Sophia's Chronicles
A/N:
This episode follows The Third Man, S6E3, when Balthazaar is selling pieces of the Staff of Moses for souls and Castiel is tracking him down.
Chapter 28: The New Approach
So this was it. The cage. I couldn't believe I'd never been down here myself. The last I'd seen this awful thing was… ages ago. There was a barred window on the top half of one wall of the cage. Peering through it, I saw nothing but I could feel them – the darkness, the madness of two archangels worsened only by the guilt-inducing sulfurous fire this deep in the crevices of Hell. This brought back memories of my own vault, where life-sucking creatures that I could not identify fed on me, immortalising a painful dying moment until my eventual release. Uncertain of what I would find, I held onto one of the bars. Amidstthe dark wisps of smoke inside the cage, scarlet eyes emerged to meet me. He laid his glowing hands over mine eagerly.
"You came…" Lucifer placed his lips on my knuckles, his cold kiss a refreshing change from the heat of Hell.
"Are you alright?" I reached through the bars to stroke his hair. He pressed my hand to his cheek, savouring our physical connection. Oh, how I missed him.
"I've been here long enough to get used to it…" My heart sank. "I thought about what you said. And I get it, you have to do what you have to do." He reached through the bars, stroking my tummy. "As long as junior here is safe. Ah, he feels strong. What did you give him?"
"He's had a binge of souls recently." The scarlet eyes narrowed, waiting for me to explain. "I've been looking to power myself up with souls for the war in Heaven, but it seems like your son is stealing my juice."
"Oh, so he's my son when he does something you don't like?" Lucifer teased. "Maybe it's best to wait till after he's out for that."
"Yeah, I'm realising that, but with the war going on, who knows when we'll really need to be ready?"
"Hmm…" He paused to think. "Tell me more about this war."
"Long story short, everyone knows now that God isn't in Heaven. Raphael wants to restart the apocalypse and the angels don't want that, or to be ruled by Raphael, so there's conflict. And guess what, Castiel is leading the resistance and he freed me from Heaven's prison so I'm somewhat indebted to him."
"Castiel, huh?"
"I can't say I like the circumstances but we live in desperate times."
"There are enough souls in Hell. You could take those."
I sighed. This was going to be the difficult part. "I wish I could, but the throne is… occupied."
"So I hear… but what's the problem? Kick him out."
"I can't. Not yet."
His head tilted. "Why not?"
"Having this child, it's messing with my powers. I don't know if I'm up for a battle with Crowley and his supporters. And it was your stupid orb that let him take its power anyway. Can't you have a better system for these kinds of things?" I must have sounded exasperated.
He sighed. "Babe, you're thinking too much about this. There's no need for all that. This throne is your right. No demon can get in the way of that. You are more powerful than he can ever be. And the other demons will recognise that." He brandished a tiny glowing vial. The vial of my essence that I'd given him before. "If this thing works both ways, know that you can always count on me for power. So just end him and do what you need to do."
That was nice of him to say. I should have known that I could have relied on him for strength and support, and I sincerely hoped I could have as much faith in demons as he did. It's just like me to think of doing everything on my own, isn't it? Now it was a new era, one of opportunities, and I planned to use as many of them as possible. I beamed outwardly. "Okay. Alright, I'll do as you say. But I'll still have to wait. Castiel's working with Crowley to open the gates of Purgatory."
"Leviathans are dangerous business."
"Tell me about it. Crowley's behind it all and I'm trying to end his plan. As long as he's on the throne, I can keep an eye on him and find out what he's up to."
"How are you going to do that?"
I told him about my way with Crowley, how I seduced him to think that I would be on his side and do as he wanted. When I finished, Lucifer remained silent. "I know it seems silly, but it's more fun than it sounds."
He smirked. "Deception is your game. Play it as you will. But make sure that everyone sees you crushing the life out of him."
"Of course." I traced the back of his hand with my fingers as I peered into the cage. A faint blue glow could be seen in a distant corner. "Is that Sam Winchester over there?"
"It is, although I thought I could enjoy the company of my new toy a little longer."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know?" I shook my head in response. "Castiel popped by earlier. He busted Sam's body out and left his soul behind, without so much of a hello. Now I'm starting to think that you should be wary of him…"
Hm. What was Castiel's interest in resurrecting Sam? And that too without a soul? "When did this happen?"
"I'm guessing the same day that Michael and I were trapped here."
Son of a bitch. All that time and Castiel failed to mention this. Was he planning something behind my back? "A soulless body can still roam the Earth without raising suspicion for a good amount of time. But as long as Sam's soul remains here, I want you to make him pay for what he did to us."
Lucifer produced a sly grin. "Your wish is my command, madame." His finger caressed my cheek, resting on my chin. "You be careful out there, alright? Don't take any chances with anyone who is suspicious."
I nodded. Entwining his fingers with my own, I kissed his hand as he did mine. A wave of hope washed over me. We would be together again, soon – I would make sure of it. And then all would be right in the world again. "I'll get you out of here, Luci. I promise."
