Another Season 8 fic XD

24. "You're not Making any Sense"

(forced mutism, sensory deprivation)

There was nothing. Castiel was wrapped in darkness as it ate into him, forcing his compliance.

Well, he wasn't entirely alone. There was her.

"You will obey me, Castiel," Naomi said.

"I won't hurt Dean and Sam," he gritted out, throat raw from screaming.

"Don't be cute," Naomi snapped. "What I want is for you to eliminate them. Permanently. You'll kill them, Castiel."

He knew that, he had known that, she had been telling him that for—what was it now, days? He didn't even know anymore. There had been clones of Dean and sometimes Sam too, at first, and he'd slaughtered them even though it had hurt because he thought it would keep Naomi content. And it wasn't like they were the real thing.

He kept telling himself that.

But Naomi had known. How could she not? She was in his head. He had no secrets anymore. He had no sense of self.

He didn't belong to himself anymore, according to her. He belonged to Heaven.

He belonged to her.

He suddenly felt the restraints give and sank to the floor in a humiliatingly submissive pose at her feet. Naomi reached down and gripped his chin.

"Fine. I see you'll continue refusing until I am forced to punish you so much you cease to be useful to me. So instead of wasting my time, I'll make it simple. You'll be nothing more than what you should be. A vessel of intent."

Castiel looked up at her, mouth open in confusion, but she suddenly snapped her fingers and everything went black.

XXX

"Dude, I asked if you had ever heard of anything like this before."

Castiel blinked, shaking himself slightly. Had…had Naomi been in his head again? He was trying to find out, but, honestly it was getting harder to tell. Harder to tell what was real, and how much time slipped that he couldn't remember anymore.

"Cas, are you okay?" Sam asked him, and Castiel saw that his brow was furrowed.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I was just thinking." He glanced at the research books. A hunt, that was right. "I think it sounds like a gorgon. You know, like from the Greek tales."

"Medusa?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Well, not exactly Medusa, but, similar. They actually paralyze their victims with venom, not their sight. The stories always got that wrong."

"Oh, wow," Sam said, glancing at the books.

"I guess that would explain the snakeskins at the scene," Dean said, shutting the book he was reading. "Okay then, let's go. You coming, Cas?"

The angel was torn. Should he come? It would be nice to just hunt again. And the Winchesters might need help. One of them was certain to get paralyzed, and it would be easier if he were there to heal them on the scene.

He stood, nodding. "Yes."

XXX

It was a disorienting feeling, being pulled from the heat of battle, back to the silence of Naomi's office in Heaven.

"What do you want?" he demanded of her, taking a step before angels came forward and grabbed his arms.

Naomi stood from her desk. "It's time we end this, Castiel."

Castiel struggled against the other angels as she approached him. "What do you mean?"

"I told you, Castiel, if you won't kill the Winchesters yourself, I will take matters into my own hands."

"No," Castiel growled, "Don't—!"

He was suddenly back, making him give a double-take as he looked around and failed to see the Winchesters. He didn't want to call out because he didn't know where the gorgon was.

He used his senses to search for them, and could feel them nearby.

Something moved through the old mine and Castiel carefully slid around a corner, pressing his back up against the wall.

He could sense the gorgon creeping through the rubble, hissing slightly. She was nearby.

"Cas?!" Dean's voice came softly, and Castiel glanced to the side, seeing him and Sam carefully picking through the mine. The gorgon perked up and slipped around another corner to hide.

"Where the hell could he have gone?" Dean grumbled. "I turned my back on him for one second." The worry in his voice was palpable. They were getting closer, and about to fall right into the gorgon's trap.

Castiel made to move out from his position and shout a warning to them before attacking the gorgon.

But that didn't happen.

He didn't make it one step before agony crashed through his body and he was suddenly in his head, back in the darkness. He looked around frantically, but something was covering his eyes. Not physically, but that was somehow worse. Somehow Naomi had made him blind.

"Castiel," she said, voice echoing in the darkness.

"What is this?" he whispered before something clenched in his throat and he choked. Pain ripped through his head and he collapsed to his knees with a gasp.

Naomi came toward him and gripped his hair, pulling his head up.

"That's right, you're just going to sit here and be a good, obedient angel while that creature does your work for you."

Castiel tried to protest but nothing came out of his mouth. He couldn't speak at all. He couldn't see, he struggled, but he was completely under Naomi's control and he couldn't seem to break out of it.

