The silence lasted just long enough to prove it had been placed there on purpose, and then the host let it go.
She lifted her chin a little, looking up at the platforms with the easy warmth of someone who thought this situation entirely ordinary and was willing to be patient with anyone still catching up.
"My name is Athena," she said. "You have heard my voice before. Meeting in person is one of The Pantheon's small pleasantries, and we do take our pleasantries seriously."
She let "pleasantries" do whatever work it could manage, then went on.
"This space exists for entertainment, which you have already been providing on the island and will continue to provide here. The island has its rules. The Pantheon has different ones, and we will discuss them now, because an informed contestant makes for better television, and we care about television very much."
Proxy looked at the champagne glass on the table in front of him, which he had set down and had not touched since.
