Going Ghost! (Young Justice)

Chapter 212 212: Time For War

[Third Person Pov]

Discussions immediately started to spread throughout the room about what their next move should be. Most of the conversation was centered between Batman and Aquaman while the others listened closely, occasionally adding their own thoughts and observations whenever necessary. The atmosphere had shifted into something far more serious now that they had a clearer understanding of the situation they were dealing with.

"Can I suggest something?" Danny asked as he raised a hand slightly.

Batman's eyes shifted toward Danny and stayed there for a few quiet seconds. He noticed how differently Danny had been acting ever since they arrived. There hadn't been a single joke, sarcastic comment, or attempt to lighten the mood. Instead, Danny had remained focused the entire time and had been taking the situation far more seriously than Batman expected from him. After a moment, Batman gave a small nod, silently giving him permission to continue.

Danny stepped forward until he stood near the projection of the Bermuda Triangle. His eyes stayed fixed on the holographic display as he spoke.

"Since we don't know what Youngblood's actual plan is yet, we should prepare for the worst-case scenario and make sure whatever he's planning stays contained and doesn't spread to the rest of Atlantis."

Arthur raised a brow, both surprised and interested by the suggestion. He folded his arms as he looked at Danny more carefully before nodding.

"Go on," Arthur said. "You have our attention."

Danny moved a finger around the projected entrance leading toward the Xebel Kingdom.

"I think we should form a tight perimeter surrounding the Bermuda Triangle itself," Danny explained. "Keep everything isolated to that specific location only so if things spiral out of control, the damage stays contained."

He then looked directly at Aquaman. "Do you think it'd be possible for Atlantean mages to create some kind of dome or barrier over the area? Something similar to the one we passed through before entering Atlantis?"

Batman narrowed his eyes slightly as he analyzed the idea. "So your plan is to isolate the situation entirely in case unexpected variables appear while we're operating with limited information," Batman summarized.

Danny nodded once.

Batman gave a small nod in return. "It's a reasonable strategy."

Arthur nodded as well, already thinking ahead.

"It can be done," he answered. "It'll be last minute, but my mages are more than capable of handling something like that. It shouldn't be an issue. I'll have my personal squadron positioned around the perimeter as well."

The conversation quickly dissolved into another discussion as they began planning where Arthur's soldiers would be stationed and how the barrier would be maintained without leaving openings elsewhere.

"You also need to make sure Atlantis itself doesn't become vulnerable while all of this is happening," Danny added. "For all we know, this entire situation could just be a distraction to pull everyone away from the capital."

Arthur slowly turned his head toward Batman, amusement faintly showing on his face.

Batman instantly recognized the look and already knew exactly what Arthur was thinking.

Arthur kept himself professional, though it was obvious he wanted to make a comment.

Batman simply ignored him and acted like he hadn't noticed anything.

Arthur eventually looked back at Danny before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about that," Arthur assured him. "The protection of Atlantis is my responsibility. I'm not going to overlook something that important."

"Just making sure," Danny replied with a small smile.

Tula, who had been quietly listening to everything, finally spoke up a while later after creating and planning more countermeasures that seemed unreasonable.

"I'm sorry, your majesty," she began respectfully, "but doesn't all of this seem a little excessive? We're preparing for scenarios that might not even happen. At the end of the day, we're still dealing with a ghost child."

Danny was the one who answered her, "Is it excessive?" he repeated. "Absolutely. But is it foolish? Not even close."

The room quieted slightly as Danny continued.

"If all we end up dealing with is a ghost kid throwing a tantrum because he wants attention, then great. That's the best possible outcome for everyone involved. But if we underestimate him because he's a child and things spiral out of control, then it's not just us who'll end up paying for that mistake but innocent people."

Arthur nodded immediately. "Couldn't have said it better myself," he said in agreement.

Tula lowered her head slightly, "I understand now," she replied respectfully. "Sorry for interrupting."

The discussion continued for quite a while after that as they worked through the details of the plan and covered every possible complication they could think of.