What he said energised me. I felt invigorated and ready to wipe out any and all obstacles in my way. Maybe I could use a change of approach. A harsher, more direct approach like one Lucifer would take. I had never been so motivated to take over Hell. If I was to become the Queen of Hell, I had to be like him. I really didn't need Crowley alive. I could just kill him now. Aside from the fact that I didn't know how much of his plan to reach Purgatory was already set in motion, I was still stronger and with Lucifer's help, I could wipe him out. Whatever remained of his plan would just surface on its own, right?
It was time to check in on Crowley. I froze as soon as I pushed open the doors and entered the throne room. There was no one here. This was odd. I took a few steps forward. The sound of the doors swiftly closing shut stopped my advance. I spun to face Crowley, a smug grin on his face and several demons standing behind him.
"Came to see me, darling?" He greeted. With a snap of his fingers, a ring of holy fireerupted around me.
Alarmed, I gave him a look of stern disapproval. "What are you doing?"
"I knew it couldn't be this easy to get an archangel on my side, though your little sob story was very compelling." His expression contorted into one of calculated fury. "But then I overheard your little conversation at the Cage and I knew for sure what your game was. You thought you could play me? I'm Crowley. And you're not going anywhere."
"You know, it's rude to eavesdrop." I studied his expression. He was serious. Oh well, that didn't last very long. I guess it's time to do this the more direct way. I chuckled. "It's cute that you think you can control me!" I retorted and folded my arms. "This should show everyone how much of a poser you really are, Crowley. Pretence is no substitute for real power."
"I'm sure the hundreds of thousands of souls I have at my disposal can show you what real power is," he taunted.
"Look at all of you…" I addressed the demons. "It's pathetic that he is the closest thing to a ruler you have. You deserve better!" I saw some of their faces light up at the suggestion. My persuasion was alreadyworking. "You think I can't squash him? And when I'm done with him, what do you think will become of you who betrayed your true King? For this?" My voice grew menacing as I spoke, my intentions being to frighten them into submission. Such small creatures they were, that they would bow down to anyone with a little bit of firepower. It all came down to who was mightier and morepowerful in the end. "You don't have to take my word for it either. I'll show all of you that I'm worthy of your loyalty and when I'm done, we'll reclaim Hell for what it should be!"
"Nice speech, but I'd like to see you try and get out of that holy fire," Crowley spat out desperately, seeing that the demons shifted uncomfortably.
I wasn't yet sure how I was about to achieve that, but to my luck, the fire began to die down. Must have been some low-grade holy oil, or someone purposefully tampered with it. Didn't matter anyway. Crowley grew increasingly panicked as the flames dissipated. I stepped over the circle and approached him. "Oh would you look at that," I remarked. He seemed to shrink back in fear, his body tilting ever so slightly, yet he attempted to keep up his brave demeanour. His eyes followed the movement of my hand as I raised it slowly, giving the impression that I would hurt him. I then gingerly placed it on his shoulder, wiping off the dust. "I'll see you soon," I promised, as I winked and left.
My phone buzzed. The screen said it was Raziel. "Hello?" I picked up.
"We may have a lead on one of Raphael's aides."
"That was… quick."
"Dinah just spotted Sariel in Easter, Pennsylvania, and it seems like he'll be there a while."
"What do you mean?"
"It appears Sariel has been tracking some lost weapons from Heaven's armoury." Wait a second. He can't possibly be referring to… "Brace yourself, because this is about to get strange. It seems that the Staff of Moses is being used and Raphael has sent Sariel to retrieve them. I have no explanations to offer, unfortunately." I do. I asked Balthazaar to stow the weapons away safely, but he didn't do his job so now Raphael's tracked one of them. Why is it so hard to find good help these days?
"I'll be there."
"Alright, I'll call you again once I've reached there."
"Oh um it's alright, Raziel. I can handle this on my own." I had to keep the issue of the stolen weapons a secret still, even from my own team. I couldn't have him find out that I was the one who had ordered them to be stolen.
"Are you sure? We might cover more distance as a pair."
"It's just one small city. I'll get back to you once I'm done."
I flew over the city, once again greeted by the smell of car fumes and petrichor. A faint sign of angel presence caught my attention so I slowed down and took to the streets. There were several tall buildings, but one hotel with a yellow exterior seemed peculiar. My instincts were piqued and I stopped to stare at it. Out of the blue, two angels broke through the window on a high floor and plummeted to the ground, wrapped in a wrestling embrace. I held my breath as I identified them. The ear-piercing sound of a car alarm rang through the air as the angels landed on a grey car roof. Sariel and Castiel got up uncomfortably.
This wasn't the time to question Castiel's presence. I rushed forward, hoping to get a grip on Raphael's lackey while still remaining invisible to the both of them. But I was too late. Now I was just left with Castiel, whose gaze turned skyward to the two curious Winchesters looking on at the spectacle below them through a broken window. So that's why he's here. But I still needed an explanation. I followed him up to the room they were in.
