Eventually, Zeus intervened and brokered a deal: Persephone would spend eight months of the year with her mother on earth and four months with Hades in the underworld. This cycle of Persephone's return to and departure from the underworld explains the changing of the seasons.
The myth of Persephone has been interpreted in many ways, including as a symbol of the life-death-rebirth cycle, the loss of innocence, and the power of love and grief. It is a powerful and enduring story that has resonated with people for centuries.