Lore Olympus
Lore Olympus is a romance webcomic created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe. The comic is a modern retelling of the relationship between the Greek goddess and god, Persephone and Hades. It began publishing weekly on WEBTOON in March of 2018. It is currently the most popular comic on the WEBTOON platform and has more than 4 million subscribers. The comic has been nominated for an Eisner Award and a Ringo Award, and a television series based on the comic is under development.
1. LORE OLYMPUS Vol.I by Rachel Smythe
SYNOPSIS
Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love—witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s best-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe.
Persephone, a young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she’s allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods.
When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld.
Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place—and her own power.
2. LORE OLYMPUS Vol.II by Rachel Smythe
SYNOPSIS
Persephone was ready to start a new life when she left the mortal realm for Olympus. However, she quickly discovered the dark side of her glamorous new home—from the relatively minor gossip threatening her reputation to a realm-shattering violation of her safety by the conceited Apollo—and she’s struggling to find her footing in the fast-moving realm of the gods.
Hades is also off-balance, fighting against his burgeoning feelings for the young goddess of spring while maintaining his lonely rule of the Underworld.
As the pair are drawn ever closer, they must untangle the twisted webs of their past and present to build toward a new future.
3. LORE OLYMPUS Vol.III by Rachel Smythe
SYNOPSIS
All of Olympus—and the Underworld—are talking about the God of the Dead and the sprightly daughter of Demeter. But despite the rumors of their romance, Hades and Persephone have plenty to navigate on their own.
Since coming to Olympus, Persephone has struggled to be the perfect maiden goddess. Her attraction to Hades has only complicated the intense burden of the gods’ expectations. And after Apollo’s assault, Persephone fears she can no longer bury the intense feelings of hurt and love that she’s worked so hard to hide.
As Persephone contemplates her future, Hades struggles with his past, falling back into toxic habits in Minthe’s easy embrace. With all the mounting pressure and expectations—of their family, friends, and enemies—both Hades and Persephone tell themselves to deny their deepest desires, but the pull between them is too tempting, too magnetic. It’s fate.
4. LORE OLYMPUS Vol.IV by Rachel Smythe
SYNOPSIS
The rumor mill of Olympus is constantly churning, but Persephone and Hades are all anyone can talk about. With the constant gossip creating intense pressure on the pair, they decide to slow down their budding romance and focus on sorting out their own issues first. But that’s easier said than done.
Hades struggles to find support in his personal life, with Zeus trivializing his feelings and Minthe resorting to abusive patterns in their relationship. And while Hades tries to create healthier boundaries where he can—like finally putting a stop to his sporadic, revenge-fueled hookups with Hera—he still feels lonely and adrift.
Persephone feels equally ostracized as her classmates shun her for her connection to Hades, and she can find no refuge at home, with Apollo constantly dropping by unannounced and pushing his unwelcome advances. And on top of it all, the wrathful god of war, Ares, has returned to Olympus to dredge up his sordid history with the goddess of spring, threatening to surface Persephone’s dark and mysterious past and ruin her tenuous position in the land of the gods.
Despite agreeing to take it slow, Persephone and Hades find themselves inextricably drawn toward each other once more amid the chaos. The pull of fate cannot be denied.
5. LORE OLYMPUS Vol.V by Rachel Smythe
SYNOPSIS
It is Persephone’s birthday, and she receives the ultimate gift: Hades confesses his desire for her, leading to their first kiss. But that doesn’t necessarily make things easier for the goddess of spring, who is still in over her head in gossip-driven Olympus. Persephone feels intense guilt over the official breakup between Hades and Minthe, she is struggling to find her footing in her fast-paced job, and—worst of all—the shades of her past are slowly coming to light.
After an unexpected encounter with Apollo, Persephone flees into the depths of the Underworld. Concerned for her safety and determined to find her, Hades must team up with Artemis, Eros, and Hera, but they’re working against a ticking clock. Zeus knows about the bloody secret in Persephone’s past, and now the furious king of the gods will stop at nothing to bring her to justice.
