The silence that followed was different from the earlier quiet. This was the silence of gods confronting the possibility that they were not, perhaps, the pinnacle of cosmic power they had believed themselves to be.
Zeus was the first to move, rising from his throne with lightning still crackling around his form, but now the electrical display seemed defensive rather than aggressive. His ancient eyes, blue as the heart of storms, met Marduk's dark gaze across the amphitheater.
"You speak of necessity," the Olympian king said slowly. "Of choices made in desperation rather than wisdom."
"I speak of survival," Marduk replied bluntly. "Of recognising when the luxury of choice has been stripped away by circumstances beyond our control."
