The first one Isaac noticed was a stunningly beautiful red head, she was wearing a green scaled, one piece, swimsuit like outfit that looked painted on. While the suit was incredibly alluring, especially with how tight it was, it didn't actually show a lot of skin. In fact, other than her arms and an open slit at her chest, that showed off her incredible breasts, it covered the rest of her body completely.
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Isaac knew the underwater beauty wasn't just there for show, she carried herself like a warrior and had the build of one as well. She was also the one responsible for hiding from his senses, Isaac sensed the magic coming off of her. She wasn't as strong as him, but she wasn't a slouch either, she had some decent power in her. Her partner, for lack of a better term, was huge, not as tall as Isaac but close, he was also incredibly well built. He also looked exactly like the actor Jason Momoa, from his past life. The two strangers both carried tridents, though the man held one that was much, much stronger, Isaac could practically taste its power.
'So, Arthur already has the trident, interesting' Isaac thought to himself. He found it interesting that while Arthur looked like his actor, Mera did not in fact look like Amber Heard, thank God. She, in fact, had the face of the actress who played her in Smallville, Elena Satine, but with an even better body.
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"Can I help you two?" Isaac asked. He kept his guard up in case they weren't here to talk. Aquaman, unsurprisingly was the first to speak.
"Yes, you can tell us what you are doing down here land-dweller?" he asked, his trident raised towards me. Mera laid a hand on the arm with the weapon and squeezed, getting Aquaman to lower it. Isaac acted confused, pretending not to know why Arthur would ask.
"And why is that any of your business?" Aquaman did not appreciate that response and raised his trident once again, growling in anger. Isaac half expected him to attack but it was actually Mera who responded, and in spectacular fashion.
"Fool, you stand in the presence of the King of Atlantis and the Ruler of these waters!" She proclaimed fiercely as she released her hold on her magic, projecting it threateningly, that might have worked on almost any other person. Unfortunately, for her, Isaac was much, much stronger than her, and he thought it was time they knew that. So as soon as she was done, Isaac released his full magical might for the first time in years. For Isaac this was an incredibly freeing action, he felt light than he could remember ever being, but he knew his visitors would not enjoy it at all. He focused his magical might on them and held it there for a moment before he spoke.
"You dare order me around, especially after I risked my life to solve your fucking problems! If you're the God damn King than why the fuck didn't you deal with that monster when you knew it got free?! You arrogant fuck, if I wanted to, I could kill you both, easily, and there would be nothing you could do about it, so show some fucking respect!" Isaac demanded. He kept the pressure on them for only a few seconds after he finished his tirade and then it was like it was never there.
Mera looked on the verge of passing out while Aquaman was hunched over leaning on his trident for support. They both looked at Isaac in shock and fear, Aquaman hid his well, Mera had another look in her eyes that Isaac couldn't quite place so he dismissed it. He felt good putting them in their place, especially with how rude they were, 'maybe now they will behave better', he thought.
Mera stood back up and faced him, her back straight and her head held high, although she had trouble looking him in the eyes, and spoke.
"You have our apologies sorcerer, you are correct, by any diplomatic standard we were rude. We should have, at least, introduced ourselves and been more polite when asking for an account of what happened here. Please accept our apologies and let us start over." From the look on his face, Aquaman clearly did not like the idea of apologizing, but Isaac could also tell that he didn't think Mera was completely wrong for doing so. Isaac wanted to make them sweat a little, so he took his time responding.
"Thank you for your apologies, I accept them of course. Let us start over, I am Isaac Queen and as for what I am doing down here, I will tell you that after you introduce yourselves." Aquaman let out a slight growl of frustration at Isaac's response but nodded all the same.
"I am Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis and ruler of the Oceans."
"Nice to meet you, your Highness." Isaac said casually as he waited for Mera to go next.
"My name is Y'Mera Xebella Challa, Princess of Xebel but you can just call me Mera. I also happen to be the royal court's sorceress, and may I add I have never felt magical strength like yours before, not from a human, it is very impressive." Mera added.
After the introductions were done Isaac kept his promise and told them exactly what happened, except the part where he took the advanced submarine (he just told them they retreated.). Mera and Arthur looked to be having a silent conversation after hearing everything that happened. Isaac quickly grew bored with it and asked a question that had been nagging him since he first came across that monstrous creature.
"What was that creature?" Mera and Arthur looked startled by the question and glanced at each other before Arthur spoke.
"That was the ancient Leviathan. No one knows how old it is or how it came to be, but we do know it is one of, if not the strongest underwater creatures. If the Leviathan had been freed many of my people would have died, besides myself and maybe Mera no one else would have had the strength to fight it. For that alone you have my thanks, truly." Arthur added gratefully. Isaac could tell it hurt him a bit to admit that, but he also saw that Arthur meant it, so that was something.
