Dearest Readers,

Thank you all for dealing with my horrible updating skills. I swear I'm working on my stories and trying to be better, I just had a major writer's block and that helps no one in any circumstance.

Let me know if there's any other work of mine that you want to see updated soon, and I will make sure I focus on what you all want to see! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

XOXO Ally Layne.

Holy Water

Chapter 7: Leaving Sin City

By the time the Winchesters made their way out of the basement, Bobby and Persie were administering general first aid to the two victims the demons had been inhabiting.

"Is someone going to tell me what the hell happened down there?" Dean demanded, looking pointedly between Bobby and the two demigods. "How did you- where did you-"

The woman, Casey, woke up to the hunter's exclamations and started to cry.

Persie reached down and pulled the young woman in for a hug, glaring at Dean menacingly. "Will you shut up?"

The Father was looking between the five people who he had never actually seen before except through what could have been a dream. Casey, the local girl who he had known all her life was in the arms of another woman and sobbing in agony.

Needless to say, he was confused.

But he wasn't the only one.

"We can't tell you too much here in front of the mortals," Nico told the Winchesters, gesturing to the two previously inhabited by demons. "And I think Persie said something about owing me a Happy Meal so I am definitely holding her to that."

Bobby glared at the kid. "Maybe you could avoid talking about demons at all in front of the girl, boy. She's pretty shaken up."

All the eyes turned to look at Casey who was still huddled into Persie's side.

"You're not the only one to ever go through something like that," Sam told her, kneeling down in an effort to seem less intimidating.

From her flinch, he could tell that he failed.

"Did I… did I really do all of that?" The Father's voice rasped, looking to the oldest one there for answers.

Bobby nodded solemnly. "Something unhuman took you over and made your body do things, yeah. But you? You were trapped and couldn't do a damn thing."

Persie patted Casey's hand, nodding in agreement with her uncle. "It's the same thing for you, too. You couldn't have done anything about it. You're free now, and you're safe. You're going to be fine."

Her eyes met the ones of the oldest Winchester over Casey's head as she burrowed her face into her shoulder. They both knew that they were never going to be okay again.

They were just going to have to figure out how to live with it.

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Later on, they had found Richie's body in Casey's parent's basement and Dean saw to it that the man had a proper burial and contacted the next of his kin to inform them of his passing.

Persie sat on the foot of the bed next to Nico as Dean made the phonecall to Richie's actual sister, who she later learned to be named Rachel. Sam was standing at his brother's side, hand on his shoulder in support.

No one said anything when Dean shrugged his brother's hand off and walked over to the doorway of their room, eyeing the door across the hall.

Oh, if things could have ended differently.

Perhaps some respect for Dean grew in Persie's heart, but after being forced to deal with some of the man's worst qualities she might have pushed that to the side.

For now, anyway.

Nico offered to speak with Richie's ghost to make sure that he had passed properly, but Sam and Dean seemed to be pretty freaked out at the offer so he let it drop.

Persie knew that he secretly checked in on the Winchester's friend in his free time, but she decided to keep that between Nico and the dead.

Bobby had gone home after discussing the next steps for the town with the Father, who was adamant about fixing the town from their sins and working on building a new era of peace. She watched as her uncle handed the Father a paper with his phone number on it in case he needed any more of their services.

When the Father immediately saw to getting a tattoo that happened to be an anti-possession symbol, Persie cracked a grin. She smiled again when she checked in on Casey and saw the same tattoo on her wrist.

Sometimes, it does help to make sure they are able to move on.

Well, move on as best as someone can after going through what they did.

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The next evening, the Winchesters sat across from Persie and Nico at the local McDonald's as the two demigods were chowing on their own respective Happy Meals.

Of course, the brothers didn't refuse the offer of food and had their own burgers and fries that they dug into while throwing questions at them in the meantime.

"So he's the cousin that you referred to as being the Ghost King?" Sam asked, eying Nico curiously as he would a specimen. "The one who can raise the dead?"

Nico raised a brow, looking at his cousin with a smirk. "You said that about me?"

"I don't think they came up with that on their own, obviously I did, Ghost Boy," she said dryly, sticking another fry into her mouth. "Plus it's kinda fun to scare some Hunters with our powers."

Nico's smirk widened as he turned to look at the Winchesters who had gone eerily still. "Scared?"

Sam coughed, before elbowing Dean who was looking nearly feral at the insult. "Curious would be the better term."

The son of Hades nodded slowly. "What are you curious about?"

"Well," Sam looked back at Dean who had reverted back to pouting and shoving his Big Mac in his mouth. "What's the difference between the Underworld and Hell? Is there a difference?"

Nico looked at Persie and she could see the curiosity twinkling in his dark eyes. "Would you explain, Persie?"

She shrugged. "I already tried."

He rolled his eyes before turning back to the brothers. "The Underworld and Hell are both two places that mortals cannot find on their own, and in many cases have nothing to do with each other… the difference is, the Underworld contains all the dead, not just those who've been damned."

Persie nodded. "There are parts of the Underworld that could be considered to be liked Heaven, for instance."

Dean raised a hand. "So, uh, how would both Heaven and Hell be inside the Underworld? What about the demons and the big bad guy downstairs?"

