Persephone

Persephone is the goddess of springtime and the queen of the Underworld. She is the daughter of Demeter and the wife of Hades.

History
Persephone used to live far away from the other deities, a goddess within Nature herself before the days of planting seeds and nurturing plants. When Persephone reached marriageable age, the gods Hermes, Ares, Apollo, and Hephaestus had all wooed Persephone; but Demeter rejected all their gifts and hid her daughter away from the company of the Olympian deities. Thus, Persephone lived a peaceful life before she became the goddess of the underworld, which did not occur until Hades abducted her and brought her into it.

Persephone's uncle, Hades was lonely, and wanted a wife. He spied Persephone one day, in the fields with her mother Demeter, and decided he would have her, admiring her. He soon fell in love with her, and plotted on how he would get her.

Persephone was innocently picking flowers with some nymphs in a field in Enna when Hades came to abduct her, bursting through a cleft in the earth. Later, the nymphs were changed by Demeter into the Sirens for not having interfered. Life came to a standstill as the devastated Demeter, goddess of the Earth, searched everywhere for her lost daughter. Helios, the sun, who sees everything, eventually told Demeter what had happened. She then stopped working the Earth, and the land didn't flourish.

Hades was determined to make Persephone love him, and tried in many ways. She hated him at first, for snatching her away from her mother, but she soon reveled that her mother wasn't around, as she had never been away from her before. He very much wanted her love and tried to buy it with many gifts at first, but then took to spending all of his day with her, trying to make her happy. As she wandered through the Underworld, she looked with wonder at the different dominions of Hades. She loved running around Elysium and the happy souls there. She laughed at the funny man pushing the stone and took pity on Tantalus, offering him some water. He thanked her with a hollow voice, knowing that she would forget him and that made the torment worse. Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, came down to the Underworld and befriended Persephone, and Hades was very appreciative towards her, because Persephone was not depressed or unhappy when her friend was around. She eventually grew to love him, which pleased him.

Finally, Zeus, pressed by the cries of the hungry people and by the other deities who also heard their anguish, forced Hades to return Persephone. However, it was a rule of the Fates that whoever consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Before Persephone was released to Hermes, who had been sent to retrieve her, Hades and Persephone decided that she would stay. She ended up eating four pomegrante seeds, which forced her to return to the underworld for a season each year.

In a slightly different version, Persephone, while falling in love with Hades, knew that part of the control she had on him fell on her indifference of him, and hiding her feelings, scorned his gifts, which made him sour, but soon would run off in search for another gift. In order to scorn him further, she swore she would not eat or drink a single thing untill she returned to her mother (although she was ignorant of the rules regarding eating in the Underworld). Hades tempted her with the finest foods and drinks, and although her hunger was inmense, she still refused.

On the day that Zeus sent Hermes to pick her up, Persephone walked through one of the gardens, and observed the child in charge of that small plot, eating a pomegrante. The boy offered to her quickly, stating that no one was looking. The fruit was juicy, and she could not resist. Six seeds she managed to swallow, when Hermes made his appearance and carried her out. As she was taken, she saw as the boy ran towards the palace of his master with the fruit on hand. By the time Persephone was brought back to Olympus, Hades was already there, making his case to Zeus. For the six seeds that she ate, Zeus decided, she would stay six months with Hades, and six with Demeter.

When Demeter and her daughter were united, the Earth flourished with vegetation and color, but for some months each year, when Persephone returned to the Underworld, the earth once again became a barren realm.

Relationship with Demeter
During her early life, Persephone only knew her father, her mother, and the nymphs that accompanied them. She grew up very close to her mother (she rarely saw her father Zeus) and her mother in turn became dependant upon her. Persephone eventually started to feel smothered by her mother. When Hades kidnapped her, she did not want to stay with him, and wanted to be rescued, but over time, she fell in love with him and was relieved to be free from her mother's bossiness, nagging, and smothering for a time. She deliberately ate the six pomegranate seeds, wanting to stay with her mother, but also wanted to stay with her husband. Demeter's relationship with her daughter is slightly unhealthy, as Demeter is only happy when she is with her daughter, but they both love each other dearly, despite the problems between them.

Relationship with Hades
When Hades kidnapped her, she did not want to stay with him, and wanted to be rescued, but over time, she fell in love with him and was relieved to be free from her mother's bossiness, nagging, and smothering for a time. He was very kind, and he didn't ever nag, boss, or smother her. He very much wanted her love and tried to buy it with many gifts at first, but then took to spending all of his day with her, trying to make her happy.

Persephone deliberatly ate the six pomegranate seeds, wanting to stay with her mother, but also wanted to stay with her husband. This came at a cost, as Demeter never could accept that her daughter had married Hades, and left 'her poor mother'. The nagging of Demeter increased with this action, but Persephone got to stay with her husband this way. She respects and loves him, calling him 'my lord'.

Children
Hades - Macaria, Tityos, Dis, Orcus

Zeus - Melinoe and Zagreus

Film
In the film The Lightning Thief, Persephone is played by Rosario Dawson. This is a contrast to the books where she makes her appearance in the last book. This is also contrast to the myth where she is supposed to be with her mother, Demeter, since it is not winter which the amount of time she spents in the Underworld. She has been seen in the trailers for the new film a few times now. When she was first mentioned by Luke it is said that during her time in the underworld she is constantly having "Secret visitors" and that they use the pearls to get out of the underworld. The first time she was seen sitting by a fire in the throne room before turning around to smile at the camera. The second time she is seen standing in front of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover outside of the throne room in the Underworld telling the trio that she and her husband have been expecting them (Percy in particular). She is also seen standing on the sidelines while her husband, Hades, is telling Percy that he'll give him his mother if he (Percy) will give him the Master Bolt. She also knocks out Hades with the lightning bolt before Hades can take it because if there is a war, Persephone can never return to Olympus. Persephone's personality is very much in contrast with the book series, where in the film she seems to very much dislike Hades and is constantly insulting him and talking back to him. Furthermore, she is extremely unfaithful to him, to the point that she is constantly taking other lovers and makes obvious attempts at seducing Grover.

Trivia

 * Nico is holding a grudge against her, because they once had a family spat and she turned him into a dandelion, though she is trying to be nice.