"Who said anything about bargaining?" Aphrodite's voice interrupted. There was silence in the room beyond now - it seemed as though Ares had taken Sam and Becky elsewhere for the time being, probably to protect the girl from herself in her madness. "There are ways to get to the Underworld without attracting our uncle's attention, you know."

Apollo frowned at his sister. "He can't go alone," he pointed out. "Hades would relish the chance to trap his soul. Someone will have to go along to keep the old demon occupied for as long as possible."

"You realize it's a trap," Dean pointed out. "I don't know how, but somehow he made Becky kill Jo knowing I'd stop at nothing to get her back." It was the only explanation that made sense, and it only deepened the hatred Dean already felt for the God of the Underworld. The fact that they were talking about him like he wasn't there wasn't helping matters any. "And you can't go with me," he said, looking to Apollo with an expression that brooked no argument. He's seen firsthand what would happen to the world if anything happened to Apollo, and there were bigger things to consider here than just retrieving Jo's soul.

"Why not?" Apollo demanded immediately, but Ayden was already speaking.

"It might not be a trap, Dean," his sister told him quietly, gently rocking his son against her shoulder as Bertie calmed. "Hades ....he sets plans in motion to happen as pre-emptive revenge for his own death, plans that he knows he will never see happen. But has he ever done anything that suggests he's thinking beyond the immediate reward" What if this is more to do with pleasing himself, than with hurting you?"

"Are you saying this isn't personal?" Dean said, eyes flashing with anger as he looked to his sister, but the rage in his eyes wasn't directed at her so much as at Hades. "Are you gonna try and tell me he's not to blame for all this" He took Jo from me. He's responsible for her death, and if that isn't personal, I don't know what is."

Ayden knelt beside her brother, looking into his eyes, showing him the proof in her own gaze that he was not the only one hurting over the damage done to their family. "I didn't say he wasn't to blame," she said, her voice firm but quiet. "But think about it, Dean. You took his mate, his wife, his queen, away from him. He couldn't touch Jo before now because she was pregnant and because she was a new mother. They used Becky to do it. But Apollo says Jo isn't dead, she's just not here. So what does Hades think he can do with her soul in the Underworld that means she would think any differently of him when her soul comes back to her body' An eye for an eye, perhaps?"

Dean thought long and hard about what his sister was telling him, but it didn't make him any less angry. In fact, it only made him hate Hades more. He'd started this war, not Dean, and while he wasn't happy about Persephone's death, he believed it was Hades who was to blame for it. Who had thrown the first stone, drawn the first blood" Did it even matter anymore" "That just makes it even more personal," Dean replied, but he'd gotten his sister's drift. "Call Ellen and tell her and Bobby to get over here," he told his sister, as he very gently scooped Jo's lifeless body up into his arms. No one was going to touch her but him.

"I will," Ayden promised him, easing back as he lifted his wife into his arms.

Apollo rose with him, offering one last suggestion. "Somewhere with space for a fight," he suggested. "If we do this, Hades will be right on your tail when you get back."

"When, not if, and you're not coming with me," Dean told the Olympian, though his voice had softened some, no longer sounding angry at least where that particular Olympian was concerned. Apollo had been briefed after Dean's return from the future, hence, he didn't think any further explanation was needed. Someone would accompany him, but it wouldn't be Apollo and not Ares either. That said, Dean started toward the library with Jo cradled in his arms.

He was not disturbed as he bore Jo's body through the house, the sounds of preparations around him barely making an impact. The sound of Ellen and Bobby arriving were unmistakable, however. No one could miss Ellen making an appearance.

"You, young woman, need to go and be with your husband," the older woman was saying, ignoring any and all complaints Ayden was offering. "If Hades is coming into this house, no expectant mother will be here for it. Take Bertie with you, so he's safe; you can bring him back later. You, Miss Snooty ....take her someplace safe."

There was a long pause, and finally Aphrodite spoke. "I beg your pardon?"

Dean was relieved to hear Ellen's voice radiating through the house. As much as his heart ached, he was confident she'd take charge and have things under control in a heartbeat. He knew his son was already missing his mother, but if they ever wanted to see Jo again, he had to focus his energy on how to get her back. He chose the library as the best place for a final showdown. Though it might not offer much in the way of comfort for Jo, it was fairly easy to defend and roomy enough for a fight.