Nico let out a sigh. "What people believe is what they see, and what people expect is what they get. People who believe in Heaven go to Heaven, people who are damned go to Hell. They are just subdvisions of what my father is in charge of overseeing."

"So you've been to Hell?" Dean asked, eying Nico intently. "Is it as bad as they say?"

The Son of Hades pursed his lips as his eyes flickered over to Persie then back to Dean. "I suppose you could say I've been to Hell, and even had to help in making sure the torture was truly necessary. And I guess I've also seen the Greek version of Christianity's Purgatory."

Sam and Dean both winced at Nico's description of torture in the Underworld. "And do all souls have to face… torture?" Sam asked, his eyes moving to his brother instead of Nico.

Persie frowned and suddenly didn't feel hungry when she remembered that Dean was on warranted time, and was going to be sent to Hell within a few months. It didn't seem fair.

Not for someone who has been fighting for the right side for so long, after all. He deserved the Elysium, not eternal punishment.

"Only those who are subjected to the Fields of Punishment are tortured for all time," Nico explained. "There are various subdivisions of the Underworld, and the souls that are most wicked are either sent to Tartarus or the Fields of Punishment."

"What is Tartarus?" Dean asked, sounding slightly choked.

Nico paled, and I felt the blood start to drain from my face. I knew that he remembered his time in the pit just as well as I did, and he was forced to withstand the trauma alone. At least I had Annabeth with me for a time.

Nico cleared his throat before speaking, "It's a version of Purgatory, a type of Hell where all the worst of the worst monsters and gods are sent to live in eternal pain and darkness."

Sam looked between the two Demigods. "Have either of you been to Tartarus?"

They both nodded.

Persie wrung her hands together and avoided the eyes staring at her, waiting for words to start pouring out of her mouth, but she couldn't figure out what to say and how to say it.

How does one describe the very place that has haunted their nightmares ever since the first moment they fell into the chasm?

How does someone describe the torture that took place at the hands of the creatures that were too foul to be given the normal Hellish treatment?

"I was stuck in there for weeks," Nico said, looking between the brothers with wide, earnest eyes.

The change within the demigods didn't go unnoticed by either of the Winchesters, who were now eyeing Persie with sad, knowing looks. Whatever she went through was bad, and Sam was starting to regret ever asking that question.

"I was in there for months, nearly a year, we think," Persie said, looking up at the Brothers with red eyes and grit teeth. "My friend was with me for most of it."

Her eyes looked into Dean's. "I am so sorry that you are on the road to torture, but trust me- you are going to be grateful that is where you're going, and not the pit."

He gulped.

"I wish there was a way I could help you, but I've tried to get you out of the deal and something keeps getting in the way," Nico said, eager to take the topic off of his and Persie's shoulders. "I promise to keep trying, but because there is a drastic difference between Christianity and the Greek Underworld…"

"I appreciate that you have been trying," Dean said, his voice coming out in a lower rasp.

"So do I," Sam chimed in, placing a supportive hand on his brother's shoulder.

Persie was still closed in on herself, avoiding any look being thrown her way.

Nico looked at his pocket watch, a recent gift from Will who has always been complaining about his constant tardiness. "I have to be somewhere, it was nice meeting the two of you," he commented, before looking to Persie and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you later, Seaweed Brain."

She cracked a small smile. "See ya, Death Boy."

He rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

"Uh… is that normal?" Dean asked, eyes wide as he was still staring at the shadows where the other man had just fled into.

Sam's mouth was wide open, and he was slightly used to it after seeing it before. But for some reason, he doubted he would ever get used to that.

"It's something called Shadow Travel," Persie said, raising a brow at the two shell-shocked men. "It's something only beings from the Underworld can do."

She didn't dare say that she had the ability to Shadow Travel with Mrs. O'Leary, her massive tank-sized hellhound that she's sure the brothers would try to kill on sight.

She also didn't say anything about their obvious awe at the way her world works. She remembered when she was still learning about everything and was sure that her responses were far more dramatic than theirs.

Persie just hoped that Thalia or Annabeth would never befriend these brothers, or she would have a lot of teasing to put up with.

"Well, uh," Dean let out a cough before crumpling up his napkin and tossing it into the garbage. His eyes flickered between his brother and the demigod. "Should we hit the road?"

She grinned. "Let's get outta this place."

Sam laughed. "Another job out of the way."

Dean nodded, tossing his keys in the air to himself. "Still not any closer to finding who holds my deal."

"But we did save lives, and sometimes that's all the win we need," Persie claimed, hopping up out of her seat and throwing her trash away. "I call shotgun."

Dean started to laugh as Sam sputtered in response. "But, you're like 5 foot something and look at my legs-"

"Yes, we know you're a sasquatch, Sasquatch," Persie called over her shoulder as she hurried toward the door. "Sucks to suck, don't it?"

Sam sighed as Dean's eyes followed the girl out as she made her way to his Baby.

His brother met his eye and winked. "You heard her."

Dean hurried out and followed Persie somewhat like a teenager with a crush.

Sam hoped that would be enough to help keep his brother from letting himself fall into eternal damnation. Maybe this demigod was going to be his brother's saving grace… and if that was true, he had no problem with it. He liked Persie. She was good for his brother.

Sam walked out of the Fast Food stop, and for the first time in a long time, he had hope that something good was going to happen.