Chapter Text
“Fallen whale carcasses, abundant in the deep-sea, form ecosystems of their own. When a whale dies and sinks, the carcass provides a sudden, concentrated food source and creates an 'island' of organic matter on an otherwise food-poor seabed. Its body can last for decades, supporting an ever-changing ecosystem that blooms out of the barren darkness like flowers in spring. As it decomposes, different stages support a succession of marine biological communities…
He lost.
For the first time in three years, Superman had lost.
It hurts..
He had a hole in his pectoral fin, and his body temperature was well below its normal means. A diatomaceous ooze coated the sea floor, sticking to his skin. He was nearly paralyzed, the never-ending darkness making it harder to tell if he was anywhere near the surface, or if he breached the abyss in his dreamless sleep. It didn’t really matter; without the sun, he wouldn’t heal. He simply had no energy to reach the surface.
His breathing slowed, his heart rate coming down to match it.
There was an uncomfortable silence all around him. He longed to see the sun again, longed for the hustle and bustle of Metropolis.
He didn't want to be alone.
At some point, a pervasive itch near his tail caught his attention. Given his limited mobility, he couldn’t do much more than move his tail or swivel his head side to side. He decided to power through and focus on conserving his last bit of energy; better to be uncomfortable than be dead.
The itch persists, expanding towards his caudal fin like stinging needles against throbbing flesh. On instinct, he began violently flailing, fanning clouds of rock and sand into the air. Even in the dark, he could practically feel something fleeing the scene, undoubtedly shocked by his sudden, rigorous movement. His body promptly shut down, leaving him only enough energy to roll on his stomach and gaze into the endless night.
With the dust now settled, he noticed tiny flakes of white debris trickling from above. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, catching subtle bouts of movement several feet away. He didn’t think anything would be able to live out here, somewhere so empty and devoid of life. There were no coral reefs, no kelp beds, no rocky channel, just small jagged rocks and grimy sand.
He focused on his breathing, trying to even out his short, ragged breath, before his heart stopped. I wonder how strange this looks to your average mer, he thought. Superman, face down in the sand, gradually gasping for air without the energy to move his arms or tail.
He prayed no one would see him like this.
The night was never-ending.
The only sign he was alive was the faint movement of his chest, rising and falling with each measured breath. It didn’t take long for little swarms of fish to crowd around him, eagerly waiting for his imminent demise. A part of him felt bad every time a weird, fuzzy crab would climb atop his back and realize his heart was still beating and his flesh mostly intact. Of course, a large part of him had longed to see the sun; to make it out alive and return to Metropolis unscathed.If only Lois could see me now.
He could practically feel the dissonant hum running through every creature that hovered over him. From strange worm-like eels to sharks with six gills, there was a constant stream of activity drifting towards him. Surprisingly, he wasn’t too worried about it. A majority of these creatures seemed content to hang around him, occasionally ramming into his side and knocking a few scales out of place. It kinda tickled to be honest.
To the average onlooker, his paralyzed form must’ve resembled a large rock, minus the numerous white spots on his trunk and tail. He was surprised that the amount of fish he accrued hadn't attracted any large predators, but he’s counting his blessings as is, so he shouldn’t question it.
Suddenly, a flash of golden-brown shot past him, causing the creatures around him to flee in an instant.
Looks like luck isn’t on his side this time.
Clark was on high alert, watching a violent struggle unfold before him. Dust clouds came and went, disturbed sand settling once more as the thrashing eventually ceased. A sweet, metallic scent caught him off guard, blood turning to mist as it drifted with the current.
Glowing, glassy eyes peered at him through the dark.
A chill ran down his spine, startling a low growl from within. He puffed his chest out unconsciously, his instincts going haywire, practically screeching dangerin his ear.Calm down, Clark. You don’t even know what’s out there.
He earned a growl in return, one softer than his own, yet somehow more venomous. The vague outline of a mer came into view, its tail a strangely pearlescent hue. It was half his size, most likely a pup, but it didn’t look like any species he’s familiar with. Besides the wide-eyed stare, its skin was tan and somewhat ashy, with remnants of baby fat on its cheeks. The most bizarre thing was its lack of a dorsal fin, giving it a more eel-like appearance than normal. It was protecting one of those now dead worm-eels(?), a perfect suctioned circle left in loo of a normal bite mark.
Hostility poured out of it in droves, the pup’s body seemingly doubling in size in an attempt to intimidate him. It would’ve worked on any other creature, but it had somewhat of a calming effect on Clark, the mer pup going from alien monster to prickly puffer-fish in two seconds. The poor thing was probably convinced he was trying to steal its prey, so he made the conscious effort to curl in on himself, letting it believe it had won in this show of dominance.
