Chapter Summaries

Henry agreed to help Cassandra retrieve and study ordinary Isu equipment hidden on the seafloor of the Aegean Sea. Back home, Skye and Gwen reacted to his suggestion of a trip, and Katharine Hepburn proposed arranging it for spring break.

• Cassandra explained that she had spent centuries destroying dangerous Isu artifacts and wanted Henry to help improve the ordinary Isu equipment she had kept.
• Henry agreed to consider studying Cassandra's equipment, which she said was hidden in the Aegean Sea and would need to be retrieved from the seafloor.
• Henry returned home and asked Katharine Hepburn whether she wanted to vacation in the Aegean Sea.
• Henry tried to keep Skye home for school and asked Gwen to babysit, but Skye protested and appealed to Katharine.
• Katharine suggested taking the trip during spring break, while Skye celebrated and Gwen voiced her jealousy.

Henry and his companions traveled to the Aegean Sea to secretly retrieve Isu Gear that Cassandra had sunk, with Henry expected to handle the deep-sea work. The group arrived at a private island resort and set out by yacht, leaving Gwen behind because her father would not allow her to travel.

• Henry persuaded Gwen not to join the trip, explaining that George would object to her traveling so far while she was still applying to college.
• Henry arranged a private jet through Kingo, while Cassandra, Thena, and Gilgamesh joined the expedition to recover the Isu Gear.
• Cassandra recalled that she had sunk the equipment east of Crete, where the Aegean Sea reached depths of 3,544 meters, too deep for Henry's Mecha or the Eternals to work efficiently.
• Henry booked an entire island resort and rented a yacht so the group could search without attracting attention.
• Eight people and a tiger arrived in the Aegean Sea, where Cassandra took the helm and the group began their vacation and search.

Henry and his companions sailed to an island resort for a week of rest, while Skye asked Thena to teach her how to get stronger. The trip ended with a drunken Kitty falling into the sea as they disembarked, and Henry pulled her safely onto the dock.

• Gilgamesh forced Kitty to drink beer while Henry and Kingo joked about fishing with her.
• Skye asked Thena to teach her to train so she could punch Henry, and Thena encouraged her.
• Cassandra steered the yacht to the resort island, where the staff welcomed the group and Henry arranged the mooring rope.
• Kitty stumbled off the gangway and fell into the sea, so Henry grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her onto the dock.
• The group prepared to spend a week at the island resort with no fixed itinerary.

Henry and his companions began their vacation on a Greek island, while Henry discreetly sent drones to survey the Aegean Sea. Katharine Hepburn recognized that he had another purpose for coming, but Henry said it was not urgent and the vacation still had time.

• The group toured the island and chose rooms, with Skye sharing with Katharine Hepburn to look after her.
• Henry teased Skye after she warned him about the possibility of a serial killer on the island.
• The group enjoyed the beach and sea, while Henry carried Katharine Hepburn’s painting case and deployed Sparrow Drones to survey the skies, water, and seabed.
• Henry discussed the island’s scenery and Katharine Hepburn’s memories of the film Summertime as she searched for a subject to paint.
• Katharine Hepburn told Henry she knew he and his friends had another reason for coming, and Henry replied that their task was not urgent.

Henry set aside his usual surveillance and joined the others on a deep-sea salvage mission to find the chest Cassandra had thrown into the sea. The group reached the target waters and began descending, with Henry’s speed surprising the Eternals and Cassandra nearing her physical limit.

• Henry helped Katharine Hepburn set up her easel while Skye and Kitty played in the sea, then spent a day resting from his information feeds.
• The next day, Henry and the Eternals, Spartans, and Kryptonians traveled toward the target waters while everyone else stayed at the vacation island.
• Cassandra recalled that the lost items were in a flat-sided wooden chest bound with iron chains, and Henry handed out deep-sea flashlights.
• Henry kept Thena on the yacht because her Vibranium jewelry might come loose underwater and trigger her madness.
• Henry led Cassandra, Gilgamesh, and Kingo down by an iron chain, and Cassandra struggled as the group descended at astonishing speed.

