"I knew you'd come," Fate said.
Gabe studied the deity gazing up at him. He wasn't expecting Fate to crack a joke. Past-Death and Fate had been at each other's throats for as long as Gabe could remember. He'd never met the enigmatic deity, but he'd heard past-Death go off about this man after every interaction.
"You didn't find that funny."
"I did," Gabe said, allowing a trace of a smile to slip free. "I don't know why I'm here."
"Because you're single-handedly destroying the universe. No pressure." Fate patted the sand beside him.
Gabe lowered himself into a crouch a few feet away, recalling the last time he'd been on a beach. He wanted more of the woman he'd sat with yet guessed he'd kill her if he was allowed. Or make love to her again. Or both.
"I'm doing something wrong, aren't I?" Gabe said.
"I'd say so. You've been fighting me since you took over."
"Not on purpose."
"That's what they all say," Fate replied. "Sometimes, you need to acknowledge the path at your feet and just go with it."
"Fucking deities speaking in riddles," Gabe muttered.
"Maybe it's easier than you're making it out to be."
"Or maybe you all should consider making instruction manuals before dumping your duties and walking away."
"You don't need an instruction manual. The Code is flexible for us godlings," Fate said, chuckling. "She was better than me at fucking people over. I warned her about crossing the line. It's one thing to see the Future; it's another entirely to try to change it. You fuck with the Future, you fuck with me."
"I want to do my job. I don't want to fuck with you or any of the others," Gabe said firmly.
Fate studied him for a long moment. "Every chain of events starts with one push, a catalyst, the perfect mix of different elements that craft a path and make an outcome more likely. For example, when you ignored my first summons" - Fate glared at him - "you made the deterioration of the underworld eighty percent likelier. When you ignored my second summons, you forced me to make a choice and start off a new chain of events."
"What choice was that?" Gabe asked, genuinely interested.
"To intervene or not. That eighty percent went to ninety nine. You forced my hand. The alternative was irreparable and too permanent for my taste. I sort of like the mortal world existing."
Coldness trickled through Gabriel. He knew he wasn't performing well in his new role, but to hear Fate tell him he was on a crash course with catastrophe made him sick to his stomach.