"I suspect even his majesty doesn't know how right he is in thanking you. See King Arthur wasn't raised underwater like I was, so there are a few gaps in his knowledge of our history. While everyone knows the legend of the Leviathan there is a bit of information that only the royal families know, it is passed down from parent to child when they reach adulthood. My father told me that Leviathan's true power was so great that before it could be imprisoned it had to have its power drained, if it had remained free for even a day it would have been too powerful for even Arthur to fight. The Leviathan you fought Isaac was but a shell of itself and thank Poseidon for that. It used to be our greatest guardian, and weapon, when Poseidon ruled, he was the only one who could control it, but he's not around anymore so this is all we can do." Arthur looked just as shocked as Isaac after hearing Mera's story. Isaac could not believe that the creature he had fought was the anorexic version, it was a bit terrifying to think of what it was like at full strength.
As he contemplated that lovely thought, he noticed Mera and Arthur huddled together, talking in hushed whispers. Eventually, they stopped and faced him, looked back at each other and when Arthur nodded to Mera, she faced him again.
"Isaac Queen, on behalf of his majesty King Arthur we acknowledge a great debt is owed to you and we would see it paid. Please join us to Atlantis so that we may find a way to reward you properly for you actions in defending our home." Isaac looked at Arthur to see if this was in fact a serious offer and when he did, he saw Arthur nod at him. Isaac was truly surprised, he never saw this coming, but that did not mean he wouldn't take full advantage of it. Atlantean magic was after all one of the rare pieces of magic that he did not know, and Isaac hoped to fix that during his trip there.
"You honor me. Thank you for the invitation, your majesty, I of course accept and look forward to seeing the mythical Atlantis. If we are leaving now, may I have a moment to make some arrangements, I have a few obligations back home that need to be adjusted."
"Of course, Isaac., take as long as you need. We will leave once you are done." Mera answered. Isaac used a long-range telepathy spell to reach Blackfire and let her know what was happening. After a quick conversation that left Blackfire more than a little annoyed, Isaac was ready to leave. He turned to the two Atlanteans and told them as much.
"Good, we're going to be moving very fast so hang on tight." Mera warned. Regardless of how unmanly it looked, Isaac wrapped his arms around Mera's waist and did as she said. It was a good thing too because they were of like a fucking rocket. While Mera did not swim as fast as Arthur she still swam at unbelievable speeds. They were moving so fast Isaac couldn't even enjoy any of the underwater sights, they passed by them too fast.
In almost no time Isaac felt a surge of incredibly strong magic pass over him and realized that they had just passed through a magical barrier. As they came into view of Atlantis Isaac's mouth dropped, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The beauty of the city's architecture was astounding, and centuries ahead of what the surface world was capable of. The way the mythical metropolis created a symbiosis with the underwater ecosystem was nothing short of breathtaking.
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Seeing it in real life was so much more different than seeing it on a movie screen or in a comic book, it was like comparing a black and white movie to an Imax movie in 2023. Isaac was honestly shocked. He couldn't stop gawking at all the different glowing creatures swimming by that helped illuminate the city. Isaac imagined that from the city floor it probably looked a lot staring up at a sky full of stars.
"Hahaha! Isaac, you should see your face." Mera chuckled out. "Did you even hear a word I said?" She asked, her eyes alight with mirth.
"Um, no sorry, I was distracted." Isaac replied, still staring at the incredible view of the city. Mera repeated herself good-naturedly, in apparent understanding. She told him of the rules of the city, repeating the most important ones to ensure he had understood them. She also told him what being a guest of the King meant in their world and impressed upon him how important it was to behave. After she had finished with her warning, she let him know that they would be seeing the King right away.
One short swim later and they were walking through the main hallway of the royal palace, heading towards the throne room. Isaac's head was constantly moving, tying to take everything in, it was all just so beautiful to him. Once they were in the throne room, Arthur cleared the room, after having two chairs brought in. They spent the next 20 minutes going over possible rewards to gift Isaac for his defense of Atlantis. What they ended up deciding to gift him with was, in part, quite the surprise to Isaac.
They agreed to give him private tutoring sessions with Mera, their best magic user, tutelage in their advanced sciences, a sample of Arthur's blood and finally he was to be considered, formally, a friend of Atlantis. Isaac was honestly surprised that they agreed to give him a sample of Arthur's blood, especially knowing that he was a magic user, but he wasn't going to complain. After finding, and setting up, a room for him within the palace, right across from Mera's, they set up a schedule for his training and studying. He tried to find a way to divide his time between the two worlds while still maintaining his lessons, but he just did not see a way to do so.
