Breathe Life Into Me

Shane's been dead for a few hours now and we moved his body to one of the beds with me or Mel wiping his face ever once and a while with a cold towel. Who knew how long this happened? I'd really rather not have a rotting corpse in our room.

"I feel like I'm sitting Shiva" Dean commented.

"Well, that's not..." Sam started but I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. "Nevermind...we need to think. What do we know of that has Jason Bourne fighting skills, dies a lot, and has a history with violent women?"

"I don't know...you?" Dean suggested. I opened my mouth to try and defend Sam but I really couldn't. It was very true. I looked at Sam and tried to hide my laugh when he just shrugged at the accuracy.

Then there was a knock at the door, causing all of us to perk up. Mel went to reach for the doorknob but Dean quickly cut in front of her and hushed her. She scoffed, folding her arms but then I stood up and instinctively got in front of her as well. Dean looked back at us first before opening the door a crack.

"May I help you?" Dean asked, clicking the safety back on and handing back. I quickly grabbed it and shoved it into the back of my pants. "Agent Bonham?" It was a womans voice.

"And you are?"

"This is gonna sound really strange, but I'm looking for a corpse that went missing today. The coroner said that you were the last one to see it. I'm Hayley" Dean opened the door wider to show the rest of us. My eyes went to he boy who was clinging to her leg.

"Uhh this is Agent Jones, Fields and Sims" he gestured to us.

"Why are you looking for our John Doe?" Sam asked.

"Well, his name is Shane. At least, that's what I called him. I'm the mother of his son" she pulled the boy closer. Dean bent down to his level.

"Hey. Why don't you uhh slap me some skin, huh?" He held out his hand but the kid buried his face into his moms leg. "He's shy. It's okay, Oliver..." Suddenly her face froze and Dean stood back up.

"Oh, you weren't supposed to see..."

"It's okay. Stay with the nice FBI agents, Oliver" she pushed her way in to go sit beside Shane on the bed.

I looked down at the kid who stood there unsure of what to do: cry or scream. Mel knelt down beside him. "Hey, I think I saw a swingset right outside. Do you want to join me?" She smiled and offered her hand. He was hesitant but still took it. Her eyes met with all of ours and then headed outside with Oliver. I looked back at Hayley.

"I think some fresh air will be good for all of us" I suggested and she nodded, following us outside.

The three of us sat around a picnic table as Mel swung beside Oliver and Hayley began to tell her story. When she was younger she wen mountain climbing in Eruope with some friends. There was an avalanche that separated her and her friends and that's when she found Shane with his clothes torn and eyes frozen solid. They made it down together though and then they had sex...as he had a heart attack in the middle of it...and paramedics couldn't save him. But when she had to ID the body he came alive again and naturally she ran for the hills. Then nine months later she had Oliver and started her search for Shane...she had given up after a whole...but then started up again....

I looked out the window and watched Shane Hayley and all over bond...catch up...he remembered everything about her...just not any of his accidents. "It sucks" Mel voiced beside me.

"This guy has a curse that prevents him from being normal and have a normal life with his family..." I eyed her carefully...the way she spoke...the way she crossed her arms...the way she stared.... I was curious...do I bring up Jesse? Do I even dare bring up the best time of her life-beig a mother-and remind her how it ended? Do I dare ask us she remembers her worst memory? Do I even want to know?

~

“Did you find anything?” Dean asked Sam.

“Well, uh...looks like we were right about that curse thing. From what I can tell, we're looking at a Titan”

“A Titan? What is that? Like, a God?"

“More like a proto-God, like the Gods before the Gods. They ruled over Greece before Zeus and the rest of the Olympian Gods overthrew them” I explained.

“Okay, so who is this guy?”

“Best I can tell? Prometheus” Sam said.

“Seriously?"

“Yeah"

“Well, didn't he steal fire or something?” Mel asked.

“Yep. He "Ocean's Eleven'd" Mount Olympus and stole the flames of Olympia”

"For what, kicks?”

“For us, actually. Zeus decided to revoke humanity's ability to make fire so we couldn't cook, couldn't stay warm, couldn't see in the dark” I told him.