Once everything had finally been settled, everyone began preparing themselves. Some went to retrieve weapons while others started putting on armor or battle gear before deployment.

Robin eventually caught up to Danny as the two walked side by side through one of Atlantis' long corridors.

"You know," Robin started, "doesn't this whole thing kinda feel like we're heading off to war?

Danny glanced at him with an amused smirk before lightly nudging him with his elbow. "The queen was abducted, Robin," Danny reminded him. "This is war."

Robin scoffed before giving Danny a strange look, almost like he was staring at a completely different person.

"Alright, seriously," Robin said. "Who are you and what did you do with Danny? Because there's no way you're actually him."

Danny snorted.

"Danny's on sabbatical," he joked. "You're talking to Daniel right now."

Robin immediately burst into laughter, nearly doubling over as he grabbed his stomach. Danny couldn't help laughing a little himself at Robin's reaction.

…

"Okay, I'm sorry, but I am absolutely riding with them," Danny said the second he spotted Jackson, Tula, and Garth mounted on massive sea creatures waiting beside the Atlantean forces.

"Danny—" Batman said immediately, already sounding exhausted.

"I'm serious," Danny continued while pointing toward them with wide eyes full of excitement. "When am I ever going to get another chance to ride a giant sea turtle or an actual sea horse underwater? This is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity. There's no way I'm passing this up."

Danny grinned shamelessly, "Besides, you know I'll be fine," he added. "I can breathe underwater perfectly and there's basically nothing down there that can really hurt me."

Batman opened his mouth to respond, but Danny didn't even give him the chance. With a burst of speed, Danny flew straight toward the Aqua-triplets before Batman could reject the idea.

"Please tell me I can ride with one of you guys," Danny asked eagerly as he hovered beside them. "That looks awesome."

The three Atlanteans looked at one another in amusement, clearly entertained by how genuinely excited he looked.

Tula laughed softly before motioning toward the space behind her. "You can ride with me if you wan—"

Before she could even finish speaking, Danny teleported behind her with a soft pop and immediately grabbed onto the saddle. "Okay, I'm ready."

Tula nearly jumped right off her mount. "Dear Neptune!" she yelped while clutching her chest. Garth laughed while Jackson tried to hide his own amusement.

Back near the bat-submarine, Robin stared at Danny for a moment before slowly turning toward Batman.

The two stared at each other for a few quiet seconds before Batman let out a long, resigned sigh. "Just go."

Robin instantly unbuckled his seatbelt. "Thanks."

Without wasting another second, Robin jumped out of the bat-submarine and made his way toward Jackson. Jackson reached a hand down toward him, helping Robin climb up behind him before Robin secured his oxygen mask over his face.

Arthur watched the entire thing from atop his own mount with visible amusement before glancing toward Batman.

"You know," Arthur called out, motioning behind himself, "I still have room if you'd also like to—"

Batman immediately pressed a button on the control panel, causing the hatch to automatically close over him while he stared at Arthur through the glass with a completely deadpan expression.

Arthur stared at the closed hatch for a moment before softly chuckling to himself and shaking his head.

The amusement on his face slowly faded after that.

The shift was subtle, but noticeable.

In that moment, Arthur no longer looked like a fellow League member joking around with friends. The air around him became heavier as his focus sharpened completely. He looked every bit the King of Atlantis now, but more importantly, a husband determined to bring his wife home safely.

His grip around the trident tightened.

"Submerge," Arthur commanded firmly.

The playful atmosphere instantly disappeared.

"Remember your roles," Arthur continued as his voice carried authority across the gathered soldiers and mages alike. "I will not accept failure on this mission."

"As your majesty commands!"

Rows upon rows of Atlantean soldiers immediately pressed a hand against their chest before bowing their heads in respect.

Then, one after another, the Atlantean forces began diving beneath the water in massive waves alongside the armored sea creatures and mages, all heading toward the Bermuda Triangle together.

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