Castiel was asleep for a long time. He returned to the position he had been before, cradling Dean in his sleep while the other man rested easily within the circle of his arms. The rest of the night seemed to pass uneventfully. Castiel's body, even in sleep remained slightly tensed, his shoulders curving inwards. He didn't want to enter another odd dreamscape.
Unfortunately for him, however, sleep was not something in his control. An hour passed or so since Dean and him had become intimate and when Castiel let his mind settle on the single thought of Dean, his mind seemed to venture elsewhere.
He was standing in the middle of a very tall building...This dream was very different from the one he had earlier. It still had that same vividness and clarity, but this time Castiel had no physical or dream body here. It was like he was blended part of the background, just a pair of eyes. Around him, there was a sleeping city. A late hour.
But there was one figure standing directly in the middle of the building, his back to Castiel. Castiel instantly recognized him as Dean. Yet there was something wrong. He wasn't a demon, no, so it wasn't that off. He was as human as he currently was. But there was a notable sadness in his eyes as he turned to the side and Castiel caught a glimpse of his face from the side.
Again, Castiel could not speak. Could not call Dean's name, like it made a difference this time.
But he wished he could. He could not scream or cry out Dean's name as the human turned in his direction and in that moment, burst into flames. He heard Dean's cries, watched his skin blacken and his eyes widen in panic and fear. His hands wrapped around his elbows, but that did nothing to stop the fire. In horror, Castiel watched as his skin began to melt, his cheeks and eyes beginning to droop before the fire consumed him and he turned to a pile of ash...
Castiel woke with a start. His skin was slick with sweat and his breathing was erratic and out of control. His eyes immediately flew to Dean next to him, curled up, perfectly fine. Another dream. But again, extremely vivid and much more disturbing than the first one that made no sense.
He leaned over Dean and planted a kiss on Dean's cheek. Dean stirred a little in his sleep, murmured something about "fairy lights" and continued a steady breathing pattern as he slipped back to deep sleep. There was no frown or indication that he had been dreaming anything like Castiel had been. That was a relief.
But Castiel needed answers. He needed answers. He slipped out of bed quietly, slowly slipping his clothes back on. With a long look at Dean, Castiel left the loft behind him.
Hell, 1st Circle- P.R.I.D.E
Five demons, all in a line, different reports at the ready, standing before the throne where she sat. Different reports with different stories, all bearing bad news that Carmen was getting used to. Why was it always "Hey, we're losing a lot of men in this location on Earth." or " There's several uprising and rebellions in _ circle." Why couldn't there be good news like, "Oh hey, things are sucking but we are all in agreement that you're doing a great job."
She could be that lucky.
The first demon in line, a dark-skinned female was reading off a list to her. Carmen couldn't help but suppress a yawn. It was so annoying to receive these reports all day long and just give orders. She had no advisers or people to assist her decisions. Most of the time, it was ruling on whether or not to control some of the rebellious demon clans by instilling order through the chain of command.
And those Hell knights that were considered "chain of command" were demons that Carmen really didn't like ordering about. They looked human, like her, like Imperials, but they were stone-cold and hard. They only cared about battle. They lived for it, and their sense of humor only seemed to come out when they were slaughtering something. Innocent or not.
And then there was soul regulation. That was a bitch to do. To sit and watch while every soul that passed through was dragged in front of you for judgement. She had to move them according to the majority sin they committed into the correct circle of Hell. That's where they become subject to the demon running that circle thereafter.
That wouldn't be ending any time soon. The flow was neverending and Carmen had learned to ignore her duties to pay attention to these reports. It wasn't glamorous to be a monarch, least of all someone who ruled a complex realm like Hell.
It wasn't easy either, to listen to human beings, not yet tainted by Hell have all their crimes laid out in front of her and have them try to explain it to her, why they had done this, why this had happened and how it wasn't really their fault, but someone else's who was probably somewhere in line behind them.
I didn't mean to murder and eviscerate that woman and her baby. She goaded me.
