Chapter 319: Kraven’s War (1)

[Third Person's PoV] 

Peter stepped out of the park, peeling the soaked fabric of his shirt away from his skin, which clung stubbornly to him after his impromptu dive into the pond. His sneakers squished with every step, and his socks were thoroughly drenched, a fact that made him grimace as he trudged forward. 

He slicked his dripping hair back with a hand, water trailing down the back of his neck as he let out a deep, weary sigh. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, grateful that it was waterproof, and mentally reconnected with Aria.

Her voice came through almost immediately, calm and monotone, but clearly tinged with irritation. "What was that?"

Peter arched a brow, feigning ignorance as he simultaneously retrieved his keys and soggy wallet. "What was what?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Aria shot back, her voice now layered with a hint of hurt. "Why did you cut me off earlier? You disconnected me without warning. What was that for?"

Aria was the definition of a clingy daughter, she never wants to feel disconnected from Peter. 

Peter scratched the back of his neck, eyes drifting down to his soaked shoes with a small grimace. "Oh… that. I was… conversing with God."

There was a long pause.

"…"

Though she remained silent, Peter could practically picture the unimpressed, deadpan expression she would've given him im. The mental image made him chuckle faintly.

"God?" she finally asked, skepticism thick in her tone. "Since when have you ever been religious? Look, if you don't want to tell me what happened, just say it's classified or not for me to know. Don't lie to me. I don't appreciate being fed nonsense."

Peter rolled his eyes with a smirk, 'So sassy~ She must get it from her mother' 

"Aria, you and I both know your analytical skills would catch me in a lie before I even finished telling it. Besides, you also know I've always tried to be honest with my family—And that's also including you. So trust me when I say this: I was, in fact, talking to God."

Aria went quiet again, though her tone turned more inquisitive. "Okay… I'm just going to ask—when you say 'talking to God,' are we talking about some metaphorical prayer moment, or are you being literal here? And if it's the latter… which god exactly? Are we talking Greek, Norse, Egyptian? Was he like Thor or—?"

Peter chuckled, shaking his head as he discreetly activated a magic spell to dry himself off,. To avoid looking crazy in public, he held the phone up to his ear like he was on a regular call.

"One-on-one," he answered casually. "And no, he's not from any known mythology. He's not like Thor or Zeus. Think bigger. Think… the Creator. The being who made the entire Multiverse. All of reality. Everything."

There was a brief pause before Aria blurted out,

"What the f—"

"Language, young lady," Peter interjected just as his phone began to ring. Frowning, he pulled it away from his ear and saw the caller ID belonged to Harry.

Answering, he brought the phone up with a smirk. "Sup, buttercup."

But his expression quickly shifted to one of seriousness.

"Harry, you know I love you, man, but if this is about another mission, I swear I'm going to beat your ass."

Harry's laugh echoed through the phone, "No, no. That's not why I'm calling. I wanted to ask… did something happen on your end?"

Peter furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Kinda. Why do you ask?"

"You don't feel it?" Harry asked, sounding puzzled yet intrigued.

"Feel what?"

"That's just it," Harry replied. "I don't feel anything anymore. The pain—it's gone. It doesn't feel like my soul is being dipped in lava anymore. It's… peaceful. Did you do something? Because whatever it is, it worked."

Peter's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on him. He'd been so focused on the surreal conversation with the One Above All that he hadn't even noticed the change. But now that Harry mentioned it, Peter could feel it too—the constant undercurrent of pain that had haunted them was simply… gone.

He laughed softly, still stunned.

"Well, you could say I had a little chat with God, and he was kind enough to throw in a two-for-one healing special."

"…What?" Harry asked, clearly baffled.

Peter just chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I'll explain later. Let's meet up with the others at the base."

"Agreed," Harry said before ending the call.

Tucking his phone away, Peter glanced around to make sure no one was watching. He slipped into a nearby alley behind a delivery truck. There was a sudden flash of blue light, followed by a soft whoosh—and just like that, Peter vanished into thin air.

…

Peter and Harry strode down the hallway with a casual swagger, a spring in their step that hadn't been there before. Peter swung his arms in exaggerated arcs, leaning back with every movement of his arm. 

