"When you enter the Lions' Den, it's best not to go empty-handed or you'll probably leave that way."

- Josh Stern

                                                                                          ***

"Are you okay to do this?" Logan's soft voice seemed to echo in the small alcove they were resting in. Sirius and Alex exchanged an uncomfortable sort of look and sidled a little closer to the main tunnel. There had been several renditions of this conversation since they got out of Purgatory.

The trip back to Hades' palace had gone by too quickly. It was an odd effect of staying in a place without time, a sort of trick. Once you stepped into its flow again, you felt it more keenly. Even now, Sirius imagined he could feel every second tick by, like a butterfly's wing beating against his skin.

A sigh gusted from Rhys, the sound somehow contained. The witch didn't want to snap at his brother. "Yes," he said, his answer trimmed with agitation. "Now stop asking me that before I get mad and don't want you to."

Sirius' eyes narrowed as he tried to work out that statement. Alex looked just as perplexed as he did. 

Logan just let out a strained chuckle. "I'm sorry. I know that you're..." The witch tried again. "You can obviously do the magic, it's just—"

"It's just that you're scared," Rhys cut him off. There was a long silence. Then: "Don't be."

"How?" Logan whispered, the sound strained. "You're my brother. My little brother. Explain to me how I'm not supposed to be out of my mind right now?"

"You're older by a month, Lo," Rhys said, but his voice had a rough edge to it that Sirius had never heard before. He couldn't even begin to describe how much he didn't want to be listening to this conversation right now.

After Galloway's death, he had learned the unique agony of such a lose. And she had made him wretchedly human enough that he didn't want anyone else to suffer in the way he had. He certainly didn't want these people—who had risked so much for her—to suffer like that. 

A dull roar came from somewhere to Sirius' left, the sound making him bristle out of instinct.

On second thought...he could think of at least a few beings he would like to inflict such misery upon.

"We can't wait any more," he said, still looking out into the dimness of the main tunnel. It would lead them down to the arena first—down to the cages.

From the silence that answered him, Sirius knew the others didn't feel quite ready. But they probably never would. Rhys had been right. If this didn't work, that was it. 

It would be the end of a story that had barely even begun.

He finally turned, only looking at Rhys. "How long will it take you to cast the spells you need?"

The witch's silver-green eyes flicked to Alex. "Not long," he rasped, his skin drained of all color. "But we should wait until the last moment. The magic will be fresher that way."

Sirius nodded and opened his mouth, but found he didn't have anything to say for once. So he pressed his lips into a thin line and beckoned for the others to follow him back into the fire-lined tunnels that would take them around and beneath the arena. Once there, it would be a straight shot up to Hades' palace.

The others followed silently, each lost in their own thoughts and fears.

He led them along the curving path, concentrating so hard on detecting any approaching monsters that he could hear a faint ringing in his ears and his nose burned from the myriad scents. Suddenly, the cheers from the arena grew so loud it was useless to rely on his hearing. He glanced back at Rhys, but the witch didn't give any indication of alarm. They did pick up the pace a little, though.

Sirius' attention swung wildly from thoughts of Galloway to the challenges immediately before them. He out and out rejected the notion that she was already dead—that Hades' had kept his word for once and simply let her shatter. He would know if she was gone.

He would feel it. Her presence in the world weighed heavy on his heart. It held him together, like a lodestone that kept him from crumbling to the ground.

But that didn't rule out that Hades might just be biding his time so he could watch as Sirius broke apart. The thought sent dread prickling down his back and he broke into a light jog. The others grumbled or offered whispered cautions, but none of them tried to slow him down.

There were no guards to slip past. Hades didn't need something so blunt. There were easier ways of keeping his toys in their boxes. It was silent as a grave here, row after row of cages sitting like strange, perfect stalagmites. The cavern's ceiling was high above them, disappearing into a darkness so thick it didn't even allow for echoes. Sirius tried not to look into any of the cages, a few of which now had occupants, unlike his last lucid sojourn to the pens.

He was afraid he might see something uncomfortably familiar.

Alex, on the other hand, couldn't seem to help her compulsion to peer into every cage. She stared at the addled, bloodied monsters, something like pity on her lovely face. When she caught him watching her, she asked, "Why does he do this?"

"Because he can." Sirius motioned the others forward, not wanting to linger here a moment longer than necessary. Alex cast one more look into the cage, her expression pained. Sirius warned, "Don't even think about it. They wouldn't do the same for you." When she still didn't move, he added, "Some of that blood is probably Rick's. Or Caleb's."

