Chapter Four: Phantom King

By the next morning all the sky to the north had darkened and the saturated terrain had turned a neuter grey as far as the eye could see. People wandered along the wreckage like ghosts, empty husks of what they once were, cleaning the debris off the oceans shore.

Camille had been lending her assistance but there was little she could do to help their emotional states. Half of the town had lost everything they valued most, and there was nothing that could erase that... not even a new beginning.

She shivered to think of what could have happened if Aquaman hadn't been there. He may not have saved the entire town, but he prevented any more hardship for them. In some small way, she could sense that the townsfolk knew this and that only made it even more difficult to keep silent about it.

"Uh... excuse me?" A voice interrupted as Camille threw the last of the wooden wreckage into the back of a large truck.

The woman turned, wiping the sweat off her brow before jumping back down to the ground. "What can I do for you?"

The man looked a little uneasy, he was wearing a uniform that he obviously found extremely uncomfortable and was constantly fidgeting. It was like he was having trouble staying still. "I'm...umm...Barry Allen, Central City PD."

Camille raised a dark eyebrow at him and the man, at first, didn't seem to know what she was waiting for. Then it hit him all at one and the boy stumbled for his pocket. Finally, he brought out his wallet and flipped it open to reveal his identification...as well as his credit cards as they went flying from the force in which he had flipped it.

"Damn it!" Barry said in a slight panic, rushing to pick up all of his dropped possessions. "It looks so much cooler in the movies."

"Everything looks cooler in movies." Camille said with a stifled laugh. She took out her own identification, that was simply clipped to her belt, as she introduced herself " Officer Hanson. Welcome to the neighbourhood. What brings you here? I'm a little busy at the moment."

Barry, having at last sorted all of his cards back into his wallet, tucked it away and flashed his most convincing smile her way. "Well..."

Camille's brow furrowed. "Don't tell me you're here about the tsunami."

"Okay, I won't tell you that." Barry said sheepishly. "But I am though."

Camille stomped her foot in a slightly stubborn nature and crossed her arms over her chest. "What the hell are you doing down here? This is a disaster zone, not a crime scene."

Barry quickly replied. "I'm sure you know that tsunamis don't just happen; they're caused. Problem is that the cause doesn't exist for this here incident."

"And you found some lead that brought you here?" Camille responded, voice wavering with uncertainty.

Barry finally nodded and this time reached into the opposite pocket. He pulled out a picture and handed it over to her. She instantly recognised the man but she couldn't comprehend how a random scientist had procured such a clear photo.

"His name's Arthur Curry." Barry stated simply. "I need to ask him a few questions but no one in town seems to know who he is. Have you seen him around?"

Camille stared at the image for an adequate amount of time, or at least long enough to convince him that she'd given it her utmost attention. "I'm afraid I haven't. I'm sure I would've remembered seeing someone like that."

Barry's face twisted into disappointment. He wouldn't have resorted to asking around at all if he had his way, but there was no other option. He'd dashed around Amnesty Bay almost fifty times already, and an extra ten whilst he had been speaking to officer Hanson, but still he could find no sign of his missing friend. After searching every possible area on land only two options remained... Either he was somewhere too deep in the ocean for them to search or he was dead.

"Alright." Barry sighed heavily. "Thanks for your time."

Camille's lips tightened into a thin line as the scientist turned and walked away, shoulders slumped and head hung low. "No problem."

She hoped that she'd never have to feel that guilty again, or to tell that lie. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't the only one searching for Arthur.

Not long after this encounter, Camille had wandered over to the lighthouse. She knew he wasn't there, but she was urged to visit the rickety old structure anyway. Once inside she found that she was correct, Aquaman had left sometime late last night... but the room wasn't empty.

Sitting on the tattered mattress was a woman. Her hair reminded Camille of the burnt orange sunset over Amnesty Bay, it was warm and it tumbled over her shoulders like water reflecting the sun. Her eyes were no less beautiful. They were blue coral, so bright that you could still see them through a murky surface.

Camille straightened her posture and calmed herself, leaving all personal questions for after she addressed her duty. "Miss, you're trespassing on private property."

The woman finally turned, eyes widening at the sight of Camille. "A friend of mine lives here, I was hoping to catch him before he left."

"I'm sorry but no one's lived here in years." The officer lied through her teeth. "Now, if you refuse to leave the premises I'll be forced to place you under arrest."

The woman's furrowed her brow but didn't move an inch. "What are you doing here then?"

"I..." Camille gulped but forced herself to continue speaking. "I'm a cop. This is private property, so you better leave."

"You've seen him, haven't you?" The woman saw right through Camille's professional shell, cracking it with only a few words. "Please... I need to find him. His kingdom is deteriorating by the second without him in power."

Camille took a small stumble backwards. It sounded like she was telling the truth, but the officer had encountered plenty of good liars in her time. Instead of confirming or rejecting her own knowledge on Arthur's whereabouts, Camille simply remained silent.

