Supernatural: Olympus Rising

by Dgray3994

Sam and Dean thought they finally got a break... no such luck, because when Sam catches a story come across the line with the name of an old friend, they know somethings going on. It wasn't until Dean looked into her eyes that the past that he longed to forget came crashing back and the woman he thought was dead sat right in front of him. (The first four were published before)

21. Of God and Men

Of Gods and Men

SPN FanFic #21

Plot Copyright 2016 D. Gray

I acknowledge Sam, Dean, Castiel, Mary, Crowley and the Impala are the property of The CW and Warner Brothers.

Beth faced the windows, hearing the sounds of the barriers as they broke down. It had started out in the bunkers as a loud boom that shook the walls and now she stood watching the waves of power that pushed at the inner wards that surrounded the house. There was no way this was going to end well! There were ten magical walls that surrounded the outer perimeter of the property, ten powerful wards that whatever God this was just bowled right through. Beth shook her head, if the outer walls fell, it was only a matter of time before the inner wards went just as quickly and Beth turned, glancing at Sam and Dean.

"We need to get down there too," she whispered as the next wave crashed into the house, shaking the floor beneath her. Her eyes focused on the shack, the small wooden reminder of her childhood and watched as the power never touched it. It didn't even sway against the aftershocks, which gave her hope for the house.

"What's going on?" Dean knew just what was happening outside, but the why wasn't evident. His hunter's instincts were to lock, load and go. These monsters were the things the boys had been chasing all their lives but the fact that he couldn't see them sent wave of anger through him. He loved a fair fight, but this was dirty.

"The barriers are coming down," Beth answered and watched the shimmer of light move across the lawn, as she stepped back against Sam, feeling his hands on her shoulders. "The Olympians are coming."

Sam moved down first, with Beth close to his heels as Dean brought up the rear and closed the door securely behind him. The others in the basement turned and watched as they moved, all stoic and deep in thought. With a sigh, Beth listened to the lock click and made her way to the back of the room. She pushed on a panel, watched as it slowly rose to reveal a monitor and clicked it on. The nine-screen split gave her a view of the property, except for four areas, ones that had been taken out by the blasts.

"I thought you said this place was invisible." Mary spoke up.

"This place," Beth said and pointed to the ground beneath her feet, "these four walls are invisible to everything, the grounds and the house above, not so much." She watched as Cas came over and stood by her, staring at the monitors. "I can't even make out what they are."

"I don't see anything on these screens, and there isn't a power that penetrates enough to pinpoint which direction they're coming in." Cas answered and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We should prepare for the worst."

"Five walls?" Crowley spoke up and moved over to the counter, where he grabbed a glass and a bottle of whiskey, poured himself a drink and shook his head. "What kind of half-assed job was done to put up wards when five of them have come down so fast?"

"Actually, it was a half-assed job!" Becca replied, her emotions flaring as she turned to him. "These walls, the outer barriers have only been up for a few years, the closer you get to the house, the harder they get to crack, but we didn't need wards this large before, not until recently."

"We spent fifteen years protecting the bunker, the shack, which is the reason no one, Angel, Demon, Olympian, or otherwise can enter." Beth crossed her arms, but her voice was void of emotions and turned towards the others in the room. "The outer barriers weren't our priority, this place was, so yeah it was a crap job, but it was done."

"The question isn't the job, but what are we going to do when they get here," Sam intervened, stepping between them in the room as Dean gestured in disapproval and sat down on the stairway. "We don't know what's coming, or the numbers and that is definitely something we need to find out."

"What do you suggest?" Cas questioned and Dean looked up.

"A recon mission," his voice was low, his eyes rolled at the thought of it, but Dean knew it was the only way.

"What kind of moron are you?" Crowley snapped and Dean was on his feet in seconds, standing before the growling King of Hell.

"I'm trying to protect the one person these bastards are coming for," Dean answered his eyes staring down the Demon, "if you can think of a better way, feel free to open your piehole and say it!"

"Enough!" Beth sighed and stepped between them, her back against Dean, feeling the heat of his chest against her shoulders as she pressed back on him, but her eyes looked up at the man that was quickly becoming a pain in her ass. "He's right, the only way to know is to go out there."

"And I suppose that you are volunteering?" Crowley growled, his voice quiet as he leaned in towards her.

"Dean and I know these woods like the back of our hands, besides Sam and Becca, who else do you think is fit for this job?" Beth waited for an answer and watched the man in black take a step back, before she turned to the others, specifically to Sam, who had crossed his arms. She watched as he thought over the plan and raised his brows.

"She's right," Sam admitted, but his frustration was clear in his voice. "What the two of them can do together is nothing that any of us can match."

"What are you talking about?" Mary questioned.

"I told you before, Dean makes Beth a better hunter, they have the same way of doing things, the same connection. Dean brings out the hunter's side though the connection and Beth brings out his." Sam gave a small grin as he watched her, still pressed against Dean, holding him at bay and keeping him grounded. "And they can move through these woods like they're invisible."

"How do you know?" Sam turned to his mother, but he didn't know how to explain it, and just shrugged.

"I just do." With that Sam walked away, towards the back bedroom. Dean placed his hands on Beth's shoulders and rubbed them gently before walking off after him.

Dean closed the door behind him as he watched Sam pace the room, his head down and arms hugging his chest tightly.

"Hey," Dean spoke up, catching his brother's eye, "are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Of course you do, Sam!" Dean snapped and stepped forward. "You're just as good out there with her and you know this place too."

"No, I'm not," Sam stopped, faced Dean and shook his head. "I meant what I said, you make her a better hunter, you bring out that instinct."

"I don't bring out anything in her, she does that on her own."

"There's no one else I trust more than you."

"Come on, Sam," Dean knew his brother was holding something in and he watched. Finally, Sam broke and sat down on the bed.

"I thought we'd have more time," he took a big breath in and shook his head. "There's so much more to this spell and we don't know half of it, so why now? Why attack the bunker now?"

"I don't know, because they're douchebag Gods, that's why!" Sam raised his eyes to look at him. "Who cares? It doesn't matter why now, what matters is we have a bunker full of people to protect and you know just as well as I do that we're the only ones for the job."

"I'm tired of being the only ones! I'm tired of the job, Dean!" Sam admitted. "I'm finally happy, you're finally happy and we have a beautiful girl…a wife."

"Which sounds really awkward when you said it like that," Dean smiled.

"The point is, couldn't we just stop and live our lives with her?"

"Yeah, you think stepping out of hunting is going to work?" Sam stopped for a minute and Dean watched his eyes become deep in thought. "Yeah, you have to think about that one, of the times we stopped because one of us died or was stuck in Purgatory, or because, hell, I don't know, we just needed a break. What did that get us? Dragged right back in because someone, somewhere needed help with just one more job!"

"I get it," Sam stressed and shook his head, "but she's everything, Dean. I don't know what I would do if I lost her."

"You would keep fighting, keep hunting, Sam, because that's what you do, that's what we do." Dean smiled. "The family business."

Sam nodded, just slightly and exchanged a look with Dean, one that almost said he was right but Sam would never admit that, not out loud anyway. Dean just turned and left the room closing the door behind him, but as he stepped up next to Cas, he noticed that the angel was watching the interaction between Crowley and Beth in the kitchen.

They stood face to face, not more than a foot apart but the eye contact closed that distance without much more than a blink. Beth's face wasn't angry, she was just annoyed but the look on Crowley's told another story. He was beyond pissed off, and it seemed to show in every fiber of his stance.

"You can't go hauling off with Dean into the woods to play Cowboys and Indians with a bunch of Gods when you don't even know what you're up against!" Crowley's voice growled as he kept his tone low enough so that the others in the room didn't notice his concern.

"What would you like me to do?" Beth asked, and watched as he stepped aside so that his back was to those onlookers, and Beth's face was blocked from the stares. "You taught me to fight, how to survive, how to be silent, Crowley, and if this wasn't what I was meant to do, why exactly did you do that?"

"So that you would live, not throw your life away on some pretty boy's lame ass plan of getting you killed."

"You don't seem to have a better one, so this is it, this is what we work with." Beth leaned back against the counter and sighed. "I know it's not ideal…"

"None of this is ideal, Angel, it's a war."

"Then let me fight it," her eyes connected with is once again and Crowley saw the determination in them. "Let me go, Crowley. I'm not that girl anymore."

