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It was early morning in the Underworld as Hades strolled through his dark palace, a steaming mug of coffee in hand. Of course, with no sun overhead, the concept of morning was more of a suggestion than hard fact - but time was relative, and the master of time was a relative Hades would rather forget. The god of the dead was suddenly broken out of his inner musings by an unexpected sound echoing from the river Styx. Music.
There hadn't been music in the Underworld outside of the gated community of Elysium since that lovesick bard had come to bargain for the soul of his beloved nymph. Hades groaned at the memory. The whole affair was a disaster from start to finish. Of course, Hades had seen the forlorn look of loneliness in the young man's eyes and couldn't help but feel sympathetic. He knew what it was like to be alone.
But there was little the god of the dead could do. The girl was a nymph - the spirit of a tree - and had no soul. When she died, she would have reincarnated elsewhere as a flower or something. Persephone had known what to do. Together with the aid of Mnemosyne, she had formed a new nymph in the lost girl's likeness and provided her with all the memories of her deceased counterpart. In effect, she would become that girl.
Unfortunately, true life could not be created in the Underworld. She was incomplete. Her body, still cold to the touch, needed the warmth of the sun to chase away the chill of death. Her lungs, still empty, needed the breath of wind to fill them. Her form was as immaterial any other spirit and would not stand up to the scrutiny of the living. So, Hades had commanded the mortal bard not to look at her - to walk straight back the way he had come. She would follow in his wake, her insubstantial form would remain his silent but constant companion until they were reunited in the land of the living once more. It truly was a tragedy that mortals couldn't seem to listen to even the simplest of commands.
Somewhere in the distance, the music changed. Hades turned his attention to the river to see a boat with what looked like forty mortals rowing away from the shore. One of the men stood at the helm of the ship looking far more distressed than any of his companions. The god turned his full attention to the crew now to listen in.
"...I gotta drop another infant from a wall in an instant so we all don't die?" the captain screamed. "Then, I'll become the monster!"
Hades pulled his attention away once more, looking at his steaming mug of coffee before spilling it out over the edge of the balcony. Relative or not, it was entirely too early for any of this.