Yeah, okay.
She yawned again while the report finished, placed a hand over her mouth and leaned down on the throne. What originally felt like ice-cold metal to her now felt too warm. Since coming here, Hell re-renovated itself back to what it had been when Carmen had seen so long ago. Crowley had the castle look more modern, in the form of a tall building with souls occupying every floor. Carmen's ascent to the throne made it return to what it was before. An enormous black tower in the middle of Pride with a grand entrance hall made of dark marble and gold. Pillars on each side of her that reached high into the ceiling.
Perhaps that came with the bloodline among all the other "goodies". It had been this way in the time of Lucifer and Dean, it was only natural, being the next in line that it retained that form for her.
Carmen's appearance had not drastically changed. She came from Treachery wearing torn clothing in tatters. Burnt, hiding reddening skin. Her guards had helped attach a very long, very annoying black cape, buckled to her shoulders that trailed behind her. As if she needed to look more like a lame sorceress from a world of warcraft game. All she needed now was a hood and scepter. She insisted on wearing her old black romper without argument. Maybe it was as Dean might have called it, "skanky", but it allowed freedom of movement and that's what she needed in case of attack.
Because that's one thing you had to realize being a monarch. Most people wanted you dead. It had been a few weeks now...and not a day had gone by that there hadn't been an attempt on her life. She wagered it was Crowley. Her food had been poisoned, people attempted to breach the castle and died at her feet before she saw them in life, killed by the royal guard or what have you.
Crowley had disappeared when Carmen rose. The castle formerly occupied by the sovereign was empty when Carmen walked through it. Demons knelt to her as she passed and she simply claimed the throne. No battle. No coup d'etat. No doubt about it, though. He wanted her dead. The last time they had met was right before the portal to the ninth circle had opened and she cast a fire spell on him, her very first one, as a matter of fact. He was probably permanently disfigured by the hellfire she had used to stave off his pursuit of them.
Dante's little puppet.
Of course, she knew where the Shadowalker was now. She had him imprisoned the moment she walked into the first Circle. He was pretty powerless now, impotent, if you will. When they left Treachery, he was in unbearable anguish, screaming and cursing at Balthazar, Castiel and herself as they ascended from the ninth circle into the portal that he himself created. The deal to get out of Treachery entailed putting all their trust in the one being who had brought them all there in the first place. A fat chance.
He delivered...But that didn't stop him from being a complete and utter douchebag. He killed Gabriel. He killed Merrick. He killed Lilith. In a sense, he killed Dean as well.
So maybe she should have seen it coming when Castiel betrayed him. Castiel was much different than she had remembered. But then again, her memories of Castiel before Treachery were little and almost insignificant. She didn't like him...and liked him even less when he turned out to be under Dante's control, killing Sam's parents, killing Sam himself. It had left a very large mark on that former clean slate of his. He would never again be what he once was. An angel. A celestial being. He would forever walk that dark path. And yet she knew that Dante's influence left him and some part of the old Castiel existed. He would never have cooperated with her if that was not the case.
And perhaps it was for vengeance that he struck against Dante. She had screamed for him to stop, had screamed that the portal would close up and leave them behind if he lingered. If that was the only incentive to make him stop...It's not like she actually cared about what happened to the Shadowalker. Hell no. He deserved everything that had happened to them and more. But it was a wrenching sight to watch Castiel in those final moments.
It's not something you forget very easily.
But, like she said, he was impotent now. Powerless. Time in Treachery with Balthazar and Castiel had the situation explained to her. Dean, Dante and Castiel were unique. They all embodied fragments of a sentient being formed from the Scripture, Dominion. Dean was Memory and Law. Castiel was Retribution and Compassion and as far as she knew, Dante was simply Havoc.
