#i love exploring persephones underworld side

[kindred-spirit-93]

daughter of death, bringer of life

hilal's underworld domains are that of a psychopomp; she guides and helps souls cross their thresholds and lighten their burdens, giving them peace.

this comes both as her being a daughter of hades but also a decendent of sorts of persephone.

she represents life and death together, proof that they are two sides of the same coin, light and dark intertwined. one cannot exist without the other.

Hazel has the earth and gems, Nico has the dark and dead, so what does Bianca get from her fathers cold blood and hands?

[hermesmoly]

What's your opinion on Hermes in adaptations ? I personally think that, like with other gods, a lot of nuance is often lost.

He's usually just a fun speedy guy in modern vision and we don't really see his status as god of merchants, travels, rhetoric, theft or his role as a psychopomp. It's really a shame, honestly.

He's portrayed as a bit witty, but I'd love to see him more as a trickster god (like in Argos' story), a persuasive talker, a traveler who explores the world and his relationships to mortals and various gods alike.

(like his relationship to youthfulness, being the second youngest Olympian, at odds with Apollo before reaching an agreement, taking care of Pan then Dionysus, some interactions with his mom Maia or his chthonic coworkers, etc...)

Idk I wanted to talk about him a bit instead of complaining about Dionysus for the 100th time this week 🤣. Since Hermes is your favorite god, I thought it'd interest you 😉.

@superkooku thank you for this ask aaaahhhh!!!

Honestly, Hermes as a deity has so many layers of potential when it comes to story writing, and while he is a Certified Happy Go Lucky Extrovert^TM, there are so many aspects of him that aren't just the comedic messenger!!

I could make a list of all the aspects of Hermes I'd personally love to see more in modern media, so here we go:

Hermes' role as the god of thieves and trickery (his darker self, his suave nature, how he killed one of Hera's favorite servants so effortlessly and still remains in her good graces? His caduceus has two snakes- in a dual way representing his slyness along with his role as a protector)

Hermes' role as the god of trade and merchants (you telling me my boy won't be good at haggling prices and owning the market? I need some version of him where he owns the black market or some crazy stuff)

Hermes' role as a psychopomp (and by extension his relationship with his Uncle Hades. What is his relationship with the other chthonic gods? I love what Hades Supergiant did with Hermes/Charon but I long for more! Especially when he's very much there as Persephone's personal escort to and fro the Underworld. Thanatos should not get all the credit for reaping souls and guiding them home. )

Hermes and Maia (extroverted son, introverted mom, so many things we can explore here! How he felt growing up in that cave, his relationship with Arcas who his mother adopted!)

Hermes and Zeus (his aspect of being the god of hospitality!!) (Modern Media might never give us the Zeus-Hermes-Baucis-Philemon adventures but I am still for it always)

Hermes' mental health and depression (+ the bad side of his relationship with his mother and father) (more specifically Lucian Dialogues of the Gods 4, where Hermes states he is the most miserable god in all heaven, working every day and waiting upon Zeus' grander sons from mortal women. Now in my interpretation, Zeus wouldn't be that harsh to Hermes to make him almost like an indentured servant, but reading this dialogue you can really feel his exhaustion from the God of Trade and many other things. We can all relate to the feeling of being brushed off when you're feeling down, and I think this is the least likely aspect of Hermes to be explored since we will be putting him out of the "lucky, carefree" god persona that most put him in)

Hermes and Atlas (going back to Dialogue 4, Hermes mentions being the grandson of Atlas. I find it fascinating bc how does Hermes feel looking at his grandfather? Does he hate his grandfather for siding with Kronos? Does he resent his dad for creating this void for them to not have a relationship? Does he fear that if he steps out of line Zeus could do the same to him? Does he talk to Atlas forced to hold up the sky? Very compelling stuff)

Hermes and Hera (*holds them very tightly* they are the stepmother and stepson duo. Hera can be a certified Apollo-Artemis-Dionysus hater but has almost no hate for Hermes from what I know. There is no retaliation for Argos' death, and we all know Hera can hold a grudge! She milked him once in an obscure myth and that makes him her honorary son alongside Heracles, even appearing to bind Ixion alongside Ares, Hera's biological son. Hermes even makes an effort to deliver all of the invitations to her wedding to Zeus. Sure all of these can be explained by his messenger/servant role, but they seem to have an amicable and fun relationship that most media just writes them down as "Hera hates him" looking at you Blood of Zeus **EDIT: all of these are mostly headcanon-territory, so apologies for that!)

Hermes and Perseus and his role as helper of heroes (his canon bf... people out there shipping Perseus and Medusa when HERMES IS RIGHT. THERE! Perseus is called a beloved of Hermes and I'm sad that people are erasing that in their Perseus retellings. Gifts seem to be a love language for Hermes since he gives him his sandals, sword AND invisibility helm free of charge)

Hermes and Ares / Mercury and Mars (sorry I'm biased the Ares stan in me is coming out forgive me I think Hermes and Ares as a symbiotic relationship is something that can be explored more. The Jar Myth where Hermes saves Ares lets into some of the vulnerabilities Ares has, Lucian Dialogue #1 and the differences with how they view Zeus, war vs diplomacy, both being athletic gods, both being lovers of dogs, and many other things I can pitch for the secret Ares/Hermes fans out there)

Hermes and Dionysus (more modern media of Hermes taking care of his little bro-bro!! To be best buds in the future, that's just so endearing and sweet and we need more interactions between them. Their duality is similar to Ares/Hermes, with the additional madness factor. How would Hermes react to Dionysus' darkest side as his guardian and brother? Also, Hermes would definitely shake up Dionysus' parties. Would they murder together? Maybe. Definitely.)

[kaitcreates]

Over analyzing the Sword Catcher official art because I can.

First up Kel. He has his sword catcher medallion on and his clothes look blue then green like he’s described wearing in the book because the Queen wanted him to wear her home country’s colours and it doesn’t look like what we see Conor wearing in his portrait so Kel might’ve picked this outfit himself. The coat also ruffed up’s little, one of the sleeves even has a tear in it, he doesn’t start getting into any serious fights in the book until he sides with the Ragpicker King, around the same time he starts finally exploring his own identity if only slightly so this’s probably around that time frame. He has the scar on his eyebrow that Conor is described as having which I can feel has some sort of importance to their characters. The background is some waves, clearly referencing his love of the ocean and sailing, along with swords indicating his sword catcher title. His foreground is one of the less interesting with just a pile coins for his wealth as the prince’s fake cousin, a pile of scroll for how much reading he does, and a pile of something back that I’m not quite sure what it is. It looks like it might be some black powder but he hasn’t done anything with black powder yet in the story. Maybe it’s a metaphor for life as he knows it getting blown up as the story goes along, who knows. It’s also worth noting that he doesn’t have any flowers in his portrait, this might be nothing but it’s almost like a theme with most of the other portraits so it’s worth noting.

