Ok, so as promised hot censured art because I love how this sketch turned out. Not censured art is under the cut. Warning for nudity and slight sexy times:
Book Three in the Hades and Persephone series. Seventy years have passed since Elysion was created, and Persephone’s efforts to conceive a child with Hades have been in vain. But a secret rite on Samothrace might bend the Fates and give her all that they have dreamed of, or pave a path of untold suffering.
Chapter 8
Wind battered the west wall of the temple and guttered the torches. The winter had been a stormy one, a hard start to the season. The Thracians had worried that there hadn’t been enough sacrifices to Zeus at the Spring of Midas, The Arcadians swore that Poseidon had whipped up the seas in anger, and the Athenians worried that they hadn’t sent enough propitiations to Eleusis for Demeter.
But the summer had been kind to all. There were bountiful stores of grain— not just on Samothrace, but in every small village and great city in Hellas, Thrace, the islands and cities beyond. Orpheus stared out at the pool that dominated the center of the atrium. The oculus above and the slender clerestory windows had been sealed shut for winter, covered by tar-thatched reeds and battened down with hempen rope. It would keep the place warm for anyone seeking sanctuary. He reached the twelfth brazier and stoked it with an iron poker, the heat grown heavy beneath his woolen himation.
“Where did you hear the name Zagreus, hymnist?”
Every hair on his neck stood up. Orpheus stopped in his tracks and held his breath.
We need to discuss this. These panels say a lot. The starry constellation is his true god form showing. It only comes out when he’s enraged. We saw it when he found out what Apollo did. He was able to remove it mostly with just his arm left. Him saying that it’ll wear off. We see the stars come back when he loses Persephone telling us that Zeus should prepare to live with the consequences. His hands are becoming starry and part of his chest. This is at a later date. We don’t know exactly when after but probably not long after. He went from hands to going onto his face. How much of Hades’ true form is showing. He is beyond enraged and he doesn’t have Persephone to make him feel better and reassure him. The love of his life who actually likes him for him, not his power or him not being Zeus. Then his little brother who he let be King just banished her? We all know it isn’t about the act of wrath. I think Zeus is scared. He’s scared of Apollo and slowly realizing the monster he made. He probably felt really secure that his two sons, Ares and Hephaestus aren’t the power grab type. Then to find out that Apollo who showed up to the trial dresses like King is his sin and he wants a fertility goddess to marry. Persephone gets banished—> she’s the scapegoat, puts Hades in his place so Zeus feels better, puts this goddess who is “wrecking” everything, and his ambitious son doesn’t get “his” fertility goddess. The two realms are sealed. Hades doesn’t seem to be holding up well and thrust the underworld. The overgrown office teaser pic also shows this. Kronos seems to growing in strength as well with the scars opening. Hades is insecure about looking like his father. Is Hades’ appearance also reflecting Kronos’ growing strength? It seems like Hecate is holding strong, Hermes? Apollo must be hurting that his best friend knows the truth and sided against him. These are all just my thoughts and theories. I’d love to hear others’ opinions are thoughts.
New Sketch-a-Wish! Voted on for March by my lovely Patreon members! A fantasmical scene of Hades carrying Persephone to his apartment, as seen in the first few chapters of Lore Olympus - although I did place in a reference from later chapters! I really had a fun time with studying the chalky/watercolor style of Rachel Smythe, and it aligns pretty close with my illustrative designs for my papercrafts