Bobby was sent his way, to help prepare the space, as Ellen corralled the troops in the main room of the house, overriding any and all protests and arguments. Even the Olympians gave way eventually, with Aphrodite huffily keeping out of Ellen's way to summon someone in her own time as Apollo took Ayden and Bertie to Greece for the time being. When, finally, it seemed as though everything was under control, Ellen came to the door of the library, her jaw clenching at the sight of the lifeless form laid reverently on the desk. In her hand was the Hind's Blood Dagger.

"We're all set to go here," she said calmly. "Dean, you got a choice who you want to go with you. Miss Snooty out there, or Apollo's sister, the Huntress. They both volunteered."

"What if this doesn't work?" Dean asked quietly, as he stood beside Jo, unable to tear his eyes away from her deathly pale, too-still features. This was a question he wouldn't have dared ask anyone but Ellen. Though she might not be his blood, she was the closest thing to a mother he had ever known since childhood, and he trusted her advice and her opinion above all others.

Gently closing the door behind her, Ellen moved over to him, wrapping her arm about his shoulders. She didn't want to consider this admittedly haphazard plan not going as they needed it to, but she understood that he needed to ask. "Then we'll find a way to go back and change things. Your kids did it; you can do it, too." She sighed softly. "Look, I'm not happy about trusting them, either," she assured him in her matter-of-fact way. "But the fact remains that Apollo's never done us a bad turn, and he's the one says she's still alive, just not in her body. So you go and get her, and bring her back to her body, and we'll beat the ever-living crap out of anyone who tries to bust in here uninvited."

"I will," he told her, refusing to believe he would fail, and if he did, they'd find another way. Now that he had Jo back, he wasn't going to let her go so easily as he had once before. There was no time for mushy farewells, and even if there were, he knew Ellen and Bobby would rather he were brave. "Be ready," he told them both as he laid himself down beside Jo, too cold beside him. Death's Scythe was heavy and all too familiar in Dean's hands.

"Don't you worry. We'll give him one hell of a fight, boy," Bobby assured him, which was about as sentimental as the older man was going to get.

Ellen nodded, stepping back to stand beside her husband, as ready for a fight as he was, though neither of them could promise to be able to kill an Olympian without severe injury to themselves in the process. Artemis watched them quietly, waiting with the patience of a hunter for the moment when Dean's soul would leave his body and allow her to take him to the Underworld.

"Bottoms up," Dean muttered before tossing back the potion in the vial Artemis had given him. It wasn't the worst-tasting stuff he'd ever had, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either. That done, he handed Bobby the vial and laid back his head, ready for the worst. There was no preparing for a trip to the Underworld, and even if there was, he couldn't be sure what to expect.

It wasn't spectacular, that much was for sure. For a long moment, it seemed as though nothing was happening. Then a deep heaviness settled over his body, a sensation of movement even though he wasn't moving, and Artemis reached out, her hand passing into his mortal form to take hold of his soul and pull him forth, unseen by the people he loved.

"Are you ready?" she asked, ignoring the confusion on Bobby and Ellen's faces.

It was a strange sensation, to be sure, but it wasn't the first time Dean Winchester had died prematurely or forced his own death in order to accomplish some goal. There were some who probably thought he was a little bit crazy, but as the old saying goes, there was a method to his madness. He felt strange, almost weightless for a moment, until Artemis spoke, reminding him he wasn't really dead - not yet.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied. The thought of traveling to the Underworld wasn't a pleasant one, seeing as how he'd already been to Hell, but he had a feeling he was going to find the Underworld a very different place.

"Then brace yourself."

As his soul took form, she gripped his shoulder, and the world went white. When the brightness faded, they were in a strange, shadowy place, filled with darkness, illuminated only by the flicker of torches that burned with a sickly green light. The air was filled with the muted cries of souls in torment. Artemis shuddered, looking around them.

"Tartarus," she said in disgust. "Of course he would be here, rather than any other of his realms." Glancing about, she gestured ahead of them, to where a glowing line of silver blue stretched out ahead of them. "Your wife's thread," she told him. "We should follow it."

Dean had to close his eyes against the brightness, which was in stark contrast to the darkness that followed. He mirrored Artemis' shudder, mostly at the hopeless cries of the souls in torment. Once upon a time, he had been one of those souls, and though it had been a different time and place, the horror of it had been burned upon his soul so that he'd never forget it. "Why here?" he asked, hoping to God - if He even still existed - that Jo wasn't one of the souls in torment.