Castiel's power was immense as far as she could tell. So was Dante's. But Castiel had the power to condemn someone to punishment as easily as a monarch did. Dante may have cursed Dean and Sam with mortality and sent them back to Earth, but Castiel had that power to punish those who had wronged him. He managed to lock Dante's power inside of him with a binding spell that could only break through "invocation" he had said. Whatever that meant. It probably meant that someone had to willingly call Dante's power in order for him to use it again.
Who the hell knew anymore?
"...And you're due to meet with the new ambassador of Heaven to discuss treaty reform and resigns," The demon was finishing up which Carmen caught the tail end of.
She raised her head. "The treaty what? Oh, Heaven grew a pair? Color me surprised."
"It's imperative that the treaty signing goes well otherwise avoiding such an act may result in Heaven regarding it as an act of war rather than...laziness."
"Haven't we kind of been at war with Heaven since like, I don't know, the beginning of time? What difference could I make promising to behave myself? They're the ones who send legions down to take down the monarchy," said Carmen bitterly.
"That was a special exception. The celestial went rogue," said the dark-skinned demon exasperatedly. Carmen struggled to place her name in her mind. They all had some kind of primitive name or something that came from a different time or from a roleplaying game. Who knew?
Oh yeah, it was Lucretia. Well, there you go.
"The celestial almost killed my maker," said Carmen. She'd probably never hate celestial beings half as much as Dean once did. She found a friend and mentor in Gabriel for a short time and just a friend in Balthazar. But that wasn't to say Heaven wasn't fucked up. Michael left her behind, on purpose. For selfish reasons. You don't forget that either.
"Treaty resigns are important, your majesty. We need to establish a new type of regime. Your predecessor had a different method of doing things, but you must not follow in his footsteps," said Lucretia almost hesitantly, as if the subject disgusted her.
"What, Crowley? Yeah, the sovereign did a swell job of renovating when I walked in," said Carmen coolly.
"I was not talking about Crowley, Your Majesty. I was speaking of the former King," said Lucretia slowly. "His reckless abandon of the throne threw the balance of Hell into chaos. He exiled most of the demons that belonged in this realm or killed them, and he incited a war against the Fallen. Half our forces were decimated from it."
Of course she was talking about Dean. It honestly seemed like most of his former subjects either loved or hated him.
"So what are you asking? Don't be mean to the angels? Whatever. Not like most of them don't deserve a good ass-kicking anyway," Carmen shrugged her shoulders. "But that was his problem. I'm not here to fix whatever mess he might have created. Dean hasn't held the crown here in over a hundred years here. It's been Crowley. Maybe we can focus instead on fixing his mistakes rather than talking about my maker's shortcomings."
"Crowley was a fair ruler, Your Majesty," said Lucretia fairly. When she spotted the incredulous expression on Carmen's face, she rushed to add. "But he was only a sovereign. There were not many mistakes to make. He did not speak for making war with the Celestials. He maintained the infrastructure while you were away. In a way, he held the realm together. He did you a favor, my lady."
Carmen's gaze could have shot lasers." I don't forget who made Crowley."
"Without Crowley, we may as well have Fallen entering the palace of their own free will shouting-"
"CARMEN!" The entrance doors burst open and there was Castiel, striding past the Imperial Guards by the door as though they weren't there. He wasn't even hiding his wings and feigning being a demon. Not that that would work. A Fallen's aura was much stronger, much more potent than a demon, even an Imperial-class one. When he was close enough, he spoke again. "Carmen, I need your help."
Lucretia looked like she could have died from shock.
But Carmen remained calm. "Oh hey, Cas. You ever hear of like...knocking? Or bad dramatic timing?"
He completely ignored her. Straight to business. "I need to see him."
Carmen knew who he was talking about. She knew her face drained of some color and her eyebrows rose. "Why?"
"Because he knows something he's not telling," said Castiel impatiently.
"Isn't that his entire game?" Carmen retorted, looking highly uncomfortable. She eyed Castiel for a long time. "What happened? What's the problem? Do you need my help?"
"Nothing you personally can provide," Trust Castiel to be the bluntest asshole on the block. "I need to speak to him. It's very imperative that I do it now."