He needed to stay down here full time until he was finished with his magic lessons, at the least, but he had to make a few phone calls before he started. Isaac spent the next hour calling loved ones and letting them know he would be out of town for some time. He also called Felicity to push up the timeline for his phone's release date and Sarah Shahi to let her know he'd be out of town for a few months but planned to stay in touch. She seemed to understand, especially given who he was, and was looking forward to seeing him again. Drained from the day's events and all the phone calls, Isaac laid down on his bed and fell fast asleep, with thoughts of what he'd soon be learning.
Just like that, seven months passed by in a flash, each day was filled with lessons in Magic, advanced Science, and advanced Technology. He also spent that time getting to know Arthur and Mera, he often spared with them both, focusing on his physical abilities with Arthur and then his magical ones with Mera. Besides his occasional phone calls to the surface, Isaac had not been back up at all in the past seven months. The time had been well spent though, he had picked up Atlantean magic with exceptional ease and his lesson in their tech and sciences had just come to an end as well. Mera estimated that he matched the knowledge of their most preeminent scientists, there was nothing more for him to be taught.
Isaac walked down the hallway, back to his room, exhausted from his official last day of training and all he wanted to do was sleep. His mind already full of thoughts of his incredibly comfortable bed, Isaac neglected to watch where he was walking.
"Bam!"
"Isaac!" Mera shouted from the ground; her papers strewn all over the floor.
"Oh shit! My bad Princess, didn't see you there." Isaac apologized as he helped her off the floor a gathered up her papers.
"Clearly." She said as she rolled her eyes, seemingly annoyed, but Isaac saw the smirk on her lips. He just chuckled watching her. Isaac and Mera had spent a lot of time together over the course of his training. They had laughed, drank, and even flirted with each other, with everyone else Mera was the consummate professional, the ice princess, but not with him. Isaac was the only person who had ever seen Mera do a spit take, it was hilarious, watching her as she sprayed her drink all over the table. She was a lot more fun to be around then he first thought, and Isaac knew he would miss her the most, he knew he had to make the most of what time he had left with her.
"Hey, Princess, clear your schedule for this evening, you're coming over and were getting drunk. I can't believe I'm leaving in two days." Isaac added somberly. He really had enjoyed his time in Atlantis. Mera thought it over for a second, before responding.
"Sure, I'll bring over some of the good stuff Arthur likes to hide. You're lucky my schedule is actually pretty light for the next few days, its almost like I knew you were leaving." She added, sarcasm thick in her voice. With that settled Mera walked off in a hurry and Isaac found his bed as quickly as he could, he needed a nap.
Isaac woke up with plenty of time to prepare for Mera's arrival. He took care of his hygiene regiment after his shower and set about cooking the delicious surface cuisine, pizza. Mera had never had it before, so Isaac was looking forward to her reaction. Before he knew Mera was knocking on his door, Isaac yelled out that it was open and watched as Mera let herself in. One thing Isaac noticed about his teacher was that she could be wearing sweats and still be the best-looking person in the room. Isaac was just lucky Arthur hadn't made any moves on her yet apparently, she was just one of his subjects at this point, his loss.
As they waited for his masterpiece pizza to be done cooking, Mera and Isaac just talked about their respective lives and how different, yet similar, their two worlds were. While consuming some great Atlantean alcohol, Arthur had great taste. Isaac let his hands linger on her thighs and shoulders as they talked and laughed when finally, it was time.
"Ding!"
"Ah, the food is ready, finally! I'm starving." Isaac commented as he went to retrieve their freshly cooked pie.
"You're not the only one, I could eat a Narwhal right now." Mera whined, her full, pink lips pouting.
"Well, I don't have a Narwhal on hand, but I think I can still satisfy you." Isaac flirted. Mera's cheeks reddened at that, before she could turn away Isaac put down his homemade pizza and watched as Mera practically drooled from the smell. Isaac had made a stuff-crust, mushroom, green pepper, and beef pizza for their dinner and it looked spectacular.
After letting it cool for a moment, Mera took the first bite.
"Ahhhhh." Mera moaned out. The noises Mera made as she ate his food put a lot of dirty thoughts into Isaac's head, not that there weren't some there already.
"Damn Mera, do you need some privacy?" Isaac joked. Mera didn't respond, her eyes closed to the world as she practically worshiped the slice in her hand. After getting by the initial shock of tasting a pizza for the first time Mera returned back to normal, somewhat, and they both just enjoyed each other's company. After the pizza was demolished by the pizza monster, Mera, Isaac put on some surface world music and taught Mera how land dwellers danced.
They both were pretty tipsy at that point and as Isaac ran his hands over Mera's body, moving her to the beat, he felt her respond to his touch. Her body pressing back into him, her arms wrapping around the back of his neck, exposing hers to him, he almost had her.