All Hell Breaks Loose - Kansas part 2
All Hell Breaks Loose - Kansas, part 2
The hunters reached the bottom of the stairs as Crowley wondered aloud if he’d misread the ritual.
“You said it perfectly. All you needed was this,” Castiel spoke as he placed an empty jar on the central table. Crowley glanced from the empty jar to the one he was holding.
“I see. And we’ve been working with?” He licked the tip of his index finger, “Dogs blood. Naturally.”
“Enough of these games. Castiel, give us the blood,” Raphael demanded, not realising she’d already lost the war.
“You? Game’s over. His jar’s empty,” Crowley said, “So, Castiel how’d your ritual go? Better than ours, I’ll bet.”
The room shone with light emitting from Castiel as it faded away and the others bought their hands down from their eyes, Castiel spoke. “You can’t imagine what it’s like. They’re all inside me. Millions upon millions of souls.”
“Sounds sexy. Exit stage, Crowley,” the demon quipped and disappeared before he was killed.
“Now, what’s the matter Raphael? Somebody clip your wings?” Castiel said looking at the now frightened Archangel.
“Castiel, please? You let the demon go but not your brother?” Raphael’s voice quivered with fear.
“The demon I have plans for. You on the other hand,” Castiel snapped his fingers and Raphael exploded. His sword fell to the floor. Castiel turned to look at the three hunters with a look of maniacal satisfaction upon his face.
“Fuck!” “Shit!” “Balls!” The three simultaneous oaths from Dean, Sam and Bobby summed up their predicament.
“You doubted me, fought against me, but I was right all along,” Castiel calmly stated.
“O-kay. Cas, you were. We’re sorry. Now let’s just defuse you, okay?” Dean said as calmly as he could under the circumstances.
“What do you mean?” Castiel asked. Naïve cunning with a touch of madness flashed across his face.
“You’re full of nuke. It’s not safe. So, before the eclipse ends, let’s get them souls back to where they belong,” Dean slowly approached Castiel, the way one would a cornered animal.
“Oh no, they belong with me,” Castiel said smiling brightly, “I’m not finished yet. Raphael had many followers and I must punish them all severely.”
While Dean was speaking to Castiel. Sam was making his way slowly around to where Raphael’s sword lay on the ground. If they couldn’t make Castiel see reason they’d have to use force to get him to return the souls. Either that or kill him with the poison Hel had given Bobby.
“Listen to me. Listen, I know there’s a lot of bad water under the bridge but we were family once. I’d have died for you. I almost did a few times. So, if that means anything to you. Please, I’ve lost Lisa. I’ve lost Ben. Don’t make me lose you too. You don’t need this kind of juice anymore, Cas. Get rid of it before it kills us all. It…It’s scrambling your mind.” Dean kept his voice calm. Kept Castiel focused upon him while he saw Sam move to get Raphael’s discarded sword in his peripheral vision. He hoped they didn’t have to kill the stupid angel to save him. Castiel’s reply put pay to that hope.
“You’re just saying that because I won. Because you’re afraid. You’re not my family, Dean. I have no family,” Castiel said. A micro look passed between Dean and Sam before Sam stabbed Castiel in the back with Raphael’s sword.
Nothing happened.
Castiel pulled out the sword and examined it with a strange smile. “The angel blade won’t work because I’m not an angel anymore. I’m your new God. A better one. So, you will bow down and profess you love unto me, you Lord, or I shall destroy you.”
“You are not the new god, Little Cousin. You are not even a pagan god. You have not earned such a fate,” Hel spoke as she came down the stairs. Following her came Fenrir and Vali.
Castiel faced Hel. “I have not earned divinity? How dare you speak to me as a child? You are nothing more than Death’s lackey and your brothers chew toys for your selfish elders.”
“Better that than a mutated winged insect, angel,” Fenrir snarled.
The three pagans circled Castiel, Hel placing herself between Castiel and the three hunters.
“Yes. I am a Goddess of the Underworld, Death’s Mistress, Mistress of Decay, the names are many. I am necessary, Little Cousin. You, on the other hand are not. Not as you are.”
“Your friend cannot be saved. You know what must be done,” Hel’s voice echoed in the three hunters mind.
“My name is not Little Cousin,” Castiel snapped irritably and a blast of uncontrolled power disintegrated the wall behind the hunters. “And I will not be told what to do by Death. Heaven needs to be purged of all disloyal angels. It needs to be returned to those who understand their duty.”