Before Carmen could answer, Lucretia piped up, her voice dripping venom. "You have some nerve. You have some nerve coming here, Fallen. Making demands of the Queen to suit your own needs. I should strike you down where you stand."
Castiel looked her way, distracted, despite himself, his head tilted in some curiosity. "Is she related to Merrick by any chance? I detect the same lingering contempt."
"I don't know," Carmen shrugged again.
Lucretia wasn't in the mood to play. She pulled a sword free from her back and held it to Castiel's throat. He leaned back just slightly, but showed no fear. "Your Majesty, shall I? Let this one's death be the first kill you can display outside the castle walls as a testament for any other Fallen who wishes to breach the realm."
"Weren't you the one who was just saying how bad it was that we went to war with the Fallen in the past and lost a whole lot of people?" Carmen answered, annoyed, looking quite bored.
Castiel lips twitched in a slight smile. "Are you fond of this demon, Carmen? Would it upset you if she died?"
"Silence. You have no place here. No Fallen has a place here,"
"You can drop your insolent tone and use of plural. There is only one Fallen in existence and that's me. But don't let that comfort you. I can kill you all in a span of nine seconds," said Castiel coldly. He leaned forward so Lucretia felt his cold breath on her face. "And I can make the Queen count to be sure."
Lucretia looked ready to strike, but Carmen stood up then, the movement caught, to make them both look her way. "Listen. You need to see him, that's fine. Lucy, can I call you Lucy? Lucy, stand down. He's not an enemy. He's a ..friend."
She stuttered on the word like it was profane. Never considered Castiel a friend, but she was tolerant enough to know that he wasn't bluffing about the threat. He could probably kill them all in eight seconds just to win the world record of douchebaggery.
Lucretia withdrew and sheathed her weapon looking furious. Castiel looked like he had woken up early on Christmas morning and gotten everything he ever wanted.
Carmen looked on at Castiel. "Follow me."
He did as she said, giving Lucretia a long look until she was out of his peripheral. It wasn't a long walk. Actually it wasn't much of a walk at all. Carmen just went behind the throne and pushed it aside to reveal a round black circle leading into a black abyss. It was smaller than the throne, enough that the throne covered it, but still enough for both of them to fit through...and enough for him to have been dropped through too.
"Creative," Castiel muttered, looking at Carmen as she stared down the hole. "Put him right under you. This was the place where the Noctis rock is, correct? The Dark Element that drains Will. Is that why you put him in there? The spell I put on him was binding. He should be no threat to you. There is no need for this kind of precaution."
"Pays to be safe," Carmen muttered. "After you."
Castiel jumped through. It wasn't a long fall, but had he been human, he might have broken a bone or two. As it was, he absorbed the impact of the fifteen foot fall and landed on his feet, staggering just a bit. Carmen jumped down after him. The light above them was really all there was. It was dusty and dirty where there were. The smell was acrid and old. Like old mold had melted against the walls.
"This place is big for a cage," Castiel noted.
"It was smaller before. I decorated. Have you noticed?" In the dim light, he saw her eyebrows raise as though expecting a compliment.
"I did," said Castiel, covering his nose with one hand. One downside to good senses was that he could detect everything much stronger than anyone else could. Carmen must have been used to it, because she didn't cover her nose to stave off the stench. "We need light. I can't see through-"
At Castiel's complaint, Carmen raised her hand and a long stretch cave appeared before them, illuminated by spirals of red fire.
"I do like the decorations," Castiel approved.
Carmen gave him a slight smile and walked down the long cave corridor. He followed her. It was nice to see her smile. It reminded him so much of Dean's smile when he was a demon. At least that part of Dean hadn't been lost after all. It still existed in Carmen. Of course, a part of Castiel always pitied Carmen. Pitied what had happened to her against her will. How Dean had taken her human life away. But she had, as a human might have said, "gotten over it."
"How's Balthazar?" Carmen asked as they walked, side by side.
