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Roy sat on the edge of the rocks by himself, kicking his feet as he covered his mouth against the increasing smoke. His father had left when the sun was high in the sky and the fire had just erupted in the forest, saying others needed help. Roy had offered to go with him, but his father had said it was too dangerous for someone who had yet learned how to button his own shirt by himself.
The sun was setting, now, and the fire’s roar had not dwindled.
He tried not to be too nervous. It was not as though this was the first occurrence of his father’s bravery. Roy was used to him rushing to help others; it was one of the things he admired most about him.
But his father usually did not take this long.
Roy looked around, in search of another rock nearby, as if he had not thrown all within grabbing distance into the ocean already. He saw one a little further away, a little closer to the water than his father would like him to go, but he was bored and went for it regardless.
The pebble was smooth -- perfect for skipping across the waves, in Roy’s humble opinion. Just as he wound up his arm and prepared to throw, something gold and shiny caught his eye.
He looked backwards, towards the evergrowing fire, and saw no difference. Well, to be completely transparent, there was a vast difference in the amount of trees and charcoal that existed, but the difference he was looking for -- his father’s figure -- was still absent.
Roy scooted closer to the gold, tucked beneath yellow and green, and saw only what he had heard about in stories.
His father wasn’t superstitious and always said that stories some locals told were born of ignorance and fear, which was why ghosts and demons and such weren’t real to him. Yet, despite the rants of stupidity that arose when dubbed foolishness was spoken, his father was always deadly serious when other entities were mentioned.
Werewolves. Sirens.
Mermaids.
Roy knew better than to question his father, for he knew that the beliefs his father held were from experience. One day, all those stories he had bottled up and kept from before Roy was born would be shared when he was old enough, as his father had said repeatedly, Roy just had to wait a little longer, a few more years, and he would learn all his father knew.
Yet, Roy was no fool. He knew some creatures were more dangerous than others, despite what various townsfolk would believe. Based on what little information he gleaned from his father, mermaids could either be dangerous, scary creatures who could rip you apart with one swipe of their claws, or they could be kind, merciful beings who wanted nothing more than to peacefully coexist with humans. The difference was from past interactions with humans the mermaid might have had, as well as the current one, to determine if one would leave with a wound or a friend.
The green and gold and yellow shifted, and suddenly Roy was staring at a deep blue looking right back at him.
The mermaid tilted his head, looking at Roy no doubt as curiously as Roy was looking at him.
Roy, unsure what to do, lifted his hand slowly, hesitatingly. The mermaid watched intently the whole time, eyebrows furrowing when Roy waved. The mermaid looked at his own hand, just as curiously as he had looked at Roy’s, shifted so he was sitting up on the rocks, and copied the motion.
The smile Roy felt growing hurt his cheeks, but the mermaid was cute and reminded Roy oddly of a seal. The mermaid, just as slowly as he had copied the wave, smiled back.
Roy couldn’t help but wonder if they were already friends.
~~~~~
What they don’t tell you is that becoming an orphan at any age older than a babe reduces your likelihood of finding another suitable caretaker. What they also don’t tell you is that the more caretakers you have, the less likely another one will want to take you in.
Which was how Roy found himself as a twice-orphaned cabin boy aboard his third ship by the time he was only 12 years old.
Older crew members called him a liar, younger ones despised him for being the youngest aboard the ship and having more experience. No matter what Roy did, it felt like he could never win anywhere he went.
Which was how Roy found himself stuck watching the fishing net -- also known as the most boring job aboard any boat. All he had to do was watch and wait until the net grew heavy enough to pull back up, a job that didn’t need to exist but was delegated to him regardless. He had other things he wanted to do with his time than watch the horizon, but he got little choice in the matter when those higher ranking than him gave him the boring duty.
Roy thought living aboard a boat would be more exciting than this; he wanted adventure, like the ones told in stories, like the ones he thought his fathers had lived. And what he was doing now was not that, not even close.
He sighed as he traced his finger along the wooden railing. What he really wanted was to help people, the same way both of his fathers had, but he was stuck with the misfortune of losing both of them as a mentor and having no idea how to follow in their footsteps. He tried to step in when he witnessed injustice, but too often was he pushed to the side, disregarded, and belittled.
He knew he could pull his weight, knew he could prove his worth, his only someone was willing to give him the chance. If only-
Something tugged sharp at the rope, pulling it taut. Roy, curious but cautious -- forever curious but cautious -- pulled back. Whatever was in the net was heavy, and Roy had half a mind to cut the rope and let it go before realizing that the poor sea creature would probably kill itself tangled in the knots.
He huffed, using all the strength he accumulated over the years to heave the net over the railing and onto the deck, ready to release the-
Not what he expected.
No, the shining dark blue and gold and green scales were not what he was expecting, not at all.
Roy froze, not wanting to frighten the mermaid more than it was, but his lack of movement did not persuade the mermaid one way or another, for the creature kept twisting and turning, trying to free itself from the trap it found itself in.
