fathered by Poseidon). People would only use Persephone's name in curses. There is a reason why you don't see Hades depicted as unreasonable (his epithet, 'Aidoneus', is Greek for 'reasonable mind'), when compared to Zeus and Poseidon. People figured out that Zeus was lustful and Poseidon wrathful, so they attempted to lift up Hades as some kind of dark and repressed antihero, but really, it's more Palpatine bad versus Vader bad.

FUN FACT: In Ancient Greece, unmarried girls who died young was considered a Really Bad Thing. A big upset for the family - basically it meant you were a shitty parent. (Of course, assuming that these families weren't the cause of their deaths ...) So, what the women in the family would do is dress their deceased daughters up as if they were going to get married. The funeral procession would play out like a wedding profession and during the bridal ceremony, the daughter would "marry" Hades as his newest concubine. It's a way to comfort parents because believing that your daughter is at his mercy sounds terrible, but with Persephone, you can imagine that she's looking after your lost little girl. (I suspect it's also to ward off necrophilia ...)

My own thoughts on this subject?

I am absolutely convinced that women just really want to fantasize about the original versions of myth but also don't want to admit it so they have to retell it. Women seem to have collectively agreed they would get excited over the thought of getting taken by an abusive kidnapper. I think our tendency to write and seek out these types of retellings (where there is a romanticization of an abusive situation) is also deeply connected to our internalized misogyny and the romanticization of abuse that a lot of us have grown up with. We were taught in many different ways that physical (including sexual) and emotional (including verbal), stalking, abduction, etc, is romantic when guys do it. We were taught that it means he loves us and that it's something we should desire; that it means we are special. (E.G. Little girls are told that if a little boy hits her, it means he likes her, and they also get shown movies like Beauty and the Beast.) Growing up with these messages instilled in us through sayings, stories and so on, as well as (for many of us) having experienced this firsthand in romantic and sexual relationships means it's now deeply rooted in us; in our worldviews and sexualities, and so we tend to repeat the pattern.

I think making Hades the hero and Demeter the villain in modern retellings is another proof of how much we are influenced by the patriarchy. It just fits in so perfectly in all the stereotypes about the evil mother-in-law.

Plus it helps that Hades is "shadow daddy". He is dark, brooding, mysterious, emotionally distant, vaguely Goth, probably tall and skinny. The myth of Hades and Persephone hits all the tropes popular in Epic Dark Romance like a wrecking ball, 50 Shades of Hades and all, but let's just normalize being abducted and raped by your uncle as a child, right?

[noxspost]

persephone hades 2

why don't we see the anger and fury of dread Persephone? Persephone is more feared than hades so why don't we see the vengeance of Persephone before she was sent into a time prison?

I want to see the plants dying and the foes fighting in anger caused by hunger.

for food is what drives living beings? Why didn't she make more of a punch than her mother Demeter. Why don't we see something of Persephone’s anger.

Where is the wrath of Persephone losing her family again!?

I want to see Persephone anger once she is free I want to see her anger her destructiveniss for what Kronos did to everyone. For A goddess of vegetation of nature can easily take away the nurturing nurturing life giving aspect of it

[enchanting-jewel]

Persephone- Queen of the Underworld, Goddess of Spring

Persephone is an Ancient Greek Goddess with a complex duality that positions her both as Maiden of Spring and the Queen of the Underworld. She is paired with Hades, the Ruler of the Underworld.

Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She emerges from the Underworld at Springtime and leaves the Earth when it is Autumn.

Some symbols that represent Persephone are Pomegranates, torch, springtime flowers, grains, bones, bats and an iron crown.

Persephone loves to be worshipped and have an altar dedicated to her. Somethings you can put out for offerings would be flower crowns, Autumn leaves, bat shaped items, jewelry, fruit cakes, honey, red or white candles, or have a garden dedicated to her.

Persephone teaches that power comes from within even if outside forces try to reach you.

Prayer to Persephone:

“Daughter of Zeus, source of life

Demeter’s only child, Hades honored wife

Come infernal queen, accept my offering

For much honor I give you for you and your King

Half the year under the Earth you dwell

Giving warmth and greenery their death knell

Your return causes the land to bloom in delight

To mortals you are a most welcome site

Return to your husband at harvest end

To hopeful mortals you judge and mend

Holy One, Knowing One, Exactor of Justice

Mother of furies and doomed Zagreus

Play mate of nymphs beloved and bright

Almighty horned of bounteous might

Oh blessed Goddess fill my belly with fruit

My life with good health, my pocket with loot

When it is time to meet you down below

I hope it is to Elysium I go

There to find rest, friends and family

To hail and honor Hades and Persephone.”

