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.
"Yes..." Mera breathed out, a smile tugging at her full red lips. The warmth felt good now. Wonderful. A delicious heat blooming in her lower belly.
Hot. So hot.
Black Manta was a villain. A vile, evil man. Her King's nemesis. Her husband's nemesis. He was dangerous. His armor looked imposing. Threatening. He could hold her down easily. She knew he could. He was strong, stronger than her. He had a voice to match. A deep voice. An angry voice. And Black Manta himself? He was big. Tall. She could tell even underwater. Black Manta was a big, strong man. Her husband's greatest enemy. Dangerous.
It wasn't poison, Mera realized then. Her mind was growing fuzzier by the moment, quickly being overtaken by thoughts a queen should not have, but she had enough control to remember that the odd creature that stung her wasn't an oddity at all. She knew what it was all along, she just hadn't remembered. It was the Goddess Fish, the symbol of the patron of love and marriage. And the fast-working venom... was often used as an aphrodisiac.
Queen Mera of Atlantis moaned. Black Manta swam closer.
--
They didn't stay in the Reef. Black Manta took her to the closest land. A small island. A few square miles of sand and trees. It was midday when the two of them made landfall.
Even with water dripping down her body, Mera felt hot. She felt an impossible need. A hunger. She needed to be touched. To be held. And her suit was only getting in the way of that. Stripping away the green material, she moved up the beach. Mera breathed deeply as she felt her skin meet open air, her nipples hard and ready for a man's mouth.
Her man was close behind her. She could hear him following closely, grunting as he let armor pieces drop uselessly onto the sand. Mera was almost completely nude now, kicking her suit away near a small boulder. Smiling happily as she reached the tree-line, Mera tossed her golden crown near a bush where it was near instantly forgotten. Her cunt was dripping. Her body ached.
Mera turned to face her man only for him to pin her to a palm tree, his lips finding hers. They said nothing, melting into the embrace with a forbidden passion. She kissed him hungrily, moaning as he ran his hands through her mane of red hair. She felt him, how strong he was, the hard muscles, the imposing masculine frame, the exotic dark skin. It was intoxicating.
When he finally pulled away, Mera was gasping for air. He attacked her neck, his ravenous mouth laying claim to her pale, vulnerable skin. Then he travelled lower. "Yes..." Mera hissed, whimpering as Black Manta's mouth found her breasts. She had big, pale breasts. Tits that practically spilled out of her suit. A married pair of tits. And now they belonged to a supervillain. Black Manta squeezed them in his hands, milky flesh spilling over his dark fingers. He sucked on them, sucked on her hard nipples, took them gently between his teeth. Mera cooed as he bit down, lashing his tongue over them, running his tongue all over her big white tits. "That's it... Suck them..."
Manta groaned and pulled away. Mera whined but he silenced her with another kiss. She felt him poke her and she whined at that too. She reached down, slender fingers closing around him. He grunted again but she pushed her tongue into his mouth. She smiled into the kiss, happy at her great fortune. He was big. Very big. Bigger than her husband. But Mera only felt joy. The venom was clouding her mind, making her think and feel and do things a queen should not.
There was no guilt. No shame. Only pleasure.
She stroked him, pumping her soft hands along the impressive length. Manta rested his head on her shoulder, groaning as she leisurely jacked him off. She stopped then, smiling as she put her red lips to his ear. "Follow me," She said.
She led him into a cave. Mera knew these islands like the back of her hand. This one most of all. It was by pure luck that Manta had chosen this island in particular. The island she and Arthur used for their honeymoon.
The cave soon gave way to familiar atlantean architecture. Carved pillars, stone floors, and a great big royal bedchambers. Where kings and queens retired to consummate their marriages.
Queen Mera postured herself on bed, crawling forward onto the bedding on her hands and knees. She cast a heated gaze over her shoulder.
