Dawn didn't come to Heaven anymore. The light just shifted—from pale to paler, from grey to grey. But the eastern sector felt darker than the rest. The fracture there was wider than any other, a jagged wound in reality that bled light instead of blood. It had been spreading for days, ignoring anchors, ignoring prayers, ignoring everything Athena threw at it.
Zeus walked toward it alone.
No guards. No escorts. No ceremony. The gods watched from a distance, standing at the edge of the camp, their faces unreadable. Athena had wanted to send a detachment. Ares had volunteered to go with him. Even Odin had offered to stand at his side.
Zeus refused them all.
"This isn't a battle," he said. "It's a vigil."
He left before anyone could argue.
