Chapter 8: Don't Swim in the Styx

The temperature did increase the deeper they went into the heart of the mountain. Once again, Sam wondered if a volcano was simmering beneath them, but Cas didn't seem worried about that. The glow-in-the-dark gypsum crystals continued to light their way. It might have been picturesque if not for where they were.

"Hey, Cas," Sam asked nervously. "What kinds of things might be waiting for us when we come out the other side?"

Castiel's mouth set in a grim line. "A lot. And unfortunately, the baku blends in well with the denizens of Hell, which will make tracking it down that much harder."

"Yeah, we saw it," Dean said, pausing in the lead to look back. "You didn't tell us it was one ugly-ass monster."

Cas cocked his head. "I suppose a chimera sewn together from multiple parts is hideous."

Sam snorted. When those portions weren't even the most attractive features of each original composition, there was no "suppose" about it.

"It did give us these though," he said, pulling one of the spicules from his coat.

Cas frowned. "I doubt the creature simply gave you some of its quills. What did you do?"

Dean laughed under his breath. "I threw a rock at its head and it fired those things like arrows. We simply took advantage and picked up the pieces."

Castiel came to an abrupt halt, brows knitting together. "The creature is capable of launching projectiles?" He whipped his gaze between the brothers. "Were either of you hurt?"

"Nah," Dean said quickly, shooting Sam a "keep quiet" look. "Son-of-a-bitch had bad aim. Don't worry, we'll still be able to take it down."

Cas didn't look convinced, but at least he didn't try to talk the Winchesters out of helping fight the baku.

It was over an hour before the phosphorescent mineral deposits began to dim as another ambient light filtered into the cave. Their clothes had finally dried, though walking in socks and pant legs stiff from caked mud wasn't all that pleasant either. Dean slipped his jacket back on.

They emerged from the cavern, stepping into a landscape that was quite moderate compared to the previous ones. Thorny underbrush crawled up the side of the mountain and creeped along the ground. Gnarled trees with wizened branches seemed to curl in on themselves. Everything had a gray tinge, from the stale soil to the slate sky.

It was eerily quiet, and Sam's eyes kept darting around in search of some monster to jump out at them. "Can you sense the baku, Cas?"

Castiel paused in his trudging, brow pinching in concentration. "It's difficult," he finally answered, and reached up to rub his temple.

Sam frowned. "You okay?"

"Fine."

Dean growled. "No, you're not. Some psycho porcupine is making a buffet of your head. How much longer before it causes irreparable damage?"

Cas shot Dean a vexed look, shaking his head at the hunter's lingo. "We should keep going this way." He started moving again, and Dean half-jogged to match his stride.

"That's not an answer."

"I know."

Sam suppressed a sigh. He'd be pretty freaked if he was in Cas's position, having some dream monster eat away at his mind and being unable to stop it. Add to that the fact Cas was used to being indestructible, plus the memories of Hell, and the guy had a right to be tense.

The bramble eventually gave way to a clearing, and the three stopped on the bank of a broad, wine-dark river. Low-hanging fog with an ocher hue completely shrouded the middle of the waterway, concealing the opposite shore in its yellowish brown haze. Somewhere in its depths a faint fluorescent light bobbed.

The hairs on the back of Sam's neck prickled. "Cas, is this the Styx?"

"The rock band?" Dean asked, craning his neck around. "Where?"

Sam smirked. "No, the river into the underworld."

"Oh."

Cas studied the water warily. "Yes, though some of your mythology has it wrong in that it does not border Hell; it is one of its circles."

"So, Dante had it right?"

Castiel inclined his head. "In some things."

Dean tossed an annoyed, lost look between them. "Who?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Would it kill you to read a book?"

"Hey, I hadn't thought dreams could kill me, so you never know."

"With that logic, you should beware of pie from now on."

"Shut your mouth."

"There," Cas said in a low voice.

Both boys whipped their heads up to follow his gaze, and spotted the baku at the water's edge, sucking up the river like it was a sheet of rippling silk. And holy shit, the creature had grown. It was now the size of a large lion.

Castiel winced, eyes squinting in pain. Sam shot Dean an alarmed look, and lifted his quill like a knife. They needed to kill this thing now.

"Be careful," Cas grunted. "Don't let it grab you, or it might jump to your mind."

"But then you'd get a break?"

"Dean." Castiel glowered at him.

"Guys," Sam snapped under his breath, jerking his head for them to focus on the baku.

"And don't touch the river," Cas said.

