The Cinema of Eternity: The Opening
Space was neither white nor black. It was a dimmed void, a cinema hall whose dimensions seemed to adapt to the aura of its occupants. In the center, a colossal screen, deeper than the abyss of Tartarus, waited to come to life. Suddenly, shards of light and shadow tore through the silence.
The Arrival of the Primordials
Chaos appeared first, a shifting silhouette made of stars and void, radiating absolute serenity. At her side, her children took shape: Nyx and Erebus, draped in palpable darkness; Tartarus, whose mere presence made the air tremble with despair; and Thanatos, whose dark wings remained wisely folded. Gaia, far from the formless, angry mass the demigods knew, materialized with a terrifyingly clear gaze, her mind fully restored.
The Shock of the Olympians
At the other end of the room, the Olympians were ripped from their thrones. Zeus instantly brandished his Master Bolt, his face flushed with fury, while Poseidon gripped his trident, looking ready to unleash a typhoon. Athena was already analyzing the surroundings; Artemis and Hades remained on high alert, while Hestia instinctively approached the central hearth of the room, seeking to soothe the tensions.
"Who dares?" Zeus thundered. "Who treats us like mortals by imprisoning us here?"
The Intervention of Archbishop
A man stepped forward from the shadow of the screen. He wore long dark jackets, an aura of absolute calm emanating from him. He did not seem divine, and yet, even Chaos bowed her head slightly as he passed.
— Archbishop: "Lower your weapons, King of the Heavens. Here, your power is but a whisper against the reality that awaits us. I have gathered you because your universe is faltering."
Hades narrowed his eyes. "Faltering? We defeated the Giants; we survived Kronos."
— Archbishop: "You survived because a single being held the weight of the sky, the earth, and your mistakes. He is the central pillar. Without him, the Primordials present here would be but memories in an endless void."
The screen suddenly lit up, projecting a still image: Percy Jackson, alone, standing before a tide of monsters, looking exhausted but indomitable.
— Archbishop: "You are going to see his future. You will see how the story of a son of Poseidon became the backbone of existence. Take your seats. The viewing begins."
The Sleeping Pillar and the Wrath of Olympus
In the center of the hall, floating a few inches above the ground in a halo of emerald and sea-blue light, lay Percy Jackson (Cinema). He looked peaceful, his face—usually scarred by battle—showing no trace of stress. An invisible barrier, made of an energy older than time, protected him from all contact.
Poseidon took a step forward, his face distorted by worry. "My son... What have you done to him?"
— Archbishop: "He is resting, God of the Seas. He is the only one here who has earned this silence."
The King's Arrogance
Zeus could no longer bear the ignominy. To be ignored, to see his brother's "favorite" son at the center of attention, and above all, to be imprisoned by a stranger.
"ENOUGH!" Zeus screamed. The Primal Bolt appeared in his hand, vibrating with a power capable of razing continents. "You claim to give us orders? You claim this boy is our pillar? I will reduce this cinema and yourself to ashes!"
He unleashed the lightning. A lance of pure energy streaked toward Archbishop.
Five Minutes of Void
What followed froze the blood of every spectator, including Chaos (Cinema). Archbishop did not move. He simply raised a finger. Zeus's lightning stopped dead a millimeter from him, instantly transforming into a rain of blue flower petals that fell limply to the floor.
— Archbishop: "Five minutes, Zeus. That is the time I will grant you to understand your place."
With a sharp gesture, Archbishop snapped his fingers. Zeus was instantly pinned to the ground by a gravitational pressure so intense that the marble cracked beneath him. The King of the Gods tried to scream, but even sound was denied him.
During the minutes that followed, Archbishop played with the reality of the King of Olympus:
Minute 1: Zeus was transformed into a glass statue, unable to move as Archbishop walked around him.
Minute 2: He was transported into an absolute void where his senses vanished, leaving him alone with his terror.
Minute 3: He returned to the hall, but every time he tried to summon his power, it turned against him, inflicting his own electrical discharges.
