Dearest Readers,

Are you ready for shit to start hitting the fan? I know I am ;)

Make sure to comment, like/favorite the story, and give me a follow. The best is only continuing to come next!

XOXO Ally Layne

Holy Water

Chapter 33: Truths of the Pit

"Why haven't you shared the little factoid that you're supposed to be leading a demon army?"

Sam looked up from where he was splashing his face with the sink water to see Annabeth's reflection standing in the doorway behind him. He let out a sigh. "And how long have I known you?"

She crossed her arms as he turned off the faucet and turned around to face her. "And how long have you known Persie?"

He blinked. "We're not talking about her."

Her gray eyes narrowed. "Aren't we? You're pissed Persie and I didn't tell you something dark about our past. We get it. Fine. But you aren't allowed to act like the victim when you're guilty of doing the exact same thing, Sam."

"She could've asked Bobby."

"You could've asked me." Annabeth sighed. "But that doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't have told you because it wasn't my business to tell, Sam. It's not Bobby's business to tell her about you and Dean's past, either. So what she knows is up to the two of you. What I know is up to the two of you."

Sam let out another huff before walking past her into the room and sat on the bed. "It's not that easy."

She snorted. "Oh, I know. Trust me, there's some things I'm sure I will never be able to share with another soul. But that doesn't mean that there aren't things that I shouldn't."

He raised a brow. "You think you'll be able to share a few things with me?"

Annabeth studied him for a moment. "Do you think you'll share things with me?"

"I thought this was about Persie."

She gave him a tight smile. "Well, we're kind of a package deal."

"So if I tell you something I should expect her to know about it, too?"

She twisted a curl between two fingers. "If you want information to stay between the two of us, you can tell me. She might be my best friend, but I know when to draw the line with sharing information about other people, Sam. You'll just have to trust me."

"How about I start about the demon army thing?"

Her grin stole the air from his chest. "I think that's a great start."

"Not even a year ago, I was dead."

Annabeth blinked. "I-I'm sorry, what?"

Sam nodded. "And Dean sold his soul to a crossroads demon to bring me back… which is why we are in this mess."

"How did it happen?"

"How did I die?"

She nodded.

He then went on to explain how a powerful demon had fed his blood to babies, killing their mothers in the same grotesque way, to create an army of his making. Sam explained that by doing this, the demon began the portents to a greater war, one that would bring about the Apocalypse.

And Sam was destined to be the one to lead the demons and their army- he would be the one to destroy the world as they know it.

"I don't believe that," Annabeth spoke, once they sat in silence for a few minutes after Sam finished spilling his guts. "I don't believe in any sort of fate or destiny nonsense."

"But you're a demigod."

She nodded.

"And didn't you say you were involved in two prophecies?"

She nodded. "Two great prophecies that could have brought the end of the world and its destruction. But we're all still here, aren't we?"

He paused for a moment, digesting her words.

"I've learned over the course of my time as a demigod that prophecies and foretellings normally don't tell the whole story. The world hasn't ended yet, and I don't believe someone as good as you, Sam, will be the one to bring it's end."

.

.

.

As soon as Persie said she needed air, Dean knew that he was going to go with her no matter what.

Something happened when they were with that demon earlier today that shook her to her core, and he knew the last thing she needed was to be alone.

After a few minutes of chilling silence between the two of them that nearly had Dean worried out of his mind, she broke it with one question, "Why aren't you mad at me?"

Well, that wasn't what he was expecting to come from her.

"I didn't tell you that I went on a semi demonic rage after escaping Tartarus and killed a bunch of monsters and people," she said bluntly. "Most people would be worried about who they put their trust in after hearing something like that."

He let out a low breath. "Seph, just because you may have done something bad before we met doesn't mean you're any different now. I just understand you more. And if you think for one second that I haven't hurt any humans? You're wrong. Sometimes, we gotta do what we gotta do for the greater good."

"I hate this."

Dean looked down at her cautiously. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know if I can be trusted," she admitted. "Did you know that I let that Renee chick die? I could've saved her. But we needed the intel from the demon. She was giving everything away, but then that human just decided to try to step up and then her neck was snapped."

He pulled her into his side. "It doesn't sound like it was your fault. The witch coaxed the demon into it, right?"

Persie nodded into his chest.

"Demons aren't able to be negotiated with. We know that. So the woman signed her own death warrant by trying to do so."

"But I could've stopped it, Dean," Persie spoke into his chest. "I know I could've."

He ran a hand through her hair. "I know. But she wasn't meant to be saved."

They stood there in a warm embrace until the lights around them started to flicker and the wind whistled through their ears.

