Thank you to my friend Aragorn II Elessar for his help with this chapter.

THAW: Glad to hear it. You'll find out.

TW: Glad to hear it. It sure is.

New York

Early afternoon

"I'll see you tonight," Merlin said as Gwen walked him to the door.

"May invited us over for dinner," Gwen told him and he smiled dryly.

"Again?" He joked and she hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"Just be there. I'll see you after work," Gwen said before heading back inside.

Merlin chuckled before heading out. He was walking to his car when his phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw it was his partner and answered.

"It's my day off Lance," Merlin said.

"I know, and I wouldn't bother you, but I need your help. I really don't know what to make of this scene," Lance said and Merlin could hear in his voice how freaked out he was.

"Okay, where are you?" Merlin asked.

Avengers Compound

Same time

In Steve's old office, Tony sat, his finger hovering over the call button on the phone Steve had given him. After several moments, Tony put the phone down, sighing heavily.

"Problem using the phone Stark?" Tony looked up to see Thor standing in the doorway.

"It's not that easy Point Break. Cap and I are not on speaking terms," Tony said uneasily.

"You are being manipulated, your government used as a weapon, and your world is under siege by an unknown force who has made pawns of all of you," Thor said angrily as he stormed into the office until he stood face to face with Tony. "If you allow ego and petty grudges to stop you from doing what is right, then you were never the hero we all thought you were."

Thor then turned and walked out, leaving Tony staring after him, wondering if Thor was right.

New York

Afternoon

Once Merlin arrived on the scene, he wasn't quite sure what he was looking at at first. There were two men cuffed on the ground next to a crashed car. There were things like guns and a trash can lid that looked like they had been cut clean in half. And the onlookers seemed as bewildered by this as Merlin was.

"Merlin, thanks for coming," Lance said as he walked up to Merlin.

"What happened here?" Merlin asked.

"Way the witnesses tell it, these two tried to rob a story," Lance said as he gestured to the cuffed men. "They were on their way to their getaway car when some blond guy with a sword cut their weapons in half and caused them to crash the car. He gave the money back to the clerk before running off."

"So why are you calling me? Seems pretty open and shut," Merlin said, trying to keep his tone normal.

"We had our sketch artist do a composite of what they said the blond vigilante looked like," Lance explained as he pulled it out from his jacket pocket. "Here's what they came back with."

Lance handed it to him and Merlin stared down at a picture of Arthur. Just as he'd feared.

"Isn't that your friend the actor?" Lance asked bewildered.

"Yeah, yeah it is," Merlin muttered.

Arthur was drawing attention to himself. And if he wasn't careful, the next person Ross went after might be Arthur.

Washington DC

Later in the afternoon

"This better be good," Morgause told Ross as they sat in his office. "I am in no mood."

"Oh trust me, you will be after this," Ross said with a smirk and Morgause raised an eyebrow.

"You seem oddly pleased with yourself. What's happened?" she asked curiously and Ross chuckled.

"I had my men patrolling New York for Luke Cage for days. And while they didn't find him, they did find something else that was very interesting," Ross said, pulling out some photos.

He handed them to her and Morgause looked down at them curiously. It was of the Spider-Man, and he was entering an apartment window.

"The apartment he entered belongs to a woman named May Parker and her nephew, Peter," Ross said and she looked up at him curiously. "I've done some digging of my own. Not long before Spider-Man appeared, Peter visited The Life Foundation, a company that uses science to try and extend life, with his class on a field trip. They were doing some experiments with spiders, one of which got loose."

"So you think this spider bit this boy and he became Spider-Man?" Morgause raised an eyebrow.

"It might be a leap, but the circumstantial evidence does support it. And Spider-Man was caught entering the apartment," Ross pointed out and Morgause frowned, considering his words. "So, should I send a team after him?"

"No," Morgause said to his surprise. "After the disaster with Luke Cage and the raid on the Raft, it's become clear your men aren't up to the challenge of handling these kinds of people. I will send my own team to pursue him."

"And you think yours are? You're already down a knight," Ross shot back and Morgause laughed mockingly.

