[Third Person Pov]
Danny rode on the giant sea turtle directly behind Tula, one hand tightly gripping the saddle while the other rested against the creature's shell to steady himself. The massive turtle swam powerfully through the ocean currents alongside the rest of the Atlantean army, its flippers cutting smoothly through the water as schools of fish scattered around them. Danny looked around with wide eyes, clearly fascinated by everything around him. Even with the seriousness of the mission, he couldn't help enjoying himself.
He glanced behind him for a moment and caught sight of his ghost tail swaying through the water. A grin slowly spread across his face as an idea came to mind.
Danny focused on his spectral form, feeling the ectoplasm shift beneath his control. His ghost tail widened and reshaped itself, splitting into large translucent fins until it resembled the elegant tail of a mermaid.
"Look, Robin! I'm a mermaid!" Danny exclaimed excitedly before twisting in the water and swimming beside the turtle with a dramatic flick of his new tail.
Several of the Atlanteans nearby did a double take at the sudden transformation, clearly not expecting Danny to casually alter his body mid-ride. Jackson blinked in confusion while Garth stared for a second longer than necessary.
Robin laughed through the communicator. "I think the term you're looking for is merman, Danny."
"Or Mer-butler," Danny corrected with a completely serious nod.
That earned a few chuckles from the others as they continued riding through the ocean together. Even Tula smiled slightly at the exchange while Danny kept swimming around the group with unnecessary flair. They started casually bantering with another over Danny's sudden transformation.
"I don't know," Danny continued thoughtfully, "maybe I can be a Siren. With my ghostly wail, I already possess an enchanting voice."
As they continued their journey through the deep ocean, Danny quietly hummed to himself in his head, fully entertained by the experience.
'Bubble, bubble, bubble, guppie, guppie, guppies~'
The ride through Atlantis' waters was unlike anything he had experienced before. Massive underwater cliffs stretched endlessly into the distance while ancient ruins sat buried beneath coral and glowing aquatic plants. Strange sea creatures swam peacefully around the Atlantean forces, completely undisturbed by their passing. Danny found himself staring at everything like an excited tourist seeing another world for the first time.
Thanks to the speed of their sea mounts, it didn't take long for the group to arrive at their destination.
Aquaman suddenly raised a hand, signaling for everyone to stop.
The Atlantean forces immediately slowed to a halt before an enormous underwater temple covered in moss, algae, and centuries of ocean growth. Its stone pillars were cracked with age, and parts of the structure had collapsed long ago. Despite the damage, the temple still looked imposing beneath the dark waters.
Floating near the entrance was the ghostly old flagship vessel.
The massive spectral ship drifted silently beside the ruins, its tattered sails moving despite the lack of wind. Faint green light glowed from within its hull.
"Everyone to your positions. Do not delay."
Aquaman's voice reached them not through spoken words, but directly inside their minds through his marine telepathy.
The Atlantean soldiers immediately scattered into the surrounding waters, disappearing into defensive positions around the temple until only Aquaman, Jackson, Tula, Garth, Robin, Batman, and Danny remained.
"Robin, you and one of Danny's copies are with me," Batman ordered through the communicators. "We'll investigate the ship. Danny, you'll stay with Aquaman and follow his lead, listen to whatever he tells you"
"Aye, aye, captain," Danny replied casually.
A duplicate peeled directly out of Danny's back like a second body separating from him before flying over toward Robin, who raised a hand toward the ghost clone.
Without warning, Danny's duplicate grabbed Robin out of his saddle and carried him through the water with ease. Batman exited his bat-submarine moments later and joined them beside the haunted ship.
"Follow me," Aquaman ordered as he dismounted from his seahorse and began swimming toward the temple entrance.
"Just how many powers do you have?" Garth asked while watching Danny's duplicate disappear with Robin and Batman.
"A whole bunch," Danny answered with a satisfied smirk. "I'm basically a jack of all trades. What can I say?"
Garth scoffed in amusement while Aquaman glanced back over his shoulder at them. "Focus. This is no time to be distracted."
Danny straightened slightly before speaking again. "If getting inside without being detected is the objective, I can help with that. I can turn us invisible and sneak everyone inside."
Aquaman nodded immediately. "Understood. Do what you need to do. If we can resolve this stealthily, that would be optimal."
"Don't mind me then." Danny swam forward and placed a hand on Aquaman's shoulder before motioning toward the others. "Everyone grab on."
Tula, Jackson Garth exchanged a brief look before placing their hands on Danny and each other. Once everyone was connected, Danny concentrated, allowing his ghostly energy to spread across the group.
Their bodies slowly faded from sight until they disappeared completely.
Hidden from view, the group swam silently toward the temple entrance and passed through the massive front gates undetected.
Inside, the ancient halls were dark and filled with drifting debris. Broken statues lined the walls while old banners floated in tatters near the ceiling. The silence inside the ruins felt unnatural.
Then they saw them.
Dozens of ghosts wandered throughout the temple corridors.
Most of the spirits wore old pirate attire, complete with long coats, bandanas, eyepatches, and rusted cutlass swords hanging from their sides. Some floated aimlessly through the halls while others stood guard near doorways and intersections. Their spectral forms glowed faintly green beneath the dark waters, making the abandoned temple feel even more eerie.
