[Third Person Pov]

Peter and Aria sat across from each other as they enjoyed their own father-daughter date. A messy pile of UNO cards sat between them from several previous rounds while each of them held six cards in their hands. The two stared each other down across the table, neither willing to give an inch.

Aria wore a smug expression as she confidently placed down a green +2 card. "Pick up two cards."

Peter glanced at the card before looking back up at her completely unfazed. "No, I don't think I will."

Before Aria could protest, Peter immediately slapped a +4 card down on top of it. "Color change to red, skip your turn, reverse it back to me, skip, skip—"

"That's not how that works!" Aria shouted.

Peter completely ignored her complaint as he placed down his second-to-last card, a red Reverse. "Uno."

Aria's eyes widened in horror. "NO UNO!"

Unfortunately for her, she was a second too late. Her face immediately scrunched up with outrage as she began repeatedly pounding her tiny fists against the table. Pom! Pom! Pom! Pom! Pom!

Peter couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face. "Uno out."

With all the dramatic flair of dropping an atomic bomb, Peter dropped a red 5 onto the table.

Aria shot to her feet on top of her chair. "You cheater! You can't even place a +4 over a +2! That's an illegal move and it doesn't count!"

"House rules, Aria. Come on, don't be such a sore loser. Bahahaha!" Peter laughed manically, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"How about playing the game using the actual rules instead of some random nonsense you made up out of nowhere!" Aria shot back, raising her voice.

Peter scoffed and leaned one arm against the table. "Where's the fun in that? House rules make the game a thousand times better."

Aria narrowed her eyes into a glare. "How about this for a house rule? You suck!"

She slammed the rest of her cards onto the table before jumping down from her chair and taking off toward the living room. Tears had already formed in her eyes as she ran.

"Grandma!!"

Peter immediately stood up from his seat. "Don't go crying to Aunt May now! Don't be such a baby!"

The sound of Aria's dramatic sobbing only intensified as she disappeared around the corner. Peter followed after her and arrived in the living room moments later to find exactly what he expected.

Aria was curled up against Aunt May on the couch while May gently rubbed her back. The performance Aria was giving was genuinely Oscar worthy.

"He's so mean to me~!" Aria cried dramatically, burying her face against May's shoulder.

Aunt May looked up at Peter and immediately fixed him with a death glare so powerful that his Spider-Sense practically started screaming at him. "You seriously couldn't let her win?" May asked. "She's a child."

Peter pursed his lips and crossed his arms. Meanwhile, Aria peeked over May's shoulder. Her eyes were still wet with tears, but the smug smile on her face completely ruined the act. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Peter immediately pointed at her. "Oh come on! Look at her! She's not even crying anymore!"

Before either side could continue the argument, Aria suddenly froze. The smug smile vanished from her face. She slowly pulled herself away from Aunt May and stared off into space.

"Woah..." she muttered.

The sudden shift caught both Peter and May's attention. "What?" Peter asked. "What's wrong?"

Aria continued staring ahead in disbelief. "It's Tony Stark... he's dying."

Both Peter and Aunt May immediately looked at her in surprise. "What?" Peter asked.

"It's Tony Stark," Aria repeated. "He's dying."

The seriousness in her voice erased any possibility that she was joking.

Peter's expression immediately hardened. "Care to elaborate? Don't keep us in suspense."

Aria nodded before raising her hand. A holographic projection materialized in front of them, allowing both Peter and May to see exactly what she was seeing.

Tony Stark was leaning weakly against a window panel with the ocean visible behind him. The slot in his chest where his Arc Reactor was supposed to be sat empty. His skin was ghostly pale and every breath looked like a struggle. He looked exhausted, barely able to remain standing.

Standing several feet in front of him was the Iron Monger in all his armored glory. The massive suit raised one hand. A bright light gathered in the center of its palm as the repulsor began charging.

Tony barely had enough strength left to lift his head before the blast fired.

The repulsor beam struck him directly in the chest and sent him flying backwards. The window behind him shattered instantly as glass exploded outward in every direction. Tony disappeared through the opening before plummeting toward the ocean below.

A moment later he struck the water and vanished beneath the surface.

"Waaah!!" Aunt May exclaimed in shock as she watched the scene unfold. Unlike a movie, she knew this was actually happening somewhere in the real world.

The hologram continued to display the aftermath as Iron Monger slowly walked toward the shattered opening. The armored giant looked down at the ocean below for a brief moment before activating his thrusters and flying away.

