OMG, I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. Life is a bit crazy and extremely busy right now but I hope it will get better as soon as I have found an apartment and have some free weekends again. I can't remember my last free weekend anymore, it's been so long. I hope you can forgive me for taking so long (especially if you're waiting for me update my other stories. I will eventually, I promise.) I hope this longer chapter makes up for the long wait. Enjoy.

Cas and Sam were sitting right next to each other, staring intently at the screen of the laptop while Dean was taking small sips from his bottle of beer, watching the two of them geek out about Greek mythology.

"Have you found anything yet?" Dean asked when he had finished his beer and felt a little bored and left out. Sam and Cas were completely absorbed in the texts they were reading on the screen.

"Actually yes. Which is kind of the problem in this case. There is a lot of information on Centaurs and it's hard to decide what will be helpful," Sam answered, his brows furrowed.

"So you basically have nothing," Dean concluded and got up to grab a fresh beer.

"No, that's not true, Dean," Castiel told him and Dean just shot him a look but didn't say anything.

"Yeah. We decided to concentrate on the old Greek stories and apparently there are good and bad Centaurs," Sam quickly said.

"I guess it's safe to say that we're not dealing with the friendly kind," Dean muttered.

"Pretty much. Which leaves us with the most likely option of an incredibly strong monster that likes to drink too much and then assault and rape women. Oh, and apparently they are nearly impossible to kill," Sam elaborated and Dean groaned at the new information.

"But they're not immortal," Castiel clarified. "We're not sure though if the method we found is accurate or just an old story."

"And what method is that?"

"Well, according to legend, Heracles used an arrow dipped in the blood of a Hydra to kill the Centaur Nessos, when he tried to kidnap his wife," Sam explained.

"A Hydra?"

"A serpent-like creature with multiple heads and for each head you cut off it grows two more. Also it is extremely poisonous. Even its breath can kill someone," Castiel said when he recognized the confusion in Dean's voice.

"Sounds charming," Dean answered, his voice dripping sarcasm. Cas opened his mouth to answer but closed it again, when out of the corner of his eye he saw Sam shake his head. "So, where do we find us one of those things?"

"Uhm, Greece?" Sam guessed in response to Dean's question. "It's not like these creatures are exactly common. All sightings are reported in stories from ancient Greece. I have no idea whether Hydras even still exist, if they ever existed at all."

"Well, a day ago we would have said the same thing about Centaurs, so we might be lucky and find one," Dean said and Sam had to admit that there was some logic to that statement.

"Dean is right. We might be lucky. I'll go," Cas told them and instantly vanished. By the time Dean could shout, "Cas, wait…" the angel was already halfway across the globe, looking for a Hydra in the Greek mountains.

"Damn it! He shouldn't have gone alone. What if he needs help?" Dean muttered and Sam looked at his brother, surprised at Dean's worried tone.

"He's an angel, Dean, he'll be fine. We would probably only slow him down. If anyone can find a Hydra, it's Cas," Sam said and Dean slowly nodded.

"You're right, but…" he started to say but before he could finish the soft sound of wing beats announced Castiel's return and Dean immediately turned to face the angel.

Cas looked like he always did and not like he just encountered an extremely rare and deadly creature. But his blade was still drawn and he held a small jar that was filled with blood, which indicated that he had in fact found and killed a Hydra.

"I was successful. We can hunt the Centaur now," he stated and Dean and Sam nodded.

"That was fast," Dean said after a moment.

"Yes. It wasn't too hard to find," Cas simply answered.

"Can you find the Centaur as well?" Sam asked him, sounding hopeful.

"No, I'm afraid I can't. It's hiding too well for me to sense it. Unlike the Hydra it is aware that we're looking for it and it's protecting itself."

"Well, I guess I'll have to do more research then," Sam sighed and settled in front of his laptop again.

"I'm not staying here. I'll check out the area around the bar. Look for traces there. That thing must have left some kind of trail," Dean said, determined not to be bored out of his mind again while the other two got lost in their research.

But to his surprise Cas announced, "I'm coming with you. In case the Centaur shows up."

"Okay," he immediately agreed though, not unhappy to spend some time with his angel and then turned to his brother. "We'll call you when we find something."

"Sure. And I'll do the same should I come across a clue," Sam said and Dean and Cas left.

Two hours later, after stumbling around in the woods without finding anything, they were back in the Impala. Well, Dean had been doing the stumbling. Cas had been serene and graceful and had caught Dean whenever he had threatened to fall over a tree root or slide down a steep slope. Dean was suspecting that something was not quite right because he wasn't usually this clumsy but Cas seemed to enjoy himself, he had a permanent small smile on his face, so Dean didn't say anything about it and let the devious angel save him a few more times.

Now Dean was on the phone with his brother. "We found nothing. No trace and Cas didn't sense anything either. That son of a bitch is a lot better in hiding than I expected."

"Maybe I can help you a little. The texts mention that Centaurs liked to live on the outskirts of civilization and that they possibly dwell in caves. Preferably close to a river. Did you find something like that?"

"We did see a cave and we didn't check inside. Didn't want to anger a bear," Dean said.

