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Upon request I present...

Persephone, Goddess of Spring!

Persephone:

In comparison to her uncles, aunts, half-brothers and half-sisters, Persephone saw herself at the better end of ordeals. She had not been born when Cronus was in power. Zeus told his beloved daughter the stories of the war and tragedies which he saw as a means to educate her about the world and the direction it was going. But Demeter did not share the same thoughts of those stories as Zeus, so she took her daughter and raised her away from Mount Olympus. Persephone well remembers when she was a little girl and summer was year-round! She remembers playing with the nymphs of the water and forests, of her mother greeting her each and every morning.

Persephone rarely saw her father, though she figured he did not have the time for her and her mother. Demeter would often be called away to tend to the human's crops and harvests, Persephone would rush to greet her when she came home. Happy, strong, and full of life every day. Persephone knew humans died relatively quickly, she did not understand how they changed from a baby, then adult and then to a wrinkled state so much faster than she did. When she asked her mother about this, Demeter replied, "It is the way things are." And Persephone accepted that her mother spoke the simple truth.

Yes, Persephone was a child to the rest of her family. And Persephone loved being the child! She got everything she wanted, and when she wanted it. But along with being a child came with a child's curiosity. Demeter had her child under careful watch whenever she was away. Persephone would sometimes see humans while she was out exploring. The humans would be hard at work, talking with each other, playing with animals; all things Persephone was able to understand. One thing she did see and not understand was being in love. The humans kissed, exchanged words of love, and looked at those they loved with glistening eyes. Persephone never saw her mother and father any of doing that. She only knew of being in love from the nymphs. Some of them had loves, but none came for Persephone.

This had not bothered her at first. Persephone had the love of her mother and friends to keep her happy, some of the mortals (as her friends called them) did not even have that. And none of them were the child of Zeus and Demeter. But even when there was no winter, time still passed. Persephone grew and saw each one of her friends fall in and out of love. No one came for her. It was in this melancholy that she accidently uttered, "Where are you little god of love? Why haven't you struck me with your golden arrow?" And of all times for Persephone's father to be listening.

Demeter and Zeus had been arguing about this for some time. Demeter loved her daughter and wanted to keep her always by her side. Zeus loved Persephone too, but had been denied keeping her with him. Zeus did not do this in revenge or spite, he did not do this which much thought of Demeter or Persephone's feeling either. But when Hades took the trouble to secretly come up to Mount Olympus and practically beg his brother for the lovely Persephone, Zeus jumped to the conclusion that this all would be for the best.

Persephone was taken against her will, she would never deny that. This was not the romance she had envisioned so many times. Her mother was nowhere, her father had given her away like a vase, and nothing of the living world was present in the Underworld. She hated Hades. His kind words and beautiful gifts were overshadowed by the reminder than none of this had been her consent! Persephone voiced her thoughts and broke everything or ignored what was brought to her. Even food. Persephone knew her mother had to be searching for her, she thought if she held out long enough Demeter would come. But it took so long…

At the end of her myth, Persephone spent half the year with Demeter and half in the Underworld. But for a great many years she would not speak or see her father. Zeus didn't even try the first thousand; the earth had been forever changed by his hasty actions. Demeter had to go through an adjustment phase that she never seemed to get out of. Every year she became sad at the loss of her daughter. As for Persephone and Hades… She couldn't believe how well things worked out between them! It took a while for sure, not as long as it took for Persephone to forgive her father though.

Persephone took well to being Queen of the Underworld. Love was still around her, even among the dead heroes Persephone was a symbol of life. This is what gained her the title Goddess of Spring! Persephone brought life to wherever she went. She and Hades had a better marriage than any of the other gods; no cheating and one daughter! Even her mother counted that as a tremendous success! Persephone still maintained the lightness and sweetness she had fostered as a young child, but her father's lightening and mother's magic still radiated from her when she became angered!

Theresa became her prime pupil. Persephone was not shy around the young heroes, but she worried she would not be able to relate to them. She was no longer the youngest goddess by far, but if she compared herself to Hermes she was very inexperienced with mortal lives. Yet something clicked. For the first in the longest time someone was coming to her for help! They treated her like a respectful and powerful woman, not a young, naïve daughter of Zeus. Persephone broke special rules for them, like entry to the Underworld. And she found she had a lot more in common with Theresa than she initially thought. Both had grown up in privilege, and they both had a capacity for love and caring. Persephone was proudest in that for once she was the adult and she taught her student all she could think of.

Persephone's worst fear was realized when Theresa produced that phantom! She felt it was her initial fear of not being able to connect with Theresa on an emotional level that had caused this. And when her immortality was taken away, the pain and fear of a mortal became known to Persephone. When all was given back, Theresa came running to Persephone full of tears and regret. Persephone had forgiven Zeus long before she met Theresa, but it was now that she felt true compassion for her student because of what he did all those years ago. Just like Persephone, Theresa had found herself in a position she could not get out of and had wanted so much to return to what she had loved.

Persephone now felt she could continue on as Theresa's mentor. They had been put together for a reason that Persephone could not see until now. Spring was a time of rebirth, of new chances, a return to life, of love that always comes back. Who better to forgive and continue on teaching the most powerful student in Olympus High than Persephone? That spring the flowers were even more beautiful and full of life than they had been in years that the Greek gods could only remember.