Hi, guys! It's time for a new chapter.
This one is a bit larger than the other chapters because I kind of created the whole mythology behind this case they're on and it just didn't feel right to separate this into two. Hope you'll like it :)
Every child knows about magic curses and that they can be broken, more than often by true love, and than there's the happy ever after. Take Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" or "Beauty and the Beast" for example... But not in our line of work. Nope, nothing like that when you're a hunter. Usually, the curses are really nasty and they end up with a dead body. Yeah, pretty much even worse than the original Brothers Grimm stories.
"Goddammit!" Dean swears as he looks in absolute despair the black mark on his palm, "Why is it always me?"
"Calm down." I gently say, looking through an old book, not paying him much attention.
"Calm down!?" Dean exclaims, "Really? 'Cause last time I checked, I was marked to be the next one dying!"
"Dean." I look at him now, trying to be as patient as possible "Stop freaking out. It's not helping you. And it's the curse effect, and you know it. You won't die. And if you relax, you'll give Sam and me enough time to figure it out."
"And where the hell is he?" Dean grumbles while pacing irritably around
"He'll be back from the coroner any minute now. And sit. You're playing on my nerves."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm playing on your nerves?" he spits
"Winchester, zip up your mouth and sit down. Now." I order, trying to ignore his attitude, and when he grumpily obliges, I continue, "Take a deep breath. Good. Close your eyes and exhale."
"This is stupid." he grumbles, and I sigh, holding back from snapping at him.
The motel door opens as Sam enters, loosening his tie. I exhale in relief. I'm not sure how long I was going to be able to tolerate Dean.
"So?" I ask putting the book aside
"Just as we suspected, the other three victims have the same black spot on their hands."
"Damn it." I mutter, rubbing my neck "I really can't find anything useful in the pirate lore about this..."
"Well, maybe Davy Jones sent the Kraken after us." Dean shrugs, visibly relaxed.
"We're in the middle of the country, Dean," I say exasperated "We're too far from any sea or ocean. And this is no "Pirates of the Caribbean"."
"Yeah, 'cause you'd know, right?" he snaps, anger evident in his voice.
"Look, Dean" Sam interferes "For all we know, the first-ever mention of the black spot is in Stevenson's "Treasure Island". It is believed he created it for his book. We need to do more research"
"And what did the coroner said?"
"Well..." Sam hesitates for a second but then says, "They just got so angry, their hearts failed... That's what the witnesses are saying. It was a severe heart attack."
"Oh, just great" Dean grumbles, "I'm gonna die like some stupid idiot with high cholesterol..." he's getting angrier and angrier with every word "I'm just gonna kick the bucket and..."
That's it! I spring out of my chair, and before he could finish his stupid sentence I crash my lips into his. It's either that or punch him in the face. Luckily, he kisses me back. For his own good.
"Now." I pull back, arching a brow "Stay calm" I pat him on the shoulder and sit back.
Dean still has this stunned expression, while Sam tries to hide his amusement. I pretend I don't notice either of them.
"There must be a connection between the victims," I say, pulling the files we got from the police when we came to the town this morning.
"Well, they're all male..." Sam points out
"Gee, thanks Sherlock" Dean growls.
"But they're different height and weight, different hair color" I shake my head ignoring Dean's comment "Different everything."
"There must be something." Sam insists.
"Okay... Ugh, how about personal possessions?" I ask and hand the boys two files to check, while I'm scanning the one in front of me
"Wallet, car keys, some coins, lip balm..." Dean makes a disgusted face "What self-respecting man uses lip balm?"
"This one, obviously." I mutter, "Keep reading. What else?"
"Pocket knife, some bills, sunglasses..."
"And more receipts" Sam sighs
"Well..." I look at the list in front of me "I've got receipts, too. From..." I go through the photos "Uhm... "Randall's"... And it's the one that's only a block away from here."
"Yep" Sam nods
"Here, too. Son of a bitch!" Dean rages
"Deep breaths" Sam puts a hand on his brother's shoulder "What is it?"
"I bought the beer from there."
