I AM BACK, BABY! School is finished, exams are written, creative writing portfolios and papers are handed in. Summer here I come!

I apologize for the wait. I am so, so sorry. You guys are so patient with me and I am truly grateful for that.
I do have a couple of reasons for not updating, the main reason being that this last semester has been incredibly busy. The second reason is that I've been spending more time working on my novel and I've been trying to finish the plot outline so that I can get to work finishing the first draft.
Finally, the last reason for my absence has to do with this fic. I had to figure out a plot hole (I.e. Roan couldn't figure out where to put the BIGBIG chapter that we've all been waiting for) since it's pretty much moved away from the MCU timeline. I was also trying to figure out how to end it. My plan is to stop around the events of CAWS. I'm aiming for around 20 chapters so it'll still be a while.

Also, Endgame killed me.

SUPER IMPORTANT READ THIS

Again, since this is an AU, I'm taking quite a few liberties such as with Spidey. I really like Tom Holland's portrayal, but since I'm not following the whole Civil War storyline, I've taken liberties. Now that I've actually seen Homecoming, I've made some necessary alterations for this story.
As I mentioned in the note in Chapter 2, Spider-Man has been active since a little before the Chitauri Invasion. He hasn't had contact with Tony Stark (yet haha) and has had to figure out everything on his own. So no fancy suit or Karen unfortunately. Ned and Michelle are obviously still present because they're amazing.
I also plan to bring in the Defenders or at least mention that they're active because they're great.

ANYWAY thank you to everyone who left reviews for the last chapter. I plan to read all of them after I've posted this.

Let me know what you think!

Chapter 11: Parker

Spider-Man vaulted over an overflowing dumpster and shot a web at the overhanging fire-escape, twisting out of the way of the deadly claws that gouged the ground where he had just been. His side screamed with each movement, staining his ruined suit an even darker red than it already was. He looked down into the alley out of breath and a little bewildered.

He'd had never seen anything like it. The creature looked like a canine, only its fur dripped and sizzled on the ground, and its claws were so sharp they sliced through stone like it was paper. The civilians had fled as soon as he'd dropped in, webbing the creature to the side of a building, but the thing had just sliced through the webbing and turned its attention to him. It was faster than it looked, too. It snarled up at him, its molten eyes glowing in the dark.

What even was it? An experiment gone wrong? Someone's lost pet? Spider-Man was too exhausted to care. All he wanted was to just finish this fight and go home.

He shot another web at one of the bags of garbage and threw it at the thing. It screeched as the bag exploded all over it, blinding it for a few precious moments as Spidey swung down and kicked it square in the jaw, sending it flying.

Spidey scrambled back up the wall, blood roaring from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. His heart sank as the creature shook itself off, sending showers of acid into the smoking garbage. "Seriously? That was a solid kick!"

His Spider-Sense screamed too late as the creature's claws lunged again with blinding speed. It sliced through the thin fabric of his suit. He yelped as his arm flared with pain. He landed awkwardly, stumbling as the wound in his side made itself known. The arm of his suit was in shreds. The creature just snarled and lunged at him again and he just barely swung out of the way.

Then, it stopped and dropped back on all fours, turning its head to look at something that Spidey couldn't see. In the distance, he thought he heard a whistling noise. The creature shambled away and disappeared.

Spidey got to his feet, wincing as his whole body flared with pain.

What the heck just happened?

His arm and side burned, but upon further inspection, they weren't as bad as he feared. A little rest and some food and they'd heal in no time, though he'd need to restock his first aid after seeing to them. He examined the ruined fabric and groaned.

"I just fixed this," he muttered. He'd spent most of last night sewing the suit up after a number of unfortunate nightly patrols. The thing was more patchwork than anything else, but the fabric was a nightmare to replace. But there would be time for that later.

He stood, wincing as the motion pulled on his side. First, he had to finish patrol and get home.

Hopefully without encountering anymore of those creatures.

Peter dashed toward the group of people who here filing onto the school bus. He stopped, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

Coach Wilson arched an eyebrow when he stopped, gasping for breath. "Cutting it close, Mr. Parker."

"Sorry," he wheezed, mentally searching for a suitable excuse that didn't include the fact that patrol had gone way into the early hours of the morning. "My alarm didn't go off."