Sam glanced briefly at the dark, slopping waves, and the eerie light just beyond the mist. Right, he definitely didn't want to meet the ferryman.

The three of them started forward, stepping lightly in an effort to sneak up on the monster. It seemed pretty absorbed in its meal, plus Sam and Dean hadn't given it much reason to fear them during their first encounter. They circled around, Dean to its far side, Cas at its rear, and Sam to its right, hemming the baku in on all sides. The creature finally stopped slurping and narrowed its eyes at Sam, then slowly angled its head to take in Dean. Cas was out of visual range, but the baku's nostrils flared, and Sam wondered how good its sense of smell was.

Water dribbled down its chin and tusks as they all stood, waiting to see who would make the first move. There weren't many vulnerable spots on the thing—three-foot spicules lined its main body like armor, and those tusks protected the neck. Sam was feeling less confident with his twenty-inch stake.

The chimera chittered, and the quills down its back shivered before shooting upright.

"Duck!" Sam threw himself to the ground a second before the spines fired. Two whizzed over his head, and then he was up and running, hoping the projectile defense was a one-time deal, or at least that the baku would need time to "reload."

The beast roared and swung its head at Sam. He skidded to a stop to avoid the tusks, but slashed his weapon for good measure. Dean darted in from the other side and stabbed at the creature's exposed flank. He must have hit his mark, because the baku shrieked and whirled toward him, leaving Sam an opening. He lunged, driving his spike into the shoulder. It sank through muscle halfway, and the baku lashed back around with a snap of its jaws. Sam staggered back, leaving the stake embedded. He pulled the backup from his jacket.

In his peripheral vision, he spotted Cas scooping up some of the recently fired spines and jamming them back into the creature's rear—pointed end first of course.

The baku howled and sloshed into the river to escape. Spittle flew from its mouth with a savage hiss. The three of them stood spaced along the bank, at an apparent stalemate. Judging by the distribution of its mass, Sam didn't think the chimera was equipped for swimming, and they couldn't go in after it.

The baku shot each of them baleful glares, its body heaving with labored breaths. Then its gaze zeroed in on Castiel, and yellow eyes flashed with malice. Opening its maw wide, the creature plunged its snout into the water and clamped its jaws together with a resounding crack.

Cas flinched and dropped to one knee, bracing his head with both hands.

Shit!

The baku charged out of the river toward him. Sam was closer, and he sprinted the eight feet to knock Castiel out of the way. The baku's tusks scooped underneath him, catching Sam's chest and knees. With a toss of its head, the beast chucked him over its back into the air. Wind whooshed around him before he plummeted into the Styx.

Cloying water rushed into his mouth and nose, surging down his throat and into his lungs. Sam sputtered and flailed his arms in search of the surface. The murky gray current ebbed around him in a gyrating whirl that tossed him back and forth until he had no idea which way was up. Kicking against the undertow, Sam twisted around. A scream tore from his throat in a whoosh of air bubbles as he came face to face with a wispy, wraith-like woman. Her eyes were empty sockets, hair floating about her face like cobwebs. She reached a bony hand toward him.

He tried to swim away, only to collide with other shapes and figures, all thin, waifish phantoms. They clawed gnarled fingers at his arms, legs, and torso.

"Abomination," a susurrus whispered.

He wriggled around, another burst of precious air escaping from his lips in a flurry of bubbles.

"Boy with demon blood."

Their hisses slithered through his mind, wracking his body with shudders. Sam tried to push them away, but they pawed all the more fiercely at him.

"You belong with us."

"Abomination."

"Lucifer's chosen."

"Hell is your home."

"It's what you deserve."

"You'll always end up here."

His lungs began to burn and white spots flashed across his vision. He flailed less, his limbs going limp and flaccid. Sam closed his eyes as his head tipped back. The Styx swirled around him, rocking him gently as it carried him home.


"Sam!" Dean watched in horror as his brother was caught up in the baku's tusks and thrown through the air. Sam hit the water with a loud splat, and then Dean was running. But the baku had turned toward Cas, who was sprawled on the ground only a few feet from it, shaking his head in a daze.

Dammit!

Dean adjusted his course, brandishing his last stake. He launched himself at the creature's side. Its coat of quills lay flat now in an attempt to shield itself, but there were gaps from where it had shed several barbs already. Dean drove the one he held between the thin plates and into the monster's hip.

The baku shrieked and whipped around, flinging Dean aside. He hit the ground with a roll, grunting as pain radiated up his elbow. As he flipped onto his stomach, his eyes widened to find the baku charging toward him. Dean flung his arms up to protect his head, but the brute didn't trample him; it ran past, fleeing into the brambles.