"Here's the link." I say, biting my lip, "We need more than that, though. It can't be just the store."
"And as far as I can see, they didn't buy the same things." Sam looks closely at the photos of the receipts "We've got the beer, this one bought vegetables, milk, pasta..."
"What if it's not the purchase?" they both look at me, surprised "C'mon, think about it. There are things that everybody touches..."
"Then there would be more victims than just those three" Sam points out.
"Yeah, you're right" I sigh.
"But so are you" Sam has this shine in his eyes I know so well, he's got something "It's not the products. But what else can be there? I mean... There are gaps between the deaths, but it's something in the store for sure. Something they all touched."
"There were cameras at the store" Dean shrugs "We can get the record first thing in the morning."
"We don't have to wait" I smile, starting my laptop "It's a big chain store. I bet they have some kind of cloud and I think I might get to it."
"You're spending too much time chatting with Charlie." Sam mutters.
"You've got no idea." I grin, "The things she taught me..."
Sam yawns and stretches his massive body. The last couple of hours we spent watching the security tapes from the store. There are hours and hours of footage. And I think my head's about to explode.
"Have a break, big guy" I groggily rub my sore eyes, my spine pops as I arc my back trying to ease the tension in my muscles.
"Ouch." Sam frowns at me. "Are you okay?"
"If you're done with the useless chatting," Dean interrupts us, rubbing his neck, "I think I found something."
"Well done, Grumpy." I wink at him as I move my chair so I can see his laptop.
"Check this out" Dean plays the record "So here's victim number one... Paying on register 3. Then here he is on another register, five I think, paying again, like two days later..." Dean moves forward "Then, like a few hours later comes victim number two, on register five..."
"Okay, but we already know that all the victims were regularly shopping there." Sam hovers over his brother's shoulder, looking at the screen.
"Know-it-all can't have someone else figure it out, huh?" Dean growls
"It's not that" I sigh, gently rubbing his hand. "We just don't follow you... Explain it."
"Okay, look our vics.. The first one goes on register 5, then the second goes there, too. The next day the second one goes on register two, and just an hour later the third one is on the same register."
"But they all bought different things..." Sam shakes his head "What's the link?"
"It's not the cashiers. The girls are different every time" I point out,
"Well, the curse is towards men, so the cashiers are irrelevant" Sam shakes his head.
"It's not the registers, either" I rub the bridge of my nose "It's different registers and..." I dry up in the middle of my sentence.
"Braeden? What is it?"
"It's not the cashiers, 'cause they're women." I quickly say, my mind rushing ahead of my tongue "It's not the registers or the products. But what's the same every single time? What's the shopping routine? Even with Dean in the picture?"
"I don't..." Sam starts, and I cut him off.
"You go, take what you need and head for the register" I excitedly say, "Then you pay! You pay!"
"The money." Sam exclaims.
"The coins." I correct him. "The change. The first one pays with some coins, then the cashier gives the second one the same coins the first paid with. That's how the curse gets to all three of the men. And to you, Dean."
He stands up, pulling the coins out from his pocket. Both Sam and I look at his handful.
"Nobody really pays attention to the change," the younger Winchester says, "I mean, not really close. We just check it really quick, not looking at what the coins say, but noticing only its size. It's much like reading. You know, the human brain doesn't read the whole..."
"OK, Wikipedia." I take all the coins and put them on the table. "Shut it, and let's see what we've got here."
"Here." Sam reaches to take the coin, but I slap him, "Hey!"
"I'm the only one immune to it." I sharply say and pick up the coin.
It's just the same size as a 50 cent coin. And you really have to look closely to notice it's something else. I examine it, carefully.
"There's some image on it" I furrow my brows as the boys hover over my shoulders "And writings..." I rub the coin, trying to clean it so the letters are more visible
"It's not English," Sam says, squeezing his eyes
"It might be Greek. Like ancient Greek."
"So what it says?" Dean anxiously asks
"Uhm... I think it's a name" I bite my lip "Bray... no, Bry... ugh, it's barely visible. It's Brizo. I think"
"You think?" Dean's voice has an irritable edge in it
"Well, we've got a name," I say as calm as possible "And it's somehow connected to Greece. We all know what this means" I wrinkle my face
"Yeah, yeah..." Dean mutters in discontent, "Research night, I know..."
