Castiel stirred as the muffled sound of footsteps echoed through the walls. He grunted and blinked hard as he tried to move his hands. He slowly tugged them towards his body, but he was met with the cold resistance of sigil carved shackles around his wrist. Jarring himself awake he tried to quickly place himself in his surroundings. His memory was foggy and clouded by a thick haze of scattered memories. A door opened, breaking the silence in the room with the sound of heavy metal scrapping across the stone floor. Castiel shifted and tried to move his head up to see who it was, but his vessel was weaken by the sigil marks on his chains. He exhaled and tried to concentrate on moving his body, but it was bound tightly to the hard metal surface on his ankles, thighs, and waist, with one last binding crisscrossing tightly on his back. He jerked against the tight bonds but that only caused more discomfort so he retired to think.
"You're awake?" A familiar voice broke the silence.
Castiel could not see him, but he immediately knew who it was. "Crowley."
It was almost like a curse when it fell from Castiel's lips. The King of Hell laughed as he walked into the angel's view. Blue eyes meeting brown as things began to become clearer to Castiel. He was summoned by Crowley earlier that day on his hunt for Amara. Crowley said he had some information to pass onto him that was in both their mutual interest, as Amara was a threat to every living and dead create on the planet. Castiel grimaced and cursed under his breath, he was always the one to fall into traps. He stared Crowley down, unsure why the demon had captured him.
"I suppose you're wondering why I have you trapped here." Crowley waved his hands to someone outside Castiel's view.
Crowley smirked and walked outside of Castiel's view, which made Castiel very nervous. He was gaining some of his strength back but not enough to even lift or turn his head, but his senses were coming back to him. He ruffled his nose at the smell of mold and decay as it filled his nostrils. It was a mixture of decomposed earth and moisture that led Castiel to believe he was being held somewhere underground. The cold damp air across his back and feet revealed that he was laying on a table with no shirt on, but he had pants, but not shoes. Waves of air brushed against his skin as people walked silently around the room. He could only focus on the barren stone wall in front of him and was unnerving him at every passing minute that he did not fully understand where he was. He jumped when he felt a pair of cold hands brush across his back. A small shiver ran down his spine.
"Hmmmmm, yes this will do." Crowley hovered over Castiel, digging his nails under the tightly strapped bands of leather on his back.
"Crowley." Castiel hissed in frustration. "Why am I here?" Castiel demanded.
Crowley removed his fingers, slowly admiring the little beads of blood gathered on the tips of his fingers. "You were never the patient one." Crowley sat next to Castiel, half perched on the table outside of Castiel's view, but close enough that Castiel could felt him beside him. "I've brought you here because I need your help."
Castiel glared, but did not speak.
"See love, I need those beautiful angel wings of yours." Crowley ran his hand over Castiel's shoulder blade.
Castiel growled and jerked away from his touch but that only caused his binding to cut deeper into his skin. His breath picked up as he tried to control himself. "What are you talking about?"
Crowley twisted his face into a wickedly disturbing grin as he bend over Castiel, leaning only inches above Castiel's ear. "I'm going to crave your wings from your body and use them to kill Amara."
Castiel shot a glare to Crowley, catching over a glimmer of the wickedness behind his brown eyes. There was not an ounce of hesitation, whatever Crowley was planning to do, he was going to do, and it terrified Castiel down to his core.
Crowley left Castiel to soak in his juices for an hour. He was enjoying having the upper hand for once and decided he was going to watch the angel squirm. He sat in his office as he watched his henchmen arrange the remaining items he needed for his plan via camera. After tonight, no one would talk down to him, no one would use him as their pawn. After tonight he would not slink in the shadows and wait around for scraps. The king gathered himself and popped the dust off of his favorite blazer. He had one last item to collect to complete his plan and this one he would be collecting himself.
Castiel fought the best he could against his restraints. He didn't care how much it hurt when the shackles cut into his wrist and ankles. He needed to escape, before Crowley could do whatever he was planning to do.
"Leaving so soon?" A familiar voice echoed across the room. "Or should I say, trying to leave so soon?" Crowley joked.
"Crowley, if you do not release me."
"What Castiel? We all know you're balls deep in high water with not a raft to float on. Who's going to save you? Who even knows you're here?" Crowley walked into view.
Castiel turned best he could to avert his eyes. He knew Crowley was right, he was told to meet him in secret. No one knew he was here, no one even knew he was missing. So all Castiel could do has lay there and glare and try to put on a brave show. He would not let Crowley see him defeated.
