Spider-Man: Throne of Atlantis

Chapter I: Red-Headed Stranger

Peter Parker sometimes wondered if he was just running round in circles. After eight years as Spider-Man, he was still fighting the same criminals he fought way back when he first received his powers. Take Adrian Toomes, better known as the Vulture, for instance. Toomes was the very first supervillain he had encountered back in the day. Yet, just last week, Peter found himself having to play Spider-Cop and apprehend him for the umpteenth time. Peter sometimes wondered if he wasn't making any progress, because it sure seemed like every supervillain he stopped kept coming back for more.

Moments ago, he had received a distress message from Captain Yuri Watanabe. His former mentor, Otto Octavius, had broken into an Oscorp facility stealing Tritium, a highly rare and expensive isotope. After the Devil Breath's incident in Times Square six months ago, who knew what the mad doctor was plotting this time around.

Swinging across the brightly lit streets of New York at breathtaking speeds in his now-iconic red-and-blue Advanced Suit, he was currently in hot pursuit of the supervillain. Using the Oscorp facility as a starting point and the location Octavius was last sighted, Peter quickly deduced that the mad doctor was heading towards Whitehall Terminal.

He arrived at the station with no time to spare. Just as he had predicted, Octavius was making his way towards the docks. The supervillain was flanked by four lackeys, each with firearms. The mad doctor was fashioned in a fully armored midnight green bodysuit this time around and made use of his mighty mechanical arms to cover great distances at an astonishing pace.

"Hey, Doc Ock, fancy meeting you here! Going on a vacation?" Peter quipped. He flicked his wrist, sending a powerful jet of webbing that pinned one of Octavius' mechanical arms to the ground.

Swinging forward, he let loose a second blast of webbing that wrapped the first henchman around one of the dock's concrete posts.

"You insolent arachnid," Octavius cursed. "Why can't you leave me alone!" Using one of his mechanical arms, he hurled a nearby car straight toward the wall-crawler.

With the proportionate strength of a spider, Peter easily caught the vehicle. Thankfully, the fight had occurred in the middle of the night. This meant that there were scarcely any bystanders at risk of being caught in the crossfire. Even then, what was left of the bystanders before the fight had already fled in terror amidst the chaos.

"What are you waiting for, dolts? Shoot him!" Octavius yelled at his henchmen, who beforehand, were all too engaged in watching the dramatic confrontation. The three remaining goons began firing wildly at the spider-themed hero, forcing Peter to shift his attention away from the criminal mastermind, and focus on the henchmen instead.

With Spider-Man distracted, Octavius attempted to make use of the opportunity to exit the scene and head back to his secret underwater base in New York Bay.

Noticing the mad doctor was in a hurry to leave, Peter made short work of the second henchmen, webbing the man to the side of a wall.

"Man, you guys are embarrassing. Even Jameson gives me more trouble than this," Peter teased. He swerved his way through a barrage of bullets and followed up with a sweeping kick that took down the third henchmen. A quick web-shot at the final henchmen was all he needed to refocus his attention back onto Doc Ock.

"Leaving so soon, Ock?" Peter quipped. He fired a web-line that snagged onto two of Octavius' mechanical arms. Hurling himself forward, Peter would have landed a dropkick if not for the prickling sensation at the back of his head— his spider-sense was tingling. He swiftly avoided the third mechanical arm aimed for his head, only to be struck from behind by the supervillain's fourth and final mechanical arm. Uh oh.

"You will address me as Doctor Otto Octavius, and treat me with the proper respect I deserve, arachnid!"

Peter was slammed into the ground repeatedly as cracks started to form in the concrete pavement below him. He was hit with enough force to kill an ordinary human many times over. "That all you got, Doc?"

"You overestimate your abilities, dolt," commented the mad doctor. He flung Peter towards the ocean before hurling two parked cars towards the wall-crawler.

With his superhuman agility, Peter was able to twist his body mid-air to avoid both vehicles thrown at him but was unable to save them from falling into the ocean. The two unfortunate car owners were likely to have a bad day tomorrow finding out their cars were tossed into the sea, Peter mused to himself.

He then fired his web-shooter towards the ledge of a nearby building, swinging himself back onto solid ground.

To his dismay, Octavius had already fled the scene and descended into the ocean depths. It was unlikely Peter would be able to catch up to Octavius, given his current condition. Without modifying his web-fluid formula, his web-shooters were virtually useless underwater. Nonetheless, Peter wasn't going to let the odds deter him from pursuing the mad doctor.

