A Touch of Darkness

“Persephone might be the daughter of Demeter and the Goddess of Spring, but she couldn’t grow a damn thing.”

This moment establishes one of the central conflicts in the novel: Persephone’s lack of magical ability. This lack allows her to live among mortals but also causes her to battle self-confidence issues and struggle to find her place in the world.

“Who was this man, and how could she possibly feel this way about a stranger? She needed to break this connection that had created such a suffocating energy between them.”

Persephone first catches sight of Hades in his nightclub but fails to recognize him. Their instant connection from across the bar proves their mutual attraction and sets up an internal conflict within Persephone as she grapples with her moral code. Although the novel does not reveal this until much later, this scene also establishes that their meeting was predestined. In many ways, Persephone was born to be Hades’s partner.

“He was beautiful in a dark way – in a way that promised heartbreak.”

Hades’s description is the first reference to the title in the book, echoing its mention of darkness. Persephone also foreshadows her future sense of betrayal as she immediately gauges his power to break her heart.

“‘I see the soul,’ he said. ‘What burdens it, what corrupts it, what destroys it – and challenges it.’”

Hades describes one of his powers and implores Persephone to consider his contracts from his perspective. This is the first time that he explicitly defends himself against her accusations, and it shows that he is beginning to see her opinion as important. This marks a transition in their relationship that extends beyond their formal contract.

“They say Hades is protective of his realm, and while that is true, it isn’t about power. He cares for his people, protects them, and he takes it personally if anyone is harmed. If you belong to him, he will tear the world apart to save you.”

The more Persephone interacts with Hades’s employees, the more she learns that their view of him is very different from his portrayal in the media and by other gods. This provides the first evidence that Hades is not who he seems, making him seem more sympathetic. It establishes his characteristics as a protector, which his actions later verify.

“Life is hard out there, Hades, and sometimes living it is penance enough. Mortals need hope, not threats of punishment.”

Persephone outlines her critique of Hades’s way of dealing with mortal struggle. This moment is foundational in that it not only showcases Persephone’s kindness but also establishes the way of thinking that Hades will later use to create his Halcyon Project in her honor.

“‘How dare you speak to Lord Hades –’ Minthe began, but she stumbled when Persephone glared at her. She wished she had the power to turn Minthe into a plant.”

Persephone’s anger is an increasingly present emotion in her life as she begins to experience power and understand its role. She uses her anger to make people fear her, building tensions that culminate when she can finally use her magic. Further, this internal moment foreshadows Minthe’s fate, as Persephone eventually turns her into a mint plant.

“‘Because,’ he said and then thought for a moment. ‘It is important to me. I would rather explore your anger. I would hear your advice. I wish to understand your perspective.’ She started to open her mouth and ask why again when he added, ‘Because you have lived among mortals. You understand them better than I. Because you are compassionate.’”

Hades showcases his growth and his feelings for Persephone as the two argue about her tendency to flee when she feels strong emotions. This reinforces Persephone’s lack of experience in the world, as her anger comes from a place of being misunderstood and minimized by her mother. Hades shows respect for her by validating her anger and seeking guidance from it, contrasting his point of view with those of other gods.

“Don’t request things of me you cannot deliver yourself, Hades.”

Persephone demonstrates growth here by being willing to listen to Hades’s concerns and perspective, requesting that he stay and face his anger rather than leave. This line shows that she is starting to value his opinion and worry about his emotional state, an inclination of her growing feelings for him.

“When she finally pulled away, it was to nibble at his ear. ‘You will worship me,’ she said and rolled her hips against him. […] ‘And I won’t even have to order you.’”

This moment represents the first time that Persephone expresses confidence in her divinity. Here, worship serves as both a literal act of devotion and a metaphorical act of intimacy, two things Persephone was previously prevented from accessing. This foreshadows the eventual revelation that the gods’ power is tied to being worshipped, implying that the solution to her lack of magic was always available to her.

“She stared. How could this confident and powerful god feel unworthy of his people’s celebration? ‘If they feel you’re worthy of celebration, don’t you think that’s enough?’”

Hades’s shame over his past behavior manifests in his rejection of the souls, an act that becomes an accidental continuation of past cruelty. Persephone challenges this mindset, but in doing so, she displays hypocrisy grounded in her own lack of confidence. She similarly feels unworthy of the souls because of her inability to use magic. She and Hades, although they are sharply contrasted to each other in many ways, share self-conscious tendencies.

“She took another breath as heat rose up from the bottom of her stomach. As she inhaled the crisp Underworld air, she felt something … different. It was warm. It was a pulse. It was life.”

Persephone first encounters her power after experiencing intimacy with Hades. Despite her long history of killing plants, her power manifests as a form of life, which fulfills the expectations of her bargain with Hades. However, her magic remains elusive, indicating that she is starting down the path toward accessing her power but is still missing critical information before she can rise to her potential.