"You will always be that girl, Peterson." He growled with emotions that he wished had never escaped his lips. "And I swear if you die, I will pull you out of Hell so quickly, your soul will have permanent whiplash!"

Beth smiled as Crowley turned and sulked off to the counter, where he poured another glass of the strong stuff. Dean, a bit confused at the expression on her face watched as Beth took a peek in Crowley's direction before she moved across the floor to where he and Cas stood.

"Is Sam okay?" She questioned, and watched as Dean looked back at the room.

"No, probably not." At least he was honest. "He's just being his usual teenage girlie self."

"Okay, I get it." Beth smiled and watched the love in Dean's eyes for his brother. "I'll check on him, you need to go up and get the crossbow from the closet."

"Why me?"

"I could go up, but I have to walk by a giant bay window and the result may be an Adam bomb sized explosion as they try to take me out, so "why you" has a fairly simple answer, because I can't." She smiled, patted him on the chest and walked by.

Dean loved the sarcasm in her voice and caught her arm gently, letting his fingers slide down it until he reached her fingers as she walked away. She heard his sigh as the connection broke and she stepped up in front of the door to the room.

With a slow turn of the handle, she moved into the small bedroom and locked it tightly behind her. Sam was still sitting on the bed when she turned to look at him.

"We've been in worse corners," she said as she walked over. Sam sat up, taking his elbows from his knees as she stood in front of him. He reached out, grasped her hips and pulled her down to straddle his lap before wrapping his arms around her waist, not hugging her but making sure she couldn't go anywhere. "Is this really bothering you that much?"

"You can't tell?" Sam whispered, staring down into her eyes.

"You're kidding right? I can feel it flowing off from you like a freaking heat lamp, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to ask." Beth touched his cheek with the tips of her fingers, running them along his jawline as he closed his eyes, and she could almost hear the words at the edge of his mind, "one last time", which made her stop and put her whole palm against one side, while she put the other on his neck. Sam opened his eyes slowly, letting her see them shine with emotions as he tried to breathe. "There will never be a one last time, Sam, never one last kiss, never one last look…never." She felt his chest shiver as he let out a breath. "Tell me you believe me."

"I believe in you, Beth," he whispered, his hand unlocked from her waist and he placed it gently on the back of her head, tangling it in her hair. "I love you."

Without waiting for a response, he pulled her in, his lips crushing down on hers as the emotion demanded a response, one that Beth was eager to give as the hard kiss eased into a soft, passionate embrace.

Dean rolled his eyes, reaching a hand out to the couch as the stir of emotions ran through him. He hated himself at that very moment for even suggesting that they go into a room alone. He knew what would happen if he did it, yet he still allowed it to happen and now he was about to kick himself in the ass for it. With love sick and droopy eyes that were filled with lust and a torrid sea of emotions, Dean looked up at Becca, pleading for help and slowly she moved closer to him, watching as he crouched down on the floor.

Mary looked on in concern as Becca, smiling from ear to ear, did the same, crouching down to his level and leaned closer to his ear.

"Just breathe through it," she giggled and watched as his green eyes met hers, a sheet of agitation covering the sex-filled emotions underneath.

"Have you ever felt what it's like?" Dean grumbled, trying to keep the moan from escaping his mouth as he whispered. "Remind me to kill them when they're done."

"Shut up! You like it, admit it," Becca smiled and watched as Dean rolled his eyes.

There was no way he was admitting that much to her, especially out loud in a room full of people. He listened to her whisper something inaudible in Latin, the language he recognized, the words not so much but when she pressed her fingers against his forehead, and ran them over him in some sort of sigil, the vibrations from the room became just a small echo of what they were and Dean was able to move.

"Where the hell was that little trick when this thing started?" Dean questioned, his voice back to its normal sarcastic tone.

"Trust me, with the power the three of you are bouncing around this place, it's not going to last very long, so I suggest you bark out whatever orders you need to before it kicks back in and you have to run for a cold shower." Becca laughed and stood, but Dean only sneered at her, checked to see if the evidence of his reaction was gone and finally stood.

Cas looked at him questioningly before turning back to Becca, who kissed the Angel softly on the lips before walking away. Dean gave Cas one look, one simple "don't even ask" look before he turned and made his way towards the panel at the end of the room.

"Okay, what was that?" Mary popped the question and Dean grinned, shaking his head and very happy that they had soundproofed the rooms in the bunker as well, since he tossed a glance at the doorway.

"Nothing, Mom," Dean replied, but he couldn't help the secretive tone that came with it. "What we need to do now is make sure that we have enough of anything to hold off an army."

"But we don't even know what's out there," Dean looked at his mother and then at the stocked room before him.

"It really doesn't matter, if it's Olympian, it can be harmed, maimed or killed by the olive tree. He flicked on the light and smiled at the shelves that lined with powder-filled jars, sticks of different lengths and even a cord of wood for the fireplace. "What we need is to make sure that if they get here, that they don't get out without some sort of scratch."

"What do we need to do?" Cas questioned.

"Bullets, both shotgun and rounds, arrows," he looked back at the fireplace and smiled, "and we need to set something on fire."

Beth smiled at the way that Dean was able to situate people when she finally walked out of the room, looking no different than when she went in, but as his hand circled the front of her waist and stopped her by his side, he could smell Sam's cologne as he leaned down and pressed his lips against her head.

"I'm surprised you're standing," Beth smiled as she slipped a hand under his shirt, just beyond the view of the others and Dean breathed in quickly through his nose, his brother's scent and Beth's filling his senses and she could feel the smile cross his face.

"I could say the same for you," he joked, and released her, but didn't move away as her fingers gently brushed cross his navel. "Your friend shared a nifty trick that gave me a bit of a block from the two of you." Beth looked up into those green eyes and watched as he winked. "Where's Sam?"

"Not standing," she answered seriously, which made Dean choked back the burst of laughter that filled his chest. "Give him a few."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Crowley questioned as he placed another piece of wood on the fire, making both Beth and Dean turned towards him.

"Hmm, I thought it was hot in here." Beth mumbled.

"Did you think it was just you?" Dean countered and she removed her fingers from his skin, which got the exact reaction she wanted, a disappointed sigh as she moved towards the fireplace.

"Won't the smoke signal where we are?" Mary added. To Crowley, Beth gave him a "you know me better" look with her eyes but she turned to Mary and explained.

"Being that we've been pretty prepared for the last decade and a half, the exhaust pipes were one of the first things we thought of. How do you heat an underground bunker with a fireplace and not give away its exact location?" Beth grabbed a piece of paper and drew a diagram as Crowley and Mary came closer. Cas, who was standing behind the couch only watched from where he was. "All of the ventilation pipes for the bunker are insulated and about seven-feet underground.

"They spread out across the property, running the full length of it and when we were able, we connected with the street, piping into the drains. When we run the fireplace, even the exhaust fan for the bathroom, everything moves out in this pattern." Beth smiled to see the look on their faces when the pattern formed a pentacle, the property line being the circle that connected them all. "Protection from just about anything getting in through the ductwork was a priority too. There's no way to trace the heat, or the smoke back to the bunker."

"So why burn the Olive tree to begin with?"

Beth glanced up at Dean, who sat down beside her on the couch.

"The smoke from the tree will act as a deterrent, Olympians have a hard time with it." Beth shrugged but glanced over at the counter, where they had the manual machine set up for the bullets. "Shotgun shells filled with the powdered wood will work just like the salt shells on ghosts but it will hurt a hell of a lot more. The bullets will damn near kill the bastards, if they hit their mark otherwise, it will definitely put the bad in their day. Arrows are the most effective but it's tricky to reload the crossbow if you're new to it."

"So, what do we do now?"

"We reinforce." Sam suggested, coming out of the bedroom and glanced down at Dean, who gave him an "I know what you did" kind of grin and Sam went to swat at him but purposely missed. "Becca and Cas will go up, as long as he stays out of sight they won't aim for him, the other five barriers are still standing, we need to get them secured. Dean and Beth will checkout the woods, see if we can't find what we're up against. The only thing we can do down here is make sure that we're set with the ammo."

"Sounds like a plan," Beth smiled and went to grab her stuff. Dean made his way into the storage room, grabbed the bow from the back wall and brought it out, it wasn't Beth's usual one but it was reliable and on point. After she shrugged on her coat, she took the weapon from him and grabbed the quiver full of arrows that sat on the counter, an extra bag that she had placed there weeks before.

