Toxic Merman (JonDami Fic)

Burial Tranquility

Somewhere in the middle of The Pacific Ocean
Burial Tranquility
Time - Night

{Damian}

           "Her body will decay in peace here," Mera said. "You don't have to worry."
           Here I thought, I would see Iruka one last time to apologize and make peace before returning back on land. But here we are, at a funeral for her.
           F*ck!
           I wasn't expecting this at all.
           Not. At. All.
           One of the worse possible ways of living after someone you care about dies is living with regrets. The regret of not saying the things you needed to say, the regret of waiting too long, not taking action immediately... and so much more that I'm about to feel as the time comes.
           We left the raging sea and opened a portal to more peaceful waters... farther from the storm. More specifically, Burial Tranquility. It is a graveyard for creatures who wish to decay in peace. I remembered clearly Iruka mentioned that dolphins are left in open waters for other creatures to feast on.
           But no. F*ck sea traditions.
           The graveyard's depth is even deeper than the Mariana Trench which is to prevent even deep-sea creatures from reaching the deceased bodies. What lies in there? I don't know. Not even Mera. But all we know is there are tons of dead bodies down there, decaying with time. The bodies are decomposed with the help of good bacteria and parasites which distributes the good requirements the sea needs and eats the bad ones.
           It's already night time and the waters really dark. But thankfully Mera's here to shine some light in our surroundings. She cast a spell which created millions of bubbles that glowed in the dark. The surrounding looks like its filled with hundreds of fireflies flying around but with bubbles.

           The breathtaking scenery reminded me of the time where Iruka and I took shelter in a cave in Hawaii. It was pitch black in there too but the waters lit up thanks to the hundreds and thousands of bioluminescent bacteria.

           Just remembering that moment made my chin quiver again that I had to press my fingers against it to stop it.
           Mera cast a whirlpool protection around Iruka's body to ensure she lands safely in Burial Tranquility. Ones it touches the seabed, the whirlpool will fade away, leaving her body with the other dead bodies or whatever that place is supposed to do.
           As the body was sinking deeper and deeper, I couldn't help but sob some more. I guess this happens naturally when someone dies right? Or some creature. I kept my eyes on her body until it faded into the darkness, making sure that I'll remember how she looks even after a decade has passed. Iruka, the dolphin with a mark on her tail.
           "Damian, a few words?" Mera places her hand on my shoulder.
           I shake my head slowly.
           I have some things to say... but right now, I couldn't come up with the words because my mind is still filled with rage and sadness. It's completely occupied in there. Not to mention I lost my voice for a while from sobbing too much.
           Eventually, the body was completely out of sight, into the darkness. I folded my arms and started sniffling so much that I had to turn my back to Mera as I close my eyes. I didn't want her to see me like this.
           I held my breath and covered my gills with my palms to stop my breathing structure for a while, hoping that the sniffling would stop. But it didn't because now I'm able to breathe both air and water. There's no way for me to hold my breath and suffocate for a moment.
           "Damian." Mera swam in front of me but I avoided her eyes by staring down the empty waters. "It's okay to cry. Everyone does."
           "You've just lost a friend, you have every right to cry."
           I didn't respond anything because if I do, I'll start whimpering in my sentences. Mera swam closer towards me because I saw her legs moving closer. The moment I lift my head up, she pulled me in for a hug. I was stunned but at the same time, I didn't want her to let go. Then I started sniffling and sobbing again. It's true what they said. When you're sad and someone gives you physical contact, you'll start to cry but you'll feel secure. This saying has proven itself to be true one too many times whenever I get hugs from Jon or just by placing his hand on my cheeks or shoulders My chin rested on her shoulder while her arms were around me. Her red rose hair dancing along with the water patterns, gently hitting and gliding off my face.
           Yes, I do feel secure.
           It's first time hugging someone who isn't Jon... and I'm not mad or weirded out about it. But Mera is a female to which I'm hesitant to hug her back due to respect and boundaries. So, I leave my arms hanging next to my body and just let it out.

After a while...

           "Feeling better?" She asks before releasing me.
           "Yes, thanks," I said.
           I truly felt a little better after the hug. But now I felt a little embarrassed to see her in the eyes because I wasn't strong enough to handle my own pain that she had to step in and give me a hug.
           "It's alright," Mera said with a small chuckle. "Everyone deserves a hug... regardless if they're male, female, creatures, or whatever."
           "And, you don't have to be strong all by yourself okay?"
           "Alright," I responded when I place my arms behind my back.
           "You ready to head back?" Mera asks.
           "Yes," I said immediately.
           "Alright then." She said.
           She closes her eyes and held her left hand close to her face with only the index and middle finger up and close together while the ring and little finger were folded and the thumb rested on them... or gun style. She stood still for a straight second before her powers began flowing out of her index and middle finger. When she opened her eyes, she aims her fingers like a gun and fired her powers towards the open sea.
           In no time, the portal to Atlantis began opening in front of us. As it opens, she gave me her hand and I took it. Ones it was big enough, we swam straight into it and the portal closed behind us.

Atlantis, Royal Throne Room
Time - Night

            The portal opened to the throne room of the palace. When we got out of the portal, we see Aquaman who was sitting on the throne is now up and coming towards us.
            "How was it?" He asked with a hopeful smile.
            I didn't respond but looked away. But I knew he got the message when I felt Mera shaking her head to him.
            "She's didn't make it," Mera said as she saw Aquaman's smile slowly fading.
            "I don't know what to say." He looked at me. He sighs and approached closer, placing his hand on my shoulder. "May Poseidon grant her some peace."
            "For now, let's get you back home. Batman and others are still waiting for us above the surface."
            "Okay," I responded.
            "Come, let's meet them at--
            "My King, my Queen, we got him!" A royal guard came barging in through the doors.
            "Him?" Mera turns to ask Aquaman.
            "Well bring him in!" Aquaman commanded the guard.
            Wait... who is he?
            I started recalling what Mera told Aquaman before leaving for Iruka's destination. She gave him Zayka's scale and told him to find Zayka.

            No...... no...... It couldn't be.
            From afar, there were six guards holding onto a prisoner who was covered in chains created by magic to repel powers.
            As they got closer, I began to see a clear image of who the prisoner was. And that moment, my rage started firing up that I couldn't think anything else but to perform brutal action.
            "Your highness, we've finally captured Zayka Depth."