They moved carefully through the towering underwater temple while remaining completely invisible under Danny's power. The ancient structure stretched endlessly around them, with massive pillars supporting ceilings covered in faded murals and carvings that had survived centuries beneath the sea. Moss and algae clung to nearly every surface while old debris drifted slowly through the water.
Aquaman led the group silently through the ruins, his expression tense. "Mera must be deeper inside," he whispered.
The others nodded and followed close behind him without question.
Whenever they encountered sealed entrances or blocked passageways, Danny simply phased the group through walls and doors, allowing them to bypass the temple without alerting the ghosts roaming inside. The deeper they traveled, the more concentrated the spectral energy in the temple became.
Eventually, they reached the chamber they had been searching for.
The room resembled an ancient underwater cathedral. Enormous stone arches stretched overhead while faded artwork covered the ceiling, depicting forgotten Atlantean figures and sea creatures. Broken lanterns floated near the walls, casting dim ghostly light throughout the chamber.
At the center of the room, Mera was chained near a large stone podium, her head lowered as if unconscious.
Arthur's eyes widened immediately, 'M—'
"Squawk! Squawk! Intruder alert! Intruder alert!!"
The sudden screech shattered the silence before Arthur could even worry about his wife.
Everyone turned toward the source just in time to see the skeletal parrot perched on Youngblood's shoulder flapping wildly while pointing directly toward them. Somehow, the creature had sensed their presence despite Danny's invisibility.
More specifically, it had sensed Danny.
The group barely had time to react.
From behind one of the massive pillars hidden in the shadows, Black Manta suddenly launched forward using the propulsion systems built into his suit. Water exploded behind him as he rocketed straight toward Aquaman with a thick dagger aimed directly for his chest.
Arthur was able to react instantly. Years of battle experience kept him from lowering his guard, even for a second. He spun his trident upward just in time to block the strike with the shaft of the weapon.
The impact still hit with tremendous force.
The collision sent both men flying across the chamber, Danny's invisibility breaking around Arthur as he crashed violently into another stone pillar hard enough to crack it.
"Your Majesty!!" Jackson and Tula shouted in alarm.
Arthur pushed himself upright with a grim look on his face while Black Manta landed several feet away from him.
"Of course," Arthur growled in annoyance, "it should have been obvious you were involved in this, Manta."
At the same time, the ghost pirates Danny and the others had seen earlier began flooding into the cathedral chamber from every entrance. Spectral figures carrying cutlasses and old firearms surrounded the group from all sides.
"Yarhahahaha! You're too late!" Youngblood shouted while laughing maniacally like a deranged pirate captain.
Danny immediately teleported across the room, appearing directly in front of Mera in an attempt to free her before Youngblood could react. 'Like taking candy from a baby—'
"Oh no you don't!" Youngblood lunged forward instantly. His hook hand transformed with a metallic shift into a cannon barrel before unleashing a stream of scorching blue flames directly at Danny.
Danny reacted just as quickly. He thrust both hands forward and released a beam of freezing ghostly ice energy.
The two attacks collided close to where Mera was tied.
A violent explosion burst outward from the impact, sending freezing mist and blue fire scattering through the cathedral. The force knocked both Danny and Youngblood backward, though Youngblood landed much closer to Mera.
"Like I said," Youngblood sneered, "you're too late!"
Before anyone could stop him, Youngblood placed his remaining hand over Mera's lowered head.
Spectral green energy immediately spread from his body into hers.
Mera's body jerked slightly before her eyes snapped open. They glowed completely emerald green.
"No!" Arthur shouted with worry.
A massive wave of magical energy exploded outward from Mera's body. The entire chamber shook violently.
Danny barely managed to raise a force-field around himself before the blast hit him full force, sending him tumbling backward through the water despite his shield protecting him from the worst of it.
The magical pressure inside the room continued rising rapidly. The water vibrated violently around them as glowing cracks suddenly began appearing in the space above Mera herself.
Reality started splitting apart like shattered glass. Beyond the fractures was another realm entirely, glowing with endless emerald green light.
The Ghost Zone.
Then the cracks widened further.
Dozens of ghostly sea creatures surged out from the openings between dimensions.
A massive school of spectral undersea leviathans flooded into the living world, swimming wildly through the cathedral chamber. Their bodies resembled enormous aquatic predators, each one nearly the size of a small whale with hammerhead-shaped skulls and glowing green eyes.
One of the creatures immediately charged Danny.
Its massive jaws snapped shut around him, nearly crushing him entirely if not for the force-field protecting his body. "Whoa!"
Danny blasted himself backward with a burst of ectoplasmic energy just before the creature could bite down harder. He immediately fired a stream of ice at the leviathan's mouth, freezing its jaws completely shut beneath thick layers of spectral ice.
"Tula! Worst case scenario is a go!" Danny shouted while pushing himself farther away from the raging creature.
Tula immediately activated her communicator.
"Activate the isolation protocol!" she ordered the Atlantean forces outside. "We can't allow this to spread to the rest of Atlantis!"
Around her, Garth and Jackson were already battling the ghost pirates flooding deeper into the chamber, trying desperately to keep the situation from spiraling even further out of control.
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