Elements of doubt
Chapter 8: Gods and Goddesses
Thanks to jp123, Kerri B., supernaturalsammy67,Poppyflake, ukfan101, DeeUnnatural and Heather.
I'm glad you guys are still out there and still enjoying the story. I'm nearly finished honest.
Silvertayl: Here's the next chapter as ordered.
Alena: I hate pointy shoes I can't walk in them, so that revenge was good on so many levels.
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Dean glowered at his adversary where it sat; mocking him with his continued failure and weighed his options. This wasn't going to be easy, but then what in his life ever was and there was no way he was giving up not with his goal so close at hand.
Sliding forward his focus never waiver as he slid his nearly useless hands either side of the slim neck and squeezed, just enough to prevent any potential movement and brought his teeth down, really to make his move.
Who knew opening a simple bottle of water could be this much hassle without full use of your hands? Gripping the lid firmly with his teeth and tried to get it to turn. It wasn't an easy task.
"Dean?"
Dean jumped at the sudden noise and nearly lost his grip on the bottle. Squeezing hard to try and keep hold of the bottle, he only succeeded in sending a stream of freezing water slamming into his face. He nearly swallowed the cap.
A hand snatches the bottle away from him while another slaps him on the back until he flinches away, waving off the hulking giant that's trying to pound him flat.
"Sam. Just stop it. O.K?" he coughed, still trying to fend off his brothers attempts to help.
Thankfully Sam stopped and he was able to collapse back against the wall to catch his breath.
"How long have you been awake?" asked Sam as he looked around their current prison, it wasn't much more than a small empty cellar. The only light there was filtered in under the rooms' single heavy door.
"Not long. Think I'm getting used to that stuff." Dean didn't sound good.
Tugging his brother into the thin strip of light to get a better look at him, he was relieved that for once Dean didn't try and push him off. He just tipped his head back and closed his eyes, muttering something about pain in the ass little brother and evil bitches which were going to pay.
It was kind of worrying really, but it suited him so he just gripped his brothers' wrists and turned his hands over. All the blisters from earlier had burst and they looked stiff and sore, no wonder Dean had had so much trouble opening that bottle.
Using the remaining water he cleaned them up the best he could. For once Dean kept the bitching to a minimum, only complaining when Sam went to sacrifice the remains of his shredded T-shirt to the cleanup efforts.
"Dude your getting a bit personal here?" He complained, giving his brother a sharp smack to the head.
"This isn't much fun for me either Dude. I've had enough personal time with you lately to last a life time."
Glowering at his brother Sam reached out and yanked the soaking rag over Dean's head, nearly taking his brothers ears off in the process.
"I'll tell you what; if you can avoid getting the shit kicked out of you for five minutes straight, I can stop having to patch you back up." He snapped.
"Sam?"
Sam instantly deflated at the hurt and confusion in his brother voice. 'Way to kick a man when he's down.' He scowled at himself.
"Sorry Man. It's been a long day."
Dean just shrugged, forgiving him as usual, before letting out a strained breath. "No kidding."
"You lost your amulet again." Commented Sam, still feeling the strain between them despite his brothers' forgiveness.
"Yeah." Dean looked pissed and a little hurt, although as usual he was trying to hide that part of his emotions, after all he had a reputation to maintain.
"Don't worry Man we'll get it back." Promised Sam, knowing how much the pendant meant to his brother even if he wouldn't admit it.
Dean just nodded but Sam didn't miss the small grateful smile his brother shot him when he didn't think he was looking.
"Come on man lets get you patched up so we can blow this joint."
Twenty minutes later the two of them were sitting with their backs against the wall catching up. Dean was dressed in his 'little' brother's coat and sported a new set of plaid bandages courtesy of Sam's shirt sleeve. He reached up to scratch his nose only to find himself unable to do so. He was feeling more than a little disgruntled.
"Want me to roll up the sleeves for you?" Offered Sam, a little too sweetly
Deans scowl notched itself up a few points, causing Sam to laugh harder.
Apparently the patented Winchester death stare wasn't working very well today
"Yeti"
"It's not my fault you're short."
"Freak"
"Seriously man you O.K?"
"Tijuana"
"Well that was random." Sam reached over and tried feel his brother's forehead, knowing full well that he was just trying to duck the question. "Sure you didn't knock something loose up there?"
Dean tried to slap his hand away but came up short when his bandaged hand got caught in his sleeve.
