Persephone

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

History
Unlike Zeus' other children, Persephone has no stable position at Olympus. 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. She eventually grew to love him, which pleased him. 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.

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 six pomegrante seeds, which forced her to return to the underworld for a season each year.

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'.

Appearance
Persephone is first seen in the short story The Sword of Hades. She was deathly pale and had long dark hair with a billowing gown like smoke which actually reflected flowers blooming, and dark chocolate eyes. She is said by Percy to be sapped of her powers due to her being in the Underworld. And if she was in the upper world, she would be beautiful. Later, when it is summer-time, Persephone is said to be vibrant and full of beauty, even though she is in the Underworld.

The Lightning Thief
Persephone was briefly mentioned by Percy while in the Underworld facing Hades. For she is the only one able to calm his moods. But she was in the upper world with Demeter.

The Sword of Hades
In this short story, Persephone summons Percy, Thalia, and Nico to the Underworld to retrieve Hades' lost sword. It turns out that she orchestrated the sword's construction without Hades' instruction and locked the realm to make sure the thief wouldn't escape easily. She had a family spat with Nico months before where she turned him into a dandelion.

The Last Olympian
Persephone's mother, Demeter visits her in the Underworld. Even though Persephone could be above ground at the time Hades believes they will be safer in the Underworld. He is not happy to be having Demeter around, as she constantly nags Persephone about him, but otherwise they get along. Persephone is said to favor Orpheus and wanted Percy to be able to leave the Underworld. Later, Persephone, Demeter, and Hades join the battle for Olympus. With her mother, Persephone turned monsters of Kronos's Army into flowers and grain.

Film
In the upcoming film The Lightning Thief Persephone is to be played by Rosario Dawson. This is a contrast to the books where she makes her appearance in the last book. She has been seen in the trailers for the new film a few times now. The first time she 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 out side of the throne room in the Underworld telling the trio that she and her husband have been expecting them (Percy in particular).