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Lore Olympus #5

Lore Olympus: Volume Five

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“You want to know about The Bringer of Death.”

It is Persephone’s birthday, and she receives the ultimate gift: Hades confesses his desire for her, leading to their first kiss. But that doesn’t necessarily make things easier for the goddess of spring, who is still in over her head in gossip-driven Olympus. Persephone feels intense guilt over the official breakup between Hades and Minthe, she is struggling to find her footing in her fast-paced job, and—worst of all—the shades of her past are slowly coming to light.

After an unexpected encounter with Apollo, Persephone flees into the depths of the Underworld. Concerned for her safety and determined to find her, Hades must team up with Artemis, Eros, and Hera, but they’re working against a ticking clock. Zeus knows about the bloody secret in Persephone’s past, and now the furious king of the gods will stop at nothing to bring her to justice.

This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features exclusive behind-the-scenes content and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 103-126 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2023

230 people are currently reading
12732 people want to read

About the author

Rachel Smythe

24 books9,311 followers
Rachel Smythe | #1 New York Times Bestselling Author


Rachel Smythe is the creator of the Webtoon phenomenon Lore Olympus. Debuting on Webtoon Originals in 2018, Lore Olympus captured hearts and minds with its glamorous setting, razor-sharp comedic timing, complex characters in messy relationships, and above all else, its breathtakingly beautiful visuals. Rachel’s craftsmanship and storytelling have seen the series rise to greater and greater success, winning many industry awards, including an Eisner in 2022 & 2023 and an animation adaptation with Jim Henson Studios currently in development.

"IF EYES COULD EAT, LORE OLYMPUS WOULD BE A FEAST." —NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

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5 stars
18,322 (57%)
4 stars
10,272 (32%)
3 stars
2,901 (9%)
2 stars
340 (1%)
1 star
108 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,269 reviews
Profile Image for Imme  van Gorp.
808 reviews2,018 followers
June 27, 2024
|| 1.5 stars ||

Yea, I’m not feeling this whatsoever anymore. The characters have become very ridiculous, annoying and bland, and the romance is also starting to feel a little weird to me. Their interactions have lost all traces of chemistry, and it just feels forced and superficial now. Their first kiss was literally so random and wasn’t cute at all.
I’m also starting to feel a little uncomfortable with how naive and childish Persephone is; her romance with Hades is honestly starting to seem more like he’s just babysitting her.

Also, I truly don’t like how the rape plotline is just not being dealt with properly. Apollo has been completely getting away with it, and Persephone just doesn’t do anything about it. Why is she just going about her days, not dealing with what happened to her? She should really tell someone. I don’t like that her trauma is being milked like this for drama, and that it’s now already four volumes later and there’s still no change in that situation whatsoever.

Honestly, this whole series just drags on and on and on. I’m truly done with it at this point.


'Lore Olympus' series:
Volume One - 3.0 stars
Volume Two - 4.0 stars
Volume Three - 3.0 stars
Volume Four - 2.0 stars
Volume Five - 1.5 stars
Profile Image for Melanie (meltotheany).
1,209 reviews102k followers
October 6, 2023
Volume One ★★
Volume Two ★★★
Volume Three ★★★★
Volume Four ★★★

“Demeter is going to kill me… Resurrect me… And then Hestia is gonna kill me!”

i believe in hera and hecate supremacy. but this fifth installment is the highest of three star ratings. i truly just love this reimagining of greek gods, with a color palette and art style that is so beautiful. i find so much happiness reading these each new volume drop. i felt a lot of persephone in this bind up, and i think it is the perfect set up for a really emotional and powerful volume six. i really am just manifesting her safety, and her happiness, and her finally feeling in control of her body and choices. i also really extra loved the bonus art at the end of this, and seeing the creator talk about how a lot of this art and story was created in march of 2020.

cws from the author at the start of this book: physical + mental abuse, sexual trauma, + toxic relationships

other tw/cw i wrote down: trauma depiction, depression depiction, infidelity (not mcs), anxiety, blood splatter implications, murder, death, alcohol consumption, smoking, blackmail, missing person, sending photos without consent (and those photos also being taken without consent)

♡ buddy reading this series with Penny
✰ read for free on webtoon

blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
Profile Image for Warda.
1,332 reviews23.4k followers
October 5, 2023
Not much to say since this is volume 5.

