Cinema Reactions: The Shock of the Void
The silence in the room is absolute. No one breathes.
Hades and Persephone hold hands, trembling. They see this version of themselves happy, but at the cost of a sacrifice they cannot bear. "He erased himself... to give us a chance," murmurs Hades, his eyes full of tears.
Athena has collapsed. She realizes that in this universe, she has forgotten everything, even the man who loved her to the point of annihilating himself. "This is the greatest proof of wisdom... and the cruelest of solitudes."
Nyx and Chaos turn to the sleeping Percy. Terror grips them. "Is this what he wants to do?" cries Nyx. "Erase himself so that we no longer suffer from his existence?"
Zeus looks at the Archbishop with a hatred mixed with fear. "You let a human rewrite the destiny of the Gods? You are a monster."
The Oblivion of All
The final image of Vision 17 shows Sasha, Alone, and the new Persephone laughing by the river. They are happy. They do not know that someone is missing. They do not know that a boy gave everything for that laughter.
Only the image of the Archbishop remains, standing on a hill, looking at the void where Tenma stood. He is the only one who remembers.
The screen returns to Percy in the library of Universe 1. He has just finished reading. He is livid.
— Percy: "He disappeared... and the world is better off without him. That's the only solution, isn't it? If I disappear, Nyx and Chaos will no longer have to bear the burden of a mortal soulmate. They will remain the queens of the universe, intact."
Cinema Reactions
Chaos stands up, her voice making every atom of the room vibrate: "NEVER!"
Her eyes shine with cosmic fury. "If you try to erase yourself, Percy Jackson, I will tear reality apart to find you! I prefer a universe in ashes with you than a perfection without your echo!"
Nyx approaches Percy's chair, her shadows protecting him like a fortress. "You are not a burden. If you disappear, I go out with you."
The Archbishop looks at the two Primordials with renewed interest.
— "Tenma had no one to tell him to stay. He was alone with his choice. But Percy... Percy has you, even if he doesn't know it yet."
The atmosphere in the cinema room has become electric, almost unbreathable. The revelation of Tenma's sacrifice has acted like a slow poison on the ego of the Olympians and like a battle cry in the hearts of the Primordials. The Archbishop stands in the center, a black notebook in his hand.
— Archbishop: "Silence. Before Percy continues his quest into the darkness of my library, I want to hear your voices. What have you learned from Universe 17? One by one."
The Verdict of the Immortals
Zeus (voice trembling with fury and denial):
"This is a monstrosity! A human who manipulates the fabric of destiny to erase his own existence? That's an act of terrorism against the natural order! One should not have the right to forget a God, even for their own good. This Universe 17 is an error that the Void should have devoured."
Athena (gaze empty, hands clasped as if in prayer):
"I always believed that wisdom was choosing the lesser evil. But this version of me... she is happy in ignorance, while her soulmate annihilated himself for her. Is that the finality? That we, the Gods, can only be at peace if those who love us disappear? This is a lesson in humility that I did not want to receive."
Hades (gripping Persephone's hand with desperate strength):
"The Olympus of this world committed the ultimate crime. They turned the love of a husband and wife into a cyclical torture chain. Tenma didn't just save Sasha and Alone, he broke the Gods' toys. I respect his sacrifice, but I hate the world that forced him to it."
Ares (striking his fist against the wall):
"He was a warrior. The greatest of all. Dying in battle is one thing, but erasing yourself from history? That is the most brutal death of all. He defeated Olympus not with his fist, but with his absence. It's... terrifying."
Nyx (her eyes fixed on the sleeping Percy, an aura of absolute protection emanating from her):
"You speak of rules and strength. I see loneliness. Tenma chose the void so that his Night would no longer be haunted. But he forgot one thing: A Night without its soulmate is not a night, it is a sterile emptiness. If Percy tries to do the same thing... I will turn this universe into a silent tomb before he has time to say a word."
Chaos (her voice resonating like distant thunder):
"Universe 17 showed me that my own power is my greatest weakness. If my other half must erase himself so that I can 'create,' then my creation is a failure. Tenma's sacrifice is noble, but it is proof that the Gods of that world were unworthy of him. I will not make that mistake."
The Master's Silence
The Archbishop finishes noting the opinions, his pen scratching on the paper with a dry sound. He looks up at the assembly.
— "You have understood half the lesson. You see the sacrifice, but you do not yet see the cause."