"Now, now that that angelic spirit of yours has been broken, I will do you the honor of telling you my plan."
Castiel focused only on Crowley this time, as the king rolled his eyes.
"What? No witty comeback about how cliché it is for a villain to reveal his plan?" Crowley acted disappointed.
"Crowley." Castiel bunched up his face as he growled his name out in the most venomous way possible.
"Alright, alright, no need to bust an artery. I've summoned you here tonight because you are just one part of many that I need to complete my plan." Crowley paused for a response, but there was none. He had Castiel's full attention. "Good. You see I've grown tired of the Winchester way. The I'm going to sacrifice it all no matter what, who, whatever the cost way. Surely you know by now, that once the Winchester 'fix' something, some new badder evil will take its place. It's like a vicious cycle." Crowley leaned against a metal tray as he plucked a very sharp scalpel off the silver surface. "And you know I'm not one to throw all my chips into one bag." He paused and Castiel could see the waves and annoyance move across his face. "That's a bad investment." He perked up. "And you know I'm a man strictly of business. Now I could wait for your little Winchesters to clean up their mess, but there's no telling what will happen to me. Amara is getting stronger day by day and she may very well best the boys." Crowley placed the scalpel down on the tray. "Who's to say, why take the risk. That's why I have devised a plan that will save all our hinds. Using the power from the demon tablet, I'm going to give myself the power of an arch angel and become the true King of Hell."
Castiel's eyes dilated as he searched his mind. How could Crowley have the demon tablet? He was sure Metatron had it. "H-How?" Castiel cried out.
Crowley smiled. "I just had a little talk with the scribe and he was happy to help me out with my little plan, well I shouldn't say happy. Forced is the better word, but who's complaining."
"I know Metatron, he would never help you." Castiel hissed.
Crowley nodded and stood, pretending to look conflicted. "Hmmm, I'd agree, if he were still an angel, but he's human now or was." Crowley chuckled lightly to himself. "Or maybe he should tell you himself."
Castiel looked around best he could, then turned to Crowley. He knew Metatron hated demons more than anything, it was unlikely that he would help Crowley. After all he himself had been fooled many times by him before.
Crowley reached behind him and pulled out a large jar. In it was the preserved head of Metatron. Castiel gasped in shock, he was rendered speechless. Crowley held the jar to his ear. "What's that Metty? You want me to continue? You sure? Okay, if you insist." Crowley sympathetically placed the jar beside him. "You see, my boys ran across your friend here and you wouldn't believe, he was just on his way to hide the demon tablet. Well of course we are always happy to help an old friend. So we, for the lack of a better word, offered to help him. Now I know, he's not the most honest angel in the sea, but since he's now human, there's nothing a little magic can't do to help."
"What did you do?" Castiel growled.
"I called my mother of course. Or hunted her down, let's forget about all the small details, but I offered her a deal. If she provided me with a spell that prevents humans from lying and I'd let her live. See I'm a compassionate man." Crowley smiled. "So ever time that double timing blood sucker lies I get to peel away an inch of his skin and long story short, I got what I needed from him." Crowley flashed the translations before Castiel's eyes. "Now with in the demon tablet there is a spell to give me the powers of an arch angel, of course it's overly complicated, but I have free hands to spare. I just need six ingredients; one virgin human male, one virgin human female, one plant of the rare sea. That one was hard to get. One new moon born calf, the blood of a year old baby and ah yes, one pair of angel wings."
Castiel faced turned from anger to fear. He pulled tightly against his restraints in protest.
"Now don't be like that, with this new power I going to kill Amara before she reaches her true potential and save the world. And you'll be glad to know that I won't be raging some fruitless war to take over of the world. Why rule the world when you can profit off the endless amount of souls found on it." Crowley rolled his eyes back as his dreams inched closer and closer in his mind.
"They'll never let you get away with it." Castiel growled.
Crowley turned and glared at the angel. "They will have no idea what I've done." Crowley stood and turned his back to Castiel. "Now, let's seen how should we remove those wings? I know the pesky little things are there. Luckily the demon tablet also tells how to reveal them." Crowley nodded to someone behind Castiel. Two demons pried open Castiel's mouth and forced a thick viscous liquid down his throat. The taste was overwhelming and made Castiel sick to his stomach. His vision blurred for a second as he could fell the air change around the room. He moved his back and from it he could fell his wings spread into the air. Castiel growled and fought against the demons, smacking his wings into their bodies, sending them flying into the walls.
