Chapter 3: Calling Astrena

Mystery Mansion. Saturday, October 21, 2006.

Chloe added an extra pinch of wormwood and sniffed the infusion. Her senses already felt sharper. She nodded at Maia. "It's ready."

"I prepared the séance chamber," Maia said. "The crystal ball is on the table."

Chloe carefully poured the hot potion into the same silver bowl Astrena had instructed her to use during the filming of Aidan's film. She'd tested it for enchantments and hadn't discovered any but after their experience with the netsuke, they knew Astrena could make her spells undetectable. As for the crystal ball, Chloe had longed to explore its depths ever since she saw it.

She didn't doubt Crowley's belief that they'd be able to establish a connection. She'd already used an infusion bowl to summon spirits. A personal item was necessary to establish the link. In this case, the crystal ball should be sufficient.

More troubling was how good a con artist could she be? The only acting she'd done was for Aidan's film, and then she only had a few lines. The experience had gone well, but she later realized Astrena had been influencing her at the time. Not exactly a confidence builder.

Neal was convinced she could do it. It was simply a matter of believing in herself. He'd coached them on their lines till they felt they were ready.

Neal carried the bowl from the kitchen into the séance room for them. The room was lit with candles floating in bowls of water scented with amaranth leaves.

Rossetti's portraits were on the walls. Astrena said they represented herself, Maia, and Chloe. The painting for Maia showed a siren strumming a harp. Astrena had selected a dark-haired wood nymph holding a sprig of honeysuckle for Chloe. The goddess reserved the demon seductress Lilith for herself.

Chloe noticed Maia eyeing the paintings nervously too. Chloe rarely entered Astrena's private room. The atmosphere was thick with magic.

"Focusing on the portraits is a good idea," Neal said quietly. "It will help you assume the character you want to portray for Astrena. Think of yourselves as the siren and wood-nymph. Astrena is the head of your coven. She is your guide in witchcraft. You come to her seeking knowledge."

"But what if she demands too much?" Chloe asked.

"Then you invent a reason to turn her down. You could be afraid you can't accomplish what she wants. Remember, the siren and wood nymph aren't simply your muses. You're cloaking yourselves inside them for protection. Their garments are your armor. They allow you to speak with Astrena while you decide how to take advantage of whatever opening she provides. I know you can do this. You've demonstrated your strength time and time again."

Maia licked her lips. "You have more faith in us than we do," she whispered.

"Would you like me to stay?" he offered. "I could say that I couldn't resist gazing upon her enchanting radiance once more." He transformed his face into a look of goopy-eyed bliss, making them both laugh.

Chloe considered the idea. Much as she'd like to think she could do this on her own with Maia, Sam's life was quite possibly hanging in the balance. Maia's hands were already shaking. "I don't like the thought of exposing you to her, but we may need you. If we freeze on what to say, you could rescue us."

"We'll help each other," he agreed. "I wouldn't be so foolish as to say there's no risk. We can't be certain how she'll react or what powers she can command. But this is our best chance of learning where Sam is and possibly the location of the other victims as well."

"We can't blow this opportunity," Maia agreed. "If this works, we may be able to consult with her again. There are so many secrets in the house—her orchids, the enchanted objects. We may never learn the truth about them if we can't communicate with her."

"I'd make the same decision," Neal agreed.

"Dean and Sam wouldn't," Maia said bleakly. "For now, let's keep this just among ourselves"—she shrugged—"and our resident demon."

"Where is he?" Chloe asked.

"I left him downstairs in the library," Neal said. "He assured me he won't interrupt us, and I trust him. Crowley has no wish to become entangled in the family spats of Greek gods. Explaining his presence would be a challenge."

Maia nodded. "Whereas Astrena will probably be delighted that I've continued the Elysian Fridays and that you were featured this weekend."

Neal smiled at her. "Now you're thinking like a con artist. By weaving as much truth as we can into the narrative, the con will be easier to sell." He paused for a moment. "This will be a con for the record books. It needs a name."

"It does?" Maia asked, surprised.

"Absolutely. Any suggestions?"

