The Daughter of War - Chapter 40: A Spark of Fire

Chapter 40: A Spark of Fire

Josephine drifted in and out of consciousness. A chill seeped into her bones, wrapping around her. Then, with a sharp gasp, her eyes snapped open. All she could smell was the scent of sulfur and damp stone. Flickering blue flames lined the cavern’s walls, and her breath hitched as she pushed herself upright, her limbs tired as if she had been submerged in hell for an eternity. Or rather, in this case, the Underworld.

Memories clawed their way back—Hades. She couldn’t show weakness, not in front of him. She bolted to her feet.

A smooth voice sliced through the silence, “Awake at last?”

Josephine turned towards the voice. Hades lounged on a throne carved from black obsidian, leaning lazily with his elbow leaning on the armrest. Josephine knew the voices in her head were his, but… something about it seemed too real. Like they had a connection of some sort—beyond the bond they both shared with Persephone. Josephine didn’t understand how her power caused all of this—how one singular flame used against Hermes turned into a war for all she loved.

She clenched her fists, “What do you want from me?”

The god of the underworld chuckled, “What do I want?” He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, “The real question, my dear, is what do you want?”

“I want to be let out of here. I want you to stop all of this. Persephone—”

“Do not say her name!” Hades’ voice echoed throughout the cavern; his once amused expression now turned stone cold. He chuckled menacingly, “Haven’t you learned by now? Olympus will burn. And once it does, I’ll reclaim what my brothers stole from me. Fame. Hierarchy. My home.”

“That is not your home,” Josephine spat, “Your domain is the underworld for a reason.”

Hades relaxed once more, causing Josephine to feel even more uncomfortable. Where was Jase? Where was Persephone? Surely, they’d be coming to get her.

Hopefully.

Hades tilted his head, “You wound me, Josephine. You break into my domain, stir my wife’s curiosity, and now you act as if I’m the villain,” He tapped his fingers against the arm of his seat, “Tell me, what did you think was going to happen? I’ve had my eye on you, Little Flame. I can feel your power from the lowest depths of Tartarus. And I want it.”

“The depths of Tartarus?” Josephine couldn’t help but chuckle, “What are you talking about?”

“Where do you think your… fire comes from, my dear?” Hades waved his hand in the air.

Josephine paused. Tartarus? Her fire wasn’t just a weird phenomenon. She wasn’t the chosen one. It was something far darker. Had her parents known? Had they kept this from her? And if Hades was right, what did that mean for her? Was she just a vessel for some untamed force, doomed to burn out? Whatever the truth was, she couldn’t let Hades see her falter.

She forced herself to shake it off, “So... You think I’ll just hand over my power to you? You can't control me.” Her voice trembled slightly.

Hades sighed, “Control you? Oh, Josephine. I don’t need to control you. I need you to understand. We are not so different, you and I. Our power comes from the same source. You... you are more than just a flame. You’re the wildfire, the one that consumes everything in its path. I can help you harness it.”

Josephine’s eyes widened in shock. She shook her head rapidly, “Are you asking me to… join you?”

“We could do this together. Or, I can use force. It’s up to you.”

Josephine refused to answer. She wasn’t going to entertain this. Especially when she should be figuring a way out—some way to escape this place. Persephone knew the underworld like the back of her hand; if she were coming, she’d be there by now.

Hades sighed again, “Such stubbornness. It’s almost... endearing. But you will see, eventually. Power like yours is not meant to be ignored. It will burn you up if you don't learn to control it.”

He rose from his seat. With every step he took, the air seemed to grow heavier, colder. Josephine braced herself, instinctively pulling her power closer. The flame within her screamed, but it was wild and untamed—more threatening than it had ever been before.

“Perhaps,” Hades continued, his voice now a low whisper, “you need a lesson in what happens when you refuse to listen.”

Before Josephine could react, the ground beneath her feet cracked open with a roar. A whirlwind of black smoke erupted from the opening, and shadowy figures began to rise from the chasm below. Souls, their faces twisted in agony, reached out with skeletal hands, desperate to pull her in.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she stumbled back, instinctively raising her hands to summon her fire. But it wasn’t enough.

Hades watched her, smiling crazily, “You will never escape this place. Not without me.”

Josephine’s gaze flickered toward the edge of the chasm, where she could see a sign of movement—something else besides the souls. Someone else. Jase.

His form was barely visible, but she knew it was him. He was coming. She just had to hold on a little longer. She summoned every ounce of willpower, her hands glowing faintly with the flicker of fire. She wasn’t about to let Hades win. Not now, not ever.