Flash opened one of the windows and stuck his head out. "We should have just left him."

Peter shouldered his backpack and got on the bus. He slid into an empty seat, pointedly ignoring Flash's loud comments a few seats ahead of him.

"Alright listen up," Coach Wilson said. "When we get to Goode, I don't want to hear about any of you getting into trouble. Remember, we are there to support our fellow Midtown teammates, not start a war. I'm looking at you, Thompson. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a chorus of assent. Peter put on his headphones and let his music drone out his classmates.

A field trip to Goode High School was not something he was particularly interested in. Midtown and Goode were rivals, and the football game today would be a tiebreaker for the season. Peter didn't know or particularly care who won. Supporting their school was an opportunity for extra credit. Peter didn't need the extra credit, but Ned had convinced him to tag along so that he didn't have to suffer by himself. Watching people tackle each other on a field wasn't Peter's go-to entertainment—his other extra-curricular activities gave him enough of that for a lifetime—but he'd agreed, only because Ned had promised him a new idea for his Spidey gear. But then self-proclaimed "Guy in the Chair" had come down with the flu and Peter was left all alone.

And of course, Flash was here, supporting his more athletic friends, so the moment they'd crowded into the bleachers to watch the game, Peter snuck off to find a seat far away from him. Peter was convinced that the bully was a jock in another life solely on how he acted around them. The good news was that Flash was too busy messing around with his buddies to bother Peter.

At least he now had time to work on the homework he'd neglected to do last night. Patrol had run into the early hours of the morning and his bed had seemed way too inviting. He made an idle sketch of the thing that had attacked him last night in the corner of his page. How many teeth had that thing had?

In the back of his mind, his Spider-Sense tingled. Yet another thing that bothered him, though maybe less important than the creature currently roaming around Queens. His Spider-Sense had been warning him of some danger all morning, but no matter where he looked, Peter couldn't find its source. On the way to the field, it had acted up when he'd passed a group of students, and again when he'd passed a student fiddling with a pair of reed pipes. Not exactly dangerous. Eventually, he decided that his extra sense was on the fritz. This was a school. It didn't get more nightmarish than that.

He was still rattled by the thing that had attacked him last night. His senses were probably still reacting to that. He rubbed his arm, feeling the bandage underneath his hoodie. His accelerated healing had done wonders for his injuries, but he'd need to be careful about not reopening them for a few days.

His Spider-Sense tingled as a shadow fell over him, but this time it was familiar and welcoming.

"Is this spot free?"

Peter glanced up and was surprised to find that he recognized the tall senior wearing a GOODE SWIM TEAM jacket. He'd completely forgotten that Percy went to Goode.

"Uh, yeah sure," Peter said, "this spot isn't taken."

"Thanks." Percy dropped onto the bleacher. "You're from Midtown?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah. I'm crowd support."

"Same. My friend's on the team. I thought I'd cheer him on from the sidelines."

"What? Sports not your thing?" Peter asked, already knowing the answer. His alter-ego had spent hours chatting with Percy about the misgivings of sports that didn't include swimming.

"I'd rather climb a rock wall covered in lava. I'm Percy, by the way."

"Peter."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Please don't tell me your last name is Johnson."

"Parker, actually."

"Oh, thank the gods."

He sounded so relieved Peter couldn't help by smile. It was almost surreal talking to him as a civilian. For all the times Spider-Man had spent at Percy's house, Peter had never told him his identity. Of course, Percy had known from the start that he was only a teenager, but for some reason, Peter was okay with that. Superheroes came and went through Percy's door all the time. Peter couldn't explain the sense of security that came with passing the threshold of the home.

Percy rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a container and opened it. He offered it to Peter. "My mom's famous cookies. Want one?"

Peter would never say no to one of Sally Jackson's cookies. As always, they were delicious.

They chatted for a while, idly watching the game. Peter found himself relaxing as he always did around the other teenager, so much so that he had to watch that he didn't say something that would give away his secret identity, but he found that he really did enjoy talking to Percy just as Peter Parker, the average high-schooler.

Naturally, his enjoyment didn't last.

"Hey, Parker!"

