Hunting was not the high-octane thrill many made it out to be. Hunting required patience. It required concentration. Above all, it required a clear head. So Mera cut off communications with her support team. She didn't need them speaking into her ear every few moments. It was distracting. And perhaps annoying as well. Arthur, bless his brave soul, wouldn't appreciate her disregard for protocol, Mera knew. But she was Queen of Atlantis. She knew how to take care of herself.
Darting through the warm waters of the shallow (for her, at least) pacific depths, Mera came upon her destination: The Pink Reef. A beautiful natural structure, certainly, but also wild and untamed. Stretching before her along the sandy ocean floor, the mighty body of coral sat both proud and passive. Mera saw all manners of creatures swimming and floating about. Fish, eels, the odd crab, many of which were of species unknown to the surface dwellers. And they would remain so. These were protected waters.
That meant Mera has all the more reason to bring her hunt to a swift close. There was something here that didn't belong. Or rather, someone. Someone who thought they could use this sacred place to hide from Atlantean justice. Mera's prey would almost certainly be here. If he wasn't, then it was likely he made landfall on one of the nearby islands. But those were old Atlantean outposts from back when her people lived on land as well as in the sea. She knew those islands like the back of her hand.
But the Pink Reef? The Reef was unknown to all.
Mera pursed her lips and swam forth. She would hunt down her prey. For Atlantis. For her husband.
--
"Why isn't she answering us?"
"I think she's blocking us out intentionally, sir."
Garth frowned. The military vessel was cramped and dark and the crew he had been assigned were green as can be. This mission had long ago worked through his last nerve. And now Mera was going off on her own.
"Intentionally?" He repeated, visibly baffled. He ran his fingers through his dark hair. "She knows Black Manta is dangerous. Why is she being so reckless?"
"Only the Queen can answer that, sir."
"Do we still have a lock on her tracker?"
The young ensign winced. "We lost connection a moment ago."
Garth exhaled through his nose. "Fantastic. Do you at least know where she was heading?"
"Last we checked she was moving towards the Pink Reef, Sir."
The young man known as Aqualad cursed under his breath. Only Atlantean royalty could enter sacred territory like the Reef.
Mera was truly on her own. And beyond that, the Reef was home to all sorts of unknown creatures. If Black Manta wasn't enough...
--
The creature that strung her was an odd one. It was indeed beautiful, colored red and white and pink, gliding through the water so gracefully it was almost hypnotic. It moved about, this way and that way, as if it was dancing. It looked like both a fish and an eel with a long body, gorgeous fins, and dark eyes that seemed to pierce deep into Mera's heart. Stupidly, she reached out to touch it...
She hadn't seen the stinger until it lashed out at her, lightning fast. She had felt it, too. Like a hot needle sinking into her skin. It must have been strong for it cut right through her green scale suit, leaving a thin, fresh red line across the top of her forearm. There was no blood. Only a sharp pain followed by a numbness. But even that quickly faded, replaced by a warm sensation that spread throughout her arm.
If it was poison, Mera was not worried. Atlanteans held a hardy resistance to any and all poisons, especially those of sea-dwelling creatures. If anything, she would feel mild discomfort for a time. She took last glance at the creature, watching it swim deeper into the reef, before turning her eyes back on her fresh "wound".
It was then that a dark mass shot out from the darkness. Mera had not been prepared and an instant later the much reviled arch-nemesis of her husband had her pinned to a wall. Blood-red optics glowed in the water, Black Manta's armored form engulfing her in shadow as he pressed his gauntlet into her exposed neck.
"The King of Atlantis sends his wife to fight me?" He spoke, low and calm with venom sizzling just beneath. "I'm insulted. But not surprised."
Mera squirmed in his grasp. He was not atlantean, but he was strong. Stronger than her. Mera could feel her cheeks grow warm. Her heart was racing. It was embarrassing that he captured her so easily. So easily...
"Vile villain!" Mera cried through bared teeth. "Kill me and there will be no mercy for you!"
Black Manta said nothing as a long, sharp blade extended from his other gauntlet. He made sure the captive queen saw her reflection in the flat of the blade before aiming it at her pretty face...
It was then that another one of the fish-eels swam by. This one was larger than the one that stung Mera and colored only red and pink. It came so swiftly that Black Manta couldn't stop it, stinging the villain like Mera had been. The man grunted as the stinger lashed out, striking him in the upper back. The blade retracted into his gauntlet as he reached back to swipe at the fish-eel, but the creature darted away as quickly as it appeared. Black Manta's grip loosened and Mera found herself floating free once more. She had the perfect opening to attack.
...And yet she stayed her hand.
Her heart was pounding against her chest. She took deep breaths, feeling a powerful warmth spread all across her body. Her suit felt tight on her body, constricting, imprisoning, the scales feeling... odd against her skin.
Black Manta turned back to her, groaning, his body tense, ready for battle. The red eyes of his helm shined warmly through the water. "What... What is this? Poison?"
Mera breathed in, bringing a hand to her face. The sensation of her skin, the warmth... she sighed, biting her lip as her hand trailed down, down, down...
"Poison? No... I don't think..."
The Queen of Atlantis leaned back against the coral wall that Manta had pinned her against mere moments before. Her hands travelled further down her suited body, slowly running down to where her legs met her hips...
"You got stung, too." She heard Black Manta say. It was not a question, but an observation. His voice... deep and commanding. Masculine. Dangerous. He sounded calm like before, but there was something else... Something frothing beneath, like he was holding something back.
