Lucifer was busy trying to tempt Kevin with a platter of perfectly cooked bacon. "Come on kid you know you want it."
"I don't eat meat. I'm a vegan." Kevin said popping a few more pieces of Cap'n Crunch in his mouth.
"You know the bacon is probably healthier than those concentrated colored sugar pellets you're eating." Dean said.
"Not to mention the preservatives. And other artificial additives." Lucifer said picking up the box and scanning the ingredients "Like Pyridoxine Hyrdochloride. What in the name of Our father is Pyridoxine Hyrdochloride? Let me guess, Gabriel talked you into eating this crap didn't he?"
"Gabe has never really been a good source for nutritional information Luce you should know that." Michael said. "The closest we could get to coercing him to eat something healthy was honey comb straight from the bee's nest. And his sweet tooth has only gotten worse."
"Stop casting aspersions on my eating habits!" Gabriel said as he entered the kitchen with a box of fresh Krispy Kreme donuts.
"Yeah! Stop casting aspersions on the Krispy Kremes people." Dean said. "Next to cheeseburgers and pie These are the perfect food." Dean snuck a donut out of the box and took a bite.
Gabriel suddenly became very alert as Castiel walked into the kitchen holding Meg's hand. Dragging her into the Kitchen was more like it. "You have to face him sometime." Castiel said giving her a push toward Lucifer.
"Hey Stubbie!" Gabriel cheerfully greeted Meg. "Finally decide to stop hiding from Luci?"
"Stubbie?" Castiel looked at Gabriel with disapproval.
Lucifer stood up and walked over to her. Grabbing her shoulder he spun her around to reveal two little black feathered stumps precisely where an angel's wings would be attached to their back.
Lucifer suddenly started laughing. Loud, bend over and clutch your belly laughter. "I wish Azazel was here to see this!. Demons don't have graves but if they did, he'd be rolling in his right now!"
Michael now joined in the laughter also. It's not like Meg's ambition to rule hell wasn't widely known in heaven and hell.
"This isn't funny!" Meg stomped her foot. "I had plans and they are all gone to hell right now!"
"Can't rule hell if you're Ascended!" Lucifer laughed harder. "And after all that big talk from Azazel on how you would one day replace me on the throne." Lucifer reached up to wipe the tears from his eyes. "So who threw the monkey wrench into Queen Meg's big plans?"
"It's Clarence's fault!" She said glaring at Castiel. "He just had to pray for my forgiveness! And now I have these damned 'tumors' on my back!"
Gabriel sauntered over and tossed an arm around her shoulders. "I have to tell you a little secret, Stubbie." He leaned close and whispered in her ear. "It only works if you are worthy of redemption. So if you were really a real evil Demon instead of a undercover goodie two shoes, Castiel could have prayed until the stars fell from the sky and you'd still be a full blown demon."
Meg snarled at the three archangels laughing at her, turned around and shoved Castiel out of the way as she stomped out of the kitchen to find someplace she could have a good scream.
Darius sat down on the couch next to Kevin. The living room was full with Kali and Thor also joining in the meeting.
"So you've figured out the rest of the tablets?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes it's almost like a blueprint now." Kevin said. "It's laid out step by step."
"But before we can go any farther, the remaining Leviathan need to be cleansed." Darius said. "That is a crucial step we can't miss a single one. We have the locations of the remaining 200."
"No problem." Lucifer said. "With six Archangels we can wipe them out in a couple of weeks."
"Once that's done, the usurper must be sent back to Purgatory." Kevin said.
"That sounds like Benny to me." Dean said. "I can't wait to gank that double crossing son of a bitch."
"Then the stronghold of those who oppose the will of God must fall." Darius said "But Kevin and I have no idea of what that means."
"I understand it's meaning." Thor said. "Asgard is the stronghold of my kind. We stand with heaven in this struggle. The Greeks also have a stronghold called Olympus. Olympus must fall."
"That's a lot easier said than done." Gabriel said. "Olympus is a tricky place to get into."
Kali smiled. "I think that I can arrange for a bit of inside help. Not all of the Greeks want to follow Poseidon's suicidal path. There are some very important individuals who are opposed to it in fact."
"And who would that be?" Thor asked. "The last I heard the vote was unanimous to Follow Poseidon."
