All I Ever Wanted (Was a Place to Call My Home)

by the_mean_bean

Summary:

Danny was minding his own business when Lex Luthor grabbed him. He had run away from home after having enough of his parents bias towards sirens. He jumped into the river on the edge of Amity and swims towards the open ocean, hoping to find a new life. Too bad Lex Luthor found him.

Notes:

Inspired by the work #save the fishes by @IAmTheShpee

Chapter 1

Danny had always loved the water, even before he...changed, when he was a kid he begged his parents to bring him to the pool so he could swim to his hearts content. His parents lovingly nicknamed him "their little fish" because of how much he loved to swim. Sam and Tucker didn't share the love he had for swimming, but they always went with him when he went to the pool.

He  guessed he should have known that he wasn't normal, around his fifteenth birthday he started feeling different, Danny started finding it harder to focus in class and vegetable became a lot less appealing to him. Danny found himself wanting more and more fish, wanting to be in the water more often than not just like when he was younger. Then, when he turned sixteen the change happened.

It was supposed to be a normal day, he came home from the mall after spending the afternoon with Sam and Tucker, feeling grimy from the day. He slipped into the bathroom for a shower and shed his clothes, starting the water and stepping inside after the showerhead started putting out water. The second the water hit his skin Danny felt like all of his bones were breaking and reshaping themselves.

He gritted his teeth and braced himself on the side of the tub, his legs gave out from beneath him and he fell back, knocking his head against the wall. Danny looked down and saw that his legs were gone, fused together into a sleek black and white tail that resembled an eels. Scales covered his arms and belly, claws tipped his now webbed hands, he quickly shut off the water and dragged himself out of the tub after opening the curtain.

Danny fumbled for a mirror and held it to his face, his hair was now white and the sclera of his eyes had gone black while his irises were toxic green. He opened his mouth and saw razor sharp teeth like from a deep sea fish and a forked tongue. The white haired male threw the mirror down, causing the glass to shatter and go all over the linoleum, he had become a siren, the very thing his parents preached were evil.

He heard the rushing of footsteps and panicked," Danny! Are you okay? I heard a crash?" Jazz asked, knocking on the door. The half siren grabbed his towel and quickly threw it over his legs.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine! I just slipped," Danny yelled and it was silent for a few minutes before the door handle started to jiggle, thank goodness he had remembered to lock the door before starting his shower. He looked around for an escape route, but with his tail and thus now larger body, he couldn't squeeze through the small frosted window above the toilet.

He hunched his back as his tail ached with pain and lifted the tail to see that his legs were now back, Danny breathed an internal sigh of relief, knowing that his tail and siren features would only appear if he were wet or got water on his skin.

---

From that moment on Danny was careful, he didn't tell Sam and Tucker about him being a siren, the main reason being that he was terrified what their reaction would be. His parents were a definite no as well, the moment they knew, he would stop being their son and start being "their first live specimen". He tried to stay away from water when he was with other people, but it was starting to get hard.

Danny longed for the water, to swim and be free, human things didn't really seem all that important to him anymore. He was still himself but Danny just felt less attached to his friends and family, it had to be the siren instincts. His parents often brought home dead sirens to study them, sirens that had been injured and washed up on the banks of the river.

It made Danny sick, to see the sirens cut open like that, scales pulled off and fins removed to be studied. They had always been vocal about their "discoveries", now that Danny was a siren? Their words deeply disturbed him, it was much harder to be in the same room with them while they were talking about sirens. Jazz didn't entertain them thank God, Sam in particular was very vocal about her belief that sirens were  sentient and that they were just as human as them.

He appreciated the thought, but hearing every day from your parents that you didn't have emotions and you were a monster, it took its toll. After his eighteenth birthday he decided he had enough and ran away, he didn't take anything with him or leave a note. When he got into the water and began swimming down the river, he had never felt more free.

---

Danny never regretted that he had left behind his human life, sure he missed his friends and sister but in the ocean he was allowed to do whatever he wanted. He had found that he loved messing with sharks and dolphins. The siren was fast too, it was one of his favorite activities to speed through the water and break the surface gracefully, sometimes he would lounge on a rock and take in the warm sun.

His life was great, until Lex Luthor found him, the billionaire was on his yacht and Danny was minding his own business, napping on a rock with his tail resting in the water. The next thing Danny knew he had been captured in a thick mesh net, he screeched and thrashed, trying to rip through the net with his claws. He was moved over the deck of the yacht and dropped unceremoniously on the deck.

Luthor walked up to him with a grin," I heard of a siren living in this part of the ocean, I didn't think it was true," the billionaire said, kneeling down to be on eye level with Danny. The siren snarled and snapped his jaws, trying to bite Lex through the net, Luthor pulled back his hand and hummed," I think some training is in order, but you'll make a fine addition to the Metropolis Aquarium," he said before telling his men to put Danny in the holding tank.