"He's become darker, more twisted, since we were last in the cycle," Artemis shrugged, moving to follow the thread. Here, in this place, she was no longer garbed as a modern woman; here, she wore leather armor, soft boots, and was armed with daggers, and a bow and arrows. "His throne used to be in a realm of its own. Now, it would seem, he prefers to be among the tormented."

Dean might not know much about the Underworld, but he knew from his studies that Tartarus was the deepest and darkest of Hades' realms. It would be the hardest to find, and the hardest to escape from if anyone - like them - was foolish enough to dare go there uninvited. Dean made no comment on Hades' preference regarding the location of his throne. It didn't much matter to him where it was so long as they left with Jo. If he had any ideas why the God of the Underworld might prefer this realm over others, he kept it to himself. "I've always wondered how Zeus ended up with Olympus and Hades ended up here. I know what the legends say, but I mean, what?s the real story' I can't say I much blame him for being angry at drawing the short straw."

Artemis smirked faintly. "I wasn't born then," she told him, "but I know the real story, as you call it. Hades didn't choose sides in the fight against the Titans. Zeus and Poseidon did; they sided with the angels and the demons against their own parents, because they loved humanity. But when the fighting was over, and the angels had been cast down, Hades demanded an equal share in the ruling of the world. So Zeus and Poseidon suggested that he have the portion that contained the most souls." She flickered a grin toward Dean. "He was too greedy to think about it properly, or he would have realized that meant the realms of the dead. He snatched at what he saw as a great prize, and has resented it ever since. But it was his own stupidity that put him here."

"That sucks for him, I guess," Dean remarked. One stupid mistake, and Hades had made himself the self-proclaimed Ruler of the Dead. He didn't exactly feel sorry for him, but it helped him understand him a little better.

"He was allowed to keep Persephone more out of pity for him than any bargain that was struck," Artemis added. "None of us believed she would ever love him, and yet she did. There is something of the noble in him, still, though it may have been utterly destroyed by her death. I do not know this being who is my uncle, Dean. I can no more understand him than you can." She paused, laying a hand on his arm. "When you retrieve Jo, you must follow her thread back to this point. Make sure you are holding onto her when you get here. When she reaches the end of her thread, she will be thrown back into her body. If you are not in contact with her at that point, you will be trapped here - there is no thread for you to follow."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of staying here any longer than I have to," he assured her, touched by her concern, even if he didn't let her know it. He paused a moment before continuing. "You realize we're probably gonna have to kill him ....unless you can come up with a better idea," he said, feeling she at least deserved to know that, considering how she was helping them. It didn't matter much to Dean either way what happened to Hades, so long as his family was safe and the world wouldn't burn under his rule, but he thought Artemis might feel differently.

"If I can kill him here and save you the trouble, I will," was the surprising response to his honesty. Silver eyes found his calmly. "I am the Watcher, the Huntress. I preside over all hunters. Hades has harmed those I pride myself on watching over. If I can end him and save that task falling to one of my own, then I will. If not ....it will fall to you and yours to do it."

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," Dean murmured again, though he wasn't too sure who or what had come first. It wasn't so much a question of the chicken or the egg as it was a question of Creation. Had the Bible gotten it right or not' Death had once claimed that even God would be reaped one day, but Dean wasn't so sure about that. If there even was a God. He paused as she turned away from the thread. "Why are we going that way?"

She met his gaze with solemn eyes. "Listen." In the shifting sound of the shadowy darkness around them, there were voices to be heard, voices that would grow clearer the closer they got. They no longer needed the thread to find their way to Jo, and approaching from a different direction was a sounder tactic than simply walking into danger.

Dean didn't need to be told whose voices those were; he would have recognized Jo's voice anywhere. It figured that she was likely talking to Hades, but what he really wanted to know was what was being said, and the closer they got, the angrier he became. Jo was his wife, and he figured the only reason Hades had brought her here was to make Dean feel the same grief Hades felt when they'd killed Persephone.

Unfortunately for Hades, it sounded as though Jo was giving him more grief than Dean was feeling. She was certainly strident, her voice growing clearer the closer the two hunters crept through the jagged rocks, until they found themselves well hidden but able to see Hades' throne. The King of the Underworld was seated on the dark stone throne, rubbing his temple with one hand as Jo's voice rose in fury from where she was chained to the rock wall beneath him.

"....and another thing," she was declaring, "what the hell do you expect to gain from this, huh' You seriously think anyone is ever going to forgive you for this" You think I am ever going to forgive you for what you've done to my husband, to my son' You're nothing but a turd on my shoe, and no amount of presents or pretty dresses is ever going to change that!"

