Delores had put out a spread. After devouring the pot roast They had warm apple pie for desert fresh out of the oven With the kitchen cleaned up the group sat around the table as Delores served coffee all around. On the table was the book that Garth had been looking at earlier.
"So how are we supposed to keep Dagon about learning anything about the cage when the one angel we need to stop him is locked in said cage?" Dean asked. "It's a freaking catch 22. We have to stop Dagon from opening the cage and restarting thee apocalypse but only Michael can stop him. I don't care how you look at it we're screwed."
"Let me see the book." Delores said as she sat down. "Some of the translations are very broad. A precaution we had to take after the Inquisition."
"You mean the witch hunts right?" Garth said.
"Some people called it that, It was less about protecting the world from witches that it was about greed and throwing thy neighbor to the wolves." Delores explained. "Very few witches were caught, most victims were people who had land others wanted or someone held a grudge against someone else and accusing someone of witchcraft was a very easy way to get them out of your life, permanently. It helped immensely that the church had fostered mass hysteria against witchcraft and Satan worship."
"You said some hunters worked for the church during that time." Sam said. "They should have known the difference."
Hunters can become caught up in hysteria as easily as anyone else. Actually easier when you think about it." Delores said. "You spend your life hunting monsters and the line can become blurred. You forget that not everything different is automatically a monster. With centuries of knowing the Magi and working alongside us, those hunters working for the church were quick to point fingers at the Magi because of our knowledge and label us witches too."
"That's cold." Garth said.
"Very." Delores agreed. She turned back to the book and read a passage out loud. "Dagon can only be killed by the grace of the Archangel Michael."
"So we need Michael after all." Sam said.
"Not necessarily. Just his grace according to this." Delores said.
"So I'll just pop my head in the cage and ask if he would mind lending it to us." Dean said sarcastically.
"An angel's grace can take many forms. They are warriors created to smite God's enemies." Delores said.
"Wait, I just remembered something Cas told me once. When he first told me about the Archangels protecting prophets. He said 'Archangels are fierce, they're absolute, they're heaven's most terrifying weapon.' He specifically called them weapons." Dean said "And I saw what Raphael could do, and Sammy and I know better than most what Gabriel can do. They are exactly like Cas said, walking talking atomic bombs."
"I don't know about Raphael, but Gabriel doesn't seem that terrifying." Sam said. "At least not compared to Lucifer."
"How many times did Gabriel kill me again Sam?" Dean asked. "And have you forgotten the whole Nutcracker game. He creates reality out of nothing."
"No he creates reality out of his grace." Sam said then frowned. "Where does Castiel carry his angel blade?"
"What?" Dean asked. "I thought we were talking about Archangels, not Cas."
"Okay at the Elysian, Kali got Gabriel's angel blade from inside his jacket right? Then we found out it was a fake. That's because we never saw his real blade until Lucifer showed up."
"So, I'm not understanding where you're going with this." Dean said.
"The angel blade is a part of their grace Dean, Haven't you ever watched Cas manifest it? It just appears in his hand." Sam said. "If they can manifest their blades like that maybe we can find Michael's angel blade."
"How did you manage to procure Michael's sword?" Castiel asked as he took the weapon from Gabriel careful to touch only the scabbard.
"Well when Mikey and Luci would go off on their tangents, I'd make sure they couldn't find their swords. Michael was upset right after he threw Lucifer in the cage." Gabriel said. "He came to me when it was over and asked me to hide it from him until he had calmed down. I just sort of forgot to give it back before I left."
"This sword will assist Dean in destroying Dagon?" Castiel asked.
"Yes. All of the Archangels have swords that were created with us. Father forged the swords from our grace at the moment of our creation." Gabriel said. "Like the humans sometimes say, we were literally 'born with a sword in our hands'.
Dean is still Michael's vessel for all that Zach tried to improvise with the Milligan kid, that was destined to be a bust in the end. No way Mikey could have taken Lucifer with a second choice vessel when Lucifer was in his true vessel."
"Dean told me that Zach had shown him the future Lucifer had laid waste to the world." Castiel said.
"Let's see that must be the future where you turned into a complete Hedonist?" Gabriel nodded at the thought. "Michael fought Lucifer using the Milligan kid, he lost. Lucifer and his army of demons marched on Heaven and destroyed it.
Raphael and I gathered what was left of the host and abandoned Heaven. We established the garrison on another world and left this one to Lucifer and his minions. We did ask you to come but you refused to leave, you and Dean figured you were still going to save Sam from the devil.
Sam was already gone when Luci stormed the pearly gates, Lucifer had used his grace to burn every bit of Sam Winchester's soul from his body. We tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen. There was nothing left to save."
Dagon stood in a field surrounded by several of the fallen.
"We must free Lucifer." One of them said. "He will help us. He has no great love for these humans."
"Yes," another spoke up. "After you disappeared Lucifer and Michael fought because Lucifer refused to bow to these mud monkeys. Michael cast him into a cage deep in the bowels of hell."
"Take me to this cage. We will release our brother." Dagoon said
"We cannot. Only the Archangels know where it is." The first fallen said "Or how to open it."
"Then I will find an Archangel." Dagon said.
"Michael is in the cage with Lucifer. Rafael is dead." The second said.
"And Gabriel?" Dagon asked.
"No one knows, he has been missing from Heaven since Michael first imprisoned the Morningstar." Another of the fallen said.
"Gabriel is fallen?" Dagon asked with shock.
"No we believe he is dead. No trace of his grace has been noticed in Thousands of years." another answered.
"Have the seas yet boiled or the mountains crumbled? Has the Earth yet trembled from the Doomsday blast?" Dagon looked at the fallen. "Then Gabriel has yet to sound his horn, he lives."
"How can you be sure?" One of the fallen asked.
"Because our Father will not change the events that coincide with the battle of Megiddo. He placed the destruction of this world and the coming of Paradise in Gabriel's hands." Dagon said. "So there is an Archangel still walking free. Find him."
"But Michael had all of heaven searching for him for hundreds of years. No trace was found." another of the fallen spoke up.
"Of course not, Michael was never wise to Gabriel's tricks." Dagon bent down and picked up a lizard. "Behold this Chameleon. It is Gabriel's creation. See how it changes to blend into it's background? Gabriel is like the chameleon, he changes to blend into his background. The signs will be subtle." Dagon closed his hand crushing the creature. "Search for that which does not belong."