"Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult."

-Anne Rice

                                                                           ***

Sirius healed so quickly in Hell. Within two hours, the wound in his throat and the cuts across his back were gone, like they had never even existed. The only ache present in his body was the one that always sat heavy in his chest. 

He felt good. He belonged in Hell, and that was not a comforting thought considering that after he finished his work here, he would never come back. Not if he could help it anyway.

The floors of the tunnels were treacherous, and the others all had cuts and scrapes from catching themselves constantly on the sharp walls. Even Sirius had to level an irritating amount of concentration purely on keeping his footing as they continued toward the center of Hell. 

None of them spoke. There was no room for words here, nothing to be said after those revelations at the portal. Not to mention the fact that sound carried through these halls with absurd ease. 

But beyond that, the going had been nerve-wrackingly easy. No booby traps, no prowling Hell-beasties, no nasty, heartrending magics. Even Rhys hadn't sensed anything more sinister than a vague feeling of being watched.

And it was driving Sirius insane. Theron knew they were coming. He'd said the damn words himself, right to the demon's despicable face. So what was wrong here?

What had he missed? What was about to go wrong?

Caleb muttered, "Why does this feel so easy?"

"Sh," Rhys breathed. "You say something like that and it's bound to go to shit."

Their voices were caught by the walls and vaulted down the passageway and Sirius looked over his shoulder meaning to shush them, just to find all of them looking pale and haggard. He slowed to a stop, turning all the way around. They all looked exhausted nearly to the point of sickness.

Rick answered his unspoken question. "Yes. We all feel like shit. It's Hell. What did you expect?"

Stupid. He should have realized that while Hell might revitalize him, it wouldn't jive so well with the humans' systems. After a moment's hesitation, he sighed and whispered, "Rest for a moment."

Caleb and Rhys exchanged glances, but Sirius cut them off before they could argue. "We're getting close. We're going to have to split at the next turn-off, so rest now, while you have an opportunity to really do it."

Finally, Rick sat and leaned gingerly against the wall, pulling a flask out of the inner pocket of his jacket. Voice still hoarse, he asked, "How long have we been walking?"

They all exchanged blank looks for a moment, until Rhys frowned and glanced at Sirius. "How long has it felt to you?"

Sirius shrugged. "A little more than three hours?"

"Fuck," the other three said in perfect synchronization. A shiver skittered down his spine, and he waited with trepidation to hear how long they had been walking for.

Caleb scrubbed a hand through his dark hair, sitting down next to Rick and taking the flask when the other Hunter offered it. After a healthy sip, he handed the flask to Rhys and scrubbed a hand down his face. "Maybe ten hours for me."

Both Rick and the witch nodded in agreement and Sirius scowled. He hadn't counted on such a severe distortion of their individual perceptions of time. Not when they were still together at least. If he'd known they'd been walking for that long, he would have stopped. He knew they'd need more rest than he did.

Sirius blinked, stifling his irritation. "And is there any particular reason none of you decided to offer that up? Called for a water break or something?"

"Because none of us wanted to stop in Hell," Caleb answered. "And you didn't look inclined to stop even if we wanted to."

This made Sirius shake his head. What good were they to him if they were exhausted? What good would they be to Galloway?

"Okay, well assuming that Sirius is the only one who's got their time right," Rick said, stifling a yawn, "should we keep going?"

Rhys answered by joining the Hunters on the ground, stretching out on the smooth obsidian and putting his arms behind his head. He looked at Sirius and said, "Looks like you get to play guard dog since you're the only one who hasn't been walking for ten hours."

Sirius' only answer was to flip him off, but he settled against the opposite wall, careful of the sharp ridges, and nodded. The Hunters exchanged tentative glances, but thankfully didn't say anything as they lay down as well. A sigh came from his nose, and Sirius didn't bother trying to get more comfortable against the wall as he closed his eyes.

He let his hearing expand, casting a net of awareness around them. He paid careful attention to every small shift in the air that brought a rank mix of scents to him. The curvature of the tunnels kept him from seeing anything approach, but his other senses wouldn't fail him.

By now, he could hear the faint echo of screams and couldn't help but listen for one in particular. Horribly, he almost wished for the sound, because if he heard it, nothing would stop him from getting to her.

The others settled further into sleep.

Their breathing deepened slightly, but he could tell they weren't totally crashed out. He suspected none of them would really sleep in Hell, no matter how tired they were. Still, some rest was better than none as time began to slip around him, loosening its hold on the others as they pulled a little farther from consciousness. 