As angry as he was, Dean had to stifle his own laughter at the scolding Jo was giving Hades. The Olympian looked like he just might have bitten off more than he could chew, and Dean couldn't help wondering if he regretted bringing her here. If he'd been hoping for a docile bride, he sure as hell was finding out how wrong he'd been.

"Your wife has an arresting voice," Artemis murmured under her breath, her silver eyes studying the area around the throne. What few guards there were seemed to be hybrids, likely the only beings Hades could consider loyal to himself at this point in time. Carefully, she unsheathed one of her daggers, handing it to Dean. "Hephaestus forged my weapons, they will break those chains at one blow. And they will kill hybrids. Wait until Hades has left this place before you break cover."

"What if he takes her with him?" he asked, murmuring quietly back, though it didn't seem likely. Hades had Jo chained to a wall and guarded by hybrids - an escape didn't seem very likely.

Artemis flashed him a wicked smirk. "He's going to be a little too busy to care," she assured Dean with a nod. One hand squeezed his shoulder gently. "Remember ....wait until he leaves this place before you break cover. I will keep him occupied as long as I can, but I cannot make promises as to how long that will be. If you have a choice between running or fighting ....run." She eased up onto the balls of her feet, moving further into the darkness of the rocks, to find the best place from which to launch her attack. Quite why none of the Olympians had attacked Hades here before wasn't immediately obvious, but then, Dean was one of the few mortals who knew the truth. It was all about the souls.

Dean nodded his understanding. As much as he'd like to shove the dagger into Hades himself or take down a few of his pets, the only thing that was really important was getting Jo's soul out of here and returning her to her body. If Hades was foolish enough to follow, then maybe Dean would get a chance to kill him; but for now, he had to focus on rescuing Jo. "I don't need long," he assured her, or at least, he hoped not.

Below him, Jo was still in full voice, listing her opinions of Hades, his minions, his policies, his actions, and even his personal appearance in debilitating detail. She was enough of a distraction all on her own, though not if you considered that getting her out of there was the aim here. Artemis disappeared into the rocks, moving silently until Dean could no longer see her, or hear her. He had to wait for her to be ready, and that wait was almost interminable. Until, quite suddenly and without warning, an arrow flashed from the darkness on the far side of the throne to plunge deep into Hades' chest.

The God of the Dead roared in pain and anger, arching up from where he sat even as he snapped the arrow shaft with one hand. "Where are you?" he thundered. "How dare you attack me here? Come out and fight!"

Yet his only answer was the sound of girlish laughter that seemed to come from all around him. Snarling, Hades drew his spear from where it rested against his throne, some instinct unknown to mortals allowing him to block the next arrow as it shot toward him from the darkness.

"Guard her," he commanded the hybrids around him, pointing at a now dumbstruck Jo. "Artemis! The hunter becomes the hunted!"

Artemis' laughter echoed back to him once again, enraging Hades further as he plunged from his throne and into the darkness of the mountainous peaks that surrounded that place, every footstep a crack of thunder that shook the realm around him.

Dean hoped Artemis knew what she was doing, and he also hoped she'd evade Hades' desire for revenge, but he knew this was the chance he'd been waiting for, and he knew he didn't have much time. In hopes of distracting the hybrids long enough to get to Jo, Dean picked up a rock and tossed it in the opposite direction of where he was hiding, hoping to draw their attention there if only for a moment so he could get to Jo.

The clatter the rock made seemed very loud in the silence that remained in the wake of Hades' anger, loud enough that the hybrids were unnerved by the sound. Of the six that stood guard, three moved to investigate the sound, disappearing into the darkness together. And, of course, Jo took the opportunity to kick the nearest of the three that remained squarely in the balls, just to see what would happen.

Dean wasn't sure the hybrids had balls, but he appreciated his wife's efforts. Wasting no more time, he climbed out from the rocks where he and Artemis had been hiding, brandishing the Goddess of the Hunt's dagger in one hand. Hoping to catch the hybrids off guard, he didn't bother waiting for them to attack him, plunging the dagger into the closest one's back, as silent as an assassin.

"She's not your revenge. She's my wife," Dean pointed out, stepping forward, not only to shield the others, but to challenge Hades. "You started this, not us. Your minions attacked us at the church, remember" Or have you forgotten already?" Dean prodded, though that was only one the tip of the iceberg, as far as Dean was concerned.