Her eyes snapped to his, and she scowled as she turned away from the cages. "Just because I feel sorry for them doesn't mean I want to help them," she muttered as she strode past. "The last monster I helped landed me and my brother in Hell."

Sirius supposed he deserved that.

They didn't speak again until they'd reached the other side of the cavern, far from the occupied cages. He lightly touched Rhys' elbow, making him flinch. Green light crackled briefly between his fingers before he turned to look at the Hellhound. He touched his tongue to the cracked skin of his lips and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he dredged up something like a smile. "I'm getting kind of jumpy, aren't I?" he said, voice little more than a croak.

"That tends to happen when you think you're about to die," Sirius replied.

The witch snarled lightly, running a hand through his dark hair before he turned to Logan, who had a stricken sort of expression on his face. Rhys placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, throwing Sirius a nasty look. Sirius just shrugged. He wasn't the one who thought he was going to die.

"Alex," Rhys said softly, "come here." He patted Logan's shoulder, then offered his hand to the Hunter.

She cast a curious glance at Sirius, who just shook his head. He had no idea what the witch was going to do. After a second of hesitation, Alex put her hand in Rhys' and let him lead her a few steps away from Logan and Sirius before he knelt on the ground. Alex frowned down at him.

He gave her a half-smile and patted the stone floor just in front of him. "It's easier this way. The magic can sometimes mess with equilibrium. The last thing we need is you keeling over and cracking your head open."

Alex snorted at that but knelt down in front of Rhys, her knees nearly touching his. The witch took a long moment just looking at her, his eyes tracing the lines of her face. Then he reached forward, lightly skimming his fingers along her brow, the bridge of her nose, her cheekbones and jawline. Alex started when Rhys touched her lips, but she didn't pull away.

"I need to cut your arm," he said in a near whisper, holding out his hand to Logan, who placed his own silver-bladed knife into his brother's hand.

Alex swallowed hard but nodded, and Rhys gently took her left arm, drawing the blade across her skin in one smooth motion. The Hunter barely flinched as blood welled up from the cut and began to streak down her skin. Sirius took a few silent steps back as the scent of her blood filled the air, burning his nose and making his eyes water.

"Okay," Rhys muttered. "Bear with me here."

He dabbed his fingers into the blood coming from the cut on Alex's arm, making her wince. Then, her face screwed up in disgust when Rhys lifted his fingers to his face. He drew a red line from his hair along his nose, over his lips and down his chin. He touched the cut, refreshing the blood and drew a transverse line just under his eyes.

Sirius wandered a little closer, interested in the magic.

Rhys drew another line across his brow, then traced his jaw with another. Finally, he dabbed some of Alex's blood onto his eyelids. Keeping his eyes closed, Rhys lifted her arm up, bending his head toward it.

"This, you're not gonna like," he warned.

Alex opened her mouth, likely to ask what he meant, then gasped sharply. Rhys had ducked his head, his mouth pressed to the wound on her arm. Alex tried to jerk away, but the witch had an iron grip on her arm, keeping her still as he drank.

Sirius met Alex's bewildered eyes and nodded in what he hoped was a reassuring sort of way. Rhys took a last mouthful of the Hunter's blood and released her. Alex all but threw herself backwards, scrambling to her feet. She wobbled and teetered, clapping her hand to her mouth like she was going to be sick. Logan reached out to steady her, but she flinched away from the witch. She came to stand next to Sirius, trembling slightly, her hand now pressing against the cut on her arm.

"He's right," she muttered after a moment. "I didn't like that."

"I doubt it was terribly pleasant for him," Sirius replied. "His kind of witch don't really make a habit of drinking blood. It's sort of an acquired taste."

Alex frowned but didn't say anything in response, fingers still clutched around the shallow cut.

They both turned their attention back to Rhys when he began to chant under his breath. His lips were shiny with blood and he looked slightly nauseated, but that didn't interfere with the smooth flow of words as the spell circled around him. A breeze kicked up, whirling around the witch as his body began to glow, surrounded by the soft green mist of his magic.

As they watched, the light grew brighter and brighter until Sirius had to shield his eyes against the brilliant emerald glare. It flared bright gold before it disappeared, leaving imprints on the backs of Sirius' eyelids. Cautiously, he cracked an eye open to peer at the witch, then whistled low in admiration.

