Am I the King of the Sea? Ben felt a moment of stunned disbelief wash over him as he processed Mera's declaration.
Mera seemed absolutely convinced that Ben was the destined ruler of Atlantis, someone prophesied to unify the seven divided kingdoms and restore the underwater world to its former glory. The conviction in her emerald eyes was unmistakable, burning with the fervor of someone who had finally found what they'd been searching for their entire life.
Seeing that Ben appeared ready to leave, she quickly moved to block his path, her flowing red hair rippling like seaweed in the water around them.
"Wait, where are you going? Take me with you!"
Ben stared at her in bewilderment. No, sister, are you serious? Ever since he'd transformed into Ripjaws, he'd noticed an inexplicable increase in his appeal to aquatic beings. First the Fishermen Kingdom princess had been practically throwing herself at him, and now Mera was doing the same.
What's going on? Do you underwater people just have different taste? The gray, shark-like features of his current form were hardly what he'd consider conventionally attractive by surface standards.
"If I remember correctly," Ben said slowly, his voice carrying the slight electronic distortion of his aquatic form, "weren't you just accusing me of being here to kidnap you?"
"Was I?" Mera's expression shifted with startling speed, and without ceremony, she knocked the ornate bracelet that Orm had given her to the floor, the metal clanging against the coral-wrought surface. "I don't recall saying any such thing."
Ben raised an eyebrow, or what passed for one in his current transformation. "If you break your engagement bracelet and run off with another man, aren't you worried that Atlantis will take their anger out on Xebel? Your father will probably be very disappointed."
"No," Mera shook her head with surprising confidence, her voice carrying the weight of political understanding far beyond her years. "He'll be glad I made the right choice."
She gestured dismissively at the broken bracelet, its enchanted coral now dim and lifeless. "This was always a political marriage anyway. What my father wants is to secure greater benefits for the Kingdom of Xebel. Whether I marry King Orm or not is irrelevant to that goal."
The casual way she spoke about her own betrothal struck Ben as both pragmatic and slightly sad. Here was a princess treating herself like a chess piece to be moved around the board for maximum political advantage.
What's more, Mera thought to herself as she studied Ben's transformed features, in my opinion, this man isn't just some minor lord, he's the Sea God who will rule all seven kingdoms in the future. That's infinitely better than following Orm.
As for Ben's current appearance... she glanced at the gray, streamlined features that looked somewhat like a fusion of shark and man. The bioluminescent patches along his jaw pulsed with an otherworldly blue light, and his black eyes held depths that seemed to contain entire oceans.
I can work with this, she decided. Besides, he can transform anyway. That human form I glimpsed earlier was quite handsome, no need to worry.
Regarding Ben's concern about Orm's potential retaliation against Xebel, Mera wasn't worried in the slightest. If anything, the situation was reversed. Nereus had offered his daughter to Orm, but if Orm lost her before the wedding even took place, then Orm was the one who owed explanations!
Having confirmed Ben's identity in her mind, there was no way Mera would continue to compromise with Orm. She became visibly excited, her rose-colored hair spreading out like a living crown around her head, the motion creating small whirlpools in the water.
"So what's your plan? Will you light the Ring of Fire and challenge Orm for the throne?"
"I didn't plan on doing any such thing," Ben replied with an eye roll, turning toward the chamber's exit.
However, Mera misunderstood his response and nodded approvingly. "You're absolutely right. Even for someone like you, directly challenging Orm would be problematic. No one would recognize your claim because you don't have royal blood, unless... unless you could produce the Trident!"
The Trident of Poseidon.
Although it was called a divine weapon, the Trident didn't have much impressive screen time in Arthur's hands in the movies. It seemed relatively ordinary, just slightly more powerful than other tridents. But Ben knew that in reality, the weapon contained tremendous power. The ancient King of Atlantis had sunk his entire civilization beneath the waves while trying to harness the Trident's power for unlimited energy.
Now that Mera had mentioned the weapon, Ben found himself genuinely interested. And it just so happened that he knew exactly where to find it, in the dark trenches where the monstrous Trench Clan dwelled. Not only that, Aquaman's mother Atlanna was imprisoned there as well.
"My immediate goal is to acquire the Mother Box," Ben stated matter-of-factly.
The Trident was indeed appealing, but there was no need to rush toward it now since it wasn't located within Atlantis proper. The Mother Box, however, was practically within arm's reach, so naturally it took priority.
Mera looked puzzled for a moment, struggling to remember what the Mother Box even was. When recollection finally dawned, she asked with genuine curiosity, "What could you possibly want with that useless thing?"
The fact that one of the most powerful artifacts in the DC universe was considered "useless" by Mera spoke volumes about how little the Atlanteans understood what they were guarding.
"Never mind," Mera said, giving up on trying to understand. "If you want it, you must have your reasons."