“You’re wrong,” she said, holding onto the wall beside her.

Hades’ eyes narrowed, “We’ll see, Little Flame. We’ll see just how long you can burn before the fire consumes you.”

Josephine gritted her teeth. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, in the entrance of the cavern looked like it changed shape—slowly, like ink spreading across a page, Jase’s form emerged, guided by shadows. His shadows. The air crackled with a low hum as his grey eyes instantly met with Josephines. His every movement was fluid, controlled, and as he stepped into the cavern, his shadows seemed to follow him.

For the first time, Josephine saw Jase for what he really was. Not an extension of Poseidon—something more. Something deeper. This was a different version of Jase, something untamed. She couldn’t help but allow a small smirk creep across her lips as she took his divine form in.

“You,” Hades’ voice was an odd mixture of surprise and discomfort. He rose from his throne, “I should have known it would be you.”

Jase’s lips twisted into a light smile, “It always comes back to me, doesn’t it? You never could get rid of me, could you, Hades? Not even now.”

Josephine’s eyes darted between them. How could she forget that Jase grew up in the Underworld? Not only was this a fight for the people Jase loved, but this was personal to him. He never really talked about Hades, but from the looks of it, it seemed like they didn’t get along too often.

“It’s unfortunate you grew up here, Jase,” Hades said, his tone shifting, softer now, “Raised by your precious Hecate. I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

Jase’s scoffed, moving next to Josephine, “You think I don’t remember your games? The way you thought you could control everything in your little kingdom. But you’ve always known,” he said, “The shadows don’t belong to you, Hades. They never did. I’ve had enough of it. I watched as you manipulated Persephone—and I’ll die before I let you do the same to the woman I love.”

The woman I love. For a moment, the world seemed to pause. Josephine stared at Jase—she had fought beside him, survived countless things with him, but never had he spoken those words. Never had he said what she had felt all along, though she’d buried it—too afraid to give it a name.

“I—I never thought you’d…” She shook her head, words barely a whisper, “I didn’t know I was—"

Jase’s gaze moved back to her, softening, “You are. You always have been. I didn’t say it because I thought you knew. But I need you to hear it now.”

“Oh, how sweet,” Hades sneered, “A moment of tenderness, a little display of weakness. But do you truly think it matters, Jase?” he took a deliberate step forward, “You think you can take what belongs to me?”

Before Jase could respond, the Underworld itself seemed to shudder.

The fissure got wider, and the stone walls groaned as Hades raised his hand, sending a blast of dark energy towards Jase. He didn’t flinch. Jase raised his own hand, and the shadows around him answered, meeting Hades’ head-on. The cavern vibrated with the force of their power colliding. A shockwave rippled through the air, causing Josephine to stumble backwards.

“You’ll never win,” Hades growled, “Ha, challenge me? You, a mere bastard child of the Underworld? You’re nothing. I am the Underworld.”

Josephine watched, hesitating. She could feel the heat building within her, the fire that Hades had so recklessly dismissed. She couldn’t just stand there and watch them tear each other apart. Not when Jase was risking everything for her.

She reached down, her fingers curling around the familiar heat, and before she could think better of it, she stepped forward, “Jase!” she shouted.

Jase’s head whipped around, but in that moment, Hades took full advantage, releasing a powerful burst of energy directly toward Jase, sending him stumbling back. The shockwave hit Josephine too, knocking her off her feet, but she pushed herself upright. The flames that had once felt so foreign to her flared outwards. She extended her hand toward Hades, and the fire surged from her fingertips like a river of lava, gnawing away the Hades’ magic. Hades recoiled—stepping back as the flames got closer to him.

“There it is,” Hades scoffed, “So, this is the power I’ve sensed in you. A spark of fire, burning too brightly for your own good.”

Jase pushed himself back to his feet, “She’s stronger than you think. And so am I.”

He surged forward once more, this time with Josephine at his side. Hades raised both hands, summoning the full fury of the Underworld to defend himself. Shadows lashed at Jase, but Josephine’s flames met them with a blistering force. Hades was finally falling.

Hades’ form flickered as the flames broke through his magic. Josephine gasped as she fell to the floor, her body to fatigued to hold her own weight. Jase caught her head, his strong hand holding onto her neck as he slowly anchored her to the ground.

“Josie?” Jase pressed his hand to her cheek, his face hovering over her as her vision came and went in blurs, “You okay? Hey—talk to me.”

Josephine rolled her head to the side, and before her vision completely faded, she couldn’t help but smile as the god of the Underworld fell, burning in her flames.