Peter groaned as he saw Flash stomping up the bleachers toward him, his face drawn in a sneer. "What? Did you get lost or something? Coach wants us back with the rest of the class."

"I was just sitting with a friend, Flash," Peter said.

Flash sneered. "Yeah, right. Everyone knows that Leeds is the only person stupid enough to be friends with you."

Peter balled his hands into fists. "Don't talk about him like that."

"Make me."

Percy cleared his throat. "Can I help you?"

Flash turned to face him, only to falter at the senior towering a good few inches above him. "Who are you?" Flash demanded.

Percy held out his hand. "Percy Jackson. I was just showing my friend Peter around before you interrupted us." He smiled thinly. The smile did not reach his eyes.

A chill ran down Peter's spine. Alarms blared in the back of his mind, though he knew that he was safe.

Flash had paled considerably, he opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it. "Whatever, Parker." He shouldered past Peter, jostling his arm. Peter bit his lip as dull pain raced up his arm.

Percy watched him go, frowning. "Jerk."

Peter blew out a low exhale, stilling the ringing in his head. "You have no idea. Anyway, I should probably go. It was nice meeting you."

"You too."

Peter waved as he took the bleacher steps two at a time. He ducked his way through the increasing throngs of students heading for lunch, searching for his classmates.

Finally, he caught sight of them on one of the grassy areas near the front of the school where a few of them were already eating lunch. He made a beeline for them, but before he could get even a few steps, a woman stopped him.

"Excuse me, but are you supposed to be here?" The woman's voice was gravelly as if she had been smoking.

"Yes?" Peter replied, caught off guard by the question.

The woman eyed him. Her appearance was disconcerting, her skin looking as if it had been stretched too thinly over her skull and she stood with a slump, and when she spoke, there were too many teeth packed into her mouth.

"I've never seen you around here," she said.

Her hand snaked out, and before Peter could even react, she grabbed his arm close to the bandages that Peter had to bite his lip to stop himself from making a sound. Her beady eyes narrowed as if searching. "You don't look like a Goode student."

Her fingers tightened painfully. "I'm from Midtown," Peter stammered. His Spider-Sense screamed. The woman's eyes narrowed further.

"Parker!" Coach Wilson barked.

The woman's head shot up and her grip loosened. Peter snatched his arm away and all but ran to where his classmates were gathered, heart pounding, senses screaming. When he looked back, the woman was still watching him. Peter shuddered and turned to follow the group.

Goode won the game. Coach Wilson herded their dejected team back on the bus after the two schools had said their farewells. Peter was pleasantly surprised to find Percy waiting for him near the Midtown High bus. He also noted that Flash gave him a very wide berth.

"I wanted to catch you before you left," Percy said. "No hard feelings, right?"

"We'll get you guys back next time," Peter replied as if either of them actually cared about the game.

Percy smirked. "Miracles can happen."

A flicker of movement from the school caught Peter's eye and he glanced back at the building. The woman stood in one of the windows, unmoving. He turned to ask Percy who she was, but he stopped, the question forgotten. Percy's eyes were trained on the woman, shoulders tense, and one hand in his jacket pocket.

Then he saw Peter watching and gave him an easy smile. He handed Peter a slip of paper with a phone number scrawled across it. "We should hang out sometime. This is my home number."

Peter brightened. "Sure."

Peter was still grinning when he got off the bus at Midtown High. There was a spring to his step as he walked back home, Percy's number already saved onto his phone. Aside from some minor problems, today had gone better than expected. He couldn't wait to tell Ned that he'd met Percy outside of the suit. Maybe they could all hang out sometime. He could even ask Michelle if she wanted to come. She'd like some of Percy's friends.

He was busy deciding whether he'd stop by Percy's house during patrol when he heard it.

Whimpering coming from the alley to his right. Peter slowed.

A figure was hunched in the vacant alley, arms wrapped around themselves. Peter's Spider-Sense tingled quietly in the back of his mind, warning him yet again of some phantom danger. But he couldn't just keep walking when someone might need him.

His backup web shooters were still in his bag. Peter unshouldered the bag and rummaged through his things. His hand closed over his web shooters and he slipped them on.

He crept into the alley. "Hey, are you alright?"

