Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

As Elektra lay dying, the strangest thoughts flashed through her head,

⁂

“Mama,” an excited Elektra pointed, “look, the circus.”

Christina Natchios laughed as she saw where her daughter was pointing. She stopped and knelt down, “no, my sweet, they are not the circus.”

Elektra tilted her head, “then what are they doing?”

Her mother stroked her hair, “They are practising.” She waved one of the instructors over, “Can you tell my daughter what you are doing.”

The young man nodded and pulled his judogi tightly down. “Young miss. We are learning the ancient and noble martial art. Judo.”

Elektra clapped, “mama, mama, can I do that?”

Christina sighed. “Of course my darling.”

⁂

It was years later. The last time she saw her mother.

She had just won the under-thirteen tournament in mixed martial arts. Her last opponent had been good, a young Canadian boy, but not that good. Judo was the first martial art she practised and it was not enough. Soon as many styles as she could find a sensei for were learned and mastered.

“Mama!” the excited young girl shouted as she approached the gangplank. In her hands was a giant golden trophy, its nameplate proudly inscribed with her name. It was not the first trophy she won, and if her skill grew as she did, it would not be the last.

Seeing her daughter, Christina lifted her sunglasses. As a reward for her win, the young girl had wanted to go on a pleasure cruise. Her mother promised her a tour of the warmer parts of the Mediterranean.

“Elektra, come show,” but her words were cut off. As Elektra stepped onto the gangplank the boat exploded, throwing her back.

Seeing the flames the young girl screamed and stumbled as she tried to reach the boat. She looked and saw a part of her trophy stabbed into her abdomen. The pure white uniform slowly turned red as her blood soaked into it,

“NO! MAMA! MAMA!”

⁂

“You will stop this foolishness at once.” Nikolas Natchios informed his daughter. He had been willing to overlook his wife’s frivolities. Now the funeral was over and the girl was his responsibility, she would learn.

Elektra snorted and punched the bag in front of her. She stepped back and kicked it, “No.”

Nikolas pinched the bridge of his nose, “You are the heir to the house of Natchios. It is unseemly.”

Elektra shrugged and kicked the bag again, “So? Who do you think you are? My father, ha!” She punched the bag with a left and a right, “I meet you at my mother's funeral. Not before.”

Nikolas gritted his teeth, “to keep you safe, to keep you both safe.”

Elektra stormed over and jabbed a finger in his chest, “then where were you, when she died? When she was murdered?”

It had taken the French authorities less than a day to rule the disaster as an assassination attempt. There had been explosives placed on the boat. It was only Elektra being late that she had been spared.

Nikolas took a deep breath, “I dont have time for this.” He waved a hand, “Remove everything. If she screams or fights, stop her. We are moving to the United States. I have allies there that can keep you safe.”

Elektra yelled and moved to strike him but a large muscular man grabbed her hand. “Sorry, Miss. Your father has given us orders.”

He lifted her up and carried the struggling girl down to the car. She watched him stand in front of the car door as she sat pouting. She did not want to live with her father. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

⁂

Elektra stood with her father. He was shaking the hand of a silver-haired man, whose young child seemed to be hiding behind one of his legs.

She was bored, she didn’t care what her father was doing. To her, it was wasting time when he would be finding who murdered her mother.

“Elektra.” He motioned her over, “this is Black Fox, and he is my contact within the Club.”

Elektra nodded as politely as she could at him. She knew what the club was, but apparently, that was the first place her father had looked, and it came back as a dead end.

“This is his daughter.” He motioned to the young girl who peaked out from behind her father.

Black Fox laughed, “come now, Felicia. Elektra will show you the house while her father and I talk.” The man stepped to one side and pushed the girl forward toward Elektra. “Go play.”

Elektra rolled her eyes. She was fifteen and didn’t need to babysit a child.

“Daddy tells me you’re some kind of idiot servant,“ Felicia stated. She was standing with her hands on her hips, frowning at Elektra.

Elektra sighed. “It's idiot-savant, and no. An idiot-savant is,” but Felicia had already kicked out

“Spar with me!” the little girl huffed as she took a stance, striking out at the startled Elektra.