"I still think this is a suicide mission," Crowley growled stepping up to her as she tightened the strap on her shoulder, staring up at him.

"Just think," Beth smiled, placing her hand on his chest as he looked down at it with disapproval, "you'll have hordes of Demons at your beck and call when you tell them that you have me on the rack."

"You'd never make it that far before I pulled your ass back to Earth." He answered and smiled, as Beth removed her hand.

"Take care of Becca, make sure you switch off with Cas, she's going to need all the power, whether angel or demon, that she can get." She ordered and watched as Crowley scowled. "Not an order, oh King of Demons, just a strong suggestion, and if you care to add to it, help Sam and Mary with the bullets."

"Well, aren't you just a pushy bitch!" Crowley whispered, pride in his voice as he did so and Beth gave him a half-hearted grin before Dean gave her a nod and she headed towards Cas, who was standing in wait.

"Well, when you learn from the best…" she replied and Crowley watched as Cas zapped them out of the room. The angel returned alone seconds later, and Crowley felt a strange worry wash over him.

Dean tried hard not to shiver at the chill that ran over him. Cas had put them in the densest part of the woods, off a little ways from the small shack beside the rushing water, and Dean watched as she pulled the crossbow from her shoulder, loading the first arrow into it. She looked up at him, and pointed to her head as she gestured to the left with her hand.

"It's not as fun when we have to actually use it for something serious," Dean's mind tickled on the edge of hers.

"It's not as fun when you're awake either," she replied, raising an eyebrow which made him stop and think for a moment before he followed after her. The recent weather was actually in their favor, leaving the fallen flora damp under their feet and their footfalls were almost silent.

"What did you mean by that?" Dean questioned as he followed behind, his eyes scanning the area within the woods and around the outside of the field. Beth glanced back and smiled.

"You haven't noticed your dreams?" She slowed down, taking in the way that the field was scorched in certain places, but caught his eyes. "They haven't been much of a nightmare lately, have they?"

"Wait, you're playing in my head?" Dean stopped and watched Beth shrug without stopping.

"Not playing, blocking," but she had caught his tone, that slight hint of violation. "I couldn't let you deal with the nightmares alone, and I couldn't be by your side every night."

"Hold on," he said with wonder, "how many times a week do you come in?" This made Beth stand up and turn to him, her brows were creased with an answer that made Dean sigh before she turned back to her work in hand.

"Enough," was all she answered.

Dean wanted to go on, to ask more but Beth was already on the move, hunched low to peek through the bushes as they weaved through the thick brush. Beth put her hand up, stopping at the spot where she remembered Becca chanting on the night of her father's memorial. Dean reached out to touch her, feeling the confusion in her mind, but she was on the move again before he had a chance to connect.

As they came around towards the back of the house, where the bedroom windows would face, Beth once again paused and waited for Dean to catch up. There, just beyond the fourth barrier line was a signal, smoke that flowed from a perfumed fire and Beth closed her eyes. It wasn't that they could get a good view of the creatures that stood around it but there was enough of a shimmer to let her in on the secret that the smoke was carrying.

"Oh, crap," she sighed and Dean shook his head.

"Is that…?" Dean whispered.

"It's a portal," Beth replied and watched the creatures that moved back and forth. "With some sort of cloaking spell."

"Awesome! So instead of Olympians, we're dealing with Klingons?"

Beth shifted her gaze to the man beside her as if to ask "really", but she didn't say anything else as she turned back to the fire. "I wonder what would happen if we put it out."

"Are you out of your tree?"

"You got a better plan?"

"Yeah," he stated and whispered out loud, "Cas!"

The angel appeared and suddenly the two of them found themselves crouching in the corner of the bunker. Beth growled, frustrated at him and stood up, which Dean mimicked and followed her. Mary and Sam stood at the counter, filling shells for the shotgun as Cas resumed his post, making arrows.

"What the hell was that?" Beth snapped turning towards Dean as she put the bow down. "I make one remark and you "Cas" us out of there?"

"It was the worse remark I've ever heard!" Dean replied, feeling his temper rise. "Put it out? How the hell would we put it out?"

"Well you're so full of piss and vinegar, I thought you'd be able to snuff it out with one pass." She answered and placed the quiver on the table.

"Don't be an ass!"

"Stop being a dick!" She replied and felt Sam walk up behind her.

"What is going on?" He questioned and both Beth and Sam looked at him.

"He's being a bitch!" Beth snapped.

"Jerk," Dean mumbled and Sam opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut. It was odd to see someone turn their names around but it was Beth and Dean so nothing should have surprised him. "They're keeping a portal open with a fire on the back field. Einstein over there thinks it would be a good idea to put it out."

"And before I had a chance to explain, Rocky took it upon himself to call for a quick ride out." She answered and felt the pillow hit her back, to which she turned and glared at Dean who had crossed his arms in anger. "I wasn't going to run out and douse it that very moment, I had thought of coming up with a plan."

"Any idea what it was for?" Sam questioned.

"It's how they got passed the barriers," Beth answered, taking in a deep breath. "Someone human must have come in and set it. There was herbs in the fire, familiar ones, I just didn't have enough time to figure out which because apparently I'm a loose cannon."

"Oh you're not a cannon, you're a freaking warhead!" Dean snapped, which made Sam step between them.

"Listen," Beth started but Sam blocked her way as she moved toward Dean.

"I thought you said they make each other better hunters." Mary whispered and all three turned in her direction. Dean tried to keep himself in check but Beth's face was pure frustration.

"The problem isn't their hunting, it the emotions that come with it." Cas answered, still chipping away at the stick. "Their connection brings out the primal side and with it, the aftermath of anger."

"He's right," Sam sighed and turned to Beth, "you need to find something to do and let it settle," with a glance over his shoulder, he looked directly at Dean, "you too."

Dean grumbled, turned and made his way to the storage room, where a couple of burlap bags of rock salt were calling his name, and Sam looked down at Beth, who stared after the man.

"Hey," Sam whispered and tilted her chin up so she could look at him. Beth's blue eyes fell on his and he locked her into a stare. "We'll figure it out."

"Not before I get you all killed," she whispered, stepped back from his touch and walked up the stairs to stand in the doorway. Sam let his hands fall, taking in the emotions that flowed from her and he tried to ease her worry, but there wasn't much he could get through her walls.

Beth stood just to the right of the doorway, leaning against the plaster wall, in the shadowed part as she watched Becca and Crowley. The man stood behind her, his eyes resting on the back of her head as his fingers traced the waist of her jeans. He wasn't intentionally doing it, letting that soft loving gesture through, in fact, Beth found it out of character for him. His harsh demeanor was set aside and she could see the affection that he had towards her friend, which made Beth smile, and suppress a giggle as she stared.

Crowley looked over, a grimace on his face as his eyes connected with hers. He didn't like that she was seeing this side of him but Beth was the only other one that knew, besides Becca, of his feelings for the woman. He wanted to let go, wanted to drop his hand but he knew that a touch, even one as simple as this would make a connection and send strength. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the window, ignoring Beth once more as Becca's voice boomed with the words of the spell she was conducting.

Beth watched for a while more, not moving, not making a sound. She just stood, taking in the way they stood, the vibrations of her voice, and the feeling of power that she sent out into the field. It was odd because she had never felt anything when Becca cast, at least not up until that point, but she found that things were happening more and more every day, whether she wanted to admit them or not, carrying them closer to the edge of whatever this happened to be.

She heard Cas' footsteps as he made his way up behind her and instantly watched as Crowley's fingers dropped away seconds before the Angel's hand caressed Beth's shoulder. Cautiously, Beth turned on the stairway, coming eye to chest with the man.

"Cas, take one very careful step down." She pleaded and watched as he did so, which brought him to eye level with her. With a grin, she stared into that sea of blue and waited for him to speak. It was more than a few minutes, more than five before he broke away and glanced over her shoulder at Crowley.

"She needs a rest, the power she's using isn't going to be helpful if she's exhausted herself." Cas spoke quietly, barely loud enough for Beth, who was less than a foot from the man, to hear.