"Better for you if you had been left dead," Hades snarled, raising his spear to sweep at Dean once again.

Unseen under the desk, Jo narrowed her eyes, took very careful aim ....and sliced the Olympian's hamstring clean through. Hades roared in pain, dropping down onto one knee, already bleeding from several wounds inflicted by Artemis.

He leaned heavily on his spear, scowling at Dean. "End it, then," he spat venomously. "See how long my brothers remain your friends."

For just a moment, Dean felt a stab of sympathy for the Olympian. It seemed a shame to kill someone who was supposed to be immortal. Then again, he'd never had any compunction about killing immortals before. Was he going soft in his old age" Still, this wasn't just about vengeance. Not anymore. Dean had seen what would happen if Hades won, and he couldn't take that chance. This was their chance to finish it, and he wasn't going to blow it. Not this time. It wasn't just a matter of his family's survival, but that of all humanity.

"I have a feeling your brothers will thank me," he replied at last, swinging Death's Scythe around to drive the blade into the Olympian's chest, right where his heart should be. Though he wasn't entirely sure Zeus and Poseidon would be pleased with their brother's death, he'd worry about that later. He only hoped Artemis had not become another of Hades" victims. It would be a shame to lose such a valuable ally and friend, but at least, Jo was safe.

For just a moment, as the blade stuck deep and true, a look of grateful peace crossed Hades' face. No more wars, no more deaths, no more responsibility. No more life without his beloved Persephone. Then the universe caught on. The ground shook violently, the sky darkened, and within one house on the outskirts of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a minor explosion of energy blasted through one room, flattening everything in its path and blowing the door clean off its hinges. Yet just as suddenly, everything was still. The only sound was that of a body falling heavily to the floor, and the groans of those who had been caught too close to a dying God.

Dean wasn't sure what he was expecting when he shoved Death's Scythe into the Olympian's chest, but it sure wasn't a minor explosion, which knocked him over the desk before it slammed into the wall behind him. Dazed, it took him a moment to realize that he and Jo were wedged together between the desk and the wall. Somehow in all the confusion, he'd lost his grip on the blade, though it was more than likely still sticking out of Hades' chest. He was vaguely aware of an ache where his head must have hit the desk or the wall, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed. "You okay?" he asked, turning to find Jo close beside him.

"Uh ..." It was more of a groan than a word, but it proved she was still alive, at least. Opening one eye, she twisted her head about to look at her husband. "This would be a bad moment to make a joke like ....I'm still alive ....right?" She smiled, reaching to push the desk away from them and peer over the top of it.

"It would be the perfect time to make a joke," he replied, mirroring her smile as he helped her to push the desk away and help her to her feet. "Everyone okay?" he asked, as he surveyed the scene.

"I got a God of Death between my legs."

Jo snorted with laughter - she didn't even need to look to know that Ellen had landed with her back against the wall and Hades' top half fallen exactly where she'd just stated. Pulled up onto her feet, Jo leaned gratefully into Dean's side, feeling strangely tired despite the lack of exertion her body had been through most recently. "I guess no one missed the memo this time."

"Dead or not, he don't belong there," Bobby remarked as he climbed to his feet and went over to inspect the fallen Olympian. How did you know if an immortal was really and truly dead anyway' Check his pulse" He helped Ellen to her feet and pulled her away from the fallen Olympian.

"Where's Artemis?" Dean wondered aloud, as they recovered themselves and gathered around the body of Hades.

"She didn't come back with you two?" Ellen asked, stepping away from the dead body with her own husband's help. "Figured she was the one threw you both back where you belonged."

Jo was shaking her head. "I didn't see her at all," she said. "I just heard her." She looked up at Dean. "You don't think he ..."

"I hope not," Dean replied with a frown. It would be a damn shame if he lost what he was starting to consider his patron Olympian, and he would never forgive himself if he learned she'd sacrificed herself for them, but it wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened. "She didn't throw us back," Dean went on to explain. "We followed the thread that connected Jo's soul to her body back." Or he did, since he'd been in the lead. He wasn't quite sure what to do first, now that it seemed they had won, but he thought it best to make sure Hades was really and truly dead, and the best way to do that was to ask an Olympian. "We need to summon Apollo."

It seemed as though Apollo had been listening for the sound of his own name spoken by the right people. Almost before his name had left Dean's lips, the Sun God appeared among them, absentmindedly handing baby Robert into Jo's arms as he moved to look at his uncle's body. "Where's my sister?" he asked, looking up at Dean from where he knelt. "Did she escape Tartarus before it was sealed?"

