Fun fact: Phantom will not change when he touches bodily fluids. Things like tears, semen, saliva, or sweat will not affect him.
...
Getting Danielle back into the ocean was the hard part, and Danny, Sam, and Tucker knew it as soon as they realized Phantom could not touch the sea water for more reasons than one. He would be unable to help or risk Hades killing him if the waves so much as grazed his toe.
Phantom parked in a spot where nobody would see them as long as they were quiet and careful. It was night-time, so even if someone did see, they wouldn't be able to know exactly what they were doing- or what they were helping.
Even though the mermaid had not shown any hostility, the teenagers still had no trust in her, and they had gotten a chain to attach to Tucker's belt just in case Danielle decided she was hungry after returning to the water. It was currently hooked onto his pants and tied securely around his waist, and Phantom was holding onto the other end with Sam and Danny as Tucker carried the female siren. He was scared, but he knew that Danny would have passed out from fright if he had been given the task, and neither boy would allow Sam to do it, so he took one for the team.
Dragging Tucker down and feasting on him didn't seem to be her intention, because as soon as the teenager released her, she started to swim off, the only indication that she was grateful being the wave of goodbye she gave them meters away.
When Tucker made it back to the van safely, they all breathed a sigh of relief and piled into the vehicle. Danny was in the front this time and Sam and Tucker were in the back. None of them had the energy to talk much, but small conversation was made along the long drive home.
Phantom was quiet though, unable to do much other than focus on the road and glance over at his boyfriend every few minutes.
Danny looked so happy. Healthy.
Which assassin would it be? The next one? The one after that?
Exactly how long did Danny have? Days? Weeks?
Unanswered questions burned every nerve, twisted every molecule. Every inch of his body was crying out with worry.
He would not lose Danny.
Phantom turned his head and saw that the raven was resting his head on the window, clearly exhausted after forcing himself awake and alert for hours now. It had to be around 2 in the morning and they were all ready for bed.
The merman couldn't even think about sleep. His human, the boy who had drilled a hole and made a warm home in his cold heart, had no future.
The reality of the situation hit Phantom. Danny was in grave danger.
What could he do about it?
If he left Danny and just never came back, would Hades still go after him? Hades wanted him to live in anguish and regret, possibly torture if things went his way.
Phantom shook his head, it was no good; Hades wouldn't just stop trying to kill Danny if he left his side for good. Hades probably already knows that killing Danny is the best way to break him, so he would take his soul anyway just to make life on land hell.
He would have to stay and keep fighting then, but with Danielle's revelation, it was obvious that wouldn't always work.
What if next time an assassin comes, he isn't there to protect him?
... Well, it's official then, he isn't letting Danny out of his sight for any reason.
The sound of a phone ringing interrupted Phantom's internal monologue and the rest of the van's peaceful quiet, and Danny opened tired and watery eyes to pick out his phone from his back pocket.
As soon as he looked at the caller ID, Danny's face paled. "It's my Dad."
He was such an idiot, he should have realized sooner that his father would come home and see that the mermaid was gone. He could kick himself for not being prepared with some kind of cover story.
"Hi, Dad. Sorry, I went out with my friends-."
"You are in so much trouble." Jack's voice sounded dark, and the sound of it had Danny's skin going cold.
For a second, the raven was unable to form words, "um, Dad? Sorry that I didn't tell you but you left in a hu-."
"Stop lying."
Uh oh... His dad was using his father voice. The one Danny only remembered him using once in his life; when he stole pills from a pharmacy when he was 13. Jack had been so mad, it was like his whole demeanor changed. His aura had gone from bright shiny colors, to gray and dangerous.
His father was livid.
"Dad? What's going on?" He looked over at Phantom in concern, and they were both making eye contact while Sam and Tucker listened in from the back seat.
"You let one of those creatures into my house." It wasn't a question, it was definitely a statement.
Danny's breath caught, his blue eyes shooting over to Phantom. "Um," he really was incapable of words now.
"I guess I can't be too mad at you directly, you are attracted to men after all, and Dan is a pretty face. It was probably so easy for him to control you."
It was like time froze, all the oxygen in the world was gone, all the lights were out, storm clouds had blocked the stars, and that's when Danny started to panic.
