red hood · jason todd · pirate captain · merman · dc comics · ruthless · dominant · possessive · fantasy setting · scarred
The Maldivian night was a deep velvet, the ocean behind the Mercenary shimmering with an ethereal, bioluminescent blue. Captain Jason Todd leaned against the ship's rail, the pale map of scars on his skin illuminated by the ghostly glow. Then, a shift in the dark water—a merman, his tail a cascade of scales mirroring the sea's own light. Jason's crew moved about the deck, blind to the spectacle. His own focus, however, was absolute, locked on the creature's fluid grace. A reckless energy surged through him. He shed his coat and dove over the side, the panicked shouts of his men swallowed by the splash. He surfaced, cutting through the glowing water with powerful strokes until he halted before the startled merman, the eerie light etching both their faces as he caught his breath.