Persie peeled herself away, looking around at the lights that kept sporadically going on and off. "What the fu-"

Dean looked the other direction and sighed. "So the devil may care after all, is that what I'm supposed to believe?"

Persie turned around and huffed at the sight of Ruby stepping into the light in the street across from them. "Ewe, go away, we were having a moment."

As usual, the demon ignored her as she took a few steps toward them. "I don't believe in the devil."

Persie blinked as she gripped Riptide from her pocket. "I think you should. Or at least you should believe in Hades. Yeah, that guy's real."

Dean placed a hand on her shoulder. "Seph, stop."

She looked up at him in shock. "Dean, what-"

He turned back over to Ruby and walked around Persie to get closer to the demon as he spoke, "So let me get this straight. You were human, once? You died, went to Hell… and became a," he gestured to her.

Ruby shifted uncomfortably, but she nodded. "Yeah."

She quickly turned around to walk away, but Dean was quick to speak again.

"How long ago?"

She paused. "Back when the plague was big."

"So all of them?" Dean asked, "Every damn demon… they were human once?"

Ruby turned around to look at him curiously. "Everyone I've ever met."

"Well, they sure don't act like it."

"Most of them have forgotten what it means," she explained. "Or even that they were. That's what happens when you go to Hell, Dean. That's what happens when you go to Hell, Dean. That's what Hell is- forgetting what you are."

Dean snorted. "Philosophy lesson from a demon, I'll pass, thanks."

Ruby was quick to shake her head. "It's not philosophy, it's not a metaphor. There's a real fire in the pit. Agonies you can't even imagine."

"No, I saw "Hellraiser" I get the gist."

Ruby rolled her eyes as she turned around again. "Actually, they got that one pretty close. Except for all the custom leather." She paused, head tilted, and turned around to look over Dean's shoulder. "But you would know, wouldn't you, Persephone Jackson? You spent time in the pit. And you forgot."

Persie stiffened.

Dean looked back at her in shock.

"I wasn't in Hell, dumbass, I was in-"

"Tartarus? Hm, that's one of the deepest pits Hell has to offer." Ruby laughed. "I wonder what you did that got you put in there."

She paused.

Persie knew that bitch knew the exact reason why. And she didn't need to be taunted for saving her friend.

"Shut up, demon-whore."

Ruby smirked then turned to Dean. "The answer is yes, by the way."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Your question? Of whether or not you will one day become… one of us. The answer is yes. It might take some centuries, but sooner or later, Hell will burn away your humanity. Every hell bound soul, everyone, turns into something else."

Persie felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"I wonder what happened to Persephone that allowed her to escape, to climb from the deepest parts of Hell as she did. I wonder what changed inside of her. Maybe you should too, Winchester."

Dean swallowed.

"I told you to shut up," Persie said. "If I have to do it one more time I don't care if you're Sammy's pet or not, you're dead."

Ruby smirked as if that was the answer she needed. "Does that sound like a human to you?"

Persie uncapped Riptide and pointed it at the demon. "Bitch, I'm not human, nor have I ever tried to be after discovering the truth. Go try to mess with someone else's head."

Dean, for his part, was making his own discoveries. "There's no way of saving me from the pit, is there?"

Ruby sighed. "No."

Persie's blood ran cold.

But demons lie.

They lie all the time.

There is always hope.

Dean nodded. "Why'd you tell Sam that you could?"

"So he would talk to me. You Winchesters can be pretty biggotted, and I needed something to help him get past the-"

"The demon thing?" Dean cut her off. "That's pretty hard to get past."

"Look at you, trying to be all stoic. My God, it's heartbreaking."

Dean shook his head. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I need your help."

He glared. "Help with what?"

"With Sam. You're pretty tough. Sam's almost there. But not quite. You need to help me get him ready for life without you. To fight this war on his own."

Persie and Dean watched as she walked away.

"Ruby," Dean called out.

She stopped in her steps, slowly turning around.

"Why do you want us to win?"

The demon's lips pulled up at the corners of her mouth. "Isn't it obvious? I'm not like them. I don't know why. I wish I was, but I'm not. I remember what it's like."

"What what's like?"

"Being human."

And in an instant, she disappeared.

Persie wished she was dead.

She grabbed Dean's arm. "Please tell me you don't believe a word she just spewed out to you."

He pursed his lips. "Why didn't you tell me about Tartarus? He shook his head. "What the hell even is Tartarus, anyway?"

"I have nightmares about it nearly every night," she whispered. "It is the place where gods and other deities are imprisoned in the Underworld- where monsters go to reform and where the worst of the worst continue to exist biding their time for an escape."

Dean shook his head. "I don't understand… how did you end up there?"