She regarded Ben as the man destined to rule Atlantis and become the future king of the underwater world, so naturally everything he did must make perfect sense, even if she couldn't see the logic immediately.
The king wants to take one of his own treasures. What's the big deal about that?
"Come on, let me take you there!" Mera declared, immediately appointing herself as his guide without hesitation.
If you were an ordinary resident of Atlantis, you might not know the Mother Box's whereabouts, but Mera was different. As a princess of the Kingdom of Xebel, she was privy to certain state secrets that few others knew.
The Mother Box wasn't actually located within the Kingdom of Atlantis proper, but rather in ancient ruins outside the Seven Kingdoms, guarded by an independent order of protectors who answered to no single throne.
Mera couldn't wait to break free from an engagement she'd never wanted and embark on a new adventure. The prospect was so exciting that even Ripjaws' distinctly non-human features were starting to look quite appealing to her eyes.
"If you look at it from the right angle," she murmured to herself, "it's quite... unique!"
The fact that Mera knew the Mother Box's location saved Ben considerable trouble. He'd even been prepared to kidnap a member of the Atlantis Elder Council if necessary to extract the information.
Now that would have been stirring up trouble, Ben reflected. Compared to that, just taking away Orm's fiancée is practically a diplomatic courtesy. At least your marriage bed will stay clean and tidy, Orm, you should thank me!
"Hurry up and transform into that big moth to sneak me out," Mera whispered conspiratorially, crouching low with exaggerated stealth movements that involved far more hip swaying than was strictly necessary. She cracked open the chamber door and peered out into the corridor beyond. "We can't let the guards discover us, or Orm will send half his army after us."
Ben took one look at her posture and quickly averted his gaze, maintaining his composure as he replied, "That's Big Chill, and he can't bring other living beings to phase with him."
"Then what should we do?" Mera looked back with obvious concern creeping into her voice. "It's too dangerous to fight our way out. Atlantis has a very strong military force."
Ben slapped his watch, and in the next moment, a mass of black, viscous material suddenly erupted outward and enveloped Mera completely. His Overkill transformation clung to her form like a second skin, the symbiote's cool touch making her shiver with unexpected sensations.
"Wait, that tickles! Why is it even going there... mmm..." Mera's protests dissolved into a soft gasp as she pressed her legs together, her cheeks flushing as she slumped against the coral wall for support.
As expected of an aquatic being, Ben noted with clinical detachment, there's always plenty of moisture involved.
"Could you please stop with the water magic?" Ben's voice emerged from the symbiote as a scarlet tendril formed into a crude approximation of a mouth. "It's not exactly pure water, it's sticky and a bit salty."
"I wasn't doing that on purpose!" Mera protested loudly, her voice muffled by the symbiote covering.
"You triggered it yourself! You can't blame me for your body's natural responses!"
Ben realized belatedly that he'd accidentally activated some particularly sensitive pressure points and quickly tried to adjust his positioning. He formed a crude eyeball near the affected area to better control his movements and connected it to his nervous system. Unfortunately, this only confirmed that he had indeed been applying pressure in exactly the wrong, or depending on your perspective, exactly the right, place.
"I've only possessed one person before you," Ben defended himself while making a considerate effort to shift away from the problematic area. "I'm still learning the mechanics."
Unexpectedly, Mera seemed displeased by his thoughtfulness.
"Why did you move away?"
"Aren't you uncomfortable?" Ben asked with genuine curiosity.
"No... I actually feel quite comfortable..." This was an entirely new sensation she'd never experienced before. She'd had no idea that such specific pressure could create these kinds of feelings. But after her first taste, she was reluctant to have it stop.
"Please continue with a bit more intensity!"
"I can handle the water magic myself!"
Mera insisted she'd try to maintain better control, though given how the electrical-like sensations coursing through her body had completely scrambled her thoughts earlier, she wasn't entirely confident in her abilities.
"You kid..." Ben muttered in exasperation. "You think I'm in a purple mood, right?"
But he supposed it was better than the alternative. As long as she wasn't having other bodily functions malfunction, he could deal with a little extra moisture.
Looking down at the sleek black suit that now fit her like a second skin, Mera felt a pleasant tingling sensation as she pushed open the chamber door with flushed cheeks.
Although it felt somewhat like she was walking around in an extremely intimate state of undress, Mera was a superhuman after all. The unusual sensations had minimal impact on her actual mobility. Aside from needing to concentrate constantly on controlling her body's responses, there was nothing else to worry about.
This left Ben feeling slightly disappointed. When you're a child, you get scolded for wetting the bed, but when you're grown up, apparently it becomes cause for praise.
"Princess Mera, what are you doing out here?"
Before Mera had traveled very far through the coral corridors, she was spotted by Vulko, who appeared to be lost in deep contemplation about something troubling.