He readied himself, prepared to dive headfirst into the sea when miraculously, a powerful jet of water erupted from the ocean. The blast of water promptly sent an enraged Doctor Octopus and the two passenger cars that sank earlier flying towards the terminal platform.

Peter turned to see a woman rising out of the water. And boy, was she a woman.

She had long, fiery red hair, and emerald eyes, as deep as the ocean. Her skin was white and had a healthy tan to it. A straight-edged nose and kissable lips. Sharp, killer cheekbones that were paired with a smooth jawline. She wore a unique bright green one-piece outfit decorated with small hexagons resembling fish scales that served only to enhance her impressive figure.

She was absolutely, in every sense of the word, beautiful.

He took a step back when she laid her eyes on him. "I'm not with him," Peter said defensively, referring to Octavius, who was just starting to get up.

"Argh! You witch! You'll pay for that," Octavius grunted. Recovering from the unexpected attack, he utilized his telepathic control over his mechanical arms to strike at her.

The woman raised her hand, and on command, a powerful blast of water counteracted the supervillain's attack. Two of his mechanical arms were damaged in the process. She definitely wasn't from around here, thought Peter. Maybe she was an alien? An alien from under the sea?

"Tsk-tsk. That's no way to treat a lady, Otto," Peter mocked. He threw himself towards the temporarily stunned villain and tackled him onto the ground.

"Damn you, Spider-Man! Damn you both!" Octavius cursed, "I'll destroy both of you!"

So that's what they called him, the woman thought to herself. Spider-Man, the name had a ring to it.

Without saying a word, the beautiful redhead delivered another wave of water that sent the mad doctor crashing into the side of a wall. Maybe she was the silent type, Peter guessed. But if there was one thing he knew, it was that she was a certified badass.

Following up on her attack, Peter delivered a roundhouse kick of his own. The pair worked in unison, taking turns to land hits on the supervillain. Within moments, they had managed to rapidly wear down Octavius' titanium armor.

Realizing he was in a losing battle, the mad doctor attempted to flee. In response, Peter sent a volley of webbing that entrapped the villain and his mechanical arms, preventing any chance of escape. He then removed the interface connecting Octavius to his mechanical arms, rendering the supervillain powerless.

"Sleep tight, Otto," Peter commented, eliciting a painful groan from the now semi-unconscious villain. With a tap on the side of his mask, Peter informed Yuri that Octavius and his men were down and ready to be transported to Rykers.

It was then Peter shifted his attention back to the mysterious redhead who assisted him. She was sitting on top of a ledge, staring out into the vast open ocean.

"Thank you for your help," Peter said, suddenly realizing he didn't know her name.

She turned to look at him intently but remained silent. Maybe she didn't understand him, he thought. It couldn't hurt to try a second time.

"New York could use more heroes. You know, like you, to handle guys like Doc Ock back there." Peter elaborated by pointing back to the semi-unconscious villain, who was fastly secured to the side of a street light. "It would've been a huge nightmare for all of us if Otto got away, so thank you."

"You're welcome, Spider-Man." The woman replied, finally speaking. Her voice was alluring. "You say there are more like him?"

"Well, yeah. There's the Vulture, a grumpy old guy in a mechanized wingsuit. Then there's Electro, living electricity. Rhino, Hammerhead, Mister Negative—" Peter paused, realizing he was rambling. "You're not from around here, are you?" he asked, taking a seat beside her.

"Atlantis." The woman replied after much contemplation."I'm from Atlantis," she repeated. Well technically, she was from Xebel, but it was unlikely the spider-themed hero would know the difference between the two underwater kingdoms.

"Hold on, Atlantis is real?" As a kid, Peter was fascinated by the story of Atlantis but always assumed it to be a legend, and nothing more. Well, given what the woman was capable of, anything was possible.

"Yes, but it's... it was supposed to be a secret. I wasn't supposed to let you know. At least not yet," Mera revealed, silently cursing herself for the slip-up.

What did she mean by that? Peter was confused. He had too many questions and too few answers.

"Can I trust you?" the woman asked. Having never been to the surface world before, she wasn't entirely sure if she could trust the man. Nonetheless, from what limited information she'd gathered and their earlier team-up, her intuition told her that Spider-Man was dependable. All she was now looking out for was a sign to confirm she could trust him.

"Yes—" Peter said, only to be interrupted by the sound of approaching police sirens. He turned back, ready to continue the conversation only to realize the redhead had disappeared. Looking around, he found her hiding behind the side of a wall. She put her finger to her lips and shot him a look, the kind that said 'prove I can trust you, don't let anyone else know' kinda look.

