Honest representation of difficult topics can be tricky to depict truthfully and realistically, which is why I am beyond thankful for Rachel Smythe's original webcomic, #LoreOlympus.
Image: Lore Olympus webcomic
TRIGGER WARNING: This post discusses themes of sexual trauma, mental abuse, and rape that may be distressing for some readers.
Representation.
It’s what any creator hopes to portray correctly, especially when writing about themes difficult to face head on, themes that everyday people don’t think about regularly.
Lore Olympus, a webcomic by Rachel Smythe on the Webtoons app, is a beautifully drawn and mindfully written deconstruction of the greek myth: Hades and Persephone. It tells the love story of the two gods in a modern setting, but also regularly deals with upsetting themes such as toxic relationships and emotional manipulation.
And rape.
As someone with an eating disorder, I’m fully aware that you don’t need to weigh 600 lbs and be on TLC to have issues with food. No pun intended, but eating disorders truly do come in all shapes and sizes. And so does rape.
It’s unfortunate how years and years of glitz and dramatic glam from hollywood have tainted the layperson’s understanding of that four letter word.
Just like my eating disorder, the reality of Persephone’s rape is not the first image people may picture. It’s not the sudden lightning strike from a psychotic stranger who attacks while a person is out alone, nor is it the sleazy character who coaxes the drunk into a bathroom at the back of a bar.
Rachel Smythe’s representation of rape calls forth a grave issue real people are dealing with this very second.
First, some context.
Image: Lore Olympus webcomic
Persephone, Hermes, Artemis, and her brother Apollo are out shopping for supplies. At the grocery store, Apollo meets Persephone for the first time. The sun god wastes no time optimizing every opportunity he sees to talk to the spring goddess––and wasn’t the nicest when doing so.
Back at Artemis’s house, Persephone begins to bake but ends up cutting herself with a knife. While Artemis and Hermes search for a first aid kit, Apollo takes the time to apologize to Persephone for his earlier unsavory behavior and remarks. Persephone thought it over and begrudgingly accepted his apology, willing to move on from his lackluster first impression.
That night, the four gods are on the couch watching a movie. Persephone turns in early, and Artemis follows a few minutes after, telling her brother and Hermes they’re welcome to finish the movie and leave when it’s done. Hermes dozed off watching the movie, and instead of leaving, Apollo made his way down to Persephone’s room (she’s Artemis’s roommate in Olympus).
In less than twenty four hours, Apollo meets Persephone, determines their make-up moment had somehow been flirtatious, woke the spring goddess from her slumber, and nagged her until she agreed to have sex with him.
Image: Lore Olympus webcomic
Forty episodes later, Persephone allows Eros, who she had befriended during that time, to use his powers to understand the full scope of what happened that night.
Images: Lore Olympus webcomic
“Persephone, that’s rape.” Eros states.
“But I said it was ok.” Persephone says with tear soaked eyes.
“Listen–listen.” Eros grasps her hands and looks her in the eyes with grave concern. “Nobody should be able to come into your bedroom, wake you up, and––you don’t just get to nag someone into having sex with you. That’s not how consent works. You didn’t mess up. Apollo did.”
Artemis was the one to stick her neck out for Persephone and allowed the spring goddess to say with her in Olympus––all without even knowing her that well. They grew to be very close friends. During the forty episode bridge between the rape and Persephone finally feeling comfortable enough to tell Eros, the spring goddess crushed her words every time Artimis talked about Apollo.
Artemis is her good friend, and Apollo is her brother.
In no way was Persephone suspecting Apollo to be capable of rape and yet, it happened.
Rachel Smythe, through her execution of this story, understands how rape, just like my eating disorder, is not black and white, not a textbook-case every time it happens, and not something anyone could ever be prepared for.
And just as she understands the complexities of how rape can occure, Smythe knows that rape isn’t something a victim is ready to report the second after it occurs.
Even after confessing to Eros, Persephone makes him promise not to tell anyone. Even weeks after the rape took place, she still isn’t prepared to report it.
She said she’s “not up to it.”
And, in Eros’s realistic, brilliantly written response, he said he will stand by his promise of keeping this a secret so long as Persephone promises see a therapist––and as soon as Persephone feels ready to report the rape, Eros will be right there to help her.
Hundreds of Lore Olympus fans who have personally experienced trauma applauded Smythe for her representation of rape and its aftermath.
Images: Lore Olympus webcomic comment section
I'd like to see more work like Smythe’s be released in the coming years. Rape, or any other trauma similar for that matter, is a difficult subject to incorporate into a story. Reading about it through the story of a fictional character with a very real, human life helps other real people come to terms with painful issues they have yet to face.
Hopefully Smythe’s Lore Olympus inspires other writers to showcase for their readers the reality of trauma––cleansed of the black and white picture mainstream media paints it as.
I've my own experience with SA, and I personally believe that this subplot was handled quite well. I'm also someone who's more than familiar with the "rape for drama" subplots that crop up in many stories, especially within romance stories, and I don't see LO's take on rape being that. Persephone's trauma is her own, it lingers with her, it interferes with her desire for intimacy, and it ultimately leads to her speaking out about it in therapy. Her pain is the focus, and Hades' reaction to it near the end of season 2 is barely a blip (he even apologizes for even making it about himself for that brief scene). Apollo doing this to Persephone has not been used…
As a victim myself, I can say it handled the rape pilot horribly. It was only written to forward Hades and Persephone's relationship (which is already HORRIBLE due to the power imbalance), but it is also extremely disrespectful in its depiction of Apollo. I dropped the comic after that.