"My dear Secretary, did you honestly think I only had one? A queen never has only one knight," Morgause said with a cruel smirk.

Queens

Night

Peter swung into his apartment, quickly changing out of his suit and grabbing some clothes. He had about twenty minutes to take a shower and get ready before Merlin and Gwen got here. May was gonna kill him. But patrol was taking longer now that he had to avoid the police.

Not long after, Merlin and Gwen pulled up outside the apartment. As they turned the car off, Gwen turned to Merlin, looking concerned.

"Merlin, are you alright? You've been quite since we left," Gwen noted worriedly.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Merlin lied and she gave him a look. "Even I didn't believe that."

"Did something happen with Morgana?" Gwen inquired uneasily, hoping Morgana hadn't reverted to her old self after all.

"No, not Morgana," Merlin paused, trying to put it into words. "Something did happen. Something I need to tell you. But not right now. Let's go have dinner with our friends and I'll tell you everything when we get home, I promise."

Gwen eyed him uneasily, wondering what could have him so preoccupied. Immediately, her thoughts jumped to Arthur, wondering if something had happened to him. But if he was in danger, Merlin would have told her immediately. For right now, Gwen would trust her best friend. She would enjoy the evening and then question Merlin once they returned home.

In the apartment she shared with Peter, May was taking dinner out of the oven when she heard someone knock on the door.

"Peter, could you get that?" May called out as she placed dinner on the stove.

"Already on it Aunt May!" Peter called out as he quickly headed to the door, his hair thankfully dried from the shower.

Peter opened the door to reveal Merlin and Gwen on the other side of the door, Merlin holding a bottle of wine for May.

"Mr. Morgan, Ms. Penn, nice to see you again," Peter said kindly.

"Peter, we've told you more than once to call us Gwen and Merlin," Gwen said with a smile.

"It just feels weird," Peter said as he let them in.

"Merlin, Gwen, I'm glad you could make it," May said as she stepped out of the kitchen with a smile.

"How could we resist your cooking," Merlin joked as he handed her the wine.

"Thank you," May said as she took the bottle. "So who's hungry?"

Elsewhere in New York, Matt was standing on a rooftop, overlooking the city as he used his hearing to make sure nothing was wrong in the city. So far nothing out of the ordinary, a few police sirens but nothing that the police couldn't handle. Matt paused as he heard someone behind him, but he relaxed as he realized who it was.

"Ronin," Matt said as Arthur stepped up beside him.

"Daredevil," Arthur replied in kind.

"So what are you doing here?" Matt asked as he turned his attention back to the city.

"Same as you I imagine, patrolling, looking for trouble where it shouldn't be," Arthur said and there was a moment of silence between the two. "Any word from Melvin?"

"Our suits should be ready soon, although he wants to make sure yours is ready before you take it out for a spin," Matt said and Arthur looked at him confused.

"Take it out for a spin?" Arthur repeated clueless and Matt fought a grin.

"Before you test it. You're not from around here, are you," Matt noted.

"I suppose you could say that," Arthur agreed, not even knowing how to properly explain it.

Back at May's apartment, the Parkers, Merlin and Gwen were sitting down at the kitchen table, enjoying some lasagna May had made.

"Your lasagna is something else May. You have to give me the recipe," Gwen said and May laughed.

"Maybe when you're older," May teased and Gwen smiled.

"So Peter, how's school?" Merlin asked and Peter shrugged.

"Same old same old. Classes are good, people are challenging," Peter said and Merlin nodded, remembering how working at Camelot had been at first.

"I know how that feels," Merlin said wistfully.

Peter made a motion to eat the next bite of lasagna when a strange feeling came over him. It was what he called his 'tingle', a feeling he got whenever danger was near. He put his fork down, looking around in bewilderment.

"Peter? What's wrong?" May asked as the adults all looked at him in concern.

"I don't know," Peter said honestly.

He got up, looking around the apartment for whatever had set off the tingle. Merlin watched him, a growing sense of realization washing over him. It was like looking at a memory, Peter was acting almost exactly like he had back in Camelot, when something had been horrible wrong.

"Peter, what do you see?" Merlin asked as he walked up beside Peter.

