Lore Olympus: Volume One

Lore Olympus interrogates the causes and dynamics of toxic relationships that are romantic, platonic, and familial. Smythe suggests that unhealthy relationships are abusive and degrading, but the cycle of abuse makes it difficult for an individual in such a situation to leave. Eros, for example, has an unhealthy relationship with his mother, Aphrodite. They love each other deeply, but Aphrodite uses his lover Psyche to threaten Eros into enacting her revenge on Persephone. This tugs at his conscience, but he is powerless to refuse his mother. Hades has a somewhat unhealthy relationship with Zeus, who occasionally bullies him, such as when Hades attempts to get out of going to family brunch. Persephone also has a somewhat toxic relationship with her mother, Demeter, who loved her daughter but refused to let Persephone have any sort of independence growing up. Demeter’s greenhouse embodies this tension, as Persephone finds it both comforting and restricting. Persephone wants independence, but finds it difficult to establish on her own after years of overprotection. Her lack of confidence directly contributes to her hesitancy in her budding relationship with Hades.