"No." O.K maybe he did have a fever because as far as diversions went that one really blew. "We should go there."
"Your right you'd have to have something up there in the first place to knock it loose. After all this you want to go to the beach?"
"What? It got me thinking."
"Nearly drowning in sand made you want to go to the beach. Dude, that's warped."
"Dude I wasn't thinking about the beach."
"At least we know one of your brains is working." Sam laughed, getting up to search the room as he did so.
It didn't take long. The door was barred from the outside and room itself was nothing more than a bare concrete box. Patting down his pockets, he just confirmed what he already knew. They had been turned inside out.
"You got anything?" He asked his brother out of habit.
"Boot" Replied Dean, waving his right foot at his brother. His head was killing him and he wasn't really in the mood for a prolonged conversation.
Sam gripped the boot and pulled it off. Checking the inside he, he pulled the thin stiletto knife out, with a grin.
"There should be a pick in the heel as well."
Sam's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. He always knew his brother was a little paranoid but this was taking be preparedness to a whole other level.
"Since when have you been carrying all this stuff?"
"Since people started cuffing me to things all the time."
"Anything else?" he asked
Dean shifted uncomfortable and emptied out his sweat pants pockets, a long stream of sand fell out followed by his phone.
Sam gave his brother an incredulous look, his eyes literally popping out of his head. "Dean? How the hell did you get to keep all this stuff?"
Dean shrugged, a small smirk gracing his lips. "I may have thrown up on the Queen Bitches shoes."
"Oh man" Grinned Sam, picturing the scene inside his head.
His brother didn't make the most appealing of sights at the moment, add vomit into the equation and he couldn't imagine any of those sorority girls wanting to get within 10ft of him.
Sam flipped open the small phone and began to check the room for reception. It seemed their luck was still holding and as usual it was all bad.
He returned the phone and pick to his brother, but kept the knife for himself. For once his brother didn't protest, even he knew he was in no condition for a fight.
"So did Pol have anything new to say?" Dean asked his brother as Sam continued his futile exploration of their cell.
"Some, Looks like they've got hold of a challis and a dagger from the temple of Apollo at Delphi, which were used as part of sacrificial rights used to petition the muses."
Dean snorted. "Dude these guys are doing a lot more than petitioning."
"Yeah, that's part of what I don't get. I always thought the muses were more into inspiration than action. So either they're getting something big out of this or someone's found a way to control them."
"I doubt anyone could control them for long. For all their free love crap, they really don't like being challenged."
"No kidding. They plucked the Sirens and made crowns out of their feathers for daring to say they could sing better than them and they were their own daughters."
"Sweet"
"No kidding"
"There's another option." Dean licked his dry lips, feeling uncomfortable. "Some of those old rituals are pretty complicated. You mess with stuff that old and powerful stuff, you don't always get what you ask for."
"You think, they pulled up something else entirely and they're just being played?"
"Could be" Dean shrugged, not wanting to commit.
"Yeah, I guess, but this does fit pretty well." Sam started pacing as he thought. "The muses were often associated with Hero-cults, particularly cults of Apollo, all of which would fit with the testing and the type of person they seem to be looking for."
"They really have a thing for that dude, don't they"
Sam stopped and chewed at his thumb for a moment, deep in thought. "Dean you don't think they're trying to bring him through do you?"
His brother never got the chance to answer as the sound of heels clicking on stone, alerted them to their captors approach. Exchanging a look Sam retook his seat next to his brother, now wasn't the time for an escape attempt, there was too much they didn't know.
Dean slumped next to him letting his eyes close. Right now they needed whatever advantages they could find and the worse off these people thought he was the bigger one he would have.
Sam fell into step with his brothers' plan without giving it a conscious thought. It felt good to be back in sync after so many weeks butting heads.
The door flew open with a bang and Eileen strode in, two other girls flanking her. Sam recognized them both from that first day by the river. The taller of the two held Sam's gun as if it was some kind of venomous snake. Sam shifted uncomfortably and elbowed Dean in the ribs to let him know to be on his guard, because in his experience guns and jumpy school girls didn't mix well.
Pulling himself and Dean to their feet and squaring off against Eileen, he waited for her to make the first move. He was feeling more than a little confrontational. No one messed with his brother.
Dean observed the scene from beneath hooded lids from his position next to Sam, trying to remain outwardly impassive as he did so. It wasn't easy, even with his best intentions a smirk threatened to spread across his face as he took in Eileen's ugly trainers, they really didn't go with the outfit.