More characters under the cut because this got long:

After that we have Conor. His clothes and jewelry aren’t anything to write home about, it looks properly royal with plenty of jewels showing of his wealth. Though I do take not that the eyebrow that has a scar though it is covered in his portrait. His background depicts the Castelane lion on top of the city state’s national colour of red obviously a nod to him being the prince of the City-State. The hour glasses seem to represent his limited time as pressure begins to build on him, and I’m not quite sure what the falling rings represent, maybe they’re supposed to be coins and represent something about his debt. Again the piles of money, books, and scrolls represents his wealth and being well read. We can see what one do the scrolls says but it’s not very clear and seem to be written in one of the world’s fictional languages, if anyone can translate it please send it to me but it might not be anything special. The banner/flag in the corner is certainly important but I can’t remember anywhere that it would belong to at the moment so again if you can think of anything that would be a huge help. It’s also once again worth noting he’s one of the few character to not have flowers in his portrait.

Lin’s is arguably the most obvious. She has her mystery-stone brooch, her ashkar ring, is wearing the ashkar’s mandatry colours of blue and grey, and her medical satchel. The background has a glyph behind her with runes in it since she’s trying to bring magic back, the golden whisps also look magical, and the herbs and plants are for healing. There are diagrams of human anatomy behind her and the flowers have vials of what I presume is medicine strewn in them. This is also the first showing of flowers in a characters portrait, I thought it was representing her medical herbs and flowers. In the flower bed you can also see a split open pomegranate which could symbolize her growing doesn’t into darkness and crime as she tries to find a cure to Mariam similar to Persephone and the underworld.

Antonetta’s is relatively simple. Her outfit is what her mom forces her to wear throughout most of the book and she’s wearing her heart locket. Her background is also pretty simple with no special patterns or symbols to speak of, just some lace patterning at the edge of the circle similar to her outfits. It’s really the foreground that interests me. The perfume bottle is slightly odd as we never get any focus on her using perfume or smelling nice, but it does fit the perfect noble woman image so it’s not out of place. The sword being mostly hidden except the hilt is a nod to the secret sword lessons she takes, which she’s hiding from nearly everyone. The rose is obvious symbolism for looking beautiful and pretty but having thorns if you try to grab it. Around this I started thinking that maybe the flowers represented characters who were trying to get more then their current position in life was giving them. The most confusing thing about her portrait though is the bloodied handkerchief and golden locket around it. Bloodied handkerchieves are pretty much solely used in fiction for someone with a deathly illness but as far as I know Antonetta isn’t sick in anyway and defiant not of the fatal kind. Maybe it’s a nod to her friendship with Mariam.

For The Ragpicker King I would like to bring your anterior to his right hand. As you can hopefully see it looks like some slights scars are peaking out from his sleeve. What does this mean? I don’t know. I have no memory of this being described in the book, and was just something interesting I noticed. In the background you can see something that almost looks like a jail cell, likely referring to him being a criminal. There are also many playing cards flying around behind him for some reason, I’m not really sure since it’s never made note of him being especially in to card games or to use card metaphors in his plans. The piles of envelopes are likely his letters to and from the King and the books represent him once again being well read and his enjoyment of research. The evolvement of flowers once again confuses me because from what we see he seems perfectly content in his current life. Maybe it’s about how he escaped a life he was unhappy in.

Ji-an doensy have much going on, neither do most of the characters moving forward. The most interesting thing I could find about her appearance is that she’s wearing makeup. She has the two black swans, which I’m pretty sure I’m not remembering the full importance of, from her line about the swan pulling her carriage. She has a variety of swords in the back ground, one of which is she is holding. This could both represent her status as a killer but also as sort of like ghosts of the family she killed. Her flowers continue to feed into my “escape from current life/escaped from past life” theory and there isn’t much else to say.

Merren has nothing super interesting about his appearance in this portrait. It suits his personality and that’s about all I could say. The background is an obvious nod to his poisoner status with the wisps of smoke(possibly from hot tea?) leading up to a skull. I’m not entirely sure what the quills are supposed to represent, maybe it’s supposed to be because he’s a student so quills are like pencils in their world. Mostly his foreground also just seems to be about him being smart if a little messy when it comes to parts of his life outside of poisons and antidotes. The most specific thing I can find is the spilt concoction which is likely poisons. Once again the flowers are confusing, I had a theory that the flowers represented someone studiously seeking out knowledge, except Ji-an and Antonetta don’t follow this pattern. Merren also doesn’t fit into the “run/ran away from a life they didn’t like” theory unless there’s a part of his backstory that we don’t know about that fits into it. If anything he was pushed out of a life he liked. The flowers aren’t a super big part of the portrait and more of just an accessory anyways so fine, maybe it’s not meant to connect to the other flower portraits.

Joss’s portrait has two elements worth taking note of. First, the abundance of arrows and bows. This is mostly likely a nod to indoor archery, but I do hope we get more archery in his character and fighting style down the line. Second, he has some flowers in the foreground. Which just adds to the confusion because, as far as we know, he’s pretty happy with his current life and he almost definitely hasn’t ran away from an old life.

And the flowers continue to be confusing. Vienne is special in the fact that the flowers are pretty much the only other element of her portrait outside of herself. They do kind of make it look like she’s buried in flowers, especially with her helmet resting on the bed, and does work with the fact that she died at the end since giving flowers is a common way to pay respects to the dead, at least in western culture. In my admittedly short research session, the flowers seem to be Marigolds. These flowers are commonly used in day of the dead and symbolized grief and mourning in the victorian era, continuing the idea that these flowers are being used to represent her death. In renaissance times(the time period Cassie says she took the most inspiration from for those world) Marigolds were gifted to woman that men wanted seduce. What this means for Vienne I have no idea but it felt worth mentioning.