The siren swam back and forth in the tank, slamming his body against the glass, he wasn't going to be taken away from his home. Luthor stood outside the tank and watched him, turning to Mercy who was standing still beside him.

"Make sure he doesn't hurt himself, I want him in perfect health when he arrives to the aquarium," Luthor said before walking away, Mercy nodded and walked up to the tank, pressing a button that sent a small electric charge through the water. Danny stood what he was doing and passed out, sinking to the bottom of the tank.

---

Luthor watched as the siren was lowered into one of the quarantine pools, aquarium staff watching in awe at the animal. No one really saw sirens anymore, they were said to live in the deeper parts of the ocean, and the sirens that were seen were typically dead. As soon as the siren hit the water it swam out of the net and started moving in erratic patterns, banging into walls.

"He must still be disoriented, the poor creature ran into our boat," Luthor grinned, the lie slipping easily from his lips. The aquarium staff gasped and quickly praised Luthor for rescuing the "defenseless creature". The billionaire stepped forward, standing at the edge of the pool," he'll need a full health screening before he can be shown to the public. I trust you can handle that?" he turned to the aquarium staff.

"Of course Mr. Luthor, we can handle this. Thank you so much for the funding you provide the aquarium," a female worker said and Luthor smiled before walking out of the room. With Luthor out of the room the siren calmed down a little, all of the aquarium workers now able to get a good look at the creature, he was beautiful. His tail itself was unlike anything they had ever seen, the scales along his belly and other exposed skin shimmering under the fluorescent lights.

One of the workers, wearing a wetsuit, stepped closer to the pool and kneeled down," hey there, can we check you over?" she asked softly and the siren bared his teeth. She frowned," we won't hurt you, I promise," she smiled and the siren eyed her suspiciously before allowing the workers to get into the water with him and examine his health.

---

"No! Phantom give that back!" an intern yelled as the siren chittered, laughing as he swam around his pool with the interns shoe proudly grasped in his webbed hand. The intern paced back and forth before pulling on a wetsuit and stepping into the pool, he treaded the water, no longer seeing Phantom. He was suddenly pulled under the water and he thrashed around, clawing at the water to pull his head back over the surface.

He gasped for breath when he was able to get above the water again and desperately swam for the edge of the pool, pulling himself out in a hurry and panting. Beside him laid his shoe, soggy and covered in claw marks from Phantom's claws. The intern stood up in a fury and pulled off the wetsuit, grabbing his shoe and turning to Phantom who was staring at him, the bottom half of his face obscured by the water.

"I quit!" the intern yelled before storming out of the room, as the intern left he could have sworn he heard Phantom laughing at him.

Chapter 2

Jason Todd had always been fascinated by the ocean, especially Sirens, creatures of myth that were said to lure men in with their voices and then kill them. He believed that there was more to sirens then what legends said. There had never been a live siren seen by humans, he would love to see one, the former crime lord scrolled through his phone and paused when he saw a news article.

"Lex Luthor Announces first ever Siren on display at Metropolis Aquarium: Interns and Siren hands wanted" Jason felt his eyes widen by a fraction as he read the article title. He pulled on his leather coat and grabbed his keys, hopping on his bike and speeding towards Metropolis. A live Siren was extremely rare, he couldn't imagine what the magnificent creature looked like.

---

Phantom scowled at the man in front of him, he was supposedly "one of the best" when it came to training animals, specifically dolphins and seals. He was not a dolphin or seal, and he refused to be a show pony. The siren hated it here, he was supposed to be back in the ocean terrorizing the dolphins and playing with the shark pups, he backed away when the trainer held out a hand to him.

"Come on Phantom, I've got a nice fish for you if you do this trick," the trainer smiled, waving a large fish in front of the sirens face. Phantom's scowl deepened and he looked at the hoop that had been lowered over his pool. The trainer grinned and blew his whistle, signaling Phantom to move, the siren swam forward and jumped through the hoop with grace, landing in the water without making a splash.

"Very good! Here you go," the trainer said, throwing the fish up, Phantom snapped his jaws on the fish and swallowed it whole. He ducked back into the water and swam down to one of the bottom of his pool.

Luthor walked into the room, stopping at the edge of the pool," how is Phantom doing?" the billionaire asked and one of the aquarium employees, Clark Kent, walked over to them with a frown on his face.

"His training is going well. I believe Phantom is ready to be presented to the public," the trainer, Mr. Higgins said and Clarks frown deepened. Phantom wasn't in any way ready to be presented to the public. The siren was aggressive with his trainers and tried drowning multiple of the interns, Clark sighed, maybe he was reading into this the wrong way. Phantom had been taken from his home, he was probably scared and lashed out because of it.

"I believe Phantom is lonely and scared, he's still aggressive with his trainers and I think him "drowning" the interns is him trying to play with them, he's scared because he was taken from his natural habitat," Clark said and Luthor turned to him, rubbing his chin. Clark stepped closer to the pool and, gesturing to the siren laying in the bottom of the pool," having him alone in an enclosure isn't good for him. Most animals become self destructive because of that," he explained.