But this was just a gorgeous instalment to the series. I’m in love with the way it’s developing. Heart feels so full!
Profile Image for dee..
162 reviews62 followers
August 25, 2023
5 stars✩

It's a pain to be left on such a huge cliffhanger and wait for new updates. I'm brimming with excitement and curiosity; it's only a matter of time before the hangover hits in full force, but I'm absolutely fine with it. I don’t mind waiting for this masterpiece to come around with its pure delight, even more fun adventures, and thrilling contents. I would gladly admit that this is the best I've ever read. I can't possibly get enough of it's world and the characters.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
180 reviews60 followers
May 31, 2023
3.5 Stars. This volume collects episodes 103–126 of the Webtoon Comic. Lore Olympus is a modern day retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone. Note: This was read using the Webtoon app. The book will not be released until October 3, 2023.


Five volumes in and Persephone and Hades have only shared their first kiss. By giving the love story time to breathe it's given the minor characters a chance to shine. Many of them such as Hera, Eros, and Minthe are getting the chance to develop into more complex characters. Having existed in a small community for millennia the gods on Olympus all have history with each other. No relationship is simple.
Profile Image for Jessica.
Author 33 books5,949 followers
January 21, 2024
Never underestimate a cute pink goddess, people. And I really, really hope we are approaching the point where Apollo gets his ass handed to him. (Please tell me he gets his ass handed to him.)
Profile Image for Raymond .
218 reviews208 followers
October 19, 2025
I love volume five. Persephone is missing & the majority of this book is spend finding where she is & why she went missing. For whatever reason, this volume was the most fun to read compare to the previous four. I’m loving this Lore Olympus series & really looking forward to reading volume six.
Profile Image for Hamed Manoochehri.
336 reviews45 followers
September 22, 2025
۷۴۱ روز پیش نیمه کاره رهارش کرده بودم. دلیلشو از روی تقدیم کشف کردم.
Profile Image for Yeg.
887 reviews321 followers
September 28, 2025
Vol.5-> chapter 103-126

I want Hera and Hecate's entire wardrobe ㅠㅠ

So one thing that I'd been noticing up until now and probably the next vols as well because I'm reading this back to back, is How some body images are being portrayed here. Now I don’t know about anybody else, but I feel like some characters body images are being changed or is it me? Rachel portrayed Persephone to be this beautiful body standard every guy wanted. Then all the other characters started to get some of the same features. I always portrayed persephone as a little bit plus sized, but somehow this features doesn't make sense now.

Hera who is said BY RACHEL as I read before in her discord prior to this, to be underweight and small, gets bigger and bigger boobs and more mass on her body. Both of them didn’t have much of a chest at the beginning but as time went on, they just got bigger and bigger. Everyone did. The waists got smaller and the proportions worse. This is a case that Hera is underweight while also having a panel where Hades says Persephone and Hera are the same size. I just don't know why is it like that on purpose or it's just a matter of graphic redesign and unintentional or maybe her graphic stlylers were changed or other reasons, I just can't ignore it.

I really struggled with the idea that this is what was the standard in the eyes of not only the artist but the people reading it. again, this is a modern retelling, So I wish she would’ve tried a little harder on different bodies for the young woman struggling to be confident in her body after reading and that her body is beautiful the way it is. ❤️
Profile Image for ౨ৎ aylin (persephone's ver.).
38 reviews202 followers
April 26, 2026
⸺ 4.25 stars 💋 ⟢
⤿ warning: sorry if my writing seems a little scrambled today. I'm having some issues with mental focus, and my brain persistently refuses to form any coherent thought without me pausing or spacing out every five seconds or so.

⟡ ⋮ ₊✎⋆. my thoughts

My prayers have finally been answered. I'm free of the heavy shackles that were dozens of chapters of slow-burn. I lived to see the kiss. Romance is romancing, guys. We received exactly what we came here for: pack it up and go home. Except not. Pff, how could you be gullible enough to believe my words for even a second, hm? I said this before, don't make me repeat myself - this series is a prison.