Maybe babysitting a brat wouldn't be so bad after all.

⁂

Elektra huffed as she puched the bag. She had been at college for one week now and already hated it. She was formed with two of the most annoying rich girls ever. They talked about shoes and boys. Something Elektra had no interest in at all. What was worse, the bag squeaked every time she hit it, adding to her foul mood.

“Uh, hey. Can we switch out? I normally use that one.”

She heard the voice from behind her. She snorted, “Go try another girl, I am not in the mood.”

“Wow, classes that bad already?” followed by a small laugh,

Elektra growled and punched the bag once more. There was that damn annoying squeak. “Look, I do not,” but as she turned she was greeted by one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. He was muscular, wearing only a t-shirt and gym shorts and he had a cane tucked under one arm. She shook her head, so what if he had a nice smile and perfect hair? He was an idiot wearing sunglasses indoors. “I am trying to work out, go bother someone else.”

He grinned, “I know, but uh, I use that bag. The one with the squeak. So, maybe you could move?”

Elektra growled, “Are you blind? There are plenty of,”

He interrupted her by lifting out his cane. A white cane with a single red section in the middle.

“Oh I am such an idiot,” she whispered to herself.

“Sorry, it's Matt. Oh and for the record, blind, not deaf,” he added with a small chuckle and Elektra felt her face go red.

⁂

They dated, fell in love and did everything a normal couple did. Her father, when he heard, sent someone to make sure he was suitable but Matt just laughed. He was fearless. Even being blind he always had a smile on his face and an answer to everything. Which he always put down to his inner lawyer.

Even Matt's best friend and fellow law student Franklin 'just call me Foggy' Nelson made the effort.

It was into their second year that she learned his secret. She invited herself over, for a few drinks and then the mindblowing sex that followed.

After letting herself in, she saw the man in a tight red bodysuit ducking out of his dorm window.

Shocked, but not surprised, Elektra stripped. Her underwear was fine, it wasn't anything more than a red sports bra and a pair of shorts. With Matt gone and a strange intruder, Elektra hoped that he was safe.

⁂

“You are an asshole,” she stated as she saw that smug grin of his.

She had spent an hour chasing him across the campus. Another hour as they headed into the streets of New York. When she finally caught him, he was sitting on a roof access shack, waiting for her.

“And you’re slow,” the man in red said as he leapt down and approached her, “But, you always were.”

Elektra huffed and swung at him, he laughed again and dodged it easily, tapping the back of her hand as it sailed past.

“You are frustrating and annoying,” she yelled and kicked out at him,

“I know. Lawyer remember.” He touched her stomach, running a hand over it before dodging an elbow.

“Why? Why now?” she asked as the fighting mellowed and became more touching and stripping.

“I.“ He grabbed her hands and shook his head as she moved to lift his mask, “I work for some people, and they want to meet you.” he kissed both her hands, “plus, I'm a bit of a daredevil and want to see if we could.” his hand slid down her back, and into her shorts

“Up here?” she bit her lip as his lips kissed her neck and down her collarbone.

“Up here.”

She had no resistance as he slid them down, kneeling as he kissed down her stomach to between her legs.

⁂

“She’s fourteen,” Elektra yelled at her father.

“I remember you telling me you could look after yourself,” he replied smugly.

“And I remember putting one of your guards in the hospital right after you tried to prove me otherwise.”

Nikolas scowled as he nursed a scotch. His attempts to find his wife's killer had hit a roadblock. Black Fox had gone missing.

Elektra huffed, “so, if I was taken care of, then do the same for her. He was your man after all.”

Nikolas stared at the glass of scotch, “It would draw unnecessary." He never got to finish as Elektra threw a quarter at him. It smashed the glass he held and numbed the shoulder of the hand he held it in.

She had learned to keep small objects on her at all times. Nobody questioned coins or house keys. Thrown accurately they were very effective weapons.

He glared at her as he wiped his hand off with a handkerchief, “Do as you see fit,” before storming off.

“Fucking asshole,” she muttered, before sitting at his desk and grabbing a pen and paper,

Sorry Fel, Father refuses to help. I’ll send money and visit when I can. Please take care of yourself and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can get away.

Love Elektra.