"Kent has a point. Place other animals in Phantom's enclosure, a few sharks and fish should do," Luthor said before walking away.

---

Jason walked into the Metropolis aquarium," excuse me, I'm here about the siren hand position?" the former crime lord said and the woman at the front desk nodded. She stood up and directed the former crime lord to follow her. As they were walking through the large building towards one of the staff entrances, Jason looked at the different enclosures, seeing a variety of fish and a couple sharks.

They went into a staff entrance and went up a set of stairs," Phantom was just recently put into his enclosure. He had to be quarantined to make sure he was completely healthy before being put with other animals," she explained. Jason nodded," now I'll have to warn you, Phantom has a habit of dragging his handlers or the interns under water," she said and Jason hummed.

The two of them came to the top of the stairs," stay right here. I'll go get Luthor," the receptionist said before walked off, Jason looked around the area. The tops of the tanks were up here, and through the top of the water he could see the fish swimming around. Jason knew he shouldn't but he started walking, looking for the siren that was supposed to be here.

He stopped when he saw him, the siren named Phantom. There were spots at the top of his enclosure for people to stand, his handlers/trainers most likely, he was resting half of his body on the platform with his eyes closed. Jason stepped down and approached the sleeping siren, Bruce would lecture him about approaching an unknown but he really didn't give a shit.

Jason kneeled down and hesitated to touch the siren, Phantom's eyes slowly opened and the former crime lord paused, waiting for the siren to come fully into consciousness. Phantom blinked at him, the former crime lord reached forward and the siren snarled before diving into the water, Jason sighed and turned around, seeing Lex Luthor and Clark Kent standing behind him.

"Don't feel to bad, Phantom reacts that way to everyone," Clark said, feigning the awkwardness, Jason almost rolled his eyes. He supposed Clark was working here to see if Luthor was up to anything suspicious. Luthor hummed and stepped closer to Jason, the former crime lord stood up and the billionaire eyed him.

"So, I hear you want to be one of Phantom's handlers"

---

"Welcome everyone! Today we have a very special treat for you, come see our latest addition to the aquarium," a woman said over the sound system of the aquarium. Children ran around and multiple adults were pushing their way through the crowd to see the siren. A tour guide stopped the group, Clark Kent, he had been assigned to keep an eye on the groups so they didn't further agitate Phantom.

Clark lead them through the deep sea area and to a large open room," now everyone try to stay quiet. Phantom is a little shy around this time of the day," it was a practiced line. Phantom wasn't shy, in fact he was quite bold, he just preferred not to be paraded around like a prized show dog, Clark could only imagine what Phantom would be like once they started forcing the siren to do shows like the dolphins and seals.

"Phantom has one of the largest enclosures in the aquarium, funded by Lex Luthor who actually brought Phantom to us," Clark explained, gesturing to the large tank. The room was dark, the only light coming from the tank, movement caught Clark's eye.

"Well look at that! Phantom decided to come say hi," Clark smiled and everyone in the room collectively gasped, taking in the siren that was swimming closer to the glass. Phantom's body had to be at least twenty feet long from the tip of his nose to the end of his eel-like tail, children ran up to the glass and pressed their faces against it, startling Phantom.

"Let's back away from the glass kids. Phantom is still a wild animal and that probably scared him," Clark chided gently and the children whined before backing away from the glass. Phantom pressed his hand against the glass and tilted his head at the children, the sirens tail moved slowly behind him," as you can see, there are small injuries and scars on Phantom's tail, evidence he may have fought with other marine life at some point," Clark said.

"Mr. Tour Guide, is Phantom lonely?" a little girl asked and Clark winced, he had to give her the answer that Luthor had lined up.

"Of course not, there are other animals in here with him. In fact, here comes one of the shark pups," Clark smiled as Phantom turned his attention to the small shark. A grin split on the sirens face, exposing his sharp teeth before he swam at the shark, startling some of the children as the siren and shark pup started wrestling in the water.

---

"Alright Peters come with me, Phantom needs to start his training for the day," Nathaniel Higgins said and Jason nodded, hefting up a bucket of live fish. Jason had applied here under the identity of Jason Peters, he may have always wanted to meet a siren but he found it suspicious that it was Lex Luthor who just so happened to discover Phantom. He followed Higgins to the top of Phantom's tank and set down the bucket of fish.

Higgins was dressed in a wetsuit much like Jason, the trainer got down on one knee and pulled a fish from the bucket, whistling sharply to gain Phantom's attention. The siren surfaced after a second and Jason watched the way Phantom moved. Phantom seemed content to just swim around and play with the shark pups that had been put into the tank with him.

"Alright Phantom, we're going to try your flip trick again do you understand?" Higgins asked and Jason almost scoffed, this guy was supposed to be the best trainer in the business? He talked to Phantom like the siren was no more intelligent than a dolphin. It was obvious just from looking at Phantom that the siren was highly intelligent, more intelligent than anyone at this aquarium gave him credit for.