"I don't know," Dean replied with a frown of his own. "She told me to get Jo and run and not to look back," he informed him, his heart heavy with worry. "She seemed to know what she was doing," he added, knowing he had her to thank for saving Jo's life and refusing to believe Artemis was dead, until they knew for certain one way or the other. Now that Apollo was there to confirm Hades' death, Dean turned his attention to Jo. "You okay, baby' He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"She's alive," Apollo frowned thoughtfully. He looked back at his uncle's body, glancing around the room. "I will take my uncle to Olympus. We will lay him to rest in our own way. You will not be bothered for some time, I expect, Godslayer." With a subdued crash, he disappeared, and with him went the body of Hades, leaving the disassembled library bare of the evidence but for Death's Scythe lying forlornly in the middle of the floor.

"I don't know what to think," Jo admitted, sinking down onto the bed with him as she let out a weary sigh. "I didn't even see it coming. One minute she seemed fine, and the next ....Dean, she hated me. Whatever was driving her, she was so angry with me, she blamed me for something that still hurts. And then it was gone, just for a second, just long enough to make her suffer knowing what she'd done. That isn't anything but cruelty."

"What did she blame you for?" he asked. He hadn't witnessed Becky's attack on Jo so much as the aftermath. He made no comment on the cruelty of what had happened to Becky, but now that Hades was dead, he was hoping whatever held her under its sway was broken.

"I don't know." Staring up at the ceiling, Jo realized she was far more bothered about the fact that Sam and his relatively innocent girlfriend had been dragged forcibly into this mess than she was about having been killed in the first place. "That's just it, she didn't say anything. She just acted. Whatever it was, she really felt it."

"It's not Becky, Jo," Dean said. "Someone or something drove her to it. We just have to figure out what." He was hoping maybe Bobby or Ellen would have some idea what was going on, but that discussion would have to wait a while longer. For now, Becky and Jo were safely separated, until they could figure out what was going on.

"Maybe Ares can work it out," she sighed softly, rolling to curl into his side. "Or maybe Ayden Saw something just a little too late. I guess all we can do is wait and hope." It was not the most encouraging of plans, nor was it easy to admit that they were utterly powerless when it came to helping the newest and most vulnerable of their little band. But it was the truth.

"We'll figure it out, one way or another," Dean promised, sliding an arm around her as she curled up beside him and touching a kiss to her temple. "You're safe, and that's all that's important." That wasn't precisely true, but Jo's life had been the one in danger this time around. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he'd lost her, and he didn't really want to think on the possibility too hard.

Her thoughts mirrored his, but just thinking about it made her body start to shake with the shock of what had actually happened. "I died," she whispered, clinging to him tightly. "I felt myself die. You know what my last thought was" How pissed you were gonna be with me for getting myself killed by a librarian."

Despite everything, he couldn't help but smile, even as he held her tighter. "To be fair, you weren't expecting her to attack you," he said, wondering to himself what she'd have done if she'd known. He didn't think she'd have killed Becky, but she certainly would have defended herself. He'd died himself on several occasions, only to be rezzed in some way or other, and he knew how frightening it could be. He wondered how Becky was feeling knowing she had killed Jo. She probably still thought she was dead, but maybe for now, it was better that way, despite how hard it would be on Sam.

It seemed to take a long time for those tremors to fade, but just being in Dean's arms helped, listening to Bertie gurgle and snore in the basket not so far away, and the sounds of Ellen and Bobby good-naturedly arguing as they straightened up downstairs. Those were the sounds of her life, and Jo clung to them as she forced her way through her shock and fear to be herself once again. "This thing is really itchy."

Dean wasn't quite sure how to comfort her, other than hold her close, until those tremors died away. He hoped it was comforting to know she was home, safe in his arms, with their son resting nearby, and Bobby and Ellen downstairs cleaning up. They had worked so hard to make this place safe, but he wondered if she'd ever feel safe here again, and it made him sad to know he could only do so much to keep her and their family safe. "No one said you had to keep in on," he teased, somewhat relieved she wanted to get the gown off. It wasn't that it wasn't attractive, but it had been a gift from Hades, and it just wasn't her style. Jo was a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, and that was what Dean liked about her. She didn't pretend to be anyone but who she was.