[callipraxia]

An Observation

I'm reading a bunch of books about plot structure again, and one of them was specifically about breaking down plots to their basic elements in a way that lets you see how two works can have the same 'skeleton' while appearing wildly different. Looking at it from that angle, it occurred to me:

The stories of Demeter and Clytemnestra follow roughly the same plot - they just have different outcomes.

In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, we get the story of Demeter and Persephone - the story that formed the basis of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Persephone is picking flowers when she is lured astray by one planted as a trap for her; once she tries to get it, Hades pops up from nowhere, yanks her onto his chariot, and goes off to the Underworld with her, having gotten permission from Zeus to forcibly marry her without consulting with Demeter, her mother. There's scholarly discussion about how this could be symbolic of the real grief experienced by ancient Greek mothers and daughters, who might well never see each other again after the daughter is married off, but in its own context - the lord of the Underworld claims the Maiden, plunging her mother into grief and anger, which turns into Demeter blighting the world until the other gods come to an accommodation with her which partially restores Persephone to her. Ultimately, however, Demeter is plunged back into mourning every half-year when Persephone must once more return to Hades, which results in winter for everyone else.

In the Oresteia, we open with Clytemnestra plotting murder; this is because, in the backstory, her husband Agamemnon tricked her into bringing their daughter Iphigeneia to him by pretending he has arranged an honorable marriage for the girl, only to sacrifice Iphigeneia to the goddess Artemis instead once he has her. Cue Clytemnestra plotting her revenge: she spends the whole Trojan War fantasizing about tricking Agamemnon into a position where she can kill him, just as he tricked her into putting Iphigeneia into a position to be sacrificed to Artemis. Fast-forward ten years; the Trojan War is over, Agamemnon comes home, Clytemnestra proceeds to get her revenge, and she and her boyfriend (who also wanted to avenge wrongs done to his family - specifically, he had some older siblings who met a rather gristly end at the hands of Agamemnon's already-deceased father) take over the government, with negative results for the polis, if we're to believe Electra in Libation-Bearers, anyway.

Agamemnon is, in a way, roughly analogous to Hades: a superior being (Zeus, Artemis) gives a powerful Figure From Greek Mythology (Hades, Agamemnon) permission to send a young woman to the Underworld, and in the process, her mother is tricked and bereaved. As a result, both Demeter and Clytemnestra go nuclear in their pursuit of revenge: Demeter inflicts massive crop damage, fully prepared to commit genocide upon humanity solely because the other gods enjoy receiving offerings from humans, and Clytemnestra breaks her marriage vows and then lures Agamemnon to his death. However, at that point, their stories diverge pretty sharply: even Zeus himself is apparently unable to force Demeter to come to Olympus or to allow anything to grow again against her will, and he is not able to prevent her from bringing winter back down upon the world every half-year whenever Persephone is re-removed from her due to the laws of godly physics as applied to pomegranates, because why not. Clytemnestra, however, is not a goddess - she is not even the child of a god or goddess, even though her own twin sister, Helen, is. Clytemnestra is a powerful woman...but just, at the end of the day, a human woman. Therefore, her revenge backfires onto her horribly: she who committed murder to avenge one of her daughters (Iphigeneia) is murdered by her son (Orestes) as part of a plot which included her surviving daughter (Electra). As a shade, she raises the Furies against Orestes, so that these ancient goddesses of vengeance drive him nearly mad...but because a greater power (Athena) can and does exert power (at one point, she threatens the Eumenides with Zeus's lightning-bolts, which she has access to, if they don't agree to her arbitration of the quarrel) over everyone else involved. Zeus could not curb Demeter, but his daughter can curb the Furies and bring them fully into line with the patriarchal system***.

There's stories in there. I know it. More than one. Just to sift them out and find something to do with them....

***For an interpretation of Oresteia which makes some sense out of the ending of Eumenides other than "lol, women unimportant and stupid," there's an interesting lecture by the Canadian classicist Ian Johnston, which can be viewed here: http://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/lectures/oresteialecture.html

I quite like it, along with much of Professor Johnston's work, though it's still hard to come away without the impression that Aeschylus miiiiight have had Issues with women. However, this would hardly make Aeschylus the last writer whose skill (and point) was undermined by his prejudices.