"Then take her," Beth answered, as if he had been asking permission to bring her down, to take some of the burden from her and his eyes swung back to hers. "I can tell you're concerned, Cas, I know you love her, so I'll have her come down and the two of you can take the first room. She needs to eat and she needs to sleep, at least for a bit." He nodded, and broke away one more time, staring at the man in black. "It's not a competition, Cas," Beth whispered, leaning in so that she spoke into his ear softly, "she's not going to go with him, she only wants you."

When Beth backed away, the concern in the angel's eyes had faded as if her words were somehow comforting to him and he nodded. Beth turned back towards the two that stood at the window and cleared her throat. Crowley turned in her direction and she gestured at the two of them with her fingers, then motioned with her thumb that they were needed in the basement. Crowley whispered to Becca, whose arm lowered and she drew in a deep breath before turning towards the stairway.

Becca came down first, accepting Castiel's hand as he held it out for her and Beth watched the two of them walk down the steps before disappearing into a room. Beth raised her hand, stopping Crowley beside her on the step and she looked up into his eyes.

"Leave it be," she whispered and watched the grin that cross his face.

"I thought you knew me better than that, Love," Crowley's voice was sweet but menacing at the same time.

"I do, and that's why I'm telling you to leave it be," Beth answered and watched as he leaned closer. "If you say demon to me, I will purposely trip you down these stairs."

He backed away, looked straight ahead, still grinning and puffed up his chest. "Now I know I raised you right."

Beth let him go, giving him a half-smile and listened to him walk down the steps before turning in the direction of the counters, the opposite way that Cas had gone with the woman they were both pining for.

Sam watched as Crowley stepped up to where he and his mother were making bullets. Once the new arrival and his mother stopped staring at each other, Sam stepped away, glanced up at Beth who was still at the top of the steps and moved to the backroom where Dean could be heard taking things out on some poor bag.

The bag rested against the wall, on top of a barrel full of something Sam had probably never heard of in his life, which was the way the storage room was stocked, and Dean was going at it with both fists. He slid the panel until it was almost closed and watched as Dean looked up, having removed everything besides a thin tee-shirt and his jeans.

"What is it, Sammy?" Dean questioned, as he took another swing.

"You really think busting up your hands is the best way to handle this?" Dean looked down at one of his knuckles, gave his brother a "it's whatever" look and took a swing.

"There another way to handle it?"

"Yeah, go out there and talk to her, she's your best friend for Christ's sake." Sam wanted to roll his eyes but he just stared.

"You didn't see her, see the look of "screw it" in her eyes, Sam," Dean stopped and turned to his brother. "If I had let her, she would have walked right out there in the middle of that field and stomped that fire out."

"And you would have been right behind her to help." Sam insisted, which gave Dean pause before he grabbed his shirt from the floor.

"She has a death wish."

"Dean, she doesn't want to die, she just doesn't want to see us killed." Dean stepped up to him and looked him square in the eyes, brows raised.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," Dean sighed but Sam grabbed his arm.

"What's your problem?" Sam questioned and watched as Dean just stared down at his shirt. "Things with you have just been off lately, so what's up?"

"What's up?" Dean tried not to laugh, "the world is going to shit…again…and we're stuck in a bunker while they're beating down our door. How many times are we going to do this?"

"Save the world?"

"Save our own asses from something we shouldn't be fighting in the first place!" Sam leaned back against the shelving and nodded. "I love her, man, I really do, and I would lay my life on the line for her every second, but Olympian Gods? Don't you think we're in over our heads?"

"Have you forgotten about Amara already?" Sam turned to him and watched as Dean's eyes shined with anger. "We put a soul bomb in your chest, and you were supposed to die but you didn't, in fact we got Mom back because we decided to save our own asses."

"We were trying to save the world."

"Because we live in it," Sam argued. "Dean this is not about Beth, is it? This is about what could go wrong if we lose, if we lose her."

"You're damned right it's about if we lose her!" Dean snapped, stepping up to his brother as the anger shined through. His voice lowered, bringing the conversation down so that the two of them were the only ones involved. "I can't lose her, Sam, not again. I need her too much to go through that pain."

"I love her too, Dean but we can't just stand by."

"I know, and that's what's killing me because either way the cards are dealt, she's the ace." Dean closed his eyes. "I wish…"

"So do I," Sam whispered, knowing just what he wanted, just what he wished for and Dean opened and turned those green eyes up to him. "But sometimes wishes just don't happen."

Dean nodded, looked down at the blood on his hands and walked out of the room. He glanced up at the stairway as Beth started to make her way down, but when their eyes locked, Dean quickly looked down, trying to avoid the contact that she was reaching for. He took a deep breath and made his way towards the back bedroom, softly closing the door behind him. Sam stepped out of the storage room and looked up at her as well. All he could offer her was a shrug.

Crowley moved through the kitchen, gathering things from the cabinets and the refrigerator as Beth stood once more at the top of the stairs, her arms crossed as she did her best to look at the world outside. The man's dark eyes scanned over her and he slammed a can down on the counter, making her jump to attention, her eyes automatically connecting with his.

"Ass!" she mumbled and watched as he smiled.

"You know, one of these days you might have to pick just one." Crowley replied.

"Not going to happen," she replied, and shifted back towards the window.

"What happens when Hera leaves, when the connection is broken and you have two boys in your life? They're not going to stay copacetic with this arrangement forever."

"We have our quirks to work out but there's a plan."

"Bollocks!" Crowley snapped, to which Beth only shook her head. "Do you even know what you're up against out there?"

"Not a clue, but it's probably big, bad and ugly."

Crowley stepped up to her, leaving the things on the table as he went and took hold of her hand, zapping her into the back den, close enough so that she could see the fire that burned in the yard. With whatever trick he had up his sleeve, he darkened out the window, as if the lights were off and no one stood there, making them virtually invisible.

Beth watched the creatures that stepped from the portal, half-human, half-horse, both men and women of their kind, armed to the teeth with bows, arrows and things that strangely resembled guns.

"Centaurs, great." Beth whispered and stepped back from the window, but she also saw other things making their way out of the portals. "How many things are coming through?"

"Oh that's just the front line after they took out the five barriers," Crowley smiled.

"We need to move, and we need to move now." Beth looked up at him and walked out, just before she hit the living room, at the edge of the hallway, Crowley grabbed her arm and planted her safely in the middle of the bunker where she turned to look at him. "Make sure whatever weapons we have are ready to go," she watched his eyes roam to the wall of the bedroom that Becca occupied. "I'll take care of that one, thank you."

"Well, I can only offer my services should a certain angel get in the way." Crowley's grin only made Beth roll her eyes as she turned and walked away once again.

Beth moved down towards the back room, unaware that Dean was hiding out in it and she walked in, shut the door once more and put her back to it, her head against the wood and let out a sigh. For a moment she just stood there, her hands behind her back, letting the quietness of the room fill her, until she heard a heartbeat, a steady rhythmic thump and slowly opened her eyes. Frustration filled her as she scanned over the man that stood against the edge of the dresser, his arms crossed in front of him and a scowl on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't know the room was occupied," she stated and turned, grabbing the door, "I leave."

"Wait," he whispered and her hand froze on the handle, not sure she had heard him correctly, Beth looked over at him, "just, wait."

"Dean, I can't argue with you right now." Beth admitted and turned the knob.

"Beth," his voice softened and she turned fully, releasing her hold. "We need to talk."

"I swear to God all I've done lately is talk. I'm done talking." She shrugged, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "But, if you need to get something off your chest, fire away…I'll listen."

"I'm sorry." Beth blinked, twice, unsure of what she had just heard.

"Excuse me," she questioned, "what?"

"You really want me to repeat it?" Dean gruffed, but Beth smiled and shook her head.

"What could you possibly be sorry for, Dean?"

"Look, I know you want this done. I know you want us safe, okay. I get it, I do, but I can't let you just go headfirst into the fight." He stepped away from the dresser, closing the space between them. "I lost you once, Bee, I don't know if I have the strength in me to do it again, not after all this."

"After all what? The screwed-up mess we call a life together?" Beth's smile was full of sarcasm. "A life full of something I can't give you, even though you share my heart."

"Why do you always bring this back to sex?" Dean was strangely curious. "I thought that was my job."

"Because it's important, Dean, don't you think?" Beth watched as he closed the distance, enough so that she could smell his cologne, close enough so that he could feel the heat from her body. "To really belong to someone, don't you think there needs to be that level of intimacy?"

