AN: Hey everyone, so it's been awhile since I posted on this site. I hope you guys enjoy the story. While I will try to post new chapters as often as possible, please know that I do work full time and do not always have time to write. This story is cross posted on AO3. Also I own nothing.

Summary: "The Strongest of steel is forged in the fires of Hell", this is a lesson Grant Ward has learned well over the course of his 31 years. While SHIELD has branded him a traitor and HYDRA sees him as Garrett's prized protégé, neither Agency knows the truth about the "best spy since Romanoff". Truth be told, Grant has been playing both Agencies since he was 15 years old. The true Grant Ward is the leader of the HellChasers a group of Black ops agents working the Museum of Antiquities to try and prevent KHAOS from taking over the world. Now, with the aid of his team the real Grant Ward is finally going to step into the light and take his place as Hellfire, leader of the Guardians. Question is how will his former team mates and the woman he loves react when they meet "Hellfire"?

Shadow Wars Series:

The Rise of Hellfire

Prologue

The Prophecy of Kassandra

When Men fly and Gods return

The Demon Goddess will be released

Darkness shall consume and Chaos will reign.

However all is not lost

Out of the Darkness, heroes will rise.

Led by one who has known only suffering.

He will have the fire of Hell in his blood

Only through love will he be truly saved

Under his leadership the Guardians will return.

June 2016

Flames shot across the battle as Grant Ward faced off with the sorceress Medusa. He could feel the fire in his blood continue to build as he reached deep into his very soul, trying to prevent the darkness Medusa stood for from reaching his family. As he fought, images of Rosie, Kiki,Sakura, his team, his siblings, Skye, and even Coulson and his teammates raced through his mind. He would be damned if he allowed Medusa and her grandmother to win. Drawing on his will power and even the Beserker rage that he hated so much, Grant let out a vicious roar as suddenly he released a massive blast of fire. There was a bright light and then a shockwave that sent him flying, and his world went black. He could swear he heard the voices of his grandparents and birth mother calling to him and telling him to rest.

Chapter One

Wisconsin Woods- 1999

The searing pain was the first thing that came to 15-year-old Grant Ward's mind as he slowly came to. It was quickly followed by worry for Buddy when he didn't feel his best friend beside him. Did John hurt him? he wondered fearfully. Finally his pain and panic ridden mind registered that he was laying on something soft and slowly he opened his eyes only to shut them once again due to the harsh light. Grant tried to sit up, but had to bite back a scream as a new wave of searing pain rushed from his side. Where am I? he wondered silently as his eyes took in what little bit of the room he could see from his position on the bed. The bed he was laying on was soft, almost too soft for him considering he had spent the past six months sleeping on the cold hard ground. In front of the bed was dress with a neatly folded pile of clothes on top of it.

A door opened somewhere to his left, causing him to turn his head.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, kid." Grant recognized the man who walked into the room carrying a tray of food, Buddy right on his heels. He had been coming to see him once a month for the past six months. Though Grant had continuously refused to speak to man-he had learned his lesson with John about not trusting anyone, after all-the man still continued to come around, bringing Grant and Buddy food. "You gave us a bit of a scare." he commented as Buddy jumped up onto the bed and laid down next to Grant.

Grant's brown eyes watched the man suspiciously as he placed the tray on table next to the bed and helped him sit up gently. He couldn't hide the involuntary flinch when he touched him, though if the man saw it, he didn't acknowledge it. He was tall, with short black hair and hard brown eyes, and he spoke with what Grant could only describe as a New York accent. However, when his eyes looked at Grant they seemed to soften just a little bit.

"Where am I?" Grant asked hesitantly, speaking to the man for the first time in the four months since he had met him.

"A safe house a couple miles up the mountains from your camp. Now, you gonna tell me your name, kid?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

Grant looked down at his hands and before he could stop himself, whispering…

April, 2015

"Grant, it's time to wake up, luv." a soothing English accent said as a gentle hand stroked his forehead.

Grant recognized the soothing tones as he started to slowly return to the land of living. "Wynne," he whimpered, leaning into the gentle touch. His voice was hoarse and his mouth dry.

"That's it, luv," she whispered, "you're safe now." Grant shivered a little as he felt a damp cloth being placed on his forehead. Grant hesitantly opened his eyes only to shut them again because of the bright light. After a moment he slowly opened them again and found himself staring into the tender green eyes of his "Aunt" Wynne.

"Where… am I?" he whispered, trying to look around, but he couldn't really tell much from his position in the bed.

