The secret tunnel was exactly where Ares remembered it—buried behind a collapsed pillar near the foot of Mount Olympus, covered in vines and years of divine neglect. They had teleported as close as possible without alerting the celestial wards above, then made the rest of the journey on foot, cloaked by Aphrodite's magic. The farther they descended, the more the world around them grew still—too still.
No wind. No animals. No sound but their footsteps echoing off cold stone.
Ares shoved aside the last bit of rubble and ducked into the crevice. "This was sealed after the Titanomachy," he muttered. "Even Zeus forgot it existed. I didn't."
Aphrodite followed close behind, illuminating the tunnel with a soft, golden light that pulsed with her breath. "How did you even know this would lead to the Fates?"
He gave a half-smirk, eyes scanning the darkness. "Because once, long ago, I followed one of them down here."
She stopped. "You spied on a Fate?"