"Kid, I have you so deep inside me that there couldn't possibly be a level we haven't reached yet." Dean smiled but he stepped forward, backing her up against the door. Beth looked up at him and moved her hands from behind her back, grasping his shirt. "All I need, Bee, all I will ever need is to know you love me."

"I do," she whispered, feeling the tips of his fingers caressing her neck, and she shivered.

Dean leaned down placing his forehead against hers and she watched him close his eyes. She could feel the power resonating from him, as if she was tapped into his source, and she shivered from it. Dean was powerful, a warrior, and it rushed through every nerve in his body.

His lips pressed against her forehead and Beth finally relaxed under his touch, as he pressed himself closer to her. It wasn't a sexual advance, it was just Dean giving her all that he could, even if it was just a touch, just an emotion but it was enough.

Sam knocked on the door, feeling the energy behind it and he suppressed a smile, before the door cracked open and Dean peeked his head around.

With a sigh, he opened the door and let him in. "You know I didn't interrupt your "me" time with her, what's the deal?"

Sam grinned at him as the door closed and he sat down on the bed, glancing over at Beth who had moved to lean against the wall, the blush on her face told him that he hadn't interrupted anything except her thoughts.

"We need a plan," Sam shrugged and watched as Dean walked over to sit next to him on the bed and both brothers looked up at Beth, who was quiet for a moment before she shook her head.

"I got nothing." She answered, and Sam was about to go on but she stopped. "But I do have some information."

"Okay, well," Sam watched as she stepped away from the wall.

"What do you know about Centaurs?" She grinned and watched as the two boys looked at each other.

Beth placed the books down on the counter as Sam and Cas moved all of the equipment for the bullets out of the way. Becca stepped from the room, tired but otherwise fully awake and stepped up beside her. Beth could see it in her eyes, the menacing look that her friend gave her and she couldn't hide the smile.

"I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Beth whispered as she flipped through the pages of the books. Dean sat on the other side of the counter, watching the exchange, trying not to react to Beth's wink in his direction.

"No, not technically," Becca groaned and watched as Beth's brow raised.

"Then," she turned to her friend and watched Becca pout, "I'm not sorry at all."

Dean shook his head as Beth walked away, leaving Becca stunned and a bit confused but as she turned to look at Dean, her confusion faded.

"She did that on purpose, didn't she?" Becca asked.

"What can I say, the girl's a Winchester through and through, it's what we do." Dean gave her a cocky grin, which had Becca sighing as she leaned on the counter.

"Damn Winchesters!" She grumbled, slapped him on the forearm and turned away. "So, what are we all doing out here scrambling around some books? I'm hungry and I need my energy."

Sam was the one cooking, as Beth pulled every book from the library shelves both downstairs and up, with the help of Cas and Mary, that had anything to do with Greek mythology. They lined every counter space that was free and Dean watched as Beth sat with crossed legs on the couch, a thick volume in her lap. Sam glanced over as well, looking at the untouched grilled cheese.

"Bee, you gotta eat!" Dean scolded and watched as she slowly raised her arm and flipped him off. Dean gave her a "bite me" face and turned to the book on the table. "Well, I got nothing." He looked up at Sam, as he pushed the book away and watched as the younger one scanned over a page in the book in front of him. "What?"

"Beth, how many angel blades do we have?" Sam questioned and watched as she picked her head up, thought for a moment and turned in his direction.

"Four…I think." She bit her lip and then nodded. "Yeah, four."

"How exactly did you manage to get four angel blades?" Crowley questioned and watched as she smiled at him and winked before going back to her book. "When this is over, you and I are going to have a little chat."

"I stole them from a few of the fallen ones," she admitted and looked over at him again, but noticed the questioning look on Cas' face. "I thought they were dead and I didn't think they would need them anymore so, I took them." She watched as he seemed to acknowledge her logic of the situation. "It wasn't my finest hour, so sue me."

"Sam," Dean spoke up breaking the conversation between them, "what's with the blades?"

"Alright," he started and rolled up his sleeves, something he did when he was really about to get into it. "Angels are celestial beings," he glanced at his brother and Dean raised his brows, urging him on. "So what if the Olympians are kind of the same thing? What if any celestial being can be hurt by them?"

"A generic douchebag ganker?" Dean questioned, but Sam shook his head.

"Every one of them works the same, Angels, Demons, Olympians. Did you notice that they all disappear in a bright light, no matter which way they die, Olympians disappear, angel grace literally blinds you when you stab them and Demons, well…"

"Okay…I get it." Dean spoke up, raising his hand, "don't hurt yourself."

"Sam is correct," Cas answered, coming to look over the book that lay before him. "An angel blade would take out a Centaur, or any other Olympian."

"The problem is how close you have to get to stab it in the bloody heart." Crowley interjected and watched as they all looked up at him. "Do you really want to be that close to something that weighs that much and could stomp you into meat pies?"

"We don't really have a choice," Beth spoke softly and they all turned towards her. She looked up from the book she was reading and slid her hand across her forehead. "The only thing that can kill a Centaur is a blessed object thrusted through its chest." She closed the book, slamming it shut. "And, you're going to love this," she grabbed the next book down the line and stood up with it, bringing it to the counter where the boys stood, "it has to be a blessed object marked with the runes of Enochian."

"Really?" Dean asked, knowing damned well she wouldn't lie and watched as she placed the book down before him. "Awesome!"

"How do you carve sigils like this into an angel blade?" Becca questioned and looked up at Cas.

"It's a process, but I think I can get the tools we need to get it done." Cas answered and turned to Crowley.

"Oh, don't look at me, Love, because of our little witch's spell, I'm stuck here." He fessed up and walked over to scan the book.

Cas turned and looked at Becca, he leaned down close to her ear and whispered softly into it. "I'll return as fast as possible. It might take me longer to find specific items."

"It's okay, Cas," she smiled as she looked into his blue-eyes, "we'll be safe."

She stepped up and kissed him softly on the lips, something he cherished for a moment before disappearing from the room. Becca smiled, noting how uncomfortable it made Crowley feel as she walked over and grabbed the grilled cheese that Sam had just placed down on the plate.

"These are the best ever." Becca mumbled as she took a bite.

"Mmm, the gooey goodness of American processed cheese food," Beth replied and felt Becca swing for her head, but Beth leaned forward just in time. Sam's arms snaked around Beth's stomach and she felt his breath by her ear.

"You need to eat," he whispered and she turned towards him, grinning. "That's not what I meant."

"My appetite has already been sated," she winked and listened to Dean choke.

"I think I just threw up a little," Crowley mumbled as he walked by, which got nothing but a smile from Beth.

"Okay, we're going to have to sleep in shifts at some point," Sam spoke up and looked at the remaining people in the room, waiting for a reply. "Cas is gone, he said it might take a bit to find what he needs so now would be the best time to do it."

"With an army massing outside?" Crowley questioned.

"You have first shift!" Dean stated and watched the man scowl. "I'll take it with you. Mom and Becca, you take my room, Sam and Beth can take the back."

"No, I'll stay up with Crowley," Becca spoke up. "I already had a few hours earlier, with Cas, and I need to work on the wards just a little longer."

"Are you sure?" Beth questioned and watched as Dean crossed his arms. Becca glanced from Crowley to Beth and nodded. "Then that will have to be the plan. We can't go into battle half-assed and exhausted."

"Who says it's going to be a battle?" Mary asked, headed back towards the first room.

Dean rolled his eyes, grabbed a blanket and plopped himself down on the couch, where he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. The boy could sleep anywhere but if he could position himself in a place where he could make the fastest move, that would be the best thing for him and right on the couch gave him the advantage.

Sam glanced over Becca and Crowley once more before he headed off to the furthest room, patting Dean on the shoulder as he walked by. Beth stopped at the couch, leaned over the back and stared down at Dean's closed eyes. It took the man a minute, and Beth smiled as he began to shift uncomfortably under her gaze before he finally opened his eyes to stare at her.

"Pain in the ass!" He mumbled and got comfortable again and tried to close his eyes, but he gave up and looked right at her. "What?"

"Goodnight." She whispered, kissed him on the forehead and stood up.

Dean grabbed his pillow and threw it at her as she walked away, laughing. Beth tossed it back to him, and let him get settled back in, but no matter how hard he tried to let the darkness take over, some part of him was wide awake.