Zeus and Hades are all for it. Hera and Athena are not. Neither were they consulted." Kali explained. "As Athena put it, the idiots were voting with what's between their legs instead of what's between their ears. She sees it as nothing more than a testosterone fueled death wish."
"Are you sure they will help Kali?" Gabriel asked.
"They planned to try to talk Zeus out of fighting." Kali said. "If nothing else they can provide us with a Trojan Horse so to speak."
"What about the Cage?" Sam asked "Castiel mentioned opening the cage but Michael and Lucifer are already out. It's not like we'd be releasing them now."
"The Cage is like the Master key for all the hell gates. Lock it and they all lock." Kevin said. "That's where Murphy and Connor come in. They have to kill the King of Hell inside the Cage."
"Well aren't I glad Crowley weaseled his way into that position." Lucifer joked.
So we just go to this Cage and blow his head off?" Murphy asked from his spot on the floor where he was rubbing Fenrir's belly.
"There is a ritual." Darius answered. "We have yet to completely decipher it. It will be revealed when the time comes."
"Well at least we know where we stand and where we go from here." Gabriel said.
"Yes, Brother we do." Thor said standing up. "I will return to Asgard and prepare the army."
"Uh Thor, wait a minute." Sam said. "I have something that belongs to you. Dean I need the keys."
"Oh yeah right I forgot all about that." Dean said digging in his pocket and tossing the keys to Sam.
Sam wasn't gone very long when he came back in. Walking over to Thor he held out a big hammer.
"Mjolnir" Thor cried out happily taking the hammer.
"It was one of the items Greed was auctioning off along with the tablet." Sam explained.
"Yeah you should have seen Sam wield it too." Kevin said.
Thor looked closely at Sam, "Not just anyone can wield Mjolnir. There's more to you than meets the eye, human. My thanks for returning it."
"You're welcome. I don't even know why I kept it." Sam shrugged.
"Coming Kali?" Thor asked.
"Yes, I'll contact Hera to find out how the talk with Zeus went." Kali said as she wandered over and wrapped herself around Thor's arm.
Michael had been watching the Seraphs train in hand to hand combat under Balthazar's guidance much to Balthazar's annoyance. Michael just kept interrupting the training to correct Balthazar's methods. Balthazar had finally lost all patience and Kicked him off the field with a reminder that Gabriel had put him in charge of the training and that Gabriel was calling the shot and if Mikey had issues with the way Balthazar trained the Seraphs to go take it up with Gabby and stop wasting his time.
Finding himself totally unwelcome there, Michael had wandered around until he reached the garden. Joshua as usual was puttering around among the many plants. Joshua had always been happy in his own company.
"Michael, Are you just going to stand there watching me or is something troubling you?" Joshua asked. "Maybe feeling a bit like a third wheel?"
"My job was to be the commander of Heaven's Army Joshua. Our father saw sit to give that job to Gabriel." Michael explained. "Now I just feel...useless."
"Michael do you resent Gabriel?" Joshua asked.
"Of course not! That is our father's will." Michael said. "I proved myself unworthy of the trust he put in me. We all did except Gabriel."
"Gabriel is not perfect Michael, far from it." Joshua said. "None of us are perfect, the only difference between Gabriel and the rest of you was that Gabriel actually did what he wanted. It wasn't easy by any means. There was a time when Gabriel agreed wholeheartedly with Lucifer, and you.
None of you wanted to bow down to them in the beginning. Gabriel took the time to walk among them, actually see them. In time he began to see that they were not all flawed. He saw that many of them tried even if they failed to become something better." Joshua picked up a watering can and began to water a row of potted plants.
"Even Lucifer now finds someone among them that is worthy, but you knew that when he hid Sam Winchester's soul. Sam even felt guilty for leaving Lucifer locked in the cage with you. Sam could even forgive Lucifer. That is what makes them worthy." Joshua sat the watering can down. "Now ask me what makes us worthy."
Michael stared blankly at him.
"Earning their forgiveness. Believe it or not the Winchesters both have forgiven Gabriel his little tricks and Gabriel killed Dean 147 times then resurrected him." Joshua said.
"You feel like a third wheel because you know you haven't been forgiven, You are still on the outside but you have a lot to offer them. Earn your forgiveness Michael. Start with your vessel and your brother. Gabriel may be in charge, but the time is quickly approaching when he will need your counsel."