"Damn. This might just work," he muttered, casting an impressed eye over the witch. Beside him, Alex gaped and shook her head, looking thoroughly nonplussed.

Sirius thought this a reasonable reaction. Unless you were a twin, it would be unnerving to suddenly see yourself standing not five feet away. Even for a Hunter, this was likely a new level of strange. 

Both Logan and Sirius looked back and forth between the real Alex and Rhys playing her doppelgänger. Logan nodded slowly, not looking entirely happy that Rhys' transformation had been so perfect. Turning his attention back to Rhys, he watched as the witch tugged at the long brown hair now coming from his head, a thoughtful frown curving Alex's perfect bow-shaped lips.

As they watched, Rhys looked down at his substantially shorter self, hands patting thoughtfully up his wider hips and curved waist. His hands slid over Alex's flat abdomen.

"Don't!" Alex suddenly shouted, making them all jump. Rhys blinked innocently at her, batting her long, black eyelashes, his hands still on his stomach. Alex pointed a threatening finger at him. "Don't even think about it. It might be you in there, but that's my body."

Still looking confused, Rhys looked down again. Sirius snickered when he realized what her problem was. A pretty blush darkened the witch's face as he snatched away fingers that had been perilously close to Alex's breasts. He shoved his hands into his pockets, then scrambled as his pants slid down his hips.

"Let me help," Logan muttered, hurrying forward. "I was always better at these kinds of spells than you."

Rhys stuck out his tongue at that, and Alex hissed in dismay. When she met Sirius' curious gaze, she whispered, "I look like a damn five-year-old when I do that."

Leaning against the bars of one of the empty cages, Sirius folded his arms over his chest as he watched Logan transfigure Rhys' clothes. His fingers flowed lightly over the fabric, a change of color and form flowing out from wherever he touched. Beside him, Alex worried at her lower lip with her teeth, making pain lance through his chest at such a familiar sight.

"This is dangerous," she murmured, watching as Rhys tied back his hair with a strip of cloth torn from the bottom of his shirt. "If he realizes—"

"He won't," Sirius interrupted. "Not until it's too late."

"You hope," she shot back.

Sirius was saved from having to defend his potentially idiotic decision once again when Rhys said, "Okay. We're ready."

The witch paced back and forth for a moment, rolling his shoulders, flexing and curling his fingers. He shook his head, grimacing at the weight of Alex's long hair before he walked toward Sirius. "Final test?"

Grimacing, Sirius leaned forward, burying his face against the witch's neck and inhaled deeply. The crisp smell of snow and the creamy scent of lilies met his nose, stinging his nose with a little less bite than usual. He pulled away from Rhys and nodded. "Nearly a dead match," he said, once again grudgingly impressed with the witch's skill.

Rhys smirked and gave a mocking little bow, then nearly tripped over himself as he tried to walk past. Sirius and Alex both snickered, watching in some amusement as the witch attempted to get used to his temporary body.

"I hate this," Rhys muttered, blowing a strand of loose hair out of his face.

With a snort, Alex stalked past him toward the end of the hall. "It really could be worse, you know."

"How, exactly?" Rhys asked, sullen. It was disconcerting to hear Alex's voice marred by Rhys' slight Southern drawl and prickly inflection.

They all trailed after her, Sirius unable to keep his gaze from flicking between the Hunter and the witch. It was really one of the stranger things he'd seen in his life, which was probably saying something.

Alex peered out into the hallway, keeping herself pressed against the wall as she checked to make sure the way ahead was clear. Then she threw a wry grin over her shoulder. Cupping her hands in front of her chest, she said, "I could have boobs out to here. Try running around with those."

None of them really seemed to know how to respond to that. Alex snickered, then waved a hand at them. "Come on then. We're burning daylight here."

"There's no daylight in Hell," Sirius was compelled to point out, which just earned him a dry look from the Hunter as she waved them on again.

The walk to the end of the next tunnel seemed to take no time at all, and they all stopped for a moment, staring at the entrance to Hades' palace. The gossamer curtain fluttered and sighed, letting out snatches of sound and the sour-sweet smell of forbidden fruit.

Sirius turned to look at the others. "Rick and Caleb are in there." Alex immediately stepped forward but Sirius shot a hand out, dragging her to a stop. "They weren't in the cages, so they're here. They won't be in good shape. Getting them out will be hard. It will draw attention."