"The same," said Castiel grimly. "He's not responding very well to me. I established a stable Link to his mind, but he's out almost every night. I'm unable to pick up his location most of the time and I don't think he wants me to. I would say he's taking full advantage of being mortal...but I can tell that he's...he's not very happy."
"I don't blame him," said Carmen. "He got one of the worse ends of the deal."
"He did," Castiel agreed.
"Still haven't figured out how to get his mojo back, have you?" Carmen asked, knowing the answer before he said it.
"No and I don't think I'm going to be able to," said Castiel, running a hand through his hair. "The curse entails mortality...and I have yet to have ever heard about it before Dominion mentioned it."
"Did you ever find Dean?" Carmen asked. "I bet that would put your ass in gear, finding a cure for the mortality curse. Making him demon again. God knows I'd love it if he took the crown back. I don't know how he didn't die from boredom."
Castiel pursed his lips. "I'm not going to try to cure Dean. Why would I?"
"You're seriously asking that?" Carmen's eyes widened through brief illumination as the two of them stepped over a ring of fire. Carmen hadn't remembered to keep it off the floor. "Why not? He's mortal now. It's a curse. He didn't deserve that."
"So he deserves to be condemned as a demon again?" Castiel had clearly though about this. "I wouldn't do that to him."
"But he'll die," said Carmen in a slightly high voice as if Castiel was confirming her worst fear. "Don't you get it? He'll die. He'll succumb to some stupid disease...or get in a car crash. Or he'll drown in a pool. These things happen to humans. I know. I was one."
"Or he'll grow old and I never will. I've thought about it too," said Castiel calmly. "Neither of us will. That's also how it was meant to be. I felt your same pain, Carmen, believe me. I was so angry at Michael for taking Dean away from me...but he had the right idea. In a way, he kind of saved Dean's life by giving him a life, a family...I have no right to pull Dean away from something that makes him happy."
"Castiel-" Carmen began.
"I know. But I'm trying not to be selfish," said Castiel solemnly. "I love Dean. I never got to hear him say those words back to me. And I probably never will. I'll never know if he did. But I'm okay with that. I want Dean to be happy. If that's in a family with Michael and Sam, how can I argue?"
"Because-" Carmen broke off as if choking on something. "Wait. Sam? Sam's in Michael's fantasy football life too? Why the hell is he there?"
"Sam was cursed with the mortality curse too, Carmen," Castiel enunciated slowly as if he was trying to catch her up to speed.
"So? He had a mortal life before he got dragged down to Treachery by...," Carmen paused, almost treading into accusatory territory. " ...Before he was dragged down into Hell...He had a life. He had a college life with a barbie doll girlfriend and everything."
"Probably because he meant something to Dean..or that they shared a bond before in the past. Maybe it was simply easier for Michael to bring someone in who could agree with Dean's rebellious side from time to time and support him. The nature of father and son do conflict often enough that that might have been necessary,"Castiel explained thoughtfully.
"I don't give a damn for the psychological side," said Carmen scathingly. "Damn Michael. Damn him. He's a selfish prick. He didn't turn them human, but he's puppeteering them. I don't know which is worse. What he did...or what you did."
She was no longer addressing Castiel. She had stopped before a dark mass where even the light of her fire could not reach. But there was an invisible barrier within. This was not like the magic barriers that Castiel was used to. It was not meant to protect but meant to contain. It was of a much stronger power. He knew because he had helped Carmen cast it when they came out of Treachery.
But that was for show. Dante wasn't just contained. He was powerless.
Castiel could just see him as a red light passed over the barrier, shining and showing where it began and where it ended. He was huddled in the dirty corner of the cave, a shell of his former self. His black clothing was torn and in tatters, stained by dirt and blood(mostly his own). The road from Treachery had been hard for all of them. Castiel would have felt pity for the fellow Fallen, but he had none in him to give. Not after everything Dante did.
