A Touch of Darkness

Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, begins the novel as a powerless goddess who poses as a mortal while attending journalism school in New Athens. She is a beautiful blonde with green eyes who must rely on her mother’s magic to create a glamour that hides her horns, a symbol of her divinity. She enjoys her quiet life of relative anonymity but struggles to meet the demands of her overprotective mother, Demeter. She has a strong moral compass, which is quickly revealed by her disdain for Hades and the contracts he creates with mortals.

As Persephone gains power, experience, and social standing, her desire to impact the world grows. She points out things that she perceives to be wrongs, challenges authority, and stands up for her beliefs. This shows a fundamental shift in her ideology; she moves from personifying her mother to wanting to actively change the world she lives in. Her actions culminate in her claiming agency over her life and shedding ties with toxic people as she becomes empowered enough to make her own decisions. The time she spends masquerading as a mortal gives her much-needed insights into mortal struggles, granting her a