"Do you think it was my choice to wed a man I did not love? Live a life I did not choose? I was betrayed by the very gods that once saw me as their own. But no more." - Persephone
Persephone, the queen of the Underworld
Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, Persephone (Περσεφόνη) was the personification of the earth's fruitfulness and was also the Queen of the Underworld. She was the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. She was usually portrayed robed, carrying a sheaf of grain and smiling with the "Archaic smile" of the Kore of Antenor.
She was an innocent maiden who was abducted by Hades while she picked flowers in a field with Nymphs. Demeter searched everywhere for her daughter, until she was informed by Helios of what happened. The seasons changed because of Demeter’s depression, and mortals began to starve because their crops were dying. Cries from the mortals' hunger forced the gods who heard their anguish to confront Zeus. Angered by Hades, Zeus demanded he return Persephone, sending Hermes to retrieve her. Before doing so, however, Hades tricked Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds, which would force Persephone to return to him for a season each year.
In the God of War Series
God of War: Chains of Olympus
In God of War: Chains of Olympus, Persephone was the Queen of the Underworld and was the one responsible for orchestrating the events throughout the game. She had become bitter from caring over the fallen and allied herself with the dream god Morpheus and the mighty Titan Atlas, in hopes of destroying the world along with herself. This would be achieved by putting the gods to sleep by Morpheus’ power and freeing Atlas, allowing him to capture Helios and destroy the Pillar of the World.
While chasing his daughter, Calliope, in the Underworld, Kratos was met by Persephone and demanded to see his daughter. Persephone explained to Kratos that if were to see his daughter, who fled to the Elysium Fields, he would need to prove himself worthy by giving up his power and weapons. Only then would he be granted passage into the Elysium Fields as well.
As he met with his daughter, Kratos realized he had been tricked by Persephone when she revealed her plot to destroy the world. Persephone no longer wanted to live because of the fact that she married a man she did not love, lived a life she did not choose, and that she was betrayed by the very gods who called her their own. She would be at peace and be free from her miserable existence. She taunted Kratos over the fact that he could do nothing to save his daughter. He angrily tried to attack Persephone, but she merely blasted him away.
Kratos gave up his chance to be with Calliope to regain his powers and weapons so that he might be able to stop Persephone. Transforming, Persephone flew up the Pillar of the World, which Atlas had already been in the process of destroying. With his blades, Kratos managed to follow Persephone by latching himself onto her. They battled atop the Pillar, and Persephone was eventually defeated. In her last breath, she told Kratos that his suffering would never end.
Powers and Abilities
In her final battle with Kratos, Persephone displayed numerous types of special abilities. She has the power to fly with great speed thanks to her set of wings. She can deliver diving strikes at Kratos wit her fists, and she can also summon large rocks of debris to hurl at him. In the second phase of the battle, she has the ability to throw projectiles at Kratos, and shoot a large beam of energy at him.