And Roy had been right, if he had simply cut the line and let the net go, this creature would have surely found itself dead sooner rather than later.
Slowly, so slowly, Roy moved forward, intent on finally doing some good in his life and freeing the creature.
Yet, his movement caught the attention of the mermaid, who went deadly still as if scared another twitch would result in death.
Roy, sorry as he is to say, took that stillness to his advantage. Swiftly but carefully, he used his knife to cut the rope tangled around the magnificent tail. It wasn’t until he had stepped away and sheathed his weapon, giving the mermaid plenty of breathing room, did it blink back into awareness and reassess the situation.
Roy looked about his narrow corner of the deck and was all at once thankful for the boring duty and lack of supervision, for under any other circumstances, this mermaid would no doubt be dead or bound by now.
When Roy looked back, the mermaid was already looking at him, though its gaze was less wary and more scrutinizing. It wasn’t until Roy locked eyes and saw that deep blue when he realized exactly who he was staring at.
That same mermaid, with scales darker than what they had been all those years ago, when that fire had blazed in the background and claimed the life of his first father.
That same mermaid, who had looked reminiscent of a seal, who had copied his wave and smile.
That same mermaid, who Roy had thought of as a friend, now trembling before him.
Before he even fully realized what he was doing, Roy was walking toward the mermaid, lifting him haphazardly like a bride and stumbling his way toward the railing. The mermaid’s trembling worsened, but Roy did his best to ignore the short term discomfort in favor of the long term benefits.
When the mermaid hit the water, he looked back up at Roy, staring in confusion and awe. Roy was unsure what his own face gave away during that long moment the two did nothing but stare at one another, but it ended when the mermaid made a chirping noise so reminiscent of a bird that Roy thought land was nearby and waved. Roy waved back, unsure of what else to do, and the mermaid dived under the water.
It didn’t matter how long Roy stared at the horizon, as mermaids were unseen for the rest of the day.
~~~~~
The Vertigo was a well known ship, the prize of some country’s navy, known for ruthlessly tearing apart any other ship that got in its path.
At least, that was how Roy felt when a cannon ball fired from the ship with royal flags busted the hull of the dreadful ship he was aboard and he was forced to find some piece of the wreckage to keep him afloat. He tried his best to cover his mouth from the smoke of the shipwreck, but it was a losing battle as he slipped further and further into the sea.
He had just begun to say his prayers that he would see his fathers again when a familiar head of black hair and deep blue eyes popped up just out of grabbing range.
It was two ships and a year after he had last seen the mermaid, and he couldn’t help but notice their previous positions switched. Where before the mermaid’s life was solely in Roy’s hand, now Roy’s life was in his.
As Roy tried to get a better grip onto his piece of the wreckage, the mermaid looked at him curiously, as if baffled that Roy was not as adept in the water as he was. The mermaid was studying him, Roy could tell; he could also tell the moment that the mermaid made a decision about what to do.
Roy did his best not to move too much when he felt arms wrap around his waist, but his trembling couldn’t be helped. All he could do was hope that his previous act of kindness did not latently result in his death.
The mermaid was moving him, dragging him backwards through the water as Roy held onto the wood he had claimed for dear life. He had no idea where he was being taken, but at least his head was still above water, so hopefully he would arrive there alive.
Roy’s fingers had only just begun to prune when the arms around his waist let go. Roy turned and felt his heart drop.
The Green Arrow, with its tough exterior and brilliant green flags, was a fearsome ship, one that few knew of but struck fear into the hearts of everyone.
At least, that’s how Roy felt staring up at its magnificence with a dropping heart. He turned to look back at the mermaid, just now realizing that he was not planning on killing Roy himself -- no, the mermaid was dishing out that pleasure to someone else.
Before Roy had the chance to do anything -- swim, beg for his life, dive under the water, scream, attack the mermaid, anything -- the mermaid waved, much more confident in the motion than he had been when they first or last met, and dived back under the water, disappearing from view entirely.
Roy was at a loss. After everything, after all he had been through, he could hardly believe that his death was orchestrated at the hands of a mermaid to be dealt by pirates.
And again, before he had the chance to do anything -- swim, find the mermaid, scream, beg for his life -- a shout erupted from the ship.
Roy could hear the hustle and bustle from above, and the next thing he knew, another pair of arms was wrapped around his waist and he was being brought aboard the ship.
The one who brought him onto the deck shook out his blonde hair and squeezed the water out of his beard before sticking out his hand for Roy to shake. It wasn’t until he had a promise of safety and a name did Roy return the favor.
A huff of laughter from Oliver “Ollie” Queen, pats on the back and congratulations for being alive from the crew, a bunk to sleep in for however long he wanted, and Roy began to think that maybe, just maybe, the mermaid had instead saved his life instead of damning it.
~~~~~
The best part of being aboard a pirate ship were the random stops at random islands when the crew wanted to stretch their legs for a day or two.
