Chapter 34:
Traitors Belong in the Underworld
Cerberus was angry.
Nyx was laughing. Jase was basically about to die. Josephine was stuck, frozen
in time, a mere statue in the Underworld Protector’s lair—which happened to be
a large kennel the size of a small mountain. How could she act quickly without
ending her own life?
There was no way to
tell, especially because the Goddess of the Night wasn’t at all any help, at
least in that very moment. Each of Cerberus’ three heads bared its razor-sharp
teeth, emitting low, guttural growls that reverberated through the air like
thunder before a storm. It tensed with anticipation, ready to lunge forward
with deadly force at Jase. With each breath, steam billowed from its nostrils,
adding to the chilling atmosphere.
With a sudden,
savage snarl, Cerberus lunged forward, its three heads converging on Jase with
terrifying precision. Before the monster could reach him, Josephine took her
chance. She slid underneath its tummy and yanked as hard as she possibly could
at the jingly keys locked onto its collar. Even with her godly strength, it was
useless, and instead of safely behind the monster—Josephine was now at risk of
getting trampled.
Nyx hummed above
them, “Oh, no. That just will not do.”
Jase teleported to
the other side of the kennel just in time. Josephine rolled over to her left to
remain clear of Cerberus’ large body and rose to her feet—her eyes now gleaming
with hints of flame and tar. Her fingertips grew hotter, and her brain blossomed
with heat to conserve energy, and magic.
“What happened?”
Jase asked hoarsely, glaring at his partner, “I could’ve been killed!”
“But you didn’t get
killed, so shut up,” Josephine was breathing heavily. Cerberus growled, clearly
annoyed and angry. The hound's fur bristled and stood on end; each head reared back
with a deafening snarl that echoed through the Underworld. They needed to get
out of there before Hades heard Cerberus’ calls of distress. Sooner would be
better than later.
The ground trembled
beneath Cerberus’ massive paws as it paced back and forth; the weight of its
wrath was palpable in every heavy step.
“What element melts
metal?” Nyx hovered close to them, “Hm?”
“Fire,” Josephine
breathed, “fire melts metal.”
“Good girl,” the Goddess’
eyes twinkled, and Josephine knew exactly what she needed to do. If she was
somehow able to get underneath Cerberus again and gain a few seconds to heat up
the chain, she could melt the keys right off its neck.
Jase seemed to
already understand, preparing another distraction. Shadows emerged from his hands
in the formation of humanoid darkness. With deft movements, Jase coaxed the
shadows to rise and dance, shaping them into elegant figures that moved with an
otherworldly grace. Each creation took on a life of its own, fluid and
ethereal, as if drawn from the dreams of the night itself. One moment, a figure appeared as a
guardian, clad in armor forged from the darkness, while the next, it transformed
into a graceful dancer, twirling and spinning with effortless elegance.
Cerberus seemed confused, dazed by the manipulation.
Josephine smirked.
She slid back under
its stomach while it was distracted and started welding. She didn’t care about
the burns from the sparks that bounced off the large, looped chain. The pain
seemed to engulf her, drive her.
Josephine wasn’t going to stop, even if her own gift killed her. She
winced lightly, her hands feeling as if they’d already melted. The welts
started to form by the time she was done, but she managed to snatch the keys.
Which one was the one to Tartarus? She didn’t know, but they could figure that
out later.
With a brave grin,
she slipped from underneath the monster and held the keys up victoriously, “I
got them!”
“Let’s get the hell
out of here!” Jase yelled over Cerberus’ tempering growls. Nyx grinned along
with Josephine.
Nyx used her gifts
to swing the kennel door open to give Josephine and Jase time to run. Cerberus
was now focused on her.
Josephine followed
her invisible directions and scurried out, but just as her foot landed on the
darkened terrain, the gate slammed shut again. Josephine halted and spun around
to find Nyx alone in there with Cerberus, a tear running down the Goddess of
Night’s cheek, “Go. Find your friend.”
“What are you
doing?” Josephine yelled, as Cerberus readied himself to strike at the goddess.
“I cannot continue
with you,” Nyx whispered, but her voice traveled miles. Josephine banged at the
gate, yanking and yanking. She struggled with the keys, her hands shaking
uncontrollably.
Jase tried to help,
but there was no way of telling which one unlocked the kennel—or if there even
was one. Josephine yelped, “Why! U-Unlock the door!”
“I cannot,” Nyx’s
face relaxed, and she smiled lightly, never taking her eyes off Josephine’s,
“If I come, you will die. Cerberus will smell me and track us. There is no way
to lock the gate from the outside. Go. Help your friend.”
“No,” Josephine hysterically
tried every single key, but to no avail, “No!”
“You are special,
Josephine,” Nyx pressed her hand to the gate. Her face didn’t look scared,
didn’t look frightened in the slightest bit. If anything, she looked at peace,
“Go. I will be with you in spirit.”
“NO!” Josephine
screamed just as Cerberus lunged.
Jase grabbed
Josephine and pulled her face towards himself to save her from the grueling
image beyond them. Nyx didn’t yell, didn’t scream. All that could be heard was
the tearing of flesh and crunching bones. Josephine sobbed. Oh, how she sobbed.
“Come on,” Jase’s
face was shaken, his voice cracking in the slightest, “let’s go.”
He led Josephine
away.
Away from the
goddess that gave up her life to help them, away from the monster that killed
her.
Yet, she wondered
if Nyx wanted this. She wondered if maybe, just maybe, Nyx knew she was going
to die at the hands of the hound.
~
Persephone groaned,
again.
Tartarus was
starting to get the best of her. She was starting to go crazy. The sight of
souls no longer scared her, and instead she tried to talk to them. One of the
spirits that wouldn’t leave her alone was a forbidden child, just like
Josephine. They spoke of live in the Upperworld, the Trials, the fucked-up
world they lived in. It didn’t last long, as Hades appeared around an hour into
their escalating conversation.
“Hello, my dear,”
his voice tore through Tartarus, scaring away the soul and any others that
lingered. Persephone spat at his feet.
“How dare you! If I
would’ve known you were working with them—”
“What would you
have done, darling?” his pale lips smirked, and he bent down to meet her level,
“kill me?”
“I don’t know,”
Persephone stared him down, not once leaving his gaze, “you’re a fucking
monster.”
“I know,” Hades
tightened his jacket and straightened his shoulders confidently, “But the real question
is, why are you working with them?”
Persephone froze.
“What? I’m not! Are
you crazy?”
“Oh, but you are.”
“Please enlighten
me.”
“Don’t think I
haven’t realized, my sweet flower,” Hades’ eyebrow rose, “befriending the girl,
gathering information, relaying it back to Hermes. Oh, let’s not forget the
fact you saved Hermes from Josephine’s wrath.”
Persephone
swallowed. No, no. He has it all wrong.
Persephone loved Josephine; she would never intentionally set her friend up.
“I didn’t save
him,” Persephone growled.
“But you did. Why
lie?”
“I’m not lying!”
Persephone stood, facing the God, “I would never save that asshole.”
“You may think so.
But the fates say otherwise.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Hades backed up,
his form slowly dissipating into a million pieces. He winked before he was
completely gone, “Think about it, Persephone. Just think. I’ll be back.”
“What? You’re just
going to leave me here?”
“Traitors belong in
the Underworld, Persephone. Aren’t those your words?” Hades smiled wide, “Take
care of yourself.”
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