About an hour into the shift, Dean found himself sitting up on the couch. Becca and Crowley were up at the top of the stairs working on the wards while Mary slept in his room, but it was the feeling from the second bedroom that was keeping him awake. He knew that Beth wasn't sleeping, or at least she wasn't sleeping well, and she could feel Sam trying to comfort her but nothing he was trying seemed to be working.

The door opened slowly and he turned his head to watch Beth step out, her face on the man in the room as she made sure that the door was absolutely silent when she pulled it until it stayed closed. With a small sigh, she turned and was about to head towards the kitchen when she saw the man on the couch, looking at her.

"I knew it was you," she whispered and rolled her eyes as she walked over and sat down on the couch beside him. Dean, who was sitting forward, looked back at her, as she let her body lean back, her legs half off the couch and she stared up at the ceiling, and then he turned back to the drink in his hand. "I can feel you in my head, wide awake and roaming around."

"That's not me." Dean fessed up, taking another sip of the amber liquid from the rocks glass. "I've been feeling you for the last hour."

"Tossing and turning, the same crap going on in my head?" She questioned and watched him nod. "I could block it."

"Too late now," he answered and stared at the table. "What's up with you, Bee?"

"Besides the last twenty-four hours?" She rubbed her hands down her face and shook her head. "I thought I was prepared for all of this, I mean, we should have been more prepared, don't you think?"

"I try not to," he shrugged, and looked at his lap as her hand rested on his thigh. "I try to not think about a lot of things."

"Like the outcome, one way or another," she whispered and watched as he put the glass down and at sat back, almost matching the way she sat and turned his head towards her. Dean smiled as he looked over the exhaustion on her face and shook his head.

"You think too much."

"Yeah, it's kind of what I do." She sighed and closed her eyes.

He assumed it was meant to be a relaxation technique but he watched as her head slowly rolled to the side, towards him and he shook his head. Sam came out of the room and peeked over the couch, then at Dean who turned his gaze up to his younger brother.

"Don't look at me, she just came out and fell asleep." Dean grabbed the blanket beside him and covered her up as Sam took the chair closest to her, adjusted the pillow behind him and stretched out, putting his own legs under Beth's so that he was touching her. "Sammy?"

"Yeah?" Sam mumbled as he closed his eyes, grabbing the small throw that was on the floor beside him.

"What's up with the two of you?" Dean whispered, a bit confused as to what was going on.

"You were too far away," Sam exclaimed and slowly fell into a light sleep.

Dean shook his head, but as he began to relax, Sam's words made all the sense in the world. Being closer to the two of them made it seem safer to let go and he closed his own eyes. Sleep finally took him into a dark, dreamless place. One that he had hoped for instead of endless war scenes that he had playing out in his waking mind.

The sound of things hitting the table was what woke Sam from the rest he needed and he found himself blinking several times before the ceiling came into focus. The smell of melting metal filled his nose and the loss of the heat next to his legs had him sitting up slowly to investigate just what was going on. Beth was gone from the couch, and Dean was now lying in the spot she had occupied, the blanket that had covered her was over him and Sam found that even he had a thicker one on, but the disappearance of the woman he fell asleep next to made him curious.

As the characters around him came into play, he found Mary standing at the counter watching as Castiel began engraving the Enochian symbols into the blade with what looked like a soldering iron. As he watched, with each new sigil, Cas dipped the end of it in a bowl beside him, one that possibly contained the ingredients to a spell. He was happy that his mother was getting involved, even watching over the Angel as he worked his magic, but it was the eyes of the Demon that sat across from him that caught his attention.

"Let me guess, you don't sleep," Sam mumbled as he stretched and sat up more.

"No need," Crowley shrugged and tipped the glass in his hand towards him, "but watching the three of you, now that is an interesting spectacle. Did you realize that no matter where she moved to, the two of you automatically changed positions so you would still make contact in some way?"

"It helps her." Sam shrugged.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why does it help her to touch you both?" Crowley seemed to be digging and Sam sighed.

"No thanks to you, her memories have become nightmares and in order to help her actually sleep, we found that some sort of connection broke the cycle of the memories." Sam explained, but he really wasn't sure why he was bothering.

"So you're using her dreams to justify the two of you shacking up with her?" Sam watched that fatherly anger rise on his face once again.

"Very rarely have we ever shared the same bed at the same time." Sam snapped, which made Dean jump from his sleep, gun in hand and he looked back and forth between the two men.

"What did I miss?" Dean questioned.

"Crowley, being a dick!" Sam answered and stood.

Dean watched Sam walk over to the bottom of the stairway and look up at the shadows that graced the top before Dean turned in Crowley's direction. "What now, Crowley?"

"Moose and I were just talking about your rather intimate relationship with Elizabeth." The King sat back in the chair and watched as Dean sat up, slowly placing the gun on the table before him as he sat forward. "Are you taking advantage of her?"

"Listen," Dean spoke softly, his voice deep from the sleep he was just in but his green eyes were focused and protective, "what goes on between my brother and Beth, or even myself, is none of your damned business." Crowley gave him a half-assed grin, knowing he had gotten under the older Winchester's skin. "And it would probably be a good idea to remember that, before I have to give you a one-shot reminder."

"Now, now, Squirrel, we're all looking after the same girl here. No need to get testy."

Dean inhaled deeply and shook his head as he stood from the couch, grabbed the gun and made his way over to the bathroom, opposite direction as his brother. Once the bathroom door was closed, Dean rubbed the sleep from his eyes and placed both hands down on the edge of the sink, looking into his own eyes. He needed a few more hours, hell, he needed a few weeks but he knew that Crowley was right, they were all protecting the same person. With a sigh, he reached out and turned on the faucet.

Beth smiled at Becca, who stood in front of the dark window, whispering the words to the warding spells that Beth had heard dozens of times in a soft voice. She admired the witch's bravery, even her strength because the whole time Beth had slept, Becca had been right there working her magic.

"You don't have to be so quiet." Becca said, soon after finishing one of the warding, but she didn't look in Beth's direction in case someone from outside was watching. "To be honest, having you sulk around in the dark lately had become very creepy."

"Speak for yourself, Angel Lady!" Beth said sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure I learned all of my sulking from you."

"Not nearly," she laughed and Beth couldn't help but smile. "You would think after all these years that you would have gotten a little better at the breathing part."

"You can barely hear me when I'm standing right next to you breathing, Bec." Beth defended herself, but knew her friend was only picking. "Besides, I thought all that training came in handy on Halloween."

"Yeah, thanks for always scaring the crap out of me!" This time Becca did turn, but she also made her way towards the stairway and watched as Beth stepped aside so that they both were facing one another at the top of the stairs. "Never underestimate what you can do, Beth, you're one of the best hunters I have ever met."

"Apparently, one of the creepiest too," Beth wiggled her eyebrows and watched as Becca shook her head and walked down past her. The blue-eyed woman soon followed and everyone gathered around the counter, what space there was as Castiel lay out the four angel blades. "Are you sure these will work, Cas?"

"I've never done this spell before," he admitted and locked her gaze, "so no, I'm not sure at all."

"Well, that's encouraging," Mary whispered and Beth reached out, picked one up by the handle and smiled at it.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, admiring the way that the light shined on the different sigils that adorned the blade.

"And deadly." Cas added, watching her smile as she nodded in agreement. Dean, Sam, and Crowley each picked one up but Beth handed hers directly to Cas. "You're going to need it."

"Actually," she smiled, and placed it in his hand, "I won't." All eyes turned to her and she glanced over at Becca. "We know what's going on here, and the sooner we all accept it, the better, so my job out there is going to be one thing, and one thing only. Put out the fire."

"Are you insane?" Dean questioned.

"Beth, that's suicide." Sam argued, but both stopped as she put up her hand.

"Listen, I know that it doesn't sound like a good idea but if you hear me out, I'm sure at some point it will click." She walked over to the weapons cabinet and opened a small door, pulled out a small hand-held crossbow, this one no larger than the Walther she kept tucked in her belt, but the bow width was about six inches across. She brought it and the small quiver that held the bolts to the table, setting them down. "It's high-speed, ten times faster than the one upstairs. The bolts are made from silver, and iron, with a middle filled with tree dust."

Dean picked it up, feeling the light weight of the weapon in his hand and he whistled. It was balanced and definitely something he could see her playing with. Beth pulled out a few of the darts and let them touch them. Each one was covered in runes and sigils from all different religions.

