Lore Olympus: Volume One

In flashback, Aphrodite sends Eros off to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest creature he can find. Eros assures her that he will, blows her a kiss, and takes flight. He passes through Hades’s home on his way to the mortal realm.

Eros finds a small pig and decides it will do for the task. He finds Psyche in her room, wearing a veil and painting a picture of a winged man that looks like him. He agrees that she is beautiful, for a mortal. He follows her through the house, invisible to her. Psyche’s mother tells her that her father has started searching for a husband for her; she slaps Psyche for asking if it is too soon. Psyche’s mother tells her she should be grateful that her beauty makes her a desirable bride. Eros calls her a “bitch.” Even though he is gaining sympathy for Psyche, he notches an arrow and levels his bow at her.

Later, at his and Aphrodite’s home, the presence of the small pig on a leash indicates Eros was unable to do his job. He tells Aphrodite he wants his own apartment; she assents.

At Psyche’s betrothal feast, her siblings express their dislike of their father’s apparent favoritism toward Psyche. Psyche, however, is deeply upset, seated at the side of her rich husband-to-be. Suddenly, the torches go out, and Eros appears in a terrifying god form, with wings, a battle helmet, and eyes glowing red in the dark. He takes Psyche, claiming that he is the ugliest creature in the world.

Sometime later, Psyche and Eros are sharing a house. Psyche practices her handwriting and goes to Eros for help with the letter Q. Psyche looks hesitant. Eros asks if she wants to sleep in his room.

Eros and Psyche have sex. After, Psyche tells Eros she wishes she could go outside. Eros worries what would happen if Aphrodite found her. Instead of letting her leave, Eros agrees to let her have visitors, even though he has a bad feeling.

Psyche’s sisters visit. They call her naive for living with Eros; she does not even know his name. They say it is shameful that he is teaching her to read and write. Psyche protests that he treats her kindly and listens to her in a way that nobody else ever has. They think he might be an evil wizard who plans to harvest her soul. They give Psyche a dagger and advise her to kill Eros in his sleep.

At night, Psyche sneaks into Eros’s bedroom with the dagger, tears spilling down her face. Seeing his wings, she remembers her painting and realizes who he is. Psyche knocks something over, waking him up. Eros’s trust is shattered. Psyche wonders why he did not tell her he was a god.

The flashback ends. Eros tells Artemis and Persephone that Psyche begged him to forgive her, but he was too heartbroken. Eros went to Aphrodite about the situation, and she said she would take care of it. Now, he thinks he overreacted. Aphrodite will not tell Eros where Psyche is, and she uses her against him. Artemis’s face throughout these panels shows her distaste, especially when Eros squeezes her and Persephone by the shoulders. Artemis calls his story “bullshit,” pointing out that he kidnapped and imprisoned Psyche, only to “ghost” her when she questioned the situation. Persephone, meanwhile, is not paying attention. She texts Hades on her new phone.

Eros has been crying for a long time. Persephone silently mouths to Artemis that they should comfort him; Artemis reluctantly agrees and goes to get him some water. Hades gets Persephone’s text, which shows it is from an unknown user. He tosses his phone away rather than replying.

Persephone tells Eros he is lucky to have someone to love; she will never have that because she is fated to live in service of others. Eros apologizes again for his role the previous night. Persephone agrees to forgive him if he puts his number in her phone. When he does, Eros sees that the only other number besides Artemis is Hades.

Eros asks for details about Hades, seeming to infer that Persephone slept with him. Eros is overjoyed by the fur coat Hades gave her; he tries it on and asks if he can have it. Persephone exclaims that it is hers and is immediately embarrassed by the outburst. She says it is the only modern clothing she owns: She has never been shopping. Artemis is displeased by the grin that appears on Eros’s face.

Eros takes Persephone shopping. She is unsure about him picking all of her clothes, but he is paying for everything, so she gives in. Despite her misgivings, she loves the outfit he chooses, and she hugs him, thanking him.

Persephone excuses herself to the bathroom to check her phone. Hades never replied to her text, which fills her with self-doubt. She places the empty sleeves of a suited mannequin over her shoulders, like a tall man is holding her from behind. Eros sneaks up and asks her again about Hades. She tells him that Hades made her feel important. Artemis arrives and tells them Apollo is waiting in the parking lot.

Like Artemis, Apollo is deep purple in color. He waits, leaning against his pure gold car. He plans to meet them for dinner.

When Persephone texted Hades, Hades was deleting voicemails from Minthe. The story flashes back as he deletes them. Hades contrasts images of Minthe with daydreams of Persephone with butterflies in her hair. He pulls out her introduction card, and muses that it does not even have her number. Down on himself, Hades wonders if Persephone would even want him to call her. He receives Persephone’s text and dismisses it as a random number.