Phantom refused to do any training with Higgins, the older man eventually giving up and storming away from the siren. Jason snorted and paused when he heard chittering, looking at Phantom who was wearing a triumphant grin.

"You little shit. You were just pissing that guy off so he would leave?" Jason asked through his laughter and Phantom almost seemed to nod. Jason smiled and sat on the platform with his legs crossed. Phantom pulled himself partially up onto the platform his tail still mostly in the water, the siren reached for the bucket of fish and Jason pulled it back with a grin.

Phantom chittered at him again and huffed, Jason rolled his eyes before putting the bucket down and allowing Phantom to reach into the bucket for fish. Jason watched the siren eat, hesitantly reaching over to run his fingers through Phantom's white hair. The siren jolted and looked at him, eyes wide and unblinking, Jason smiled and Phantom almost leaned into his touch, a seep rumbling coming from the sirens chest.

Jason started pulling his hand away when Phantom grinned at him mischievously, yanking Jason into the water, the former crime lord cursed and shook his head.  Phantom's chittering sounded again and Jason laughed right back, splashing water at the siren. The two swam around, Phantom dragging Jason under a few times but the former crime lord didn't mind.

"Peters! What are you doing!?" Higgins exclaimed as Jason resurfaced, Phantom right beside him with his head only slightly poking out of the water. The trainer quickly went to pull Jason from the water," Phantom has a history of trying to drown his handlers," Higgins panicked.

Jason shook his head," Phantom was just playing. He didn't hurt me at all," the former crime lord explained and Higgins' eyes widened before he ran off to get Luthor, Jason didn't have a good feeling about this.

Chapter 3

Phantom lazed on the platform, fidgeting with one of the diving rings that the other workers assigned to him had brought in, he had become bored with swimming around and entertaining the aquarium guests. The shark pups no longer entertained the thought of playing with him, the stupid trainer continued trying to get him to do tricks while the nice human gave him fish and played with him.

Jason ran his fingers through Phantom's hair and frowned at the siren, Phantom was clearly unhappy here and soon enough it would start negatively affecting his health. Sirens weren't meant to be kept in captivity like this, Jason knew that much. The Siren was only docile around Jason and Clark, liking the two humans well enough that he somewhat listened to them and didn't attempt drowning them.

"I'm sorry Phantom, you shouldn't be kept here. I promise I'll find a way to get you out," Jason said and Phantom chittered softly before slipping into the water and swimming to his cave. Clark walked up and frowned, Jason shared the expression," hey Supes," Jason whispered and Clark looked around before sighing, sitting down heavily next to the former crime lord.

"Lex is pushing for Phantom's first show. I can't say I know a lot about siren biology but I can feel that his health is starting to decline," Clark said sadly. The Kryptonian ran a hand through his hair," it's not going to go well, over one hundred people have already bought tickets and Phantom isn't used to being around that many humans," he stressed. Jason looked down at the water, sticking his feet in, Clark was right about that.

Phantom would become overwhelmed and therefore aggressive, he had a lot of limits when it came to his human interaction. It at least seemed that he didn't have much of a problem with children, he always seemed attracted to the small humans when they came up to the glass of his tank.

---

Jason walked into Wayne manor begrudgingly, hands stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket," hey Alfie, is Bruce here?" the former crime lord grinned at his pseudo grandfather. The butler nodded and told Jason that Bruce was in his study, which was code for "he's in the Batcave working on a case", Jason thanked Alfred and made his way down.

"Hey B, I have a favor to ask you," Jason said and his father stopped what he was doing, turning around in his chair and gesturing for Jason to come closer. The former crime lord sighed and rubbed the back of his neck," so...I took a job in Metropolis at the aquarium because they got a siren there now," Jason started and Bruce rose a brow. Jason rolled his eyes and continued what he was saying.

"His name is Phantom and he's probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Lex Luthor found him, something about Phantom running into their boat and becoming injured," Jason gritted out, Bruce clenched his fist. The former crime lord sat heavily in one of the spare chairs," he isn't meant to be in an aquarium B, he's aggressive with the trainers and tries drowning the interns but he doesn't do any of that with me, it's like he knows who has good motives and who doesn't," Jason explained.

"Jason, why are you telling me this?" Bruce asked and Jason looked up, rubbing a hand through his hair and swallowing thickly.

"Lex wants him to perform for people, Phantom hates the training and refuses to do it. When that happens food is withheld from him for days or even the week, I can't stand to watch it happen Bruce. The Justice League needs to intervene," Jason pleaded and his father hummed. He walked over and placed a hand on Jason's shoulder, smiling at his second oldest son.

"Just keep working there Jaylad, act like everything is normal, gather intel and send it to me. I'll inform the rest of the League," Bruce promised before returning to his work.