Now at this point you might be thinking “Couldn’t the flowers not actually mean anything and instead it’s the lack of flowers that represents something?” And I was think that too until Jerrod and his lack of flowers came along! Why are the only characters without flowers Kel, Conor, and Jerrod?! In other news Jerrod has basically nothing to take note of. His fingers look much paler then the rest of his hand from the chalk and the daggers facing towards his head could either represent that he’s being threatened or that he’s threatening. That’s really it. The rope and keys seem to be vaguely related to being able to get into places, but at the current moment they don’t seem to really be that personally connected to him.

So over all I have three main questions after this:

What in the world do the presence or lack of presence of flowers mean?

Were the details that don’t make sense to us right now cut after the art was made or are they hinting at future developments?

Why didn’t Mariam get a portrait?

[ladytauria]

For the aak game: jaytim greek mythology au? (Or any mythology really, your pick)

thank you kriz!!!!!

this ended up. so much longer than 5 facts xD i love mythology, esp greek mythology lol.

i played around with a couple of different myths, but eventually i settled on hades & persephone bc. it’s my favorite <3

tim is the god of the dead. it’s a lonely and often thankless job, especially as few of the other gods care to venture into his domain. however, it’s also a responsibility he takes seriously. he’s something of a workaholic, actually, though every so often dick or one of his other friends will manage to drag him away to have some fun.

jason is the god of spring. bruce, king of the gods, is… protective of him. he has been ever since jason’s life was almost taken (or perhaps was; maybe jason was a demigod elevated to godly status after death? idk). it’s something jason appreciated once, when things were fresh, but now… he finds it stifling. he’s constantly escaping to the mortal realm, to spend time around humanity and away from the pressures of mount justice. bruce always drags him back, & they fight. loudly.

when the itch to run off again returns, it’s either during or just after one of tim’s rare visits. he’s never spent much time around tim; viewing him as dour, condescending, and stuck-up. however, he knows that bruce never goes down to the underworld, which means… sneaking off to tim’s is a pretty good way to make sure he’ll be able to actually get away for a bit. for as long as he wants, even.

he thought he’d be able to stay hidden. unfortunately, tim’s power down below is absolute, & jason is noticed as soon as he enters… though tim doesn’t approach until he realizes jason doesn’t intend to leave. jason is sure tim will hand him off to bruce & is initially defensive, but tim is genuinely curious about his presence, & gives him time to explain himself.

though tim is loyal to bruce, he’s never had qualms about disobeying him or even flat out lying to him when he feels bruce is being an idiot. in this case, he definitely feels bruce is being an idiot, and so… he invites jason to stay. jason accepts, gratefully—though suspiciously, too.

jason thought he would grow bored or lonely down here (a small price to pay for his freedom) but… he doesn’t. just like above, there are thousands of mortals to learn from and talk to, but here their knowledge spans the breadth of centuries. they’re happy to share with a willing ear, and jason absorbs their knowledge like a flower sucks up sunlight. if that wasn’t enough, the underworld is large, too; there are so many areas to explore & visit.

tim initially believes he’ll see little of jason. at first, he thinks jason will grow tired of the realm, and leave it. then, when that doesn’t happen, he figures jason will be so busy exploring and talking that he’ll have little time for tim himself. he doesn’t mind, really. it’s nice to have someone pay so much attention to his realm and those in it. even nicer when that someone is a god that tim genuinely admires, even likes. he’s been drawn to jason’s warmth and kindness from the beginning; fallen deeper for his wit & intellect at every meeting he attends. so. he’s content to simply keep a vague eye on jason as he wanders the realm, and not engage further.

jason, however, finds himself getting involved in tim’s side of things, too. a lot of it is bureaucracy, which bruce used to let him help with, but these days—they fight so much its impossible. not that he and tim don’t butt heads, especially at first. tim is used to doing everything himself, and jason is used to being second guessed and having to fight for every scrap of respect he gets. but more and more, they start to work together. tim respects jason, even if he tends to take the reins more often than not without realizing it. before long, they find themselves sort of… co-ruling, without even realizing it.

it’s during these moments—and those outside of it, when jason persuades tim to show him the underworld, instead of stumbling around blindly—that jason finds himself falling for tim. he’s not as dour as jason thought. there’s a sense of humor there; with a bit of an edge, that jason delights in. he’s not stuffy, either. he is condescending, sometimes, but that’s mostly the lack of social skills. jason can work with that. he’s dedicated to his job, to the people he watches over. he’s kind, and smart, and he listens. he challenges jason, too. debating him is fun. he doesn’t try to shield jason from the darker parts of the realm, either, trusting that jason can hold his own. it’s nice. really nice.

so nice that jason loses track of time. bruce has been tearing apart the mortal world, looking for him; growing increasingly frustrated when he can’t find him. it’s causing problems. mortals are dying. tim & jason do notice the influx of dead, but are unaware of the problem—until dick shows up. he figured out pretty quickly where jason went, but has kept his mouth shut so far. he knows what it’s like to need some time away from bruce. but now, with bruce’s temper escalating with his worry, it’s time for jason to come home.

jason is furious when he finds out what bruce has been doing. he storms back up to mt justice, tim in tow, to have it out with bruce. it’s probably their worst fight yet. bruce hates that jason has been in the underworld. at least his power reaches the mortal realm. down there? he has little influence. doesn’t help, too, that many of the gods’ enemies are imprisoned down there, possibly including the one who hurt jason. it goes around & around in circles until finally, jason tells him that bruce can shove it. he’s in love with tim & bruce can’t keep him from leaving.

ofc bruce immediately has to try, decreeing that they’re forbidden from seeing one another. jason just grins. after all, he has an ace up his sleeve. he brought with him food from the underworld—or, more specially, some pomegranate seeds. and while staring bruce straight in the eyes, he swallows six of them.

it’s not just that this is a fruit from the underworld, though. it’s one grown by jason, with his powers. his essence, twined with tim’s. and by swallowing that, he’s bound himself to tim—or, rather, to the place of his power. he is half a creature of mt justice; half of the underworld. now it doesn’t matter what godly decrees bruce makes. he cannot keep jason from his own domain.

away from bruce, jason is a little less confident in his scheme. tim, however, is pleased with jason’s solution. (he maybe found jason’s defiance more than a little attractive, too.) he asks jason if he’d like to make his claim on tim’s domain even more official, and marry him.

jason says yes, obviously.

