"What did you do?" Mary asks; her stomach threatening to revolt. She tries to steady her vision, and focus on the disheveled demon in front of her; but his shape is still blurry.
"I swear guys... I don't remember." He blinks hard, and rubs his hands together, "It's never been like this before. I mean, when I'm full on demon I get my jollies from hurting people, but this-"
"So wait- you remember your demon episodes?" Mary frowns.
"Every freakin' second of them." Dean groans. "Believe me- I've tried to forget."
"But you don't remember this..." Sam scrunches his eyebrows thoughtfully.
Mary pulls Sam's phone from her bag, and tosses it to him. "We may actually need to do some research."
Sam wastes no time pulling up his shared drive, "I imaged every singe book, diary, and article from the Men of Letters bunker before we left it. It's all backed up to my online storage, and labeled. If we have anything- anything at all- about this, it won't take me long to find it."
"Good." Mary nods, pulling out her tablet, and tapping away at the screen feverishly. "Uncle Dean, you should really shower."
Dean stands stiffly, and makes his way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
The room falls silent; save the rhythmic clacking of keys, and the steady downpour of the running shower.
"Shit!" Mary breaks the stillness, nearly dropping her tablet in the floor.
Sam glances up from his study, his brow furrowed, "Where did you even pick up that kind of language, young lady?"
"Gee I wonder?" She scowls sarcastically, and then grows serious. "So get this-"
"Hehheh." Dean lets out a stifled chuckle as he exits the bathroom, looking much less like a murderous demon.
"What's funny?" Mary leans forward, momentarily distracted.
"You said 'So get this'." Dean tries to explain.
"And?"
"Never mind that." Sam redirects her attention, "So get what?"
"Oh, right... Okay, so I think I know what got to Uncle Dean." She holds her tablet up, revealing a web page chocked full of symbols, monsters (listed alphabetically), and demons.
There is even a section on Angels.
As Sam breezes it over, he realizes that of the info is spot on; right down to the weapon that will kill whatever monster you click on.
"Mary... what is this?" Sam's hand hovers over the top right corner of the screen, motioning to the hunters mark displayed there.
"My web page." She exhales the words all at once, like she's ripping off a bandaid. "I operate it under the guise of blogging about the old Supernatural books by Carver Edlund; but any real hunter can recognize the mark and they know that the info I post is legit. So fans of the books come to geek out, but there is also this underground social network operating exclusively for hunters. We go on there to share tips, suggest cases, update any new info... While the muggles just see a fangirl blog about an old book series."
"Wow..." Sam blinks, astonished. "Mary, why did you never tell me about this?"
"I was pretty sure you wouldn't approve..." She fiddles with the hem of her shirt guiltily, "I know you want me far away from the hunting world, but... How could I stay away? Knowing the truth... I couldn't just watch from the sidelines..."
"You're right I wouldn't have liked it. I mean part of me always knew you would hunt some day... I was just prolonging the inevitable I guess." He takes her tablet, and clicks the tiny symbol, which redirects him to the hunter's site. As he explores it, he looks more and more impressed, "Mary, this site is... It's ingenious. I mean, the info you can find just by crowdsourcing a problem... This is a great idea."
"Thanks dad." She grins, her face flushing at the praise.
"That's all well and good," Dean interjects sardonically. "But I'd really like to know why I killed that boy."
"Right, sorry!" Mary clicks on a minimized chat window, and scrolls down, "Max thinks it's a Kupua."
"A whatwho-a?" Dean squints.
"Kupua, dumbass." She scowls, "It's sort of Hawaii's version of a trickster... They're demigods, with the power to inhabit or transform into anyone. They have a default human form, and a default animal form. Each one's animal form differs. They specialize in violent, dirty tricks...especially using your own words against you."
"I hate tricksters." Both men exclaim in unison.
"Except you guys never really fought a trickster... You fought Gabriel- who was an Angel." Mary points out.
"True." Sam nods, and then does a double take. "Wait, how do you know that story?"
"What?" She explains sheepishly. "I couldn't run a Supernatural fan page without reading the books..."
"Dammit." Dean scowls. "Screw Chuck."
"Yeah... The books weren't great..." Mary smirks at Dean, "And they made me picture you as this 'Fabio-esqué' dude for the longest time."
"I will strangle you." He warns playfully.
"Okay, okay," Sam interrupts, "Why does your friend think it's this Kupua?"
"A couple reasons. One: They're often associated with amnesiac episodes. No one really remembers what happened while they were possessed. The second reason is what I said before: They enjoy using people's words to ruin their lives.