“Sounds like a monster's paradise. And this guy made it right for us?” Dean inquired.

“Yeah. And in return, Zeus decided to strap him to that mountain and make him relive death every day” Sam said.

“Damn. Every day for how long? No wonder the guy's hard drive is fried. Did you figure out who the Xena-wannabe was?”

“I'm guessing Artemis, Zeus' daughter. She's been known to carry around weapons like that dagger. They're nasty. They'll kill Immortals dead”

“All right. Well, we've never battled a God curse before...” I started. I hope we can break it...

~

“This is an eagle chowing down on your intestines.You don't remember that?” Dean narrowed his eyes at Shane as we had just got done explaining everything to him"

“No” he shrugged.

“Okay, look, I hate to break it to you, but you are Prometheus” Sam insisted.

"Well, then, the best thing for me is to get as far away from them as I can" “Wait. I'm sorry. You just discovered that you have a seven-year-old son, and you want to walk away?” Dean asked incredulous at even the thought.

“And I'm a God. And this God and his daughter are hunting me. What chance do I have?”

“Well we’re going to help you, but we need a plan first” Mel spoke up, smiling.

“And we can’t come up with one here” I added. “Where are we going?" “Someplace safe” Dean assured him.

Suddenly the front door swung open and Hayley came walking in holding Oliver who had a bloody gash on his forehead. “What's happened?” Mel asked immediately. “He fell” she said, laying him down on the bed.

“Do I need to call an ambulance?” Dean asked, grabbing the phone.

“No. Don't” she said quickly.

“He's dying, isn't he?” Shane assumed after analyzing the situation. We all exchanged a look. “I was going to tell you, I just wanted you to have a chance to adjust...”

“Wait a second...he has your curse?” Sam asked.

“What curse?” There was no time. We needed to get out of here now.

We all burst through the main entrance of the bunker, racing down the corridor and over to the main room. Mel quickly flipped the sofa into a bed and Mel instructed Shane to lay Oliver down. “This curse was put on you. Why the kid?” Dean grunted.

“I don't know"

“You keep saying curse. What curse?” Hayley demanded.

“How long has this been happening?” Mel asked quickly.

“Oh, well, I...since he turned seven a few months ago. It started with the dying, and then he stopped talking...”

“Wait, seven? Age seven marks one of the first Greek rites of manhood” I spoke up.

“So, what? Are you saying the curse is hardwired into his programming? How do you know that?” Dean narrowed his eyes at the idea.

“Look at me. I'm sorry that I ran out on you all those years ago. I was scared. I didn't understand what was going on. But we have a child, and whatever you have, he has. I need to know how to stop it. What curse?” Hayley cried to Shane ad he just looked at her helplessly.

~

“Okay, so Ollie's dad is a Greek God who has been cursed to die every day by Zeus. And you guys are...Ghostbusters. Am I getting this right?” Hayley paced around as we gathered around one of the main tables.

“Well, you know, due to the fact that your son is currently, albeit temporarily, dead, I'm gonna let that one slide” Dean said smugly. “You have to realize this sounds crazy”

“It's true. I didn't believe it myself at first, but it's the only thing that makes sense” Shane said. “Look, the faster you wrap your brain around this, the faster we can solve the problem” Mel said gently.

“Solve the problem? I'm just not even sure I understand the problem”

“All right. So, the way we usually handle this is we summon the bastard and we work him over until he undoes whatever it is he did” Dean explained. “Summon Zeus"

“Yes"

“And if he doesn't want to undo it?"

“Then we take him out” Sam said simply.

“And hopefully, the curse dies along with him” I added.

“This can't be happening” she ran her hands over her face.

We heard some heaving and coughing coming from the living room. “This I can handle” she established and walked over to her son. I moved my chair closer to Shane to show him my seriousness and still try to be sincere.

“Listen, you can run and hide and die for all eternity. It's your choice. But the four of us are gonna go after Zeus...with or without you” I told him. He thought about it for a moment but he didnt hesitate.

“I'm in” he nodded.

