Chapter 333: Chapter 333: Kraven’s War (End)
[Third person POV]
Peter sat on the lamppost just outside Kraven’s mansion, the rain pouring harder around him, drenching his suit and mask. The crimson stains of blood slowly slid down his hands, diluted by the relentless downpour, disappearing into the storm. His eyes were fixed on the ground below with a contemplative, almost hollow expression.
He exhaled a slow breath, one that seed to carry the weight of everything that had just transpired. Then, with a quiet grunt, he leapt into the air and swung away. His figure shimred under the rain-soaked sky, a shadow gliding between the trees as he moved silently from the edge of the estate back toward the distant lights of the city.
Instead of his usual fluid sprinting along rooftops and walls, Peter walked. Calmly. Sideways. Hands buried deep in his pockets as he strolled up the side of a building, completely perpendicular to the ground. There was sothing eerily serene about the way he moved—like a ghost drifting between worlds.
"You kinda overdid it, don’t you think, Daddy?" Aria’s voice chid into his earpiece, soft and hesitant, almost afraid of breaking the silence.
Peter let out a forced chuckle, the sound hollow. He gave a lopsided grin, though no one could see it. "Yeah," he said after a mont, "I kinda did, huh?"
"I suppose I was just... upset. Upset that I was forced to hurt people I care about. That I had no choice." His voice tightened. "I had to beat Felicia unconscious because of her powers. Gwen and Lizzy nearly killed each other. If I hadn’t stepped in when I did, they would’ve fought to the death. No doubt about it."
"Well, when you put it like that... I guess it makes sense," Aria replied, trying to comfort him. "But why lie? Why claim you sold out Kraven’s location when you didn’t?"
Peter rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I wanted to scare him. Make him think I was capable of doing sothing that brutal. I knew his wife, Calypso, was nearby. If they thought I was unhinged enough to sell them out, they’ll think twice before acting from now on. It bought us ti—and fear. Even if it ant pretending I could do sothing I actually couldn’t."
He ran a hand over his face and sighed, his fingers lingering over his right eye. "Did you at least call the cops like I told you?"
"Of course. I already inford Captain George Stacy," Aria responded quickly. "I sent him all the evidence I could gather about Kraven. They should be moving in on him right now as he tries to escape."
Peter let out a long sigh of relief and slowed to a stop on a rooftop ledge. "If Father-in-law is leading the operation, I can rest easy. They won’t be getting away. With Kraven weakened there’s no way they would be able to content with a super soldier"
He flipped down to another ledge and stretched his arms, loosening the tension in his shoulders. "Man, I’m so glad that’s over."
Then he froze. His eyes widened.
"Ugh! I forgot to ask Kraven where he got those weapons!"
There was a long silence over the comm before Aria finally spoke. "...Father, you are seriously sothing else."
Peter crouched, smacking the top of his head repeatedly with the heel of his palm. "God, I’m so stupid! I let my emotions get the better of ! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" He groaned, crouching deeper with a frustrated whimper.
He stayed that way for a mont—crouched, head hung low, arms resting over his knees. His entire body sagged in defeat, too ashad of his mistake to even lift his gaze to the skyline.
"Although I couldn’t track where exactly Kraven got the weapons, I did uncover a few things that might interest you," Aria said, her tone brightening slightly as she tried to cheer him up.
Peter looked up, blinking. "Oh yeah? Like what?"
"For starters," she began, "I figured out how Kraven managed to obtain those weapons without us detecting them. It turns out the reason it seed like they just appeared out of nowhere is because he wasn’t communicating through conventional ans."
Peter tilted his head. "What do you an?"
"I detected lingering psionic energy around the area," Aria said. "Soone was communicating with him telepathically."
"What?!" Peter stood upright so quickly he almost slipped on the rain-slick rooftop. "Since when does Kraven have psychic powers?!"
"He doesn’t," Aria said flatly. "If he did, he would’ve used them during your fight. This energy—this telepathic link—belongs to soone else. Soone who’s working with him. Or controlling him."
Peter’s fists clenched. "So a third party’s involved..."
"Exactly. And that’s not all," she continued. "Kraven didn’t co after you just for sport or obsession. He was hired."
"By whom?" Peter asked with a tired sigh, rubbing his temples. "Which one of my very long, ever-growing list of enemies decided to throw their hat in this week?"
"I’ll give you a hint," Aria said, a teasing lilt in her voice. "Say the 10th letter of the alphabet three tis."
Peter blinked, eyes narrowing as he stared down at his hands. Slowly, he raised a finger and began counting aloud, muttering, "A...B...C...D...E...F...G...H...I...J..." Then it clicked. His whole face twitched. "Oh, for fuck’s sake. Jason?! Seriously?!"
Aria giggled, the sound cheerful in his earpiece. "Correct. Though, to be fair, Jason didn’t actually order Kraven to kill you. I have a recording of their call in my system. All he did was ask Kraven to unmask you—publicly."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "Why does it sound like you’re defending him?"
"I am," Aria replied bluntly. "I wouldn’t want you to do to him what you did to Kraven."
Peter stopped mid-swing and landed lightly on a rooftop, staring out at the glistening city. "What?" he asked, clearly surprised. "Kraven was... different. Do you seriously think I’d go that far with Jason?" There was a subtle hint of hurt in his voice.
"Obviously not," Aria said with an audible shrug in her voice. "I’m ssing with you. But that doesn’t change the fact that handling Jason will be difficult. You’re still a vigilante with no legal identity. And technically, you’re a fugitive from the law. Even if we tried to prosecute him, it would all be dismissed. No mask, no testimony, no case."
Peter sighed, nodding slowly. "You’re right. That doesn’t an we can’t do sothing about it, though. I’ll talk to MJ about it. Jason is still her boss—she’ll know the best way to handle it and punish him."
He paused for a mont, his voice softening. "Speaking of MJ... how is she? And the others?"
"Oh, they’re fine now," Aria assured him. "I identified the poison’s composition and administered the antidote to all of them. They’ll be waking up any second now."
Peter closed his eyes in relief. "Thank God," he whispered. "I’ll go see them."
Just as he stepped off the ledge, a portal opened beneath his feet. He dropped into it, and like a seamless cut from a cinematic transition, the scene changed. Instead of falling endlessly, Peter landed softly onto the cold tile floor of their hidden base. The portal behind him closed with a faint hum as he walked forward, shoulders heavy.
As he strolled toward the nursing bay, his suit began to retract and dismantle piece by piece, folding away like tallic scales, revealing the man underneath.
The mont he entered the bay, the first groans started.
"Ugh... it feels like my entire body got electrocuted," MJ muttered, sitting up slowly and rubbing her forehead.
"Sorry about that, Red," Peter said softly from the doorway, leaning against the fra with his hands in his pockets.
"Pete..."
"Peter..."
"Tiger..."
Voices called to him one after another.
"How did it go with Kraven?" Harry asked, blinking as the light from the ceiling annoyed his recovering eyes.
Peter’s smile faded. His posture straightened just slightly, and his tone grew quiet and grim. "I killed him," he said solemnly, his voice low and deliberate.
The room went silent. All eyes turned to him, wide with shock and disbelief.
Their expressions were a mix of horror, confusion, and disbelief. All 8 of MJ’s eyes widened. Gwen sat up, mouth parted. Even Felicia, who had seen so of Peter’s darker monts, looked stunned.
Peter held their gaze for a mont longer... then cracked a smirk and snorted. "Seriously? After everything I’ve done, you still believe everything I say?"
They all groaned in unison, half from relief, half from frustration.
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