The Sahara stretched before Zeus, a sea of gold and dust that shimmered under a merciless sun. The air was dry, sharp with heat, carrying no trace of the rivers or forests he'd left behind. His boots crunched on the cracked earth, each step kicking up faint clouds of sand that danced in the wind. His storm trailed him, a restless coil of clouds and lightning that clashed with the desert's endless blue sky. Sparks flickered off his shoulders, his eyes scanning the horizon, searching not for gods or thrones but for something deeper—a pulse he'd felt since the system's voice faded.