He turns to the screen, where we see Percy putting down the book on Universe 17. The young man looks as if he has aged ten years. His red eyes no longer shine with anger, but with icy resolve.
— Archbishop: "Percy has drawn his own conclusion. He thinks that to save you from yourselves, he must become the 'Tenma' of this universe. But searching further in the reserves, he will come across something he should never have found..."
The screen emits a soft light, that of candles that never go out in the manor. We see Percy wandering into a wing of the library he had never explored before. It is a gallery of silent statues, tributes to those whom time and the universes have erased.
He stops before one of them. A young man with a proud gaze, one hand on his bronze armor, the other reaching toward an invisible horizon. Tenma.
The Dialogue of Shadows
Percy places a trembling hand on the cold stone base.
— "You must have suffered to a point I can't even imagine..." he murmurs. His scarlet red eyes reflect the sadness of the marble.
"When I see the Athena of my universe, I wonder how she would react if she had a soulmate. Would she be like Artemis? Hide behind oaths and the rejection of men to avoid facing this bond?"
He lowers his head, his voice choking.
— "It seems... it seems to me that the world is simpler when you don't love each other."
Cinema Reactions
Artemis freezes on her seat. Her hands clench on her tunic. She feels targeted, laid bare by the words of the boy she tried to capture in the cave.
Athena stares at the statue of Tenma, then at Percy. She says nothing, but her expression is that of a goddess realizing that her "wisdom" might just be a shield against a truth too vast for her.
Nyx and Chaos grit their teeth. Hearing Percy compare their bond to a burden or something one would want to flee breaks their hearts.
The Archbishop's Protection
The Archbishop appears silently behind Percy, his presence enveloping like a cloak of night.
— "He was a fascinating boy," he says in a soft voice. "Like you, Percy."
Percy (without turning around): "Better than me, surely. He had the courage to disappear. I... I'm just afraid."
The Archbishop places a paternal hand on his shoulder.
— "Rest, Percy. Here, you have all the time you want. No one can enter without my consent, or yours. No one can even find this place in the immensity of the multiverse. You are safe."
Percy sighs, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.
— "Alright... I'll continue my research tomorrow."
— "Percy?" the Archbishop calls out as he walks away.
— "Yes?"
— "Don't worry. Not all destinies are as shattering as Tenma's."
Percy sketches a sad, almost imperceptible smile.
— "Thank you. Good night, Master."
Cinema Reactions: Relief and Anguish
The scene of Percy going to sleep in the safety of the manor brings a brief moment of respite, but the atmosphere remains heavy.
Hestia lets out a long sigh of relief. "Finally, he sleeps without fearing an attack. This manor is the only place where he can become a child again."
Poseidon looks at the Archbishop with bitter jealousy, but also immense gratitude. "You do for him what I never dared to do. You offer him peace."
Aphrodite murmurs: " 'Good night'... those are the simplest words, but coming from him, after all that blood, they sound like a prayer."
Nyx and Chaos do not take their eyes off the sleeping Percy in the room. They see the bond shimmering between them and him, a red glow that beats to the rhythm of his heart.
The screen darkens slowly, giving way to a soft glow in the cinema room. The Archbishop stands up, puts away his black notebook, and with a wave of his hand, makes buffets appear laden with nectar, ambrosia, and mortal delicacies that Percy loves (blue cookies, in particular).
— Archbishop: "Enjoy this break. Digest what you have seen. The truths of Universe 17 are not easy to bear, and those to come are even less so."
The Murmurs of Olympus
The heavy silence weakens. Groups form, voices rise, oscillating between terror and morbid fascination.
The Circle of Regrets: Poseidon and Hestia
Poseidon remains seated, his head low. He does not touch his trident.
"I spent years worrying about his survival against monsters... and I never saw that he was dying inside because of my own absence. Seeing him say 'Good night' to that man... it's a blade in my father's heart."
Hestia places a comforting hand on his shoulder, her own gaze fixed on Percy (asleep in the silk cocoon).
"We treated him like a pawn on a chessboard, my brother. The Archbishop, for his part, treated him like a son. Look at him... he only sleeps peacefully because he believes he is out of our reach. That is our greatest failure."
The Confrontation of the Wise: Athena and Artemis
Athena paces back and forth, her gray eyes shining with an analytical but troubled light.
