Lore Olympus Volume 10
Trigger Warnings: Toxic/abusive relationships, strained family dynamics, mind control, and murder
Once again, Smythe is able to showcase the iconic Greek Gods in a way that matches their story while making them relatable to where the audience wants to find out what happens. I was looking forward to this new volume and pre-ordered this volume and after reading the graphic novel, I was not disappointed. The character dynamics and color palette shine. The way we weren’t only able to focus on Hades and Persephone’s relationship, especially as it would’ve been easy to make the journey to getting married the main focus in this volume, Smythe was able to balance out the light-heartedness of this section while also balancing the heavier undertones in the graphic novel such as the murder plot against Zeus, the manipulation/abuse Athena takes in order to defeat Kronos, and the breakdown in Demeter and Persephone’s mother/daughter relationship. Everything in this novel had me captivated from the beginning to the very end.
The highlight in this novel is the way Smythe was able to capture the breakdown in Demeter and Persephone’s relationship. It would’ve been easy to characterize Demeter as a secondary villain with Kronos as the main villain that’s we focus on, Smythe was able to let her have layers and we can understand her POV. While I don’t support her and the pain she causes Persephone, especially since she has a bias against Hades, who seems to be making an effort and making sure Persephone is taken care of, we can see her perspective and how she just wants the best for her daughter. It’s often in literature/media have the mother be the villain and the daughter is the victim in the relationship and I know first hand that is far from the truth. Everyone has faults and no one is a victim/villain. They are able to compromise and I’m glad Persephone, while willing to compromise with Demeter, knows her own boundaries and willing to have her feelings be heard instead of being degraded. It’s rare to see this sort of compromise in literature and while realistically it wasn’t going to end in the relationship going back to the way it was, it was nice to see some nice compromise being made and how they can slowly rebuild the relationship, even if its after the series ends.
An element that I found intriguing was the relationship between Hades and Persephone. Up until this point, they have been pining for one another and when we finally got to see them reunited and get married, I was thrilled. However, as much as I was thrilled to see them married, I would be curious to see how the dynamic changes. Often, there’s a lev el of resentment that happens when characters get married and when careers take off and the other doesn’t, there’s a bitter resentment and a trope where one character goes through a stage of jealousy. However, this doesn’t happen and I was glad to see that the love was genuine. Throughout the volume, we see the connection grow and the subtle details that Hades has, from the way his eyes go wide when she is in the dreamscape, worrying about her to the way he looks down learning about the harm she causes. The exploration of his character development from being distant to opening himself up more is refreshing to see and the way she supports her and vice versa. The relationship feels authentic and raw to the point where when Persephone’s ceremony of transitioning from winter to spring goes awry, it stunned me and the guilt he feels is hard to read. The way the scenery is dark blue and white showcases the rawness in the scenery is beautiful. The journey they’ve gone through to be together was hard to see and most of knows that they can only see each other during only the coldest months is difficult to fathom and deep down I know this is coming, I just don’t know if i am ready, especially with the last few panels with them in the pool. The relationship between them shines in this volume and I love seeing the journey they go through up to this point and can’t wait to see what Smythe has for the upcoming volume.
The one secondary character that stood out to me with the exception of Demeter was Hera. Throughout the volume, we see the transition of her slow descent into depression and shame that comes with the cost of having a relationship with him in order to defeat him down the road. The pure look of exhaustion of the part she is playing and add that to the control he has over her is hard to look at. While it would’ve been easy to set aside her trauma of Kronos in her head, I’m glad we got to see glimpses of the pain she experienced and the realization she comes to on her own. It’s hard to see but realistic for anyone who has gone through domestic abuse/partner manipulation. I’ve seen it in Steven Universe and this is obviously an adult portrayal, it didn’t feel they downplayed it,but rather showcased the trauma for what it was and I hope Hera can recover down the road and be able to make peace with everything she went through down the road.
Finally, the climax in this volume is my favorite out of all the Lore Olympus series so far. The way Zeus’s attempted murder played out, while shocking played out perfectly. The way the whole scene was set up, From Zeus and the cupcake to Apollo’s eyes staring down at Hebe, who is in horror and the manipulation he plays. It’s unnerving to see as we all know Apollo is the one behind it, but the writing in those panels are clever and so on point for his character. I love this climax and how the attempted assassination of Zeus will come into play in volume 11 and how everything will come together, along with the Kronos storyline. I honestly love the writing and the characterization of Apollo, Hebe, and Ares. Ares, he is a true brother because the minute he hears, he comes running to his sister’s defense and is worried for her over the news and how everyone is portraying her as. It’s heartwarming to see and I hope we get more moments between them in the upcoming volumes. Seriously, when will Apollo be defeated? First, he rapes Persephone and now he tries to kill Zeus? Seriously, this is a scary character and I want justice for Persephone!
Despite loving this series, this series is not for kids!