Hunt for Josiah

The Hunt for Josiah was the search by the angel Castiel and the hunter Sam Winchester for the angel Josiah after he betrayed Castiel's Faction.

Background
After learning about the state of Heaven, the Scribe of God Metatron tricks the Seraphim Castiel into helping him cause the Fall of the Angels.

Months after the Fall, Metatron is able to briefly capture Castiel. During this time, Metatron urges Castiel to raise an army against Metatron's ever growing force, to become the villain of Metatron's "story." After Castiel and Gadreel are traded for each other, Castiel reluctantly begins amassing his own force of angels to retake Heaven from Metatron.

Castiel's followers are eventually able to capture Ezra, one of Metatron's Faction who is boasting about knowing Metatron and about his plans. Ezra is interrogated by hunters Sam and Dean Winchester and is tricked into telling them about Metatron's Heavenly Portal, ground force and elite squad with a secret mission. After the interrogation, Josiah, an angel acting as a mole for Metatron, murders Ezra with an angel blade to keep him from talking further. Ezra's murder is discovered, exposing that Metatron has a mole inside Castiel's faction.

Battle
After killing Ezra, Josiah is told the location of the Heavenly Portal by Metatron as well as the fact that he can come home. Missing roll call and desiring to just go home, Josiah departs for Pray, Montana, using his vessel's credit cards to travel.

After Oren performs a suicide bombing, Castiel returns to his base with the Winchesters to learn that Josiah never appeared at roll call. As Josiah hasn't been seen since Ezra's murder, the angels now suspect him of being Ezra's killer. The angels have been unable to find Josiah, but Dean points out that without his wings, Josiah must travel like a human and will thus leave a trail that they can follow. Searching for activity on the credit card of Sean Flynn, Josiah's vessel, Sam finds that someone just used it at a Gas and Sip in Wellington, Colorado.

After seeing a video of Oren's suicide bombing, Dean orders Castiel to stay back while he investigates. Castiel refuses to do nothing and instead decides to follow Josiah's trail to Colorado. Dean agrees, but sends Sam with Castiel to help. On the way to Colorado, the two discuss the death of Abaddon and Dean's deteriorating condition as well as the situation with Castiel's followers.

At the Gas-n-Sip, the clerk tells recognizes the driver's license picture of Sean Flynn and tells them that he had filled up an old station wagon. While the clerk didn't get Josiah's license plate, Josiah had asked him for directions to an address in Pray, Montana that the clerk is able to supply them with.

Arriving at the address, Sam and Castiel find Josiah's car outside of a warehouse that is "radiating power." Stating that he hasn't felt anything like it since Heaven, Castiel tells Sam that they have to get in. However, Sam is unable to break the door down or pick the lock. Even Castiel's angelic strength is not enough to break down the door.

That night, after continually failing to get in, Sam checks all of the other windows and doors but has no luck in finding a way in. Castiel is able to discover an Enochian riddle above the door: "why is six afraid of seven?" As Castiel ponders the riddle, Sam answers it for him: "its because seven ate nine." Solving the riddle causes the locked door to finally open. Castiel realizes that its wordplay and compares the situation to the Doors of Durin in The Lord of the Rings. Castiel tells Sam that "I'm very pop culture savy now."

Sam then gets a call from Dean who fills him in on capturing Tessa before she could perform another suicide bombing. Sam informs Dean of the events that have transpired on his end as well.

Making their way through the warehouse, Sam asks if Castiel is sure that he doesn't want to go back because of the situation with Tessa and Castiel is conflicted on what to do. As Castiel continues on, Sam notices the words "only the penitent man shall pass" written on the wall. Realizing the meaning of the words, Sam calls out to Castiel just in time for him to avoid two giant saw blades that come out of the wall at Castiel's head level, almost decapitating Castiel. With a grimace, Sam and Castiel continue on. "The Last Crusade? Okay," Sam comments, confused.

Reaching the end of a hallway with a door that has light pouring out of it at the other end, Castiel tells Sam that its the door to Heaven. Though Sam expresses doubt, Castiel wonders what else Metatron would go to such great lengths to protect and states that he can hear it and "its calling me Sam." Castiel tells Sam that if they control the door, they can take the fight to Metatron. "We may not even need to fight at all," Castiel concludes.

Walking through the door, Sam and Castiel find a room outfitted for a party instead of Heaven and are left confused. On one of the tables, Sam finds a note from Metatron: "welcome to your own personal Heaven, Castiel. Good luck finding the real one."

As a confused Castiel wonders why, he and Sam spot a horribly burned Josiah lying next to the door. Castiel recognizes Josiah and notes that "he reeks of holy oil." On the celling about the door, Sam spots an empty container of holy oil and a flamethrower set up to be activated when the door opens. "Yeah, looks like he got Home Alone-ed," comments Sam.

As Castiel realizes that everything was a lie, Josiah suddenly grabs his hand, not dead yet as was previously believed. In great pain and near death, Josiah explains that the portal was supposed to be there and after he killed Ezra, Metatron had promised to let Josiah go home. "I just wanted to go home," Josiah cries. Though Castiel attempts to heal Josiah's burns, Josiah refuses his help. "I would rather die than owe my life to you Castiel. You play at being noble, you play at being one of us. But I look into your eyes... and I don't see an angel staring back at me." Moments later, Josiah dies of his burns.

Aftermath
After Josiah's death, Castiel and Sam returns to Castiel's base to find that Tessa has committed suicide with the First Blade and Castiel's Faction now believes that Dean murdered her. Metatron is able to manipulate the events to get Castiel's followers to leave him for Metatron's Faction instead.

After Metatron informs him that Castiel's followers are now flocking to him, Gadreel confronts Metatron about his actions, particularly the suicide bombings and the murder of Josiah. Metatron calls Josiah "a loose end" and admits that he did give Josiah the location of the Heavenly Portal, at least before Metatron moved it. Metatron's only regret is that Castiel didn't fall into any of the traps and die as Josiah did.