"They're just matches burning holes in my soul."

- Shinedown

                                                                                               ***

"Where did you go?" Galloway's voice filtered down around him. "Why have you left me alone for so long?"

Sirius groaned, struggling to force himself awake. Then he stopped, breath catching. Why was he asleep? He wasn't supposed to sleep. You didn't need to sleep in Purgatory.

He opened his eyes to find nothing but darkness surrounding him. Where had her voice come from?

"S-Sirius?"

He whirled around at the tentative sound to find her standing behind him. Her grey eyes were wide and hollow in her lovely face. Her gaze darted nervously toward the blackness surrounding them before she took a halting step forward.

Sirius reached out, pulling her into his arms and he could breathe again. She pressed her face against his chest, fingers digging into his back. Fine tremors wracked her body, making him tighten his hold on her.

How was she here? How had she known to find him?

"I'm always looking for you," she whispered, making him realize he'd actually voiced those questions. She tilted her head back to look at him. "My Soul's always searching for yours."

"I don't have a Soul," he reminded her gently, making her huff.

"And mine's in little pieces." She swallowed hard before giving a small shrug. "I don't know, Sirius. I just heard you calling, so I followed the sound."

His throat constricted and he lifted a hand, tucking a few strands of silky hair behind her ear. He didn't know if she was real, but it almost didn't matter. He would take anything he could get right now. She smelled right; it didn't seem like a trick.

It was enough.

"I'm coming back," he promised. "I'm going to set you free. I'm going to save you."

Galloway smiled, the expression melancholy. Gently, she took his face between her hands. The calluses across the top of her palms scratched lightly at his skin as he placed his hands over hers, pressing more firmly into her touch.

She gave him a light kiss before she rested her forehead against his. "I believe you," she murmured. Then she pulled back, brow furrowing. "But you told me once you don't know how to save anything."

That was true. He had only ever been taught to take. To steal. To destroy. Never to save.

"I'll learn," he rasped, knowing he didn't have anything else to offer her. "I'll do whatever I need to."

She smiled again, biting her lip to hide the small wobble he noticed. Lifting her hand, she ran her fingers through the unruly strands of hair around his face, making his eyelids go heavy and sent a shiver racing down his spine. 

"Are you going to want what's left of me?" she whispered, making his eyes open wide again. She pressed a kiss to his mouth before she laid her head on his shoulder. "When this is over—if it's ever over—are you going to want me when I'm not..."

A huff of pained breath left him as he buried his face in her hair.

"Always." He held her more tightly. "You could be nothing but scraps, sweetheart. I can't live without you."

Galloway slowly pulled away, that same sad smile on her face. Sirius reached out for her, but she slipped away from him, disappearing into the dark. Her voice floated back to him. "I'm waiting, Sirius."

Then she was gone. He was alone again. 

It took everything in him to keep breathing. To keep himself standing as a little more of his heart or his sanity was sheared away.

He didn't stay alone for long.

"This is taking longer than I thought it would."

Sirius heaved in a ragged breath as he tried to pull himself back together, eyes still darting through the darkness, searching for her. He should have known he wouldn't be that lucky.

"What are you doing, Sirius?"

He cringed at the sound of the voice—like snakes slithering over silk. Seductive. Dangerous. Ruthlessly brutal and sinfully tempting. 

Why didn't the worst monsters ever seem like monsters? Why did they sound, look, seem so beautiful. Why did beauty seem benign? 

Sirius pondered this as he slowly turned to look at Hades, the blackness spreading around them like the Empty. But not even Hades had access to the only true void of the universe. The place angels, demons and gods alike went if they managed to get themselves killed.

"Don't make me ask again." Hades' voice was pleasant enough, but Sirius knew that was when he was at his most dangerous. And an impatient Hades spelled trouble for anyone around him.

"Time is hard to track in Purgatory," Sirius said lazily, trying desperately to hide the way his heart was shuddering. "Since it, you know, doesn't move there."

Hades was suddenly less than an inch away from him, making him reel backward, terror metallic on the back of his tongue. His breath hitched and he suddenly found himself on his knees, head bowed. Sirius struggled for a moment, but it was like his nerves had been severed. The only things he could voluntarily move were his eyes.

"Such a simple task," Hades said with a sigh. "Do you remember what failure would cost?"