Minute 4: Archbishop aged him a thousand years in a second, turning him into a trembling old man, before restoring his youth.
Minute 5: He was forced to bow, forehead touching the cold floor, before the sleeping body of Percy Jackson.
The Silence of the Primordials
Nyx and Erebus recoiled a step, their eyes wide. Chaos, for her part, stared at Archbishop with respect mixed with curiosity. She recognized this aura. It was a primordial power—a force that did not come from creation, but was creation itself.
— Chaos: "You are like me... no, you are the architect of that which I am only the essence."
Archbishop released the pressure. Zeus collapsed, panting, his pride shattered into a thousand pieces. Hera and Athena did not even dare to help him, petrified by the power they had just witnessed.
— Archbishop: "Let this serve as a lesson. I am not your enemy, but I am not your subject either. We are here for him." He pointed to Percy Jackson. "And for what he is to become."
Gaia let out a dark, melodious laugh. "The little son of the sea... The Pillar. Show us then this future that frightens you all so much."
— Archbishop: "Very well. Prepare yourselves." The giant screen began to vibrate. The first viewing was ready.
Vision I: The Mask of the Hero
The image on the screen stabilizes. We see Camp Half-Blood, bathed in sunlight. Percy is walking near the climbing wall. He smiles, jokes with the new campers, and returns the waves of those who call out to him. Annabeth approaches him, sliding her arm under his, seeking a closeness he accepts with apparent casualness. He seems the very portrait of happiness.
Reactions in the Cinema
Poseidon lets out a sigh of relief, but his eyes remain fixed on the sleeping Percy. Athena frowns, observing the screen version of her daughter. "Something is wrong. His eyes... they do not follow his smile." Chaos tilts her head. "Mortals are experts in the art of building ramparts with laughter."
The Reminder of Sacrifices
Suddenly, the screen begins a series of rapid flashes, showing the moments Percy saved Olympus. We see him holding the weight of the sky, facing Titans, and then the fateful moment: he refuses the immortality offered by the Gods. The image then shows the Olympian Council, where some gods coldly vote for his death despite his service.
Hephaestus and Hermes look away, uneasy. Ares grunts: "He should have accepted. You don't spit on power like that." Zeus clenches his fists: "What arrogance! To refuse our gift to remain a simple mortal... it is an insult to our very essence!"
Poseidon turns to his brother, furious: "You wanted to kill him after he saved us, Zeus! And you dare speak of insult? I wanted him to be eternal so he would be safe, not for your ego!"
The Solitude of the Pillar
The image on the screen changes radically. The sun disappears. Percy enters Cabin 3 alone. As soon as the door closes, his smile instantly vanishes, replaced by an expression of infinite fatigue.
With a wave of his hand, he traces symbols in the air. A dark and ancient magic, which even Hecate in the room does not fully recognize, activates. A dome of absolute silence envelops the cabin. Percy closes his eyes and summons, by the sheer force of his will, ethereal instruments and a conductor's baton. He begins to conduct an invisible melody.
The Melody: Reveries in the Crimson Beyond
The cinema speakers broadcast a melancholy, deep music of devastating emotional power. The voice rises: "In the silence of the falling stars... where the crimson meets the void..."
The music tells of loss, of betrayals endured in silence, and the solitude of a being who carries a world that does not love him back.
Reactions in the Cinema
Hestia lets a tear fall. "He is not just sad... he is broken by us." Nyx and Erebus exchange a troubled look. They recognize the tones of the "Void" in his music. Gaia smiles, fascinated. "Look closely, little gods. Your 'pillar' is closer to us than he is to you."
The Revelation
As the final notes fade, Percy stops. Silence returns to the cabin, heavy with secrets. He raises his head toward the "camera" of the vision. Slowly, he opens his eyes. The sea-blue has totally vanished. In its place, his irises glow with an intense scarlet red, of a terrifying beauty, as if the blood of the ancients and the fire of the stars had merged.