A calm settled around them, putting Sirius' teeth on edge.

A strand of darkness curled around his wrist, making him startle. He stared at the black threads wrapping around his fingers and something like hope speared through him. "Can she know I'm here?" Sirius murmured, quietly enough not to disturb the others. "Can you get to her? Can you tell her?" He tried for a wry smile. "Make sure she doesn't do anything crazy before I can get to her?"

The darkness didn't answer, instead slipping into the pocket of his jeans. He bared his teeth as the sticky strands of black pulled the bracelet out of his pocket, letting it clatter on the ground, the sound unnaturally loud as it echoed against the walls. The metal shimmered in the fire curling along the walls and Rhys sucked in a startled breath, but didn't move.

Sirius snatched up the bracelet and shoved it back in his pocket.

A soft wind brushed against him, feeling like lips against his ear. He shuddered and stood, pacing down the tunnel, careful not to get too far away from the others. Pure black enveloped him as soon as he lost sight of his companions. He growled before stars erupted, dancing around him and turning the darkness to an almost overwhelming display of colors.

"Well, well, well," a cool voice said. "Look who's come home."

Sirius let his fingers play through the chilled fire of a nearby star, then turned. "What the fuck are you doing down here?"

Belatedly, he realized that he perhaps shouldn't start off in such a hostile manner, but at this point he was pretty much sick of these pain-in-the-ass gods.

Nyx smiled patiently. Her hair was so dark it blended into the night around her, but galaxies spun in her eyes. Beneath her deep brown skin, starlight traced along the veins at her wrists. Her black mini-dress clung to every supple curve, jewels fashioned from dying stars sparkling at her wrists, her fingers, her throat. 

"Is a mother not allowed to visit her son?" she asked innocently.

Sirius tensed. "Thanatos?"

While he didn't particularly hate that being, he also didn't really feel like running into Death today. Not that the god spent an awful lot of time in Hell anyway, but still.

The only answer Nyx gave was another mysterious smile. She held out her hand and the darkness pulled the bracelet from Sirius' pocket again. It drifted through the air until it landed in the goddess' upraised palm. She turned it over in her elegant fingers, then lifted it to her mouth and whispered, "Careful what you wish for."

Something like thunder roiled around them, shaking the very foundations of the tunnels around them, and Sirius snatched the bracelet back. "What did you just do?" he demanded. Then he shook his head in disgust. "Can I help you with something? Or did he send you just to fuck with me until he gets here?"

"Oh, I have no sympathy for my dear nephew if that's what you're implying," she said with a frown. "Hades is not my concern. Nor is he my master. No one sends me anywhere."

Sirius opened his mouth, then jumped when Rick said, "What is your concern then, Lady Night?"

The darkness must have masked the sound of his approach. Or... the Hunter was much stealthier than he had previously let on. Sirius wasn't sure he particularly cared for either of those options.

Nyx smiled at the Hunter as he walked through the stars to stand at Sirius' side. He gave the goddess a little bow, looking at Sirius from the corner of his eye as he did. 

The goddess cooed, "What a lovely human." Her galaxy eyes looked him up and down. "Your manners are very pretty."

Rick inclined his head, then repeated his question. Sirius wondered why he was awake.

The goddess of night shrugged. "Rumors have been stirring, Sirius. Interesting rumors."

"Perfect," he muttered under his breath, then he said, "Well, whatever you heard, it's wrong."

"How can you say that when you don't know what I've heard?" she teased. A hand settled on her hip, her eyebrow raising as she smiled at him. The darkness stirred around them, making the stars dance and whirl.

"The gates will not open," he said flatly. "The only thing I'm here for is the one that belongs to me."

Interest flickered in her eyes. "So it is true," she murmured. "The Hell-beast that fell for a mortal Huntress."

Sirius just turned his head, looking at a blue and silver star to his right. It winked and bobbed, beautiful and delicate, surrounded by crushing black. Why did they care? 

When it became obvious that Sirius was not going to offer anything more to the conversation, Nyx sighed and turned to Rick. "My concern, pet, is that the Hellhound is not above making deals that will destroy the world." Her bright eyes went to his pocket, where the summoning charm was once more hidden. The words were for Sirius when she said, "He already knows you're coming."

Rick's gaze flickered between them, but all he said was, "We're only here for the Huntress."

