Persephone (God of War)

"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 is an ancient Greek goddess of spring and innocence who was cursed to be both the wife of Hades and the Goddess of the Underworld, and she is the true antagonist in God of War: Chains of Olympus.

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 both Demeter and Zeus, and quite favored by Demeter. She was usually portrayed robed, carrying a sheaf of grain and smiling with the "Archaic smile" of the Kore of Antenor. The Romans called her Proserpina.

She was an innocent goddess 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 some tellings of the story however, it was Zeus who suggested the union, and sometimes even Persephone herself.

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 eventually comes across Persephone. Kratos demanded her to see his daughter. Persephone explained to Kratos that if he were to see his daughter, who fled to the Elysium Fields, he would need to prove himself worthy by giving up all of his powers and all of his weapons. Only then would he be granted passage into the Elysium Fields as well.

Persephone's Plan
As he finally reunited 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, she was living a life she didn't want, 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.

Cofronting Kratos
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 into an angelic looking warrior, 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, where Persephone was aided by Atlas. However, Helios, being held in Atlas's hand, radiated the ray of light which Kratos used to weaken the goddess. He then defeated her by smashing her weakened form with the Gauntlet of Zeus. In her last breath, the last words she said to Kratos was that his suffering would never end. When she died ther was an explosion. Because of that explosion the Pillar of the World was destroyed, forcing Atlas to forever hold the world on his shoulders.

Her actions would later foreshadow Kratos' own actions in taking revenge against the gods.

God of War III
Persephone only briefly appears, as part of a puzzle. She, like Ares, is buried in a decorated coffin. Hades himself later mentions her death as one of the many grievances the Lord of the Underworld has against Kratos. Also, when Kratos battles Hades, it is within one of Persephone's grottos, and her face is even engraved in the center of the floor where Kratos fights with Hades.

Personality
As Persephone has lived a miserable life since she was betrayed by the Gods and forced to wed Hades, she has come to bear a hatred towards not just Olympus, but the entire world. Her prejudice is so great, she is willing to commit suicide to destroy the world, her plan being to die in peace and bring the world down with her.

She seems to think of herself and Kratos as being similar, as they were both betrayed by the Gods. She has come to think that humanity is selfish and weak, and that is why she intends to eradicate it completely.

Completely convinced that all life in the world is corrupted, coming from her history of betrayal, she will stop at nothing to eradicate it, having no concern for her own life and no remorse for the dead that she has taken care of for far too long.

Powers and Abilities
In her final battle with Kratos, Persephone displayed numerous types of special abilities. Able to fly at great speed thanks to her set of wings, she was able to deliver diving strikes at Kratos with her fists. Furthermore, Persephone could throw projectiles through telekinesis, as well as conjure large rocks of debris that also served as projectiles. She could also summon multiple large pillars of energy that protruded from the ground, and shoot a large beams of energy. As a goddess, she was immortal and had high resistance powers, enhanced senses, super agility, and shape-shifting abilities, which allowed her to grow beyond Kratos' size.

Trivia

 * Despite trying to destroy the world, herself and the gods, including her husband Hades, he still harbored great feelings of hatred towards Kratos for killing her. But this is likely due to the fact that Hades was possessed by the evil, Hate, from Pandora's Box.
 * It's strange that we see her body explode at her death in God of War: Chains of Olympus also destroying the Pillar of the World, yet we see her corpse in God of War III, just like Ares. It is possible Hades had the means to restore a body no matter how destroyed it may be.
 * It is interesting to note that despite the fact that Persephone died, her soul did not end up in the underworld.
 * She was the first female who was a main antagonist in the God of War series, but she was not revealed to be an antagonist until the end of the game. However, in Chronological order; the Furies are the first female antagonist.