I woke to the smell of olive oil and freshly baked bread.
For a moment, I forgot where I was. The cracked plaster ceiling, the rustling of sleeping bags, the quiet thrum of cicadas outside—it all blurred together into a half-formed dream.
A rough voice cut through the haze. "Hey, Nate. Breakfast's up."
I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in the pillow. "Five more minutes."
"Dude, come on." It was Ryan, one of the guys from my group. He nudged my leg with his boot. "They've got fresh bread and eggs today. Get up before Lia eats it all."
I sighed, forcing myself upright as my back protested from the thin cot. The bunk room was alive with sleepy chatter, students pulling on dusty jeans and lacing up worn boots. Someone sprayed deodorant way too liberally, and the artificial citrus scent burned my nose.
The sun was just cresting the hills when I stumbled out of my tent, turning the pale stone of the dig site gold. The breeze rustled the green tarp overhead, carrying the scents of roasted tomatoes, strong coffee, and freshly baked bread. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon.
Students were already filing in from their tents, voices blending together in sleepy chatter. I followed a few of the guys toward the food tables, dragging my feet through the dust. On the other side, the girls were making their way over from their side of camp, still yawning and rubbing sleep from their eyes.
One table was completely covered in food. Fluffy scrambled eggs sprinkled with herbs. Roasted tomatoes glistening with olive oil. Golden-brown spanakopita cut into neat triangles. Bowls of briny black and green olives. Thick slices of feta drizzled with honey. Platters of sliced cucumbers and tomatoes tossed with oregano. Baskets piled high with warm pita and crusty bread. The smell of sharp cheese mixed with the earthy olive oil and bitter coffee was enough to make my head swim.
I grabbed a chipped ceramic plate and scooped a small portion of scrambled eggs, a few olives, and a slice of bread onto it. Just enough to keep my stomach from complaining. Then I turned away and walked to the far end of one of the wooden benches, dropping onto it with a quiet groan as I set my plate down. My whole body felt like it had been run over by a tractor. Twice.
Digging my book out of my bag, I cracked it open and propped it against my coffee cup, picking at the eggs as my eyes glazed over the text. Each line blurred into the next. Ancient burial rituals, cult offerings, early necromancy practices… I could barely keep my eyes open, let alone process any of it.
Movement caught my attention near the food table. I glanced up and immediately regretted it. Lia was there, laughing with her friends as they loaded their plates with eggs, pita, and cheese. Her damp hair curled around her shoulders, catching the early sunlight like a dark halo. It had been a month since I met her at Starbucks, fumbling with her phone while I nearly spilled coffee on myself. Somehow, between group projects and late-night cataloging shifts, she'd carved out a place in my life. Whether I wanted her there or not.
I realized I was staring. Before I could look away, her eyes locked onto mine. My stomach flipped.
Oh shit.
I snapped my gaze back down to my book, heat creeping up my neck. Maybe she hadn't noticed. Maybe—
"Morning, Nate!" Her voice rang out, bright and teasing. Of course she noticed.
I cringed internally as she slid onto the bench beside me, her friends sitting across from us. She set her plate down and nudged my shoulder lightly.
"Good morning," she said again, softer this time, a smile curling her lips. As I gave a greeting as she leaned over to peek at my plate and snorted. "That's all you're eating? Planning to waste away before lunch? Dramatic, even for you."
I snorted back, finally glancing up at her. "And miss the pleasure of your company? Tragic."
Her smile softened, eyes crinkling with something warm. I didn't know how to deal with this early in the morning. She bumped my shoulder again, gentler this time. "Eat some more food, Nate. We've got a long month ahead."
I sighed and closed my book with a quiet thud, picking up my fork. "Yeah… yeah, alright."
Across from us, Dr. Stavros cleared his throat, and the low buzz of morning conversation faded instantly. Even the cicadas seemed to pause their rhythmic song.
"Good morning, students," he said, his voice carrying easily through the crisp morning air. "Today marks the beginning of your journey as archaeologists. You stand on the edge of a discovery that will change everything we know about ancient Greek history. Few in their lives will ever get to see something so untouched… so sacred."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle before continuing. "The cave we are entering today holds the largest cavern system ever discovered in this region. At its heart is a temple—an entire temple—still standing after thousands of years. Columns unbroken. Statues untouched. A place that has escaped both looters and time itself."
A shiver ran down my spine despite the growing warmth of the sun. Around me, the other students shifted, craning their necks to listen.