"The case of Tenma... a soulmate who erases himself for the good of the divine. Logically, it's perfect, and yet... it's a heresy. If Percy follows this path, we will lose the only pillar that maintains Night and Chaos in balance."
Artemis, usually so proud, seems vulnerable.
"He said that I hide behind my oaths... Is that what I'm doing? Is my hunt just a flight to avoid feeling what he endures? If he put me to sleep in the cave instead of killing me, it's because he still has pity for us. But for how long?"
Primordial Possession: Nyx and Chaos
The two entities do not mingle with the others. They surround Percy's chair, their auras merging to create an impenetrable barrier.
Nyx almost caresses the air above Percy's face.
"He drew us... He described my Night as a refuge. How could they have dared to make him suffer? Erebus is nothing. The children of Olympus are nothing. He is the only one who matters."
Chaos nods, her gaze lost in the dimensions.
"Seven Chaos united to create the Archbishop to protect souls like his. This means that in every universe, we seek this boy. He is the constant. If he chooses erasure like Tenma... I will not accept it. I will rewrite everything if necessary."
The Archbishop's Intervention
The Archbishop approaches Hades and Persephone, who stand apart, still shaken by the revelation about Universe 17.
— Archbishop: "You have seen what a man can do for love. Tenma was Persephone, and Persephone was Tenma. Love is a loop, Hades. Do not judge Percy too quickly. What he will discover tomorrow about his own blood... it might well reconcile your two families, or annihilate them forever."
Hades raises dark eyes to him.
"Why are you showing us all of this? Why not just let him live in peace in your manor?"
— Archbishop: "Because peace bought by lies never lasts. He must know who he is to choose his side. And you... you must know what you are willing to sacrifice to keep him among you."
The pause stretches in palpable tension. The demigods, usually so lively, are prostrated, while the Olympian thrones tremble with unspoken words.
The Circle of Heroes: The Weight of Silence
At the back of the room, the demigods (those who survived or who are observing from the Elysian Fields) have gathered. Nico di Angelo stands apart, shadows dancing nervously around him.
Nico: "We left him alone. We all saw his eyes turn red in the cave, and we all thought he was becoming a monster. But he was just carrying the weight of what we are too weak to understand."
Leo Valdez (trying to keep his humor, but his voice broken): "Hey, at least he has a home with a stylish Archbishop and blue cookies... That's better than being chased by Roman Emperors, right?"
No one laughs.
The Rage of War: Ares vs. The Rest of the World
Ares, whose aura of violence has turned into pure frustration, stands up and knocks over a table of nectar.
Ares: "You all disgust me! You, the 'Wise Ones,' with your plans and your prophecies. You saw that Tenma? He erased his own existence! That's the greatest defeat a warrior can suffer. And why? To save your divine asses!"
Apollo (gaze dark): "Calm down, Ares. This isn't a question of brute force."
Ares: "It IS EXACTLY a question of force! We broke Percy. We made him into a guy who apologizes for being born! If I had known he was linked to Chaos, I would have trained him myself instead of letting him rot in your cheap quests."
The Duel of Kings: Zeus and the Primordials
In the center of the room, the air becomes so dense that it smothers Hestia's flames. Zeus, unable to bear the Archbishop's authority and the suffocating presence of the Primordials, stands up, his Lightning Bolt sparkling with a thousand fires.
Zeus: "Enough! Nyx, Chaos... you claim this boy as if he were your property. But don't forget who rules here! He is a son of Olympus, a subject of my kingdom!"
Chaos does not even stand up. She slowly turns her head toward Zeus. Her eyes are no longer eyes, but black holes devouring light.
Chaos: "Your 'kingdom,' little king of lightning, is but a soap bubble in my ocean. You speak of property? You treated your 'subject' like garbage. You let him die of emotional thirst. If you raise your lightning bolt one more time toward him or toward us... I will remove the atom of existence that allows you to breathe."
Nyx adds, her voice like a razor of ice:
"Zeus, you are afraid. You are afraid because you know that if Percy wakes up and chooses us... you will have no one left to do your dirty work. You will be alone facing your empty eternity."
Zeus sits back down, pale. He realizes that his throne is no longer the seat of power in this room. The real power is asleep in that silk chair, surrounded by Night and the Void.
The Calm Before the Storm
The Archbishop observes the scene with a small, enigmatic smile. He approaches Percy and adjusts the blanket.
— Archbishop: "The break is over. Your disputes are just noise compared to what is coming."