Maybe he shouldn't have given her the benefit of the doubt, Peter considered. After all, they had only met moments ago. Yet a part of him felt like he should, and it wasn't just because she was drop-dead gorgeous. It was an intuitive feeling. The kind he didn't know how to describe. Besides, she did help him with Octavius. Nodding his head, Peter caught the woman mouthing "thank you," before he turned back to face the oncoming police cars.

"Hold your applause, ladies and gents, New York's very finest, the one and only Yuri Watanabe, has arrived," Peter playfully commented.

"I must say you handled today's situation far better than the last time you were here," remarked Yuri, who got out of the police car with a smirk on her face.

"Oh c'mon Yuri, we promised not to bring that up again."

The police captain was referring to a confrontation eight years ago between an inexperienced Peter and the Vulture. Initially, it appeared as if young Parker had the upper hand. But then he messed up, causing the Vulture's weapon to split the Staten Island ferry in half. In a desperate struggle, Peter used his webs and held the ship together through sheer strength, until help arrived. It was a rather painful and humbling experience.

"I'm just teasing. Can't be the only one having all the fun, Spider-Cop."

"I'm rubbing off you!" Peter exclaimed, grinning under his mask.

"In all the wrong ways," Yuri joked, before effortlessly shifting back to her serious mode. "But you did good work today, Spider-Man. We'll be transferring Octavius to a more secure location, and hopefully, he'll remain there this time."

Behind Peter and Yuri, a squad of police officers outfitted with heavy-duty vest was securing Octavius and his henchmen inside the back of an armored police truck. A second truck parked beside it was used to store Octavius mechanical appendages and the stolen Tritium.

"First, the Vulture, and now Octavius. Any idea who's behind all this?" Peter asked.

"I'm working on it," Yuri sighed. "In the meantime, don't be too surprised if another supervillain breakout happens soon enough."

"Great, looking forward to it," Peter replied sarcastically.

"Anyways, I have some unverified accounts about an unknown female assailant with hydrokinesis abilities. Reports claimed she broke up the fight between you and Octavius. Is that true?" Yuri asked with interest.

Peter turned back briefly to glance at the redhead, fast enough that Yuri didn't register it. One of the props of having superhuman speed. "Whaaat? I totally would be in better shape right now if someone really did help me put the beat down on Ock," Peter lied, referring to his slightly battered red-and-blue suit. "And you know I've always gone solo, Yuri."

"Then how are you going to explain all the water left behind in the wreckage?" Yuri questioned, motioning towards the numerous water puddles that were littered across the plaza.

"I, uh, dunked Doc Ock into the water with my finisher move. Still don't have a name for it... thinking of calling it 'maximum spider'."

"Are you sure?" she asked one last time for good measure, unconvinced by his made-up answer.

"Yeah," Peter replied, trying to sound confident.

"Why did your voice suddenly get so deep?"

"This is my usual voice."

"Yeah, yeah," Yuri said. She decided to entertain herself for a moment. "You're not fooling anyone. Before you sounded like a kid."

"Hey! Not cool."

"And now you sound like a kid again," Yuri chuckled. "Look, thanks for the help once again, Spider-Boy," she said, which earned a second "hey!" from the spider-themed hero. "I'll let you know if we need your expertise dealing with another super-maniac nutjob. Keep in touch." She then waved goodbye before driving off with the two armored police trucks in tow.

"They're gone," Peter declared. He had stood guard at the same spot for a few minutes, just in case the police captain turned back and checked on him. Judging from Yuri's expression, she likely suspected something. Not that it was difficult, given the lame excuses he'd given. But hey, he had managed to keep his identity a secret for eight years and counting. That had to count for something.

Glancing over his shoulder, Peter saw the Atlantean redhead motioning for him to come over to the other side of the wall, which was more secluded. He thought back to their conversation before being interrupted by the police and concluded she genuinely wanted to remain hidden, for reasons currently unknown to him.

"Thank you," said the redhead.

"You know, I don't know even know your name."

"It's Princess Y'Mera Xebella Challa. You may call me, Mera." She flashed him a smile.

"You're welcome, Mera," Peter said. "I'm Spider-Man, but... you already knew that."

"I may not be from around here, but even I know that's not your real name," Mera said, eyeing him. She decided to omit the fact that back in Atlantis, they had only known him as the 'Man of Spiders.' In hindsight, that was a far cry from Spider-Man— a name that much better suited the spider-themed hero.

"It's called a secret identity," Peter shot back. "I'm sure you can relate. Think about Atlantis. How you want it to be a secret?— that's the same thing with my identity."