Sam and I laugh at his miserable look.
There's an annoying ringing. I barely manage to open my eyes, only to realize I'm face down on the table. The wretched noise continues to irritate my ears. Half-awake, I rise, looking around for the source of...
"Goddammit!" Dean appears on the bathroom door with his toothbrush in hand. "Pick up your fucking phone!" he yells at me.
I cringe, fighting the urge to cower before him while the memories of what Naomi did to me take over my mind. Dean's expression immediately changes, from anger to concern. He shortens the distance between us in two long strides and kneels in front of me, cupping my face.
"I'm sorry." he gently whispers, his palms soothingly rubbing my shoulders. "I'm so sorry. You know I'd never hurt you."
"I know." I nod, trying to sound casual, still my bottom lip trembles "It wasn't you. It's the curse. I know that"
Dean kisses my forehead when a loud thud on the front door makes us both to reach for our guns.
"Guys, open the damn door" Sam's voice comes through "My hands are full."
Dean and I share a quick look, then we burst into laughter, realizing the phone is silent, and it's been Sam calling me.
"Oh, come on! Open. The. Door." every word is accompanied with a kick.
"Coming, coming" I laugh as I let Sam in, he rolls his eyes at me and puts the bags on the table "What's that?"
"Breakfast. And coffee."
"Hallelujah!" I exclaim
"Oh, man..." Dean rolls his eyes "Sleep deprivation makes you quirky."
"And religious, obviously." Sam grins.
"Oh, shut up" I cut them off and take the products out of the bag "Oh, you're the best, Sam" I squeak as I see a huge, chocolate donut.
"Can we focus on the problem, rather than your food" Dean snaps at me
"Dean..." Sam starts
"No, no." I shake my head. "Your brother's right. Food is irrelevant. I mean, it only keeps my brain functioning." I glare at Dean, not capable of putting up with his bad temper.
I slam the donut on the table and dump myself on the chair.
"Braeden..." there's a plead in Dean's voice.
"Don't Braeden me" I cut him off and take the last book I was reading before I fell asleep on it, not even looking at him. "I think I found something last night."
"Is that..." Sam starts
"Greek? Yeah"
"I didn't know you know Greek..."
"The perks of being Bobby Singer's daughter." I look at the pages; on the left is a beautiful hand-drawn painting of a fair, thin woman with long golden locks, sitting on a pinkish shell; on the right is the text. "My Greek's a bit rusty, so bear with me" I warn the boys and look down to the old book with the coffee-stained pages "Brizo is the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, known as... " I stop trying to remember the meaning of the word "patron of fishermen and the sender of oracular visions in dreams."
"Okay, this is helpful" Dean sarcastically comments
"You can translate it yourself if you want" I bark at him
"Dean, please, be patient" Sam reasons his brother
"Okay, so..." I continue reading, " She was worshipped primarily by the women of Delos. Her priestesses would... honor her and ask the protection of the men early each morning by setting..." I roll my eyes, this is not really important "Blah-blah-blah..." my eyes run along the lines looking for something relevant "Brizo was very protective of her ward ones and very hateful towards the pirates that were sailing all across the Mediterranean seas, disturbing the peaceful lives of her worshipers. So she was truly benevolent towards the prayers of all fishermen wives." I sigh and turn the page. "The legend has it that after one of the most fierce storms for the season, Brizo was walking down the seashore on her isle when she came across a castaway. She took pity of him, assuming he was a fisherman, which later he confirmed. The goddess nurtured him back to health, and in a while, she made him her lover. In a couple of years, he asked her to let him go back to his sister, the only family he had. Brizo, being really affectionate to him, agreed and gave him a precious ..." I look up, thinking. "Agh, what's the word!? Oh, yeah, gift - a coin with her image mint on it, to protect him and show him the way back to her. So he departed."