“Hades is the Lord of the Underworld, but he is not death, nor is he destiny. You may see a bargain with a mortal, but Hades is really bargaining with the Fates. He can see the thread of each human’s life, knows when their soul is burdened, and wishes to change the trajectory. Sometimes the Fates weave a new future. Sometimes they cut the thread.”

Hades never explicitly described his role in fateful bargains to Persephone; he briefly defended himself but mostly left her to her preconceived notions of him. Thanatos provides Persephone with a new perspective on Hades’s bets while also outlining more of his world’s restrictions, revealing the limitations to Hades’s power. The idea of destiny as a woven cloth is a common motif, especially in Greek literature, that is used to symbolize a person’s life.

“‘No soul has ever healed by dwelling on the past,’ Thanatos answered.”

Persephone learns more about the realm of the dead and the process of reincarnation. She gains a perspective of the process that contradicts popular ideas. By accepting souls into Elysium who endured significant internal trauma, such as struggles with addiction, Hades shows that he is aware of the difficulty of these issues, even if his way of “helping” these people in life is ill-conceived.

“I’m not interested in romanticizing Hades for something all men should be doing.”

Persephone faces significant curiosity as her relationship with Hades becomes more apparent to the public. She points out the insincerity of many of the questions that are posed to her by challenging the idea that Hades is heroic because he created the Halcyon Project for her sake. Instead, she insists that he should be making decisions with the good of humanity in mind. This subverts traditional romance tropes in which all grand gestures are viewed in terms of romance.

“Respect could build an empire. Trust could make it unbreakable. Love could make it last forever.”

Persephone inadvertently reveals the complexity of her feelings for Hades while ruminating on broader institutions. Her feelings of respect, trust, and love for Hades are deepening, although she continues to deny them at this point in the novel. Her self-denial remains one of the novel’s central conflicts as she finds herself navigating the public eye.

“Still, she felt like an imposter – an imposter goddess, an imposter queen, an imposter lover.”

Despite her growth and the plethora of experiences that support her larger role in the world, Persephone still struggles with self-confidence. Because she cannot trust herself to be worthy of titles like goddess and queen, she experiences anxiety and fear when she is faced with situations that should be pleasurable. This reveals the depth of her trauma from growing up restricted by her mother, as well as her struggle to find out where she belongs.

“Let me worship you.”

This line fulfills Persephone’s premonition that Hades will worship her. He becomes the first worshipper of the Goddess of Spring, although his actual acts of worship began much earlier than his articulation of this line. His worship empowers Persephone both symbolically, as she starts to see herself as deserving of their relationship, and literally, as her magic grows.

“‘I know because you are kind and compassionate and you fight for your beliefs, but mostly, you fight for people. That’s what gods are supposed to do, and someone should remind them, because a lot of them have forgotten.’ Lexa paused. ‘Maybe that’s why you were born.’”

Lexa’s perspective as both a mortal and Persephone’s friend grants her insight into Persephone’s strengths and how they fit into the broader power dynamic the gods present. She implies that Persephone’s true power comes from her strong feelings for mortals and their struggles, validating Persephone’s life without magic and stating a version of her destiny that no one else noted. Her words showcase the power of everyday heroic acts such as kindness and compassion, especially when contrasted to magical but aloof divinities.

“The goddess shook her head. ‘Because… until today, I didn’t believe in love.’”

This moment of situational irony represents the divine beings’ lack of belief in love. Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, does not believe in her own domain after years of power struggles and strife. However, Persephone’s true love for Hades challenges this notion, further reinforcing her power in realms that are not related to direct magic.

“She considered this, and despite what she had learned about Hades today, she believed in the god’s power. Hades knew the soul. If he felt this man had changed, he would grant him his wish to reside in Asphodel.”

This shows a strong transition in Persephone’s beliefs about Hades, indicating the growth in their relationship and the changes in her approach to the world. Previously, she believed that Hades was cruel and distant, but she now knows how much he cares for the souls he rules. Even though she is heartbroken and feels victimized by Hades, her faith in his divine domain overrules her pain.

“She paused at that and turned to face him. She was so angry her body vibrated. If he was trying to tell her he loved her, he needed to say it. She needed to hear the words.

Instead, he shook his head and said, ‘You are your own prisoner.’”

Hades and Persephone have vastly different motivations. Although they love each other, she needs verbal confirmation of that love, while he believes that she needs inspiration and support to break free of her preconceived notions of herself. Their different ideas and needs create a rift that cannot be neatly reconciled until their communication improves.

“See, that’s the problem with you trying to control my life. You’re wrong. You’ve always been wrong. I know I’m not the daughter you wanted, but I am the daughter you have, and if you want to be in my life, you will have to let me live it.”

Persephone’s final confrontation with her mother lets her expose all the feelings she repressed during a lifetime in hiding. Persephone is challenging not only her mother but also herself: This is the first time she truly stands up for herself to her mother. She has the goal of reconciliation but finally claims her life as her own and is empowered to make choices that were otherwise suppressed. Persephone’s newfound access to magic grants her the power she needs to become a fully independent adult and goddess.