"Dad, it's not what you think. I'll be home soon." Anxiety and apprehension was the only emotion that Danny was aware of when he hung up. He looked over at Phantom but it appeared that the merman already knew what was going on if his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and pale face was any indication.
The same couldn't be said for the two in the back, and they started questioning what happened as soon as the phone was shoved back in the raven's pocket. "What happened?"
"Dad knows that Phantom's a siren." Danny watched as his friend's eyes widened, "I don't know how he found out, but he knows now and I think he wants to hurt him." He turned in his seat to look at the hybrid, sleep the farthest thing from his mind at this point. "You need to stay with Sam and Tucker until I can talk to him."
The idea of leaving Danny's side was not an option, not if the raven's imminent death was a possibility. There was no way that Danny would take no for an answer though, so Phantom just nodded. A little white lie never hurt anyone, right?
Danny nodded, looking slightly relieved as if the confirmation that Phantom would not be in immediate danger just yet relaxed him a little.
Phantom sighed.
...
Jack Fenton put the gun in its holster, the other five lined up on his belt loaded and ready. He had hunting gear and a couple of handguns he had gotten from the pawn shop a few years ago. His headset was secure, duck taped to his head just to be extra safe, and his orange jumpsuit was zipped up to cover his entire body -including his hair- to protect from any outside power that the siren may have.
It was amazing how Dan had been there for months, but it appeared that Jack knew next to nothing about him.
Anger boiled and rotted deep within him. That monster had been manipulating his son and lying to him in his own home for over half a year now. How had he not seen it sooner? He could be such an idiot sometimes. White hair, glowing green eyes, perfect features, 'There is a mermaid on land somewhere'.
"Grr," Jack growled, there had been so many clues, so many arrows pointing right at Dan, yet he had been unable to realize that there was a mermaid under his own roof. He felt used and angry that his son was being used.
His precious, sweet, vulnerable boy. His son, who saw the light in the dark and loved more than his heart could take. He wondered just how twisted Dan had his son's emotions by now. Even he had grown to adore the kid! He could hardly bear to imagine how his son must feel about the merman. Danny would be crushed, broken when Jack did what he had to do. All the father could hope for at this point, was that he would be able to pick up the pieces and mend his son back together.
Danny was going to be a mess...
The pain finally registered, Jack couldn't bear the betrayal he felt, or the impending agony he was going to put his own son through. He felt like he was about to kill Danny's spirit, and he couldn't shake off the instinct to refuse what he needed to do now.
He couldn't though. Danny would never be free from Dan's spell until the merman was eradicated.
The front door opened and shut, and Jack was fully prepared for the hectic battle of both physical and emotional anguish. He knew instinct and reality would clash together like a couple of titans on the front lines of war, but he couldn't back down until he conquered. Until it was safe.
He would grieve later.
"Dad!"
Already Danny sounded frantic, scared, and Jack knew it was because of Dan. It needed to end. He knew his son was strong, stronger than any kid he had ever seen or met in his life. He would get over the pain, find someone new eventually even. He just hoped that Danny would find it within himself to forgive him for this.
Jack stood by the stairs when Danny's wide blue eyes met his, and the heavy panting that the boy let out let Jack know that he was on the brink of panic.
Carefully, Jack spoke, "Son, I know this is hard, but I need you to tell me where Dan is."
Before he could even finish his sentence, Danny was already shaking his head from side to side, "No, Dad, you can't hurt him. He's part of this family."
More anger boiled, and Jack swallowed down the harsh words that hit the front of his mind as if trying to break through his skull towards the teenager. Dan was the farthest thing from family.
"Son, he is a merman, a creature whose only purpose on Earth is to manipulate, corrupt, and massacre. He can't hold a candle to the meaning of 'family'." He knew his eyes were narrowed, and his anger was most likely visible on his face, but Jack was holding back. He needed to try to be sensitive, but he also needed to make Danny see reason. His son needed to see reality.
He started to step forward, his intention to walk passed his son to start the hunt. Dan couldn't be far-.
"Woah!" He exclaimed when Danny jumped him. An arm came around his neck and Jack's eyes widened when he realized that his son was currently choking him. Dead weight weighed him down, and in no time at all, the father lost balance and fell to the ground next to the stairs. His throat was released but before he knew what happened, he could hear metal clinking together and a feel tightness on his wrist.