"So that's probably the coin Dean got as a change," Sam says thoughtfully
"I think so" I shrug "But there's more. Listen. As time passed, Brizo grew concerned for the well-being of her lover. So she sent her loyal sirens to look for him."
"Wait, sirens?" Dean asks in confusion "Like siren sirens?"
"Do you really think that's the most important right now?" Sam raises his brows.
" Shut it. Both of you. They returned with wretchedly bad news for the goddess. The man she saved was no other but Zarif Kilito of Salé. A well-known pirate, notorious for his battle rage, savagery, and vindictiveness towards those who crossed him. The fury of the goddess was beyond measure. The seas were heavy and wild for weeks, there were floods and... Uhm, I think the word here is destroyable... Yeah, that's what it says. ..destroyable winds. After the ninth week, Brizo calmed down enough to plot her revenge. She cursed the coin she gifted Zarif to blacken him and bring him only more of his sins and grant him painful and slow death for his lies and crimes."
"Blacken? You sure this is the word?"
"Yeah. It might refer to the black mark that appears on the palm."
"Okay. What was the pirate's name again?" Sam asks
"Uhm... Zarif Kilito of Salé" I check it in the book to be sure "Why?" but Sam's already on his laptop, vigorously searching for something
"Salé?" Dean repeats, curiosity in his voice. "It's been a 17th-century haven for pirates and corsairs. They even formed a Republic of Salé. The pirates were called Salé Rovers and..." He notices Sam and mine shocked looks, "What? I read, too."
"Is that somehow "Pirates of the Caribbean" related?" I ask, but wave my hand "No, forget it..."
"Get this." Sam says, looking closely at his screen. "I knew this Zarif Kilto..."
"Kilito." I correct him automatically which earns me a bitch glare from him
"Whatever, I knew I read about it. It was an old article about piracy in the Mediterranean seas..."
"Sam" I warn him to hurry up, showing clearly my patience has reached its limits.
"Here is said that he was one of the best pirate captains of his time, known all over the Mediterranean for his battle rage and savagery towards the captured crews. His ship's name was The Golden Fleece, and it was believed to strike a bad patch if mentioned out loud. Zarif roamed the seas, and cruised the shipping routes between Atlantic colonial ports and Europe, seizing American and European ships and selling their crews into slavery..."
"Golden Fleece, slavery business..." I mutter, "No wonder Brizo wanted to send him to Davy Jones' Locker..."
"I found more." Sam doesn't pay attention to my remark, "Captain Zarif Kilito, one of the most outrageous pirates of his time, is said to have died in the middle of a battle from pure and wild wrath..."
"Well, none of this is helping me to get rid of the damn spot!" Dean rages, anger pouring from him, his stance all threat. "And every minute you're here reading legends and myths, I get closer to my death!"
"We're trying to help you, you idjit!" I bark back at him, "So get yourself together!"
"It's easy for you to say since you're not the one who's cursed!"
"Hey, whoa... Easy, both of you." Sam gives me a hard glare and I raise my hands in surrender.
"Fine." I growl, taking the old book with Brizo's legend "I'll see what else I can find here" and with the book under my arm, I grab the chocolate donut and leave the room.
It's too much. I can't handle Dean's behavior anymore. I know it's not his fault, but it's pushing my buttons. And I know exactly why. He's way too close to the Dean of Naomi's mind games. And it scares the shit out of me. Because he's unpredictable. And it makes me think, what if that angel bitch was right? What if she just showed me the truth?
I shake off those ridiculous thoughts and find myself a quiet place to read - a picnic table not too far from the motel we're currently staying at. Opening the book, I reread the legend again, trying to ignore all the coffee blotches and blurs. I suppose Bobby stole this one from somewhere because he's never been that inattentive to his lore books. A smudge catches my attention. It's just on the corner of the page with the legend and it seems there's something written under the dark brown stain. I squeeze my eyes and glue my face to the page, trying to read it. It's not Bobby's handwriting but I manage to read some of the letters that connecting should write "destroyed by fire" and then there's a question mark. Well, that's helpful... I shake my head, wondering what's been destroyed by a fire. And what kind of fire? Like a ritual fire or the kind of fire that needs a fire department unit? Or it's some kind of metaphor? This won't be such a surprise since we're dealing with an ancient curse and pirates. Damn, Dean's right. This is so "Pirates of the Caribbean".
