The Invincible Spider-Man

Chapter 23: And Everything Goes to Hell

Harry was helping Mary Jane set up everything for her Christmas Party, especially since it was scheduled for the next day. MJ had a big house, which meant they could have a huge Christmas tree.

"Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, Liz Allan, Hobie Brown…Flash Thompson?" Asked Harry, perplexed.

MJ chuckled. "He's starting to be more of a good guy. Plus, I feel kinda bad for him after what happened yesterday." Said MJ, decorating the Christmas tree. All of a sudden, the ladder she was on started to wobble.

"Oh, whoa!" Yelped MJ. Before she could fall, Harry managed to grab hold of the ladder so it didn't topple.

"You okay?" Asked Harry, blushing a bit.

"My hero!" She said, sarcastically. "Yeah I'm fine." Laughed MJ, blushing too.

"Okay…and now for the adults. May Parker, Anna Watson, Norman Osborn." Said Harry, trying to change the subject. "Are you sure you want to invite my dad?" Asked Harry. "He's been acting very…strange." Said Harry.

"Relax, I'm pretty sure he's not on on drugs or anything. Oh, and by the way, Peter requested me to add two new names to the adult list: Betty Brant and Ned Leeds." Said MJ.

"Done and done." Said Harry, writing down their names.

George Stacy waited on the rooftop of the precinct. Soon enough, the webslinger came swinging in.

"You wanted to see me, Mr Stacy?" Asked Spider-Man.

"Yeah Peter. We might have some information regarding the identity of The Green Goblin." Informed George.

The name sent a shudder down Peter's spine, but he tried to shake it off. "Goblin, huh? So who is our beloved American psycho? Don't tell me it's Christian Bale." Joked Spider-Man.

George chuckled. "Actually, we don't know yet. The person said that he wanted to speak to you personally." Explained George.

"Uh huh. And who might this mutual friend be?" Asked Spider-Man.

George sighed. "Wilson Fisk."

Spider-Man's eyes went wide. "The Kingpin? He knows who Goblin is? Bullshit!" Said Spider-Man.

"It's worth a shot. I've arranged for a meeting on the helipad of Ryker's Island. He thinks a couple of cops are coming in a helicopter." Said George.

"But instead, he's gonna get a Spider-Cop! I've got to trademark that!" Laughed Spider-Man, as he swung away towards Ryker's Island. He hopped on the roof of the Staten Island ferry as the sun started to set. Once the ferry got close enough, Peter zipped towards Ryker's and climbed up to the roof.

Waiting on the roof, was the jolly giant Wilson Fisk. Spider-Man jumped up a few feet behind him.

"Hey Free Willy! You're not free yet!" Shouted Spider-Man, with his arms crossed.

Fisk turned around and groaned. "Should've known Stacy would've sent you."

"Man I missed that voice. And what are they feeding you in prison? Seriously, I think you lost about a 1000 pounds!" Joked Spider-Man.

"Let's cut to the chase. You want to know who The Green Goblin is?" Asked Fisk.

Spider-Man nodded. "And I'm guessing you want something in exchange?"

Fisk shook his head. "No. I'd rather stay in prison than step foot in that crime infested city. Plus, they called me The Kingpin for a reason. With me gone, a power vacuum will be established in New York-"

"Yada yada yada! Like you said, cut to the chase." Interrupted Spider-Man.

"Very well. The Green Goblin…is Norman Osborn." Said Fisk, directly.

Spider-Man's jaw metaphorically dropped, as he just stood in place.

"All right, that's funny. Now seriously, don't waste my time!" Demanded Spider-Man.

"Do me a favour and head to his penthouse. Check his computer for "Globulin Green." You'll find everything there." Said Fisk.

Spider-Man had no choice but to trust Fisk, as he swung towards Norman's penthouse.

Luckily, Norman wasn't at home, so Spider-Man managed to sneak in. He headed towards his computer, and found a green pen drive. After inserting the pen drive into Norman's new computer, he saw everything. All the files related to Globulin Green.

"The Goblin Armour, Mendel Stromm's murder, the glider! Holy shit." Thought Spider-Man.

"Norman Osborn is The Green Goblin!?" Thought Spider-Man. He immediately thought of Harry. Was he safe? He was living with a psychopath!

Spider-Man quickly swung away to a nearby building. He swung up to the roof, and looked at the city. By this time, Norman could be anywhere, plotting any plan. Peter was terrified of Green Goblin, and now he found out that he was his best friend's father.