He had his knees curled up, his hands wrapped around them and his head down so Castiel had trouble seeing his face even without light. And yet he seemed to sense Castiel and Carmen outside the magic barrier.
"So, Castiel. You've come back," Dante's voice was cracked and hoarse from lack of use. He raised his head and Castiel spotted sunken bloodshot eyes over the next pass of red light through the barrier. His face had gone gaunt, which was strange considering angels didn't really require sustenance, so it couldn't have been because he hadn't been eating...It was simply loss of the will to live. Loss of the power he so held tight within him. Castiel didn't destroy or take Havoc from him. Dante was still Havoc. He had suppressed it, locked it tight inside of him in a place where it was not easily reached. His power could only be released if someone invoked him, and very properly too.
"Not for very long, old friend," Castiel answered shortly, stepping closer to the barrier while Carmen stepped back. It seemed like she was debating whether or not to leave them to it. She knew Castiel and Dante's history well enough to know that she could probably trust him alone with Dante. He would never free him, never invoke him. Yes, Castiel was perfectly happy with keeping Dante exactly where he was.
"Friend," Dante repeated with a throaty laugh. "We're not friends, friend. Or have you forgotten already? How much I despise you."
"Always a pleasure," said Castiel coldly. "You know why I'm here, Shadowalker. I don't need to beat around the bush."
"Do I? Do I really know why I was given visitation all of a sudden?" Dante's dark eyes rested on Carmen. "You never told me. If that were the case...I would have chosen better visitors to come." He looked at Castiel imploringly. "She is just the worst. She doesn't feed me. Doesn't bathe me. Doesn't change my clothes. It's terrible."
"I wasn't aware I changed the Kingdom of the Underworld to the Shadowalker's Resort Spa," Carmen snapped and crossed her arms.
Dante smiled, his lips cracking. "She's a fiesty one. I always admired that. Don't you agree, Castiel? So much Dean in her. It must be a relief to spend little moments like this. I'm sure it reminds you of your dead boyfriend."
Castiel involuntarily stepped forward and he felt a horribly burning sensation hit his arms, his stomach and his thighs like a wrecking ball. He would have stepped back, but instinct, pure, primal instinct kept him in place.
"He's not dead. He's mortal. I have you to thank for that," Castiel snarled. "He doesn't remember a damn thing about any of this. About being king...about you or me."
"Seems like he's getting to know you, though. Michael suppressed Memory didn't he? And yet you persist." said Dante, standing up with a slight struggle. He didn't flinch when Castiel deliberately hurt himself to get closer in menace. But he leveled them instead, obviously disliking that he had to be looked down on to be talked to. "You have that glow. You guys have been fucking, haven't you?"
Castiel's jaw locked and out of his peripheral, he saw Carmen pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance and close her eyes, obviously disliking the statement. "That's none of your business."
"Really, because you came straight here, right after, didn't you? Must have been nice, to be at perfect bliss only to be interrupted by a dreadful nightmare,"
Castiel froze. He did step back this time, mostly to get rid of the burning sensation of the barrier. But his eyes were locked on Dante in some surprise. "You knew. You saw it too."
"I've been seeing things that would make your flesh crawl, Castiel," Dante walked a line towards the barrier. They were less then a foot part, with the barrier continuing to gleam in place between them. Dante was just beyond touching it. "For years now."
Castiel remembered something from last night. Not the dream that forced his hand in coming down here. The one before that. He had dreamed that he saw Dante and Dean in heaven in states before their current ones. Dean was a human and Dante was a celestial angel. He thought it was odd...yet Dante in the dream had said that he shared dreams with Dean in the past...and that Castiel was had only just joined in...or something to that nature.
Perhaps it was because Retribution had been fully unleashed inside of him. Now, he was able to delve into something he didn't fully belong to before. Yet, that wasn't comforting. What he saw to make him come here, was as Dante put it, something that made his flesh crawl.
"And you're here because you saw something as well," Dante was saying.
