Lucifer #52

Part 2 of the 4-part story "The Wolf Beneath the Tree." Atrocity is piled on atrocity as Fenris the Wolf continues to devour gods, growing more powerful by the mouthful. Meanwhile, the table is set in the halls of Destiny, where Lucifer, Michael and Elaine discover that the crisis facing the whole of Creation is much worse than they imagined.In Philadelphia two women sit on a park bench that faces a small children's playground containing a play structure that is currently entertaining several children. One is silent, cool and collected while the other seems frantic, on the brink of insanity, spilling out the weight that burdens her. She says she's never really talked to anyone about the children before but she just feels a gut feeling that she can trust the other woman.The woman says she doesn't understand the modern world, a world where children are carrying guns, dealing drugs, wearing thongs, etc. Of course she goes on to say she didn't understand the old days either when young boys would go off to war with glee, but for those who would return, their youth would be washed away in blood and destruction. She knows it's not like things were ever good, but still it the present day burdens her.Idun, the frantic woman, pauses in her own rant to ask the woman with the sunglasses if she'll be staying long. Bet Jo'gie responds, "No. Just for today, I'm the bait, Idun. And the cover, too. I fill your eyes and fox your senses so that Fenris can get in close." As she speaks, Idun rises off the park bench and begin to stutter the name of Fenris in fear when suddenly a massive spear appears out of nowhere, protruding out Idun's back and pinning her body to the park bench she had been sitting on a moment ago.As Idun sits there with a spear in her chest, Bet tells her that as the god of youth she was getting too old and Fenris approaches them, in broad daylight, kids running around. Idun then acknowledges that Bet had tricked her but frantically tries to spare her own life by mentioning...