His flabbergasted eyes shot to his wrist and his jaw dropped open. The handcuffs that were strapped to his belt just 5 seconds ago were now securely attached to his wrist and the bar on the stairs.
"Did you just handcuff me to the stairs?!" Oh... Now he was angry for different reasons. His son was really going to get it later.
He looked over to a very guilty looking teenager, who was backing away slowly with the keys in his hand as if he was previously unaware of his own actions.
Danny had no idea he was capable of that.
"Dad, I'm..." he breathed out slowly, "I'm sorry, I can't let you hurt him."
"Danny, he's a siren! How can you protect him!?"
"Remember that kid that protected me from bullies? Remember that kid that you have said you love multiple times now? The same kid that eats dinner every night with us? That's Phantom, his real name is Phantom." The light was shining in Danny's glassy eyes, and Jack knew that the boy was desperate for him to say something that didn't mean the siren's death.
How could his son ask that of him? A siren was a siren, in and out, incapable of human emotions.
"He is a siren, Daniel." Danny flinched, Jack only ever used his full name like that when he was truly angry. "He isn't capable of remorse, or love, or compassion, or joy, or anything that a human feels."
"Dad, he is human! He may be half siren, but Dad, he loves! He laughs! He cries! He hurts! I've seen it. You've seen it!"
"You're being controlled. You're only seeing what he wants you to see because you are innocent and he is attractive." They were both yelling by now, but neither of them seemed to care as emotion clouded their words. "Don't you see? He's using you!"
"No, Dad. He isn't even here right now, how could he be controlling me? Dad, don't you ever hear us argue? We argue as much as the next healthy couple, if he was manipulating me, all those arguments would have been so much shorter and nothing would ever get resolved, Phantom and I wouldn't be as close as we are."
Jack was nosy in nature, especially after the hospital incident with his son. He did often listen in when the two of them argued just to make sure that his son was going to be okay, and to make sure that Dan didn't do what some teenagers did; take advantage of the weak.
It was true that things usually settled normally, like a normal relationship that didn't let pride cloud judgment.
It was a fact that contradicted known logic about the relationship sirens had with humans.
Still though...
"Danny, let me out of this cuff and tell me where he is so I can take care of the problem." His voice was stern and normally it would have Danny doing what he was told as if his tone was a remote control for his son's actions. The teen didn't make any move to obey though.
"He isn't a problem, Dad." A tear fell from his baby blue eyes, but it was quickly wiped away and forgotten, "He's done nothing but protect me the entire time that he's been here. He doesn't even need me, really. He hasn't in months, yet he chooses to stay in this house with us because he loves me! He loves me, Dad."
So much naivety, so much careless desire. His son was worse than he thought, Dan was so much deeper into his mind and heart than he initially anticipated.
"What about when he gets hungry? What has he been eating all this time? Don't you dare try to tell me that he only lives on human food." Jack's eyes became darker the moment he saw the hesitance and lack of eye contact after that question. It only took a second for the father to understand.
"He does need human meat... every month or so..." He let his soft voice hang there, there was no more yelling, and the teen didn't bother to elaborate. That only served to incriminate Dan more.
"Where has he been getting it, Daniel." The false sweetness announced the passive-aggressive anger that resided in the venom of his words.
Eye contact was made after a couple of seconds, but the silence was enough of an answer that Jack knew exactly where the merman was getting the human flesh.
How many scars was his son hiding under those clothes?
"Dad," Danny started again carefully, "I know what I signed up for when I chose to take care of him. I knew what I was getting myself into when I asked if he could stay. He doesn't take a lot from me, and he holds off for as long as he can."
Jack was about to say something about how sick it was that Danny would allow that creature to feed off him like he was some cattle farm, but the teen continued before he could.
"Just because he needs to feed off me every few weeks doesn't make him evil; he can't help it. If he doesn't feed, he is going to die."
"He's the one that kidnapped you isn't he?" Jack suddenly asked as recognition and memory hit him all at once.
Danny flinched.
"Isn't he!?" Jack asked again, this time not waiting for an answer. "How could you possibly stand to be around him, Daniel Fenton?"