Persie sighed. "It's a long story and Annabeth has a big part in it."

"Annabeth?"

"She fell into the pit with me."

"You both fell into the pit?" He demanded. "Wha-How does that even happen?"

She sighed. "I don't think I can tell this story alone, Dean."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Should we go talk with Annabeth and Sam? I think it's time we all get on the same page of what happened to the two of you."

She looked up at him with wide, sea green eyes that nearly made his knees weak on the spot. "Please don't hate me after this. Promise me, Dean."

"I promise."

.

.

.

A woman with raven black hair was laying on a king-sized mattress, sobbing her heart out into the arms of her blonde-haired friend.

"He couldn't even look at me, Wise Girl."

"He just needs time, Persie. Anyone would after the information dump you just gave him."

"He promised me he wouldn't hate me."

Annabeth ran a hand through Persie's wild beach waves. "He doesn't hate you. He's confused, and he has every right to be, considering you did kill people when you got out of Tartarus."

"I wasn't myself."

She nodded. "I wasn't myself either. If I had been, I wouldn't have let you go as far as you did."

"I didn't mean to kill them. I was just so mad."

Annabeth nodded again. "Your powers weren't in control."

"I flattened entire towns with earthquakes… and drowned so many people because of the tsunamis I caused. I don't know what to do, Annie. I slaughtered people who tried to stop me. I killed them, and I didn't think twice about it."

"You were broken, Persie. Tartarus broke you."

"It broke you, too."

Annabeth sighed. "I'm afraid it didn't break me as much as it shattered you, Persie. What happened to you down there… what those monsters did to you… I don't know how you can keep going on like you do. I'm not sure if our situations were switched that I would be able to. You were broken, yeah. But somehow you put yourself back together. You did that. Not me, not your mom or your dad, not Dean- you. Everyone at camp recognizes it. And soon Dean will, too."

Persie sighed. "This sucks."

"I know."

"Dean said he wanted space, which is why I'm here and he's with Sam. And why you're here."

"Yes, he did."

"Can I go back to Bobby's? At least while Dean still needs space?" Persie pondered out loud. "I think I need space, too. I think I need to process what happened to me. I never did that, you know."

"Oh, I know you didn't. You completely refused to talk about it and pretended like nothing ever happened."

"Until I ran away."

"Yup, until you ran away."

The friends lay in each other's embrace for a few moments, cuddling together amidst the pain they were both feeling.

Persie knew Tartarus broke the both of them. They fell in together, they got out together… and now, they're going to heal together.

"I don't want Dean to go to Hell, Annie. That demon-whore said Tartarus is a part of Hell… and I don't think I could handle it if I knew he was there, going through what we did. I don't think I could do it."

Annabeth sighed. "Do we know how to break his deal?"

Persie bit her lip. "We would have to find the crossroads demon that took the deal. But it's possible his soul was sold off to another demon. At least, that's what I've been told by Nico. He said he was looking into trying to find the chain of who the demon was that held Dean's soul, but well, he is a Greek Demigod. That causes some customs issues."

She snorted. "Did he actually use the word customs? Because if he did, that's a genius way to describe the merging of the different mythological worlds."

Persie nodded. "I thought it was pretty good, too." She looked at her friend curiously. "Speaking of customs, how is Magnus?"

Annabeth barked out a laugh. "That's a great question that I don't even know the answer to."

"Just thought I'd ask. He seemed nice enough when we went through sword fighting 101. Hopefully it helps him out."

"I think he appreciated it."

"Good."

Annabeth sighed. "I don't think it's a problem for you to go to Bobby's, by the way. Maybe you'll just need to be careful, though, and make sure you're not running away from the boys. You need to make sure they know you plan on coming back."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that."

She raised a brow. "Did you?"

A pause. "Well, maybe not really, but that sounds like a solid idea that I'll stick with."

"You and Dean will need to make a timeline, then. Of what needing space looks like," Annabeth said, starting to go into full-on daughter of Athena planning-mode. "Whether or not it means a week, two weeks, a month, two months… you will need to figure that out."

Persie let out a groan. "I hate when you speak logic."

"Isn't that the only thing I speak?"

"I won't admit to anything. But please, Annie, will you watch out for the boys for me when I'm gone? They're… in some deep shit, and if I'm gone… I just need to make sure that they'll be okay. And I trust that you're the person who will be able to do that."

Annabeth pursed her lips. "Well, I wasn't planning on running away with you… you know, again, so yeah, of course I will. Plus, at this point I'm a little invested, too."

Persie sighed. "You're lucky I love you, Wise Girl."

She snickered. "Love you too, Seaweed Brain."