Henry used sound to navigate the Aegean seabed and searched with Cassandra and the Eternals for Isu equipment, collecting several suspicious boxes. They returned to the yacht with their finds, where Cassandra struggled to catch her breath while the Eternals relaxed.

• Henry used sound waves and water-current feedback to map the deep sea as he descended toward the seabed with Kingo and Cassandra.
• At 3,000 meters, Henry confirmed that Cassandra could move normally with the aid of an Isu Relic, and the group agreed on contact signals and a rendezvous point.
• Henry searched the seabed, identified suspicious wooden boxes by their materials, and carried several back to the meeting point.
• Cassandra and the others returned with their finds, and Henry towed everyone and their trophies toward the surface at a controlled pace.
• Thena helped bring the spoils aboard the yacht, while Henry flew onto the deck and Cassandra leaned against the railing, gasping for breath.

Henry, Cassandra, and Kingo opened salvaged crates and found ancient Roman coins, gemstones, and red coral. They decided to donate the coins, while Henry treated the gemstones as spoils that would be difficult to sell.

• Henry snapped open an iron chain by hand and accidentally broke the first seawater-damaged crate while opening it.
• Cassandra identified more than 2,200 coins as Hadrian Gold Coins, and Henry agreed to pack them up and donate them rather than sell them.
• Henry and the others opened another crate, spilling emeralds, peridots, two large pieces of red coral, and red coral beads onto the ground.
• Cassandra wondered whether the crates came from a Roman merchant ship, but Henry said he had seen only the crates and no wreckage.
• Henry concluded that the gemstones would be difficult to sell and that most could only count as spoils.

Henry and his companions salvaged treasure from the Aegean Sea, agreed that Kingo would sell most of it, and recovered Cassandra’s long-lost Isu Gear. When Henry handled the fiery short sword, its flames went out, and Cassandra said he could not use it.

• Kingo offered to sell the gems and coral, and Henry and Cassandra each chose one red coral to keep.
• Henry and Gilgamesh searched the seabed while Cassandra and Kingo opened chests on the yacht, finding several filled with decayed fabric and foul-smelling remains.
• After the fourteenth chest brought up Cassandra’s Isu Gear, Henry returned to the seabed to bring Gilgamesh back, and they stopped salvaging.
• Cassandra recovered a seamless short sword whose blade produced flames, though she said its power had weakened underwater.
• Henry took the sword, and its flames went out in his hand; Cassandra said he was unable to use it.

Henry and the Eternals sorted and distributed the recovered artifacts, while keeping the Isu Gear aboard the yacht to study during their remaining vacation. They sailed back toward the island, stopping to fish, where a giant moray eel clamped onto Henry's head.

• Cassandra explained that Isu weapons required Isu genes, but the Eternals could use them and Henry could not.
• Henry had Cassandra test the other pieces of Isu Gear and learned that they were still functional, though weakened.
• Henry sorted the recovered treasures, delivered artifacts to museums in Italy and Greece, sent Kingo's belongings to Mumbai, and stored his own items in Manhattan.
• Henry kept the Isu Gear aboard the yacht, and Cassandra started the engine to sail back to the island.
• Kingo asked Henry to catch seafood, and Henry caught several fish before a giant moray eel bit down on his head and clung to him.

On the final day of the vacation, Skye asked Gilgamesh to teach her how to fight, and he decided to demonstrate his combat style by challenging Henry. Gilgamesh caught Henry off guard and sent him skipping across the sea, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Skye asked Gilgamesh to teach her how to fight, explaining that Thena only taught her basic training.
• Gilgamesh told Skye that Thena was the best teacher for her and said he would demonstrate the combat style he and Henry excelled at.
• Gilgamesh challenged Henry to a serious fight so Skye could see him fight and understand why she should not challenge him.
• Gilgamesh activated his combat mode and charged Henry with a series of heavy punches.
• Gilgamesh broke through Henry's guard, struck his jaw, then hit him again as he fell, sending him spinning and bouncing across the sea.

