Morning light filtered softly through the high windows of Olympus, bathing the chamber in gold.
Athena stood near the balcony, armor set aside, her expression unusually gentle. Angelica sat nearby, hands folded, her gaze calm and sincere.
Both looked at Sharky with quiet devotion.
Athena spoke first, her voice steady but resolute.
"If you seek Echidna," she said, "I will help you, Sharky."
Angelica nodded immediately, stepping closer. "And so will I."
Sharky acknowledged them with a single nod. "I appreciate it."
But inside, his thoughts were far from settled. He knew the truth now. Echidna had Astrid. The Serpent of Ruin obeyed only her.
Yet knowing who held his daughter did not answer the most important question. How do you find a being who exists across shifting timelines?
Echidna did not dwell in one realm. She slipped between moments, hid in forgotten branches of time, erased her own trail.
Even Olympus struggled to track her.