[ au ask game ]

[kindred-spirit-93]

HOO BOI. i desperately want to write volumes about this topic alone but ill stick to a tag rant because is have so much studying lol.

demeter they could never make me hate you. you were imo the only sensible person in the myth(s) actually and a good mum. fuck u zeus

The story of Hades and Persephone isn't an abduction romance, or even a tragedy of not being able to be in two places at the same time. It's about how fucking wild it would be to have a mother who gives a shit about whether you're dead or alive, and whether you are happy.

[ineffablebardwrites]

Good Omens Fic Masterlist

Aziraphale/Crowley (Ineffable Husbands)

The Ties That Bind

Not too long after time began, Aziraphale learned how to braid hair.

Not too long after that, Crowley's hair became his favorite thing to braid.

Little Talks

Crowley wakes in the middle of the night to the feeling of being watched.

A brief investigation leads him to the kitchen where God is waiting for him.

Things Unseen

Aziraphale honestly didn't think his time in Hell had affected him that much.

He was wrong.

Flash Flood

Aziraphale Fell on a Sunday afternoon.

The rain started shortly after.

Wait For Me (I Will)

After his Fall from Heaven, Crowley wants nothing more than to return to Aziraphale's side.

Their reunion doesn't go quite the way he'd imagined.

The Principles of Protection

Aziraphale reveals what it really means to be a Principality.

Crowley ends up witnessing it firsthand.

Out of Time

Crowley knew that falling in love with a vampire would have consequences.

He didn't think bleeding out in an alley would be one of them.

A Song of Selkies

All Aziraphale wanted was to go home.

Crowley doesn't understand why he can't.

Things My Heart Used to Know

Aziraphale always felt like Crowley reminded him of someone.

He's just not sure who that someone is.

Journey to the Past

Anthony Crowley is searching for the lost heir to the throne of Eden, Prince Aziraphale.

Enter Ezra, a young man with no memory of who he is or where he comes from, but bears a strong resemblance to the missing prince.

Spring Flowers, Autumn Leaves

Aziraphale, Lord of the Underworld, was used to waiting for Crowley to come home.

However, he wasn't used to Crowley being late.

--

A Hades/Persephone AU

Make A Wish

In the aftermath of Aziraphale's choice, Crowley finds comfort in a star shower and the hope brought on by a human's tall tale.

If You Hadn't Found Me (I Would Have Found You)

Aziraphale Fell, renowned cellist and musical prodigy, yearns for more than the hand he's been dealt.

Anthony Crowley, lead singer for the band The Fallen, is trying to find a new sound.

The two meet under unusual circumstances and somehow manage to find everything they'd been looking for.

Trials of the Serpent King Trilogy

The Fallen Prince

Ezra Fell had read The Trials of the Serpent King numerous times throughout his lifetime. He could quote nearly every line by heart and owned multiple versions of the entire series, including a recently obtained first edition of The Fallen Prince.

Upon opening the cover, Ezra finds himself within the pages of the book and traveling alongside Anthony J. Crowley, the exiled king of Eden, while he marches the path towards the redemption of his throne.

The Road to Eden

In the aftermath of The Fallen Prince, Ezra Fell continues his journey alongside Anthony Crowley as they make their way towards the Kingdom of Eden.

But the journey back is filled with perils and with a traitor lurking in their midst, Ezra's task of keeping Crowley alive has suddenly become a lot more difficult than before.

Salvation of the King

Following the events of The Road to Eden, Anthony Crowley and his company find themselves reeling from an unexpected betrayal, but continue to push toward their goal of reclaiming the throne which is now well within their reach.

However, their journey, while being so close to ending, is still far from over and Ezra Fell will find himself not only fighting for Crowley, but also fighting to remain in the world he now calls home.

Ineffable Wives

To Noise Making (Sing)

There had been a time when Aziraphale had loved singing.

Crowley isn't sure why she ever stopped.

Heart of Ice

The legend of the Snow Queen told a sorrowful tale of a woman whose heart turned to ice upon the loss of her beloved.

The Snow Queen herself has little memory of this person.

Antonia Crowley is intent on helping her remember.

Rhythm of the Night

Aziraphale and Crowley explore the evolution of fashion at the Moulin Rouge.

or

Aziraphale dresses up and Crowley loses her mind.

Ineffable Spouses

Through the Centuries

In order to assist Aziraphale with an assignment, Crowley suggests they pretend to be married.

When the end draws closer, Aziraphale is surprised to find she doesn't want it to end.

Love Is A Song (That Never Ends)

Upon their Creation, every angel was given half of a song.

The other half was given to their soulmate.

--

In which Aziraphale and Crowley are soulmates connected by a single song and how they slowly come back together following the Fall.

A Quiet Place

Once upon a time, a silent angel and an outspoken demon met on a wall.

Over time, they manage to find some common ground.

Ineffable Bureaucracy (Gabriel/Beelzebub)

It's Quiet Uptown

Gabriel hadn't always been this way.

In fact, he used to be very different.

Then again, after the Fall, no one was really the same.

---

Prequel to Things My Heart Used to Know

[nanamismoonchild]

deceiving the moon

->chapter 11- the pan handler

->pairing: namjoon x oc (persephone)

->genre: greek god, fantasy

->wc: ~1.5k

->warnings: choking, name-calling, rough fingering, power dynamics on both sides, unhinged namjoon and oc (both of them are crazy), Persephone being mean

credits: this fic was beta read by the lovely @augustbutwinter and the header was made by the lovely @birbdae

a/n: somehow i found enough time to write a few words.it's been *checks notes* a whillllleeeeeeeeeeeee since i wrote namjoon and our girlboss persephone. please comment or send an ask my way if you enjoyed it. Or better yet, send an owl with a lovely letter. :D OH OH I hope you all get the reference too!

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also posted on ao3

Persephone had hoped Namjoon would let her explore more of her new kingdom. However, he explained that they had an appointment with a familiar god by the name of Park Jimin. 

To humans, he was Pan. To Persephone, he was a nuisance much like the rest of the gods that she had met so far. The only difference is she had interacted with Jimin more times than she would have liked to admit.  

Her mother enjoyed his company and invited him to help with harvests. He also lurked around the lake surrounding her old home, flirting with the nymphs. And with her. She couldn’t count on her fingers how many times she rebuffed him, only for him to come back the next day.  

