Neon Gods

The ruler of the lower city, Hades is largely regarded as a figure of myth. He prefers the relative political freedom of obscurity, partly because his rule was weakened after Zeus’s brutal murder of his parents during his childhood. Persephone’s arrival literally upends his world, as it forces a more open conflict with Zeus along with changing Hades’s perceptions of himself and what he deserves in a partnership. Hades is intensely loyal and community minded, regarding all of the residents of the lower city as under his protection and care. He extends similar care to Persephone, worrying about her wounds and her habit of not eating enough. He sometimes resents the way his public image makes this side of himself secret, as when he finds Persephone sleeping in the bathtub because “she’s in big bad Hades’ house so she just assumes she’ll be harmed in some way” (63). Hades finds himself confronting similar assumptions about Persephone. She quickly grasps why he uses his personal preference for public sex as a political weapon, since it makes him more intimidating and plays on anxieties people already have about him. Eventually, he reflects, “they have no idea what an asset you are in the upper city, do they?” (103).

Hades is careful to balance his strong attraction to Persephone with his responsibilities to her as the dominant partner. He reflects ruefully, “she’s too fucking fearless—she rushes forward even when her mind and body are screaming at her to slow down” (169). Though Persephone is less experienced in kink, she brings out new levels of emotional intimacy for Hades, underlining that the two are equal and strong partners. He freely shows her his beloved greenhouse, explaining to her it has been a longtime refuge. Though he does not feel free to ask her to stay in Olympus, insisting “I don’t want to be yet another jailer she’ll come to resent,” he does ask her to name his dogs, underlining that he never wants to forget the role she has played in his life. During a subsequent kink scene, he reflects, “she deserves to be on the throne as my equal” and stages the scene accordingly (274).

Hades goes to the upper city to find Persephone, refusing to accept that she has returned to face Zeus alone. When he finds the other Thirteen have embraced an assassination of Zeus as the solution to their problems, he fears his own impulses, trying to tell his rival, “it doesn’t have to be like this” (344), remembering Persephone’s concern when he nearly killed a man while trying to save her sister, Eurydice. Persephone’s assurances she has chosen him freely and understands the choices he was forced into allow Hades to fully accept her love and confess his own feelings. His acceptance of her mother’s bargain, and request that she move in with him, underline that he, too, is willing to sacrifice and compromise, assuring the reader their partnership is truly on a balanced footing.

Persephone’s ambitious and calculating mother, Demeter is in charge of much of Olympus’s logistics and food supply. She is protective of her daughters but also sees them as part of her own political career. Demeter initially accepts Zeus’s proposal on Persephone’s behalf, saying smoothly, “of course she will, she’ll be honored to!” (11). Persephone reflects, “she simply sacrificed this pawn to get access to the King” (20). Demeter later retaliates against Hades, cutting off his access to food and supplies until he returns Persephone. She does this without Zeus’s knowledge, underlining that she has her own machinations and bases of power that do not depend upon the men around her.

Demeter has little concern for the wishes of others, as she “dismisses” Persephone’s reminder that “I never wanted to be Hera” (323), and never fully apologizes for the engagement scheme. She does explain that she would have neutralized Zeus immediately after the marriage, demonstrating that her emotional bonds with her daughters are genuine in her otherwise calculated world. Both Hades and Persephone find the scale of her ambition daunting, especially when Demeter tells her daughter, “I’d rather deal with his son and heir in the future” (323), demonstrating that she has endorsed Zeus’s death as a means of political change. She is casual in the aftermath of his demise, threatening Hades with bodily harm if he disappoints Persephone, but urging her daughters to the press conference announcing the change in rulers. Demeter’s love of power is her defining trait, even more than her love of family.

The ambitious leader of the Thirteen, Zeus is one of Olympus’s hereditary rulers. His wives, who take the title Hera, often die and are unable to cultivate independent power bases. Persephone is aware of other rumors that he brutalizes women. Zeus openly regards the women of Olympus as his property, surveilling and following them. At his engagement party to Persephone, Zeus tells her he has been “trying to corner you for the last few months,” underlining that he regards her as his prey, not a person (9).

Hades and Persephone decide to exploit the sexual politics of the upper city, and Zeus’s ego, by embarking on a public sexual relationship. At their final confrontation, Hades realizes how much Zeus’s own reputation revolves on a calculated image, facing him and noting, “he’s not a god or a king or even a monster, just an old man” without the advantage of makeup and a staged setting (339). Zeus underestimates both Demeter and Persephone, not realizing that the former has set up his assassination and also threatened the food supply in a strategy of her own. Ultimately, his hubris and sexism are key to his undoing, rather than his failure to win a contest of violence or physical force.

Hermes is Olympus’s official messenger, a trickster and thief, in accordance with her mythological role. Dionysus is her close friend and associate, in his role is that of the god of hedonism and wine.

The two frequently access Hades’s home to drink his wine and tease him, introducing comedic notes into the text. Hades finds Hermes “eating ice cream out of the carton” and nursing a hangover the day after Persephone’s failed engagement party (54), underlining that she, at least, is unconcerned with her public image in his presence. They are calculating in their own ways, as Hermes carefully urges Hades to reconsider his assessment of Persephone from the tabloid image he knows. Dionysus does the same when he tells Hades, “you and the sunshine girl might be able to help each other” (61). Hermes delights in Hades and Persephone’s growing relationship, but grows more serious when the political pressures intensify.

Both Hades and Persephone are frequently exasperated that the two take a more natural posture in their existential struggle, epitomized by the fact that they ferry Hades and Persephone to their destinations but do not participate in confronting either Zeus or Demeter. Their real feelings are also openly on display, however, as Hermes tells Hades, “I like her. I like you when you’re with her” (331). Their main function in the text is to show that Hades does enjoy sympathy and loyalty, much as he underrates this in favor of his self-image as an isolated ruler.

Persephone’s older sister, Psyche, like Persephone, is cynical and sharply observant. She tells Persephone to be realistic about her crush on the mythical Hades, and accept that there are no alternatives in Olympus other than raw power for its own sake. She is protective and supportive, offering Persephone comfort after the engagement party. Psyche privately alerts Persephone to the reality that Zeus is having them all watched, underlining her hypervigilance. She refuses to let Persephone feel guilt for her new life in the lower city, underlining the strength of their family bond.

Psyche chooses an unobtrusive public image of “cool” and “quiet” in contrast to Persephone’s visibility. Though she is largely a static character in this work, her relationship with Eros, son of Aphrodite, and growing role in Olympus is central in the second work in the series, Electric Idol.