Zeus's Arc

Chapter 5 of 6

Zeus carried the tablet down from the pavilion, but news travels faster than a king. By the time he reached the council chamber, the gold mosaic floor already hummed with whispers. Hera stood at its center, lotus scepter raised high. Every god watched. "You break your vows to me," she said, calm as a verdict. "So I will not be bound by yours. Let any god who has been wronged stand where I stand." The pink petals of her scepter glowed above the symbols of the twelve. No one spoke against her. Zeus did not shout. He walked to the glass case along the wall and lifted the cover. Inside hung a fine gold net, woven by his son's hand. He drew it out and let it pour across the mosaic floor like water. "This net was made to hold any god," Zeus said. "It does not care for rank. It does not care for grievance. Break the oath, and you wear it." He let the threads catch the light. "Consider this a warning, and a kindness." Hera did not lower her scepter. She turned and walked out, and her steps were steady. Several gods slipped after her, eyes low. Zeus watched them go and did not call them back. He could not net them all at once. That night, lamps burned at the golden horse stables beyond the palace. Quiet figures gathered in the stalls, weighing the net against the wound. Zeus had shown his teeth and held the chamber. But the room he had won was already emptier, and somewhere in the dark, a council he did not lead had begun.