The figure turned its head and Peter caught sight of glowing eyes before his Spider-Sense went haywire. Something slammed into him, sending him crashing the alley wall. Bags of garbage softened his landing, but he shook his head, winded. He struggled to his feet, blinking stars from his vision.

The figure straightened, and with a sickening jolt, Peter recognized the creepy woman he'd met at Goode. She tilted her head to one side. Her arms were no longer human, instead long jagged pincers. When she smiled, there were too many teeth, all sharpened to points.

Behind her, three monsters like the ones that had attacked him the night before licked their lips, saliva dripping in steaming clumps.

"Hello, spider," she said with that too-full smile. "We shall feast well tonight."

Peter scrambled back, intent on putting as much distance between him and those pincers. "Who are you?"

The woman didn't respond. She let out a loud whistle and the monsters snarled and leaped at him.

Peter ran, almost tripping over his own feet. He had to get away. He could climb the nearest building and escape and get help if he could just get out—

One of the monsters cut off his exit. Peter skidded to a stop, inches away from the creature's swiping claws. He spun around and webbed one of the monsters to the wall, and ducked just in time dodge the claw that sailed over his head. His Spider-Sense screamed and he lurched away as claws nicked his shoulder. He landed heavily and his side flared with pain as the motion reopened his wound.

A laugh echoed behind him. The stench of burning garbage cloyed his nose.

Get up. Get up!

But he was paralyzed, staring into the face of the monster as it bore down on him, baring its teeth in a grotesque smile, and all he could think about was the fact that he hadn't said goodbye to his aunt this morning.

I'm sorry, Aunt May.

A bronze sword skewered the monster through the head. With a howl, it burst into golden dust. The owner of the sword stood and swung it through the other monster. Golden dust exploded across the alley.

Peter stared up at the back of the GOODE swim team jacket, took in the raven hair, and the scent of sea salt before his eyes fell on the gleaming bronze sword in his saviour's hand.

Percy glanced back at him. "You okay, Peter?"

Peter managed a bewildered "yeah", and Percy nodded before turning his attention to the woman in front of him. "Why don't you drop the disguise."

The woman's face twisted into a grotesque sneer and, right before Peter's eyes, morphed into something that would haunt Peter's dreams for many nights to come. Her skin cracked and blackened, shoulders hunching as her skin grew taut, cracking and blackening as the bones shifted a rearranged themselves. The pincers where her arms had been lengthened until they seemed too heavy to move, and yet Peter had no doubt that she could snap him in half.

"Son of the Sea," the woman bit out, her voice reverberating ominously. "Come a little closer. I will take pleasure in skinning you alive."

"I'd rather not," Percy said. He leveled his sword. "I like my skin how it is: attached to me. But thanks for the offer."

The woman snarled and leaped at him. Percy raised his arm. There was a screech of metal, and a water pipe exploded. Water slammed into the monster, sending it skidding back. The monster screamed. Peter watched, paralyzed as the water followed Percy's outstretched hand, pummeling the woman.

The monster that Peter had webbed to the wall had finally cut itself free. It snarled and leaped at Percy side.

"Watch out!" Peter yelled.

Percy spun on his heel and beheaded it, and it exploded.

The moment of distraction was enough. The woman moved with alarming speed and lunged at him again, but Percy ducked under its deadly pincers and sheered of her right arm. Gold blood sprayed in the air like a fountain. In one swift motion, Percy drove his sword through its chest. The monster let loose a deafening scream before exploding into dust.

Peter's heart leaped into his throat as the last monster lunged at Percy's unprotected back. Without thinking, Peter webbed it to the wall. In a fluid motion, Percy beheaded it. It exploded into a pile of dust, leaving Peter's webbing hanging limply.

Percy straightened. He poked the webbing and then turned and raised an eyebrow. "You know, this makes a lot more sense."

Peter scrambled to his feet. "What just happened? Who was she? You just beheaded someone and then she turned to dust!"

"They're monsters," Percy said, shaking the golden blood off his sword. Then he touched something to its tip and the sword disappeared. "I noticed them following you from Goode. They lock onto people's scent."

"But they came after you," Peter said, still reeling from what had just happened.

Percy shrugged. "Lots of things come after me. It's kind of an everyday expectation."