"Oh, I know," Nyx said with a wistful sigh. "And I'm not here to stop you, or warn you from your path. I will only say one thing."

"Yes?" Sirius growled. Her words had turned his blood to ice. The idea that he would ever make a deal with Hades was abhorrent. Yet, doubt flickered somewhere deep within him. After all, what wouldn't he do for Galloway?

Nyx looked at him like she could feel the same doubt he did. "Be careful of the fighting pits. You'll end up there, and your choices will decide the fate of more than one of your companions. You won't be able to have them all."

Sirius' lips peeled back from his lengthening fangs, but then the darkness disappeared on a refreshingly cool wind, taking the goddess with it. He blinked in the dull orange light of the fires around them, stiffening when Rick touched his shoulder.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked quietly.

You won't be able to have them all. Sirius snarled under his breath. Like hell he wouldn't. But all he said was, "At this point, I don't fucking know, man." He turned and they walked back to where the other two were beginning to stir.

Rhys sat up with a groan, rubbing his eyes and Caleb tapped another flask against his shoulder. Sirius wondered how he was the only one who hadn't recieved the bring-your-own-booze memo.

The witch took the flask with a wan smile. "This might turn into a pretty nice trip."

There wasn't enough alcohol in the universe for that.

Rick snorted and put something in Sirius' hand. The cap was already open and a smooth, woody smell let him know it was bourbon whiskey. Didn't Hunters realize there was more in the wide world of inebriants? That didn't stop him from taking a generous mouthful, but what he wouldn't give for a nice fifty-year-old scotch.

"Keep it," Rick said with a smirk. "I brought more than one."

Sirius smiled and slipped the flask into his pocket. "You might be my favorite human."

"I don't have any idea how to respond to that," Rick said wryly.

"That's probably good," Sirius said with a frown. "I'm not sure I meant to say that."

Rick snorted a laugh and Sirius took another drink before they all looked down the darkening tunnel. Rhys rubbed at his eyes again, and Caleb yawned.

"How long did we sleep?" Rhys asked.

"About three hours," Sirius quickly lied. Time was a tenuous thing here anyway, and if they perhaps believed that they'd had a decent amount of sleep, then maybe they would feel like they had.

"Doesn't feel like it," Caleb muttered, immediately debunking that theory. He took his gun from its placed tucked into his belt at the small of his back and checked that it was ready to fire. The burning tang of silver hit Sirius' nose, but it wasn't as potent down here as it was on Earth.

Rhys tilted his head from side to side, the bones in his neck popping. He watched Caleb with heavy, thoughtful eyes and said, "All that'll do is slow them down."

Both Hunters just nodded. They'd come down here well aware of the fact that the normal tricks of their trade would be reduced to just that—tricks. Sirius caught a glimpse of the demon blade tucked into a deep pocket in Caleb's coat.

That and his claws were the only tools truly available to them. A shiver ran down Sirius' spine, and he knew that before this was done those things wouldn't be enough.

Judging by the grim line of Rick's mouth, he knew that as well, but neither of them said anything. What good would it do?

Without having to say anything, they once again began the long trek down into the belly of Hell. 

Rhys took the lead this time, scanning for both magic and the twisted thoughts of any creature they might run into. The tunnel was beginning to widen and become more square, turning to actual carved hallways as opposed to passageways that could have been clawed out by some demonic mole for all Sirius knew.

He repressed a heavy sigh when Rick grabbed his elbow, forcing his steps to slow so that they both fell a little behind from the other two.

Quietly enough that only Sirius' sensitive ears could pick up the tone, Rick asked, "Was she telling the truth?"

After a moment's consideration, Sirius decided that playing dumb would only draw this out longer. So he sighed. "Telling the truth about what exactly? The fact that Hades already knows I'm here? Yeah, probably."

"Not that," Rick hissed as Caleb and Rhys disappeared momentarily around a curve of the hallway. "About you making deals."

He took an even longer moment to answer that. It was something he'd already thought of—what he was willing to deal to get her back, to get them all returned safely from Hell.

The answer was something the Hunter probably didn't truly want to know. 

So Sirius shrugged away from the grasp on his arm and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He recoiled at the touch of the bracelet's cold metal and curled his fingers away from it. With a sneer, he said, "I've already made enough shitty deals, thanks. I'm not going to do any parlaying down here." His sneer turned to a wicked, bloodthirsty grin that made Rick take a small step away from him. "Besides," Sirius purred, "I don't intend to give any quarter anyway."