"What did you do, Dante? You think this is amusing, don't you? Planting images in someone's head? You think I would hesitate for one second in killing you?" Castiel's hand actually brushed the hilt on his back very briefly as if preparing to strike.
"You think I did this? You think I planted something?" Dante laughed, a sound that sounded loud and mocking in Castiel's ears. He threw his head back, continued laughing for another thirty seconds before calming down, speaking through peals of laughter. "There is much more out there than just me that wants you dead, or him dead. I don't plant memories or visions. Now, Dean. He could do that, if he could still use Memory. But he's not Memory at the moment. So you're stuck with the alternative, or more commonly known as, the truth."
"Which is, what?" Castiel asked impatiently.
"That you saw a premonition. Are you familiar with the term, Castiel? Let me explain it to you. You saw a glimpse of the future. We are all fragments of Dominion and Dominion once had the power to show us our fates as easily as any seer. When Dominion broke, we were granted the gift of foresight as well. At least...to some degree. Whatever you saw was a shift in the future, something changed. Something you did, changed the future. What you saw...was something that is coming. Soon, I might add."
Castiel went rigid at his words. Just like before, but he felt like his blood was freezing in his veins. It couldn't be that that this was the future. Dean burning alive.
"But he's going to die," Castiel's voice nearly cracked in the whisper.
"About. Fucking. Time," Dante enunciated slowly. "If there's one thing I regret about our time in Treachery is not killing the two of you when I had the chance...and now he's going to die. Because of you."
"Because of me," Castiel cleared his throat and furrowed his eyebrows in anger. "I would never hurt Dean."
"You say that, but it was your action, your involvement that triggered the change. Dean was on a straight lined path, Castiel. You curved it, somehow. I don't know how. I don't know why...," Dante leaned close and Castiel felt what had to be the ghost of Dante's breath as he next spoke. "But he's going to die. And there is nothing you can do to stop that."
"You're wrong," Castiel hissed back.
Dante leaned away, and cast a look elsewhere, at nothing in particular. "There is something coming. Something...greater than anything you've conceived in your existence. Bigger than you. Bigger than me. It's going to change the entire world. If there has to be sacrifice to stop an apocalypse from happening, you're going to do whatever it takes. The one thing I've learned about you tragic lovers is this. Dean would die for you, and you would kill for him. But when it comes down to the end, you're not a Fallen. You're an angel. And you know what's right and wrong. If killing Dean will save the world, you'll do it. You may hesitate, but you will. And he...well he'd sooner kill himself then kill you. At least that's...what I've observed. Think about that."
"You're wrong!" Castiel shouted, and a spark of red electricity struck the barrier. Carmen leaped forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from Dante. "I'm not going to kill him. You're wrong. You're wrong. What do you know? Everything you've ever tried to do has been foiled. That wasn't the future. That was you. Fucking with my head. I'm not going to hurt Dean. I'm going to do everything in my power to save him. He'll never make it to that city."
"You think you can control everything, Retribution, but you can't. You don't have to deliver the blow...just by being there, by involving yourself, you've set the new future. Do me a favor though, when you recover his corpse...Would you be so kind as to bring me Memory and Law? I could so do with some company in this...desolate landscape."
Carmen's grip on Castiel was tight enough that he felt the resistance from going forward. He let her hold him, because he knew if she did let him go he was going to drop that barrier and tear Dante apart.
And maybe he should have.
Instead he turned away, resolve settling inside of him as he turned towards the exit and started heading down the same path that Carmen and he had used to get to this mini-prison.
"Castiel," Dante called. "Was that all? That's it? You can stop that premonition from happening. You know how? The cure to that curse. The cure to the mortality curse is death, Castiel. Be sure to tell Balthazar. I'm sure he's unhappy."
Castiel curled his fingers into a fist, but didn't answer. Clearly, Dante was mocking him.
He kept walking.
