Chapter 285: Coming to Stark's Party Tonight
Peter was well aware of the current situation—he couldn't handle this alone. The swaying building and the flying debris posed an immediate threat to the crowds below. Most importantly, if this building fell, it would trigger a domino effect, causing neighboring skyscrapers to collapse and leading to catastrophic consequences.
"Argh!" Peter strained, his hands gripping the web lines with all his might. "Someone help! Anyone!"
"It sounds like you're in dire need of assistance," a familiar voice echoed.
"Silas!" Peter cried out, his face lighting up with joy.
"Yeah." A black circular ripple appeared in the air in front of Peter, and Silas floated out.
By combining the Shadow Kingdom with his new portal magic, Silas had created a technique he simply called "Shadow Portal." It was clean and efficient; it didn't require a physical shadow as a medium anymore, allowing him to appear anywhere in the world. It seemed the "Shadow Travel Agency" was officially out of a job.
"Big guy, come out and help," Silas called out toward the air.
A massive Eater Ninja emerged from below, opening its maw and swallowing the collapsing building whole. The structural failure that had been moments away from a disaster was effortlessly neutralized.
"Whoa... cool." Peter sank onto the web netting, exhausted. He felt as if his arms were about to snap off.
Silas landed steadily on the webs and was about to speak when a silver robotic drone flew toward them from the distance.
"Is that Mr. Stark?" Peter recognized the design immediately.
"Destiny, Mr. Stark invites you to a gathering tonight. He has something interesting to show you," Jarvis's voice projected from the drone.
Jarvis was there to deliver the message, hoping he might get lucky and run into Destiny. Since the enigmatic hero rarely showed his face lately, the AI was pleased to have found him so quickly.
"Stark is inviting me?" Silas frowned, confused. Why would Tony Stark want to see him?
Beside him, Peter was equally baffled. Why was Mr. Stark reaching out to Silas?
"Does Mr. Stark invite me too?" Peter asked hopefully. After all, he was Spider-Man; surely he deserved an invite.
"Uh, actually no—" Jarvis started to say.
But at that moment, Tony patched through a voice clip: If Underoos wants to come, let him come.
"Of course," Jarvis corrected himself instantly.
"YES!" Peter leaped up, suddenly full of life again.
Silas, meanwhile, was wondering what Stark was up to. An invitation to a party out of the blue usually meant something more was going on. But since Peter had already agreed, Silas decided to go along. With his current strength, he might not be invincible, but he was certainly capable of handling himself.
"Tell Stark I'll be there," Silas said. He grabbed Peter's shoulder and vanished back to Queens.
Currently, no one knew Silas's true identity except for Peter. However, since Silas often acted alongside his brother, Stark had already deduced that Destiny was likely Silas Parker. Silas didn't bother confirming or denying it; at this point, secret identities weren't his top priority. Stark hadn't told anyone else his theory—not even the other Avengers—keeping it as a silent understanding between them, much like he did with Peter.
At Home
"I'm so excited!" Peter was practically dancing the moment they got home. Going to a party at the Avengers Tower was a dream come true.
"Change your clothes. If Aunt May or Uncle Ben wake up and see you in the Spider-Suit, we're in trouble," Silas said as his own gear dissolved back into the Shadow Kingdom.
"Right, right. I'm just a little hyped," Peter said, sprinting upstairs to change.
Silas sat down, waiting for the elders to wake up. He wondered if he had overdone it with the Sleep Talismans. After a while, Ben and May stirred, both assuming they had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion.
The Sleep Talisman had the added benefit of making recent memories fuzzy. If someone provided a plausible explanation for why they fell asleep, the brain would fill in the gaps accordingly.
At dinner, Peter and Silas ate very little before excusing themselves to "rest." Whatever happened at the party, they were determined to save room for the high-end catering.
"What's up with those two? They barely ate," Ben Parker said, cutting into a steak. Usually, the two boys were like bottomless pits.
"Well, if they get hungry later, there's food in the fridge. Right now, I just want a shower and a long sleep," May said. For some reason, she felt incredibly drowsy.
"Me too," Ben agreed.
Upstairs
"Come on, Silas! I can't wait!" Peter, now back in his classic red-and-blue suit, was vibrating with anticipation.
Silas didn't bother with a full costume like Peter. He just wore his casual clothes and put on his Shadow Mask.
"Let's go," Silas said, opening a Shadow Portal directly to Avengers Tower.
Avengers Tower
They stepped out into a lounge area. It was empty of people, featuring pool tables and luxury furnishings—clearly a recreation floor for the team.
"Cool! A pool table!" Peter rolled a ball across the felt.
A few moments later, Tony Stark walked in. "Hey. Long time no see, Masked Boy."
"Hello, Iron Man," Silas said, giving Tony a brief nod.
"Me too, Mr. Stark!" Peter greeted him enthusiastically.
"Oh right, hello Underoos," Tony winked. He put an arm around Silas's shoulder. "Come on, the others are upstairs. Follow us, kid."
"You got it!" Peter followed close behind.
The elevator took them to the main party floor, which was buzzing with people and conversation.
"Hey! Sorcerer!" Thor's eyes lit up the moment he saw Silas.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!