Galloway flickered into being, sprawled on the ground before Sirius. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with uneven, jagged breaths. Her eyes darted back and forth beneath her closed lids, which had a bruised, purplish cast to them, mirrored by the deep circles beneath them. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent.

She didn't look anything like she had moments ago. She looked like she was dying.

Sirius couldn't tell which was real and which was the illusion. Maybe they were both real. Maybe they were both illusion.

The hold on his vocal cords loosened and he found he could move his mouth. "I would never forget," Sirius rasped. "But it's a big place. I'm doing the best I can."

Hades crouched down on the other side of Galloway and reached forward, long fingers latching on to Sirius' jaw, forcing his head up. Cruel black eyes met his own as the god brushed his thumb over Sirius' mouth. With another long sigh, Hades said, "Oh Sirius, when has your best ever been good enough?"

Never. 

He swallowed hard, struggling to stay calm. By rights he shouldn't have even been here. How was he asleep? How had Hades known? Sirius glanced down at Galloway again. How had she? "You said you need her alive."

The god smiled, the expression almost loving. "I only need her for the spell, Sirius." His grip tightened, fingers pressing painfully into his jaw. "If I can't perform the spell, she's of no use to me. You're of no use to me."

"I'm bringing her," Sirius choked out, terror spiraling through him as he tried again and again to reach out to her. No matter how he begged, bullied or pleaded, he couldn't force his arms to lift, his fingers to stretch out.

He was completely useless.

"I'm bringing what you need," he said, voice scraped raw. "Please. Please, you have to let me do this."

Hades closed his eyes, basking in the moment as Sirius begged to serve him. If he'd had any ability to, Sirius would have torn the god's eyes out. Instead, he choked on his pride a little more, casting his gaze to the floor. To Galloway.

The sight of her, so pale and vulnerable between them, steeled his nerves.

"I'll bring you what you need."  He let his gaze dart back up to Hades. "But if she dies, I'll make sure you never get out of Hell."

A hint of amusement danced alongside the anger in the god's obsidian eyes. Long, pale fingers latched around Sirius' throat, making him gag and choke. Hades pulled him forward until Sirius was close enough to feel cold breath on his mouth. "You'll bring me what I need, or you'll spend the rest of your pathetic existence watching her die over and over and over again."

Sirius bared his teeth, even as his mind skittered away from the reality of that possibility.

Hades shoved him backwards, sending him sprawling. But as the god stood, looming over him, something fractured. Hades looked up, frowning. Sirius stared at Galloway, wanting to scream as she once again faded from existence.

"No!"

Both he and Hades started as the sound tore itself from the Hellhound's throat, echoing strangely in the empty darkness. 

"How—"

The world burst into glittering shards around Sirius, taking Hades with it.

                                                                                    ~~~

Air scraped down his throat as he was thrown headfirst into consciousness. Sirius lunged up to his feet, still half blind with dreams and terror. There was a soft yelp of surprise, a scramble of sound and movement, then a hand on his arm.

Sirius didn't think. He couldn't. Everything was instinct and hatred.

He grabbed whoever it was, claws sinking deep into the flesh of their arm as he pulled them in close. His teeth were at their throat, blood spilling across his tongue before the world shifted into a rawer sort of focus.

Blood that tasted like rain-washed sage. The hard press of a male body against his. A crackle of magic that buzzed along his nerves.

Sirius stumbled backwards, falling to a knee as he scrubbed at his mouth. Words babbled around him, his brain refusing to force them into any kind of sense. His heart thudded wildly, his mind snatching at shards of a dream that was fading away into nothing but shadows and a whisper of hopelessness. 

He stared down at his hands, rubbing his thumbs across the tips of his fingers. He would have sworn he could still feel the warmth of her skin on his.

Slowly, the world began to right itself. The soft babble of voices began to separate out into words and he risked pushing himself to his feet. He wobbled and stretched out a hand for support, but all his fingers found were empty air. He raised his head, eyes drifting from left to right. There was nothing but stone around him.

The last of his memory fluttered weakly. At least they were still in the canyon.

He felt...off-balance. Like he was suddenly several pounds lighter than he'd been just moments ago. Every movement felt like a surprise. Like he'd grabbed for something, just to find it ever so slightly out of reach.

