Lore Olympus has never been a simple retelling. Across its run, Rachel Smythe’s webcomic has tackled sexual assault (which I covered in a previous feature), abuse, and the messy complexity of relationships in all their forms. As the series approaches the release of its final volume, Volume 11, on October 6, 2026, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what it has meant to me.
I’ve said this before, but I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology and retellings. Rachel’s take on Persephone’s story was fresh—quite different from the source material, in which she is abducted by Hades and tricked into eating pomegranate seeds, binding her to the Underworld for part of each year. In Lore Olympus, Persephone and Hades meet unintentionally, feel an undeniable connection, and slowly build something real together.
In a way, I relate deeply to Persephone. I didn’t earn a scholarship to escape familial control, but I strongly believe I didn’t truly begin living my life authentically until my mom passed away and I left my hometown. Perhaps that’s an oversimplification of what happened—but it’s still the truth. Like Persephone, I had to overcome traumatic hurdles, including sexual assault and harassment.
Persephone isn’t perfect. Nobody is. She’s frustrating at times, a little bit of a Y/N, and occasionally thoughtless. But at her core, she is a survivor. She begins by leaving Demeter’s control to live with Artemis, and later builds a relationship with Hades, who offers her autonomy rather than ownership. She survives Apollo’s assault, refusing to remain defined by her trauma. It takes time for her to rebuild—but she does it.
By the end of the story, Persephone transforms from a sheltered people-pleaser into a powerful ruler with boundaries. While I’m no queen, I am a survivor. Over the years, I’ve learned how to set boundaries with people and be firm with them. “No” is a full sentence, after all.
Her growth from beginning to end mirrors my own in ways I didn’t expect when I first started reading. And I suspect there are a lot of people who can relate to her in one way or another—whether they’ve experienced trauma, struggled to break free from expectations, or simply needed to see a character who grows into her own power on her own terms.
As Lore Olympus concludes, I find myself thinking about what it gave readers. It offered a Persephone who wasn’t just a myth—she was a person. Flawed, complicated, and ultimately worthy of love and respect. It offered a Hades who listened more than he took. And it offered survivors a story that didn’t flinch.
The final volume arrives October 6, 2026. For those who have followed Persephone’s journey from the beginning, it will be a bittersweet ending—but also a reminder that growth is never finished.
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