Electric Idol

As the son of Aphrodite, Eros has grown up in the Olympian elite and now works as his mother’s fixer, a role that requires him to function as both a bodyguard and a hired killer in accordance with her mercurial demands. At the beginning of the novel, Eros has just carried out a murder at his mother’s command and has sustained an injury. He is both furious and dismayed when he and Psyche are photographed together after she bandages his wounds. His consternation deepens when his mother orders him to murder Psyche, as he feels that it is “shitty to reward [Psyche’s] kindness by ending her life” (27).

Though he initially assures Psyche that he will make her death painless, Eros soon goes against his training and proposes that they marry instead, telling her that she can trust his word. Eros soon becomes protective of Psyche in a more than practical sense, especially when he is tempted to kill all the anonymous trolls who make fatphobic comments on her social media posts. He purchases her an expensive wedding gown and ensures that the ceremony suits her aesthetic, resolving to create an event that will have a positive impact on her public image. Eros recognizes that public perception is important in Olympus, and his concern for Psyche’s image presages his genuine love for her in their private life.

For Eros, sexual desire and expression are part of how he accesses emotions that he otherwise finds difficult to express. He confesses to Psyche that he fantasizes about sex between them without a condom, reflecting, “I want this woman too desperately to do this properly” (208). Eros hopes that with sex, he can help convince Psyche to stay in their relationship. His private motivations demonstrate that he is falling in love with her but does not see himself as worthy of her. Psyche eventually challenges him to face himself in his penthouse mirrors and see himself through her eyes. This vulnerable scene suggests that she wants to give him the same sense of confidence that he has given her.

Throughout the text, Eros is acutely aware of the difference between his family background and Psyche’s. He is shocked that Demeter displays warm family photos of her children, and he takes her threats seriously when she vows to destroy him if he hurts Psyche. At the same time, he comes to realize that his own upbringing was deeply unhappy, and he realizes that he only began killing because his mother begged him for his help. Eros’s choice to love Psyche and accept that she loves him in return is ultimately a choice to accept a new vision of family and what it means to care for others. In the Epilogue, he is deeply anxious about his first family dinner with Demeter, knowing that his marriage’s success depends on Psyche’s ability to spend time with both him and her family of origin. Eros’s choice to pursue this kind of connection despite his fear shows that through loving Psyche, he now realizes that intimacy is not synonymous with weakness.

As Psyche’s older sister, Persephone is one of the protagonists of Neon Gods, which features her flight to the lower city and her eventual romantic relationship with Hades. Persephone and Psyche share a close and loving bond, and Persephone is fiercely loyal to her sister. Persephone is stunned and upset when Psyche announces her hasty marriage to Eros, but she promises to attend the wedding, saying, “You gave me the time and trust I needed to figure things out. It’d be hypocritical in the extreme not to support you” (107).

Persephone is much colder with Eros, however, threatening him with serious injury if he proves untrustworthy. Persephone is similarly stalwart when Psyche tries to enlist the aid of the other Thirteen to stop Aphrodite, promising that Hades will back her efforts. In this novel, the relationship between the sisters demonstrates that Psyche has the courage to fight Aphrodite and marry Eros because her family’s unwavering loyalty has given her a firm sense of her own worth.

Eros’s mother, Aphrodite, resembles her mythological counterpart in many ways and is largely responsible for the high-profile marriages in Olympus. She is scheming and jealous, openly targeting any rivals for public popularity or physical beauty. Eros is acutely aware that Aphrodite dislikes Demeter and resents the fact that her efforts to normalize fatphobia have not prevented Psyche from attaining fame and popularity. Aphrodite is furious when Eros marries Psyche, insisting, “On occasion, it’s a mother’s role to save their children from themselves” (250). Throughout the novel, she remains resolved to murder Psyche. When Eros begs for her to stop her campaign, Aphrodite tells him that she is only preventing Psyche from rejecting him, stating, “The moment that woman realizes what you’re truly capable of, she’ll turn from you” (267). With this cutting example of emotional abuse, Aphrodite both infantilizes Eros and manipulates him, desperate to convince him that only she can give him love and acceptance. Eros’s decision to turn away from her indicates that he has rejected this negative view of himself, and he ultimately decides that he can pursue a life on his own terms and find authentic and loving relationships, even if he cannot change the crimes of his past.

Demeter is a member of the Thirteen (Olympus’s ruling oligarchy, which mimics the ancient Greek pantheon). Like her mythological counterpart, Demeter is primarily responsible for the agricultural sector and food procurement. She is intensely ambitious and is fully willing to marry off her daughters in order to advance her own career. In Electric Idol, she continues her quest to have one of her daughters become Zeus’s spouse despite their protestations. Psyche accepts that her mother is no less calculating than Aphrodite is, realizing that she and Eros both have experience with managing their family members’ strong personalities.

Demeter is nevertheless fond of her daughters and appreciative of their talents. She tells Psyche, “I trust that you have a reason for doing this” (161). Demeter’s acceptance of Psyche’s relationship and her choice to display the couple’s wedding photo demonstrate that she accepts Eros’s importance in Psyche’s life. Eros is touched by the gesture and takes it as encouragement that his future with Psyche is guaranteed.

Perseus is the son of the prior Zeus, as the title is hereditary. When the novel opens, he has held the title of Zeus for only a few months, and his relative inexperience and unmarried status add a measure of instability to the politics of the Olympian elite. Stern and ambitious, Perseus is impatient with the schemes and manipulations that surround him, telling Eros that he would be punished alongside his mother if he exposed Aphrodite’s scheme to murder Psyche.

The young Zeus is intensely concerned with his family’s reputation, exasperating his sisters when he forbids them to leave the house after Eris causes gossip at the party in the opening chapters. Though he and Eros were childhood friends, Perseus now demands that Eros address him by his title, insisting, “No matter what fondness I held for you before, I’m Zeus now” (306). In future works in the series, he is often torn between his protective instincts as a brother and his political responsibilities to Olympus in the face of mounting external threats.

As the oldest Dimitriou daughter, Callisto is known for her impatience and her ferocious temper, which intimidates even her sisters. Callisto has a deep contempt for the manipulations inherent in Olympian society, and she openly alludes to the possibility of murdering the current Zeus in order to protect her sisters from a political marriage.

In the novel’s final act, when Callisto learns that Psyche is in danger from Aphrodite and that Demeter insists that one of her daughters should marry Zeus and take on the title of Hera, Callisto agrees to marry Zeus herself. This decision indicates that her sibling loyalty is just as strong as her outbursts suggest. Although Psyche longs to protest this marriage, she realizes, “I have to respect her choice, even if I don’t understand it” (355). This moment builds on the theme of family loyalty, as Psyche realizes that she trusts her sister’s judgment and decision to make this sacrifice. In later installments in the series, Callisto appears in her role as Hera, acting as a keen observer with her own agenda. The story of her relationship with Zeus will be the key plot in the ninth book in the series, which is still forthcoming as of 2025.