"The Times Square attack. Mendel Stromm's death. That was all Norman. How could Norman Osborn be capable of something like this? Harry even mentioned how Norman was going crazy and was hyper-attentive." Thought Peter.

"Well, no matter. I have to stop him, and I will! I'm Spider-Man, after all!" Said Spider-Man, as he swung away.

Peter didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was still terrified of facing Norman.

The next day, Peter got to school yesterday, at around the same time that Flash was walking to school. He looked much more morose. His big sidekick, Carl King was trying to cheer him up.

"C'mon, you're The Flash! The greatest QB alive!" He said.

"It's okay Carl. Just leave me alone." Said Flash, as he walked towards his locker.

Behind him, Hobie approached Peter.

"Hey Pete. Thinking about Flash?" Asked Hobie.

"Yeah. I'm honestly worried about him. I mean, I've never seen him sulk so much like this." Said Peter, worriedly.

"Liz and I tried talking to him, but he doesn't want to say anything. Let's hope he opens up later. Anyways, you coming to MJ's party?" Asked Hobie.

"Definitely! Gwen and I are both coming." Said Peter.

"Great! I'll see you there tonight, then." Said Hobie, as he walked away. That's when Peter noticed Norman dropping off Harry, and a chill ran up his spine.

"I should confront him. But out here? No, that's crazy, Pete!" Thought Peter, frantically. Unfortunately, Norman waved to Peter, and started walking towards him. Peter swallowed hard.

"Hey Peter, great to see you!" Said Norman, as Peter's Spider-Sense tingled.

"Mr Osborn. Good to see you too." Said Peter, as he shook his hand.

"That's quite a firm grip you've got there, Peter!"
"I could say the same for you." Said Peter, his tone unchanged.

Norman paused for a second. "We…I mean I, am hoping to see you at Ms Watson's Christmas party tonight.

"Well, that's if you're not too busy." Replied Peter. As soon as he said that, he wished he could take those words back.

Norman's left brow furrowed. "Well, you can bet I'll be there." Smiled Norman, as he walked away and got into his black Mercedes.

As his car drove away, Norman looked out of the window, and saw Peter staring back.

"Peter! Are you ready?" Asked Aunt May.

Peter quickly wore his tux over his Spider-Man outfit, as he used some concealer to hide an injury he sustained on his cheek during his last fight, with the Green Goblin.

"I'm coming!" Shouted Peter, as he rushed down the stairs.

"Luckily, we live nearby, so for once you won't be late!" Joked May.

"Haha. Come on, let's go." Said Peter, rushing out the door, as Liz's car drove past their house.

"Hey, that's Liz and Hobie!" Said Peter, rushing forward.

Anna opened the door. "Elizabeth! Hobie! Please come in." Said Anna, as they stepped in.

"Peter and May! Come in, come in!" Insisted Anna. The house was beautifully decorated, with bright lights and a huge Christmas tree.

"Hey Tiger, glad to see you came." Said MJ.

"Damn, you and Harry did this?" Asked Peter, amazed.

"Yeah. Pretty cool, right?" Said Harry, high-fiving Peter.

"Gwendolyn, welcome!" Exclaimed Anna, as Gwen walked in.

"Hey, Gwen!" Said Peter, running to her and hugging her.

"You're not gonna ditch me now, are you?" Joked Gwen.

"Well, you know how it goes: Never gonna run around and desert you!" Joked Peter.

Soon, Ned and Betty also made it.

"Hey Peter! Great to see you." Said Ned.

"Hey guys! Everyone, this is Ned and Betty, the two people who make working at The Bugle much more tolerable." Laughed Peter.

Ned and Betty got acquainted with everyone, and that's when Peter noticed Flash, drinking Coca Cola out of a cup sitting on the couch.

Liz noticed this too, as approached Peter.

"I think now's a good time to talk." Suggested Liz, as Peter took a seat next to Flash.

"Hey Flash, doing good?" Asked Peter.

Flash just nodded little, as he took another sip of cola. "You're lucky, Peter." He said.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You had a loving aunt and uncle to look after you. I just have a scummy step-father." Lamented Flash.