Just as I smiled to myself, tapping cheerfully on my phone, adding little notes here and there to remember as many points as I could for my future review, Rachel took me by my shoulders, shook me like a bag of coins, and told me to sit my ass back down. My happiness about the kiss lasted about forty eight seconds. Might be a new personal record, honestly. Everything happened quickly and ended up even quicker. I barely had any time to absorb the panel before I got pushed off the rails and found myself back at square one with a dumb expression and hands folded on my lap.

Volume five of Lore Olympus contains both the end of season one and the beginning of season two. I was initially hoping to go back on the road and start throwing five stars like Oprah, but since the pace of the story understandably slowed down for a moment, introducing arising issues and giving the supporting cast a moment to shine without Persephone and Hades being behind the wheel at all times, I took this as an opportunity for a breather as well, simply enjoying the story, without too many spikes of adrenaline or crying into my pillow. I'm sure some of the fans might've been a little disappointed by the change, but me personally? I don't know, I just really love the whole cast of Lore Olympus, especially Hecate, Artemis, and Eros, so seeing more of them was quite nice!

⸺ ⚠️ spoiler segment
⤿ I'm serious, look away if you don't want spoilers.

1. Minthe and Hades finally broke up. Hallelujah. We all've been expecting this, but fuck me for being naive enough to believe Minthe would snap out of her destructive, sabotaging behavior and actually accept Hades' stance on their relationship for once. I just hate people who project their own insecurities onto others and try to make them equally miserable in hopes of feeling slightly less alone. She's clearly spiralling, and while Hades' acknowledgment of how toxic their supposed love was, how feeling loved and cherished is something he wishes to experience on a daily basis, and not only sometimes, was quite touching to witness... No one's surprised that Minthe rebutted by actively trying to destroy Persephone's life. She officially lost any crumbs of empathy I had towards her.

2. Thanatos, Minthe, and Thetis ratted Persephone out to Zeus. Because of course they did. I'm not even angry, just disappointed at this point. Okay, let me preface by saying: I realise committing an unauthorised act of wrath isn't exactly something to easily ignore, it's a crime, and Demeter disrespected Zeus gravely by pushing the whole event under the rug, but. We all know gods don't cry over tragedies that happen in the mortal world. To someone like me, the event might look quite severe, but Zeus sees this as a matter of undermining his position as the king of the gods, so this whole thing is just purely petty and frustrating. Fuck these three, especially you, Thanatos, don't think you're off the hook simply because I ship you with Daphne. Because of Minthe being a sore ex, now we have a whole scandal and a public warrant on both Demeter and Persephone's heads.

3. Persephone is missing. And good for her, honestly. I have no idea where she is and what she's doing, but all things considered, she chose the perfect time to disappear with Zeus on her ass. Dare I say, lack of Persephone feels more like the eerie quietness before the storm, rather than a genuine cause for worries. I know Rachel gave me a breather by focusing the first few episodes on people who are in search of her. Shit will hit the fan soon enough, regardless.

4. Apollo had the audacity to try to submit a marriage application to Hera. Yes, he's still on it; he's still trying to marry Persephone. If he weren't such a thorn in my side, I could almost admire his inability to ever become discouraged. Except he's literal trash, can't take a no from a woman, and even Hera can't stand his idiocy anymore. Believe me, I cackled so fucking hard when she laughed at him and tore the application straight in front of him. If all men in the world disappeared one day and the only one left available would be Apollo, I would take my vows and become an eternal maiden myself. After murdering him, that is.

⟡ ⋮ overall ratings: ꒱

꒰ঌ volume #1 ⋆ 3.25 ☆
꒰ঌ volume #2 ⋆ 4 ☆
꒰ঌ volume #3 ⋆ 5 ☆
꒰ঌ volume #4 ⋆ 4.5 ☆
⸺ ꒰ঌ volume #5 ⋆ 4.25 ☆
Profile Image for Monte Price.
940 reviews2,664 followers
October 16, 2023
I'm not going to pretend as though I have anything meaningful to say about this. I really enjoy the art in each installment, I enjoy the characterization. I felt like this one had a little more plot-wise going on than some of the others, which was nice given that these aren't exactly short? It definitely ended in a place where I am excited to pick up the next one. They're more comfort reads than anything I would go out of my way to recommend, but each one gives me exactly what I expect.
Profile Image for  Nayeli ♡.
181 reviews145 followers
March 6, 2024
❀❁❀ 4 stars ❀❁❀

"Why would you care what I think!?"
"Because I want you!"