"He's sorry, Dad." There goes that look that resembled a small puppy with his ears drooping uselessly on the sides of his head. "He's made up for it. He's taken care of me since then."
There those words were again. 'He's taken care of me', 'He's protected me'.
Oh...
Something was very clear now. It all made sense. The evidence that the FBI and the forensics found, the teeth marks on Vlad's body, the strange and unexplained location difference between the time of death and discovery, Danny's secrecy, the lies, the fear, the hesitance around political authority...
"Dan killed Vlad." It wasn't really a question, more of a verbalized realization. It was the one thing in the conversation that was not shouted, nor was it spoken out of anger. It was calm, tranquil in all its nauseating discovery. It was sickening and relieving in a terrible mix of complicated emotion that Jack couldn't pinpoint or understand. He couldn't tell if he was happy, horrified, relieved, disgusted, or an awkward mix of everything.
The kid that he had been living with had mutilated Vlad, and he had no idea.
"Vlad tried to hurt me. Badly." Danny said as he played with the keys in his hand, "Phantom wouldn't let him..."
Finally, Jack thought as he stared at his son, there was the truth he had been looking for ever since he first suspected his son had something to do with Vlad's death.
So it was true then. He had been right all along in his suspicions. Vlad tried to violate his son, and the man paid for it with his life. Only it wasn't Danny that killed him, no. It was Dan.
"You got rid of the body?"
Danny nodded hesitantly as if he was scared to let his father know that he had gotten his hands dirty.
Jack didn't need to ask to know that Sam and Tucker were somehow involved, those three had been inseparable since they were three and shared everything. Even the deepest, darkest, more terrifying secrets. Danny didn't just lie to protect Dan, he lied to protect Sam and Tucker too.
So Dan was the one to kill Vlad...
It was strange, to feel grateful and hateful towards someone at the same time.
It was overwhelming, it was all too much. This was too hard, Dan was too deep into their lives. His son was completely, utterly, irrevocably, and undeniably head over heels in love with a monster, and there was nothing that Jack could do about it. The demon had attached itself to the innocent boy and...
Jack couldn't kill him.
He had no idea what to do now.
"Bring him here, Danny." The teenager flinched again, but stared hopefully at his father, "I want to talk to him." He was wearing a headset still, and Jack knew that no matter what, Dan would be unable to hypnotize him in any way, nor could he read his thoughts and manipulate him.
Danny nodded, "Okay, I'll have him come. But I'm taking your guns first."
...
Phantom felt terrible.
He had never felt like such an asshole more than he did right then as he sat outside the Fenton household, listening to Danny's thoughts and monitoring the area around the house.
Danny asked him to stay with Sam and Tucker, but he couldn't do that and make sure no sirens came and did away with the raven at the same time. Phantom had to make a choice, and it was either to do as Danny asked and risk his life, or use his powers for evil for the first time in months and hypnotize Danny's friends so he may sneak away and protect him.
Danny would be disappointed.
It was worth it though if it meant that he could be there if someone attacked the raven. Phantom wouldn't let anything happen to him. It was a small price to pay, and Phantom's only regret was that Danny was going to be upset. Even if his father did make it outside to begin hunting him down, Phantom knew that he could get away. He was smart, cunning, and had powers that the Fentons couldn't even dream about.
That's when his phone rang.
He took his hand off his face and reached into his pocket, already knowing it was Danny calling to tell him to come home. Little did he know that he was there the whole time.
"Hello?" he said bitterly.
"Phantom, Dad wants to talk to you, I have his guns and he won't be able to attack you, it's safe."
"Mmm. 'Kay." He hung up and shoved his phone in his pocket, it was time to deal with the problem. He didn't know if Jack would hate him, try to kill him, welcome him, or throw him out of the house. All he knew was that whatever happened, he had to make sure that Danny was safe. If it meant he had to come clean about everything about himself, and what his relationship with Danny entailed, and that Hades would love to have both their heads on a trophy, then so be it.
He slowly opened the front door and stepped inside, barely acknowledging the brief confusion written on Danny's face in regards to how he had gotten there so fast as he hesitantly walked over to sit on the floor a few feet in front of the father.
Jack wasted no time in starting the conversation, and Danny's confusion quickly evaporated to be brought up later as he focused his attention on the two others in the house.