Peter thought for a while. "Flash, listen. The world can be a scummy place. I lost my parents, and my uncle. Harry's dad barely has time for him. MJ never knew her biological mother, and Liz never knew her father. Sometimes, we have to deal with the hand that life has dealt, no matter how shitty it is. In the end, you can either choose to control your life, or let life control you. Who cares what your dad thinks? You do what you have to do, and prove him wrong." Said Peter.

Flash finally smiled after what felt like forever.

"Thanks Peter. I guess nerds can help jocks after all." He chuckled, as he placed his right hand on Peter's back and gave him a pat.

"Anytime, Flash." Said Peter.

All of a sudden, Anna's voice boomed. "Norman! Glad to see you could make it!"

Peter's hairs stood on end, as he got up and turned around, and saw Norman standing in the doorway.

"Good evening, Ms Watson." Said Norman, his voice sharp as a needle, and his eyes darting across the room, as if it was taking in all the information, and his green eyes fixated themselves on Peter.

While everyone continued to enjoy the party, Norman walked up to Peter and put his hand on his shoulder. The atmosphere seemed to turn icy around Norman, as Peter turned around. Norman seemed more dangerous than before.

"Hello Peter." Said Norman, his cold gaze piercing right through Peter.

"Mr Osborn. Good to see you too." Said Peter, trembling a little.
"I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you here." Said Norman.

"And why's that?" Asked Peter, trying to play dumb.

"Harry tells me you're a very busy man. You know, always disappearing." Said Norman, his voice getting sharper and sharper with every syllable. "Are you familiar with what a mask is? A mask hides who we truly are. My years of being a businessman taught me that." Said Norman.

Peter decided it was enough. "But don't you hide behind a mask too, Norman? Father, businessman, scientist…"

"Goblin." Finished Peter.

Norman's eyes ever so slightly widened, and then settled back, as Norman smirked.

"I knew you were smart enough to figure it out sooner or later, Peter. Or should I say, Spider-Man." Said Norman, icily as he scoffed.

"How many people are here whom you care about? It's a literal goldmine in here in terms of ways to hurt you." Chuckled Norman, briefly.

Peter clenched his fists. "If you lay one finger on any one of them-"

Before Peter could even finish, Norman walked up to Aunt May, and greeted her. Then, he hugged her.

Norman walked back to Peter. "There, I laid a finger. Now, what did you say you were going to do?" Asked Norman.

Peter froze. He didn't know what to say.

"That's exactly what I thought. What can Peter Parker do, when everyone he cares about is in danger?" Mocked Norman, as he turned his head to Gwen.

"Such a gorgeous girl. It's a shame she fell in love with you. Now, she's just another target." Sighed Norman sarcastically.

Peter stiffened. "Don't even think about it, Norman. Your fight is with me, leave everyone else alone." Demanded Peter.

But Norman just laughed. "Are you aware about the story of Prometheus, the Greek Titan?" He asked.

Peter didn't answer.

"You see, Prometheus was a Titan who decided to take matters into his own hands, and gave fire to the humans. In return, the ever-so-merciful Zeus punished him by chaining him to a rock and having vultures destroy his liver every morning. Every day, his liver would regenerate and the vultures would always come. For doing a good deed, Prometheus was thrown into eternal punishment." Explained Norman.

"What's your point?" Asked Peter.

Norman backed away. "Think of yourself as Prometheus, helping the citizens of this city despite the choice I gave you. And in this story, I am Zeus. And I can assure you Spider-Man, your punishment is coming soon…" Said Norman, as he walked out of the door.

Peter stood where he was, paralyzed with terror. No one he knew he was safe. He had to get everybody out of there.

"Hey Pete! Come on, we're playing charades!" Shouted Hobie, as everyone sat in a circle, and Gwen started tugging him towards the circle.

All of a sudden, before Peter could even protest, his Spider-Sense went wild.

"GET DOWN!" Shouted Peter, as Green Goblin came crashing through the house.

He cackled demonically, as he grabbed Gwen and flew away on his glider.

"Gwen, NO!" Shouted Peter.

Whoo, that was intense. I tried to make Norman and Peter's conversation similar to Vulture's and Peter's in Spider-Man: Homecoming. I hope it was as tension-filled as I hoped it would be. Of course, now Green Goblin has Gwen, and the season finale will be out on July 25th, so stay tuned!

Shawna1999: I'm glad you got the reference to Flash's dad! I have already planned out all of Season 3 and most of Season 4. And it's safe to say I have big plans for Mr Alex O'Hern.

Thanks for reading, and reviews are greatly appreciated!