"We know," Logan said solemnly. "We'll get it done."

"Not until we get to Hades. Wait here for a good five minutes or so. Once he knows we're there, that I'm bringing him what he wants, the focus will be on me. You need to keep below the other monsters' radar."

Now Logan smiled, a flash of white teeth in the gloom. "We're monsters too, you know." He exchanged a look with his brother, earning an amused eye-roll, Alex's blue irises flashing in what little light there was.

Sirius just shook his head. "Once you get them out, you cannot stop until you're back in Purgatory. After that, run until you're back on Earth. Got it?"

Silence met his last bit of instruction. He snarled at them, but each stubbornly refused to meet his eyes. Finally, Sirius gave a little sigh and turned toward the spider-silk curtain. Before he could duck through the entry way, Rhys grabbed his arm, jerking him to a quick halt.

"We don't know if Hades can read minds. We know he can get into yours, at least," he said, voice deadly serious. "From this point, I'm Alex in every conceivable way, even in your heads." He looked at the real thing. "Even for you. If Hades can get into our heads and sees even a hint of what we're doing, then it's done."

"We're done," Sirius added. All that earned him were three different looks all telling him his commentary was unnecessary. He didn't see why. He couldn't possibly stress the danger of this enough—there weren't words to adequately describe it.

Once more, they all stared at one another for a moment. Then, unable to stand the weight any more, Sirius turned on his heel and led the way into Hades' palace. He didn't need to check that he was being followed.

The curtain tried to cling to his skin, a few stray wisps of darkness curled around him, licking at his neck and jaw. It hissed a warning so quietly it was almost impossible to hear. Sirius brushed it away, trying to get his eyes and ears to adjust to the onslaught of sensory input that slammed into him.

The Alex behind him let out a hiss of dismay as she stepped through the curtain after him, eyes widening as she took in the claws, fur and scales on the twisting bodies of the monsters before them. 

Sirius grabbed her wrist. "Stay close to me," he said, keeping a wary eye on a sphinx lounging on a nearby chaise. Her lips and paws were covered in fresh, silvery blood. "Just keep your head down and move quickly."

She nodded in answer, flinching at the shrieks and laughter that filled the sparkling air. Sirius tightened his grip, knowing he was probably hurting her, but not wanting to run the risk of them getting separated before he could get them across the cavern and to the staircase leading up to Hades. To Galloway.

Alex didn't complain as he began to pull her through the crowd of monsters. Once again, he drew looks of interest and contempt. He bared his teeth at every monster who came too close or stared too long, knowing his hostility would draw attention. Just as long as that attention stayed on him, they would be okay.

That's what he wanted to convince himself of, anyway.

Alex stayed glued to his side, her scent tainted by the sour tang of fear as they pushed their way across the sea of horrors. Sirius just hoped they were moving fast enough that any monster whose appetite was whetted by that scent wouldn't be able to locate its source.

When they passed by the pits, Sirius turned and put his arm around Alex's shoulders, hustling her past the roaring crowd. She hesitated barely a moment, quivering with either fear or anger, but allowed him to sweep her away.

It took both forever and barely a second before Sirius found himself stumbling into the bubble of empty space that surrounded the foot of the staircase.

Both he and Alex stared at it for a long moment before trading a sideways glance.

He knew he should offer something—some word of comfort or some cheap bit of bravado. But he was completely out of both. There was nothing left of him but a desperate, aching core that was still capable of doing the most wretched things to get back what belonged to him.

If he opened his mouth, he didn't think he'd be able to hide that truth.

So he just started up the stairs, Alex on his heels. Darkness pressed down on them, heavy as a lead blanket, slowing their steps until even Sirius was forced to practically crawl up the stairs. His breath seemed to hook and catch in his throat, making his muscles ache and tremble. Beside him, Alex wasn't doing much better.

Finally, finally, Sirius dragged himself over the top step, flopping down onto the obsidian stone of the landing. His chest ached with the force required to draw breath and he let his forehead rest against the cool stone beneath him. Alex lay trembling and panting at his side.

A slow clapping filled the air around them and Sirius struggled up to his knees.

Hades stood in front of him, grin wide enough to show off the secondary canines nestled just behind his fangs. His hungry eyes drifted along Alex's prone form before he turned his gaze on Sirius.

The air lightened as Hades walked forward, his hands clasped in front of him like an excited child.

"Oh, well done, Sirius," he crooned. "Well done, indeed."