There was a rumor that the gods had died, but nobody remembered when. No funeral. No announcement. No last thunderbolt. People just stopped noticing. The ocean god went first. Not because the ocean disappeared. The ocean was still there doing ocean things. Swallowing boats. Throwing tantrums. Rearranging coastlines when it felt like it. But people stopped speaking to her. Stopped negotiating. Stopped bringing gifts. Stopped asking permission. The carved names of the dead sail