Beginning Of Multiverse Saga-Chapter 512: Sharing Each Other Pain

Angelica nodded, still blushing at the thought of being near Sharky.

"And what is the main reason, Father?" she asked softly.

Zeus leaned back on his throne, fingers resting against the armrest. "Good. Then listen carefully."

Athena straightened at once. Angelica swallowed, her heart still fluttering from her confession.

Zeus rose and began pacing slowly across the vast silver hall, lightning murmuring faintly around him.

"When you accompany him," Zeus said, "you will first speak casually. In the middle of conversation, sigh, naturally, and mention that a god of Olympus, Phobos, has recently died."

"Do not speak of it openly. Let it sound incidental."

Athena nodded, already understanding the intent.

"Then, you will say that although Phobos died, no one truly mourns him. He lost his right to Olympus the day he allied himself with Skarn, a traitor to all realms."

Angelica looked away slightly. Phobos had been cruel to many goddesses; sympathy for him was rare.

"You will add, that rumors say he kidnapped a child from Asgard. And that perhaps an Asgardian, or even Odin himself killed Phobos because of it."

Zeus stopped and looked at them.

"Though Phobos was born an Olympian, his actions stripped him of honor. Even if Odin killed him. He deserved it."

Athena and Angelica both nodded.

Zeus then continued, his voice sharpening. "After that, you will shift the conversation to Echidna."

At her name, both Athena and Angelica’s eyes narrowed.

"You will tell him, that wretched Mother of Monsters has vanished again. And with her disappearance, the Serpent of Ruin has gone missing as well."

Angelica shivered slightly. Echidna was feared even among gods.

"You will tell him how Echidna thrives on destruction. Chaos is her playground. You will say that she was involved with Phobos."

He paused briefly, unconcerned with technicalities.

"And you will remind him how her creatures once devastated entire regions during the Titanomachy."

Angelica’s fingers tightened at her side as she remembered the old stories.

"Finally, you will tell him that Olympus has been searching for Echidna but has failed to locate her."

Silence settled.

Athena and Angelica understood now. Zeus wants them to accompany him, while also revealing the truth about Echidna. And blaming her for the kidnapped child of Asgard. Removing any suspicion from Olympus.

Athena inclined her head. "We will do as you say, Father."

Angelica nodded as well. "We understand."

Zeus returned to his throne, his expression firm.

"Good. Go now. Show him friendship," he said. "And make certain he finds no reason to see Olympus as an enemy."

---

Sharky sat in the golden dining hall of Olympus, before a massive table laden with celestial fruits, ambrosia dishes, and crystal goblets of divine wine.

Beside him, Hela looked down at baby Sigurd and said flatly, "Sigurd, when you grow up, don’t become like your father."

Sharky paused mid-bite.

"Although your father is strong," Hela continued calmly, "he is not faithful."

Sharky turned to her with a strange look. "What exactly are you saying to him?"

"I’m simply telling this little one the truth," Hela replied without hesitation. "That his father is an unfaithful man who would sleep with anyone."

Sharky sighed inwardly. He understood immediately. Hela was different from his other wives. She was possessive. Jealous. And she did not hide it at all. He didn’t even need her words, the faint shift in her hair color already revealed her mood.

Rather than argue, he chose silence and let her continue lecturing Sigurd as if the infant could understand a single word.

Sharky resumed eating.

That was when soft footsteps approached.

A woman stepped closer, her presence calm but heavy. She had gentle green eyes, silky auburn hair threaded with gold, and wore a flowing gown shaped from wheat, blossoms, and living earth itself.

It was Demeter, the Goddess of Harvest, Fertility, and the Seasons.

She stopped beside Sharky and spoke quietly, "Sharky Valor... be wary of Aphrodite."

Sharky looked up at her calmly. "I don’t see anything wrong with her."

Demeter’s expression hardened. "That is her power. To make men believe she is harmless. She seduces. She manipulates. She twists hearts."

Sharky studied her for a moment, then asked evenly, "And what makes you think I should trust you instead?"

Demeter froze.

Her lips parted slightly, then pressed together. She had no immediate answer. She hated Aphrodite, but explaining that hatred had never been easy, even to herself.

She looked at Sharky, then away.

Silence settled between them.

Sharky leaned back in his chair, openly observing her now. Calm. Measuring. He noted her beauty, earthy, mature, steady, different from the dazzling glamour of Aphrodite.

Then he spoke casually, "If Aphrodite is truly as dangerous as you claim, then explain it to me."

Demeter turned back to him.

"And if you hesitate to speak here," Sharky continued, his tone unbothered, "then take me to your chambers and tell me the truth there."

He turned his head slightly.

Hela watched him for a moment, unimpressed. She muttered another silent curse about his lustful nature, but she also knew why he was here. Astrid still mattered more than her irritation, so she said nothing.

Demeter blinked, clearly flustered, then slowly nodded. "...Very well," she said quietly. "Follow me."

Demeter opened the golden wooden doors to her private chamber.

Unlike the lavish halls of other goddesses, her sanctuary felt alive.

