also now I'm also obsessed with the idea that jarvis is a roman demigod. u unintentionally kept up with the idea I was going with that all the hypercompetent characters (natasha, rhodey, now jarvis) are of roman descent and now ALSO did rhodey ever meet jarvis bc of that,, oh my god he's a family friend of jarvis and jarvis asked him to keep an eye on tony at MIT I'm SOFT
Edwin Jarvis is highly respected in Camp Jupiter, unlike Howard Stark who abandoned the camp forever, seeking greatness and fame.
The difference in respect might have to do with the fact that Jarvis was blessed by the virgin goddess Vesta, whose hearth and fire the Romans revered.
Or it might have to do with the fact that Howard was an asshole.
Or it might also be that the entire camp loves Jarvis’ cooking.
Either way, when Rhodey gets to know Jarvis, he’s still young, probably in middle school.
And he asks Jarvis why he only comes down to camp for three days in a year. Why he works for Howard when Howard is, plainly put, an asshole who's growing more bitter by the day.
Rhodey points out that Jarvis could just... stay in Camp Jupiter. No need to work himself to the bone.
Jarvis smiles and shrugs. "We have a home and family here. But there's a little boy in New York with a house that isn't home, and everyone deserves more than that."
It'll take years for Rhodey to understand what Jarvis means.
Every year when Jarvis comes to Camp, Rhodey will sit on one of the kitchen counters and ask Jarvis endless questions about New York and what latest invention Howard's made.
Rhodey might not like Howard Stark, but there's no denying that Stark Industries makes the most cutting edge technology there is. And Rhodey is a child of Vulcan. He likes to build, he wants to fly, and one day, he will.
"You and Tony will be good friends," Jarvis says with so much conviction that Rhodey doesn't question it. "You remind me so much of him."
It's high praise for Rhodey. Over the years, it's become public knowledge that Jarvis adores Tony Stark, although few understand why.
Rhodey is one of the few who knows that Tony must be special enough to win the heart of someone so kind and giving as Edwin Jarvis.
So when Jarvis appears one day, outside of his usual annual visits, to congratulate Rhodey on being accepted into MIT, Rhodey already knows that it comes with a request.
"I'll take care of him," Rhodey promises, and it's an oath that carves itself deep in his bones, his heart, his soul.
Jarvis hugs him, teary-eyed but happy and incredibly proud.
"You're a fine man, James Rhodes," Jarvis says with that British lilt of his, "I hope he'll be able to remind you of home, too."
So when Rhodey meets Tony Stark, with eyes too wide, mouth too loud, mind too fast, he sees instantly past the snark and sharp edges to find the little boy that Edwin Jarvis raised.
The one who knew how to bake pies, but who preferred to sit on the kitchen counter and talk as Rhodey heated up their take out. The one who built a robot puppy just because Rhodey said he missed home.
The man Jarvis had raised was nothing like Howard Stark, despite all the armors he put on. Rhodey finally understands, fully, why Jarvis had stayed in New York all those years.
So when Tony builds his first A.I., Rhodey listens to the familiar voice, and when the way J.A.R.V.I.S. says ‘home’ isn't quite as Rhodey remembers it, he helps Tony tweak it just right.
Of course, the day that Tony starts lighting up fires everywhere and needs to build a fire extinguisher bot is another story altogether.
But Rhodey figures home is home, and Rhodey had always loved crazy adventures.