---

"Hey there Phantom, you feeling alright today?" Clark asked as he kneeled down to feed the siren, Phantom laid listlessly on the platform, resting his head on his scaly arms. The siren didn't have much of an appetite, only eating a couple fish where he would usually eat the entire bucket. Clark frowned and reached forward, he didn't know if sirens got sick like humans or even ran fevers like humans but he had to check.

The Kryptonian placed the back of his hand against Phantom's forehead and felt that it was warm to the touch, he stood up straight and ran to get one of the medical staff. Jason rushed into the room shortly after Clark had left and got down on his knees, Phantom blinked at him and pulled himself more up onto the platform, resting his head against Jason's leg.

"I got help Phantom, you're going to get out of here," Jason promised and Phantom smiled a little at him, reaching up a clawed hand to take Jason's.

---

"What is the meaning of this?" Luthor asked as he came into the quarantine wing, looking down at the pool to see Phantom laying in the bottom sleeping. The medical staff turned to him, Pamela Sykes speaking up.

"Phantom is sick Mr. Luthor, his body is not meant for these conditions. I suppose it's like a great white shark, sirens simply aren't able to survive in captivity," Pamela explained and Luthor scowled. He folded his arms behind his back," he needs to be able to hunt, not be fed by humans, he needs more space to swim. Not to mention the fact that he appears around twenty one years old," she tried to reason.

Luthor turned back to Phantom," once he's recovered we'll have our first show," he said and Pamela gaped at the billionaire, chasing after Luthor as he started walking away from the pool.

"Mr. Luthor I'm afraid you don't understand. We don't know enough about siren biology to figure out how to help Phantom, we don't know the sirens lifespan, the longer he is kept in captivity the more likely he is to die here," Pamela pleaded, gesturing to the weakened siren in the pool. Luthor turned to her, his expression barely veiled with anger at his decision being questioned.

"I believe it's you who doesn't understand, Dr. Sykes,  Phantom is an animal. Animals recover, he will be well soon enough and ready to be shown to the public again," Luthor said before walking out of the room. Pamela walked over to the pool and looked at Phantom sadly, this magnificent creature was going to die because Luthor was too obsessed with the fame and money that came with having a siren in his possession.

---

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Metropolis Aquarium, today is a very special day," Amanda Collins said, standing in front of a large pool in a wetsuit. Nathaniel Higgins stood at her side, she turned to the trainer," today is our very first show with Phantom! Now he's been feeling a little under the weather lately but our aquarium staff says he should be just fine for the show!" she cheered.

The crowd applauded and cheered," Mr. Higgins here is responsible for training Phantom. Let's give him a round of applause," Amanda said and the crowd obliged. Higgins grinned and held a hand up to halt the applause.

"Phantom was difficult but I had no trouble after offering him a few fish," Higgins laughed and pulled a few chuckles from the crowd. Higgins pulled the whistle that was around his neck up to his lips and blew into it sharply. The water rippled before Phantom jumped out of the water, sailing through the air with grace, his white scales shimmering under the lights.

The crowd gasped and applauded, standing from their seats when Phantom reentered the water, Higgins smiled and gave the whistle two sharp blows. Phantom jumped from the water again and did a flip, landing back in the water without a splash. Higgins pulled a fish from the bucket and threw it into the air, Phantom came flying out of the water and caught the fish out of the air, snapping his jaws shut on it.

Phantom swam around near the platform, his dorsal fin cutting through the water," now folks take a close look at Phantom. Specifically his tail, it is extremely similar to that of an eel unlike the traditional tails we imagine mermaids/men to have," Amanda explained. Amanda stepped down into the water, catching Phantom's attention," from this our staff concluded that different sirens could appear as different marine life. Pretty neat huh?" she smiled.

The siren swam back and forth as Amanda lowered herself further into the water on the platform, a hoop lowered from the ceiling and Phantom paused. Amanda grinned and took her own whistle, bringing it closer to her lips.

She blew it sharply and Phantom swam fast, jumping from the water and sailing through the hoop, swimming in a circle when his body was in the water again. Amanda stood up as the crowd went wild, Phantom eyed her and swam behind the trainer. The brunette waved to the crowd and kneeled to grab a fish from the bucket, she reached forward and Phantom's pupils narrowed into slits.

The siren grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the water, causing Amanda to scream, the crowd gasped and Phantom snarled as he dragged the trainer under water. Children began to cry as women screamed, a couple pulling out their phones to dial 911. Other aquarium staff ran to the edge of the pool, Amanda came up for air momentarily gasping for breath and desperately trying to get back to the platform.

She was pulled under again and Higgins blew his whistle desperately, trying to get Phantom to release the brunette. Jason ran to the pool and jumped in, causing the crowd to gasp and shout for Jason to stop what he was doing. The former crime lord surfaced," Phantom let her go!" he shouted and the siren, who had a death grip on Amanda's leg, released her.

He slowly floated to the surface as Amanda burst from the water and swam to the platform, coughing and spitting up water. She was pulled from the water by aquarium staff and lead out of the area while Jason sighed, the guests were herded out of the room and everything became quiet.

