Chapter 3

The stone path beneath the Euphrates stretches forward, illuminated only by the faint glow of runes embedded in the walls. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth, and each step echoes through the vast, unseen space ahead.

The river should be crushing them from all sides—but it isn’t. Instead, the water flows above them, shimmering like liquid glass, held back by an invisible force.

Matt runs a hand over his face. “Okay. So, we’re walking under a river. That’s fine. That’s totally normal.”

Jenny exhales, voice hushed. “This place feels… alive.”

Angelica grips her onyx necklace, its warmth pulsing in rhythm with something just ahead. She knows they are being led.

Dr. Varner moves carefully, trailing his fingers over the glowing inscriptions carved into the stone walls. His face is unreadable, but there is something like reverence in his eyes.

“These are celestial markings,” he murmurs. “Older than recorded history. This isn’t just a chamber—it’s a temple.”

Angelica glances at him. “A temple to what?”

Dr. Varner stops, his gaze flickering to a massive archway ahead, adorned with two intertwining fish carved in glowing silver.

“The forgotten gods.”

They step beyond the archway into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost to shadows. The walls are lined with ancient carvings, depictions of constellations shifting across stone like living murals.

At the center of the room, a circular pool of water ripples outward—despite no visible source of disturbance. The light in the chamber shifts, as though something unseen has awakened.

Then—the water begins to glow.

A soft hum vibrates through the air, and from the depths of the glowing pool, two figures emerge.

Their forms are luminous, almost ethereal, their features shifting between human and something otherworldly. Their eyes shimmer like starlight, their robes flowing like liquid silver.

Jenny’s breath catches. “Who—what—are they?”

Dr. Varner steps forward, his voice barely above a whisper. “Aphrodite and Eros.”

Angelica’s pulse quickens. She knows these beings—not from memory, but from something deeper.

The figures regard them in silence before the taller one—Aphrodite—speaks.

“You have come seeking answers.”

Her voice resonates, not just in sound, but through their very bones.

Bo swallows hard. “Yeah, and I’m starting to regret that.”

Eros tilts his head. “The stars have aligned. The veil has thinned. You stand upon the precipice of a cycle long forgotten.”

Angelica steps forward, her voice steady. “The runes led us here. The equinox revealed this place. What does it all mean?”

Aphrodite’s gaze flickers to the onyx necklace around Angelica’s throat. Her expression softens. “You carry the relic of the celestial bond.”

Angelica instinctively touches the pendant. “This?”

Eros nods. “It is more than a relic. It is a key.”

Matt mutters, “Why is it always a key?”

Angelica ignores him. “A key to what?”

Aphrodite gestures to the glowing carvings around them. “The story of your world is written here. But only those who remember can read it.”

Dr. Varner inhales sharply. “Then tell us. Who was Hatmehit? What was the bond between her and Aries?”

The chamber darkens, and suddenly, the carvings along the walls shift, coming to life like a moving tapestry.

Aphrodite’s voice carries through the air, weaving the story into existence.

“Hatmehit, the Fish Goddess, was the keeper of the celestial waters. Aries, the Ram of Fire, was the guardian of the cosmic flame. Together, they balanced creation—fire and water, action and wisdom, power and grace.”

The images on the walls glow brighter, depicting a great celestial bond—Hatmehit and Aries standing as equals, their energies intertwining.

“But the balance was broken. The celestial beings who came to Gaia disrupted the harmony, severing the bond that held chaos at bay.”

The image shifts—the figures of Hatmehit and Aries parting, a deep rift forming between them.

A new shape emerges from the darkness—a monstrous figure, vast and coiled in shadow.

Typhon.

Eros’s voice is heavy. “With the bond shattered, Typhon stirred beneath the waters. Hatmehit fought to keep him contained, but without Aries at her side, the seal weakened.”

Bo clenches his jaw. “And now it’s happening again.”

Aphrodite nods gravely. “Yes. The Time of Pisces is waning. And with it, the last remnants of the seal that holds Typhon in slumber.”

Jenny’s voice is unsteady. “So what do we do?”

Eros steps forward, his gaze meeting Angelica’s.

“Restore the balance.”

The murals flicker, returning to still stone. The chamber is silent, save for the distant echo of water.

Dr. Varner’s voice is tight with urgency. “How? How do we restore the balance?”

Aphrodite’s expression darkens. “The cycle cannot be undone, only completed. The equinox has opened the threshold, but the next sign must awaken.”

Angelica straightens. “The next sign?”

Eros nods. “Pisces is the last remnant of the old balance. Aries is the beginning of the new. If you do not find Aries’ sign before the cycle fully turns—”

A deep roar echoes from beneath the chamber, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

Jenny gasps. “What was that?”

The water in the pool churns violently.

Aphrodite’s expression is grim. “Typhon is waking.”

The walls tremble, loose stones crashing to the ground as a deep, guttural rumbling grows louder. The chamber begins to flood, water rushing in from unseen crevices.

Matt curses. “I told you something creepy would come out of the water!”

Eros’s voice is sharp. “Run.”

The chamber collapses around them. Water rises fast, surging over the stone path.

Angelica grabs Jenny’s arm, pulling her toward the passage.

Dr. Varner struggles to keep up, clutching his satchel as loose stones crash from above.

The roar grows louder, a shadowed mass stirring beneath the water.

Bo hauls Matt forward as the group stumbles toward the archway.

Angelica looks back—just for a moment.

In the glowing depths, a massive coil of darkness moves.

Typhon is no longer sleeping.

As the last of them cross the threshold, the chamber implodes, the weight of the river finally reclaiming its secret.

They burst out onto the riverbank, gasping for air as the Euphrates roars back into place—sealing whatever was beneath.

Jenny collapses into the grass. “We almost died.”

Dr. Varner wipes a shaking hand over his face. “We’re not done yet.”

Angelica stares at the river, the final words of Aphrodite echoing in her mind.

Find the Aries sign before the cycle turns.

The Time of Pisces is ending.

And Typhon is no longer bound.

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 4

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