"He's gone," Castiel reassured them.
"Alright, Cas, who was that guy?" Sam questioned. I tilted my head slightly. It was an interesting sight, to see him without his soul. Just an empty vessel. I wondered if Dean knew. Surely, Castiel had to know.
"A soldier of Raphael. He must have followed me when I answered your call." Castiel rummaged through the cupboards in search of something.
"Raphael? The archangel? I'm sorry, what's going on here?" Sam and Dean exchanged quizzical expressions. They didn't know. So Castiel wasn't using them as tools to get to Purgatory. Or at least, to their knowledge.
Castiel retrieved a bowl and set it on the table. "I can explain later. Right now we have to-"
"No, not later. Now. Stop, all right? Too many angels, Cas! I don't know who's on first, what's on second." Dean held up his hand to stop Castiel from moving about. Dean's eyes looked at him with confusion. They were a light apple green, much like my own in my true form. I liked how they looked. Sam's were a darker green, and were partially concealed by his narrowed eyelids and frown-riddled expression.
"What is "second"?" Castiel responded, challenging Dean's stare with a look of his own.
"Don't start that."
"It is simple: Raphael and his followers, they want him to rule Heaven. I – and many others – the last thing we want is to let him take over. It would be catastrophic," Castiel explained.
"You're talking civil war," Sam summarized. Finally, they're catching up. This back-and-forth is getting boring.
"Technically, yes. Which is why we have to find Balthazaar and his weapons before Raphael does. Whoever has the weapons wins the war." So he knows about Balthazaar. That was all I needed. I had to go and deal with Balthazaar before Castiel and his pets did.
The sun was beginning to set when I arrived. This was the location Hassiel gave me? This lavish mansion? I would have thought something more low-profile would have gotten the job done but clearly, Balthazaar wasn't thinking that far ahead. My heels clanked on the wooden floor as I entered a large room with minimal furniture near the walls. Classical music played in the background. Paintings hung on the walls. Balthazaar moved to the rhythm of Handel's Sarabande. "Ah, Sophia. Thought you'd call before dropping in," his polished British accent greeted me. He ceased his waltz and sauntered lazily to a table, where he poured himself some alcohol.
I crossed my arms. "What happened to the weapons?"
"They're safe, mostly," he nonchalantly replied.
"Mostly?"
"I may have embarked on a business venture using the Staff of Moses."
"And you're just telling me this now?"
"Relax, it's just the Staff of Moses. It only hurts humans. Angels, maybe?" He took a sip of his drink.
"You're really testing my patience." I advanced towards him, arms ready to slap some sense into him.
He held his arms up defensively and backed up. "I did it to help you, I swear!" I stopped, giving him time to elaborate. "I broke it into pieces and sold it to vulnerable humans in exchange for their souls. See, I know you want the souls too."
"Right, so you expect me to believe you've been pawning the Staff without telling me just so that you can get souls… for me?"
"Look, I just wanted to have something to show for my ideas, and I do. We're still on the same side here." His shoulders relaxed.
"Are we? Because it seems more like you just want to be free to do what you want, without a care in the world for consequences!" Frankly, I understood the impulse, but giving away powerful weapons to humans was beyond stupid. I was trying to stop exactly that not too long ago. "We can't have this. Not right now, when Raphael can track you down."
"I'm sure we can find some kind of agreeable arrangement," he tried to negotiate.
What would Lucifer have done? He would smite anyone who didn't obey him or made mistakes. But Hassiel recommended me to trust Balthazaar. This could have been an honest mistake. After all, he was acting on the principle of freedom and did intend to harvest souls, which I could certainly approve of. I had no reason to think he was lying either, since he was in possession of the weapons and could easily threaten me with them, though he didn't. Ah well, I could turn this into my favour. "You will be getting visitors soon. When Castiel arrives, you will make no mention to him that I ordered you to steal the weapons or helped you fake your death. As far as he's concerned, you're here on your own accord with the stolen weapons. I want you to get close to him and help me keep an eye on him. Can you do that?"
He looked concerned. "Is he in trouble?"
"Not currently. But if you notice anything unusual, you will tell me immediately. No hesitation."
He nodded. For a moment, his eyes widened as they looked past me. I spun around immediately and found myself facing my target, Sariel. I seemed to be getting lucky a lot lately. Sariel gasped. "The both of you working together? We should have guessed." He brandished his blade and stormed towards me. Instinctively, I extended an arm and pushed him against the wall. Balthazaar rushed to my side with what seemed like another piece of the Staff of Moses. As he utilised its power, Sariel doubled over. I watched on with curiosity as a bulge emerged on his throat and something crawled out. With great difficulty, Sariel managed to spit out a frog. He keeled over again, clutching his abdomen in pain. Eventually the pain won and his groans died along with him as he squirmed uncomfortably on the ground.
"Well now we know. It does work on angels," Balthazaar concluded with a chuckle.
