Persephone is the protagonist, and the novel is narrated from her point of view. She is in her early twenties and has curly blonde hair, green eyes, and freckles. In her divine form, she has kudu horns, but in the Upperworld, she disguises them with a glamour so that she can pass as a mortal.

Persephone begins the book as an idealistic but immature young woman. She is motivated by rebellion against her mother, who restrained Persephone for 18 years because she wanted to shield her from the fate of being partnered by the God of the Underworld. Now, on her own in New Athens, Persephone wants to establish a life for herself on her own terms, with a job and friends. Meeting and falling in love with Hades shapes her priorities in ways she isn’t ready to accept. She wants to go on with her life as she’s begun, but Hades’ power, fame, and stature—and the celebrity she attains as his lover—mean that a normal life is impossible for her.

Persephone wants to exercise agency in her own life, but Hades constantly watches over her and intervenes to fight Persephone’s battles for her, reducing her agency in the name of protection.