The second hand came through the gate, tearing through the space as if cutting along the threads that held the heavens together. Wider than boulevards, fingers smashed against the first, and the pressure, too, was immediate. What little remained of the chamber's integrity failed altogether to resist the addition. Stone, light, and lingering chaos were all crushed beneath the newcomers' weight, and cracks raced out and away from where the newcomers touched the ground. Through the bedrock, through the Underworld, through Olympus, through the mortal realm, and beyond, the fractures spread. Mountains cracked and oceans buckled as the sky itself split open along veins of black.
Zeus felt each one as if something sharp had scraped along his ribs.
Still, he did not look up.