Silence filled the bunker for the next couple hours. We were all pulling out book after book, researching whatever we could find, doing everything we could to find the thing that would end this once and for all, to help Oliver and Shane move on with normal lives...so far we had nothing. “Here we go” Dean said, holding a book in his arms.

“What you got?” Sam asked. “Dragon penis” We just stared at him blankly.

“What?” Mel, Sam and I all narrowed our eyes at him.

“Ancient Greek hunter by the name of Drakopoolos. Near as I can tell, he was a badass whose name, incidentally, is Greek...”

“No, no, no. I got that. Thanks, Ace” Sam interrupted him.

I looked over at Mel who was concerned for Oliver. “How is he?”

“He’s fine...” she started but then looked at the rest of us. “Please, keep going” she encouraged.

“Right, so, uh, Drakopoolos tangled with Zeus back in the day, and the Men of Letters translated his journal" Dean continued.

“The Men of Letters?” Shane inquired.

“It's a secret society. This is actually their lair. We're legacies” he grinned, clearly impressed with himself. I rolled my eyes.

"No big deal or anything...” he muttered, averting his eyes from ours.

“Okay. So, it says here he summoned Zeus into a trap and found out how to kill him” Sam voiced instead, reading from his own book. “And what's that?” Shane wondered. I looked over Sam’s shoulder. “Wood from a tree struck by lightning” I read aloud.

“Right. So, it says we need two things for the summon: frozen energy from the hand of Zeus, and the bone of a worshipper” Sam informed us.

“Frozen energy...you thinking fulgurite?" Dean asked.

“Well, it makes sense” he shrugged.

“All right. You and Mel get on the web, see if there's any Greeks nearby that are still worshipping the Old Gods”

“On it” Sam spoke as Mel nodded as she took out her own computer.

“What about the wood? Is that easy to find?" Shane asked.

“With a little bit of luck” I nodded, trying to assure him.

“Wait...this journal just ends...” Hayely voiced.

“What do you mean?" I asked.

“I mean, how do we know if Drako-whatever survived? How do we know Zeus didn't get to him?”

“We dont know” Mel told her.

“How do we know this is going to work?”

“We never know for sure, but these books are pretty good...” I tried.

“So, we're hanging our lives on the writings of a dead man who...is named after genitalia?” Hayley narrowed her eyes.

“It's a loose translation...” Dean murmured.

“Experts” She wasnt buying any of this.

“All right. Listen to this. Greek pagans two towns over. Best part? They have an obit page with cemeteries” Mel explained, showing us the computer page. “All right. You three are on grave duty. We'll handle the B&E” Dean instructed.

“We'll be in touch” Sam nodded and him, Mel and Shane got up to leave. But then Sam and Mel stopped in place, hesitating to move any further. They both turned and Mel’s eyes went to Dean as Sam’s eyes find mine.

“Should we...do you want to...” Mel started. I opened my mouth but no words came out...I wanted to go with Sam...but we couldnt just always depend on one another...that’s how it ends....

“No. You two go...we can’t put our feelings first...we have a case that needs our undivided attention...” Dean said but it sounded like he was choking out the words.

None of us were in any position to argue though. He was right. We needed to focus. So I stood there as Dean tossed the keys to the Impala over to Sam and we just walked the three of them walk out and complete their part of the mission.

“B&E? You mean, breaking and entering? What for?” Hayley interrupted our thoughts.

“Well, the book calls for fulgurite. It's a little hard to come by. The last time we needed it, we stole it from a one-percenter” I explained absentmindedly as Dean opened the laptop back up.

“You do know that fulgurite is available in crystal shops all over, right?” Hayley asked. We both looked at each other, then at her.

“Really?” we asked.

“Yeah. The new age people, they use it to make cheap jewelry” “Hmm” Dean shut the computer.

~

After we picked up the fulgurite we met back up with Shane, Sam and Mel at a warehouse factory once they grabbed the bone. “You have to remember is this is not about asking for his help, okay? He's not your friend. It's about getting him to do what's right” I reminded Hayley as we walked on inside.

