Daniel noticed the change in Mera's expression immediately.
Unlike Arthur, she had recognized him.
That wasn't surprising. Atlantis and the other kingdoms constantly monitored the surface world. A man appearing in Metropolis and displaying impossible abilities was exactly the sort of thing their intelligence networks would investigate.
"So, from that expression, I take it you know who I am?" Daniel asked.
Mera didn't answer.
Instead, she slowly raised her hand.
The ocean behind her responded instantly. Water rose from the sea and twisted into several sharp spears that hovered around her, hardening as pressure and magic compressed them into deadly points.
Daniel merely glanced at them.
"Don't bother. That was a last resort, not my preferred solution."
Mera didn't lower her guard.
"But you would do it," she said. "If the sea Kingdoms attack the surface."
"Yes."
The ocean wind blew between them.
"I would give warnings first. Try diplomacy. If nobody listens and war becomes unavoidable..." Daniel shrugged. "Then I'd use the butcher's knife."
"Death doesn't mean much to you, does it?"
Daniel thought for a moment.
"Not really. Whether it's one death or a million, the tragedy remains the same. The only difference is scale."
"I prefer neutrality," he continued, looking toward the horizon. "The sea and the land can solve their own problems. But neutrality ends when someone decides to start a war."
"And if it's the surface that starts it?"
"Then it will be the surface that pays the price."
Mera blinked. She had expected a different answer.
"The side that starts a war should be prepared to bear the consequences," Daniel said. "I don't care whether they're Atlanteans, humans, gods, or beggars. If they choose war, they accept responsibility for everything that follows."
For the first time, Mera slowly lowered her hand. The water spears dissolved back into the ocean.
She still didn't trust him. But she no longer believed he was standing on the side of the surface world.
"If you're as neutral as you claim, why get involved at all?"
"Because when wars start, the people making the decisions usually aren't the ones paying for them." A faint trace of annoyance appeared on his face.
"The king stays in his palace. The generals stay behind their armies. The politicians give speeches about sacrifice. The people who actually suffer are the ones who never had a say."
He gestured toward the town behind them.
"A fisherman loses his boat. A family loses its home. Someone gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and their entire life is gone."
The sound of waves filled the silence.
"I don't care who rules Atlantis or who wins some political argument. But if millions of people are about to get dragged into a war they never asked for, I'll at least try to stop it."
Mera studied him carefully. Most powerful people talked about justice, duty, or power. Daniel's concern seemed far more ordinary.
"You care about the civilians."
Daniel shrugged.
"Someone should."
Mera looked toward the lighthouse where Arthur had gone. She understood now why Daniel had spent half the day trying to convince him.
If war broke out, it wouldn't just be soldiers dying on a battlefield — coastal cities would be destroyed, civilians on both sides would die, entire communities paying for decisions made by rulers.
And that was exactly why she had come looking for Arthur.
Mera looked toward the lighthouse again.
The entire reason she had come here was because Arthur understood both worlds. He carried Atlantean blood, but he had been raised on the surface. If anyone could stop the conflict before it spiraled out of control, it was him.
Unfortunately, Arthur clearly disagreed.
"He doesn't seem interested," Mera said.
Daniel shrugged.
"People rarely are when the consequences still feel distant."
He glanced at her.
"So, allies?"
Mera thought about it briefly.
"Truce. We happen to want the same outcome."
Daniel nodded.
"Works for me."
Mera folded her arms.
"Then what exactly is your plan?"
"Didn't you say Orm wants a smooth path to war?"
"Yes."
"Then Arthur becomes a problem."
Mera immediately understood.
Arthur wasn't just Orm's brother.
He was also a legitimate claimant to the throne.
As long as Arthur existed, there would always be someone capable of challenging Orm's authority.
"The first thing Orm should do is remove that problem," Daniel said.
Mera's expression became serious.
"You think he'll make a move against Arthur?"
"I'd be disappointed if he didn't. Eliminating rivals is practically page one of the royal handbook."
The answer was so casual that it took Mera a second to process it.
"You seem remarkably calm about this."
Daniel looked toward the lighthouse.
"Arthur has spent years avoiding Atlantis because the consequences never reached him personally."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Most people can ignore a problem until it knocks on their door."
Mera blinked.
Realization dawned.
"So we just stand here and watch while Atlantean soldiers attack him?"
"Pretty much."
Mera had to admit that was one way to make people take a problem seriously—turning their life into a mess. Looking at Daniel's smile, she could tell this wasn't the first time he had done something like this.
*****
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