Mera pushed up from the bed and stepped closer to the officer. She had an almost pleasing look on her face. One that not even the scummiest person could lie to. "Please, I just need to talk to him."

"I..."

"You shouldn't be here, Mera." A voice suddenly broke the air around them, and from behind Camille Arthur's form appeared.

The redhead sighed, relief visibly washing over her face. "I've been searching for weeks...months!"

"Maybe I didn't want to be found." Arthur groaned, moving Camille aside so that he could enter the room. "You need to go back."

"I can't." Mera replied lowly. "Orm knows that I have no loyalty to him. He'll have my head if I return."

Arthur had only to sharpen his foggy gaze in her direction for Mera to swiftly glance away. "Everything's falling apart without you, Arthur... We had to fight back somehow. We established a resistance, one only consisting of the people brave enough to stand against him."

Instantly, Arthur's face twisted into disapproval. "I told you to stay out of danger, and instead you brought others into my fight."

"It's not your fight! It's ours. We are the ones suffering at his hand, not you. We have more reason than anybody to stand against that tyrant." Mera refused to back down, in that moment, it was difficult to argue with her courage. "Let us join you. We have nowhere else to go, and if we come together I know we can overthrow his rule."

"I won't sacrifice more of my people for a damned crown!" Arthur finally boomed over her and his voice echoed through the lighthouse. "That is all."

Mera's expression suddenly darkened and her eyes narrowed up at him. "Only the king can command me. You are no king."

The police woman blinked at Mera in shock. If she spoke to her bosses like that she'd either be suspended or whacked across the head. Perhaps he had accepted his fate away from the throne, and so allowed people to treat him as such.

Arthur's face visibly darkened. He looked furious... Well, more so than usual. However, he was aware that he couldn't stop them from joining him - especially not Mera. She had always been a little too stubborn for her own good.

"...How many do we have?" He finally asked, seeming to give up on the idea of arguing with her.

"When we began, the resistance had numbers up to one hundred, but the loyalist army is...formidable. Many are either dead or too afraid to fight further. Most of the others were captured during our escape." Mera only half-answered, seeming to brush off his question altogether.

Arthur towered over her, casting an intimidating shadow that left her entire form in darkness. "How many?" He asked again, voice morphing into a growl.

Mera took a deep breath and strengthened her resolve once more. "Five, including myself."

"Five?!" Arthur roared. "You want to take the throne with five people?!"

"Well, six once you agree to it." Mera quipped with a smirk.

"Seven." Camille stated simply, grabbing both of their attention almost instantly. "I want to help as well."

"Land dwellers don't help." Was Arthur's reply. "Especially not in Atlantean matters."

"...Atlantean?" Camille 's voice wandered off, mind working in overdrive to remember where she'd heard that before. "What kingdom are you from exactly?"

The man didn't answer. He simply crossed his arms and slumped against a nearby wall. It was Mera that had to quench her curiosity, and she did so with an irritated glare in Arthur's direction. "He is Orin, son of Atlanna, and the one true king of Atlantis."

Shock jolted through her entire body. "You mean...the lost city of Atlantis? The...myth?"

"It is no myth, but the stories that you land dwellers tell of it are usually wrong nonetheless." Mera corrected.

"You shouldn't have told her." Arthur hissed. "We've kept it secret for a reason."

"If she's going to help, then she needs to know."

"She's not going to help." Arthur pushed off from the wall, hands clenching into fists. "She's a land dweller, a normal one at that. She has no powers, and she can't survive underwater. How do you suppose she should help us?"

His words were true but they still angered Camille. Being underestimated was never something she could accept... even if it was warranted. "I'll find a way. You helped me once, I want to do the same for you."

"There's nothing you can do." He huffed back without so much as a glance in her direction.

"Actually, there might be." Another voice came from the doors entrance, causing every muscle in Camille's muscle to tense. She slowly turned, only to see a boy with eyes that glowed bright blue and skin a similar shade to her own. On either side of his neck were three prominent gills that appeared to quiver whilst away from the water.

"Kaldur'ahm... You're a part of this too?" Arthur sighed.

The boy didn't answer, but only because the question wasn't one that needed to be responded to. "My father possesses a number of attack vessels, all equipped with sufficient weaponry to stage an offensive upon Atlantis."

"We're not stealing from Black Manta. It's suicide."

"You would be doing everyone a favour if you did... Those ships would be better off in your hands, than his."

Finally, Arthur's eyes flashed with something that forced silence in both of his comrades. "She has no stake in these matters, and we don't risk innocent people in our own affairs. Is that clear?"

Kaldur took a sharp but shaky inhale and said no more. He simply nodded his head and averted his gaze to Mera. She stood tall against his strong composure but she didn't speak either. In some way, she agreed with his decision. This was Atlantean business, not one for a land dweller to involve herself in.