Sirius knew what was out of reach. He knew what was missing. Every time she was taken from him, a little more of whatever passed for his Soul was burned away. He didn't know how much he had left to spare. Logic would dictate that since he didn't have very much to begin with, not a whole lot.

A clean scent of snow and lilies wrapped around him, doing little to drag him out of his own head. But he turned anyway, staring blankly at Alex. She offered him a weak, concerned sort of smile.

She looked terrible. Dark circles stood out in sharp relief under her eyes, her skin was wan and her green eyes dull with fatigue. Long bloody scratches traced down her left arm, more red staining her shirt. Sirius couldn't tell if she was badly wounded or if the blood was from something else. Her hair was in a ratty ponytail, dirt smeared across her skin.

"Is my brother alive?" she whispered, her soft voice roughened by pain or exhaustion. "Is C-Caleb?

Sirius held her gaze for a long moment, debating with himself. Eventually he realized he was just too tired to lie.

"Yes." His gaze slid away from her, back toward his hands. "But they probably wish they weren't."

Alex's pale face grew somehow paler. "Okay." There was a moment of hesitation where Sirius watched a dozen questions flicker across her face before she finally straightened her spine, giving a firm nod. "So what happened?"

All he could do was stare at her. She arched a dark brow, turning to look over her shoulder. Sirius was vaguely aware of Rhys and Logan standing a few feet away, watching the both of them with wary eyes. Then she turned back to him, mouth setting in a determined line that made dread start to seep through his blood.

"The last plan went, well," she grimaced, "straight to hell. How?"

"Does it matter?" Sirius asked hoarsely. He didn't see how it possibly could.

"Yes," Logan replied, stepping forward. He didn't look as bad as the Hunter, but he certainly looked tired. Sirius supposed whatever spell he'd cast to hide himself and Alex must have put a strain on even his deep well of power.

For a moment, Sirius considered pushing his point—that the failure didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was whether or not he kept moving forward. Then he considered lying. Judging by the sharp look Rhys was giving him, it would only be a waste of his time.

He had no more time to waste.

So, Sirius stumbled over to the wall of the canyon, using it for support as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. As his joints ached and creaked, every muscle registering its own complaint, he wondered if this was what it felt like to get old.

It was a strange thought. Sirius knew he was old. Ancient, as a point of fact. But he had never felt all the centuries piling up until now. He'd never felt so incredibly weary before. Like he could just lie down and simply never get up again.

"We're waiting," Logan finally snapped, dragging Sirius' attention back to the outside world. The witch was glaring at him, the fire in his dark eyes hot enough to scorch the stone around them.

"I wasn't expecting..." Sirius' throat seemed to tighten and he coughed. He closed his eyes and whispered, "Hades wasn't supposed to have her. But he did. That's why it went so fucking sideways."

"Why?" Alex asked, her voice more gentle than Logan's. There was a small sound of movement and Alex's golden-white scent moved closer, burning his nose as it enveloped him. He opened his eyes to find her crouched in front of him. Her hands were clasped together, the knuckles white. 

Her eyes betrayed her anxiety, but her voice was steady. "You're afraid of Hades," she said. "I know that much. But why? How's fighting him any different from the demons or other gods you've tangled with?"

Sirius opened, then closed his mouth. How was he supposed to answer that?

"I would suggest truthfully," Rhys offered dryly, arms crossed as he leaned against the canyon wall. For a moment, Sirius stared blankly at the telepath, trying to dredge up the energy to repair the walls protecting his thoughts.

But it was no good.

Honesty it was. 

Sirius heaved another sigh, then shrugged. "Hades has complete control of me. He can make me do, say, be anything he wants. And what's worse is he's got Galloway. Long story short, he could tell me to hang myself, and I would tie the damn noose to do it."

Alex tipped backwards, sitting with a puff of exhaled air. Her mouth pressed into a thin line, her eyes slitting in thought as she mulled that over. Logan was still glaring at him furiously, while Rhys did him the courtesy of not meeting his eyes as he read the horrors reeling through Sirius' mind.

"That's why everything went to hell," he croaked, looking at Alex. "There's nothing I can do against him, no matter how much I might want to. He's got the leash good and tight."

Silence was the only thing that could follow a statement like that. Sirius dropped his gaze to the ground, claws flexing uselessly.