Chloe mulled over possibilities. She suspected Neal was simply suggesting it to calm their nerves, but it was a good idea, and one that Maia especially needed. "How about Bewitched? We're trying to bewitch a goddess by making her think she's bewitched us."

Neal grinned. "The perfect choice!"

"I'm feeling better already," Chloe declared. "Someday I may even tell Dean about Bewitched. Maia, you sit on my right side. Neal, you'll be on my left." Once they'd taken their positions, she had them clasp hands. She turned to Maia. "Are you ready?"

Maia swallowed and nodded. Chloe felt for her. Would Astrena continue to look like her sister Electra? Maia hadn't been present when the goddess was banished to the stars. Chloe couldn't imagine what thoughts must be going through her head. But one thing she was sure of—Maia would make any sacrifice for Sam, just as she would for Dean.

Chloe closed her eyes and breathed in the potion. The magic in the atmosphere was now so thick, she could taste it.

"Shall I remove the cloth?" Maia asked softly.

Chloe opened her eyes and nodded.

Once Maia pulled away the black velvet fabric covering the crystal ball, its faceted surface began to sparkle, casting spectrum rainbows of color throughout the chamber. As Chloe focused on the ball, it appeared to rotate.

Maia started chanting the incantation, Chloe joining in. Her Greek still wasn't anything to brag about but she hoped her magic would make up for it.

For several long minutes, nothing happened. Chloe began to despair. Their entreaty would be in vain. Their only remaining option would be to drive to Taunton and join Dean in what would likely be a futile search.

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped at least ten degrees. The crystal ball itself grew dark. Then pinpoints of light popped into view one after another until the globe was filled with stars. Chloe tightened her grip on Neal's hand for reassurance that he was still with them as she and Maia continued to chant.

One star grew more brilliant, eclipsing all the others. Chloe felt herself being pulled toward it with blinding speed. She blinked. When she opened her eyes, the star had been replaced by Astrena's face. She was ice-blue and partly translucent. Her hair floated out from her face as if suspended by an unknown force.

Chloe gasped and forced herself to smile. "At last we found you!"

Maia stretched out her hand as if hoping to touch her. "I've dreamed of this day for so long. We'd almost lost hope of reuniting with you!"

She was so believable, it was easier for Chloe to play her part. Neal had coached them well. Chloe was the wood nymph, Maia the siren. Together they'd summoned their goddess.

Chloe bowed her head. "Can you forgive me for not calling to you earlier?"

"Who do you think I am, child?" Astrena's deep voice sent ice through her veins.

Chloe swallowed. "Astrena, Queen of the Stars. Our Goddess."

"We were blinded till Neal opened our eyes to the truth," Maia added. "But deep down, we already knew it. I feel so incredibly honored that you chose my sister to be your vessel." Chloe hoped Astrena would assume the tears in Maia's eyes were of adoration.

"I was ripped from you too soon, my darlings," Astrena said. She had a serene expression on her face, but it was hard to read what she felt. How clearly could she see them?

Her eyes darted from side to side then widened. "Is that you, my beloved?"

"Yes, My Goddess," Neal said, his voice thick with emotion. He bowed his head for a moment.

"My loyal followers. You have not forgotten me."

"Never," they said in one voice.

"Why did you leave us?" Chloe asked. Neal had suggested playing up their innocence as the best strategy. She needed to think they viewed her as a benefactor. Astrena didn't know about the banishment oil they concocted—at least that's what they hoped. The formula had been in Maia's grimoire. Astrena probably wouldn't have been able to read it since it was written in ancient Irish. They'd soon find out.

"I don't know," she said. "The hunters arrived. They were seemingly impervious to my magic. The next thing I knew, I was among the stars once more. My father must have commanded it."

Neal had been right. He'd assumed Astrena would blame an immortal. She'd find it inconceivable that a mortal could outwit her.

Neal's face lit up as he leaned toward the crystal ball. He became suffused in a blue glow. "That explains it! Dean and Sam said they were acting under orders, but we didn't know whose."