---

"Disaster at Metropolis Aquarium! Siren attempts to drown trainer during show" Jason scowled as he read the article, looking at Phantom who was swimming in lazy circles. He knew the show wouldn't go well, Phantom wasn't meant to be kept in captivity and shown off. Luthor was probably going to lash out at Phantom for this, the siren was already thin enough from his food being withheld from him, what would Luthor do to punish him for trying to drown Amanda? Jason wasn't about to find out.

Phantom swam closer to him and Jason reached forward, allowing his fingers to brush against the sirens smooth skin. The siren chittered softly and lifted his face above the water, showing the most pathetic watery puppy dog eyes Jason had ever seen.

"I'm not mad at you Phantom, hopefully we'll get you out of here before Luthor figures out what how wants to punish you," Jason said and Phantom just stared at him. Everyone said that sirens weren't sentient but sometimes Jason could swear that Phantom actually understood him.

Chapter 4

The incident had sparked protests, crowds stormed the aquarium and demanded that Phantom be released from captivity. Luthor made a public statement that Phantom's behavior was being addressed and he deeply apologized for the incident. It wasn't what people wanted to hear, they were convinced that Phantom had lashed out because he was angry with being kept in captivity.

They weren't wrong, but Luthor was never going to release Phantom, he kept the siren under tight security at all times now and monitored who saw him. Luthor had made the decision to withhold Phantom's meals from him for two weeks as punishment for trying to drown Amanda. It was now that Jason decided he had enough, he took his evidence to Bruce and his father was just as appalled as he was at Luthor's treatment of the siren.

"I'll assemble the League. Come with me," Bruce said, walking towards his study to don the cape.

---

"This is sickening, who could justify keeping such a magnificent creature captive?" Wonder Woman asked and Aquaman glared at the image of Phantom laying in the quarantine pool. Jason clenched his fists at his sides, his angered expression hidden by his helmet," then to make this creature perform like a dog," Wonder Woman seethed.

"Sirens aren't able to survive in captivity. Luthor has sentenced Phantom to death," Aquaman growled, standing from his spot at the table. He looked at Red Hood who was standing silently and trying not to let his rage get the better of him. The Atlantean king gripped his trident," what do you plan to do? How do you plan on freeing Phantom?" he asked and Red Hood straightened his back.

"The public is pressing for Phantom's release. There are a select few that wanted him killed for being "dangerous" but they're mostly being ignored. If you come forward and press for his release Luthor could be forced to comply," Red Hood explained. Aquaman hummed," if Luthor doesn't comply, I'm getting Phantom out myself," the former crime lord explained and Batman narrowed his eyes.

"B, I'll need to borrow a car. Can't exactly pack a twenty foot long siren on the back of my bike," Red Hood said and Batman gave a long suffering sigh before nodding.

---

"In response to the recent outrage. Phantom cannot be released back into the wild, when he was brought to the aquarium he was injured and the injury has lasting effects that will prevent him from surviving in the wild," Luthor said and Jason clenched his fists. Luthor grinned," we will continue taking care of Phantom till he reaches the end of his life," Luthor said before waving and walking away.

Jason knew that would be Luthor's response even if he was confronted by the Justice League, Phantom wasn't in any way injured. He moved around just fine, the former crime lord got into the car Bruce had leant him and started driving towards the aquarium. He pulled around the back of the building and pulled on his helmet, making sure his guns were secure on his thighs.

He picked the lock to the back door and disarmed the system before the police could be alerted, the aquarium was a much different place at night. It felt more depressing without the artificial ocean sounds and music playing over the sound system. Jason quickly moved towards Phantom's tank and made sure he stayed out of the eye of the security cameras.

Jason sighed as he came to Phantom's tank and kneeled onto the platform," Phantom," he called out, waiting for the siren to come to the surface. Phantom shot out of the water and Jason moved back, the siren growled at him, his eyes flashing dangerously.

The former crime lord pulled off his helmet," Phantom it's me. I'm going to get you out of here," he promised and it was almost like Phantom's energy was sapped from him. Jason frowned and pulled his helmet back on," it's going to be okay. I'll get you to the ocean," Jason said before reaching under the sirens arms and beginning to lift him with a grunt.

Phantom pushed against him and Jason stumbled before falling back, the siren chittered and lifted his wrist, it looked like a normal tag but upon closer inspection Jason could see it was electronic. He scowled and reached into his pocket for his lock picking tools, Jason gently took Phantom's wrist and placed his tools into the key whole. It clicked after a second and fell off, Phantom stared at him in astonishment.

Jason hefted up Phantom and the siren wrapped his tail around Jason's body, the former crime lord nodded and started running towards the stairs. Water was soaking through his clothes but he didn't care if it meant getting Phantom out of here. He came to the bottom of the stairs and ran for the door, no sooner then he reached for the handle he heard Phantom begin to growl.

