Assembled: Earth's Last Heroes (A Riordanverse and MCU crossover)

Chapter 17: Tony

Tony was continually amazed at all the tech Wakanda had to offer, but that didn't mean he had to show it. He had a reputation to keep up, after all.

First they had healed him and all his injuries, including the massive stab wound Thanos had given him (which couldn't even have been fully repaired by his own nanotechnology) overnight. Then, when he had started to recover, they showed him all the wonderful things vibranium had to offer. If the world had known it existed, it could be utopia now. But there was also the flip side of it...Tony shuddered to think about the dire consequences bringing vibranium into the world early in the conquest of man could and would have had. Perhaps the Wakandans had had the right idea, keeping the vibranium to themselves all these millenia. Perhaps.

And then he had found out all the new technology had been designed by the Princess Shuri. A sixteen year old girl. But then again, he had learned not to underestimate sixteen-year-old girls.

One such girl was Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, who had, at a third of his age, suffered as much as he himself had. And he had suffered a lot, maybe too much. After he had explained to her what had happened with Thanos and the Infinity Stones, she was visibly shocked, but it only lasted for a few seconds before her resolve hardened and she had agreed to help. She had told him, hesitantly but honestly, about her horrific experiences with her father and her quest to stop Gaea, and by the end of it they had grown to trust each other. He watched her now as she talked with Shuri about her world of Roman gods, and Shuri would laugh and give the occasional gasp. They got along quite well, despite having only met five minutes ago.

"Ambrosia and nectar sound amazing," said Shuri wistfully. "I wish us mere mortals could take it too."

"Perhaps your heart-shaped herb is some kind of variant of that."

"Maybe after all this is over, we can fix New Rome and upgrade it with vibranium."

"That would be great." And they rattled off about the potential of vibranium and Imperial gold. It, of course, reminded him of Peter, and he smiled sadly watching them.

Beside him, Thor, as if reading his mind, said, "Don't worry. Peter's safe now in Valhalla." When he had said that, Tony had at first thought it was just a form of empty consolation, but he learned that Thor basically ran the Underworld. However, it also meant he could never see Peter again, despite Thor's continual efforts to erase that law, which broke his heart. At least Peter was safe.

The vibranium elevator they were in stopped at the top floor, and Tony, Reyna, Thor and Shuri entered a gigantic room. Seated around a table were all the remaining Avengers and the other two that Thor had brought to Wakanda the day before.

The head throne was left empty in respect of T'Challa. Shuri stiffened when she saw the throne and took the one on the right.

Apollo leapt up to meet Reyna. "Praetor, it's good to see you here."

"Thank you, Lord Apollo," replied Reyna. She obviously wasn't used to the idea that Apollo was now mortal like the rest of them.

They each took a seat and Tony, seeing no other option, sat between Steve and Banner. The tension between himself and Steve was still brimming on the surface. They didn't quite know how to talk to each other anymore between Tony's pride and Steve's sobriety, but their relationship was slowly, but surely, mending.

Meanwhile, Bruce was furious, and not in the way he wanted to be. The Hulk was still refusing to emerge, no matter how many times he tried to persuade and even hurt himself. So he had resolved to completely ignore the giant green beast and learn how to defend himself without the Hulk. Tony had graciously lent him the Hulkbuster permanently (now vibranium-upgraded and better than ever), but it just wasn't the same. Still, it was something.