Thankfully, this act of submission got the pup to stop growling at him, but he could practically taste the suspicion that followed. It made a show of glaring at him as it slowly bit down on the eel in the sand, which was kinda funny since even if he wanted to, Clark didn’t have the energy to steal the fish from it anyway.
It cautiously inched away from him, glaring all the while. The sight of a small mer pup possessively gnawing on a worm-eel-thing, scooting away from him as if he would suddenly lunge at it, was a bit amusing, all things considered. Until he realized that this was the only sentient(?) being he'd seen all night, and there was no guarantee he would find someone who could help him get back to the surface anytime soon.
“W-wait….!”
He struggled to force any sound out, his near immobility finally taking its toll on his vocal cords.
The pup froze instantly, its spiky black hair now standing on end. Its ears perked up, so it definitely heard him at least, but whether that means the pup was actually going to help him or was coming up with an escape plan is up for debate. He hoped that talking to the little guy would sway him towards the latter, but all that did was cause a coughing fit to rip through his throat. Apparently, this was enough to convince the pup to approach him, swimming just close enough for Clark to get a clearer view of its face, but far enough that it had room to bolt if things went south.
Clark made the conscious effort to stay as still as possible, letting the pup warm up to him on its terms rather than his. It didn’t take long, the pup assessing him in an instant before deciding he wasn’t a threat. On the bright side, that meant it wasn’t afraid to circle him and exist more than two feet from his face, but the downside was that he quickly discovered the thing had no concept of boundaries.
It made a beeline for his dorsal fin, curiously nipping at anything it could get its grubby little mitts on. Anytime Clark attempted to squirm out of reach, the pup would move with him. It was attached to his side like a barnacle on a humpback, only more deadly with huge eyes.
Pain coursed through him in an instant, startling a yelp out of him. Looks like he found my right pectoral fin.
He awkwardly shuffled around, hoping the sudden movement would startle the pup away, but instead he got little needles in his flesh and a very determined mer pup inspecting his flesh wound.
He put on his signature Clark Kent smile, which came out looking more like a grimace. “H-hey bud..! Mind puttin’ your claws away please?”
He was promptly ignored; the pup didn’t even bother to look at him then. For some reason, it was very insistent on examining his injured fin. It was only a couple of inches away from shoving his entire face through it (not like it would fit, but still). Once it was satisfied, it hastily swam away, leaving nothing but a flash of golden-brown in his periphery.
“Wait!”
It was too late. By the time he realized the pup was moving, it had already disappeared, hidden by the inky, black clearing before him.
And just like that, his only chance at getting help had swam off faster than he could act.
God, damn it.
Clark Kent was lying face down on a slab of solid stone.
He blinked back his remaining drowsiness with tired eyes, his vision somewhat blurred as it adjusted to his new environment. There was a distant ache in his right fin, the kind he’d normally associate with his healing factor kicking in. That wasn’t possible, of course; there was no sun down here, and his body was practically freezing…
His eyes snapped open in an instant.
“Oh, good! You’re awake.”
Clark was met with the smiling face of a wide-eyed mer. It was a young boy, no older than sixteen, with glassy-green eyes similar to the pup he’d met before. In the dimly lit room, they almost seemed to glow, contrasting with his jet-black-hair and prominent gill slits. There was a fleshy, frilled lining behind each slit, a sliver of bright red peaking through with every breath. Curiously, he had a layer of soot spread across his face, making it harder to make out the finer details of his face.
“Lucky Dami found you when he did, you were likethis close to becoming fish food.” His tone was light as he darted around the room, grabbing stacks of paper scrolls and stone tablets and moving them around the room.
Clark doesn’t remember much, besides his brief interaction with the strange mer pup, and he definitelydoesn’t remember falling asleep. His eyes are drawn to a ball of light nestled between two stacks of scrolls, the edges of which look fuzzy to him. Kinda like those sea bunnies he’d find exploring coral reefs as a kid.
Eventually, he peered down at his now sewn-up pectoral fin, the once gaping hole now an angry patch of neatly stitched skin. He could practically feel his healing factor slowly kicking in, but how or why was a separate issue. His head swiveled around the room, following the frantic movement of the boy in an attempt to meet his gaze.
“You patched me up?”
He gave a dismissive nod. “Nah, B was the one who did that, I was the one who figured out you had a light-based healing factor.” He pointed at the various balls of light all around the room. “Making the lanterns is easy to make on paper, but I didn’t have enough algae to make more than five.”