"Seriously, who thought putting souls in this ridiculous get-up was a good idea?" Jo asked, pushing herself to stand up as she searched for some kind of fastening somewhere on the floaty confection she was wearing. "I mean, is this really the kind of thing a woman would want to wear for all eternity?"

"I think he meant for you to take Persephone's place," Dean said, though the thought of Jo as Hades' wife was ridiculous. Even if he hadn't been able to rescue her, he doubted she'd have agreed to it, even if it would have saved her from far worse torments. He debated lying there and watching her get undressed before deciding to get up and help her instead. "You know, I've always wondered ....in the legends, Hades carried Persephone off against her will. How'd she end up so enamored of him?"

"I swear, if this thing doesn't come off clean, I'm going to cut it into tiny bits!" she flared, dropping her hands in frustration. "You try." Turning, she offered him her back to see if he could find where the damned dress undid, if at all. His question, though, made her a little pensive. "He was kinda charming," she admitted reluctantly. "Before I started yelling at him. I guess I can see how a girl who didn't really have any experience of men would fall for it."

Dean snorted at Jo's remark regarding Hades. "If you like men old enough to be your great great great grandfather or something. I mean, seriously ....The guy's older than dirt." Or was older than dirt, before Dean had killed him. He frowned in frustration as he tried to figure out how to get the gown off her. "I don't see any fastenings ..." he mused aloud, before reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out a pocket knife. "Hold still."

"Well, maybe he didn't look like that when she first met him?" Jo shrugged, glancing over her shoulder at the warning not to move. Seeing the knife, she snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes. "Sure you don't want me tied to the bed first?"

"It's a thought," he replied, though he thought being chained to a wall was enough excitement for one day. "You sure you don't mind if I ruin it?" he asked further, eager to get the thing off her, if only because it had been a gift from his nemesis.

She turned to look up at him, one brow raised above a smile that answered that question without words. "Am I sure I don't mind the utter destruction of a dress I'm only wearing because some thousand year old perv wanted an eyeful?"

"I'm not even gonna ask how he got you into it," Dean replied, with just a hint of jealousy, even if it was misplaced. She belonged to him, and no one else, Olympian or otherwise. He'd often wondered what might have happened if she'd lived. Would they have ended up together eventually or not' It didn't really seem to matter much now. She'd been young when he'd first met her, maybe too young, but that girl had long since grown into a woman. Skillful with a blade, he carefully cut her out of that dress, ruining it in the process, much to his own satisfaction. "You really want something pretty, I'll buy you something pretty."

Well, she had said she didn't mind it destroyed. It certainly was prettier in bits on the floor than she'd considered it to be on her. Jo smiled innocently up at her husband, not even touching the comment on how Hades had dressed her up, more than comfortable in her own skin around the man she loved. "What, I'm not pretty enough on my own?"

The baby giggled delightedly, flailing as he was tickled, much to the amusement of his mother as she dressed herself. Jo was surprised to find how relieved she was to be wearing her jeans again, that the dress had been quite such an uncomfortable experience for her. "And what would you say to the grown up son who has a habit of dropping around unexpectedly?" she asked her husband, dragging a brush quickly through her hair before dropping onto the bed beside him again.

Dean grinned at the question, knowing she meant the grown version of "Bertie" who'd come back in time with his sister to save his parents from death and had decided to stay. "I'd tell him to knock," he replied with a grin. "So, what are we getting dressed for?" he asked, naked as the day he was born, only a sheet covering him from the waist down.

"We're getting dressed because the grandparents are downstairs, and I'm starving," she informed her husband fondly. "Being dead is hungry work." Leaning over, she kissed him one last time, slow and easy, before rounding off the affection by blowing a raspberry on Bertie's middle.

"You know, they're gonna wanna talk about it," Dean pointed out, once she was done kissing him. He handed the baby off to her, so that he could get up and make himself halfway presentable again. "I thought I'd feel relieved once Hades was dead, but I keep feeling like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Which is another reason we need to be dressed," Jo pointed out, lifting Bertie up onto her hip as she stood, absentmindedly jostling the infant as she admired the view Dean presented. "Until we know exactly what?s going on, and how Sam and Becky are, none of us are going to relax."

"No, I guess not, but until we're sure Becky isn't going to attack you again, we can't take any chances," Dean reiterated once again. Now that the Underworld was in chaos, Dean wasn't sure they'd be able to bring Jo - or anyone else, for that matter - back from the afterlife anytime soon. "Artemis said something about the Underworld getting split into Heaven and Hell again. You know who's gonna wanna to be in charge of Hell."