"Settle down!" Crowley reached for his cattle prong and sent an unhuman amount of electricity through Castiel's body.
Castiel cried out and whimpered as his body convulsed. When Crowley pulled away, Castiel had nor the strength or will to move. He could barely talk as foam bubbled from his mouth. He only blinked to keep from passing out.
"Now, that's better." Crowley grinned. He picked up two instruments and placed them in front of Castiel's view. "You have a choice, swift and painless or long and excruciating?" Crowley placed a hand to his ear as Castiel frothed at the mouth. "Long and excruciating? Alright, your choice not mind." Crowley shrugged as he grinned and picked up a jagged rusty blade and dug it into Castiel's back.
Dean picked up his phone and considered calling Castiel. He was coming up empty on the hunt for Amara and he could use someone to vent to. He and Sam sent Castiel away for some fresh air only days before and they haven't heard from him since, which was not uncommon. So there was no cause for concern. Dean unlocked his phone and scrolled through his contacts, stopping at Cas' name. He went to click on it but stopped and relocked his phone. He didn't need to bother Castiel with his whining. Instead he was going to do what any other normal man would do when their mind was troubled. Drown his woes in beer. He got up and walked to the kitchen to grab a cold one. He finished it quick and decided Netflix and beer was a better way to spend his night. Sam was in stretched out in the den on the couch reading, through it looked like he was doing more dosing than reading. Dean paused and chuckled. He walked behind his brother quietly and touched a cold beer to his brother's cheek, startling Sam awake.
"Beer?" Dean smirked.
Sam only glared at him and declined.
Dean shrugged before grabbing the HDMI cable for the new TV they had bought from the second hand shop. "Hungry?"
Sam yarned and nodded as he stretched on the couch. "Chinese or American?"
"You're call, I'm picking the movie this time!" Dean shouted as he watched Sam walk into the kitchen. Dean didn't want to spend his evening watching another depression movie, he was already in a pissy mood.
"I'm ordering Chinese!" Sam shouted from the kitchen.
"Yeah." Dean waved into the air as he hooked up their computer to their new TV. He was starting to get in a better mood. He was kind of bummed Castiel couldn't be here to chill with them, but Dean had plenty of time to show Castiel their new TV when he got back. "Got it!" Dean did a little happy dance.
"Wow Dean." Sam teased his brother as he leaned against the doorframe between sips of water.
Castiel laid spread across the table in a pool of his own blood. Hurt, but still alive he let his breath move out of control as his mind tried to recede into depths of unconsciousness. Sadly, Crowley had been especially sadistic and did not let Castiel miss a moment of his torture. His ears rang from his screams and his voice was horse and faded. He only had enough energy to breath. Crowley's men who stood guard in the dungeon had not witnessed this level of brutality from their king, but he certainly earned their respect. Crowley looked at his blood covered hands, the amount of blood not phasing him at all. He picked up Cas' dress shirt from the floor and whipped his hands, before tossing it to the side.
"Boys." Crowley nodded to the car sized dark brown wigs neatly placed on the floor.
The demons jerked to attention and were quick to gather up the wings gently from the floor. Both did not want to piss of their king, they didn't want to be on the receiving end of his anger if they lingered. They left and prepared the wings for the ritual. Crowley walked the room, gathering his tools and taking them to the sink. He washed them and neatly put them away. He dried his hands and turned to Castiel. He felt nothing absolutely nothing as he stared at the withering mess before him. He sighed at all the trouble it would be to clean it up, but he already did his part, his goons could take care of the rest of it. He walked over to a drawer and pulled out his angel blade and looked at his reflection.
"Hmmmm, not bad. Not too messy." He brushed a father off his blazer. "I must thank you, for all your help Castiel." Crowley twirled the point of the blade on the tip of his finger. "But your services are no longer needed." He sat next to Castiel on the table and placed the point of the blade right over his heart. "I'm going to save you the trouble and end you now, because we all know how long your lifespan will be in the company of those Winchesters." Crowley whispered into the angel's ear. Castiel hadn't the energy to protest as he felt the scorch of the blade being sled through his back and through his heart. His death was quick; Crowley shielded his eyes as Castiel's grace faded into the air. He stood, half amusement. "Hmp." He muttered to himself as he stood and flicked the lights off in the dungeon, leaving Castiel's lifeless vessel impaled on the table.