⁂

Elektra had just towelled herself off after a shower when she flicked on the news.

“In a shock announcement by Greek authorities. Nikolas Natchios, the last of the greek Natchios billionaires was found murdered yesterday. The scene was.” Elektra clicked off the television and ran through the dojo.

“You didn’t tell me?” She shouted at Stick, who was sitting cross-legged, meditation with Matt

“You said you rejected your past life. He was part of the distractions you swore to give up.” Stick said calmly.

“He was murdered.”

“Yes, the mark. His name is Bullseye and he works for our enemies.” Stick hadn’t broken the rhythm of his breathing, and had barely moved, “We will make a plan.”

“No!” Elektra shoutred, “Was it him? Did he?”

Stick raised an eyebrow “After all this time? Your mother was another distraction you swore.”

Elektra threw a towel at him. The Dojo was closed to visitors and as Stick was blind, she didn't care if she was standing there with no clothes on. “You bastard. You knew. You knew!”

“We have always known. But it is not the time to strike.”

⁂

Elektra planned to leave within a day. She had lawyers to talk to, Felicia to check on and a killer to catch. She knew where her father's safe was, and how to get access to the files he thought were hidden.

“You are not leaving,” Stick said from the doorway of her room. She could hear Matt behind him

She hmphed at him and continued to pack her clothes into a bag.

“You swore to follow my orders, and I said you are not leaving.”

“So, my father is dead, and what, you don’t care? Wasn't he the one funding this little club?”

Stick took a deep breath, “one of them, which is why we will deal with it. You swore an oath Elektra, to follow my orders, to only go after the targets we chose.”

Elektra slung the bag over her shoulder, “So? You refused to help my friend when her father went missing. You refused to help me when my father dies? What's next, did you find little Matty’s secret and have his father killed too?”

She never even saw him move as Stick stuck out. His cane was an old well worn and polished length of bamboo. It struck her in the diaphragm, and Elektra fell to one knee, whooping as she tried to draw breath.

She jabbed herself in the ribs, forcing the muscles to relax and she snorted, “struck a nerve. Did you ever find your Kingpin, Matty? Or did Stick give you the same speech?”

“Elektra, please?” Matt started before he was interrupted.

Stick raised a hand, “You are staying here, and you will not interfere. We know who did this, and he will be avenged.”

“You knew who killed my mother, and you did nothing. I will not be your pet assassin anymore. Move Stick. I will not ask again.” Elektra slung the bag voer her shoulder,

“If you walk out that door, you are no longer welcome back.” Stick moved out of her way, “And you will no longer be allowed to see Matthew.”

Elektra stopped, “Matty, please? Don’t make me choose.”

“He follows, he listens. We do not need a loose cannon.”

“Then fuck you both.”

⁂

It had been five years since she was in New York, and to her, it was still a crap hole filled with assholes. Europe might have a more diverse culture. It might have classical architecture, but it was never like New York. It stank, it was loud, and it was busy, and she loved it more than anywhere else.

She had tracked Bullseye to a holding company in Thailand. From there, a holding company in Greece. All over the world, she followed the trail her father had left her. Until she found him.

Her brother had hired Bullseye to kill them both,

“I grew tired of being called the son of a whore,” was all he said as she drove her blade through his chest. He had been disinherited. There was no money, no reason for any of the pain he had caused them, other than stupid petty revenge.

He wiped a bloody hand down her face, coughing as she held him on her blade, "I hate you," he hissed.

She snarled at him and twisted the katana. His breath rattled and he slumped forward, spilling more blood over her.

From now on, she would never wear white again. The Demon in Red and she would find her friend, and make those who took her father pay. She owed her that much.

⁂

As she lay dying, Elektra tried to speak. She watched as her little kitty cat tore Bullseye apart like he was a child. She was so proud. She just wished she’d had the courage to return sooner. The courage to tell Felicia how she felt about her.

A single tear dripped from one eye as they closed, and a breath rattled its way through ruined lungs.

We feel you. We taste your pain and your love,

We looked inside and this is nothing for us.

We are strong, the strongest one yet.

We know you, and we will save you,

You will not die Elektra, and you may call us Hades.