"I guess that makes sense," she mused thoughtfully, letting their son suck on her necklace. "If the afterlife is shaped by the beliefs of humanity, then the dominant belief at the moment is in two planes - heaven and hell. We did promise to give him his kingdom back in exchange for the Scythe. Which we really should give back to Death at some point too, you know."

"I'm pretty sure he'll come looking for it soon, if he hasn't already," Dean replied as he tugged his jeans on over his hips and zipped them closed. "I sort of promised Heaven to Gabriel, too," he added a bit sheepishly. He wasn't entirely sure Gabriel was the right choice for Heaven, but he was the only surviving Archangel, and so far he'd kept his promise in keeping Ayden safe.

She blinked in surprise, tilting her head curiously. "Well ....he is the last archangel," she considered. "Kinda makes sense, if he can be persuaded to do it. I hear he's not exactly the taking responsibility type."

"Might teach him responsibility though. He's done a pretty good job of watching over Ayden," Dean pointed out, before tugging a clean t-shirt over his head that didn't reek of Tartarus. "You don't mind if I burn that, do you?" he asked, with a nod of his head to the now-shredded dress discarded on the floor.

She glanced at it and shuddered. "Feel free. You think I want to have it lying around the house" Ugh." Unseen by Jo, the baby boy in her arms echoed her expression, screwing up his face and sticking his tongue out before laughing uproariously.

"I think we're raising a comedian," Dean said, as he caught a glimpse of their son mimicking his mother's expression. "Why don't you go on downstairs and see what Ellen's whipping up while I get rid of it?" he asked, as he took a seat on the bed so he could get his boots on.

"Huh?" Jo glanced down at Bertie just in time to catch the expression, snorting with laughter as she tickled his tummy. "You, little man, are as bad as your dad sometimes." Smiling, she hoisted him higher on her hip. "Okay, we'll head downstairs. Don't be long."

"Jo," he said, getting to his feet to move closer. "I love you. Don't you ever forget it," he said, pushing a strand of blond away from her face, just for an excuse to touch her before brushing his lips against hers.

She held his gaze for a long moment, her smile all his as her eyes softened. "I'm never going to forget it," she promised him, raising her own hand to touch his cheek tenderly. "I love you, too. Always have, even when I didn't remember you. So don't you forget it, either."

"Not a chance, baby," he replied with a grin, though he knew how close he'd come to almost losing her forever. He knew they weren't going to live forever, but he wasn't ready to lose her yet. If their glimpse at the future was anything to go by, there were at least two more children in their future, and Dean was looking forward to raising them. "You know, when this is all over, we should go on a proper vacation."

"You know, I think someone said something about Disneyland last time this came up," she grinned back to him, nipping his chin. "No more stalling. Your wife is hungry, and if you make me wait too long, I'll make you change your son's diaper before you eat."

"A fate worse than death," Dean teased, as he drew away, his eyes bright with amusement. Diapers were nothing compared to most things he faced on a daily basis. "I won't be long," he promised. "And you be good for your mama," he warned baby Bertie, as he tickled his toes.

Bertie grabbed at him, giggling as Jo laughed and turned away, slipping out through the door and down the stairs. The sound of Bobby greeting her was clearly audible, followed by Ellen demanding to know how anyone managed to cook anything in their kitchen. It sounded as though Jo was going to have to explain the system for the umpteenth time.

Once Jo and Bertie departed, leaving Dean with the task of getting rid of that dress, he let down his guard a little, the smile fading as he considered what had happened and what needed to be done. The sight of his wife lying in a pool of blood was one he wasn't going to forget anytime soon, and though he didn't want to smother her, it would take a few days or maybe weeks before he felt comfortable letting her out of his sight for very long. Thankfully, they had plenty of help. Dean gathered up the dress and took it outside to burn while Jo showed Ellen around the kitchen. It wasn't long before Bobby joined him, and by the time they rejoined the women, the dress had been burned to ash.

And by the time they rejoined the women, Ellen had been pacified by being put in charge of the baby, the one thing guaranteed to stop her in mid-rant every single time. With lunch on the table, they settled down to eat, each one of them knowing that they would not be parting ways for a good while yet. Not until they knew for sure that other shoe was firmly in place.

((You know, whenever we come back to this storyline after a break, it always results in something minorly epic! Stayed tuned for the truth about Becky, coming at you - oh, some time in the next week!))