Uncle Dean, you said you were going to 'rip that boys arms off', remember? I think the Kupua heard it, and targeted you."
"Is there some way to know for sure?" Dean squints, "What if this is just another side-effect of The Mark?"
"There is one way. The Kupua leaves a mark on the victims." Mary explains, taking back her tablet, and pointing to a thumbnail sized picture. Burnt into a man's flesh is a tribal symbol that resembles the head of a boar. "It's the symbol of their animal form. It could be any animal, and it could be anywhere on the boys body. I don't know how you could get access to him..."
"Leave that to me." Sam stands, and makes his way to the door. "You two wait here, I'll be back in no time.
"I'm going with you." Dean stands. "I'm going to need more blood soon, especially if we have to face this... thingy-"
"I'll wait here." Mary nods. "I need to figure out how to kill it."
After the men leave, Mary takes her tablet, typing:
2ndGenteamfreewill: How can we take it out?
mAxxthevampslayer472: They're demigods, so the normal trickster stake won't work. All the lore points to beating them at their own game: tricking them or trapping them. Which is pretty nearly impossible from what I can tell. The sources are pretty scarce.
2ndGenteamfreewill: Think an Angel blade would kill it?
mAxxthevampslayer472: Honestly... I have no clue.
2ndGenteamfreewill: Okay well I'll try some different shit and let you know what worked.
mAxxthevampslayer472: Okay. Message me if you need anything.
2ndGenteamfreewill: Gotcha. Thanks Max.
Mary sighs, and looks at the empty hotel room. "How the fuck do you trap a demigod..."
...
"You feeling okay?" Sam asks for maybe the thousandth time.
"I'm fine, Sammy." Dean grumbles, as they step off the sidewalk of the police station, and move toward their rental car. "Give it a rest, will ya?"
"Sorry." Sam slumps in his seat to prevent the roof from denting his head. "Listen Dean, there's something I need to tell you."
"Sam, not now." Dean scowls, glaring out the passenger window. "I'm not in any mood to deal with one of your 'I'm worried about you.' speeches."
"Okay." Sam breathes, sounding nearly relieved not to have to say what he was thinking.
"Listen, I need some rest. Do you think you could handle picking up some blood for me?" Dean asks.
"Yeah man, whatever you need." He replies, slowing down, and dropping Dean in front of the motel. "I'll be back in a few."
Dean watches as he speeds off, then turns to the room, letting himself in.
...
Mary looks up from her tablet, and squints confusedly. "Hey Uncle Dean, where's dad?"
"Ran to pick me up some blood." Dean explains. "I thought I'd be more use here, helping you with the research. We found an eel shaped mark burnt into the boys back, it's definitely a Kupua."
"Good, now we just have to figure out how to off it." She points to Sam's laptop suggestively. "You run through the MoL archives, I'll keep at it online."
He picks up the laptop, and parks on the edge of the bed, tapping away.
Mary, however, does not look down at her tablet.
"I did learn one thing about Kupua's while you were gone," She stands, and draws a blade from her boot, "Kupua's don't just move on from one target to the next. They stick around, sapping out every bit of perverse joy they can from ruining the victims life, before killing them."
"What are you doing Mary?" Dean stands, holding his hands up non-threateningly.
"You aren't fooling me," Mary holds the knife aloft, stepping back, "Just how long have you been back?"
After a long pause, Dean looks down; a wicked smile curling up his face. "You're very clever, aren't you?"
"I'd like to think so." Mary answers, her voice flat.
"In truth- I never left him." The demigod smirks, flashing Deans white teeth. "I just let him have control for a little while."
Mary's stomach churns, but she does her best to play off her fear with bravado. "So, you really think I'm smart, huh?"
"Smart enough to figure who I am, but not smart enough to kill me." He sighs dramatically. "How terribly unfortunate for you."
"I disagree." Mary continues, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. "I think I am smart enough to find a way to end you."
"Hmm..." The Kupua taps his chin thoughtfully, "Too bad you'll never live long enough to find out."
He lurches forward, clawing at her neck violently.
Mary twists her body, around and under, so that her back is to the Kupua; thrusting her blade with force into its ribs.
With all her might she shifts her body forward, just like Sam taught her, and throws him over her back, slamming him into the wall.
"So your thing is, what, you make people act out their offhanded threats?" Mary pants, "Uncle Dean says 'I'll rip that boys arms off' and you take over, use his body to kill that boy?"