"Aria, let's go!" Peter said as his suit instantly materialized over his body in a flash of blue light while Aria's body rapidly grew into that of a young adult. The transformation only took a moment before the two were ready to move.

"Be careful, you two," Aunt May said, concern evident in her voice as she wished them luck on their mission.

Peter didn't waste a second. A glowing portal opened in front of him and he immediately dove through it headfirst. The world shifted around him and suddenly he was falling through the night sky. Cold air rushed past him while the dark ocean below rapidly rose up to meet him. A massive splash erupted as he hit the water and immediately began swimming downward.

The deeper he went, the darker the water became, but thankfully his enhanced night vision allowed him to see clearly where an ordinary person would have been completely blind.

Far below the surface, Tony Stark continued sinking. Streams of bubbles escaped from his mouth as his body drifted deeper into the darkness. His vision had become blurry and unfocused, and every part of him felt heavy and numb. He couldn't move a single muscle. Through the haze clouding his eyes, all he could make out was a faint blue light rapidly approaching him. At first he thought it was his imagination, but the light grew brighter and brighter until it took the familiar shape of a glowing spider.

Peter reached him moments later. Without wasting any time, he grabbed Tony and pulled him close before throwing one of Tony's arms over his shoulder. His enhanced strength made the rescue effortless as he kicked powerfully through the water and propelled them both back toward the surface. They burst from the ocean seconds later, and Peter quickly dragged Tony onto the shore before laying him flat on the sand.

One glance told him everything he needed to know.

Tony wasn't breathing.

"Come on, spit it out. Don't make me give you mouth to mouth," Peter said as he drew back his fist and struck Tony firmly in the chest.

The impact forced a mouthful of seawater out of Tony's lungs. Tony immediately rolled onto his side and began coughing violently, more water spilling from his mouth as he desperately tried to catch his breath. Even then, without the arc reactor powering his systems, his body remained weak and barely responsive.

"Dad!" Aria called out.

Peter looked up to see her phasing directly through a nearby cliff wall while carrying a protective glass case in both hands. Resting inside was an arc reactor. Attached to it was a small label that read: 'Proof That Tony Stark Has a Heart.'

Peter placed a hand over Tony's chest and the tips of his fingers began glowing with golden chi. He moved his hand through the air, tracing a series of glowing runes that floated above Tony's body. The symbols activated instantly, releasing a pulse of mystical energy that swept through him.

Every drop of water trapped inside Tony's lungs and circuitry inside his chest was immediately evaporated into steam.

"There we go," Peter said with satisfaction.

Aria handed him the glass case and Peter carefully removed the arc reactor before aligning it with the housing in Tony's chest. The moment it clicked into place, energy surged back through his body. Tony's eyes widened and he sat upright with a sharp gasp, greedily sucking in air as the familiar blue glow returned to his chest.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," Peter teased as he grabbed Tony's arm and helped pull him back onto his feet. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"I owe you... once again," Tony said between breaths. "This is the second time you've saved me."

"Only the second?" Peter asked. "Feels like the number should be higher."

Tony let out a weak chuckle.

Peter opened another portal beside them, revealing the interior of Tony's mansion on the other side. Together he and Aria helped support Tony as they stepped through. Tony couldn't help staring at the glowing ring around them with visible confusion before it vanished behind them.

"I'll make you a tab so you can pay me back later," Peter said as he guided Tony toward a chair and helped him sit down.

Tony gladly accepted the seat and took a moment to collect himself.

"Who's the new chick?" he asked, motioning toward Aria, who had remained standing close to Peter.

"Not important at the moment," Peter said dismissively.

"Hey!" Aria exclaimed, clearly offended.

Peter simply looked at her over his shoulder.

Aria immediately coughed into her fist. "Ahem. I mean... he's right. It's not that important."

Tony raised an eyebrow but decided not to question it.

"So what the hell happened?" Peter asked, turning his full attention back to Stark. "Why were you tossed to the bottom of the ocean?"

Tony leaned back in his chair and placed a hand over his forehead as he tried to gather his thoughts. The exhaustion, anger, and betrayal were all still fresh in his mind.

"You were right," Tony finally said.

Peter's expression became more serious.

"I was betrayed by someone I once considered a friend. Family, really." Tony shook his head in frustration and let out a bitter laugh. "Damn it."

************************************************

+5 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3