Mera frowned at him.

Peter caught on to her worries and said, "Look. I promise, cross my heart, that I won't be saying anything to anyone about Atlantis, but—"

"You're wondering why I even showed up in the first place."

He nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"I was tasked by my people to observe the surface world. To learn more about it," she said. "Admittedly, I overlooked the part where it was supposed to be an undercover mission."

"And this mission of yours somehow concerns the fate of the world," Peter joked only to realize she sounded serious about it. Now he was silently praying she'd say he was wrong. Please say no, please say no.

"Yes," she stated with utmost seriousness.

"Care to fill me in on the details?"

"I would if you trusted me."

Again, what did she mean by that? Peter thought to himself, somewhat confused.

"As of right now, I know next to nothing about you, Spider-Man," Mera answered, reading his thoughts. "Yet, you know a great deal more about me. If you want me to trust you, you have to do the same," she said, patiently awaiting his response.

Peter's mind was racing. Something deep in his heart was telling him that he could trust her. Maybe it was because his spider-sense wasn't tingling? No, he knew that couldn't just be it. He had barely just met her, Peter tried to reason with himself. At the same time, if this mission of hers really concerned the fate of the world, it was worth the risk, he told himself. Taking in a deep breath, Peter silently prayed that he wasn't making a mistake as he took off his mask.

"My name's Peter Parker, and I've been Spider-Man ever since I was fifteen," he said, looking at her straight in the eye.

Mera was pleasantly surprised by the hero's decision. Taking a moment to observe his features, she thought he was cute with his tousled brown hair and brown eyes, in a nerdish kinda way. It wasn't until she saw the man fidget a little did Mera realize she had been staring for a while, causing a faint blush to appear on her cheeks.

"Thank you for trusting me, Peter," Mera said with a faint smile on her lips.

"You know, you're literally one of the only people who knows about this," Peter added. He hoped she realized just how significant this was. She was the only other person who knew his identity aside from his ex-girlfriend, Mary Jane.

Mera gave him a knowing look, letting him know she understood his point.

A moment of silence settled between them before Peter said, "Okay... about that mission of yours?"

So she told him. She told him about Orm's plan to invade the surface world, stressing to him the billions of lives that were at stake. She told him about her mission, whereby she was entrusted with monitoring and learning more about the surface world. She told him about how he could help her. Given the short timeframe they had, six months to be exact, he could act as her guide to the surface world and show her the good mankind had to offer. With his help and her status as the princess, she believed she could change Atlantis' perceptions of the surface world for the better and avoid the possibility of war altogether.

Peter gave himself a moment as he tried to process and reflect on all that she had just told him.

"Why me?" he asked her. "Why choose me when there are so many other heroes out there?"

"I may have done some research on you, and all of Earth's other heroes for that matter," Mera revealed, doing her best to hide her embarrassment. "I could tell that out of all of them, you'd be the one with the most heart. That you'd be THE someone who could represent the best of humanity."

Peter was taken aback. He had to admit, the praise the redhead had given him was starting to get to his head though he quickly shook it off.

"I'll help you," Peter said, putting on a brave face despite feeling overwhelmed. After all, this sounded like it was on a whole other level than what he was used to as New York's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

"We'll start tomorrow," Mera said, taking the lead.

"Central Park, nine in the morning?" he suggested, taking a moment to appreciate the calmness of the night sky. Realizing that this was probably her first time ever in the city, let alone her first time on the surface world, he added, "That is if you know where it is."

"I can manage," Mera said.

Peter hummed in acknowledgment. He followed her as she turned and walked towards the edge of the pier.

"See you, Peter." She gave him a parting glance before diving gracefully into the sea, with enough flair to rival the likes of the greatest Olympic divers. He stood at the docks, watching as she disappeared into the ocean depths, all the while being lost in his thoughts.

After eight years as Spider-Man, Peter Parker thought his life couldn't get any crazier. He had a feeling he was dead wrong now that Mera showed up in his life.

A quick A/N to everyone who has read this, I hoped you all enjoyed it! This version of Spider-Man is inspired by the PS4 game, with some changes and elements from the MCU/comics. One difference to note from the game is that in this story, Otto isn't aware that Peter is Spider-Man, at least not yet. As for Mera, she's based on her appearance in the Aquaman film, with some influence from the New 52/Rebirth comics. The events of the movie play out differently in this story. Think of this crossover-universe as a brighter version of the DCEU with Spider-Man added to it. There may be some cameos from other Marvel heroes, but the focus will be on Spidey. Do leave a review and let me know what you all think. Stay tuned for more!