In fact, she had a feeling, she already knew what he would say the moment she was in his proximity. 

“You picked him? Over me?” Jimin screeched, damn near tossing himself into her personal space. He managed to sound both accusatory and hurt at the same time. 

“And why on Gaea’s green earth would I ever choose you?”

Sulkily, he replied, “Because obviously I’m the better choice. I’m your mother’s favorite.”

“My mother didn’t have favorites,” Persephone said plainly, hoping to hurt the man’s feelings. “And if she did, she’d be foolish to choose you.”

“You can be such a bi-”

Namjoon huffed and stood up from his chair, swiftly, trying to save his friend from getting slapped into the next century. “If you’re done flirting with my wife, Jimin, I’d like to begin this meeting. I’d like to get some sleep tonight.”

The new goddess of the underworld and the young god of the wild both turned their heads to Namjoon at the same time, and eerily, both said, “You’re organizing?”

Namjoon’s heart broke a little.

“Yes, but that’s neither here nor there with you, Jimin.”

Persephone sat next to Namjoon, easily sliding into her business persona. A persona she didn’t even realize she had until now. Being Queen was changing her, and she loved every single moment of it. 

Jimin scoffed, “Right. You want to hold a ball in this silly dirty-”

“Do not insult my new home, shepherd.”

Jimin braved the intentional insult and kept going.  He was used to Persephone despising every man that walked into her life. From what he’d heard, she had already knocked Yoongi down a couple of pedestals, made Jungkook bleed, and put Namjoon into his place. He wasn’t (yes, he was) afraid of what she’d do to him.  

“I’m sorry. Your lovely castle. You want to turn this place into the finest place ever. With my help. Why not just call Apollo?” “Tried. No answer, “ Namjoon said plainly. 

“Of course. He must be off doing some trials or something. I heard he got into some really bad stuff.”

“Before you two turn into gossiping nymphs, what is this about a ball?” Persephone questioned, turning to look at Namjoon. “This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing and we’ve both spent the night taking care of…errands.”

Jimin didn’t bother asking what errands the two of them took; he felt if he asked his feelings would get more than hurt. 

“Ah, it was a last minute thing. And it’s not really a ball. It’s more of a ceremony for the both of us.”

He side-eyed Jimin. 

“I wanted to create a song for you. And I thought that Jimin would be the perfect candidate to help me. After Apollo of course.”

Namjoon thought he heard a small “whatever” come from Jimin. 

The look of complete disgust was painted onto Persephone’s beautiful face as she realized what Namjoon had suggested. 

“I’d rather listen to the cries of the dead as they cross the Styx and realize they’re being rowed away on a boat driven by that idiot you trust so much.”

Damn. The woman managed to insult all three men and one of them wasn’t even in the room. 

“Persephone, my music is not that bad. The Pan Girls say that-”

“Pan Girls,” Persephone rolled her eyes. “They are nothing more than women who have laid in bed with you on more than one occasion. That is the name that common men, such as yourself, give them. It’s close to being called a whore. Please do not ever call the women who idol you that despicable name.”

Jimin felt as if an arrow had been shot and lodged in his chest. His cheeks became warm and red as shame rose up his body.  He had thought it was one of those adorable fan names. 

“And please, no music made by a man has ever made me happy,” Persephone added to complete the reading she had just given the poor man. “Now, if you had asked Euterpe, I would have taken any song by her.”

“Well, she was unavailable, considering she’s one of the nine.” Namjoon gritted out, wanting to add a demand that Persephone stop insulting his friends or he wouldn’t have anyone except Cerberus.  

“Hm, too bad. I guess I’ll take the half goat then.”

Jimin was ready to cry. There were only so many insults he could take, and the Queen may have just found his limit. 

“Namjoon, I don’t think I feel comfortable singing a song for the bitch who clearly does not like me.”

Namjoon sucked in his teeth. Enough was enough. If she was going to be a queen, petty insults needed to stop.   “Persephone.”

“Yes?” Persephone asked innocently, instantly hearing the low tone Namjoon used with nuisances. “Please apologize to our guest.” 

The grin that spread across his queen’s face was absolutely terrifying. It was the smile of a woman who knew she had all the power. And no one could take it from her. 

“Now, “ she started, tracing circles along Namjoon’s arm, “if I do that, it wouldn’t be sincere. And Jimin deserves a sincere apology. Don’t you, Jiminie? ”The tone she used was sultry and, obviously, fake, but that didn’t deter Jimin. 

He loved being called Jiminie, and finally hearing it from Persephone, someone he had been infatuated with for years called him tha,made every insult she had made towards him disappear. 

He was sucked into her charms immediately.

“I do deserve one. Listen, I’ll make up calling my admirers, Pan Girls, by writing and singing the best song you’ve ever heard.”

“You will?” Persephone gushed, still putting on a false performance. 

She knew Namjoon wasn’t pleased but to hell with him. 

The god of flutes nodded giddily and took off before Persephone or Namjoon could say anything else. 

The throne room was empty besides the two of them. Normally, a swarm of servants would come over.  Persephone still couldn’t register the days or nights in the Underworld very well; however, she knew from her the sleepiness that suddenly overwhelmed her, it was late in the night, which meant the servants were also in bed. 

She yawned and stood, aiming to stretch her legs. She became aware of Namjoon sliding next to her; she made the mistake of presuming he was going to offer to carry her as he normally did. 

Instead he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his front. His other hand made its way to her throat. And pressed. Not enough to completely cut her off, but enough for her to feel lightheaded but excited all the same. 

Namjoon leaned in close to Persephone’s ear, so that he knew she was listening. 

“Whenever we have guests, my queen, you will respect them,” he moved the hand that was on her waist to her middle, bunching up the night dress she wore. Almost exposing her. 

“No more of these petty jabs. Business only.”

She decided to mess with Namjoon, “Or what?” 

Mistake. A big one. 

Namjoon whipped her around and pushed her into her throne. The Egyptian cotton stuffed velvet pillow felt like heaven underneath her,  but Namjoon didn’t give her time to enjoy the feeling. He lifted her dress, and slid two fingers inside of her warmth. 

Persephone moaned and began rocking on his fingers before the arm he wasn’t using pinned her thighs down. She pouted, but the onslaught of Namjoon’s fingers didn’t allow her to chastise him. She quickly felt a coil begin to emerge, and couldn’t believe it was so soon. 