Crowley didn't waste a moment of his time. He headed straight to his quarters and prepared himself for the ceremony. His blood rushed with the desire to rule and be feared and respected by all. He was tired of being second or third best, he got to where he was by being patient and calculated, always careful to think of a plan so that he would wide up on top. He out lived the Devil and his strongest minions, The Queen of Hell, and every other disaster that shook the planet, but only by the mercy of others and mercy he showed to others was he still here. He wanted to be the game changer not the brick, he wanted to have the power to raise an army if he needed to and defend himself from all threats, be that Winchester or whoever else. He tightened his slate colored tight and popped his blazer. He was ready to re-claim his throne.
Deep within the pits of hells hundreds of demons gathered to watch the rebirth of their king. Many had lost faith in him and their numbers were dangerous low. Most were doubtful this new transformation would provide them with a strong leader, but word was spreading fast that he cut off the wings of an angel himself and new faith was building around him. All gathered below the candle lit alter as the items were laid out piece by piece. The demons chatted amongst themselves in anticipation, standing on their tippy toes to try and get a better look at the table. All drew quiet when Crowley entered the room. No one dared to speak out or even move in the presence of their king. Crowley grinned with confidence, the effect he had on everyone already was pleasing to his sight. His two right hand men, Jake and Max gathered beside him, ready at any moment to carry out Crowley's will. Crowley looked down at the crowd with supremacy.
"Tonight! I cast off the shell of a weaker man and reclaim my place as rightful leader of hell. Follow me and your path with be riddled with reward, disobey me and suffer my wrath. I will promise as I've always have to look after my own and user in a new world of opportunity for all!" He clenched his fist. The crowd nodded and cheered, they were charged with energy from their king. They had not seen him this confident in a very long time and they were desperate for reassurance. "Let it be known that Crowley the king of hell is dead! And Lord Crowley the King of Hell has been born in his place!" Crowley motioned for Jake and Max to start the ritual. They covered Crowley with the fresh blood of the virgin man and woman and fed him the blood of the first year infant. They smeared his face with the leaves of the sea plant and flesh of the new moon born cow, all doing this as they chanted. Crowley closed his eyes as he felt his stomach start to churn. He felt a wave of dizziness, but he stood his ground. Lastly he was sprinkled with the ashes of the freshly cut angel wings.
Miscere est renovent miscere sed ad conterendum erit coniuncta est nasci denuo!
Both demons said in unison and from Crowley's body erupted a fountain of blood. It spewed from his mouth thirty feet into the air, leaving only a colorless empty shell. Jake and Max jumped back, as the crowd watched closely. Crowley did not move for many minutes, before a faint light started to build up in his chest. His head snapped back as he released an unearthly yell. His body sprung back to life, the color in his cheeks returned as a world wind of energy surged around him, so powerful it evaporated all who darned not to take cover. Behind the tornado of power and energy was heard a thunderous growl. All the demons cowered and covered their heads. The dust and electricity disappeared, revealing a brand new Crowley, clad in a brand new all black suit, with fiery amber eyes and golden blonde hair. The king reborn moved his eyes over the crowd, he could feel every single demon in the hall. He fed off the sweet aroma of their energy. It was like he was seeing hell again for the first time. He turned immediately to his right. He glanced down at Jake, who was cowering at his feet. Crowley turned to his left and found Max in a similar position. He grinned.
"Yes, this will do."
Crowley stretched out his arms and summoned an unknown power within him. In the air he lifted Jake and Max and closed his eyes. The henchmen hovered in the air for only a second before the air around them thickened and they transformed into hellish monsters of the night. Their bodies twisted and contorted into the shape of a human/hellhound hybrid, with long razor sharp claws and teeth. When the transformation was complete they were mere shadows of their old selves. Crowley released them and the two fell to the ground, landing on their feet. The creatures stood up and growled furiously through the hall.
"Now, That's better!" Crowley turned to his followers. "I am nothing if not a man of my word." Crowley drew from the walls many tortured souls and transformed them into demons. He created over a hundred in less than ten minutes. He restored the strength of all of his followers, filling everyone with a new sense of purpose. "I will make hell great again!" Crowley howled into the air. "Follow me and you will survive!" The crowd exploded with cheers, for the first time in a long time hell was getting back to full strength. "But first." Crowley placed one finger to his lips, silencing ever demon in the room. "We have a little whiny bitch to deal with."