The former crime lord turned around and saw Luthor standing there with his men," well Red Hood. What a surprise, I'll have to ask you to return my siren," he said smoothly, his men training guns on Jason. Phantom snarled and Jason tightened his grip on the siren, he pulled his gun out and started firing, Luthor's men firing as well. Jason backed towards the door, grinning when he hit one of the men.

He turned and began moving through the door, his movements interrupted when Phantom cried out, a clawed hand flying to his now bleeding tail. Thick black blood came from the wound, staining his white scales. Jason growled in anger and ran faster, ripping open the back door of the car and making sure Phantom was secured before shutting the door and sliding into the drivers seat.

Jason started the car and floored it, the tires screeching as he turned around sharply and sped down the street.

---

"Hang in there Phantom, you're going to be okay," Jason said and Phantom chittered, nearly falling onto the floor of the backseat. He had wrapped the sirens body with damp towels in hopes he wouldn't dry out as he made his way back to Gotham. Jason gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, his heart hammering in his chest as he heard Phantom's whimpers of pain.

He sighed in relief as they came to the outskirts of Gotham, they were nearly home which meant that he could get Phantom help quicker. Jason sped towards Crime Ally and pulled into the alley beside his apartment building. The former crime lord stopped the car and quickly got out, moving around to the back seat and pulling Phantom out. He went inside and ran to his apartment, going right to the bathroom once he was inside.

Jason placed Phantom on the floor and pulled out his first aid kit, he grabbed the tweezers and pulled out the bullet, discarding it and going to stitch up the bullet hole. Phantom snarled at the pain and Jason sighed, tying off the thread before cutting it short and wrapping bandages around Phantom's tail, the siren pulled away from him, his tail whipping around and breaking the door to one of the cabinets.

"Calm down, I'll run some water in the tub and then we'll figure out how to get you to the ocean," Jason promised, moving to run water into the tub.

---

Danny didn't know what to do with himself, he wasn't in the aquarium anymore but the tub wasn't any better, it reminded him of the day he became like this. He liked being a siren but it was hard at times, Jason was nice too, he freed him. The siren liked Jason, he hoped that Jason actually did get him out of here soon, he wanted to return to his home in the ocean.

He took a shuddering breath, his skin was starting to dry out, with his body being so large he couldn't completely fit into the tub. The air burned his gills and made it hard to keep himself in this form. Jason had gone to sleep hours ago, so Danny figured he might be okay to drag himself out of the tub and let his legs reform for the first time in a couple years.

The siren pulled himself out of the tub, his body thudding loudly as it hit the floor, he winced and grabbed a towel to dry his tail. As his body began to dry searing pain ripped through his body. Danny bit his lip and watched as his white scales disappeared into his skin and his tail shrunk, separating into two pale legs, the now black haired male pulled himself up by the sink and took unsteady steps.

Danny opened the door and stumbled out into the living room, his enhanced sense were muted but still accessible. He smiled to himself and walked towards the kitchen, pulling open the fridge and rifling through the milk and eggs till he found a container with leftovers inside. The half siren ripped it open and started shoveling the tandoori chicken into his mouth.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned, his neck cracking slightly as he came face to face with Jason, sauce dripping down his chin. 

 

Chapter 5

Jason woke up to noise coming from his kitchen, he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and pulled the covers off of his body. He quietly reached into his bedside table and pulled out the pistol he kept hidden there. The former crime lord pulled on a shirt and slowly opened the door to his room, narrowing his eyes as he walked towards his kitchen where dim light was spilling across the living room.

He stepped carefully, whoever came into his apartment was going to regret it, Jason brought his gun up and paused when he saw a naked man standing in front of his fridge. The man had unruly black hair and possible the bluest eyes Jason had ever seen. Jason kept his gun trained on the man, stepping one more time and cursing as a floorboard groaned under his weight.

The man looked at him, his neck cracking at the speed with which he had turned his head, he had gotten into Jason's tandoori chicken leftovers and had the sauce running down his chin. The more they stared at each other the more familiar the blank stare became to Jason.

"No fucking way, Phantom?" Jason asked and the black haired male swallowed, wiping his face with his arm and nodding slightly. Jason lowered his gun and placed it on the island before blushing and holding up his hand in a "wait" gesture. The former crime lord ran to his room and grabbed some clothes for Phantom, bringing them back out to the siren who furrowed his brows.

"You can't just walk round my apartment naked, put them on," Jason said, holding the clothes out to Phantom. The black haired male huffed and pulled on the boxers first, then slipping the shirt over his head. He threw the pants to the floor, crossing his arms in defiance. Jason gave a long suffering sigh," oh well, it's better than nothing," he said before running a hand through his hair.

Jason stepped forward and grabbed the towel that was hanging off of the front of the oven, wiping Phantom's hands and face. The siren huffed, pushing Jason's hands away only to pause when the former crime lord leveled him with a look. Jason took Phantom's hand and the two of them walked over to the couch.