 Harry, on the other hand, had his hands stuffed into his coat pockets, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. He leaned slightly forward, shoulders relaxed and posture loose. 

They felt spectacular—like waking up from a fever dream. That sensation of falling asleep sick with a stuffy nose and a sore throat, only to wake up breathing clearly and pain-free. It was liberating.

Their path ended at a large reinforced door marked with a bold, gleaming spider symbol. As it slid open with a soft hiss, the meeting room inside was revealed. The girls were already seated, lounging comfortably in their usual places around the rectangular command table. The air was filled with casual chatter and the soft hum of holograms hovering above the tabletop.

Peter's attention was immediately directed to the new addition to the meeting table, Aria, she was sitting primly in a sleek chair with her very own polished nameplate in front of her. Her tiny form barely cleared the table's edge, but the proud way she sat made it clear she felt like she belonged.

"Sup, ladies~ Miss us?" Peter greeted with a grin, spreading his arms wide like he was expecting a standing ovation or an emotional reunion.

He cracked open one eye when he realized no one was running toward him. The girls just stared at him, unamused.

"I thought I told you to rest," Gwen said, her voice cold and firm.

In the blink of an eye, Peter vanished and reappeared behind Gwen's seat, draping his arms around her shoulders.

"Gwennie-pooh, my love, I've been cured by the divine miracle of God Himself," he whispered dramatically.

Gwen gave him a deadpan look before reaching over and pulling his cheek in an annoyed, scolding gesture.

"First of all, don't call me that. You have no idea how much I hate it."

Peter winced comically. "What? You don't like being called 'My love'? That's the most tragic thing I've heard all day."

Gwen sighed, her tough front faltering as her brows creased slightly. There was a glimmer of concern in her voice. "Why won't you listen to me? I told you to rest. We all did. I thought we agreed you were going to take time to recover."

Peter softened at that. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, making her flinch with one closed eye at the affection.

"There's no need anymore. Not for rest, not for worry," he said gently. "Harry and I… we've been healed."

Gwen blinked, searching his face. She peered into his eyes—the same hazelnut-brown eyes she'd fallen in love with. Only now, something was different. The pain that had been haunting them was gone. The hollow weight behind his gaze—it had vanished. His gaze was clear and bright.

"Wait… seriously?" Gwen asked, blinking in disbelief. "How? The Ancient One said the only way to remove your affliction was with the Soul Stone. Unless you found one in the last half hour, I don't see how that's even possible."

Peter gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then slid into his seat with a satisfied sigh. Harry followed suit, leaning over to plant a kiss on Liz's temple before settling across from his own nameplate.

Then, unexpectedly, Aria raised a hand.

"Father said he met with the Creator of the Universe," she declared, her expression blank yet confident. "Or more accurately—the Creator of existence itself. And honestly… I don't think he's lying."

All eyes turned sharply toward Peter.

Peter, in response, flashed a pair of peace signs and puckered his lips in mock innocence. "I'm God's favorite angel."

Felicia blinked and tilted her head, clearly trying to decide if she'd misheard.

"Wait, is she being serious?"

Peter gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… I kinda had a conversation with the literal architect of reality. It was… enlightening. A bit terrifying too. But he—uh—helped me I think… I didn't even realize until Harry pointed it out." 

The room fell silent. They were used to Peter cracking jokes and exaggerating. But this wasn't one of those moments. They could all tell—he wasn't lying. Not this time. And that made the silence even heavier.

For a brief moment, they all sat there processing what he'd said, the same way Peter had needed time earlier to process what had happened to him. It was a lot to take in.

Peter exhaled slowly and leaned forward, his fingers steepled together atop the table. His usual grin was gone, replaced by a focused intensity that signaled the shift from personal matters to business.

"Alright," he said, his voice steady. "Let's not waste any more time. Kraven's preparing for war—and it's up to us to end it before he tears this city apart. We need to lay out a plan to stop him. Fast, efficient, and with as few casualties as possible."

The room snapped into focus, they could discuss Peter meeting literal God later. 

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