This is a novella from the 500 Kingdoms series, in which the Tradition forces people into certain paths based on fairy tale characters, sometimes to good, sometimes to bad. In this story, we’re dealing with the Greek pantheon, and it turns out that they’re half-Fae, and as soon as they have enough people that believe them to be gods, the Tradition picks up from there, and assigns them roles.
Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, is being courted by Hades, king of the Underworld. Persephone knows full well who he is, even though Hades has taken some pains to conceal his identity, because they both know that Demeter will never allow the match. Turns out Demeter is quite the smothering mother. Persephone and Hades come up with a plan to “kidnap” her in such a way that Demeter will have to go along with it, but things go awry when the goddess Brunhilde, who’s just come to Olympia for a visit, is kidnapped instead.
I really liked this story because it turned Persephone’s role completely on its head. I know that the original myth was a explanation for winter, and makes perfect sense in the context of the time, but since this series is about the reimagination of fairy tales, this was a great way to go with that story.