Chapter 93: I didn’t kill them, I just sent them to God

"I see you know about me—did he tell you?"

Gwen frowned slightly.

"No, besides being Osborn Group's head of security, I'm also an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Interested in knowing more about us, Miss Stacey?" Natasha Romanoff smiled.

"S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, created during WWII to fight HYDRA. Steve Rogers, Captain of our nation, was one of our founding members."

"Captain Steve Rogers?" Gwen's eyes brightened. He was a legend.

"Yes, you may have seen the news. We recently located him in Antarctica. He's alive."

Natasha shifted the conversation to Steve Rogers. His name carried weight; his influence resonated deeply with the people. She'd observed Gwen's record, noticing that, unlike Ethan Hayes, this "Ghost Spider" was a true "friendly neighborhood" figure who fought crime and stood for justice.

Natasha couldn't help but think about how environment shapes people. Ethan Hayes had survived two years in Hell's Kitchen, forming his own harsh rules for survival. The recent Vatican incident had pushed Natasha to investigate further, eventually revealing that the Vatican may have been the initial aggressor, forcing Ethan's retaliation. It was evident his past traumas shaped him into someone who fiercely defended himself and fought back.

"Frozen for seventy years and still alive? That's incredible," Gwen remarked.

"And you're not worried I'll tell Ethan that you're a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

"He already knows." Natasha replied calmly.

"I joined Osborn because he helped me capture Dr. Lizard."

"What?" Gwen looked surprised. "Ethan helped you catch Dr. Lizard?"

"Yes, it seems he's kept plenty of things from you," Natasha teased.

Natasha felt a sense of ease talking to Gwen. She could see that Gwen was kind-hearted, maybe even a little naive. Natasha considered telling Gwen about her past relationship with Ethan and the many women who had come into his life, but she held back. Their arrangement had been purely transactional, though it still felt strange that Gwen knew so little of Ethan's true identity.

"Ice Demon?" Gwen asked, her voice hinting at disappointment.

Natasha nodded.

"He lied to me." Gwen clenched her fists.

"You didn't know?"

Gwen remembered when she first met Ethan, captivated by his mysterious aura. Though he'd warned her she didn't truly know him, she hadn't pushed him further once they'd started dating.

"All I know is that he's a guy with a habit of writing trashy novels," Gwen said, her eyes flashing with frustration. When I get back to New York, he's got some explaining to do.

"'Fifty Shades of Grey'?" Natasha chuckled. She knew the novel well.

"You knew his secret?"

"No, but S.H.I.E.L.D. is the world's most extensive defense agency. Investigating someone's background is easy for us. We were shocked when we found out Ethan wrote it—imagine, a teenager writing a pulp novel."

Gwen couldn't help but cringe. This wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

"Gwen, why not join us? I believe you'd get to know your boyfriend a lot better. You clearly care about him, and I doubt you'd leave just because he's the Ice Demon. Plus, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s support, you could help guide him onto a better path. He's got a lot of power, and only you seem to be able to keep him in check."

Natasha spoke sincerely, and the guilt of her relationship with Ethan nagged at her as she looked at Gwen's innocent face. She didn't want Gwen to know.

"Sorry, I need to think about it." Gwen answered cautiously.

She didn't want to join any organizations and felt content with her current life. But learning Ethan was the Ice Demon? That unsettled her. She couldn't shake the feeling that, since they'd been apart, he'd been up to something, possibly something reckless.

If he's headed down a dark path, I have to be the one to pull him back, she thought.

Later, Ethan arrived in a commercial car to pick up Gwen and her family. Though he was polite and talkative with her parents, Gwen couldn't hide her agitation.

As they arrived back at their apartment, Gwen stewed with frustration. Ethan hadn't noticed, but if he had, it wouldn't be hard for him to figure out what was wrong. Since his telepathic abilities had developed after meeting Professor X, he could read minds without issue, but he never did with Gwen.

That evening, Gwen slipped in through the window. Ethan, lounging on the sofa, looked up from the TV.

"Care to explain?" Gwen demanded, blocking his view.

Ethan's heart skipped a beat. Had she found out about his deals with a few other women? Or had someone else, like Spider-Man, brought this to her attention?

He kept his cool. "What do you want me to explain?"

"You never told me you were the Ice Demon."

"Is this because I embarrassed you?" he replied with a smirk.

"No, it's about protecting my father." Gwen countered.

"My future father-in-law aimed at me without reason. Did you see me retaliate? I just took the hits to save his dignity."

That's true, Gwen realized, recalling how the Ice Demon hadn't fought back at all that day.

"But what about all the people you froze in Hell's Kitchen?"

"Those were criminals—traffickers, gang leaders, people who commit horrific crimes. I don't see anything wrong with taking them out. I didn't kill them; I just made sure they'd never harm anyone again."

"And what about the Vatican?" Gwen asked, disturbed.

"Do you believe in God?" Ethan asked back.

"No."

"That night, the Knights of the Holy See attacked me, determined to kill me. They wouldn't listen to reason. They thought I was a demon that had to be destroyed, so I 'sent them to God'." His voice was cold.

Ethan leaned back, crossing his legs as he continued. "When you have a lot of power, people will always see you as a threat. Look at the Mutants—what's happening to them today could happen to us tomorrow. If we have children someday, they could be chained to a test table and tortured for experiments. Power in the hands of civilians is seen as an original sin."

Gwen was quiet, struck by his words.

"I don't want you involved in my world, Gwen. I want you to stay happy, to be that hopeful girl. You should see my lighter side, not my darker side."

Gwen looked at him seriously. "If one day you get really angry, will you destroy the world?"

"Why would I do that? The earth is just a tiny speck in the universe. There are far greater powers out there than me," Ethan replied.

She stared at the news on the TV. A woman in red led a group of Mutants onto an island.

"That's Jean Grey, the most powerful Mutant ever. Magneto is nothing compared to her." Ethan patted the sofa beside him. "Are you going to keep standing there?"

Flushed, Gwen hesitated, still processing all he'd said.

"This world is more dangerous than you think, and with my current strength, I can only barely protect you and the people close to me. When a crisis hits, strength is the only defense. One day, I'll take you away from Earth and show you the universe."

"Promise me one thing, and I'll sit beside you."

"Name it."

"Don't harm ordinary people. Fight back only if you're attacked."

"I'm not a killer," he said, shrugging.

Ethan's thoughts moved ahead, planning his next steps. Once Loki arrives on Earth with the Mind Gem, Scarlet Witch can finally be born.

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