"There's more." Rhys broke the silence, making Sirius look up again.

The witch looked about as good as he had when Sirius had dragged him out of that pit. It was a wonder that he'd made it this far through Purgatory to find Logan and Alex. Even more of a trick was the fact that he'd beaten Sirius to them.

Logan closed his eyes briefly, drawing attention to the pallor over his brown skin and the shadows that passed over his face. Beads of sweat stood out on his brow, making him look sick. His shoulders slumped a little before he said, "There's always more."

"Galloway's..." Rhys hesitated, silver-green eyes flicking to Sirius then away. "She's not doing so hot. Hades is the only thing keeping her from breaking into tiny little pieces."

Logan's shoulders slumped more, his head bowing like the weight of that information was crushing him into the ground.

"If you can't fight Hades," Alex began, keeping her voice small, "how do we get them back? If he's unbeatable, what do we do?"

Rhys blinked several times, his eyes clouding and clearing. Sirius could practically see as the wheels began to move. No one moved or spoke, each wrapped up in their own thoughts and worries. Finally, Rhys took in a great, shuddering breath.

"Nothing's unbeatable," he said slowly, drawing the others' attention toward him. "Not at this level. Gods can be tricked. They can be killed or trapped."

Sirius didn't dare let the witch's words bring him any kind of hope. He didn't have the room for it. He couldn't afford it.

"It's not easy," Alex argued. "And we don't have any way to research what might kill or trap Hades. It's different for every god." She got to her feet and gestured backwards toward Sirius. "What good does it do us anyway, if Hades can just pull Sirius' strings any time he wants to?"

Sirius wouldn't have pegged Alex as the pessimistic one. 

"Well, we're running out of options at this point," Rhys said, voice snappish. He crossed his arms and gave her a pointed look. "Unless you're volunteering to cut your throat so Hades can get out of Hell?"

That sent a jolt running through Sirius, making him lunge to his feet. Before he could open his mouth, Alex placed a hand on his arm. He flinched as the touch stung him, but didn't move as she stared up at him with somber eyes.

"Rhys told us already," she said softly. "He told us about the deal you made. What you promised Hades."

Sirius opened his mouth to argue that he had decided not to give her to Hades—just her blood. He didn't get the chance. And, in total honesty, he wanted to keep his options open if it came down to that.

"In the current flock of promises you possess," Rhys muttered. Then he shook his head. "That's hardly the point."

"Then what is the point?" Logan asked, still looking like he'd been hollowed out.

Rhys frowned and began pacing back and forth. Then he glanced at Sirius. "Do you have any ideas of what could kill him?"

He can't be serious. 

Rhys gave him a dry look. "There's a joke in there somewhere, isn't there?"

Grimacing, Sirius shook his head. "You think I know something like that? Do you think anything in Hell knows that? If I did, I would have sold the secret and had someone kill the bastard for me centuries ago."

"So that's a no then," Rhys said, ignoring the venom in the Hellhound's words. He lapsed back into a brooding silence as he thought.

Sirius' eyes strayed back to Alex. She stood a little away from him, her arms wrapped around herself like she was cold. Or maybe she was nervous. She was staring into a sort of middle distance, either lost in thought or memory.

We need to trick or trap him.

It hit him like a bolt of lightning. Just a shadow. Barely a thought. 

"We need to give him what he wants," he said, his voice quiet.

Three startled, wary pairs of eyes met his. Sirius ran a hand through his hair, brushing the unruly black strands out of his face. He gave Rhys a humorless little smile.

"You said it. Everything can be tricked. Hades could be trapped or cheated." Sirius tilted his head. "But not easily. So we need to give him what he wants if we want to get them out."

Alex swallowed, but didn't flinch away from him.

"We're not giving her to Hades," Logan said, his weariness washed away by fury. He looked at Alex. "We're not giving you to Hades."

Sirius didn't so much as blink. 

Rhys was watching him with a puzzled frown. Sirius had pulled the shields tight around his thoughts again, locking the witch out. He didn't need anyone else's input muddling up his plans. Or, rather, the skeletons of his plans.

Sirius figured he could hammer out the details later.

"Yes, we are," Sirius said to Logan. He shrugged. "The only way we're surviving this is if we give Hades what he wants." He smiled, and he knew it was a vicious thing. "We have to give him exactly what he asked for."