"Sanctuary" Wynne said calmly as she briefly turned to the bowl of water resting on the table. She dropped the washcloth into it before slowly helping him sit up in the bed. "Stefan and Damian received your distress call. You had already passed out when they got to you and your friend."

Images suddenly flooded his mind of him bringing Skye and Raina to Puerto Rico, Raina telling everyone that he loved Skye, Skye holding that damned artifact, and finally Skye shooting him and leaving him to die. He felt his heart break as he remembered her words as she walked away: 'Never turn your back on the enemy, you taught me that.' Grant turned his head away from Wynne toward the window overlooking the ocean, not wanting her to see the pain in his eyes, though he knew it would be useless. Sure enough he felt Wynne gently stroke his hair in comfort, just like when he was a child before Claudia and Maynard Ward forced her to stay away from him. As he looked out at the waves crashing along the shoreline, another memory hit him. It was of him laying on the ground bleeding and Agent 33 coming to his aid. Turning back to Wynne, he asked, "Where is the woman who was with me?"

Wynne smiled softly at the young man she had always viewed as a son. "She's safe, Grant. Sakura and Noelani have been showing her around the base. It's you we need to worry about though, Luv." She paused for a moment and glanced out the window at the shoreline, trying to compose herself as she thought about how close to death he had been when Stefan and Damian had brought him and the young woman in. "You were shot four times in your right side and developed an infection. Even with my magic and Selena's abilities as a doctor, we almost lost you a couple of times." Wynne's voice broke slightly as she remembered the pain she felt at seeing her best friend's child laying unconscious and almost dead to world. She was brought out of her memories when she felt Grant squeeze her hand. "You've been unconscious for four days, Grant. Your Grandmother, CJ, and Tommy have been besides themselves with worry…. We all have."

Grant looked at Wynne and gave her hand another quick squeeze. "I'm sorry Aunt Wynne," he whispered, finally letting go of the tough, badass mask he had been hiding behind and letting Wynne pull him closer to her so that his head was resting on her shoulder. Normally, Grant would never let someone get this close to him, but Wynne had always been the exception to his no-touching policy, along with Gramzy, CJ, and Tommy. Even when he was a child, he had always known he was he safe in Wynne's arms. After all, he could always remember how Wynne's touch reminded him of what a mother's touch was supposed to be, like nothing could get to him.

A sudden scratching at the door caused Wynne to laugh. "Seems like someone wants to see you," she said mischievously as she walked to the door. As soon as the door was opened, a brown ball of fur came bounding into the room and onto Grant's bed.

Grant joined in Wynne's laughter as the ball of fur began licking his face. "Ares, enough," he said in between his laughter as he stroked the fur of his Chocolate Lab/German Shepard mix. "I missed you too, boy." The two and half-year-old dog finally settled down and laid next to him on the bed with his head resting in Grant's lap.

Wynne watched the display with a gentle smile from the door. "I'm going to tell the others you're up. Why don't you and Ares catch up? Maker only knows that poor dog has missed the past year." With that she turned and left the room, leaving Grant to his thoughts.

Grant once again stared out the window at the waves crashing on the shore. Memories of the team, Skye, and John flashed through his mind. However, at the same time he also knew what was truly at stake. There was a war going on that was bigger than SHIELD and HYDRA's little turf war. It was a war that had been raging from the shadows for thousands of years. A war he had been destined for since the day his birth mother had been ruthlessly murdered trying to protect him. Did he regret the lives he had taken while undercover with SHIELD and HYDRA? Of course! But he had made his peace with the fact he would most likely never know true happiness or love.

With a wince, Grant pushed himself out of bed, and after a few shaky seconds to gather his bearings, he limped over to the large window with Ares at his side.

"Wynne's gonna kill you if she sees you out of bed," a familiar New York accent said, causing Grant to turn his head. Leaning against the doorframe looking as if he didn't have a care in the world was Stefan Montelli. Making his way over to Grant, Stefan ruffled the fur of the lab/shepherd mix. "I know none of this has been easy for you, Grant," he said, looking at the younger man that he had seen as a son since the day he'd found him bleeding in those Wisconsin woods. "For what it is worth, I am truly sorry that we had to ask you to do this. You should have been able to experience all the joys life has to offer. Instead all you've gotten is suffering, pain and heartbreak."

Grant looked at Stefan and was shocked to see the remorse in the older man's usually hard brown eyes. "It's not your fault, Stefan. I knew what I was signing up for when I accepted your offer."

"Grant you were only fifteen. Instead of worrying about girls, school, and sports, you were forced into a world where you had to bury your true self. I can't help feeling partly responsible." Grant could hear the guilt in Stefan's voice as he spoke of the past.