---

"Can you...talk? When you're like this?" Jason asked and Phantom furrowed his brows, picking at the hem of the shirt he was wearing. Phantom's messy black hair fell in front of his eyes and looked at Jason through his bangs.

"Yes.." Phantom rasped, his voice coming out as more of a croak due to lack of use, Jason felt his cheeks warm at the sound of Phantom's voice. The black haired male looked away, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. He swallowed thickly," it's...a little hard, haven't...spoken in a long time," Phantom spoke, his voice scratchy and quiet. Jason frowned and placed a hand over Phantom's.

"Don't push yourself. Just nod or shake your head okay? I'll try to teach you some sign language," Jason said and Phantom nodded slightly. Jason sighed and rubbed the back of his neck," were you born as a siren?" Jason asked and Phantom shook his head. The former crime lord furrowed his brows," you were born as a human then. You must have family," Jason said.

Phantom scrunched up his face and looked away," think...I'm dead...probably," he forced out and Jason felt his stomach drop. Jason set a hand on Phantom's knee, squeezing it a little. The siren pulled his leg away, wrapping his arms around himself, his bottom lip begining to quiver.

"Did you run away?" Jason asked and Phantom nodded, tears dripping down his cheeks, he quickly reached up and wiped the tears from his face. The scales that quickly formed on Phantom's face faded back into his pale skin. Jason grabbed Phantom's hands," why? Was it your family?" Jason asked and Phantom nodded again, the former crime lord squeezed Phantom's hands.

"Parents...hated sirens. Called us monsters," Phantom said softly and Jason pulled the siren into a hug, the black haired male returned the hug, taking a fistful of Jason's shirt. Jason placed a gentle hand on the back of Phantom's head and buried his nose in the crook of his neck. Phantom's skin smelled like saltwater and it was warm like he had been laying in the sun for hours.

"Us...you don't think of yourself as human anymore?" Jason asked and Phantom shook his head," do you...have a real name that I can call you? Phantom is the name Luthor gave you," the former crime lord asked.

"Danny," the siren whispered and Jason hummed before pulling away, Danny looked at him through thick lashes, his long hair resting on his shoulders. The former crime lord carded a hand through Danny's hair, smiling softly.

"I promise I'll find a way to get you back to the ocean. We just have to wait until Luthor gives up on you," Jason said and Danny scowled. The former crime lord huffed," I know, but if I take you back now he'll just capture you again, and then he'll have higher security measures on you and the only person allowed around you will be him," Jason explained.

Danny crossed his arms and pouted, turning his head away from Jason before nodding, the sirens stomach growled and Danny sputtered in embarrassment. Jason chuckled and got up, going to get Danny some more food.

---

Jason rubbed his neck as he stared at Danny, the siren had fallen asleep pretty much the second he finished his food. He didn't even know where to start with this, Jason never could have expected that Phantom, Danny, was able to change between siren and human. The former crime lord moved a lock of hair from Danny's face, the siren scrunched up his face and shifted on the couch.

Danny was free now, but he didn't want to stay, he wanted to return to the ocean and disappear. Even if they waited for the heat to die down and brought to the ocean there was no guarantee that people would stop looking for the siren. Danny didn't think of himself as human, he felt like he was a siren, Jason wouldn't fault him for that if that was how he saw himself.

That being said, Jason didn't know how to tell Bruce that he was now keeping a siren in his apartment all while trying to keep Luthor from sniffing around. Although he figured it was inevitable that Luthor came here, he had seen him as Red Hood running off into the night with Phantom. Jason laid back in bed and ran his hands down his face, turning over and trying to get back to sleep.

---

The former crime lord groaned as morning light reached through his curtains, he rolled over and let out a string of curses when he saw two bright blue eyes watching him. Danny tilted his head and Jason dug his palms into his eyes with a sigh, removing them after a minute to look at the siren who was shifting where he stood. Jason sat up and looked at Danny who had slowly started inching closer.

"You hungry?" Jason asked and Danny, holding a hand over his stomach as it growled, the former crime lord got out of bed and went to get dressed for the day. He returned to the bedroom and saw Danny still standing there, staring at him. The former crime lord grabbed a shirt and some pants from his dresser, tossing them at the siren who caught them in a panic.

"Put those on, you can't go out in public only wearing a shirt," Jason said and Danny stared at the clothes, the former crime lord frowned and walked forward. He pulled off the shirt Danny was wearing and helped him get into the new one. Then setting the siren down and sliding the pants onto his legs," stand up," Jason said and Danny obeyed, standing so Jason could pull the pants on fully.

Jason grabbed a pair of shoes and Danny glared at them," you can't walk around Gotham bare foot either, you'd probably catch something," the former crime lord grumbled. Danny crossed his arms and allowed Jason to slide the shoes onto his feet," I'll have to get you new clothes, these are way too big on you," Jason said and Danny watched him. The former crime lord moved away and took Danny's hand, leading the siren out of the apartment so they could go get breakfast, the whole time Danny stared at Jason's back, thinking about how long it had been since he played human.