"Not bad." He regains footage quickly, and circles Mary- more carefully this time.
"And he jokes that he's going to strangle me, so you're going to act that out too?" She continues, trying to stall.
"You really are clever." He moves in again, wrapping his arm around her waist, and flinging her against the bathroom door.
"You aren't." She frowns, rolling toward the side of her bed, and snatching up her black canvas bag. "You realize you're inhabiting a demon, right?"
"Weakened by human blood." He scoffs. "I'm not worried."
"You should be." Mary pulls out a silver vial, flinging holy water into the monsters face.
Steam hisses from Dean's skin, and the Kupua writhes in pain, "You little bitch I'll kill you!"
Mary backs away, sliding her hand over the smooth wooden door of the bathroom, until she feels the cold handle. "You aren't much of a trickster." She eggs him on between labored breaths. "You have no style. Your tricks aren't even funny, and you're scrambling to catch a teenage girl."
Before he can react, she lets herself into the bathroom, and slams it shut; locking it fast behind her.
"You think that will stop me?" *wham* The Kupua slams into the door, shaking the hinges violently.
Mary pulls a lip liner pen from her makeup bag on the counter, and begins to draw on the smooth tile floor frantically.
"I'm a" *WHAM* "god!"
"Demigod." Mary corrects, backing away from the door, and to the left, until she hits the bathtub.
"Same," *WHAM* "Thing." The Kupua finally splinters the door, and stalks toward Mary.
"Not really the same," Mary relaxes, and steps forward. "I mean- no god could be so ignorant."
"Wh-" He attempts to step forward, but his progress is halted by an invisible tether.
"Like I said, you're inhabiting a demon; in the middle of a family that is laughably well equipped to handle demons." Mary shakes her head. "Not clever at all."
The Kupua's eyes bug out, as he realizes his predicament, "Release me," he bargains, "Release me, and I'll be on my way. I won't bother you anymore!"
"You're trying to bargain." Mary steps around him, never letting her eyes leave his face, "That's hilarious. Hell, maybe you're a better trickster than I thought. You've got nothing, you're trapped in a demon body, and the human blood is wearing off. You're finished. I tricked you."
The Kupua's eyes roll back in Dean's head, as an unearthly wail rips from his lips. His body shakes, and Mary begins to fear that the Kupua will take Dean out with him.
Purple smoke begins to leak from his eyes and ears, and a cloying smell fills the room.
Finally, Dean collapses in a lifeless heap, and all is still.
Mary approaches him cautiously. "Uncle Dean."
"Mphblrgggg." He groans, and rolls over, "What the-"
Before he can form a full sentence Mary scrambles closer, and wraps her arms around his neck, "You're back!"
"What happened?" He sits up, rubbing his neck sorely. "I was at the mortuary with Sam..."
"The Kupua was still inhabiting you." Mary explains breathlessly.
"You're bleeding!" Dean reaches for Mary, but she stumbles backward out of the trap, her hand groping her side; where her own knife is buried to the hilt.
"Th-The Kupua must have got me back during the fight." She mumbles vaguely, "I hadn't noticed."
The adrenaline works its way out of her system, and she collapses; her hand out to Dean, but not quite making far enough it to release him from his lipstick prison.
"MARY?!" Dean slams against the invisible barrier as hard as he can to no avail. "Mary you have to wake up and let me out so I can help you!"
The motel shakes violently, as Dean focuses his energy, assaulting his cage over and over.
"Mary, Dean?!" Sam bursts through the door, his blade drawn. He storms into the bathroom, and finds Dean on his knees; his shoulders shaking violently.
"I couldn't-" Dean breathes, motioning to the still body before him.
Sam's vision pricks at the edges, as his mind registers the scene.
"Mary?" He drops to the floor, drawing her into his arms. "Mary please, please don't do this!"
He presses his head to her chest, and registers nothing. His head reels, as tears spill over onto his cheeks, "Please, come back to me!"
Dean rocks forward, dragging his hands through his hair roughly, "Sammy."
Sam stiffens, turning over his shoulder to Dean, "What. Happened?!" He growls, turning his back to Mary, and standing to his full height.
"I tried Sammy." Dean's voice breaks. "It was the Kupua. She killed it but-"
Sam's fists ball at his sides, so that the ridges of his knuckles are bone white. "I can't do this anymore. She's gone- I'm done."
"What the-?" Dean stands too, his face pale and drawn.
"I promised myself the first time I looked into her eyes that I would keep her safe, and I failed. I quit."