Unfortunately, just as soon it began, it ended. 

Namjoon slid his fingers out, her pussy making a shameful wet noise as he removed them.   The sound warmed Persephone’s cheeks as she tried to catch her breath. 

“You keep doing what you’re doing–you won’t get what you want,” Namjoon said, his voice still dripping with the dark vibe. He licked both fingers clean, relishing Persephone’s taste. 

Persephone opened her mouth to complain, but it was promptly shut with Namjoon stuffing both of his fingers into her mouth. She tasted a little of herself, and Namjoon’s own saliva on her tongue.  

“We’re going to go to our room and sleep. You’re not getting that orgasm tonight. We’ll see how you behave in the morning.”

Persephone nodded, reluctantly. 

Namjoon smiled, no, he beamed. It was the same terrifying grin that Persephone had earlier. No one could take away the power Persephone had as the Underworld’s Queen. Except the King, her king. 

[godsofhumanity]

I meant hera and demeter sisterhood hcs loooool

oooohhh lmfaoo sorry haha, WHEW! i was worried someone read my hc and was like "yeah that's romantic".. ewww they are SISTERS in the sibling-sense.

so, Hera and Demeter are like two sides of the same coin to me.. Demeter physically looks like Rhea, but Hera has a lot of Rhea's personality.. so they kinda balance each other out. like, Rhea's whole character gets embodied between the two girls (im not talking about Hestia in this post haha).

anyways, this is important to me because, in my hc's, Rhea sticks around with Kronos for a REALLY long time before she finally puts her foot down.. and i mean, she goes through A LOT. similarly, Hera also sticks around with Zeus for a REALLY long time.. and unlike Rhea, Hera never gets to finally be free of her difficult husband.

now, naturally, i think Zeus and Kronos are on different levels, and there are reasons why i think it was necessary that Kronos x Rhea didn't last, but Zeus x Hera do, but i won't explore that here... my point is that i think Rhea has a hugeee heart, and was extremely forgiving (note: she's not a pushover, she doesn't love Kronos, but she forgives him for all the pain he causes her because she's just the bigger person)... and i think that's similar to Hera always opening her arms to Zeus every time he betrays her heart. Hera inherits Rhea's forgiving nature.

meanwhile, Demeter is wayyy more rigid. she doesn't stay on Olympus because she knows the absolute dogs many of the gods are on Olympus... and she hates the environment. she hates the debauchery, the competitiveness, the corruption. she saw it once, and she will never give Olympus another chance. that's why there's no question that Persephone will be raised away from Olympus... Demeter is unforgiving.

this is where the sisters balance each other out. Hera teaches Demeter to open her heart a little more, Demeter teaches Hera to stand up for herself and fight harder. in this way, both learn the right time to wage war and the right time to end it.

my classic example is the Persephone and Hades myth. we all know how pissed off Demeter was when she learnt of Hades and Zeus' secret arrangement.. in my version of events, after Persephone spends time in the Underworld and learns of a future where she could be a great goddess on her own, not under the shadow of Demeter, she decides to seize that opportunity (she does not love Hades at that time, she just has ambitions and wants to make the most of her godhood), however, when she learns that Demeter's gonna starve the world to death, she decides that she should go home because she doesn't want everyone else to suffer. in Olympus, Zeus, Demeter and Hades are all arguing about what should happen to Persephone, and Hera is the one who is like, "hey let's listen to what Persephone wants"... and by doing that, i think Hera helps Demeter to forgive not Hades, but Persephone.. she helps Demeter let go of her daughter and understand that Persephone isn't leaving her and isn't betraying her.. she kinda opens Demeter's heart up a little.. idk if i explained that properly.

anyways, my point is that Demeter and Hera help each other develop.

i imagine Demeter to be Hera's closest confidant in all the affairs that go down in Olympus. i like the idea of Demeter being the one who encourages Hera to put her foot down to Zeus, and i like the idea of Demeter being on Hera's side for all of those mini-(failed)-rebellions that we see Hera lead against Zeus in the myths. to be clear, i don't think Demeter encourages Hera to abuse Zeus' mistresses-- that's Hera's own thing. but i do think Demeter helps Hera to be a little tougher.

i think Hera spends the most time in Demeter's company, like on her farm... i think both women appreciate being away from the buzz of Olympus... i imagine that in their youth, when the second generation of titans and the Olympians were on good terms (i.e., before the punishment of Prometheus), Demeter and Hera would have gotten away from the busyness of Olympus by hiding out on Asteria's island (which was forbidden to all gods/men), and they would spend their time with the other girls; Hesione (Prometheus' wife), Metis (this would have been before her death), Asteria, Styx, Eos, Selene, etc., dancing, frolicking in the fields, making flower crowns, sparring, etc.

and then after the titans left Olympus when relationships broke down, Hera and Demeter were kind of the only ones left... that's how they started hanging around Demeter's farm instead of Asteria's island.

anyways. they are super tight and are essentially each other's best friend <33

[k00321662]

Pomegranates.

The pomegranate fruit often symbolises love, violence, cannibalism, desire, sexuality, fertility due to me many seeds and betrothal or promise. I decided to research this in reference to my project about love.

Within Greek Mythology, the pomegranate is used in the myth of Hades and Persephone. Persephone, being the goddess daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She, as a young woman would stroll the fields as she is associated with agriculture and vegetation, and whilst strolling she was noticed by Hades, the God of the underworld. He became infatuated with her, and on another of her strolls, he captured her with his great chariot and carried her to the underworld. There, he expressed his devotion to her. Despite some interpretations that she reciprocated his feelings, she was hesitant as she was very close with her mother and wished to be with her. It is said that Persephone plucked a pomegranate from a nearby tree and proceeded to eat it. Unbeknownst to her, this was the Pomegranate tree of the underworld and any who eat it were bound to the underworld eternally.

She became the queen of the underworld with Hades by her side. However, her mother, distraught in her absence, as the goddess of growth, fertility of the earth and of harvest, neglected her responsibility in favour of scouring the earth for her daughter. Zeus, seeing humanity suffer from hunger and famine due to the situation sent Hermes, the messenger god to the underworld to request the release of Persephone. However, due to the fruits effects, a deal was struck that for half of the year, Persephone was to return to the surface to be with her mother and to then return to the underworld for the remaining year. This thus created the seasons, winter being Demeter's mourning period for her daughter.

