Hades was bewildered by this creature. In all her beauty and grace, she sorrowed for death himself. He wondered if he had accidentally caused this.
Had he brainwashed her? He had not meant to. He had hoped she would grow to love him as he loved her, but he had never wished to force her affections.
When she began visiting his temples, it was too much for him to remain down below. He donned his helmet of invisibility and entered the temple to see her.
Upon seeing her, Hades was once again bewitched by her beauty. She kneeled next to the altar where she had laid a bunch of flowers she had picked herself. With the blossoms were a few apples and berries that Hades knew she considered to be the best.
She lay her arms on the altar and rested her forehead on top of them. Her graceful and slender arms were pale and the soft candlelight made her nearly appear as a ghost. Her pale hair fell in soft locks to her elbows and
To Hades' horror, he noticed her body shaking with sobs. She was weeping. She was weeping for him and his heart longed to go to her. He wanted to carry her away, back to what had become their home.
He dared not go to her. He knew the wrath of the other gods and knew he would not avoid severe punishment for such an act. He remained hidden and watching.
Hades soon made it his own habit to visit the temples when she would come. No other mortal dared enter, and Hades knew she would always be alone in his temples.
When Christine started singing in his temples, Hades nearly revealed himself to her. His soul soared with her voice and it filled him with near perfect joy. Not only was her voice beautiful and now well trained, he knew she could only be singing for him.
One day she entered the temple more intensely depressed than he had ever seen her. She did not cry as she set the single rose on the altar. She knelt in silence for a few moments before quietly beginning a song.
Hades recognized the song. It was not unlike the song that mortals claimed Orpheus sang when his beloved died. The melancholy tune, sung from perfect lips, made him feel a rush of sadness.
He knew not what she mourned at the time, but he could not help slowly joining her in her remorse.
Quietly at first, his voice pulsed through the temple. Their voices mingled in perfect harmony for the first time and Christine closed her eyes. She lay her back against the altar and sang her sorrows with Hades' voice as a companion.
When the song came to its close, Christine opened her eyes. She looked about her in wonder. It was as if she recognized the voice which had come from the darkness.
Hades was undetectable with his invisibility in the shadows. He watched as she sat in the temple with tears silently streaming down her face. His heart ached for her.
She slowly rose and, with one final glance around the structure to find the source of the other voice, she left.
As he watched her retreating form, Hades wept.