"So. You're a siren."
Phantom felt like he was sinking, and it was a strange feeling; to feel like a mere human held more power than him. "Yes."
"So then how are you on land? Why are you on legs?"
"Hades is a cruel god, who only appreciates misery. I chose to spare Danny, despite the intended nature that my god tried to force on us during creation. Because of this, he punished me by forcing me onto land where he hoped that I would expose myself to scientists that would hurt me for the rest of my life." He kept the explanation short and basic. To the point without making it confusing. "I got very lucky that Danny chose to show me kindness."
Phantom could smell the amount of anger radiating off the adult human, and the smell of Danny's nervousness choked him.
"So you are the one who took Danny from me all those months." It was a statement, almost a dare to deny what is already clear.
Phantom thought it un-smart to lie. "Yes."
"And you dare come into my house?" It was like Jack was trying to force daggers to materialized in front of his face so that he may throw them at Phantom's head, but none appeared.
Phantom was remorseful, but not regretful. He was sorry for making Jack suffer during those months that he kept Danny, but he would never take it back. Blame it on how selfish the merman was, but he would never regret meeting and falling in love with Danny, no matter what circumstances lead him to it.
The merman didn't bother saying anything in his defense. He didn't know what to say. He felt helpless.
"I don't trust you. I want you out of my house before nightfall. The only reason I am not taking you down to my lab is only for the fact that you kept that piece of shit Vlad off my son." He yanked at the restraints on his wrist as if he could release himself from mere strength, the cuffs didn't give though, "Think of it as a life for a life."
Phantom blinked. Somehow he had expected this to happen, but he was unprepared for how much it would hurt. Originally, he had been curious about Danny relationship with his father. The devotion that Jack had to fathering Danny was remarkable, the love that he had undeniable.
The merman liked Jack; even felt safer around him, like he could count on the man to have his back if something was to happen to him. It hurt to know that in almost no time at all, the affection that he had from Danny's father turned to hatred. He felt the cold bite of rejection infect his heart and spread throughout his body until the poison burned its way into bitter reality.
Strange...
Danny told him that once someone loves another, they would always love them no matter what.
"Dad, no! Can't you see that he's hurting? That pain is real! He's is as human as you and I. How could you reject him like this?" Danny was yelling again, his own anger replacing the worry and nervousness that he originally felt through most of the encounter with his father.
"Danny, it's okay." The merman said softly as he got up on his feet, it was time to accept that he never really belonged there, no matter how much it felt like he did just hours ago. "I'll just go get my things."
"No! It's not okay, you don't have to go." Danny stood in the way of the stairs before Phantom could make it to them.
"Yeah, I think I do Danny."
"Then I'll go with you."
Phantom shook his head, Danny was a sensitive creature who was still to this day suffering the abandonment of his mother. The last thing he needed was to destroy his relationship with his father. If Danny left now, Jack and Danny would never forgive each other and their great father/son relationship would be dead. Phantom couldn't allow that to happen.
"No. You need your father, precious." They would be together again when Danny became of age and graduated high school, he would be able to do whatever he wanted. In the meantime though, Danny needed his father more than he needed a merman tearing his life apart. Just like Jack needed Danny. When Danny was older, a little more mature, and had recovered from this night with his father, then they could live together again. For right now though, Phantom was unwelcome.
"I need you!" Tears started to fall from crystal blue eyes, and there goes that noise. That horrible noise that Phantom had never liked to hear; the sound of the raven's voice cracking just before he started to cry. "What if I don't see you? What if someone tries to hurt me again?"
Phantom grabbed each side of the boy's face and pressed their foreheads together, using his thumbs to wipe away the falling salty tears.
"You won't be able to keep me away," he promised.
Danny whimpered and closed his eyes, reaching up and grabbing the hands on his face to hold them in place.
"Don't worry about the other sirens, I'm just a phone call away, and I won't be far at all. I promise." He kissed Danny's forehead, "I'm sure if you tell your dad what is going on, he has all the means to protect you until I can get to you."
"What if you get hurt? What if it rains? What if you get hungry?" Concern, anger, and so much sadness scented the raven's normally sweet smell. It drove Phantom mad. He wanted that citrus flowery scent of happiness back. This anguish that his human felt didn't suit him.