Thus the pomegranate signifies two different forms of love. a mothers love, specifically Demeter adding to the fertility aspect of the fruit and Hades' love which adds to the devout, desire, violent, and the betrothal aspect.

I want to explore the pomegranate more, especially in regards to my project and pieces

[swansongofalyre]

cover reveal 2: 2 cover 2 reveal (+ new website!)

like dionysus, my book cover is born again. now with 100% more korean-ness, to my mother's great excitement:

orpheus is upside down on the cover now, but he gets to stay right side up on the new website. I learned what a squarespace is and everything. if you are interested, you can use it to learn where to buy my book (basically anywhere, but I would love it if you considered your local bookstore), add it to storygraph/goodreads, and/or request it from your library. plus you can look at all of my weavings and jewelry, which have very little to do with the book but were fun to make.

thank you to my wonderful discord friends who gave me great feedback on how to website. I would love any feedback from you all as well!

MEMENTO MORI

Winner of the Red Hen Press Fiction Award

Did Eurydice want to return from the underworld? Did anybody ask?

In this astonishing work of “ferocious intellect and clarity,” debut author Eunice Hong weaves together Greek mythology, neuroscience, and the saga of a Korean family to create an “unexpected and thrilling story that features myth without being just a simple retelling.” Recasting the myths of Eurydice, Orpheus, Persephone, and Hades through the lens of a Korean American family, Memento Mori explores grief and love through a “beautifully written and impressively candid meditation on family secrets and the ties that bind.”

Out from Red Hen Press on August 13, 2024, but you can preorder now!

[whatmyface]

LO Chapter 5 Reread

-"persephone you've really outdone yourself this time" ????

-was persephone a troublemaker at home or sm? i am actually so confused about persephones childhood, like one second shes her mamas obedient show pony girl and then the next she always disobeys her mom and breaks her rules??

-her childhood changes more often then her characterization

-the colors r sooooo pretty here -how does she know its 9 am???

-ok ik that Persephone just says "hows it so dark outside??" but if i could interpret it further like, is she saying its beautiful?

-tbh i think that in the later chapters they could've really explored Persephone's relationship with the underworld, and how she really admires and thinks its so beautiful as a whole

-idk what im thinking rn

-just feels

-"im not into this, im not happy, im so uncomftarable"

-first off, WHY IS THE DIALOUGLE SO STALE??? IT FEELS LIKE THE TRUMAN SHOW!! INSTEAD OF JUST OUTRIGHT SYAING HOW YOU FEEL MAYBE YOU COULD SHOW??

-or like u could have different characters be upfront about their emotions, but noooo everyone just says their emotions

-also why is everytime a guy does an evil thing its the womens fault?? like EROS kidnaps her and drugs her but, its Aphrodite's fault!!! shes such a jealous bitch!!!!

-theres soemthing about Aphrodite shaming Persephone for being to trusting in Olympus and im interested..

-like ok is she talking in Olympus everyone has to take care of themselves that its a dangerous city and you have to not trust people?

-but that ovb doesnt make this morally right

-and it just seems very victim blamey

-and theres something about innocence and purity culture and rape culture but i just cant get it

-just lots of feelings about Aphrodite and Persephone and how (DISGUSTINGLY) they're portrayed in LO

-its cute when i call p a cinnamon roll but just, god this reminds me of her mary sueness

-IDC IS APHRODITE HAD DANGLED PSYCHE ON A ROPE OVER EROS HEAD IT DOES NOT EXCUSE HIS DISGUSTING ACTION!!!

-god this plan is such a dumb idea

-ok i did really like the "when did u forget about kindness, love blah blah blah" it was rlly cool

-ok cant fault him for this, he did the decent thing to do ig

-tbh i dont rlly have much to say on this chapter, the art is so alluring and sexy but nothing rlly happens

-ok i really like how Persephone REALLY REALLY wants to be independent (and this side of her has been lost as she eventually become hades wife) but also, ik shes just being a dumbass teen

-"Demeter and I aren't exactly best buds" YEAH YOU COULD SAY THAT YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE

-i've been too nice to hades these first few episodes

-Whys he already giving her nicknames??? "Sweetness"

[teawiththegods]

Is it okay to emphasize Persephone’s Kore/spring aspect instead of the afterlife aspect? I still engage with the Underworld as a shadow work concept but I’ve been asked by Her to not explore death/dying because of a history of suicidal ideation (which She helped me out of). I just feel like I’m doing something different/wrong than Her other followers. Also- my experience is very similar or the other anon. I was a preteen at Catholic school when I first met Her and She helped out of a dark plac

It’s 100% okay, love! That’s one the reasons the gods have epithets so we can emphasize specific aspects of them!

I totally understand how you feel tho because my worship of Artemis is very different than the majority of her followers (at least of what I’ve seen). So I get how it feels like you’re doing something wrong especially since humans are naturally designed to want to follow the group. But I assure you that what you’re doing is completely fine! Persephone herself instructed you to do this so ultimately that’s what matters.

Im happy you have Persephone by your side guiding you and helping you! 💕

[tsarisfanfiction]

Hi! Are you planning to write any fanfics connected to Eclipse?

Like idk maybe something from Will's or Nico's perspective? It would be intersering to see what they think about their fathers' actions and it would be funny to see them try to explain the whole thing to Will's sibling. "We were chilling in the Underworld while our dads were doing a quest for us in the Tartarus" is quite a story.

Or maybe Apollo visiting Hades (and Persephone, I think Apollo and Persephone would get along well and Persephone would be happy that Hades is fixing at least one family relation) after some time had past? More nephew and uncle bonding is always welcomed <3

Or something with Asclepius? Maybe from his perspective? How is his new punishment going? What about his wife and daughters?

I don't remember if they were ever mentioned in the books but in the mythology Asclepius has a wife - Epione and 5 goddesses daughters (Hygieia being most well known). All of them were healing deities so I imagine they were rather close with Asclepius (Hygieia was closely associated with Asclepius and worshiped and portrait alongside her father).

So in the context of Eclipse - I can't even imagine how they must have felt when their husband/father was thrown to Tartarus (aka the worst place that exists) and they had no power to stop it because nobody can say "no" to Zeus. They must be heartbroken.