“I’m not letting you poison Castiel,” Dean thought furiously.
“What duty would that be, Little Cousin? Your will? Raphael’s will?” Hel continued to bait Castiel. Unused to critique and with the violent souls of purgatory using him as a host, Castiel experienced another outburst of uncontrolled power.
“You have no choice. Castiel’s first act of power was to destroy Bobby’s panic room. This is the only gateway now and while we banter, Eve and her monsters grow stronger within Castiel,” Hel’s voice hissed through the hunters’ minds.
“You cannot control Purgatory, Castiel. My mother will not allow it. I will ask you one last time. Stop this nonsense. Return the souls to Purgatory,” Hel demanded.
“Or what? You’ll kill me?” Castiel mocked his elder cousins. Fenrir and Vali tensed, ready to fight.
“Shit! Fine, how?” Dean thought frantically.
“Only one blade needs deliver the poison. A combined strike of all three blades given you and the reversal of the spell used,” Hel answered calmly. “We shall distract Castiel.”
“The blood’s gone,” Bobby panicked.
“The blood isn’t important. The symbols are drawn correctly and this place has strong magic. Say the spell Bobby Singer,” Hel’s voice drifted away and they found themselves free of her bond.
Hel faced Castiel. “If death is what you wish Castiel. Death you shall have.” With that the Pagan trio attacked.
The End…
Bobby, Sam and Dean took cover as best they could while the walls around them came tumbling down. The vial slipped out of Bobby’s hand and broke spilling the venom upon the floor. Dean quickly jabbed his sword into the liquid before it melted into the floor. He narrowly avoided being crushed by a piece of wall in the process.
They found themselves cowering under what remained of the stairwell. In front of them the fight between deranged angel and pagan gods had become more like a bar brawl.
Castiel had a foot on Hel’s throat and his hands around Vali’s throat. Fenrir was picking himself up from the floor behind Castiel. He kicked a broken wall of concrete at Castiel’s back forcing him to drop Vali and step off Hel. Castiel used his downward momentum to pick the Goddess up like a rag doll and throw her back over his shoulder at Fenrir. Hel landed like a cat and promptly blasted Castiel with a firebolt. Vali aimed a volley of punches at the angel, pushing him back towards his brother and sister. Castiel threw out his arms and blasted all three pagans back ten feet.
He stood up. They stood up. The fight continued.
Sam, Dean and Bobby got to their feet and positioned themselves as best they could. They stood under the stairwall facing the only standing wall section, the section onto which the ritual symbols had been painted. There was enough of the building destroyed that they could see the lunar eclipse was waning fast. As if aware of their concerns again they heard Hel’s voice echo in their minds.
“Begin the spell Bobby Singer! Be ready to strike deep into Castiel’s heart. All three of you must strike as one.”
They nodded as one towards the battling goddess and Bobby began to recite the reverse spell, his hands holding firm his sword. Dean and Sam stood beside him and held their swords, ready for what must be done.
Castiel became aware of what was happening almost as soon as Bobby began to chant. He turned towards them with a vengeance. Dean could see that whatever remained of the Castiel he knew, was now lost to Eve and the souls of Purgatory.
The Pagan trio were forcing Castiel towards them. Castiel finally managed to free an arm and he plunged it deep into Fenrir’s ribcage and ripped out his heart. The Great Wolf dropped dead upon the ground.
Fenrir’s death drove Vali over the edge and in a fit of rage and grief he pushed Castiel back and onto the waiting sword blades of Sam, Dean and Bobby. Angel and pagan howled as the blades ran through their bodies locking them both in a death embrace.
Their howling was joined by the screaming of Purgatory souls being forcibly expelled from Castiel’s dying body. Bobby kept chanting and holding his sword. Sam held his sword with one hand and used the other to support the older hunter. Dean’s hands were still around the hilt of his sword but he could feel the amulet burning. It became too much to bear and he let go the sword to remove the amulet from around his neck.
“Place the amulet around Castiel’s neck Dean Winchester,” a voice instructed and without questioning why Dean did as he was told.
It was the last thing he remembered doing before a blinding light and searing heat knocked himself, Sam and Bobby out. Just before he lost consciousness Dean thought he saw a familiar figure emerge from the centre of the light. Then all was black.
Chapter 13