Olympian Endgame [Percy Jackson/Avengers Crossover]

Chapter 3 - Glasses

By fourth period, Peter had become mostly confident he could make it through the rest of the day. Then the teacher told them they were going to have a memorial ceremony for Tony Stark, and the world kind of folded in on itself.

"You don't have to, you know," Ned said as they walked to the hall with the rest of their class. "You could fake a stomach thing."

Peter could sense the glasses case rolling around in his bag.

"Cover me," he said before darting into the toilet, the door swinging shut behind him. Peter stood in the white tiled room, staring at the mirror. He didn't want to go to the ceremony. He needed to get rid of the glasses.

Peter sorted through his bag, pulling the case out and slamming it a little too hard against the wet counter. Then he thumbed through the contacts in his phone until he finally found Happy. His finger hovered over the call button. Happy would be able to give him Fury's details, and Peter would be happy to hand over Tony's glasses. S.H.I.E.L.D would know what to do with them.

But what Rhodey had said played over in his mind.

"He wanted you to have this."

Mr Stark had trusted him with the glasses. Peter flipped the case open, and stared at the small paper in Tony's handwriting. He had it memorised.

For the next Tony Stark, I trust you. P.S Say Edith.

Peter didn't want to be the next Iron Man - he could hardly manage being Spiderman. But Tony had trusted him. Peter blinked away the onslaught of tears and leaned against the counter. He wasn't ready for this.

Like ripping off the bandaid, he grabbed the glasses and slipped them on. Then he caught sight of his appearance in the mirror and choked out a sob. He wasn't ready for this. He pressed his fingers into his eyes, unable to see the world through the way Stark had.

He picked up the card and turned it over, feeling the thick card as he had so many times during the past few weeks.

"Who's Edith?" Peter murmured.

"Stand by for retinol and biometric scan."

Peter jumped back, lines and pictures whirring over the lens.

"Retinol and biometric scan completed."

"Hello?" Peter asked.

"Hello Peter," said a disembodied female voice. "I am E.D.I.T.H: Tony Stark's augmented reality, security, and defence system."

"He," Peter stared at his reflection through the slightly blue lens, "he made you for me?"

"No."

"Oh."

"But he gave you full access to his protocols." Lines whirled again, scanning the reflection. "You are distressed. Would you like me to initiate the Mentor protocol?"

Peter stared, then shrugged, then felt stupid because it was a disembodied lady voice from the glasses, who couldn't actually see him.

"Sure," he said, because what was one more protocol?

"Mentor protocol activated." The lines over the lens crisscrossed, then cleared.

"Hey, kid."

Peter's knees buckled and he fell into the counter, his head down, watching the water drip from the tap, unable to turn around and see where the voice had come from.

"I had this installed just in case," Tony's voice said, "I didn't want to leave you entirely alone." He chuckled, as if he'd just told a joke. Peter shut his eyes, but the voice was in his head. "I downloaded my conscience into a digital frame—"

"Stop," Peter choked. "Please, stop." Three weeks. Tony Stark had been gone for three weeks. Hearing his voice, after everyone had told him that it was okay to grieve but life still moved on, was like salt in the gaping wound. "Deactivate protocol." The glasses lens reverted back to their previous state with lines and a blue tinge, and the voice disappeared.

"I don't understand," E.D.I.T.H said, "Tony thought the Mentor Protocol would help you."

Peter slid down onto the uncomfortably dirty tiles and hugged his knees to his chest. Then, with only a disembodied voice for company, he finally, actually, properly, cried.