"When did you do this?" Sam questioned, looking at the bolts.

"Believe it or not, about three months ago," she shrugged. "I was out at the range with the crossbow and realized that I needed something more compact that packed more of a hit and something I could use on the fly."

"How is this any better than the other one?" Mary questioned and watched as Dean handed it to her.

Beth flicked a switch, similar to what would have been the mag lock trigger and watched as she bent the bow forward. Once that was out of the way, she clicked the safety, moved a small panel on the slide and let her look in.

"This holds seven bolts, it's automatic." Beth closed everything back up, let the bow snap back into place and used her thumb to click back the wheel, which sat in the spot the hammer would have been. "The only thing that isn't is the wheel, you have to create the tension on the bow string before you can fire the first shot, after that, it's all automatic."

She turned, aimed at the bathroom door and fired repeatedly, which made everyone turn at the suddenness of it. Beth didn't give them any warning before she discharged but what came out of it was seven direct shots in the same two inch space on the wooden door. Sam smiled, Dean shook his head and watched as she skillfully reloaded and clicked it back to ready, just before she flicked on the safety.

"See. All set." Beth moved the wheel, releasing the tension and placed it on the counter. Dean looked at it eagerly and scooped it up as soon as Beth gave him a nod. "I'm going to shoot from the line. Cas and Crowley, you guys are going to be the first in, we need to know a count and you'll be practically invisible to them. Hell, you could stand in the middle of the herd and not be seen. Get us a number, and wait for the shot. I'll fire first and Sam and Dean will go in. I'm not playing around, that fire will be out by the time this is over."

"How are you going to put out a magical flame?" Sam questioned and watched Becca smiled, which made Beth give a small gesture of "well, now you know".

"With a little magical rainstorm," she replied. "Being a demigod has to have some advantages, like to call on the weather."

"You've never done it before." Dean spoke up.

"I've never tried, but Becca and I came up with a plan for that."

"It's the reason you're hanging back," Sam's words were more like thoughts spoken out loud, "your energy will be focused on the storm."

"Exactly," Beth took a deep breath. "So let's stop pussy-footing around."

"And kick some Centaur ass?" Dean questioned, watching her nod, "my kind of date, let's go."

Becca hugged Beth quickly and pulled her away from the boys as Mary hugged them both. Sam watched as Beth tucked a bag in her pocket before Becca stole Cas away, but she came back to hug Crowley before grabbing her book. Becca nodded, took Mary's hand and the two of them headed upstairs, shotgun in hand.

Beth closed her eyes, just for a second before she looked up at the four of them. "Let's go kick ass." And with that, Crowley and Cas zapped them from the bunker to the dark woods.

Beth waited along the tree line, she could see Sam to her left, Dean to her right. Crowley and Cas were yards away, one on either side of the boys as Mary and Becca stood at the back window, staring straight out at the portal. Mary held the gun at the ready, Becca held the spell book. This was a long shot for sure but the only way that they would be able to move towards the portal, the only way they were going to be able to close it.

Sam wasn't looking at the shimmers of light that moved about the grounds, cloaked by the power of the spells that surrounded them, he was looking at Beth's face, the gung-ho look in her eyes that Dean had described and his heart pounded.

Beth slowly pulled back on the wheel, one tick every few seconds, completely silent to those who didn't know what she was doing but Sam could hear it her mind as she counted them out, not looking down at the bow string that she pulled taunt. One…two…three. Her sight was locked on that shimmer before her.

Sam was always afraid going into a fight, but it wasn't fear of being hurt, of losing, it was a fear of what he was going to lose. He had always thought that he would be okay with seeing Beth in this mode. Hell, he had seen her like this in the past but it didn't bother him as much as it did at that moment and the fear of losing her crept up on him. Dean glanced over her shoulder, knowing the facial expressions of his brother, and flicked at his mind, making Sam's eyes snap up in his direction. Dean raised a brow, questioningly and Sam just gave a slight nod. He was ready, fear or not.

Dean took his eyes from his brother, knowing the cues of Sam's emotions from the look on his face, and he knew that his probably mirrored his own. Dean wasn't ready for this fight, not in any way, but he knew that Beth was and he would stand by her without hesitation. The plan was simple, neat and way too easy. How could it possibly go wrong? And that was what bothered him the most, knowing that it could.

He heard the ticks of the wheel, four…five…the whipcord was tight and Dean watched her breath in, hold it and place the olive bolt on the slide, before releasing her breath. That was the sign, the one that meant "be at the ready". Beth looked at both sides, past the boys and with two fingers signaled Cas and Crowley to move.

In typical fashion both disappeared in a blink. Leave it to them to make a grand entrance, but hey, how could you not love their charm. Both were cloaked, both able to make themselves invisible to the enemy as they stood in the midst of them, but they were clearly visible to Beth. She could see Cas standing, his arms by his side by the angel blade in hand, spelled against the Greek warriors. Crowley waiting, posed as usual, hands behind his back, tip of the blade tapping at the spot between his shoulders as he became impatient but she could tell count by those taps.

"Twelve so far from Crowley," her mind sang and both Sam and Dean readied their blades. Her eyes focused on Cas at the way his fingers danced against his coat and she sighed. "Another dozen from Cas."

"Two? Two dozen Centaurs?" Dean questioned as Sam looked at Beth, then up at Dean who shrugged. "Well, the odds seem to be in our favor."

"Why exactly do you think that?" Sam smiled.

"We have an angel and a demon, they have half-horse things," Dean grinned jokingly as he caught his brother's eye. Beth closed her eyes as her brow went up, not even sure that she had heard Dean right. She could tell that he was nervous because he would say things like that to hide any emotion other than the sarcasm. "What?"

Beth opened her eyes and turned towards him, with that same look still on her face and she gave him a slight shake of his head. She prayed that Becca was doing what she needed to on her part, and for a moment she looked down at her watch.

Becca whispered as she flipped to find the spell earmarked in the book. Mary stood quietly next to her, watching the field that spread before her, the only thing visible was the fire and the strange shimmers of light. Becca glanced at the digital clock on the counter beside her and drew in a deep breath as she flipped the page and began to read.

The clouds over head began to form, listening to the rise in her voice as she pulled the rainstorm from the old Book of Shadows. It wasn't Greek, wouldn't harm them in anyway, but there was a power behind it that would be strong enough to put out that flame, and that was what they needed, to close the portal.

Beth looked up, smiling as the pitch black clouds began to roll in from the North, a good sign since most didn't come in that way but she wasn't taking any chances. She wanted this to be cold, and brutal on the Olympians. Half-naked and hairless, the least they would start to get is hypothermic and that would slow them down somewhat, for as long as it took for the job to get done.

The sheets came down in waves, almost as if a wind were pushing them, and Beth flipped the hood of the black coat she wore up, to block the rain from her eyes. She watched as Sam and Dean did the same, but looking out at the swarming shimmers, she saw that Crowley and Cas hadn't moved, they stood in the same spots, tapping away as the minutes ticked by.

Sam watched as she raised the bow, placed the butt of it against her shoulder and put her sight on a man as far away as she could reach. He watched how she stared, unblinking into the distance and with a flick, almost invisible, her finger moved, and the bolt flew. Both Sam and Dean watched it sail, a white line against the pelting rain and it hit dead center in the middle of the target, the Centaur's heart.

Battle cries rang out as Beth sent four more in quick succession. They hadn't even heard the way she cocked back the string, never saw the movement of her hands as she loaded the arrows, the only thing they heard was the whistle of the projectiles as they flew into the massing crowd.

Dean watched the fire start to die down and he nodded to Sam, who in an instant was on his feet. Beth wasn't going into this one, they had decided that back at the bunker. The men would be the warriors, she just needed to take out as many as possible. The boys rushed the crowd, because along with the rain came what they needed, outlines of the wet and shivering enemies.

Cas and Crowley took their marks, slicing as they went, blades swinging at the two dozen, or more, creatures that had finally figured out they were under attack and started swinging back.

The embers of the fire began to darken, as the rain focused on that spot, like a fire hose without the attachments. Beth smiled at Becca, praying she could keep up the magic as long as could to douse out the fire, but closing the portal was Beth's job.

She and Becca had discussed it before walking down to get the blades. There was no way that the fire alone was keeping it open, no magic flame was strong enough to open a doorway between the Olympian world and this one, so there was only one thing she could do.

