Battle Strategies | Tony Stark [1]

TEN

Athena immediately regretted the advice she had given Natasha as she pulled up outside the mansion. She parked the car and then sat back in her seat with a sigh of frustration. Either Natasha had a wilder side than she had expected or things had been blown of proportion and Natasha couldn't control it. Athena strummed her fingers against the steering wheel before exiting the car and entered the house. 

Inside was even more chaotic than outside, she discovered. Slowly she walked through the throngs of people and into the sitting room where the main entertainment, it seemed, was. Athena was stunned still at the scene in front of her, her jaw dropping slightly as she openly gaped. 

Standing in the Iron Man suit was, the one and only, Tony Stark with the helmet down, so that everyone could clearly see the drunken state he was in. Athena knew that Tony had a particular liking to alcohol but seeing him in this state only made her question whether it was a liking or obsession. She was worried about him and knowing now that he was ill and nearly on his death bed, she truly worried about the state of his mind. 

Athena watched him in concern as he scratched at the turntable that the DJ was using. The crowd of mostly women that had gathered in front of the DJ all cheered drunkenly at him. Athena felt her concern slowly turn into annoyance as she watched him dance stupidly on the stage with a bottle of alcohol in his hand beside the DJ before giving the DJ a fist bump. She tried to keep the amusement off her face as she saw the DJ wince in pain from the fist bump. Now wasn't the time. 

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Pepper growled, coming to a halt beside Athena. 

Athena looked at Pepper, who was holding a small present in her hands before looking at the stumbling Tony again. "Where's Natasha?"

"Who?" Pepper looked at her confused.

"Natalie, dammit." Athena amended quickly, wincing internally. 

"I don't know." Pepper sighed, thinking back to when she saw Tony and her together earlier. She didn't want to tell Athena how she saw them standing close as Tony helped her shoot a repulsor beam from the Iron Man gauntlet. "I need some air."

Athena nodded at her before watching Tony again, her annoyance turning into something else. Pepper had only gone a few steps before she came back with Rhodey, who watched the drunken Tony with a look of anger. 

"You gotta be kidding me." Rhodey growled as Tony stumbled to the side before ultimately falling over and into the glass shelves that held some wine glasses. 

"Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh." Athena chanted to herself, desperately trying not to laugh hysterically. She could do nothing to keep the grin off her face, however. "Oh, you shouldn't be laughing."

"That's it, I'm making-" Rhodey had turned around to make a phone call but was stopped by Athena, who was still trying not to laugh.

"No, no, no. Don't call anyone." She said to him, pressing her lips together.

"Athena. This is ridiculous. I just stuck my neck out for this guy." Rhodey snapped, not only frustrated at Tony but now at Athena as well.

"I know. I know. I get it." Athena said quickly, trying to appease him. "I'm gonna handle it, okay? Just let me handle it."

"Handle it. Or I'm gonna have to." Rhodey threatened as Athena took a deep breathe before pushing her way through the crowd. As she walked through the crowd, she got some dirty looks from people she pushed to the side not so nicely. 

"You know, the question I get asked most often is; Tony, how do you go to the bathroom in the suit?" Athena stumbled to a halt as he spoke and watched as his face relax, in disgust. "Just like that."