She nodded as Dean went forward to place the bowl down on the floor and once he put the ingredients in he lit a match and tossed it into the bowl. Lights began to flicker as thunder sounded, echoing within the walls and then lightning struck through the roof and into the bowl, followed by an even bigger lightning bolt that transformed into a man who stood before us trapped in the Devil’s trap specialized for Gods. He was in the vessel of someone in his later 50s with gray hair, a light mustache and he was in a suit and tie. A small smile played at his lips as he eyed each of us.

“Oh, come now. Can't we do this civilized?” he spoke, seeing the stake in Shane’s hand.

“Well, it depends on you. All we need is to break a curse you put on a little kid. So, how about you say, "yes," and we all go home?” Dean instructed.

He ignored Dean though and looked at Shane. “Nice to see you again, Prometheus. All cleaned up. I've been looking for you” he nodded and I watched his eyes flickered to Oliver once.

“It's gone too far, Zeus. Break the curse” Shane demanded. “It's your child who has the affliction. Interesting”

“What's it gonna be? The easy way or we could do this the hard way” Dean grunted.

“Break the trap, dear man, and I'll break the curse”

“No dice. Fix the kid” Mel voiced, glaring at the lightning God.

“Going once...”

“Don't be that guy” Dean sighed.

“Going twice...”

“Hey, you can rot here for all I care”

“Yes, and the child will continue to suffer” We all exchanged a look.

“Let’s go” Mel established and I looked at Dean.

He nodded back at me and we all went to walk out. “He needs me, and you know it!” he called from his spot.

I felt Hayley trailing behind...and then she ran back to Zeus and started breaking the circle with her boot. “Hayley, no!” Dean yelled at her.

“Now save my son” she requested.

“What do you say? Shall we try this the hard way?” he stepped outside the circle and rolled up his cufflinks.

Then lightning bolts shot down at all of us, knocking us across the floor. My whole body went numb and the tips of my fingers and toes were tingling as the ringing got louder and louder in my ears and I could smell a mix of burning flesh and singed hair.

“Bring forth the child. Please” Zeus spoke to Hayley.

I forced myself up to my hands and knees right as Mel grabbed the stake and she began to inch forward as Shane, Dean, Sam and I stayed close behind her. Then she lunged up and we followed her lead but before she could reach Zeus, some kind of force lifted Mel off the ground and across the room. I didnt even see Dean running for her until I saw he jumped behind her to hold onto her and block the impact as the two of them hit the wall and then fell to the ground. Then suddenly I was weightless as Sam and I flew to the opposite wall and we were held there, stuck with the pressure up against us. “I trust you've met my daughter” Zeus smiled as the woman in leather-who tried to kill Shane-stepped out into the moonlight for us to see her. Her hands twisted, adding more pressure on our bodies, I could feel the cement walls cracking.

“Hayley, don't do it” Dean grunted.

“This is the son of Prometheus. And he's cursed to suffer death every day. I must admit, I could never have conceived such a horrible fate for such a beautiful child. Just goes to show, we must all leave room for happy accidents"

“What does that mean? I don't understand” Hayley asked.

“Tell me, has Prometheus experienced the child's death yet?” he asked and she nodded.

“How did he take it? Did he hurt?” She nodded again.

“Good” Thennhe shot his two fingers at Shane and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

“Imagine a thousand children all dying in unison. Only then would you understand my pain. But we can't always have what we want, so...one will have to do” he shrugged, looking at Oliver.

“No...” Hayley started but Zeus started to clench his fist and Hayley fell to the floor, holding her throat, struggling to breathe as well.

“I have a special job for you, my little friend” he bent down to Oliver’s height and suddenly Hayley was able to breathe again. “Artemis” he commanded. She stepped forward and the four of us fell to our feet. “Move” she ordered as she pointed down a hallway. We all exchanged a look and then preceeded to walk as she stayed a few steps behind us.

“So, you know who this is, guys? Walking us to our deaths?” Sam spoke first. “Don't know. Don't care” Dean sighed.

“It's our God, Artemis. The Goddess of Hunters...”