Henry and Gilgamesh fought a devastating second round that ended with Henry knocking Gilgamesh across the sea. As the others wondered how long Gilgamesh would take to return, Skye questioned what Henry really was.

• Gilgamesh and Kingo mocked Ikaris after Henry was sent flying, but Thena warned them that Henry was flying back.
• Henry returned to the beach and challenged Gilgamesh to fight again without using flight to gain an advantage.
• Henry and Gilgamesh traded powerful punches until Gilgamesh stopped, sensing that his next attack might kill him.
• Henry struck Gilgamesh and sent him skipping across the sea beyond the horizon, matching Gilgamesh's earlier feat.
• Thena helped Skye up and offered to teach her fighting techniques, while Skye wondered what Henry was.

After a small Aegean earthquake triggered a false nuclear alert, Henry returned to New York and focused on understanding Isu Technology. He restored Cassandra’s Isu Gear and began considering how to redesign it for modern warfare.

• The U.S. National Atomic Energy Detection System investigated the Aegean earthquake and confirmed it was a natural event.
• Skye stopped talking about defeating Henry and arranged for Thena to teach her combat and training techniques.
• After returning to New York, Henry shifted his research from mech upgrades to Isu Technology, with Cassandra helping him test his findings.
• Henry restored Cassandra’s Isu Gear to peak condition and learned its powers had weakened because its energy had dissipated.
• Henry recognized that Cassandra’s gear was poorly suited to modern warfare and faced the challenge of designing a more effective set for her.

Skye insisted she had learned everything Gwen could teach her, but an SAT test revealed how little she had actually mastered. Henry seized the chance to push for more studying, though Katharine Hepburn and Kitty remained wary of his scheming.

• Skye told Henry she was ready to skip a grade or apply to college because she had surpassed Gwen’s ability to tutor her.
• Henry asked Gwen to give Skye an ACT or SAT test to check what she really knew.
• Skye failed the test, including the math and physics sections, and protested that the questions were beyond her eighth-grade curriculum.
• When Henry asked where India was, Skye answered, “Isn’t India in India?” and Gwen dragged her off to review her studies.
• Katharine Hepburn worried that Skye’s poor grades threatened her future, and Henry persuaded her to consider giving Skye workbooks.
• Henry laughed over his successful scheme, but Katharine Hepburn smacked him and Kitty moved away from him.

Gwen invited Henry to accompany her to prom after explaining that nobody had asked her, then tried to persuade him by describing the event and hinting that she wanted to join his Aegean Sea vacation. Henry was left facing Gwen’s relentless teasing and barely veiled request.

• Gwen chewed Skye out over her hidden seventh-grade report card and made her resume studying under intense pressure.
• Henry considered giving Skye a strict, minute-by-minute study schedule now that Gwen no longer objected to his methods.
• Gwen asked Henry to go to prom with her, explaining that George’s protectiveness had made her seem unapproachable to classmates.
• Henry suspected Gwen wanted a date to impress someone, but she denied it and teased him about missing a chance to experience prom.
• Gwen lamented that she might never visit the Aegean Sea or ride Henry’s yacht, and threatened to ask George to prom instead.

Henry agreed to accompany Gwen to her high school prom, and Gwen revealed that she had chosen Empire State University. Katharine Hepburn questioned the choice but accepted Gwen’s plan to study under Professor Curt Connors and pursue a research career at Oscorp.

• Henry gave in to Gwen’s nagging and agreed to attend her prom, while Gwen warned him to clean up his appearance.
• Gwen told Henry she had been accepted to Empire State University.
• Katharine Hepburn urged Gwen to attend Bryn Mawr College instead, offering to use her alumna connections to help her get admitted.
• Gwen explained that she chose Empire State University for its affordability, Manhattan location, and her connection to Professor Curt Connors, who had offered to recommend her for a research position at Oscorp.
• Katharine understood Gwen’s deliberate career plan, while the chapter ended by questioning whether Curt Connors was truly a good choice.