"A bomb?" Beth had questioned, as Becca set the bag in her hand, just before they separated.

"A specific kind of bomb," Becca whispered and the two of them watched the boys prepare, but Becca turned back to her friend. "In all the cases you have covered in the last year, what is the one thing that stopped a spell?" But Beth shook her head. "You stopped the Kitsune with a Greek ward, when they used Greek…"

"We used Latin," Beth whispered and held the bag in her hand. "Where did you get this?"

"Never mind, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Becca replied and looked at Crowley.

"Jesus, it's a demon bomb." Beth swallowed hard. "You do realize if I use this Crowley will be sent to God only knows where and we may never see him again."

"You said it yourself, whatever it takes to shut this down," she looked into Beth's eyes, "he said the same thing, which means get you the hell out of there in one piece and shut this bugger down.

"Great, now you sound just like him." Beth rolled her eyes and placed the small burlap bag in her pocket. "What do I have to do with it?"

"Toss it in," Becca shrugged.

"That's it?" Beth's brow furrowed in confusion. "Just throw it in?"

"Yeah, it's a bomb, all they need to work is to pull the pin."

"Is it pulled already? Will it go off in my pocket?" Beth was a bit worried at this tiny bit of missing information.

"No, you just throw it," Becca smiled, finding her nervousness too funny for words, "that's your pin."

"Okay, great, I just throw it." Becca patted her on the chest and Beth ran her hand over the lump in her pocket. "That's awesome!"

Stepping out of the bushes, Beth made her way through the melee that surrounded her. She watched as Sam swung, ducked and swung again before getting off a shot. Dean was hell bent on putting as many of them in the ground as he could but he wasn't without taking his hits and she noticed the blood that ran down his cheek from his hairline. Cas and Crowley seemed to be holding their own, except the angel was covered in blood and his eyes were glowing a fierce blue, like the light of Heaven was shining through him.

Crowley held off the kicks of the horsemen by doing one of the smartest things she had ever seen and quickly, she connected with Sam and Dean, her crossbow at the ready as she moved to take out a few of the bastards herself.

"The legs, go for the legs!" Beth ordered and watched as Sam turned in her direction, more than halfway to the fire. He stopped and stared, not that he was in disbelief that she was breaking her own orders but that she had made it that far without him knowing. Beth caught his eye as she ducked behind the body of a fallen Centaur. "Move it, Sammy, no time to stop and admire."

With that Sam swung, taking out the leg of the creature before him and watched as it fell. Dean had watched it unfold, seeing his brother bring down the horse without issue and then it was on, both men were swinging down, aiming for the weakness, even as the arms of the soldiers above the thousand-pounds of flesh swung at them from the top.

Beth fired off the bolts, taking out the ones that were coming up from behind or around the sides of the men on the field. Dean went down, hooves threatening to trample but it was Sam's blade that toppled the beast and he pulled Dean up before releasing him to fight another monster.

She closed in on the spot, looking into the strange glow of the open door that stood faltering as the smoke began to disappear and it was then that she recognized the smell. They were the same herbs used to make the line that kept Artemis within the circle when she put a fulgurite spear through her sister's heart. This was the same smell that stopped her from escaping.

Beth stopped and looked around, something about this whole thing seemed a little off but she stopped when she caught the eyes of Crowley, fished the bag from her pocket and held it just long enough for him to see before with one good toss from her pitching arm, she sent the bag flying through the air, watching it disappear into the void.

Three…two…one!

The seconds seemed to count down in slow motion. Sam stood straight and stared at her, as his chest heaved and he tried to catch his breath. Dean pushed himself from the ground, one last strike downward with his blade before he pulled the gun and shot the damned thing in the head. Cas turned, his attention taken from the dying foe in front of him as he caught her eye.

The explosion rocked the ground beneath her feet, sending her flying backwards as the shockwave did the same, spreading out along the field. Beth felt her breath leave her body for a second, leaving her winded and dazed once she hit the solid ground.

She felt it as she tried to move, a pull at her heart, a gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach as she tried to sit up. Her eyes locked on Sam, Dean, Cas, and finally Crowley who lay motionless on the field. The Centaurs were gone, all of them and any other manner of beasts that had escaped through the portal. The field was clear, but she managed to make it to her knees before the first wave hit.

Along the lines of the property, a spark lit up against the still darkened sky, and the blast brought on the pain as it sliced through her. Beth could barely breathe when the sixth barrier fell. She knew there was something wrong with this, something off about the way things were, but there was no way to stop it now.

With the nausea that twisted her world, Beth made it to her feet, and the person closest to her. Dean was just coming out of his daze when he watched the next wave hit her, making her stumble as she doubled over, clutching both her head and her stomach as her eyes tried to focus on his. He rushed as much as he could, still breathless from the aftershock that had sent him flying, but he was there, keeping her on her feet.

"SAMMY!" Dean called out and watched as his brother stirred, his first vision was Cas, lying not very far away and Dean watched him scramble towards the Angel.

They couldn't have been more than five feet from closing the distance, from reaching out and taking hold when the seventh barrier broke, and Dean felt her legs go out from under her, sending them both tripping over the ground.

Sam had Cas on his feet, moving towards them as Beth looked in Crowley's direction. The man wasn't moving and her body shook as she realized he just might be gone, but her droopy eyes focused on him, willing him to get up, praying that he was still there, somewhere. Cas let go, leaving Sam to stand by Beth's side as he moved over to the fallen man.

Crowley lashed out with the blade, his eyes blinded by the light and still adjusting but Castiel took his wrist in his, hauling the unsteady King to his feet before he brought Crowley's arm over his shoulder and moved towards the trio.

"We've got to get inside the bunker." Cas yelled as the next explosion moved the ground beneath them. Beth, barely conscious, felt this one knock against her chest, taking the wind from her as her heart pounded. The eighth barrier was broken. "Once the ninth comes down they'll be right on top of us."

"Let's go then," Dean barked, "she's not going to make it much longer out here." Dean turned to move but Cas reached out and suddenly they were standing in the middle of the warm, dry basement.

"You humans always have to do things the hard way." Cas smiled but suddenly disappeared. Two more zaps in and out and both Crowley and Sam stood beside Dean.

For the first time since the blast, she could see straight, but Castiel's hand coming at her face was more than she could handle and she slipped from Dean's grasp to back away. It wasn't that she was unsure of who and what he was but the barriers breaking down had left her uneasy about everything. She didn't know what the Angel's powers would do to her, not with the Goddess inside, not at this moment in time, but she knew one thing, she couldn't let him touch her.

"I can help," he whispered softly and she shook her head.

"You can't." She replied and listened to the footfalls upstairs. "Becca and Mary!"

The urgency to get them spurred her on to race up the stairs, followed quickly by Sam, and Dean moved swiftly after. Beth turned the corner, running straight into her brown-haired friend and she reached a hand out to her. Becca watched as Beth touched her neck, a gesture that she had never seen before, but Becca recognized the emotions in her eyes instantly.

That was when the house shook once more and Beth feel to her knees, the breath gone from her lungs as she tried as hard as she could to take air in, even the world looked blurry through her eyes. The sounds of voices penetrated the strange fog that surrounded her and just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. In fact everything stopped.

There was no noise from outside, the rain had ceased it's relentless chatter on the roof of the house, the refrigerator's low hum was now an unearthly silence. There was nothing, not even the beating sounds of the hearts she knew well, her own blood was quiet in her ears and Beth stood.

She stepped out into the living room, staring out the window as the others followed and watched the man who stood in the middle of the field. She knew him, knew his face, his blazing hair, his crooked and evil grin and she knew just what was coming.

"Run!" She snapped and turned to the others who had followed her. "Everyone, move! Now!"

Beth didn't know how she did it, Mary was first, Sam was the next, Dean stopped in the doorway as she stood and stared at the man whose steps seemed to close the distance between him and the house. Beth's eyes filled with confusion as she shook herself from the trance and turned to Becca, the woman who stood by her side.

"Go, Becca!" She said with urgency and looked over at Dean. "Go!"

She was right behind them! Dean would have sworn he had seen her on the stairway, would have vouched that she had made it down those stairs, but what he remembered was the last of the barriers crashing down around them. That Becca was on the stairway behind him. That Beth was in the doorway just about to make that move into the safety of the bunker, but THAT was before the implosion of energy sent them all cascading into darkness.