“Oh, that's fascinating”

“See, she's who we'd pray to for courage when hunting the Gorgon or the Minotaur...” Sam started and Dean gave him a look. No time to give your brother a history lesson, Sammy.... I looked to Mel as she smirked and winked at me as she contributed to Sam’s lecture.

“Of course, she's not really worship worthy anymore, having lost a step and all...” she shrugged.

I jumped when Artemis grabbed Mel with her hand to pull Mel’s hair back and slam her up against the wall. We all moved to fight for her but Artemis waved her hand toward and we slammed back into the wall...Dean’s body spun, though, going face first into the cement.

“Really, Sam? Trash-talking a God? Seriously?” he grunted.

“Still at full power?Really? Then why did it take you seven years to track down Prometheus?” Mel continued to taunt Artemis, choking out her words and gasping for breath as Artemis continued to squeeze her hand around Mel’s neck.

“He was hiding” she argued.

“Hiding from you? So the God of Hunters couldn't find a shack in Montana? Maybe it's that you didn't want to find him” Sam mocked her. She picked Mel off the wall and slammed her back up against it. I could see the wind getting knocked out of her.

“Do you want me to kill her?!” she hissed at us.

“Sam!” Dean chided.

“Your dad’s gonna kill that kid, ya know?” I said quickly, trying a different approach.

“Don't worry. He'll come back. Unlike you” I watched her glide the blade across Mel’s face.

“He was...in love with you...he told us” Mel choked in between words and breaths she managed to steal. We all exchanged a subtle look.

“You lie”

“Believe whatever you want” Her face was twisting, turning blue.

“What did he say to you?” she eyed her forcefully.

“This wasn't the first time he escaped that mountain, and that you let him go free as long as you could hide your little tryst from the old man” I said quickly. Mel couldnt hold out much longer.

“The hell he said. His brain is mush”

“Oh, yeah? Then how did I know? What, have you spilled it to anyone? Homer? Hesiod? Herodotus? Of course not...” I was suddenly nervous and now all of my babble was just coming right out of my ass. But I had to keep going if I wanted to distract her from killing Mel. “You were afraid big daddy would find out that you fell for the person he hates most in this world. Of course, when he saw the zombie article, it kind of forced your hand, and you had to come hunt him down no matter how much it hurt”

“You know what? Go ahead. Kill us. And let your father slaughter that boy. Over and over again. That won't leave a mark” Sam added.

I watched her eyes as she dropped her arms and Dean rushed to Mel’s side as she collapsed to the floor. Artemis didn’t want Oliver to suffer...she loved Shane...so she felt obligated to have feelings for the kid as well since he belonged to the love of her life. She was just a woman who wanted all of the torture to be over and for her lover to be happy...isnt that kind of what we all want?

“You like being an immortal, don't you? Oh, sure, you die every day, but nothing can keep you dead. It's almost like taking a little nap. All of your cares and worries disappear for a little while. Well, it's sleepy time, my dear boy.” Zeus spoke as he knelt in front of Oliver.

Shane was sprawled out on the floor and he looked like he was an amateur who walked into a wrestling ring and got the crap beat out of him. Artimis whipped out a bow and arrow and pointed at Zeus.

“This has to stop, father” her voice boomed as we stayed behind her.

“Stop? I'm only just getting started” he smiled.

“You've done enough”

“I am doing this for us, for our kind. He is the reason we're here and not ruling the world. He's the reason they have forgotten all about us” he gestured down to Shane, getting frustrated.

“Let them go. All of them" “I am your father, and you will obey me.

“You were once my father. Now you're someone else” A tear slid down her cheek as she fired the arrow. But then Zeus grabbed Shane to use him as a shield and the arrow went right through Shane’s torso.

“I never get tired of watching you die” he laughed in Shane’s ear.

“Your boy is going on the mountain” he established, looking back at Hayley and Oliver with a sad look in his eye.

But then he grabbed the end of the arrow with both hands and started to push it through his body so it began to exit out the other side and he impaled Zeus with the same arrow. Lightning began to flash as wind began to blow and shatter the sky windows around and above us. We all spun away from the falling glass and the sparatic lightning bolts and I felt Sam covering my body with his own, holding me close.

