I'm working on Marvel's Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 418 Roman Holiday (3)

The next day, Peter and Cindy went to another attraction in Rome—the Pantheon. It wasn't for a date, but for serious business, and of course, it wasn't very dangerous.

The current Pantheon was rebuilt by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD. Because it was converted into the Church of Our Lady and the Martyrs in the 7th century AD, it escaped the destruction of the Middle Ages and was not as severely damaged as the Colosseum next door. Instead, it was frequently repaired and has been preserved to this day.

However, most of the statues of the Roman gods in this temple, which was dedicated to the Roman gods during the Roman Empire era, have disappeared, leaving only statues of Christian saints.

"Rome had a tradition of incorporating the myths of conquered regions into its own mythological system to fill gaps, so theoretically Egyptian gods could be worshipped here."

Peter and Cindy were talking, and Cindy nodded. She knew about this too, which was why Cindy and Peter had come to this place—to investigate whether there were any similar temples here that secretly worshipped Ness and Anansi.

As it turns out, it was neither.

Their spider senses did detect something, but it wasn't very strong. After thinking for a moment, Peter first used his soul to leave his body and went down to investigate. He quickly found his destination: below the Pantheon, there was indeed another Pantheon.

Moreover, there was no magic to protect it. Not only that, Peter also saw some modern equipment, which looked like it was left by Hydra or the Third Reich, but the contents were severely damaged and the road was blocked by rubble.

It's clear that Hydra is trying to cover something up.

But it doesn't matter, since the Pantheon's main body isn't full anyway, and Peter still has the Sling Ring to open portals. At worst, we can just send people in. The biggest problem is actually the oxygen issue, but to be honest, it's not a big deal. We can just keep the Sling Ring open for a while to let in some fresh air, or arrange for an oxygen tank or something.

And then? Then there was nothing more for them to do. Peter and Cindy had to wait for Captain America and Logan to arrive before they could investigate the origins of Hydra together. The rest of the time was just for rest.

"So, uh, do you have any places you're planning to go?"

Cindy produced the Pantheon ticket.

"Let's finish looking at the Pantheon first, since we paid for it."

"okay."

The two walked inside the ancient Pantheon, looking up at this architectural marvel from over a thousand years ago: the Pantheon has a circular dome with a diameter of more than forty meters, and the top of the dome is not closed. On the summer solstice, sunlight can shine directly from the skylight of this dome onto the center of the floor, symbolizing the deification of the Roman emperor.

"Have you ever heard anyone say that the history of Rome was fabricated to show that Western civilization has a long history?"

Cindy looked at the dome and suddenly asked, "You mean the kind of history where Napoleon spent three years in Egypt, not only fighting wars but also building dozens of pyramids and the entire Valley of the Kings, and then reigned as emperor in France for over a decade without finishing the Arc de Triomphe in Paris?"

Cindy couldn't help but laugh, then shook her head and brought up another matter: "Actually, someone published a book six years after Napoleon's death called 'Napoleon Did Not Exist,' which argued that Napoleon's existence was a fabrication of history by the Orleans dynasty. Do you know this book?"

Peter was genuinely shocked: "...There's such a thing?"

“Yes, the book is called ‘Proving Napoleon Did Not Exist.’ You can check it out; it’s very interesting.” The two looked at the furnishings inside the Pantheon. As mentioned earlier, although this was the Pantheon of ancient Rome, there was no trace of the gods left. There were only Christian icons and memorial tablets of famous Italian figures. Raphael was buried here. The two visited Raphael’s tomb and then left.

Cindy looked at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.

"I was thinking, if it weren't for that spider, we might never have met."

She looked at Peter and spoke what she thought was the truth: "I've never known what to do or how to do it. Maybe it's still the same now. I just follow orders and do what everyone asks me to do... Maybe I think that's fine too."

Cindy is not a people-pleasing person. What she said was the same thing Gwen said to Peter in the Colosseum, something she had said to Peter before.

Cindy simply doesn't know what she should do. She has never had a goal or knew how to do it. In fact, even now, Cindy still doesn't know what she should do.

So Cindy decided to ask Peter that question again.

"So... now that so many days have passed, has your answer changed?"

"Answer about what?"

Why did you become Spider-Man? Was it just because you wanted to, and because you were capable of it, that you became Spider-Man?

Peter thought for a moment, because he wasn't quite sure what his answer to this question had been with Cindy last time, so he simply chose to ask in return: "When you're making spider silk, do you feel happy or satisfied?"

Cindy tilted her head, while Peter shrugged.

"Anytime is fine, for example, when you save someone, help others, or fight crime, when you feel you have made a contribution."

"When I'm with you."

“Oh, uh… okay, but that might not help with your problem.” Peter scratched his head, looking bewildered. “I mean, whatever you’re going to do, if you want to keep going, you have to feel something. You don’t necessarily have to set a goal from the beginning, like ‘I want to become a superhero,’ but you can find something along the way, whether this path is right for you, and whether you need to give up.”

Cindy looked at Peter with some surprise: "Give up...?"

“If you think you’re not suited for this, you can choose to give up. No one is forcing you to do any of this, Cindy. Everyone is free,” Peter replied. “So, I can’t give you an answer either. All I can do is stay by your side and help you find that answer. That’s all I can do.”

"no thanks."

Cindy laughed and looked at Peter: "That's enough. Thank you for being here for me."

(End of this chapter)