Highlight of this volume:

THEY KISSED.
THEY KISSED.
THEY FREAKING KISSED.
FINALLY!!!

Me when that happened: 🥳💕✨😭😩😍

loved chapter 112, that's it.

I really liked that this volume had more plot and some things were finally revealed. But it's still not my favorite from the series. Also that cliffhanger??
Profile Image for Devin The Book Dragon.
395 reviews257 followers
January 5, 2024
I didn't like this volume as much as the other volumes. For me it felt rushed and somewhat disjointed. It makes sense after hearing the author is ending the series soon. You can tell she is losing interest in this story and it shows.
Profile Image for Raquel.
166 reviews44 followers
March 9, 2023
I can’t wait for Hades to kick Apollos ass.
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,615 reviews294 followers
March 29, 2024
After what seems like several volumes of people just emoting and wallowing in their angst, suddenly a plot kicks in as Persephone is revealed to have a major secret that suddenly everyone is interested in uncovering.

It's nice to have something actually happen in this soapy guilty pleasure. Now if only the creator would get better at consistently identifying the characters in name and appearance and work on her scene-to-scene transitions. I would enjoy the story more if I weren't so frequently confused by the shortfalls in the technical aspects of the storytelling.
Profile Image for Lindsay (pawsomereads).
1,344 reviews607 followers
June 4, 2023
Read on Webtoon. Such a good comic, it’s so entertaining. I love the multiple storylines and the art! The action really picks up in these episodes.
Profile Image for Jan Agaton.
1,484 reviews1,648 followers
October 20, 2023
sigh, not my favorite one by any means, but still looking forward to the 6th volume!
Profile Image for Clarice.
577 reviews132 followers
October 9, 2025
THEY FINALLY FRICKEN KISSED!


Also I live for all of the Ares/Aphrodite moments and Eros being completely done with them 😂😂😂
Profile Image for coinppa ❁.
261 reviews24 followers
April 5, 2026
Why would you care what I think!?

BECAUSE I WANT YOU!
Profile Image for Aurora.
147 reviews103 followers
October 8, 2023
This series is just amount of lightheartedness that give me flutters in the chest. I’ve said this with every volume but I’m never disappointed with how beautiful the art is complimented with witty humor and an interesting storyline. Also can we talk about how gorgeous the Barnes and noble exclusive cover art is? I picked it up just for that.

This volume felt a little more emotional than some of the previous ones. (Tbh each volume becomes a little more sentimental)

The slow burn is finally burning and it took 110 episodes for Hades and Persephone’s first kiss. Their first kiss is my probably my favorite scene in the volume, followed by the fluff afterwards.

My fav secondary are definitely Hermes and Eros. Absolutely love the humor and energy they bring.

This volume ended on a cliffhanger and I’m impatiently waiting for the next volume.
Profile Image for Sophie Elaina.
484 reviews379 followers
October 19, 2023
(Oct 2023) The physical copies of this series are just beautiful! I love it so much! This volume is quite intense and a lot happens, and even though I’d already read this part before it was just as good as the first time. I can’t wait for volume six to release. Also a little warning: there is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this volume so if you’ve not read the webtoon, good luck with that. 😂

Read on Webtoon (January 2022). I can’t wait to own the physical edition and re-read it a thousand times.
Profile Image for Anja H..
986 reviews577 followers
August 28, 2024
*4 MYTHICAL STARS*

Ooooh, shit's about to go dooown.
It's been a while since I read the previous volume, so it took a while to get back into the story and the many characters, but I'm still enjoying this a lot!
Profile Image for Tayjah.
246 reviews75 followers
May 29, 2023
AHHHHHHHHHH




Is Kore pronounced ‘core’ or ‘cor-ray’ ?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,269 reviews