"It will be okay, Pet. I have lots of money." A small tear fell from the corner of his green eye, but luckily Danny didn't see it as his own eyes were shut for that moment, "I'll find a place to stay."
It was incredibly hard, to be forced out of his place of residence for the second time that year. This time though, Phantom wasn't just leaving his cave, wasn't just leaving his bed.
He was leaving his home.
"Wait."
Phantom turned his eyes over to Jack, who had been sitting quietly, still attached to the stairs with the key to the handcuffs securely in the palm of Danny's hand.
The man was looking at them with a look of defeat, and Phantom wrapped an arm around the raven's shoulders as he started to cry in his neck.
Jack stared at Phantom as the merman stared right back. Those green eyes that he had seen every day for the last 7 or 8 months were familiar in the most non-threatening way. The same eyes that belonged to the most dangerous creature in the world. The very creature that his parents had spent their lives trying to find and hunt down, that his great-grand-parents dedicated their lives to exposing. The same vial and demonic monster that had kidnapped, tortured, and eaten many humans in his long lifetime.
Yet all he saw was Dan.
If sirens weren't supposed to be capable of doing selfless things, then why bother trying to persuade Danny to stay with his father? If merpeople were incapable of feeling human emotion, then why was there so much pain in Dan's eyes?
"That day, when you took Danny. You saved my life."
Phantom blinked, remembering the day that he first met Jack Fenton. He had no idea at the time that the man that he had contemplated drowning for the low purpose of a quick meal would be the man that he adored on a personal level today.
Jack brought so much meaning, shined a light on so much definition. Phantom used to question why parents would do anything for their kids.
He understood now. Understood the bond that parents had the potential to have with their children.
"Danny asked me to."
This was a scientific anomaly. That or his great-grandparents research was incorrect. Sirens weren't supposed to understand favors, social cues and human-like interaction was unheard of among merpeople. So was mercy.
"You gave my son back to me."
"Yes." It had been a journey of self-discovery and crippling confusion, but releasing Danny was the smartest decision he had ever made in his life. He couldn't even imagine what life would be like if he had chosen to keep Danny down in that cave.
"You..." Jack paused, "You aren't going to take him from me again?"
"Not under these circumstances, no." Phantom's voice had become less anxious as he became more sure of himself. Jack may intimidate him to a small degree, but he was not one to show it. He wouldn't take Danny from him again, at least not until... well...
Marriage wasn't something known to his own culture, but neither was love or happiness. Danny wanted a life with him, even knowing the awful things that he had done as a merman. All Phantom wanted was to be by his side forever, and continue learning what it meant to be human.
"Why?"
"Because I love him. Very much. I know that he is much better off in this house." He chose not to mention that it was also safer because of the number of guns and hunting gear stored throughout the house. If Danny were to be attacked, he had so much around him for protection.
Danny's heart warmed. That was the second time that Phantom had said it out loud.
"If I let you stay here, I have one condition," Jack said after a moment of silence and thought.
Phantom tilted his head in curiosity, and Danny peaked out from the side of the merman's neck, his raven hair covering most of his face.
"30 years ago, my father died at sea. His ship was parked by a cave 100 miles away from here, but there was no trace of him. They told my mother and me that he drowned, but we knew the truth. Mermaids killed my father."
Danny blinked and wiped the tears from his eyes. His Dad had never mentioned his grandparents before.
"Ever since then, I dedicated my life to researching and exposing your kind. I was never able to find even a clue that you were real until just two years ago. Sirens are cunning and elusive, and for years I was bullied by peers and neighbors. I sacrificed my research and my job as a scientist after you took Danny. I gave up the search and the blood-related instinct to scour the globe until every last one of your kind is found and extinguished.
"Really though, all I want now is to just... know about you. For myself. Your species is the most advanced, most amazing race on the Earth. I won't expose you, I won't do any painful or un-consensual experiments on you, and I won't kick you out. But I want you to tell me about your kind and not leave anything out."
Phantom didn't say anything at first, and his green eyes shifted to Danny.
The raven shrugged, "It's your body Phantom, your culture. Your choice."
The merman nodded. "Then what do you wanna know?"