Meanwhile Hades was going through a mess in his head and he couldn't stay here and do this.
Not after Athena spoke. Not after the cracks widened again. Not after he felt the pressure inside him surge one more time, like something clawing at the inside of his ribs.
He looked at Zeus once. Just once. No long talk. No speech. Just that look.
Zeus met it. He understood.
"Go," Zeus said.
Hades nodded. Turned. Walked.
No portal. No grand movement. He stepped forward—and the world shifted around him. The white of Heaven faded. The broken sky stretched. Darkness rose. Cold settled.
By the time his next step landed, he was home.
The Underworld didn't greet him. It reacted.
The ground trembled once, deep and low. The air grew heavy. Not because he returned. Because of what he brought back with him.
Hades exhaled slowly. "Yeah," he muttered. "I feel it too."