Golden wheat flowed like soft curtains along the walls. Flowers bloomed endlessly, their petals glowing with gentle light. A small sun hovered near the ceiling, radiating warmth instead of heat. Beneath their feet stretched living grass, bending softly with every step.

Yet despite all that life, the air felt heavy, sad, and wounded as Sharky stepped inside.

Demeter closed the doors quietly behind him, her hand lingering on the wood, her shoulders trembling before she finally spoke.

Her voice was low, fragile, as if each word had waited centuries to be released.

"You asked why I warned you."

She turned slowly. "Then listen... to the life of the woman standing before you."

She inhaled deeply, and old grief surfaced in her eyes. "I was born of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea. When my father feared being overthrown, he swallowed his children."

Her fingers curled tightly. "I lived centuries in darkness... trapped inside his body. There, I learned loneliness deeper than any realm."

She paused, then continued. "When Zeus freed us, I believed happiness would finally return."

A faint, bitter smile crossed her lips. "But freedom did not erase the scars."

She looked away. "I loved only one being without reservation... my daughter, Persephone."

Her voice softened, then cracked. "She was my spring. My joy. My heartbeat."

Her fists clenched. "But one day... she was taken. Hades seized her. Dragged her into the Underworld."

Her pain bled into fury.

"I searched every mountain. Every sea. Every corner of the world for her. No one, no one, told me the truth."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"And Aphrodite... She knew where my daughter was. Her son, Eros, helped Hades. His arrow bound Persephone’s heart."

Demeter’s voice shattered.

"She watched me suffer. She watched the earth freeze. She watched mortals starve. And still... she said nothing."

Silence filled the room. Then Demeter whispered, barely holding herself together.

"Since that day... I cannot trust her. I cannot forgive her."

She finally looked straight at Sharky.

"So when I warned you... it was not jealousy. It was the warning of a mother who has endured the deepest loss imaginable."

She lowered her head. "The loss of a child."

---

While Demeter was explaining her story, far away in the War God’s Chamber, Ares paced inside his war-forged palace, his fists clenched and his temper simmering.

His son was dead, and he still had no answers.

He wanted to confront Sharky directly, to demand the truth, but Zeus’s warning echoed in his mind. Interfering with Sharky now could ignite a war Olympus was not ready for.

Frustration boiled over.

Ares slammed his fist into a bronze pillar, denting it deeply as sparks scattered across the chamber.

At that moment, a red aura flashed behind him.

Deimos appeared.

The God of Terror. Phobos’s twin brother.

Tall and muscular like Ares, with dark hair and red-streaked eyes, his presence was colder, sharper, and far more controlled.

He stepped forward slowly.

"Father," Deimos asked calmly, "why do you look so tense?"

Ares turned to him, eyes burning with rage and grief, and finally spoke of everything he had been holding back, his belief that Asgard was behind Phobos’s death, his suspicion of Sharky Valor, and his frustration at being forbidden by Zeus to act. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He clenched his jaw.

"I want to ask him," Ares growled, "but Zeus warned me not to interfere."

Deimos listened silently, then spoke with quiet confidence.

"Don’t worry, Father," he said. "If you cannot ask him... then I will."

Ares studied his son for a long moment, then nodded.

"Good," he said heavily, placing a hand on Deimos’s shoulder.

---

Meanwhile, back in Demeter’s chamber, Sharky listened in silence as she finished her tragic story.

For the first time since entering the room, he stepped closer and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

His voice was low, calm, and sincere. "Your pain... I understand it more than anyone here."

Demeter looked up at him, surprised. "You... understand?"

Sharky nodded. "Because I came to Olympus searching for my own daughter."

Demeter’s eyes widened. "Your daughter?"

Sharky glanced around the chamber, his senses alert. "Will anyone hear us?"

Demeter shook her head slowly. "No. I sealed this chamber long ago. After Zeus betrayed me, I barred all divine senses from entering. No god listens here."

Sharky nodded once. "Then what I say stays between us. Tell no one."

Demeter lifted her hand and gently placed her fingers over his lips, her expression solemn.

"I swear it," she said quietly. "My lips will never speak your secrets."

Sharky nodded and spoke quietly, his voice steady but heavy with restrained fury. "My daughter Astrid was kidnapped by the Serpent of Ruin... on Phobos’s command."

Demeter’s eyes widened. "Phobos... took your child?"

Sharky nodded again. "I tracked him. I confronted him. But before I could reach her... he hid her somewhere beyond my sight."

His jaw tightened, and for the first time, a crack appeared in his composure. "In my anger... I killed him."

The words struck Demeter like thunder.

She gasped softly. In that moment, she understood a secret Olympus was desperate to uncover, the one everyone whispered about, argued over.

The killer of Phobos was standing right in front of her. She had heard the rumors, that an Asgardian had done it, that perhaps Odin himself was responsible.

But the truth was that instead of Odin, Sharky had killed Phobos for his stolen child.

Demeter’s voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes shining with shared pain. "You... suffered the same wound I did."

Sharky nodded.