She smirked, all too satisfied as she crouched down to get into his face. "Don't worry, I will let you watch. After all, I suppose it would be cruel of me if you never knew how they died."

The veil was suddenly lifted and Castiel blinked in the dim light of the mine again. Sam and Dean were closer, creeping ever nearer to the gorgon lying in wait.

Castiel's back was pressed against the stone, out of sight, and without the ability to move closer, or move at all. Naomi had locked him down. He tried to shout with everything he had, but there was no sound. Only pain that ripped through his throat, blood pooling up into his mouth.

"Here," Dean said. "There's another room back here."

Sam followed him and that was when the gorgon struck…

Castiel forced himself back into his mind's eye. "Please!" he mouthed to Naomi.

She stared at him, impassive. "This was always going to be the outcome, Castiel. You should be glad that it wasn't by your hands. One day you may thank me for that mercy."

But it wasn't a mercy, and it was by his hands.

He glanced back toward the scene unfolding, horrified to see the gorgon jump out at the Winchesters and spit venom directly into Sam's face.

"Sammy!" Dean cried, and raised his brass blade. But the gorgon was fast and she backhanded the blade out of his grip before catching him around the throat.

Castiel tried to move, but he could barely twitch a muscle. He watched Dean go down, fury and desperation ripping through him.

He turned back inside to glower at Naomi who was still standing there. Something dripped down Castiel's face, and at first, he thought it was tears, but the tang of iron filled his nose, and he realized it was blood.

Naomi's face contorted into a snarl. "Castiel…do not defy me."

Castiel shifted his arm, then slowly rose. Naomi raised a hand.

"Don't try anything, you won't get far," she warned.

With a roar of defiance, Castiel forced himself upright, eyes and throat bleeding.

"This is my head," he gritted from between clenched teeth. "Get. Out!"

He slammed his hand into her chest and savored her shocked expression before she disappeared, thrown backward. Almost instantly, he felt as if the strings she had attached to him snapped.

He sagged, gasping, and blinked, once again back in the mine.

He saw the gorgon standing over Sam and Dean's prone bodies, hissing in pleasure. Castiel rushed in, raising his angel blade and slammed it into her back.

The monster hissed and spat, but eventually slumped to the ground, limp and dead.

Castiel dropped his blade and fell to his knees. He summoned his healing ability, terrified that any second Naomi would take control of him again.

He touched the brothers' foreheads, forcing the paralyzing venom from their bodies and they began stirring within a few seconds.

"Cas?" Dean murmured.

Castiel sat back on his heels, relief flooding through him. But there was something he had to do.

"I'm sorry," he said, and stood. "I need to leave."

He had to get as far away from them as possible before Naomi took control of him again.

"Wait, what?" Sam asked groggily as he sat up.

"I can't explain, but I have to go," Castiel said, standing.

Dean caught his arm. "Cas wait…what the hell happened to you?"

Castiel suddenly remembered the blood that was dripping down his cheeks, more on his lips. He reached up and wiped it away on a sleeve. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, are you hurt?" Dean demanded as Sam also frowned with concern.

Castiel pulled out of Dean's grip, growing desperate, feeling the second tick away. "You don't understand, I have to go!"

"Cas, come on, whatever is wrong, you can tell us," Sam coaxed. "And you shouldn't run off without your blade."

Castiel glanced at the blade on the ground, but couldn't pick it up. Not around them. He would rather leave himself defenseless. Sam and Dean stared at him as the younger Winchester held the blade out to him.

"Cas, come on, we know," Dean said. "we know something's up. But we can't help you unless you explain it."

Castiel looked between them, his blade, the blood staining his coat, the dead gorgon. It had all been too close and there would be more close calls.

But…maybe they could lock him down in the bunker. At least until they could find a way to make sure Naomi wouldn't take control of him again.

He sank to his knees, exhausted, throat tight and still sore. Something akin to a sob broke from him. Dean reached out and gripped his shoulder.

"Cas, you can tell us," he said.

Castiel looked up to meet both pairs of eyes. They were his family. He could trust them.

He took a shuddering breath and finally spoke. "There's something I've neglected to tell you, but you need to know…"

I know it ends a little abruptly, but I promise Cas tells the truth and Sam and Dean make sure he's taken care of ^_^