"Stefan, stop." He said softly, turning to the man that, like John, had been a father figure to him since he was fifteen. "I hadn't been a child since long before I met John and you. Christian and my aunt and uncle saw to that. My mistakes and choices, for good and bad, were my own. Do I regret them? Damn right I do, but at the same time I know that they had to be done." Grant turned fully to face Stefan. "We are at war, and HYDRA and KHAOS have to be stopped."

Stefan felt a surge of pride break through his guilt as he watched the young man he had come to see as a son pull himself up from the wreckage SHIELD, HYDRA, and Garrett had left in their wake. Grant had come a long way from the scared and angry teenage boy he had met in the backwoods of Wisconsin all those years ago.

Wisconsin, 1999

"You did good today, kid," Stefan said, holding his hand out to help Grant up from the ground. They had been training for the last two hours. It had been three weeks since Grant and Buddy had come to stay with him. In those three weeks, Stefan found himself amazed at the boy's tenacity; no matter how many times he got knocked down, he got right back up and was ready to go again.

"Stefan," Grant said hesitantly, looking the older man who had taken him in.

Stefan paused as he raised a towel to wipe his face, "What's up kid?"

"Why are you helping me?" Grant asked as he eyed Stefan warily.

Stefan sighed as he watched the fifteen-year-old for a moment. "Grant, I'm helping you because I know you are destined for greatness."

Grant shook his head fiercely, "No I'm not…" he whispered. "I'm a weak little waste of space who can't do anything right." Grant's hands curled into fists as he could almost hear Christian's voice taunting him in his mind. However, he was pulled out of his thoughts by a gently bump against his leg. Looking down, Grant felt himself relax as Buddy stared at him with his deep brown eyes.

"You are not weak, kid," Stefan said, walking over to Grant. "You are strong, you are a survivor, and anyone who can't see that is not worth it. However, only you can decide to if you want to reach that greatness."

"You once told me that only I can decide if I want to reach the greatness within," Grant said as he shook himself from his memories and turned to look at Stefan. "Well, I'm more ready than ever." A smirk made its way across Grant's face, giving Stefan a glimpse of that smartass fifteen year old kid who had first breached the walls around his heart. "It's like you always told me, I'm a survivor and I'll be damned before I let HYDRA, SHIELD, or KHAOS destroy me." Grant reached down to pet Ares and once again turned his attention to the waves in their never ending dance.

"Well, then I guess your mind is made up," Stefan said, joining him in watching the waves breaking along the shoreline. "Count me in. What can I do to help?"

Two days later, Grant and Agent 33 were walking along the water's edge as Ares raced ahead of them. "What do we do now?" she asked, looking at Grant as they walked, her scar hidden behind her long brown hair.

Grant stopped and turned to look out at the ocean as he thought about her question. "You are free to do whatever you want," he said finally after a moment of thought. "Your life is your own again. As for me, my responsibilities are to the Hellchasers, taking down HYDRA and KHAOS, and most importantly finding my little girl." He could feel the remnants of the berserk rage building inside of him. That, mixed with the inherent protectiveness that comes when a father learns their child is in danger, as he thought about his little girl in the hands of KHAOS and HYDRA. Despite only finding out the fact was a father, let alone the fact that his baby girl was in danger just hours before he had taken Skye and Raina to Puerto Rico, Grant was ready to face down the forces of heaven and hell to save her, and may the gods have mercy on the fool who gets in his way.

33 stared at Grant as his words sank in. He was right; her life was her own again. The question was what would she do with her new found freedom. After a moment of staring out at the water and watching Ares running in and out of it like a little puppy, she found her answer deep within herself. "I want to help you and the Hellchasers," she whispered softly. "I want…. No, I need to find out who I am and I have a feeling that answer can only be found by helping you and the others." 33 looked at Grant hesitantly as if waiting for him to say no.

Grant turned and looked at 33. He could see the fear of rejection in her eyes. He took a deep breath before he replied.

"I would never turn away an offer for help, 33. The Hellchasers will be more than happy to have you on board." He flashed her a comforting smile. "I haven't forgotten my promise to you, 33. When we get back I'll talk to Oracle and Nessa about trying to dig up anything about your past." Grant paused for a moment as he took in the hopeful look on 33's face. "I refuse to keep calling you 33. You're a person, not a number or an asset."

33 hesitantly leaned up a placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, a slight blush coming to her face, "You are the first person to treat me like a person since all this happened."

Grant smiled at her softly, "You're welcome," he said, "Now, let's go save the world."