Henry learned that Gwen had joined Professor Curt Connors’s cross-species gene therapy team, but chose not to discourage her and instead discussed the research with her. At dinner, Katharine Hepburn urged Skye to think about her future and teased Henry for pretending to be lazy despite his abilities.

• Henry recalled Curt Connors’s amputation, research into reptilian regeneration, and Oscorp’s support for his project.
• Henry praised Connors’s published research, and Gwen excitedly explained why she had joined his team and believed it could win Connors a Nobel Prize.
• Henry avoided warning Gwen that Connors’s research might fail because she had already chosen her path and Henry could offer no alternative.
• Henry and Gwen discussed research articles while Skye crawled over to Kitty and cuddled the tabby cat.
• Katharine Hepburn asked Skye about her future and shared how she had discovered her love of acting as a girl.
• Skye asked Henry about his ambitions, and Katharine mocked his claim that he wanted to live idly as everyone laughed.

Henry carefully prepared for Gwen Stacy’s prom and arrived at her Queens apartment in a tailored suit, surprising Gwen and her father, George Stacy, with his transformed appearance. The chapter ended with George and Gwen stunned by the customized vintage Mercedes-Benz waiting outside.

• Henry left home to pick Gwen up for prom, leaving dinner for Katharine Hepburn and Skye.
• Katharine Hepburn reflected on Henry and Skye’s unusual relationship and hoped to live long enough to see how it developed.
• Henry arrived at the Stacy apartment, where George initially failed to recognize him.
• Henry gave Gwen a handmade metal rose, and she recognized him after staring at his changed appearance.
• Gwen asked what car Henry had driven, and she and George followed him downstairs to see his customized vintage Mercedes-Benz.

Henry took Gwen to her high school prom in Red Skull’s antique Mercedes-Benz, drawing attention and angering her father, George. After leaving George behind, they headed to a restaurant they had booked before the prom.

• Henry brought Red Skull’s wartime car to take Gwen to prom and explained how he had obtained it from Tony Stark.
• Henry styled Gwen’s hair with an iron rose, and she admired the result before getting into the car.
• George warned Henry that he would kill him if he did anything foolish, and Henry hurriedly drove off with Gwen.
• Gwen teased George from the car and joked with Henry about his excessive preparations and forbidden Marilyn Manson look.
• Henry ignored drivers provoking him to race as he drove Gwen to their booked restaurant before the prom.

Henry took Gwen to an upscale French restaurant for dinner before accompanying her to the Standard High School prom. At the dance, Gwen’s classmates admired her date and his car, while other guests watched Henry as a potential rival.

• Henry chose a moderately priced French restaurant because Gwen’s mother was absent, George could not host dinner, and Henry’s home was unfinished.
• Henry ordered in French and helped Gwen choose escargot, rabbit, and dessert, and they enjoyed dinner with sparkling water.
• Henry and Gwen arrived at the prom in Red Skull’s ride, drawing attention from students at the school gymnasium.
• Gwen’s classmates surrounded her with questions about Henry and the antique car, while other students eyed him warily as an outsider and possible rival.

Henry accompanied Gwen to Standard High School's prom, where he kept her away from a suspicious drink and joked with her classmates. The evening continued with Gwen chatting with her friends while Henry entertained them with a tall tale about growing up in Siberia.

• Henry entered the prom with Gwen and surveyed its photo booths, games, portrait area, and band setup.
• Gwen's classmates offered her a specially mixed drink, but Henry stopped her and guided her to the juice instead.
• Henry teased Gwen about drinking orange juice and narrowly escaped her anger before she turned to greet her friends.
• Gwen introduced Henry to her friends as George's friend, and the girls joked that he might be a European noble's son.
• Henry claimed he had grown up in Siberia with thousands of people serving him, then said he had never seen a prom.