Roy loved the sea, he truly did, but his first two fathers loved the land and the trees and everything nature had to offer. He always felt closer to them when onshore, and it was a feeling he never wanted to forget or be rid of.
Roy had found himself sitting atop some rocks, skipping pebbles across the waves, when he came across a familiar sight taken directly from his memory, despite it being long since faded from time and aging. Yet, it was still prevalent enough in Roy’s mind that he could spot the differences between the past and the present, like how scales that had once been green and gold and yellow were now black and gold and blue.
One thing that stayed the same, however, as it always did, were those deep blue eyes.
Roy sat frozen on the rocks, unsure how to proceed. It had been years since they first met, and between that time and now, they had both saved the other's life.
Roy sat up a little straighter, noting how intently the mermaid was watching him, and cleared his throat. “Thank you,” he said as clearly as he could, “for saving my life.” He had no idea if the mermaid could understand what he was saying, but he knew he had to say the words regardless, even if for only his own sake.
“You saved me,” Roy continued, “in more ways than one. I found a family again,” at that, he looked over at Ollie, his gaze followed by the mermaid’s, “because of you.”
The mermaid looked at Ollie for a moment longer before making eye contact yet again with Roy. With a strange accent, the mermaid stutteringly replied, “help me find mine.”
Roy felt his jaw drop; he had no idea that mermaids could speak, didn’t think anyone did, and felt the need to revel in this revelation. When the mermaid began to glance around, clearly restless, Roy forced himself to find his center and focus on what was important. “What happened?” he asked, because the least he could do was help the one who had helped him in more ways than he could begin to count.
~~~~~
Finding the Joke was almost too easy, in Roy’s opinion. He had not been a part of a pirate ship for as long as he had others, but still, he thought it would have been harder for them to find another ship, especially one as infamous and evasive as the one they had targeted.
But, perhaps that was why Ollie had decided to call his ship the Green Arrow, for once he set his sights on a target, the path sailed was as true as that of an arrow released from a bow.
Beyond the ease of finding the ship, the name almost felt ironic given how easy it was to board and take control of the Joke. Yet, perhaps the ship did not think it needed the extra protection most ships carrying cargo for the royal navy used, given the contents of its hold.
Roy scoured the ship, intent on finding the mermaid with red and green scales, as his friend had described his brother to look like. There was a pit of despair growing in his stomach, both from the amount of mermaids aboard and from the fact that none matched the description.
In a fit of desperation, Roy called out, “Jason? Jason, are you here?”
A chirping and a tail thumping the glass of one of the cargo containers caught Roy’s attention, and he couldn’t help but feel saddened at the state he found the mermaid.
His friend had described his younger brother as having vibrant red and green scales, but what he saw was a dull red and black. Roy knew that sometimes intense trauma could turn a mermaid’s scales black, and while he had never asked what had happened to his friend, he found himself distraught that one so young could experience such an event to change the colors of his scales so quickly.
And that was the reason why Roy had such a difficult time spotting Jason, for all the mermaids in the hull had at least a splotching of black amongst their tails, if all of their scales were not black already.
Roy went up to the tank, placed a hand on it, and looked Jason in the eyes. “Your brother sent me,” he tried to say as clearly as he could, “I’m here to get you out.” He paused a second, looked at the hagrid faces surrounding him, spotted Ollie’s concerned and righteous expression coming down the stairs, and amended, “we’re here to get you all out.”
~~~~~
It was a few weeks later, upon a different island with sand instead of rocks, that Roy saw the mermaid again.
He was leaning back on his hands, crossed legs, enjoying the sun on his skin when he heard something slide up in front of him. He opened his eyes and saw those deep blue ones staring back at him, as they always were.
“Thank you,” came the hulting words, “for saving him.” Roy could finally realize why the accent sounded so foreign -- not because it came from a country or region he had little experience with, but because in each word, the chirping he had often heard from mermaids was used. It created an odd dissonance, but not an unwelcome one.
“Of course,” was the simple reply, as if it was that easy. Roy felt like it was.
They stared at each other for a moment longer, until the sand beneath Roy’s hands began to feel as sweaty as his palms. Roy brushed one of his hands against his pants leg and held it out to the mermaid. “We never officially met. I’m Roy.”
The mermaid looked at the hand curiously, then brushed his own against his scales and held it out like Roy was holding his. It reminded him of the first time they met, with shared waves and smiles.
Slowly, Roy grabbed the mermaid’s hand for a handshake, the mermaid looked at their combined hands curiously. The mermaid looked back up and met Roy’s eyes once more. “I’m Dick.”
Once the shaking stopped, neither let go, still staring into each other’s eyes. “Nice to meet you,” Roy said, unsure of what else to say to fill the moment.
Dick chirped something -- Roy assumed it was along the lines of “you too.”
Roy could tell at that moment, despite the fact that the two of them had known each other for years, their relationship, as strange as it was, was just starting.