"We believe this temple dates back to what some call the 'dark ages' of Greece," he said. "A time we know so little about. And from what we've uncovered so far, this was no temple to Olympus. This is a chthonic temple—dedicated to the gods of the underworld. To Hades himself."
A hushed murmur spread through the students. My pulse quickened. Hades. God of the dead. Ruler of shadows and souls. It felt like the air grew colder just hearing his name spoken aloud.
Dr. Stavros gestured to a pile of heavy canvas backpacks behind him. "Today, you will each take part in documenting what no modern eye has seen. In these packs you'll find excavation tools, brushes, sample bags, measuring tape, notebooks, and safety gear. You will also be given a hard hat with a mounted light and gloves. We will have five hours to explore and record before we prepare to go public with this discovery."
He paused again, then smiled faintly and reached into his satchel, pulling out a thick leather-bound journal. Its edges were worn and stained with years of dirt and graphite smudges. The gold lettering on the front read simply: Field Notes – Stavros.
"This is my personal journal," he said, his tone quieting the crowd even further. "It contains every observation, theory, and translation I have compiled over the last twenty years of my career. I want one of you to have it. To continue this work after I am gone."
The students around me inhaled sharply. My stomach twisted. He couldn't be serious.
Dr. Stavros pulled out a small slip of paper and unfolded it slowly. "And the student who will receive this is… Nathaniel Rhodes."
The world stopped. For a second, I thought I misheard him. Heat rushed to my face as dozens of eyes turned toward me. Lia's hand shot out, smacking my arm.
"Holy shit, Nate, that's you!" she whispered, eyes wide with shock and excitement.
I blinked, my throat dry. Dr. Stavros was holding the journal out, waiting patiently. My legs felt numb as I stood and walked forward, feeling like I was trapped in someone else's body. The leather felt warm and solid in my hands as I took it.
"Thank you… sir," I managed to say, voice hoarse.
He smiled, deep lines creasing his sun-browned face. "Make good use of it, Nathaniel."
I swallowed hard and nodded, clutching it to my chest as I returned to my seat. Lia was still staring at me, grinning like she'd just won the lottery herself.
"Congratulations," she said softly, nudging my arm.
I snorted under my breath, flipping the journal open to the first page. My eyes skimmed over tight, slanted handwriting detailing temple layouts, artifact sketches, and hastily scrawled Greek translations. There was an entire world hidden in these pages.
But deep in my chest, a cold, coiling unease twisted around my ribs.
A temple to Hades. Five hours to explore. And now, I was holding the key to everything they'd uncovered.
Great.
Just… great.
"Rhodes?"
I froze at the voice behind me. Only one person in the world said my name like that—half a greeting, half an accusation.
I turned and saw him standing there, grinning like an idiot.
"Ethan," I said, my voice flat.
He clapped me on the back so hard my teeth clicked. "I can't believe it. Nate Rhodes. You are actually outside. What is this, the apocalypse?"
I rubbed my shoulder where he'd slapped me. "Something like that."
Ethan dropped into the seat beside me, already grabbing a plate and piling it with food. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with warm brown skin and dark curly hair that never stayed tied back for long. His black university hoodie was rolled up to the elbows, revealing ropey forearms covered in little white scars from fencing practice and camping mishaps.
He was everything I wasn't—confident, loud, charming, effortlessly social. And yet, somehow, we'd been best friends since we were kids.
"You didn't tell me you were coming," he said, mouth full of bread. "I almost had a heart attack when your name was just called!"
"I didn't tell anyone."
"Why?"
I shrugged. "Didn't think I'd actually go through with it."
He snorted. "Well, I'm glad you did. Otherwise I'd be stuck listening to Kevin talk about CrossFit the entire trip."
"That sounds… horrifying."
"You have no idea."
Lia raised her hand. "Hi, Ethan. I didn't know that you two knew each other?"
"Oh hey, Lia, Yeah. Nate and I have been friends since we were in diapers." he said, his grin widening, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "Don't tell me that you actually had something to do with getting this introvert to come here?"
She winked. "Well, he had piqued my interest when we met at the Starbucks. So I asked him to sign up."
"Well, bless your manipulative little heart," he said, reaching across me to fist bump her.
I sighed and poked at my food.
After breakfast, we gathered near the edge of the dig site where the cave entrance loomed before us. The opening was wide and dark, fringed with tufts of dry grass and clumps of pale lichen clinging to the rough stone. Morning sunlight barely touched its threshold, as if even the sun was hesitant to step inside.
