65 pages • 2 hours read
Katee RobertNeon Gods
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 29-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 29 Summary
Hades, now the point-of-view character, is saddened that Persephone is gone, though surprised. He also assures himself that she left Eurydice, and that her black dress, similar to her appearance during their last kink scene, reflects more of the woman she has become than her old image. He finds a letter Persephone left him, asking for his trust and assuring him of her love. He is dismayed to realize that “Persephone stepped in front of a bullet meant for me” (328). Hades is filled with both rage and love. He prepares to leave for the upper city to strike against Zeus personally.
Hermes and Dionysus find him as he walks, shepherding him into their car just as they did Persephone. He is briefly bitter at their ability to remain neutral in this conflict that is torturing him, but realizes it is fruitless to blame them. Hermes and Dionysus assure him that he deserves happiness with Persephone and that all will be well between them. Hermes tells him the current conflict is a zero-sum game: Zeus will not stop until he is dead.
Then she gives him a message from Demeter: He has the support of the majority of the Thirteen in assassinating Zeus, and she hands him a gun. Hades considers whether this is a genuine offer, but he realizes that he has few other options. He balks slightly at committing more violence, as this may alienate Persephone, but finally accepts that this conflict has always been his destiny.
Hades had previously planned an attack on the building, so he uses his prior plans to find the service entrance and take that elevator up to Zeus’s private office. On his way, he briefly takes in the ballroom with the veiled statue of himself, but realizes “it doesn’t matter what this Hades looks like, he sure as hell won’t have my scars, won’t have any of the traits that make me the man I am” (336).
He turns away and makes for Zeus’s office, afraid the sounds of a woman inside mean Persephone is being held captive there. He soon realizes Zeus is having a sexual encounter with a stranger, and he sneaks into the hallway while they are distracted. When Zeus exits, Hades greets him with the gun.
Chapter 30 Summary
Zeus and Hades trade verbal barbs, with Zeus insulting his hesitation to kill and speaking mockingly of Persephone’s participation in public sex with Hades. Hades tells him, “if I pull this trigger, I’m no better than you” (341). Zeus spits back that his arrival with murderous intentions suggests the two are more alike than not. Hades mocks Zeus’s certainty that his power is secure, reminding him he has alienated Demeter. He offers a truce, but Zeus taunts him with his failure to act, saying he will own Persephone in the end. Hades insists that “she belongs to no one but herself” (342). They struggle for the gun, and Hades shoots and misses, breaking a window in the process. Hades is briefly captivated with the desire to understand Zeus’s motive in killing his father, but Zeus refuses to answer or give up the wrestling match, and accidentally falls out of the broken window and dies.
Hades is shocked to see Demeter on his way out. She coolly assures him she is there to take care of matters, reminding him that he is only safe as long as Persephone is. Hades promises to follow whatever promises Persephone made on his behalf. He imagines Persephone will not forgive him for inadvertently killing Zeus, and walks all the way back to his home in a daze of regret and confusion. He pets the dogs, reminding himself that he cannot demand anything more of Persephone if he truly values her autonomy.
Chapter 31 Summary
Persephone watches the news with her sisters, as Demeter sweeps in to tell them all that they are expected at the public announcement of the new Zeus and the death of his predecessor. Demeter seems quietly pleased, and Persephone asks her directly if she was responsible, which she denies. Demeter arranges for Persephone to return to the lower city after making her promise that Hades will also be at the press conference announcing the political changes in Olympus. Persephone dresses in dark colors once more, realizing that “the girl I was a month ago never would have had the audacity to make the bargain I struck last night” (351).
Persephone returns to the lower city, relieved to see that the daily routines are exactly those she grew accustomed to. Eurydice greets her at the door, eager for news of the death of Zeus. She tells Persephone to go to Hades, as Charon will see her home.
Persephone finds Hades with the dogs. He tells her that she could have talked to him before leaving, but she says she could not risk his safety. She takes in his bruises, and when he asks about her bargain with her mother, Persephone realizes that he was involved in Zeus’s death.