He stared after it for a brief stunned moment before remembering Sam. Lurching to his feet, Dean spun around. His heart dropped into his stomach when there was no sign of his brother or Cas.

"Cas? Sam!" Dean swept his gaze across the brown-tinted water, but couldn't remember where Sam had gone in. Terror sent his heart into overdrive. Everything was quiet except for the softly lapping waves and blood rushing in his ears.

"Sam!"

Sloshing sounded to his left, and he twisted around so fast he almost fell. Cas was slogging out of the river, dragging a lifeless Sam by the arms. Dean spurred into a run, reaching them just as Castiel pitched backward and both he and Sam fell on the shore.

Dean dropped down next to Sam and gripped his brother's shoulders. "Sam? Sammy!" Was he breathing? They were in a friggin' dream world, what did breathing even mean? Dean frantically pressed two fingers to Sam's neck, searching for a pulse.

Cas was slouched over on Sam's other side, wheezing as water dripped down his nose and chin. His eyes were half-lidded and glossy with fear.

Dammit, no.

Dean interlocked his fingers and pressed his palms to Sam's chest. He thrust down, counting a steady rhythm. One. Two. Three.

"Don't make me kiss you," he growled.

Sam's back suddenly arched as he sucked in a gasping breath. Sputtering followed, and Dean quickly turned him onto his side as he coughed up frothy liquid. Dean braced his shaking shoulders until Sam had expelled all the water, and then eased him back.

"Sam?"

His brother blinked and jerked his head around. "Dean? What happened?"

He rocked back, running a hand over his hair. "You went swimming in the damn river, Sam. After Cas told you not to."

Sam pushed himself up onto his elbows, pausing as another series of coughs wracked his chest. He rubbed his face and glanced at the Styx. A haunted look flashed through his eyes, and he quickly looked away.

Dean's guard went up. "Sam? You okay?" There had to be a reason Cas had said not to touch the water.

His brother gave himself a small shake. "There were people…souls…in there. They were dragging me down with them. They…" His voice hitched.

"They what?"

His Adam's apple bobbed. "Nothing." Sam's brow furrowed at Dean's dry clothes. "How'd…" He trailed off as he twisted around and saw Cas sitting behind him, equally soaked. The angel looked ready to fall over.

"Whoa, hey, man." Sam reached out to brace Castiel's shoulder.

Dean wanted to call Sam on his evasion, but it would have to wait. Cas's pallor had taken on a ghostly hue, and Dean didn't know how much longer the angel could hold out.

"The baku really took a bite out of you that time, didn't it?" he asked, scooting around to grip Cas's other shoulder.

"It was…unexpected," he rasped.

"We really need to find a way to gank this thing," he growled. "It's vulnerable to its own spikes, and the more it throws at us, the less it has protecting its hide."

"That does…seem to be our only option," Cas said breathlessly.

"Well, I lost all mine," Dean said. "Sam?"

His brother patted the inside of his jacket. "I got one left."

Dean looked around, spotting one of the three-foot ones that'd been fired. It wouldn't be as wieldy since the sides weren't sharp, only the tip, but it was better than nothing. He picked it up, and then he and Sam helped pull Cas to his feet. The angel swayed, blinking as though having trouble seeing.

"Dude, you gonna make it?"

After a moment, Cas pulled his shoulders back, a fiery stubbornness in his eyes. "Yes."

Dean held back a snort. At least he was fighting.

"Thanks, Cas, for saving my life," Sam said, and then let out a sigh. "We're all wet again."

"Yes," Cas agreed. "It is quite uncomfortable."

Dean wanted to laugh, but since he was still dry, he figured it best to keep his amusement private. "The baku ran off that way," he pointed.

They headed back into the brush and away from the creepy river. A trail of black blood drops glistened on the pewter gray ground. At least the thing could be wounded, and they had been holding their own in the scuffle; if it hadn't been for the Styx, they might have been able to kill it. Next time though. Dean was getting really tired of this Hell safari.

They navigated around tall briar bushes and thorny weeds. Interspersed throughout, knolls ranging from ant hill size to pitcher's mounds belched fetid fumes into the air. Ruddy billows and mustard puffs oozed into the sky, the only color in this drab landscape.

A bird's caw sounded on the wind, followed by a raucous chorus of other croaks. Castiel stiffened and began whipping his head around. "We need to run, now."

There was a heavy thud of a boot stomping on the ground, and a deep voice reverberated from behind them. "It's too late for that."