There were only minutes now, until midnight. They stood in a loose circle around the artifact, which sat in the middle of the crossroad. Castiel stood a little further back, behind Kensi and Deeks, but with his eyes upon Sam and Dean.

Callen broke the uneasy silence, 'So, Sam. Did your research tell you what we can expect to happen, once we've performed this summoning?'

'Only in a general sense; from what I could gather, Hecate will test us in some way, but the form that will take will be specific to the individual. If we manage to please her, we may request a boon.'

'And that's when we ask to be sent home, right?'

'Yes, we're agreed on that. You guys have gone above and beyond, risking your lives to help us out. Seeing you safely home is the least we can do.'

'And we won't see you again, will we?', Kensi asked quietly.

Sam looked at her with regret, 'It's not likely, no. I'm sorry for it, we'll miss you.'

Kensi felt her throat ache with grief, 'We'll miss you, too.' She left her position in the circle to go give Sam, and then Dean, a hug.

Deeks followed Kensi, offering a handshake to each of the men in turn. 'It's been trippy, guys. I'm glad I got to come along for the ride.'

Dean clapped a hand to Deeks' shoulder, 'You took to it like a natural, man. You'd have made one hell of a Hunter.'

'Thanks, but I'll stick to hunting ordinary, run-of-the-mill bad guys. Your lives are too crazy, even for me.'

'You'd be amazed at what you can get used to,' Dean told him. He glanced toward Kensi, 'But I understand wanting to get back to a good thing.'

Deeks nodded and moved back to his place by Kensi's side, making way for Callen and Sam to say their goodbyes.

When everyone was back in place, Sam cleared his throat. 'These tests we'll have to face; I should probably warn you, they may be fairly brutal. Hecate is not known as a gentle goddess. She likes to delve into the psyche, shining the light of her torch into the darkest recesses, exposing secrets even you may not be aware that you harbor.'

'Exposing? Like, to everyone?', Kensi asked. She didn't like that idea, at all.

'No, I don't think so. More like, she'll reveal parts of you, to yourself. She is, ultimately, a guide. The Y-shaped crossroad we stand on represents divergence; the path you've already travelled, and the possibilities that lie before you. She wants you to see where you're currently heading, and where you might go instead. The test will have something to do with making choices, that much is clear.'

'Hard choices, I take it,' Kensi said in a dry voice.

'Given her reputation, I'd say yes, definitely. A case of the fastest route to the truth being the hardest path. She wants your choices to be informed ones. But, for that to happen, you need to be aware of what lurks in your unconscious mind, influencing you.'

Deeks raised an eyebrow, 'So, know thyself?'

Sam grinned at the Matrix reference, 'She can only show you the door, you're the one who has to walk through it.'

Callen's interest was piqued, 'Plato's Allegory of the Cave?'

Sam turned to him, impressed, 'Indeed, very appropriate.'

'What's that?', Deeks asked.

Callen explained, 'It's about perception vs reality, the shattering of illusion. Imagine a group of people who've been chained in a cave all their lives, unable to turn their heads. All they can see are shadows upon the wall, projected by puppeteers behind them. Then, one prisoner gets free, and learns that the shadows do not represent reality at all. He can now see the true form of things.'

Deeks quoted The Matrix again, 'Free my mind. Right, no problem.'

'What the prisoner then has to face is, did he prefer his perceived reality to the real one? Would he rather never have known? Because now that he does, even if he tried to go back, how could he bear that existence?'

'In taking the red pill,...'

Sam rejoined the conversation, '...you learn what you would perhaps have preferred not to know. That's basically what we're doing now. In summoning Hecate, we've all just agreed to take the red pill.'

Kensi gulped, 'Okay, but there's one thing I still don't understand. Why do we need to be in pairs? It sounds like the tests will be individual?'

Castiel spoke up for the first time, 'Both members of the pair will face a similar choice, though it may be more relevant to one than the other. In this particular ritual, in order to win Hecate's favor, both must choose the same path.'

'Think like Deeks? Oh sure,' Kensi rolled her eyes. 'Piece of cake.'

With the awareness that midnight was upon them, a hush had fallen over the group. The night was very still, the only sound the hiss of flames from the nearby torches.

Kensi was staring down at the artifact, wondering whether they were supposed to just begin, when startlement sent her reeling back with a gasp. The statuette had suddenly become a statue, becoming life-sized in the blink of an eye. The pedestal at the base had also expanded, and there was now room for two people to stand on it, before each of the stone women.