Hades fears that this means she will reject him, remembering the man on the bridge, but Persephone tells him she cannot regret the death of a cruel mass murderer like Zeus. He thinks she is there to say goodbye and reminds her once more that she has choices. Persephone tells him she has chosen their live together, freely, now that her safety to avoid a bad marriage is no longer the issue. As part of her argument that she has found the part of Olympus she truly loves, she tells him, “[I]t feels like home here with you’” (356). They profess their love for each other.
Slightly chagrined, Persephone tells Hades of her mother’s expectations for their joint media appearances. To her surprise, Hades readily agrees. Relieved and embracing him joyfully, Persephone asks, “[D]o you love me more than you love your precious floors?” (357). They reluctantly dress and prepare for the press conference.
At the event, Hades surprises Persephone by insisting she stay with him at the event rather than return to her family. By way of explanation, he says, “Be mine, Persephone. And let me be yours. In public and in private” (358). Hades admits to being nervous amid the public scrutiny, but Persephone handles the press with aplomb. Hades thanks her for her support and kisses her passionately. He asks her to return to his home permanently and live there, and she readily agrees.
Epilogue Summary
Hades and Persephone are preparing for another kink scene. Hades is still adjusting to his new life as a public figure, and anxious about whether Persephone is truly ready for tonight’s event. He takes in her newest black dress, backless and skintight. They set themselves up on the room’s central platform, and he assures her once more that they can stop anytime. In response, Persephone removes her dress in a single movement—the entire piece collapses once she unclasps the neck halter. As he penetrates her with his fingers, Hades tells Persephone that the onlookers are there to see their new “dark goddess” (364). He delights in her joyful abandon, announcing, when they conclude, “I hope you enjoyed the show. It’s over now” (366). They retreat to the throne, where Persephone promises him, “I’m nowhere near done with you yet” (367).
Chapter 29-Epilogue Analysis
As the narrative draws to a close, Hades faces his past in order to fully shape his own future. His standoff with Zeus is partly an argument about the nature of power itself, especially masculine power. Hades turns away from the statue of himself, no longer concerned with his image as a fearsome figure as much as he is with assuring Persephone’s security. Hades’s role as dominant is grounded in respect and consent, where Zeus relies entirely on a logic of fear and possession. His refusal to give in to violence and end the struggle quickly underlines that the conflict was not of his making, merely a drama he was forced to participate in for the sake of his true love and the memory of his family. Zeus’s death brings him no peace until he knows that his role in it has not alienated Persephone. In telling him that she accepts his decisions, Persephone proves to him that he deserves the redemption he has found with her, and that she believes in his best self, not his brutal reputation. Thus, the theme of Forbidden Love and Redemption is fully realized, as both Hades and Persephone see themselves in a new light, happily embracing more authentic versions of themselves even in public.
Both Hermes and Demeter serve as reminders that the power structure in Olympus will endure beyond Hades’s efforts. Hermes serves whomever holds the title of Zeus, no matter her personal feelings, and so does Dionysus. Demeter remains ruthless and efficient, eager for her new future with Hades as a backer rather than a hidden presence. Though she is confident in the love between Hades and Persephone, Demeter’s great attachment remains to her own ambitions. In having Hades join Persephone at six public events, Robert reverses the resolution of the Greek myth. In that story, only Persephone travels between the Underworld and the world above, but here, both parties sacrifice for their romance. This suggests a balance and an equality that is integral to the story and characters: Freedom, choice, and autonomy are valued above all things in the narrative. Power and Loyalty become bound by love with regard to Hades and Persephone, as both are motivated to use their power to protect each other.
Finally, Persephone’s two selves are integrated—the polished media expert comes to the forefront when needed, but now in support of a romantic life that is fully her own. Persephone’s personal choices are continually reinforced by her clothing choices. Additionally, Hades is no longer a fearsome figure of mystery, but a man publicly known to be in love. Hades has the power he wants—the power to protect both his community and the woman he loves. In their final kink scene, Persephone and Hades emerge as confident, equal partners, delighting in one another and certain of who they are, together and apart. Their happy ending has led to joyful self-acceptance, and it is also proof of the attainability of liberation on all fronts, from the sexual to the openly political.
