She saw him hesitate. For a second, his blue-gray eyes couldn't hide the hint of genuine fear at the perspective of losing a fight. Zeus was loudmouthed, but he knew he wasn't as powerful as he claimed to be, and if defeat was an option, fear of its repercussion was unavoidable. His dread could be felt through the shadows, because Dahlia felt the darkness relish in the taste of fear that came from the King of Olympus. Her shadows were souls waiting to torment, and they rarely had something as delectable as a god's fears to feast on. Zeus might have been all-powerful against mortals, but so long as he could experience emotions, he could fall prey and victim to the darkness. Moreover, after everything he had said and done, he would have been foolish to expect the Underworld's retainers to go