Final Shock
Total stupor in the cinema. Hades stands up abruptly. "That is not Poseidon's power. It is not even the power of a demigod." Chaos lets out a crystalline laugh. "Oh... Archbishop, you did not lie to us. It is not a hero we are watching. It is something far more... primordial."
The Theories
Archbishop turns to the assembly with a small smile. — Archbishop: "Before we continue, I would like to hear your brilliant deductions. What do you think of what you just saw? What does this 'red' mean to you? Go ahead, theorize. I will grade your relevance out of 20."
Zeus (2/20): "It's a betrayal! A monster waiting to overthrow Olympus!"
Poseidon (10/20): "It's his crystallized pain. He's awakening to a force necessary to survive his despair."
Athena (7/20): "A mutation into a pre-Olympian form of divinity."
Gaia (5/20): "He's become a predator, the incarnation of the Earth's vengeance."
Nyx & Erebus (14/20): "He has found a source of energy beyond creation and destruction: the Crimson Beyond."
Chaos (18/20): "He is becoming a universal corrector. The red is the ultimate balance."
— Archbishop: "Your grades are mediocre overall. You try to define Percy Jackson in your own terms. But the truth is much more terrifying. The next viewing will show you how he obtained those eyes... and the price he made those who pushed him to open them pay."
Vision II: The Rejection of Existence
The screen flickers to a much darker atmosphere. Percy staggers toward his bathroom, looking ghastly. He removes his shirt, and the audience gasps. Where other demigods patted him on the shoulder, where Annabeth kissed him, Percy's skin is blistered. These are not bruises; they are chemical burns, as if every human touch had been a drop of concentrated acid.
— Archbishop: "For a being whose essence rejects material reality, 'human warmth' is the worst of poisons."
The Gastric Ordeal
On screen, Percy collapses. He vomits a thick, dark-gold and pitch-black liquid, hissing as it corrodes the porcelain. Apollo panics: "His metabolism rejects everything mortal or divine. He isn't eating; he is poisoning himself every second of his life."
Vision III: The Shadow of the Titan
We see Kronos in the depths of Tartarus. He is a colossus of golden power. "Grandson... I will offer you the only thing these Gods refuse you: the end of your burden."
The Banquet of Olympus
In contrast, a scene of pure corruption on Olympus. The gods promise divinity and pleasures for loyalty. Percy is absent. His seat is empty. Hestia: "He could not come. The contact of this feast would have burned him alive."
The Hour of Crime
Suddenly, the sky of Olympus darkens. The army of Kronos surges. The demigods, distracted by the feast, are massacred in seconds. The Gods fall like flies. The screen shows Zeus cornered: "Poseidon! Where is your son?!"
Vision IV: The Symphony of the Massacre
Cabin 3. Percy stares at his scarlet eyes in the mirror. He sighs—a sigh that carries the weight of Tartarus. He walks toward the battlefield with the resignation of an executioner. He finds the Olympians in chains of black iron. Kronos laughs and throws a bronze sword at his feet. "Die with some dignity."
Percy looks at the sword with total contempt. He reaches toward the blackened sky. Two conductor's batons appear, carved from Titan bone. The music begins.
A Symphony of the End. The ground cracks. Creatures of pure blood and solid shadow crawl out. They do not fight; they erase Kronos's army. Blood is ripped from monsters to become blades of scarlet liquid. Hades is pale: "He doesn't command the dead. He commands the matter of life and the void." Zeus falls to his knees: "It's an apocalypse. We created an apocalypse."
The screen freezes on Percy. Kronos recoils for the first time in his eternal existence. Archbishop pauses the vision. — Archbishop: "He freed his comrades. But look at their faces." The image shows the survivors. They do not look at him with gratitude. They look at him with pure horror, as if Percy were a monster far more dangerous than Kronos.
— Archbishop: "The price of his salvation is your hatred. Are you ready to see the rest?"