Story 3: An Army of Brothers

The heroic brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, await the battle in the underground bunker of their organization, “Men of Letters,” against the demons and the king of hell. Dean calls upon an old friend to help them in their time of need. Their friend has been missing for quite some time.

“Cas, I know you can hear me. Sam and I haven’t heard from you in a while and we’re starting to get worried. We want to know if you’re okay. We need you right now. Just give us a sign or something, man.” Castiel suddenly appears right before Dean’s eyes. “Dude, what the hell? You haven’t been returning our calls and you don’t appear when we pray or speak to you. You had us worried sick. Where the hell have you been?”

“I’m...sorry...I know I haven’t been around or answered you guys,” Castiel hesitantly apologizes.

“The hell you haven’t,” Dean retaliates in an offended tone.

“Dean. I’m sure he has his reasons. Just let him explain.” Sam, the calm brother, attempts to reassure Dean.

Castiel begins to explain that he has been helping various people and fighting his own battles up in heaven with his fellow angel brothers and sisters. Dean, still upset, tries to fight the urge not to yell at Castiel, but he snaps anyway.

“You could have just let us know, Cas! A simple “do not disturb” or something. I don’t know. You can’t just disappear and say nothing, expecting us not to call for you. And what do you mean you've been helping other people??”

“He’s right, Cas. I mean, I know we haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately, but the least you could have done was let us know everything was okay. Or maybe, let us help you.” Sam intervenes, siding with Dean for the first time in a while.

Hurt by his own actions, Castiel attempts to make amends. “Again, I’m sorry. I had to help the people that were caught in the crossfires of our battle. Some of the angels have been resorting to the humans on earth as retaliation for me helping you guys. But that's a story for another time. I’m here now. I can make it up to you guys. Just let me know what you guys need.”

“It’s okay, Cas. We’re here for you too, man. There is one thing. The gates of hell are opening in 24 hours,” Sam says with his eyebrows scrunched with worry. Dean still feeling tense, hasn't exactly come to terms with Cas just yet, but will set aside the issues for the big battle.

“I know...there has been talk in heaven,” Castiel replies, hesitantly.

“Will you help us fight?” Sam asks him.

“I’m not sure any of the angels will help me after I’ve neglected our home and our father. I will try and gather as many angels, I believe, that can help us. I hope they will take our side.”

“Good luck.” Dean wishes Castiel well, as he disappears from the bunker.

~~~

After Castiel disappears, Sam and Dean discuss how they will encounter the demons and the king of hell. They discuss what weapons they will need to fight and who they can round up, on earth, to help them fight as well. The apocalypse happened once before, so it wasn’t about to happen again, not on their watch.

Two hours later and Castiel reappears. “I’ve gathered ten of our best angels to help fight. They are willing to set aside our differences to close the gates of hell. That’s the best I can do.”

“Thanks, Cas. You tried and that’s all that counts,” Sam says with a soft smile.

“Yeah, thanks, I guess. We gathered a few more hunters to help us, too.” Dean lets Castiel know that they’ve tried as well.

Castiel curiously asks the brothers, “I know there is more at stake with the world, but how are you guys still okay with asking me for help, especially you, Dean? I didn't tell you guys where I was going and just disappeared without a trace.”

“Cas, you’re our brother. We couldn’t have gotten through all of the battles we went through, without you. From getting the cult back to saving Sam from dying, you were there with us through it all. We owe you. We get why you left, so we forgive you. We need you and I think you need us too, man,” Dean responds, realizing Cas's confusion about whether they are okay or not.

“Dean’s right, Cas. I wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for you. We’ll always stand by your side and we hoped you would do the same for us,” Sam states, agreeing with Dean.

Castiel smiles a slight smile, speechless by what they’ve said. They continue to work on their plan the rest of the day. Nearing the final hour, they venture off to battle and enact their plan of attack. By the break of dawn, they defeat the demons and the king of hell. They seal the gates of hell shut, again.

Author's Note: The original story I decided to recreate was of Krishna and His Army. The story begins with two men, Duryodhana and Arjuna, seeking aid from Krishna, for a great battle to come. They travel to Dwaraka where Krishna resides and they meet each other at the same time to ask him for his aid. They find Krishna sleeping and wait for him to wake up with Duryodhana by his head and Arjuna by his feet. Once he awakens, he locks eyes with Arjuna first and asks why they are there. Duryodhana asks for Krishna's help first. Krishna offers the choice between his whole army of ten crore or himself to help them. Because Arjuna's the youngest, he chooses first and chooses Krishna while Duryodhana takes the soldiers. Krishna questions Arjuna's decision and he explains his love for Krishna and knows his strength to win. They ride off into battle together and they win in the end.

I decided to take on another T.V. series remake and utilized the show, Supernatural. I had Sam play as Duryodhana and Dean as Arjuna, while Castiel acted as Krishna. Although Duryodhana and Arjuna aren't siblings, I wanted to keep with the story of the show, where Sam and Dean are brothers asking for help from an angel rather than a god. And in the end, they would come together as a family without one being more selfish than the other and still winning a huge battle. I tried to keep with the interaction between Arjuna and Krishna, which is why I had Dean be so emotional, because the show captures their relationship as well. Some parts of my story were in the show, but I changed it up, incorporating an apocalypse and scenes from different episodes into one. I hope you all enjoy!

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata - The Story of the Great War - Krishna and His Army by Annie Besant.