Dr. Stavros stood in front of us, hands clasped behind his back, looking solemn. "Today," he began, his deep voice carrying easily, "we descend into history itself. This site is unlike anything we have encountered before. Its scale, construction, and hidden location suggest origins predating even the Mycenaean era. Possibly Cycladic. Possibly something far older."
He paused, scanning each of our faces. "You will treat everything you see with the utmost respect. One careless step can erase a thousand years of history. Follow instructions. Take notes. Photograph everything."
No one spoke. Even Ethan, usually unable to shut up, stood silent beside me, his brows furrowed in rare focus.
Dr. Stavros gestured for us to follow, and we trailed behind him into the cave. Our boots crunched over gravel and ancient dust. The air changed instantly—cool and damp, smelling of earth, minerals, and something sharper, like old blood or rusted iron.
We walked in a hushed line, lantern beams flickering over rough stone walls etched with faint carvings I couldn't begin to decipher. The deeper we went, the narrower the passage became, until we reached a massive metal platform embedded into the rock.
An industrial elevator.
It looked out of place down here, bolted into the stone with thick steel supports and humming electrical cables.
"This was installed by the Ministry," Dr. Stavros said, his voice echoing faintly in the cavern. "It is the only safe way down to the temple level."
He stepped onto the platform. We followed, packing in shoulder to shoulder. Ethan squeezed in beside me, radiating warmth through his hoodie into my cold arm.
"Don't look down," he whispered with a grin.
"Thanks," I muttered, gripping the railing tighter anyway.
With a groan and a lurch, the elevator began its descent. Metal rattled against stone as we dropped lower and lower into the earth. The only sounds were the mechanical whine of pulleys and the anxious shuffles of boots.
After what felt like forever, the elevator stopped with a heavy clang. The gates rattled open.
"Welcome," Dr. Stavros said softly, his voice echoing around us, "to a lost world."
I stepped off the platform and nearly stumbled. My brain couldn't process what I was seeing.
We stood in a cavern so vast it felt like it swallowed sound itself. Massive columns carved directly from the bedrock rose up into a ceiling lost in shadow. And in the center stood a temple. An entire temple. Grand arches, stone stairways, towering pediments still standing after millennia.
The place smelled of cold stone, ancient dust, and something strangely floral, like faded incense. Flickering lantern light revealed rows upon rows of clay soldiers standing in formation before the temple steps—demon-faced warriors with horns and fanged grins, reminiscent of the Terracotta Army in China. Each statue clutched a spear or axe, their eyes glaring eternally forward. Behind them loomed even larger statues, half-finished and obscured in scaffolding, as if the sculptors had simply… stopped one day and never returned.
Students gasped and whispered all around me, scribbling frantically into notebooks. Ethan let out a low whistle.
"Dude… this is insane."
"Yeah," I breathed. My chest felt tight, like the air here was thicker, heavy with memory and secrets.
Dr. Stavros cleared his throat. "These four statues at the entrance," he said, gesturing to massive carvings of four-armed giants guarding the temple doors, "appear to represent distant descendants or interpretations of the Hecatoncheires. Their style is unlike any mainland Greek art we have studied."
Pens scratched against paper as students jotted down notes, eyes wide behind safety goggles.
Dr. Stavros clapped his hands once. "Groups of five, please. Record everything you see. Touch nothing unless instructed. We will remain here for five hours before sealing the site again."
We shuffled into groups. Lia grabbed my arm, pulling me toward her friends, with Ethan trailing behind. She was already grinning with excitement, practically vibrating as she slipped on her hard hat and adjusted her ponytail.
"Ready for this?" she asked, her brown eyes bright in the lantern light.
"Yeah," I lied, sliding my helmet on and clipping my headlamp in place. My hands were shaking.
It had been a month since I first met her at Starbucks, and even though we have talked and gotten a lot closer through the months, I still felt this nervousness when she looked at me and unlike Ethan, I didn't know how to tell her that I was interested in her.
Sighing I finished getting ready as we made our way toward the temple steps, I felt her eyes on me. I risked a glance up. She was smiling softly, like she could see straight through me. Heat crawled up my neck, and I quickly looked away, pretending to study a cracked pillar.
Great. Smooth, Nate. Real smooth.
We entered the shadow of the towering gates, the carved demon soldiers watching us in eternal silence.
Something about this place felt… alive and for some reason I felt like there was something waiting for me inside that temple.