When Dean arrived at the front door of the house to make his escape, Lex was already there in the entryway, arms crossed.

"Not in the mood, Luthor." Dean went to shove his way past.

Lex moved to block him. "I heard Sam talking. Clark's in danger, I'm coming with you."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on. You know I can fight."

"Not against this."

Lex smirked. "I doubt you even know what it is."

Dean clenched his teeth. Lex was right about that. If bullets couldn't kill this thing, Dean really didn't have a plan. But that wasn't something Lex could help with. And minutes before a hunt was the wrong time to try to process the Monsters are real speech.

"Glowing tattoos, super speed, invulnerability to bullets," Lex said. "It sounds like a creature I studied in mythology."

Dean blinked a couple of times. Lex might actually be useful. "Really?"

"Ever heard of a Djinn?"

"Ah, maybe?" It sounded familiar, but Dean sometimes had a hard time memorizing lore. Sam would be better at it, but Dean and his dad tried to keep Sam more sheltered.

"It's basically a genie. A wish-granting creature. According to legend, it kidnaps its victims and feeds on their blood while giving them hallucinations—they dream about their deepest desire on an endless loop until they die."

Dean swallowed—that thing had Clark, and Clark wouldn't even know to fight back. He'd just dream happily until he died of blood loss. Dean wondered idly what Clark might be dreaming about, but he forced himself to focus on the issue at hand. "What does the legend say about killing it?"

Shuffling sounds came from upstairs. Lex nodded toward the front door. "Need to head out. They'll think we're in bed unless they find us out here."

"Then I have to get moving. How do you kill a Djinn?"

"I'll tell you about it on the way."

"Damn it, Luthor, I don't have time for this!"

"Clark's like a little brother to me. I want to help."

"No. If you follow me, I'm gonna pummel you." It was for his own good; Lex knew a few hand-to-hand tactics, but he wasn't going to do well against a real monster.

"If you leave me behind, I'm going to tell the Kents where you are. But if you take me with me, I'll tell you all about what mythology says about Djinn. Including their weaknesses." Lex raised his eyebrows. "I'm guessing you need to know that."

Dean sighed heavily. Lex wasn't giving him a choice. He glanced one more time at the staircase before grabbing Lex's arm and shoving him outside.

"You better not be bluffing, Luthor," Dean growled as they walked. "And you'd better keep up."

Lex just smiled and followed along.

Dean trudged through the pitch-dark forest in the direction of the cabin. According to Sam, bullets hadn't been enough to stop the monster, but they could slow it down. He needed to reload his weapon. "Okay, Luthor. Tell me how to kill this thing."

Lex frowned. "Actually, I think it's your turn to talk."

"I said I'd take you with me. I never promised not to slug you."

"And you know I can give as good as I get. Let's both save our strength for the Djinn."

Dean's muscles tightened, but he knew Lex was right. He was still sore from their fight the night before.

Lex's expression hardened. "So. Monsters are real."

"Yeah. How did you know?" Dean asked.

Lex shrugged. "I didn't."

Dean had heard a few people's responses to first finding out about monsters, but this nonchalance was a new one. "And you're just . . . okay with it?"

"Seven years ago, a meteor shower hit this town. Meteorologists and astronomers have never been able to explain it, and some people say the meteor rocks have . . . effects, on people. Look into it, and you start hearing stories. Eventually, nothing surprises you anymore."

"Why do you care about what happened in Smallville seven years ago?"

"Because I was there."

Dean waited for Lex to go on, but he didn't. "Okay, but what does that have to do with the Djinn?"

"It doesn't. But let's just say it's made me a little more open-minded about the weird and unexplained."

"Fair enough." Dean thought most people would consider it crazy, but he'd been living this life for too long to relate to that.

"So how do you know about monsters?" Lex asked.

Dean's throat tightened. Lex hadn't shared about what he was doing at the meteor shower; Dean didn't have to tell him about his mom. But he did have to tell him something, since Lex kept clamming up every time Dean tried to force his way in this conversation. He settled on, "My dad fights them. A week and a half ago, he left us in a safe place to go on a hunt, and he never came back."

"Oh." Silence for a moment, then, almost whispered, "I'm sorry."

Dean cleared his throat. "Enough of that. We're almost at the cabin. I need to know how to fight this thing."

"Cabin?"

"Yeah. Need to load up on weapons. So you need to tell me what to grab."

"Ah. Well, I'm not sure you'll have it. According to the legends I read, you need a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood."

"Silver knife, check. And this is farming country. I'm sure we can find a lamb."

Lex winced. "We're gonna kill a lamb?"

Dean smirked. "Yep. Then, we're gonna kill a Djinn."