Where was Neal going with that response? This wasn't in the script. Neal squeezed her hand gently under the table. She hoped she'd be able to keep up with whatever he'd planned.

"Is your father Erebus?" Maia asked, her voice quavering. Chloe noticed she was bathed in the same blue glow. She probably was as well.

"Yes." Astrena was still for a moment, her face frozen as her eyes looked above her. "Lord of the Darkness. Born of Chaos. He has summoned me home."

"And he selected Dean and Sam to be his emissaries?" Neal asked. His gaze continued to be one of adoration. Chloe did her best to copy it.

Astrena closed her eyes briefly then nodded, her face growing severe. "He's made use of emissaries in the past. He could have again." Her eyes flickered, lightning appearing in her pupils. "My father has aligned himself with hunters . . ." She locked eyes first with Maia then with Chloe. "Are you still intimate with them?"

Chloe swallowed. What was she supposed to say? Neal gave her an almost imperceptible nod. "Yes, My Goddess."

"I am as well, Your Radiance," Maia said.

"Excellent. You should maintain your relationships. Do nothing to aggrieve them. Father must have decided to work with them on behalf of Earth. If he approves of your actions, he will more likely forgive me for having disobeyed him. In time, Erebus will annul the banishment and I will be able to rejoin you."

Her eyes swept over the three of them. "You, my beloved ones, will be my eyes and ears. Maintain the house and its secrets. Nurture my orchids. Do not despair! Soon I will be with you once more."

Neal tapped a staccato beat on Chloe's foot with his shoe. She hastily concealed her feelings of dismay. Maia was crying openly now. Could a vain goddess consider them to be tears of joy?

Chloe resumed her rehearsed lines. "We didn't know if we could contact you, but we humbly beseech your guidance." She nudged Maia.

"Sam is missing," Maia blurted. "We wondered if you knew of any way for us to discover his location."

"We fear he was taken by Thanatos or Dolos," Neal said. "Dolos attacked us a few months ago. He may be working in collusion with Thanatos." He swallowed as his expression turned anguished. "We didn't understand why, but now I wonder . . . Could they be plotting an insurrection against Erebus?"

Astrena drew back, an absent look in her eyes, giving Chloe a moment to assemble her thoughts. Neal's idea was brilliant. Astrena and her brother Thanatos had been bitter enemies for millennia. If she thought Erebus was using Dean and Sam to thwart Thanatos, she might help them.

"Would my brother be so brazen?" Her eyes were pools of blue fire. "It wouldn't be the first time insurrections have been attempted. Hera, Poseidon . . ."

"If you help your father's emissaries, he'll be more likely to express his gratitude by returning you to us," Neal said.

Chloe choked. How did Neal manage to cough up that stuff? He had the feverish look of the true believer.

A smile flickered on Astrena's face. "You're proving yet again your worthiness of becoming my consort." Her image briefly shimmered, faded, then coalesced once more.

Chloe panicked. "I'm losing our connection! I can't maintain it for much longer."

"Astrena, we beseech you," Maia jumped in, the rehearsed lines tumbling out of her mouth. "We don't know how to find Sam. Is there a way we can scry his location?"

"You don't know how?" Astrena's words trailed off. Why did she look puzzled? Was this common knowledge among witches? If so, why wasn't it in any of their grimoires?

"Don't be dismayed, my children. I will teach you. Now listen carefully. You will need two blossoms of pink horned orchid and one blossom of red dragon's tongue . . ."

#

Crowley drummed his fingers impatiently on the table. Why was he lingering in the library? Before the call came through, he'd intended to check on Rana's revitalized bordello—currently under new management until Rana managed to escape Abaddon's clutches in Hell.

True, he would enjoy the Chipmunks' report about their rendezvous with the Queen of the Stars. Had Chloe succeeded in establishing a connection? Had Cheekbones devised a twist to the con? He clearly had something in mind. All in all, Crowley was very pleased with his new mates. They were proving themselves to be more capable than he'd initially thought.

Tatyana was sprawled at his feet. Soon his pants would be coated with white fur. A small price to pay for her affection. With a flick of his wrist, he could clean them.