Peter didn't respond, trying to figure the source of the tingle. He turned towards the window, realizing what was about to happen moments before it did. The window shattered as a man in armor burst through it. Peter used his web shooters to shoot a stream of webbing that pinned the knight's arm to the wall. The adults stared in shock and disbelief at what had just happen.

"Peter?" May asked her voice no more than a whisper as she stared at her nephew in disbelief.

"I'm sorry May. I wanted to tell you so many times, I just didn't know how," Peter said as he looked at May with regret.

"Let's worry about that later. Who are you?" Merlin asked, stepping in front of Peter protectively as he stared down the knight.

The Black Knight ignored Merlin, staring straight at Peter.

"You will surrender to the authority of the High Priestess," the Knight said.

"Morgana," Gwen said immediately but Merlin's eyes widened in realization.

"No, not Morgana. She wasn't the only High Priestess. I've been a bloody fool," Merlin said as the realization washed over him.

"Merlin, what are you talking about?" May asked as she and Peter looked at him in bewilderment.

"Doesn't matter right now. May, take Peter and run. Now!" Merlin shouted.

Although confused, May complied, her instinct to protect her nephew overriding her curiosity. She ran over, grabbed Peter by the arm and all but dragged him towards the door. But before they could get there, it was kicked open. The Parkers jumped back as Merlin and Gwen turned toward it, seeing a second Black Knight enter, wielding a sword.

"You will surrender to the authority of the High Priestess," he said.

The first Knight then yanked his arm free from the webbing and drew his sword. Merlin turned away, his eyes from gold. The second Knight was thrown out into the hall, slamming the wall outside. Merlin held out his hand and the sword from the second knight flew into his hand before he whirled around, using it to block the strike from the first knight.

"Run!" Merlin shouted.

Matt paused, using his hearing as Arthur looked at him confused.

"Something wrong?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, something's happening. Come on!" Matt said as he jumped.

Arthur followed after him without hesitation, not needing to be told twice.

Peter was leading May towards his room, hoping he could lead her out the window, his identity be damned. But he had barely opened the door when the windows crashed and two more Black Knights entered the apartment.

"Surrender to the authority of the High Priestess," one of them said as they both drew their swords.

Out in the living area, Gwen watched helplessly as Merlin clashed swords against the first Black Knight before the Knight delivered a kick to his chest. Merlin was sent flying back and dropped the sword. As the knight approached, Gwen quickly grabbed the sword and moved to engage the knight. Dazed, Merlin watched as Gwen began engaging the knight before she was knocked on her back, the sword sliding across the room. As the knight raised his sword to strike, Merlin was about to intervene when he saw someone else enter the apparent.

The Knight tried to strike Gwen but found his sword blocked by another. The knight looked over to see the furious face of Arthur. Arthur pushed them back and the power of the sword sent them flying over a couch.

"Arthur," Gwen breathed as she stared up at her husband.

"Are you both alright?" Arthur asked as he helped her up, looking over at Merlin. "Still letting girls do the fighting for you Merlin?"

"Funny," Merlin said dryly as he pulled himself to his feet. "The one outside-"

"I think he's being handled," Arthur said with a grin.

Out in the hall, Matt was trading blows with the other Knight. While the Knight's armor protected him, Matt was clearly the superior fighter. Taking out his new Billy Club, Matt slip it in two, before using the wire to restrain the Knights before slamming his helmeted head against the wall.

Inside the apartment, the Knight got back to his feet before rushing Arthur again. Arthur and the Knight glassed swords when they heard a cry.

"Help!"

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted as he struggled against the Knight.

Merlin didn't wait for him to finish, already rushing into Peter's room. May was watching helplessly as Peter fought desperately against the two knights. He wasn't doing badly, Merlin admitted as Peter dodged a strike from one Knight before webbing the other Knight's hands together. But the Knight easily broke through them and tried to strike Peter with his sword. Peter ducked and Merlin decided to act. His eyes glowed gold and he pushed the two Knights out the window.

"Merlin, how-" May started.

"There's no time. We need to move!" Merlin shouted.