6. LORE OLYMPUS Vol.VI by Rachel Smythe
SYNOPSIS
Chaos reigns in Olympus as Zeus publicly declares Persephone a traitor and issues a warrant for her arrest. But Hades defies his brother’s decree, sheltering Persephone in the Underworld—and as the pair spend more time together, they are able to speak openly about their pasts. The goddess of spring admits the truth behind the bloody secret that led to Zeus’s ire, and the king of the Underworld shares the trauma he suffered at the hands of his power-hungry father, Kronos.
But as Hades and Persephone’s relationship grows stronger, others begin to fall apart. The bond between Hades and Zeus is stretched to its limit, threatening to fracture the peace between their realms. Persephone and Artemis’s friendship hangs by a thread as the goddess of the hunt slowly uncovers the vile truth about her twin, Apollo. A line is being drawn in the heavens, putting everyone’s loyalties into question as all the gods are forced to choose sides. And as the cracks in the foundation of the pantheon spread, something darker and more earth-shattering might soon be released…
7. LORE OLYMPUS Vol.VII by Rachel Smythe
SYNOPSIS
The rifts between realms grow ever wider as the temporary shelter Persephone had found in the Underworld is destroyed. Apollo has captured Demeter, turning the fugitive goddess over to Zeus in an attempt to win the king’s favor. Persephone and her mother must now stand trial for concealing Persephone’s unsanctioned act of wrath—though the goddess of spring feels secure with Hades on her side. But safety is not guaranteed in the world of the gods.
As the trial brings to light truths and betrayals that threaten to upset everything—even Hades and Persephone’s relationship—the other gods face perils of their own.
Eros uncovers Ampelus’s secret during a fight in the Mortal Realm. Thanatos and Daphne’s budding relationship is threatened by a vengeful Apollo. Minthe is trapped in her cursed form until Persephone gains full control over her powers. And Hera is haunted by the specter of Kronos, whose influence in Olympus seems to be growing…
Witness what the gods do… after dark. The friendships and the lies, the gossip and the wild parties, and of course, forbidden love. Because it turns out, the gods aren’t so different from us after all, especially when it comes to their problems. Stylish and immersive, this is one of mythology’s greatest stories—The Taking of Persephone—as it’s never been told before.
Lore Olympus is an adaptation of the classic Greek myth, The Abduction of Persephone in a mostly modern setting. The webcomic includes modern technology such as smartphones, sports cars, and tabloids. However, scenes in the realm of the mortals take place in the time of the original myths. The comic deals with strong themes of rape, harassment, abuse, and trauma. So, trigger warnings for that.
The story begins with Hades attending a party of Zeus’s after his partner Minthe breaks up with him. Persephone has been allowed to leave the mortal realm and visit Olympus by her mother, Demeter. Hades takes notice of Persephone and comments to his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon that Persephone’s beauty rivals that of Aphrodite. Out of jealousy, Aphrodite calls on her son, Eros, to get Persephone extremely intoxicated and dump her in the back seat of Hades’ car in an attempt to have her embarrass herself in front of Hades. After their initial encounter from this incident, Hades and Persephone both express an interest in each other and attempt to become an official couple.
Plots in season one of the webcomic include Persephone seeking Hades’ help to bring back friends who died when mortals uprooted sacred plants, a scheme by Minthe, Thanatos, and Thetis to ruin Persephone’s reputation, the rape of Persephone by Apollo, and Persephone’s conflicted thoughts over a college scholarship that requires her to refrain from sex.
In season two, however, the plot weaves into a grand scheme of hard politics, alongside the topics covered in the previous season.
I am personally a huge fan of the comics. You should know that there are many reasons to read Lore Olympus, but the simplest is to see Rachel’s brilliant take on my favourite myth. Her story is flawlessly enthralling, heartwarming, and painful. The characters confront timeless issues through a modern lens, breaking down the romanticization of rape and abduction with grace and intrigue. The author updates the series every Sunday, and I find myself awaiting the notification with bated breath.