Crowley leaned down to scratch behind the dog's ears. "You know who loves you best, don't you, sweetheart?"

Tatyana licked his hand. He could live without the slobber but appreciated the gesture. His demons would gladly lick his boots whenever he asked, but receiving Tatyana's love was much more satisfying.

His eyes drifted to the book on Goya that Cheekbones had left on the table.

"Just looking at the paintings gives me the creeps. Astrena gives a bad name to witches."

Quiet! Crowley snarled. Can't you tell I'm thinking?

"You don't have to be such a grouch all the time," Hagen retorted. "I bet if you tried painting, you'd enjoy it and it would soothe your crankiness. Just don't copy Goya. Alcy used him to get her hooks into me. Now you could be vulnerable too."

Advice from a meatsuit? Who'd ever heard of such a notion? He'd be the laughingstock of demons everywhere. Listen up, you little smudge. The number one rule of possession is that the possessor—that's me—is in full control at all times. The possessee—that's you, you bloody prat—never talks back.

"You can't deceive me, bro. I'm the twin you've always wanted."

Bugger off! Crowley waited expectantly for a retort but all he heard was silence. Finally.

He went over to the bookcase and pushed a secret lever. A thin drawer snapped out. He exhaled in relief when he saw the painting inside. Cheekbones hadn't found it yet.

"But you know he will. Look at the way he found the secret drawer in the netsuke cabinet. Itsumi's stash didn't escape him either."

I get the picture, Crowley growled to his meatsuit. Wait, didn't I tell you to clam up?

"I knew you didn't mean it." The smirk was loud in Hagen's voice. "You were already missing me. And between you and me, that painting bothers you as much as it does me."

It didn't use to.

"Yeah, but you used to ignore me too."

You're still an insect.

"But I'm YOUR insect. And don't distract me. Talk to me, bro. If you're not concerned about Goya, why does the painting bother you so much?"

Crowley made a low rumbling noise in his throat. Astrena had shown it to him after he'd pulled off a particularly successful financial transaction. She'd had Goya make it. He painted her, Gemma, Alcy, and Maia seated around a bonfire with the horned god lording over them. Crowley had usurped that role for himself. Astrena had later ordered Goya to paint a second version, depicting the sisters as hags. That painting was now in a museum. How many artists besides Hagen had it ensnared?

Now Alcy was AWOL, Astrena was confined to the stars, and the wall she'd built blocking Maia's memories was holding firm. Only Gemma remembered, and after the near-disaster earlier in the month, she'd probably stay in England.

If Cheekbones discovered the secret drawer, he'd realize the truth about Maia. But only if the painting was still there. Wouldn't it be smarter for Crowley to keep it? And if things ever went south, he could use it for blackmail.

"You can't fool me. You're doing it to protect Maia."

So what if I am? Crowley retorted. She saved Cheekbones's life. Sam's in love with her. They owe her. This means they now owe me as well.

"We think alike," Hagen said smugly. "Someday we may need a backscratch. Secrets are too valuable to be wasted."

For an insect, you have your moments.

#

When Dean finally saw the van's headlights, he breathed a little easier. Although Chloe had been phoning in updates, the hours dragged as he scoured the swamp. The Impala was parked in a pull-off near the spot where Sam had disappeared.

Chloe called him as soon as the potion was made. They piled into Neal's rental van and high-tailed it to the swamp, making the two-hour trip in a little over an hour. Dean had never thought about Neal being much of a driver. Yet another skill he'd kept hidden till it was needed, and there couldn't have been a better time to put it on display.

They still had several hours of darkness before dawn. They'd rest after Sammy was safe. As soon as the van rolled to a stop, Chloe jumped out. She rushed over to Dean and wrapped her arms around him. "Any luck?"

"Not yet," he admitted.

"We brought good luck in abundance," she declared. "We'll get Sam back safe and sound." Meaningless words, but he appreciated the effort.

