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139,207 Literary Works • 672,505 Reviews
Text Version!
fire beneath ice
Spoiler
persephone x hades
my mother always told me to pick flowers in sunlight, to laugh in warmth, to carry the sweetness of the world in my hands. little did i know your shadow was waiting-- so long, impatient, and impossible of you. I thought for a moment that the Earth itself was pulling me down, because
it knew that it had no choice but to let me see you.
i recall the first time i laid eyes on you; the curve of your jaw, your aura that broke every shield of mine.
unlike others, i didn't believe in the stories they told children. i fell for the scrape of boots against stone and the quiet moments when you didn't see me staring.
we were fire trapped beneath ice, my love.
you aren't meant to be held whole. with you, the underworld hums; you twist into shapes that i beg to follow. This warmth, i am not allowed to feel it. but gods, to tartarus with the others: it's just us. so instead,
i choose to love you in pieces. i love you in pieces because that's all anyone can touch of you. to me, that's more than enough.
my sweet king, a million kingdoms couldn't change my mind.
thank you for showing me what it means to be alive. even though the world will never understand this love,
it is ours.
I really enjoyed reading this piece! The way you write Persephone and Hades makes their connection feel both beautiful and heavy at the same time. I could feel the emotions in every line — that mix of longing, danger, and tenderness.
One part that really stood out to me was “we were fire trapped beneath ice.” That image was so strong, and it perfectly captured the way their love feels — passionate, but also restrained and impossible to fully hold. I also loved the choice to focus on loving him “in pieces.” That line hit me because it shows how sometimes we settle for fragments of someone when we can’t have the whole. It made me think about how complicated love can be, especially when it’s tied up in toxicity like this.
The voice in the poem felt intimate, like I was overhearing a confession. Lines like “thank you for showing me what it means to be alive” really pulled me in because they sounded raw and genuine. I like how you leaned into the toxic side of the relationship without stripping away its beauty — it feels both destructive and addictive, which is exactly what makes Persephone and Hades so fascinating to read about.
Overall, this was such an emotional and striking piece. I loved the imagery, the mythological tie-ins, and the way you managed to make something ancient feel very personal and relatable. Beautiful work!
Hi, Leya! Happy Review Month! Valkyria here to leave a short review for your work. Let's get into it:
As always, your poetry is incredible! The imagery, the line form, and rhythm sets the tone very well. Hades and Persephone's relationship is one of my favorite aspects of Greek mythology, and I love the romantic interpretation of it. And the romance! It's so dreamy yet powerful. Especially the little ways she was attracted to him. I really felt the fierce love Persephone has for Hades, calling themselves "fire trapped beneath ice." Very indicative of who they were in the place that they are. Well done!
This...oh my goodness...You did such a magnificent job of making a toxic love look dreamy. The phrase: "I choose to love you in pieces. I love you in pieces because that's all anyone can touch of you." goes wayyy harder than it should. I have a difficult time writing romantic love but you hit the nail on the head with this short story (?). I would love to see a little bit more imagery that shows how they are so different. Maybe how she smells like a flower or some short and his scent is tantalizing but smoky, choking her out but yet she goes back to him because the smell of embers is addicting. I feel like you have such a solid idea here that I hope you continue with. There are not enough Peresphone and Hades lore. I love the way you write as well, so beautifully done!