Peter didn't know whether to laugh or freak out. He really wanted to freak out. He had been attacked by a madwoman who wasn't even a person, freaky monsters, and now Percy had come in sword swinging. Had he been controlling the water? Did Percy have powers? Like a superhero with a secret identity and everything?

He froze. Percy knew who he was.

"I won't tell anyone," Percy said as if he was reading Peter's mind. "I know you didn't want anyone finding out, but you can trust me."

"You're not going to tell me to stop being Spider-Man, are you?" Peter asked hesitantly. "Because I won't listen."

Percy shook his head. "Nah. Besides, I was doing way crazier things than this when I was your age." Somehow, Peter believed him. "Just, do me a favour and, you know," he gestured to the remaining gold dust. "Don't tell anyone about this."

Peter let out a shaky laugh. "I don't think anyone would believe me." He eyed the golden dust that was rapidly dissolving in the puddles of water from Percy's exploding water pipe. "so monsters?"

Percy shrugged. "Greek monsters. I deal with them all the time. It's a long story." Then his expression turned serious. "Look, I know you probably have to get back home, but you look like you could use some first-aid."

Peter blinked. He glanced down. Blood was seeping through a long tear in his shirt. Now that he wasn't dying, his side burned even more than before. He winced and put a hand over it to stem the bleeding. "I'm okay. I'll heal in a few hours."

Percy crossed his arms. "The last time you said that you passed out on my kitchen floor." Peter hesitated. "Come on. Humour me. Either way, we should get moving. I've probably attracted more monsters by killing that one."

Despite his nonchalant tone, Percy left no room for argument. Peter wasn't so sure that Percy would let him go without treating his side, despite his accelerated healing.

"Fine. But you've got to tell me more about those things if they're going to be hanging around here."

"Deal. If you want, I can see if my friend can find a way to upgrade your gear and reinforce your suit. He's good at that type of stuff."

Considering Peter would definitely be taking him up on that.

It turned out that Percy kept a first aid kit in his backpack. He worked with the skill of someone who had patched up countless injuries. Considering how many vigilantes came through his house, including Peter, he wasn't surprised. Although, Peter had to wonder whether he had been patching people long before he'd opened the safe house. His suspicions were confirmed when Percy told him that everything he'd learned about Greek and Roman mythology was more than just myths and that the gods were a thing and that they, along with monsters walked among them, hidden by this thing called Mist. Peter wouldn't have believed him if he hadn't just witnessed it firsthand.

In the days that followed, Peter had the pleasure to meet one Leo Valdez who took one look at him, his ruined suit, and promptly set himself on fire. He then proceeded to pull out a half-finished design and got to work. Apparently redesigning superhero suits was one of his less destructive hobbies.

Percy managed to convince Peter to skip the next few patrols until he was fully healed with the promise that he'd tell him about some of his demigod adventures. Peter readily agreed after Percy had assured him that Queens would survive without him for a few days.

"The Avengers can handle it if something goes wrong," he said. "Hawkeye won't mind patrolling there for a few days."

Ned tagged along, with Percy's permission of course, once he was feeling better. Naturally, he was ecstatic to hear about the heroes that had been protecting their home even before Captain America and asked about a thousand questions which Percy and his friends answered with surprising patience, given how odd Ned's questions could be.

Two weeks later, Peter was handed a box by a bouncing and very sleep-deprived child of Hephaestus.

"So I kept the main design and everything, but the fabric can withstand anything but Greek Fire. I haven't figured that one out yet, but when I do, you'll be the first to know," Leo said. His face was streaked with grease, and he was grinning like a madman. "I also tweaked the web shooters so if you come across more monsters they won't be able to cut through the webbing as quickly."

Peter opened the box and pulled out the suit.

Both Peter's and Ned's mouths fell open. Even Percy looked impressed.

"Nice job. I think that's your best work."

Leo hovered. "What do you think? I wanted to add a mini flamethrower but Percy said that doesn't really go with the whole spider thing, but if you want one, let me know."

The suit looked almost identical to his old one, but more streamlined. The fabric was half the weight of the original, the colours sharper and bolder. It was the same and yet it something about it made it seem so much stronger than his old suit. He took the mask in his hands, feeling a burst of pride and excitement in his chest.

Peter grinned. "I can work with this."