The women and Neal were all wearing old jeans and jackets. Dean recognized Neal's jacket as one of his. He also had on a pair of Dean's boots, probably with extra layers of socks to keep them on. Dean was glad to see everyone had come prepared to trek in the mud.

"Thanks for staying," he told Neal.

"Leaving wasn't an option. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed some of your clothes. Chloe fixed me up. I hadn't brought hunter gear along."

"They look a helluva lot better on you than me."

Chloe thrust a wrapped burger into his hands. "I bet you haven't eaten."

He shook his head. "No time."

"You have time now," Maia said. "It will take us a few minutes to set up."

Chloe plied Dean with burgers and fries, and wouldn't be denied. To placate her, he chowed down while leaning against the Impala. Neal and Maia returned to the van and carried out supplies. They started setting up a circle a few yards away.

"Man, I'd never been so grateful as when I heard you'd discovered a way to scry Sam's location," Dean said. "Which grimoire was it in?" Both Maia and Chloe had family grimoires. Dean hoped it wasn't in Astrena's grimoire, but so what if it was? That bitch owed him.

Chloe bit her lip. "Astrena and her orchids provided the key."

"I thought you'd searched her grimoire earlier for a locator spell."

"We didn't recognize it for what it was," she said. "Luckily we had the necessary ingredients. This better work, though. We only had enough blooms for one potion."

Chloe looked so worried about it, she was helping to alleviate his stress. "It will work," he assured her. "You and the Maia are the best. When Sam is freed, I promise not to josh him anymore about gardening. Maybe we should look into expanding the grow room."

"Do you have a map of the region?" Neal asked.

"Yeah, we picked up a trail map in town." Dean fished it out of his jacket pocket and unfolded it on the picnic cloth Maia had spread on the ground.

Chloe retrieved a small glass vial from her shoulder bag. "This contains macerated blooms along with strands of Sam's hair," she said. She reached inside her flannel shirt to pull out a silver chain. Dangling from it was a downward-pointing silver arrow.

"I don't remember seeing that," Dean said.

"It's mine," Maia said. "Chloe needs to use something with the potion and we thought it would make a good pointer."

Chloe lit three candles in glass bowls, placing them around the map. Her face had grown expressionless. Dean was used to that. It was like she was putting herself into a trance.

Maia clasped hands with her. "We'll call on Airmid first," she said softly.

The women's druid ancestress was a healer. Dean didn't have a clue why they needed to invoke her. Did they worry about some residual evil effect from Astrena's orchids? Whatever. Neal was convinced Airmid had helped with the rescue on Scotts Bluff. At this point, Dean would gladly welcome any friendly spirits.

Neal gave him an encouraging nod. He understood what Dean was going through. This was hell. And there'd be no escape till Sam was safe.

Chloe unscrewed the top to the vial and dipped the arrow into the potion. The arrow took on a purple sheen. Then Chloe and Maia began to chant, first in the peculiar form of Old Irish that Airmid had taught them and then in Greek. Their eyes were directed toward the sky.

As the women continued to chant, Dean counted the minutes and waited for something to happen. Suddenly the arrow shone like a neon light. It plunged to the map, dragging Chloe down with it.

The women stopped chanting and gasped. Dean stared at the location. The arrow had punched a hole right through it. He shone his flashlight on the spot to make sure he was reading it correctly. Son of a bitch.

Chloe beamed. "It worked!"

"Dean, what is it?" Neal asked worriedly.

"The good news is we got a location. The bad news is where it is. The place is called Thunderbird Hill. It's west of here about a half-mile on the edge of the swamp."

"Thunderbird," Maia repeated. "As in pterodactyl?"

Dean nodded. His gut was telling him Sam was in even more trouble than he'd appreciated. "In the local legends about ancient huge birds resembling pterodactyls, the hill's their home. Here I was worried about Bigfoot. I never thought Sam would be carried off by Big Bird instead."


Notes: The history of Goya's painting is also in an earlier Crossed Lines story, Witches' Sabbath. Hagen is reasserting himself. He'll continue to influence Crowley in unexpected ways. Neal has filed the information away for future use. The day may come when he'll need to call on Hagen.