Apollo should probably tell them that Asclepius is fine (damn, he probably have never even meet them if he couldn't visit Asclepius for the last 4000 years). Can he even tell them anything? I mean Zeus can't find out about Asclepius's change of punishment so it could be dangerous to tell anyone. Would Hades allow them to visit Asclepius too? 6 healing related goddesses visiting Underworld would be something rather suspicious so they would have to hide that well.

Actually, Hades and Asclepius could bond over missing their wives.

Asclepius: This new punishment is not so bad, I'm grateful that my father is allowed to visit, but I really miss my wife and daughters. Zeus didn't even let me to say goodbye to them :(((((

Hades who hasn't seen Persephone in 3 months and can't interact with Hazel because she is supposed to be dead: same :(((

Sorry, I got carried away, this is longer than it was supposed to be haha

Anyway, I love Eclipse (and your other ToA fics), thank you so much for writing this masterpice! I had so much fun reading it, I was never so invested in a fanfic in my entire life. It was absolutly amazing and I can't wait to read your next projects <3

Hi! I'm glad you liked Eclipse so much :D

I don't currently have any solid plans to write more in this universe, although it is a universe I'm sad to see go now that Eclipse is fully out there in the world so never say never... But none of my currently-planned projects are based in this universe, sadly.

Hygieia does appear in the books, but sadly in a more antagonistic role as her father's jailer (and also seems to be some sort of robot iirc, which was weird), so I'm not too sure how much she'd care about Asclepius being punished elsewhere. None of the others are ever mentioned in the books to my recollection.

There's definitely a lot of scope for side-stories and spin-offs from Eclipse, and even if I'm not the one that writes them, I'm always fine with people exploring that themselves if they want (ReadTheBooks on AO3 has already written and posted an Asclepius pov oneshot based in the universe!).

Sorry if this wasn't the answer you were looking for - I've got way too many projects brewing as it is and the problem with working a full time job is that free time is at a premium - but I really am glad you love the universe enough to want more content from it!

[incorrect-au-master]

What does Hades and Persephone think about how they're portrayed in Hades, Hadestown, God Of War, Underworld Love Story, Punderworld, Clash Of The Titans, Percy Jackson books, Marvel, DC and so on since I have always loved that kind of meta

Hades:

On one half: offended. On the other half: flattered.

Seriously, i don't know why would anyone think of me as an enemy for Olympus OR my brother. Sure, he's not exactly easy to deal with, but in the end trying not to involve with him too much is always the better option...

It's not that i don't ACTUALLY like being portrayed as a villain of some short, that's a role i'm used to be seen as and kinda enjoy for a laught. But as much as death is seen as an unpleasant thing, does it really need to be portrayed as evil?

I enjoy the depictions of me as a loving husband tho. I'm glad i can still get credit for that.

---

Persephone:

Most of the time i'm only seen just as either Hades' wife or Demether's daughter, which... it's a part of who i am yes... but i kinda like it more when they explore a bit more of my personality aswell...

I mean, I like to think i have plenty of sides, and when they get to show them it's when i can actually enjoy how i'm getting depicted.

Specially when they make me look villainous. Most people forget about that and i WANT them to know ;)

[justmenoworries]

Lore Olympus Episode 239 Spoilers

Okay, something positive first. Credit where it's due, the new designs shown in this episode slapped. I really liked Morpheus' new look, Persephone's Dream Realm dress and haircut and holy shit do I adore Erebos! (At least I think that at the end was supposed to be Erebos. It seems likely, since they show up in the flashback right after Persephone ate the pomegranate.)

Aaand, that's it for posititivy! Back to our usual program!

This whole episode seemed extremely rushed. Like, one episode prior we were making fun of Leuce for making the moves on Hades (yikes, btw) and now suddenly it's all "By the way, we found a way to explore the Dream Realm, we have no real idea how anything works or if it's dangerous or what the consequences would be if something were to go wrong, but we're just gonna send the Queen of the Underworld right in with no prep or practice runs whatsoever."

This all looks so poorly thought-out from Persephone's side.

Like, I'm glad we're finally doing something about Kronos and the child deity he's holding hostage, but this really needed some more build-up. Scenes of Morpheus training, Persephone consulting several specialists inculding Hecate on how they should utilize this, maybe even discussing failsafes for an emergency, like, oh, I don't know, Kronos noticing the fertility goddess he's been after is in his head and trying to take advantage of that by pulling a hostile takeover???

Quick question, why couldn't both Hades and Persephone go into the Dream Realm? When you're exploring unknown, possibly hostile territory, isn't it better to move in a group, so you can have each others' backs? It would also be an opportunity to show us that hxp are a power couple that work well together, instead of just having them tell us that's the case. But nah, that would take time away from the story once again drooling over how oh-so-special Persephone is.

God, Hecate's exposition dump was painful.

"As you know" is a widely mocked stock phrase for a reason. If the person you're talking to already knows what you're going to say, then why say it? You're basically admitting that you failed to convey the following information to the audience organically, so you're just gonna have a character talk to the camera for the next twenty minutes.

I'm also fairly certain this is the first time we've heard of this mysterious "interloper" who could be sabotaging/has sabotaged trips to the Dream Realm. Is that just their term for the child? That's kinda weird. If the child is reaching out through dreams, that's not them interloping, that's more them sending out a call for help, no?

Seeing Persephone have a positive memory of Demeter was sweet, but of course they immediately had to undercut it by switching to a memory of her and Hades doing it. And naturally that's the memory she has a hard time letting go of to move one, not the one with her loving mother whom she recently had a fight with. Makes total sense.

Gotta love how an ancient being like Kronos uses terms like "dumb fucking bitch" for insults. Did somebody just take an urban dictionary to Kronos's cell every view centuries, so he could stay up-to-date on the slang?

[stygicniron]

🗣️ !!

Writing Some Plots! -- @missallanea

Nico and Persephone threads always, could literally be about anything and I would be happy. but! Oh! Persephone going back to the Underworld for the winter threads because timely

I feel like Nico and Kagami would actually be good friends. They have similarly strict parents and we talked about Nico kinda wedged into Miraculous world at one point... if I can remember what we talked about oop

Sif and Freya threads with Nico though would be super fun! I love bopping him in his gow verse because gooooooosh that game is so good. I do have the subverse in nico's gow verse where he actually gets recruited early to odin's side/acts as a spy so that would be Super fun to explore with Freya