"No, we just anger much more dangerous creatures," Sam deadpanned. "But seriously, that could be it. Wait for me; I'm already on my way."

Now that he knew where the monster was most likely hiding it was hard for Dean to sit there and just wait for Sam but he knew it'd be better to go in there full force. After the last encounter they knew how strong and vicious the creature was and it was better to wait for Sam even though they had the deadly poison with them.

But it only took Sam a few minutes to reach them and all three of them went back to the cave Dean and Cas had seen earlier. "Okay, so what now?" Dean asked. "How do we lure it out? 'Cause I sure as Hell won't hand myself to it on a silver platter in that cave."

"I guess we should have a party," Sam said and then started laughing loudly and is if he'd had a few beers too many already. Cas stared blankly at him and Dean needed a moment to realize that his brother was right. Centaurs liked their drinks so they would pretend to have plenty.

He joined his brother, feeling a little stupid, and the two of them sounded like a party of at least ten people with the noise they were making. But the faint sound of hoof beats, growing louder and louder, proved Sam right. Suddenly the monster was there right in front of them, looking more vicious than they remembered it and apparently it wasn't amused that there wasn't a party going on outside the cave.

They had several arrows prepared but at first they had no chance to use them. The Centaur was attacking them furiously and they had to scramble away from the beating hooves and the arrows flying through the air, only narrowly missing them. But after a moment Sam and Cas managed to attract the Centaurs attention, giving Dean the chance to take one of the poisoned arrows and wound the Centaur with it.

Time seemed to stop for a moment. The hunters and the angel waited with bated breath while the creature looked at the arrow in its shoulder. But nothing else happened and then the Centaur roared in pain and anger and attacked Dean in blind fury.

But Sam seized his chance and hit the creature with a second poisoned arrow and Cas did the same. The arrow struck right when the Centaur had thrown Dean to the ground and was rearing up above him. When the third arrow hit it, the poison finally affected it and it swayed, still towering over Dean.

"Dean!" Sam and Cas yelled at the same time when they realized the danger the older Winchester was in. Sam started running but there was no way he would reach Dean in time before the creature collapsed on top of him and crushed him with its weight.

But Cas was fast enough and shielded Dean with his body when the Centaur died and fell on top of him. "Sam, get Dean away from here and don't come near the Centaur," he shouted, fighting to hold the weight of the creature that was bleeding from several wounds by now. "Be careful not to touch the blood. It's poisonous."

Sam reacted immediately and grabbed Dean's arm, pulling him away from the danger zone and helping him up to his feet. And then he had to hold him back when Cas couldn't support the weight of the Centaur anymore and fell to his knees with the creature partly on top of him and covering the angel in poisonous blood.

"Cas!" he yelled when the angel turned and looked at him before he vanished. "Cas! Goddammit you son of a bitch, come back!"

But the angel didn't return and Sam could convince his brother that Cas would be alright and that they needed to take care of the body and then leave. Since the blood of the creature was now poisonous they had no choice but to burn the body. Not the most inconspicuous choice but the safest for everyone who was and would be involved.

They quickly left when the body was engulfed in flame and returned to their motel to find a surprise there. Cas was lying stretched out on Dean's bed and he was unconscious and obviously fighting the effects of the poison, which was making him shake and sweat all over. His skin was ashen and he looked strangely frail and vulnerable without his trench coat, which was lying in a corner of the room, covered in drying blood.

"Cas!" Dean said in shock and surprise and rushed to the bed to sit down beside the angel, taking his hand and trying to wake him up without succeeding.

"It looks like he only just made it here and got the blood off his skin before he lost consciousness," Sam remarked and Dean nodded wordlessly. Sam quickly realized that his older brother needed some time alone with Cas at the moment and mumbled something about getting food and left the room. Dean turned to him when he heard the door and looked at him thankfully.

"He'll be okay. He's an angel. He probably just needs a little time to recover," Sam said just before closing the door.

"Let's hope Sam's right," Dean whispered into the quiet room and gently rubbed Cas' hand. He was about to let go of the hand and get a drink, when Cas suddenly answered him.

"He is," he said in a raspy voice and Dean gripped his hand tighter.

"Cas?"

"Hello, Dean," the angel responded and finally opened his eyes. "That was very potent poison. Very old and strong. It took a lot of my Grace to neutralize it."

"But you're okay now?" Dean asked when Cas struggled to sit up.

"I'm still a bit weakened but I will be fine in a few more hours. Don't worry."

Dean didn't say anything to that. He stared at Cas for a moment, then reached out to him and pulled him closer until he could press his lips on Cas'. Cas stiffened in surprise at first but then quickly relaxed and melted against Dean and into the kiss. Dean rested his hand at the back of Cas' neck to pull him even closer and to deepen the kiss and Cas happily complied. It felt like the kiss lasted for an eternity and they held on to each other as if they were afraid the other would disappear, should they let go for just one second.

"I did worry," Dean finally said when they broke the kiss. "Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"

"I will try," Cas promised and then captured Dean's lips in another kiss, before the hunter could say anything else. They would have enough time to talk later.