Disclaimer: None of Supernatural belongs to me; I've just got an imagination and clearly some serious ADD.
AN: None of this is Betaed; I'm the only one who's edited it so sorry for any mistakes.
Idol Standing
Lucifer may have taught Gabriel all his tricks, but he wasn't just Gabriel anymore was he? He was Loki, he was The Trickster, he'd been many people and learned from many other tricksters in the thousands of years since he'd last been to heaven.
Prologue: Death Of An Angel
Lucifer may have taught Gabriel all his tricks, but he wasn't just Gabriel anymore was he? He was Loki, he was The Trickster, and he has been other gods before them; he'd been many people and learned from many other tricksters in the thousands of years since he'd last been to heaven. After The Fall things changed in heaven and while he was still his Father's Messenger Gabriel spent much of his time on earth. Even before he officially left Gabriel was spending more time on earth amongst the various demigods than he was among his brethren in Heaven. Sure Lucifer was the bright Morning Star, Father's favorite son, and Michael was the Commander of His Army, but Gabriel was always the closest to both God and man as His Messenger. As such there was one important ability their Father had gifted to him, and him alone, of all the angels. Besides how did Lucifer hope to start the apocalypse without Gabriel to blow the Horn heralding in the end?
Anansi had been one of his early friends, Coyote too. Having control over all time and space meant he easily met and befriended most of the godlings before they were much beyond the early imaginings of humanity. The birth of the gods and goddesses was complicated; a process that seemed to be equal parts a monster born or evolved slightly stronger than usual and the intangible power of human belief bringing them to life. But regardless of how they came to be Gabriel watched them all rise into the beings they finally were. He went to them under different guises. Curious about the new beings the humans would turn away from his Father to worship, and encouraged by his Father to explore the earth, he visited so often that he was repeatedly mistaken for one of them. Quickly he learned not to admit to his true nature, since most of the gods viewed the older more powerful angels as threats to their weaker existence, and he allowed the godlings to think of him as one of their kind whenever he visited them.
There were a few pantheons in particular that he enjoyed visiting. It somehow ended up that he always became known as the god with a similar role to his own: messenger, harbinger, in between worlds, second in command (to his amusement just as he was supposed to be Michael's second when leading God's Army his alter egos played the role of the second in command in numerous human mythos, it seemed his true nature bled through enough for the humans to pick up on it regardless of how deep he tried to hide it), and he was most proud of the fact that he always managed to be known as a trickster.
He always had a soft spot for the animals his Father let him help create; he felt like the platypus was a pretty good indicator of his own nature. And yes Gabriel did help his Father create an animal, it was the early stages and he, like every child before and after him, wanted to be just like his Dad and help out, so he was to blame for the platypus. That was him, not Gabriel the Archangel, Messenger of the Lord, Deliverer of God's Judgement and Wrath, Trumpet Bearer, not any of his angelic duties or titles just him, Gabriel the being, whoever he was definitely loved pulling pranks and was in general a mischievous person.
His point being, as Lucifer stabbed the vessel containing most of his Grace and gloated, he wasn't just Lucifer's little brother anymore; this wasn't the end for him. Still it was painful as his own blade tore his Grace to quickly scattered pieces and started to vaporize his spirit.
"You're only being held here by a thread."
"Well," Gabriel smirked as he turned away from where he was floating, staring at his once brother gloating over his dead body to look at the being standing behind him, "a thread is all it takes sometimes."
"So, which of your failsafes do you plan to use this time?" The other being stared back with a hint of amusement on it's face. "That is a mortal wound. Perhaps this is it; most of your Grace was in that vessel."
"But not all." Gabriel smiled brightly, or as brightly as a shadowy form made mostly of rapidly dimming light could.
"More than enough. You would need to wait quite some time before you could recover it; you have made it so there are some pieces you can never reclaim. Even if you could survive what sort of angel do you hope to be without your Grace?" The being looked more and more skeptical as it watched Gabriel fade away in front of it.
"Obviously not much of one." Gabriel seemed oblivious to how quickly he was dimming and shrinking away.
"You would cast your fate into the hands of a few humans in this time when religion is fading and belief in the unseen is fleeting? What you left behind might not still be there," his companion rationalized calmly.
"I left protections. Besides you and I aren't done yet old friend. You still owe me a few favors I don't intend to collect yet." The light that was Gabriel finally faded away just as he finished this last proclamation.
"No one can escape me when it is their time," Death spoke to the empty husk that was once Gabriel's body. No one heard him because Gabriel was already gone and Lucifer, still among the living, was unable to perceive him. Shaking his head Death turned and disappeared. On to the next job. Lucifer's little apocalypse tantrum was really giving him a lot of extra work lately. Thank goodness it would be over soon.
AN: Technically this is the prologue to a longer story that I already know how it goes but for now I'm just gonna let it stand alone. If you like it I may one day continue it so feel free to follow even though it's technically listed as complete.