Half an hour later, tired, sleep, and coffee deprived, I head to the motel room. We have to figure this one quick, Dean's life depends on it. It's all because of the coin. And because of the other victims, it's clear that just getting rid of it is not the answer. It's obvious that as long the coin is intact, the curse is still working. There must be some way to remove it, probably destroying the coin will do. But if there are some rituals to be done while destroying it, we must do them, otherwise, it won't work. I suppose it's something close to the rabbit's foot but there's no way I can be sure. Maybe if we just lock it away in one of those special rune-marked boxes we have in the bunker. Though it's not a permanent solution, it'll stop the coin's effects on Dean. But the problem is I'm not sure he'll survive a two-day road trip without losing his temper... Yeah, curses are nasty. Especially when it comes to an ancient pirate's curse and furious goddess who wants the male part of the world dead.
A massive headache is on its way to smash my skull. I sigh. That's when I hear the yelling. There's no mistake - it's the Winchesters, I know their voices well. I rush into the room, worried, to find the brothers shouting at each other. Dean's so angry. There is this grim bone-chilling expression on his face, pure rage in his eyes, his mouth crooked in wrath. His hands are clenched in fists, his chest heaving heavily. None of them notice me.
"I must find her! Where the hell is she?" his furious, growling voice makes me take a step back
"She can handle herself, Dean!" Sam tries to reason his brother "You need to calm down or..."
"Don't you dare tell me what to do!"
"I'm here," I say, getting between the two brothers before they start a fight but before I can utter another word, Dean starts yelling at me
"Where the hell were you?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Were you even thinking?!"
Panic rushes through me. I can feel my heart pumping wildly inside my chest, and no matter how hard I try, fear slowly takes over, clouding my mind and throwing at me memories from Naomi. Thankfully, Sam realizes what's happening and tries to calm down his brother.
"Dean, you're freaking her out..." Sam reaches for him, trying to get him as far away from me as possible
But that only makes Dean angrier and more aggressive. He pushes Sam in the chest, sending him staggering back, while his brother tries to catch his hands. Before I know it they struggle, deep growling leaving Dean's lips. Without thinking, I rush to help Sam restrain Dean. But Dean's a strong man and his rage gives him even more strength, violence pouring from his body. I freak out, realizing this could end him. The curse's still working and it just might... I cry helplessly, holding his arms at my best while whispering soothing words at him. Sam has pressed him to the wall with all of his weight, trying to hold him still. But somehow Dean wrenches away from us no matter how hard we try. An unexpected sting across my face sends me on the floor, blurring my vision.
"Dean, no!" I hear Sam's panicked voice as he pushes his brother to the floor, managing to cage him under his gigantic body. "Stop it!..."
My ears are ringing, my head hurts. My palm carefully touches my cheek. I can still feel the stroke there. Dumbfound and in shock, I see how Sam's words slowly reach Dean's mind, and he gradually calms down under the soothing voice of his younger brother. It's always been like that, it's always been Sam who manages to get to Dean. After a couple of seconds, his eyes find mine. I shake my head, refusing to believe what just happened. He hit me. He promised never to hurt me. I trusted him. I crawl back, away from him, not paying attention to the pain in his eyes or his hurt expression. Something in me breaks, something that I didn't even know it was there...
"Braeden" Dean chokes pleadingly while both Sam and he raise on their feet "Braeden, please..." he takes a step towards me and a squeak escapes my lips.
He stops dead in his tracks, fear, and pain in those beautiful green eyes. I quickly get up, grabbing my jacket from the chair. On a limb, I take and the coin, then run out of the room with Dean calling after me
"Braeden!" the pain in his gruff broken voice is evident, "Honey Bee..."
But I keep running until I can't hear him anymore.
So, I had great time creating this curse and the story behind it with the goddess. I'd really like to know what you think. Drop me a review and tell me :)))