Carmen cast Dante a long, measured look, slightly frowning before she followed Castiel. Not before she glimpsed him giving her a very sweeping bow of respect. Her frown deepened but she didn't give a verbal response. She really had nothing to say to this entire exchange. It was disturbing to say the least. She had to talk to Castiel, not Dante.
When she caught up to him, she matched his stride. "Listen, Cas. Don't listen to him. You just do what you have to do in keeping Dean safe."
"Carmen," Castiel stopped abruptly and turned to face her fully. "We left you in the first circle when we got out of Treachery so you could take the throne and rule. As soon as Balthazar and I broke the surface of this realm, we were attacked by demons of a new brand. Immune to Stigma and very powerful. I could immediately tell they were half-spirit...not full demons, but still stronger than most. They spewed something about the Order of Tarana bringing justice. Have you heard of this Tarana?"
Why was he asking her this? She was still a newborn demon in the eyes of many. Of course Carmen was well over a thousand now by Hell's years, but she was still fresh on a very many aspects of ruling and the histories. How could she possibly know who Tarana was and what he represented? After all, the Order wasn't attacking Hell, it was attacking Earth, trying to raise a powerful demon to destroy everything.
But Carmen frowned in thought.
"Tarana? That's just a name," said Carmen after a long moment.
"Yes, I know," said Castiel patiently. "The name of the demon who's trapped and waiting to rise on Earth and kill everything. There's a few legends on it. I don't know if any of them are accurate. Some legends state he came from Hell and destroyed an entire city with a powerful scream. The ones closest to him were changed by it and formed the order."
"I wouldn't put much stake in books that humans write about demons, Cas. Most of them are fairy tales. You don't understand. When I was in Crowley's prison all those years ago, I heard things all the time...and the walls of the prison had stories like hieroglyphics. Tarana isn't a name of a demon...I mean...it's a name. It's just...It's just a title. Ta-Ra-Na. Ra is the God of the Sun in Egypt, you know. It means Light Bringer."
"Light Bringer?" Castiel repeated incredulously. "Light Bringer means Lucifer. They're trying to raise Lucifer...I should have known. Of course. They can't bring back Lucifer. He's de-"
"Castiel," Carmen interrupted. "It's not Lucifer. Lucifer sired over eight million people when he was last on the planet. And maybe it started with him because he was the lightbearer. But those demons, they're probably the same ones...They're tied through the royal bloodline. All purebred...maybe that's why they haven't attacked me yet...because I'm part of that same bloodline...if they're trying to raise Tarana, it's not Lucifer. Whenever they use Tarana around here it's not to address Lucifer. They just call him the old King...or by name itself. Tarana is a different name...for someone else."
"Who?" And yet Castiel was sure he knew the answer before she was going to say it.
"I have come for you, my liege." The deranged demon had said before crashing through the window of the body shop.
"It's Dean. Dean is Tarana. it's just one of many names he took on when he became King. Apparently before he went to Earth, he was challenged by a lot of demons in personal combat in the arena in this circle...and he killed them all. They called him the God of the Arena," said Carmen, shaking her head as if it sounded ridiculous. "I wouldn't have believed it. It just sounds like a bloodbath...Trust me, I'm trying to put a stop to unnecessary death around here...but the crowd cheered Ta-Ra-Na whenever he won."
"Great. I'm having premonitions of Dean dying and then there's an insane order of demons trying to turn him back into a demon so that they have their King back," said Castiel, grasping a handful of his hair behind him, feeling the violent desire to pull out strands.
"No offense, but it's not really a bad idea," said Carmen, then she spotted Castiel's expression. "Not the death premonition. That blows. I'm just saying. Him being a demon again. I know you're contesting this. Violently. But that's what we know him as. That's how we met him. Honestly, think about his memory. If he knew you, remembered you and me...He'd want to be a demon again, I think...He'd want it all back. He'd want forever with you."
"The demon side is dead," said Castiel firmly. "And I will do everything in my power to keep the dim future from happening. Everything. If I have to strike down every Tarana Demon in my path, I will."