When the noise subsided we all turned back to the center of the building as Artemis set her bow down and began to make her way over to the two dead bodies. She pulled out the arrow and tossed it to the side as she grabbed hold of her father’s hand and then Shane’s hand. Then she looked up at Hayley and released Shane’s hand and in a moment her and Zeus were gone. All she wanted...was for the love of her life to be happy...it’s all any of us ever want....

So much for saving the poor bastard. After Artemis’ arrow Shane never woke up. I guess it’s different for when a God kills another God...I guess you just stay dead.

“Well, here's to that crazy little wild card called love” Dean commented as we all gathered together on the hood of the Impala and Dean passed out our food. “How did you know Artemis had the hots for Prometheus, anyway?” he asked Mel.

“All she wanted was for him to be happy...for them to be happytogether...” she smiled, biting into her burger.

“Yea, how could you two not see it?” I voiced, winking at Mel and she smiled even bigger. “Well...at least the kid’s alright” Dean nodded.

“You know...I'm starting to think maybe I was being naive...maybe we both were...” he looked at Mel as we all looked back at him.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“When we said that we could just will myself into coming out of these trials unscathed...” Mel spoke, knowing very well what he was talking about.

“No, no, no. Stop with the sullen emo crap, all right? Neither of you are gonna die like Prometheus” Dean stated.

“How do you know, Dean? Bobby, Rufus, now Prometheus...you think any of them chose death? No. The life chose for them” Sam said.

“Yeah, well, you promised, okay? You promised to live a long, Clark Griswold life full of prostate exams and colonoscopies, all right? You're not welshing on that deal, not on my watch. If you die, it's gonna be because of something normal”

“Like a heart attack?” he made a face at his burger.

“Exactly. Now eat it” I held it up to his face and he smiled at me before taking a bite.

Dean’s

Brit and Sam hung back, sitting on the outside stoop and staring up at the stars as I took Mel’s hand and led her inside. “Dean...I...” she started and stopped in her tracks. I looked back at her and shook my head.

“You said I would be able to bring you back. You believe I can bring you back...”

“Yea, when it comes to my memory but these trials are...”

“Are nothing. They dont change anything. It’s either all or nothing, Mel. Can you believe that I’ll always be there when you need me...” She smiled sadly. “Of course I believe you’ll always be there...I’ll always believe in you...”

When she says stuff like that to me I lose all sense of control. She makes me feel like I’m on top of the world...just from the way she looks at me...from the way she talks to me...the way she thinks about me....

“Are you coming to my room tonight or would you like some time alone with your room?” she smirked with that playful look in her eye.

“When I’m alone with you, that’s all the alone time I need”

Her eyes widened at me and she gave me a look saying, “Who knew he could be that smooth?” Honestly I didnt know I had it in me either...it doesnt usually show unless we’re together...like we are now.... “Just give me a few minutes to go grab some stuff” She nodded, kissing my cheek and her lips lingers there for a long moment before she headed upstairs.

I quickly went to my room, shutting the door fast as I paced back and forth for a few minutes. I tossed my jacket to the side and fell onto the bed, slouching over the edge and I ran a hand over my face. I’ve tried already...he hasnt been answering...I had to keep trying though...I promised....

“Cas, you got your ears on? Listen, you know I am not one for praying, 'cause in my book it's...it's the same as begging. But this is about Sam and Melissa...so I need you to hear me. We are going into this deal blind...and I don't know what's ahead or what it's gonna bring for them. Now, they’re covering pretty good, but I know that they’re hurting, and this one was supposed to be on me. So, for all that we've been through, I'm asking you...you keep a lookout for my little brother and my girl okay?” I looked around...unsure of what to expect but hoping he would come.

I shot to my feet. “Where the hell are you man? Melissa’s in trouble...whatever you did inside her head...it didnt work!” I kicked my foot through the wall next to my nightstand and instantly cursed myself. “This is Melissa I’m talking about, man...you’re supposed to be here...” I shook my head, frustrated as I fought back my tears but it was no use. Nothing was working....