Light & Dark // Spider-Man: No Way Home [Book 5]

chapter one {Arya's POV}

"This is breaking news."

"We come to you with revelations about last month's attack in London," the news anchor said. "An anonymous source provided this video. It shows Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, moments before his death. A warning, you may find this video disturbing." The news anchor disappeared and a close-up version of Mysterio's face, covered in scratches, appeared on the screen.

"I managed to send the Elementals back to the dimensional reef but I don't think I'm gonna make it off this bridge alive. Spider-Man and Electric Shadow attacked me for some reason. They have an army of weaponised drones. Stark technology.

"Spider-Man is saying he's the only one who's gonna be the next Iron Man. No one else. I think he's going after Electric Shadow next," Mysterio continued. The video shifted to a shot of Peter standing over Mysterio.

"Are you sure you want to commence the drone attack?" EDITH's voice asked. "There will be significant casualties."

"Do it! Execute them all," the recorded version of Peter answered.

"Did you say that?" I asked Peter.

"Yeah, I did, but not to that question. This is fake," Peter replied.

The sound of bullets whizzing through the air sounded in the background of the video before it switched back to the news anchor. "The shocking video was released earlier today on the controversial news website The Daily Bugle.net," he spoke before he was replaced by an older man with a moustache better known as J. Jonah Jameson.

"There you have it, folks. Conclusive proof that Spider-Man was responsible for the brutal murder of Mysterio. An interdimensional warrior who gave his life to protect our planet and who will no doubt go down in history as the greatest superhero of all time," Jameson spoke fiercely. A lump formed in my throat as his words dawned on me and tears pricked my eyes.

"But that's not all, folks," he continued. "Here's the real blockbuster. Brace yourselves. You might wanna sit down."

The video of Mysterio returned and what he said turned my stomach into tight knots. "Spider-Man's real name is-" But he was cut off temporarily. "Spider-Man's and Electric Shadow's real names are Peter Parker and Arya Stark!" His face disappeared to make room for two pictures.

One of Peter and one of me. 

"What the-" The sound of a passing truck honking drowned out the sound of mine and Peter's swearing. 

"That's right, folks!" Jameson called out. "Peter Parker and Arya Stark. The two seventeen-year-old high school delinquents harbouring homicidal hunger are in fact the vile vigilante villains Spider-Man and Electric Shadow." 

I had to fight not to throw up as I turned to Peter. The indignant and rageful shouting from the streets below us was deafening. "We have to get out of here," I managed to muster out and Peter nodded. I saw him swallow visibly. 

I looked over the edge of the two-story building we had been sitting on and immediately noticed several dozens cameras and phones angled upward to where we were standing. "Yeah, we gotta go," I repeated, wrapping my arms around Peter's neck. He put his arm around me, tighter than usual, and swung us up and away from the crowd still shouting below us. 

"Where the hell do we go?" I called over the wind whizzing past us. 

"I don't know. Your house?" 

"We can't. Pep and Morgan are home!" 

"Crap. My house it is," he said before swinging us on top of Queensborough Bridge. My knees were shaking so badly I struggled to stay on my feet, but Peter seemed not to notice as he put me down and stepped away to answer his phone.