"Nice shoes." He muttered, as so often in the past his mouth getting the better of him.
It was the wrong thing to say.
Eileen strode forward her face livid, causing the girl with the gun to flinch. The gun wavered off it target for just a moment but it was enough.
Sam surged forward intent on disarming her, only to thrown into the wall as an unseen force slammed into him. He saw stars and it felt like a truck had parked on his chest.
Dean's eyes went wide, at the sight of his brother hitting the wall. They had been in this situation before and it never went well for them.
Eileen's hand fisted in his jacket, lifting him easily off the ground, her eyes flashing silver as she did so.
Sam gapped, the sight of his brother casually suspended in mid air by a 75lb blond girl, was one of the stranger images from an already strange life, but the thing that made him gape was the sight of the brand on her arm. He had seen it before in fact he had one of his own.
The thing possessing Eileen turned her head to face Sam. "You will do as I say or this one will die." She turned back to Dean and slammed him into the wall, to emphasize her point. "And you will remain quite."
She dropped them both at the same time, stepping back towards the door. The two other girls backed away from her, their faces a strange mixture of fear and awe.
Clambering painfully to their feet the brothers exchanged a quick look before, following her out of the door. The two girls bringing up the rear like a pair of faithful dogs.
They were lead out into a large cavern and pushed to their knees just inside the door.
"Her shoes" Hissed Sam once Eileen was out of ear shot, didn't his brother know any better.
Dean just shrugged, as unrepentant as always. "Wow. It's the set from Count Humpula"
He commented, amused, as he continued to stare around him.
Sam rolled his eyes he didn't know the film but then he didn't really need to, did he? It was like IKEA had hurled or the Pottery barn had brought out a Satan collection. Black candles mixed with red satin throws and garish Greek statues of Apollo.
"Is that a black light?" He asked.
"Of course how else would you pull off the glow-ie Goth feel?" Smirked Dean, before breaking down into a fit of uncontrolled coughing, it didn't stop him speaking for long though.
"Dude if they want to play host to this Apollo guy. Does that mean you're going to have to dress like him?
Sick or not Sam hit him, cause none of the statues were wearing anything.
"Dean, Pay attention would you?" He growled. "Look at the Altar. Does that look right to you?"
The Alter was of your typical Hollywood variety but the symbols decorating it were a strange mix of Greek, Latin and Pagan. If they had managed to pull this off right it would have been by pure fluke.
"Armatures" scoffed Dean. "You got a love'em"
"Silence" Eileen's eyes flashed silver again as she spoke, the anger evident in her voice.
She had emerged from a side chamber dress in a flowing white toga; it matched in perfectly with the rest of the décor.
Sam hit his brother before he could make any comment. They were in enough trouble already.
Facing Sam she addressed the room, which was now filled with a dozen young women all dressed in a similar manner.
"You have passed the trials set out for you and been judged worthy."
"Hrm..Hum." Dean coughed almost politely, and raised his hand as if he was back in school.
"What?" Snapped Eileen, clearly irritate
"The last one was definitely self rescue." Turning to Sam he continued. "No offence Sammy but you really blew that one."
Sam gave him an evil look, trying to get him to shut up. Why did Dean always have to piss off the bad guys?
"Plus last time I check there were four elements and you only tried to kill me three times. That's just cheating."
"It will suffice. We have found out Apollo."
If looks could kill, and with her he wasn't really sure they couldn't, he would have already been spit roasted. Still he couldn't stop know he needed her attention on him and off Sammy.
"Man, you really picked the wrong brother." He forced out a laugh. "I mean Sammy, Apollo? He gets self conscious in shorts."
Now Sam was giving him the death glare too.
"Are you volunteering?" A hint of amusement had crept into the creatures' voice.
"Hey, I'm always ready to please the ladies and I never disappoint." He offered, giving her his best cocky smile.
The creature that had once been Eileen laughed scornfully. "Do you think you are worthy?" She asked him. "Do you think you could everbe worthy?"
Sam winced at the hurt that flashed through his brothers eyes, it was gone in an instant of course, Dean was a master at hiding his emotions. He opened mouth to reply, only to be cut off.
"Enough." An invisible force constricted his throat and forced him immobile. He could barely breathe.
"Your death will be the means by which we will bind our God to your brother." She promised him. Turning to her followers she commanded. "Prepare the sacrifice."