Mera startled slightly at his voice, and the surprise caused her body to react involuntarily, making her twitch as if struck by lightning.
"You look somewhat flushed, and your gait seems unsteady," Vulko observed with the concern of a longtime family retainer. "Are you feeling unwell? Perhaps the change in water pressure from your home kingdom is affecting you."
"Please wait here. I'll summon a physician for you."
"No, that's not necessary..." Mera quickly denied any need for medical attention.
While she'd never experienced anything quite like this before, she understood perfectly well what her current state implied. It would be absolutely mortifying if anyone discovered the truth.
Even though Mera had decided she wouldn't marry Orm and instead planned to ally herself with Ben, who had the potential to become King of the Seven Seas, the engagement hadn't been formally dissolved. Technically, she was still Orm's betrothed.
"I'm just feeling a bit restless, so I thought I'd take a walk to clear my head."
Vulko nodded without thinking much about it. He was currently preoccupied with far more pressing concerns and didn't have the mental energy to focus on what seemed like minor personal issues.
Orm was determined to wage war. He not only planned to attack the surface world but even wanted to assault the Brine Kingdom first. If this continued, Atlantis would likely become the mutual enemy of several other underwater nations.
Arthur was the only one who could potentially stop this madness, but he didn't seem to care about anything happening in the underwater world.
As the two passed each other in the corridor, just as Mera was beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, she discovered that Ben had intensified his movements. For a moment, she nearly cried out and could barely remain standing.
"Ow! What are you doing?" she whispered urgently.
"Nothing much. I got excited because I thought I saw Norman Osborn for a second," Ben replied through their mental link.
The more he'd studied Vulko's features, the more familiar the man had looked. There was something about his facial structure that reminded Ben strongly of his friend dad Osborn.
After closer examination, Ben realized that Vulko's face bore a striking resemblance to Norman Osborn's. But he didn't dwell on it, those who understood would understand. Scientifically speaking, it was a parallel world phenomenon. In terms of breaking the fourth wall, both roles were simply played by the same actor.
After parting ways with Vulko, Mera encountered several more waves of guards throughout the palace, but her noble status meant no one dared to question her movements or cause her any difficulty.
Soon, Mera had led Ben to a sleek, fish-shaped submarine docked in one of the palace's private bays areas.
"The place where the Mother Box is stored isn't within the royal territory," Mera explained as she initiated the vessel's startup sequence. "We have to leave through the main entrance first."
Ben slowly peeled away from her undulating form and resumed his original human appearance in another seat within the submarine's spacious interior.
Mera suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness, her eyes filled with longing and her expression full of unmistakable desire. It was obvious she wanted him to return to the previous arrangement.
But after she looked carefully at Ben's restored human features, satisfaction returned to her expression.
"So this is your true form?"
Ben was undeniably handsome now, not only incomparably superior to that rough Ripjaws appearance, but even Orm paled in comparison to him.
Thinking about potentially marrying him in the future, Mera found the prospect completely acceptable. Guaranteed profit!
"Hold on tight," she announced. "We're departing now."
The submarine's engines hummed to life, and Mera guided them through multiple layers of security checkpoints, rapidly leaving the Kingdom of Atlantis behind as they headed toward a desolate region of the ocean floor.
As they traveled through the depths, the two chatted and gradually became better acquainted with each other. Although the order of intimate contact followed by formal introductions was somewhat unconventional, it was just a minor detail that didn't require too much concern.
"After you retrieve the Mother Box, we should hurry up and locate Poseidon's Trident," Mera suggested, her voice taking on a strategic tone. "Only by claiming the Trident can you legitimately become King of the Seven Seas. Then I can become your queen, and the Kingdom of Xebel won't have to worry about facing accountability from Atlantis."
Ben propped his chin on one hand and studied her with sideways glance, noting the way her hair moved like living flame in the submarine's artificial current system.
He didn't contradict Mera's assumptions about their future marriage, but asked with calm curiosity: "Are you planning to settle for just being a queen?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why not become the ruler of Atlantis yourself?"
"What, me as the sovereign?" Mera slammed on the brakes so hard that the submarine lurched, and she turned to stare at him with complete shock.
This was an ending she had never even imagined, something that had never occurred in the entire history of Atlantis. The very concept seemed to short-circuit her political calculations.
Ben simply asked, "Why not?"
"Forget it. I have no interest in being a ruler," Mera said with a dismissive shrug. "If I weren't the princess of the Kingdom of Xebel, if I didn't have to bear these heavy responsibilities, I would have chosen to live a free life long ago."
Ben nodded, unsurprised by her response. After all, it was impossible for him to remain in this DC universe and play the role of Aquaman long-term. As for whether Mera would be willing to take on that responsibility, that remained to be seen.
If it really came to that, there was always the actual Arthur Curry who could eventually assume the throne.