'Whoa!', Deeks exclaimed. 'You didn't tell us to expect that.'

'Didn't know,' Sam replied, as taken by surprise as anyone. 'But we're clearly doing something right. It's time, go ahead.'

'Right. Okay, here goes nothing.' Deeks took out the piece of paper Sam had given him earlier, and angling it to get enough light, began to read. 'Hecate, Dark Goddess of the Moon, Mistress of Magic, heed us. Bring your torch to bear, that we may be freed from the shadows and reborn in light.'

As he spoke, Kensi stepped forward with the first offering, a symbol of love and purity. She laid the small pot of dried lavender at the foot of the snake-headed lady.

Sam went next, while Dean placed the jar of honey, symbolic of fertility and wisdom, before the dog-headed figure. 'Hecate, Queen of the Night, Mother of Witches, we beseech thee. Cut through the mists of doubt and delusion, that we may choose our path with clarity of mind and heart.'

Then Sam made the final offering of garlic, representing protection and eternity, while Callen spoke the third incantation. 'Hecate, Queen of Death, Goddess of the Underworld, we implore thee. Unlock that which is hidden, reveal that which is secret, and grant us the courage to embrace our truths.'

Then, all together, they intoned, 'Hecate, Hecate, Hecate, we invoke thee. Come forth, and bestow thy blessing.'

There was a pause, then a long, eerie howl rent the quiet of the night. Every head snapped in the direction of the sound, which was back along the road by which they had come. Then a second howl sounded, from the direction one of the other roads led. Then a third, from the third path.

Sam noticed that his brother had stiffened, and gone a little pale. 'That's supposed to happen,' he quickly explained. 'Hecate's hounds announce her impending arrival. It's working.'

Dean glared at him, 'You might have mentioned that sooner.'

Sam shrugged sheepishly, 'Sorry, my bad.' But Dean's attention wasn't on him anymore, it was all for the three massive Rottweilers that trotted into the ring of light. Sam put a hand on his arm, to stop his automatic move for a weapon. 'No, Dean! They're hers, and she will not tolerate any harm to them.'

Having recently fought Leviathan in that form, Dean wasn't so sure, but the dogs didn't attack. They moved into position behind each pair, then simply stood there, as if to prevent them from leaving. Dean really didn't like having one at his back, and kept his head partially turned so that he could keep an eye on it.

Even so, he couldn't help but turn to look when light suddenly flared at the center of the crossroads. The three torches borne by the stone women had spontaneously burst into flame, which Dean took to mean that the goddess had arrived. The symbols each woman carried, the rope, dagger, and key, also began to glow with a soft, golden light.

Though they hadn't expected these manifestations, Sam and Dean understood that this was their cue to step forward, onto the pedestal. Long accustomed to following the structure of ritual, they moved without hesitation. Following their lead, Sam and Callen did the same.

Deeks held out a hand to Kensi, a gesture she recognized. He'd offered her his hands before, silently asking her to trust him to pull her out of a cage of laser beams and clear of the ensuing explosion. He didn't have to ask, she trusted him above all others. Agreeing that whatever they had to face, they would face it together, she put her hand in his. Then, in unison, they stepped up onto the platform.

Instinctively understanding what to do next, each of them reached for the object closest to them. Sam, Sam, and Deeks each closed a hand over the base of a torch. Kensi touched the stone depiction of a rope, Dean the dagger, and Callen the key. Immediately, they all froze in place, mesmerized.

Now Castiel moved, invoking a second part of the ritual that was not widely known; one which, in accordance with Naomi's instructions, he hadn't discussed with Sam. He stepped up beside the dog that stood behind Kensi and Deeks and spoke, 'I declare these champions before me as my own. They do petition on my behalf, and any reward I shall claim.'

Behind Sam and Dean, Crowley materialized, and spoke the same words.

Naomi appeared behind Sam and Callen, but before she could open her mouth, the dog next to her turned and sank its fangs into her leg. She screamed and thrust her angel blade into the dog's back. Though the weapon glowed with light, it didn't deter the animal. It growled, and then black liquid began to ooze around the edges of the wound it was inflicting on her.

Both Castiel and Crowley attempted to intervene, but found themselves locked in place. They were a part of the ritual now, and would not be released until it was over.

Still screaming, Naomi tried to wrench herself free. The dog let go, and with a frantic flap of wings, she vanished; fleeing back to heaven. The Leviathan morphed into a human form, and repeated the final words of the ritual. Suddenly, their enemy had a stake in the game.