The three exited the room to see Arthur and the Knight still engaging in a sword battle.

"Mr. Ronin?" Peter exclaimed as he saw Arthur.

"Go!" Arthur shouted as he sent a kick to the Knight's abdomen.

Before Peter could move, his Tingle went off again. Peter jumped, dodging a strike from one of the Knights who had somehow climbed back up through the window.

Out in the hall, the Knight broke free of the wiring and slugged Matt, hard. Matt stumbled back, the armor making the blow more painful than it would normally be. As the Knight tried to strike him again, Matt dodged and grabbed him wrist, slamming the Knight against the wall.

Merlin's eyes glowed again as he snatched the sword from the Knight attacking Peter before sending the Knight flying into the wall.

"Come on, I'll get you out!" Merlin told May and Peter.

They began trying to follow him when the fourth knight exited Peter's bedroom. He grabbed his sword and threw it at Merlin, who didn't notice as it came sailing his way.

But May did. She quickly pushed him out of the way but didn't have time to get herself out of the way. The sword pierced her chest, going in through the front and emerging through her back, the hilt stopping it.

"MAY!" Peter exclaimed n horror.

"NO!" Gwen wailed in the same tone.

As May crumpled to the floor, Merlin roared n rage and grief, his eyes glowing gold. The three Knights went flying; the one Arthur was fighting sailing out through the window and crashing through a building on the other side of the street. The other two crashed into the kitchen table, which broke under their weight. Merlin raised his hand and the two violently crashed into the room of the apartment before Merlin brought them back down, knocking them out cold. Seeing Matt still engaging the last Knight outside, Merlin then did the same thing, slamming him into the roof of the hall before bringing him back down, knocking him out.

For a moment, the only sound was the breathing of Merlin, Arthur staring at him as if realizing the true depths of his friend's power for the first time.

"May, May," Peter said desperately as he was suddenly by her side, checking her over.

"I'm okay Peter, just…knocked on my ass," May said weakly.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault," Peter said tearfully.

"You're Spider-Man," May said weakly, looking at him as if seeing him for the first time. "I'm so proud of you Peter. You did the right thing."

"But May-" Peter started.

"You remember what I told you? What you're Uncle Ben used to say?" May asked, her voice growing weaker.

"With great power comes great responsibility," Peter said, looking like the words choked him.

"That's right," May said, seeming to look over at Gwen, who looked on the verge of tears. "Take care of him, okay?"

Unable to form words, Gwen nodded. This seemed to bring peace to May, who smiled.

She did not speak again.

Hearing her heart stop, Matt lowered his head as Gwen put a hand to her face, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Merlin lowered his head as tears of grief fell from his eyes. Peter stared at May's lifeless body, not quite comprehending what he was seeing. Even Arthur was saddened by the senseless loss of an innocent woman.

For a moment, the apartment was silent. Then, Matt lifted his head, hearing sirens outside and hearing the slamming of doors followed by various heavy sets of footsteps he'd learned to associate with SWAT teams.

"We need to leave, a team is on their way here and I doubt this will looks good," Matt warned them.

"Go where?" Merlin asked, looking at a loss.

"I have a place where you can lay low, but we need to move. Now," Matt ordered.

"I-I can't leave her here," Peter muttering, tears leaking from his face.

"Peter," Gwen said gently as she walked over, placing her hands on his shoulders. "There's nothing we can do for her anymore. And she wouldn't want you to get captured, would she?"

"There will be time to mourn later. For now, we must flee," Arthur said in a tone that was both kind and firm.

Less than thirty seconds later, a SWAT team entered the apartment, finding only two unconscious knights and the body of May Parker inside.

You all thought there was only one Black Knight, didn't you? No, there are multiple Black Knights, the reason for which will be revealed later.

At this point in time, Peter would struggle against the Knights. His abilities would give him a bit of an edge, but his lack of experience would really be his undoing.

Yes, I killed May. A Spider-Man backstory really isn't complete without the loss of the parental figure, although it was not an easy decision to make. But May's death is also needed to help advance the plot, as it ties in pretty heavily to some decisions that are made over the next few chapters.