"What was that about the fighting pits?" Rick pressed, even as they began to catch up with the other two, who were now standing before a split in the path. "What did she mean we'd wind up there?"

Sirius really wasn't sure of that himself, since they had no business there.

So the words had an actual ring of truth when he said, "No idea. Those are in some of the nastiest levels of Hell. There's no reason we should have to go there."

Rick opened his mouth to keep pressing, but Sirius cut him off with a hiss. He leveled a cold gaze on him, which the Hunter returned. Their battle of wills continued for a moment before a soft whistle snagged both of their attention.

Rhys was watching them with a narrowed gaze, and Sirius closed his eyes briefly, tapping along his mental shields to check for any unfortunate cracking. He found none, but the witch was still watching him, like he'd heard every unfortunate truth flittering around in Sirius' head.

Sirius hissed, "Sometimes goddesses just say shit like that to mess with you."

Rick snorted, but gave him a look that let him know this conversation was far from done. But then they all turned to look down the hallways into the long dark and festering rot of Hell.

The screams were louder here. Enough for the others to hear it.

Sirius retracted his mental wall slightly, and Rhys' head turned. The witch stayed perfecly still as Sirius showed him where they would need to go. Distantly, he could hear Rick and Caleb talking amongst themselves.

He muttered, "After you get to the main hall—"

"I'll be able to hear her," Rhys cut him off. "Show me where the gate to Purgatory is from the cells."

That was something very few knew, either in Hell or on Earth. Lucky for them, Sirius had been of a curious sort when he was younger and not very inclined to sharing. Back then, Purgatory had just been a series of adventures and a way to escape the horrors waiting for him back home.

He showed Rhys where the portal was, alcoved away in some long-forgotten temple to a primordial, long-forgotten god. It was in the lowest level, where the nastiest of creatures had been locked away for millenia and few had dared tread for the long centuries.

Rhys let out a long breath and nodded to let Sirius know he had what he needed. A whisp of magic trailed along the wall in Sirius' mind, and he listened as the witch thought, Aren't you at least going to warn me to not disturb the water?

A blank look settled over Sirius' face, and Rhys shook his head. "Never mind," the witch muttered out loud.

"There isn't any water in Hell," Sirius said, still trying to puzzle out what the witch had meant, but all Rhys did was shake his head again and wave a dismissive hand.

Both Hunters frowned at them, obviously knowing they had missed part of the conversation. But they didn't ask.

"This is where we break off," Sirius said, though he immediately realized the words were unnecessary. He pointed to the left-hand tunnel. "That will take you to her. Until you grab her, try to leave as little evidence as possible lying around?"

"So," Caleb said with a small smile, "make sure we hide the bodies?"

A laugh huffed from Sirius' nose against his will, and he nodded briefly. "After that, just book down to the lower levels. Don't stop for rest, don't stop for anything."

"What about her body?" Rhys asked. "How do we find that?"

That pulled Sirius up short for a moment, then he shook his head. "If it's not close to her, then I have a few ideas about where Theron might be keeping it. Just as long as you don't leave Purgatory, her Soul will stay corporeal outside her body until I can find it and meet you there."

"And if you can't bring it to us?" Caleb asked quietly.

"That's not going to happen," Sirius snarled, the sound soft and cruel. 

The other three exchanged glances, but didn't rebuke him. Instead, Caleb clapped Rick on the shoulder, then nodded at Sirius before he and the witch disappeared into the passageway.

"So that leaves a demon for us," Rick said softly, and something shimmered into being across his back when they could no longer hear the sound of retreating footsteps.

Sirius stared dumbfounded at the golden hilt now protruding over Rick's right shoulder. The Hunter grinned and pulled the sword from its scabbard with a whine of metal.

The blade was curved and deadly as lion's claws, a shimmering gold that radiated magic and life.

"That's not very Egyptian," Sirius finally managed as he looked at the scimitar.

Rick sheathed the blade and shrugged. "Call it a spoil of war. Sekhmet had business in Turkey once."

"Will that work against demons?" Sirius asked as they began walking down the right-hand tunnel toward Theron's office.

Rick's fingers tapped against the hilt before he dropped his hand. "I have yet to come across something it won't kill."

Sirius grinned, the expression feral. "Remind me to thank the lioness when we get back topside."