Clark didn’t really know what that meant, but he’s just glad to be alive right now.<
“Who’s B?”
The mer ignored him, opting to pull out and rearrange more scrolls before yanking a leather-bound book out from a pile of textbooks. “Ah Ha!”
He held it up proudly, flipping through a couple of pages before tucking a stick of charcoal along the spine. “Now that that’s settled, I was hoping you’d give me some insight into your physiology; I don’t know many mers from the pelagic zone, much less ones with a light-based healing factor, so if theirs anything you’re willing to share-”
“Tim.”
In just one word, the atmosphere had completely changed. Darkness incarnate lingered at the cave’s entrance, the mere outline of a mer obscured in cast shadow. The lantern's light seemed to barely reach it, illuminating the vague outline of a man’s face. Just like the other two mers, his eyes refract any light around him, flashing a luminous green when their eyes finally met. He has a similar smudge of soot spread across his face, obscuring everything but the tip of his nose and mouth. Unfortunately, the dim lantern’s light made it harder for him to see anything more precise than the fangs protruding from his upper and lower lip.
He had an aura about him, the kind that would take up space in any room, draw every wandering eye to him with nothing but a passing glance and a smile.
Now's probably not the time to wax poetically about a stranger, Kent.
The young mer, Tim, seemed to shrink in on himself before stiffly turning to face the figure hovering behind him. He smiled sheepishly. “H-hey B! Did you need something or…”
“I wanted to see how our guest was holding up.”
Clark's ears perked up. “O-oh, uh, I’m fine now, thank you.”
The man didn’t acknowledge him.
“Pity he’s still alive.” He turned to Clark then, "Your body would've sustained the abyss for at least a decade or two.”
“I–what?”
“It’s a compliment.”
Tim made a mock gagging sound, as Clark was stunned to silence. It didn’t know what was worse, the fact that this stranger had insinuated that he wanted him dead, or the fact that he sounded completely serious. The older mer’s attention was directed towards the pup, the two locked in silent conversation before Tim ended it with an eye roll.
“Go find Damian. I’ll be back in a bit.”
The young mer sent him an exasperated frown but obeyed nonetheless. The older mer sent Clark a small nod, beckoning him to follow. He scrambled to follow him, nearly face-planting into the cave floor when pushing off the stone table. Despite the man’s size, he was surprisingly fast, swiftly navigating a winding cave system before reaching a vast ocean clearing. Clark struggled to keep up, probably because he still hadn’t recovered from his temporary paralysis. He had to constantly remind his body that he wasn’t in energy-saving mode anymore. It didn’t help that he could barely see more than a few feet in front of him before bumping into something.
The two come to a complete stop a few feet from the cave’s entrance, the older mer moving to swim beside him. He wordlessly held out a rounded fin, the message ringing loud and clear. Clark sheepishly took hold of it, constantly adjusting his grip to find a comfortable position. Thankfully, the man said nothing, opting to gaze at the jet-black sky instead.
“Hold on.”
He took off, the two soaring through the water, with occasional debris falling atop them. Clark hadn’t realized the man’s scales were transparent, a hint of peach giving way to bone and nerve. From some angles, it was an ashy grey, which was weird, but also incredibly fascinating. Most of the things down here were fascinating. And creepy. Very,...very creepy.
By the time Clark has the foresight to focus on his surroundings, the once endless night has turned to shades of navy. It was not yet the open expanse of shimmering blue, but there was enough light peaking through the vast sea that it was familiar. His swimming partner abruptly stopped, the sudden halt nearly throwing Clark off him.
“Let go,” he huffed.
Okay, rude.
He tentatively let go, swimming a few feet away to give the man his personal space. The two hovered there awkwardly; Clark wasn’t sure whether to thank him now, or wait till the other mer spoke. Whatever, just get it over with, Kent, and you can finally go home. Lois is definitely going to yell at me when I get back.
Right as he opened his mouth, his companion locked his shockingly determined sights onto him.
“Your name,” his voice was flat, contrasting his hunched shoulders and darting eyes.
“......What?”
A faint blush dusted the man’s cheeks.“I didn’t get your name.”
Huh... Cute.
He blinked back his surprise.“Oh ... .um. It’s Clark, Clark Kent.”
The man nodded, the tension dissipating for just a moment. He needed to say something, keep the man talking for just a little bit longer. But by the time he worked up the courage, the other mer had already begun his descent. He spared one last glance towards Clark.
“Goodbye Mr. Kent,..may we never meet again.”