Royal Treatment

Darting his head out of the way at the last second, Superman avoided Aquaman's heat vision, superheating the sand where his head was until it glazed like molten glass. Raising his leg to the knee, the dark-scaled dragon was able to kick the former Atlantean off of him, causing Aquaman to rear back and tumble onto the beach with his heat vision still going off. The beam of superheated light cut through the water and flash-boiled almost a mile of water ahead of him before closing his eyes with a growl.

Rolling onto his clawed hands and feet on all fours, and taking the opportunity to check on Diana, he dealt with Mera while he faced Aquaman. To his shock, Wonder Woman had her claws full herself. Despite being reduced to a feral, red-furred dragon, Mera was attacking the Amazon turned dragoness with a barrage of pressurized streams of water strong enough to cut steel. Out of muscle memory, Diana tried to block a thin column of water with her arm, crying out in pain when the intense pressure alone was enough to push her back from the recoil, cradling her arm.

“DIANA!”

Unable to act, Clark was faced with Aquaman lunging for him again, pouncing on the man of steel like a jungle cat and trying to snap his jaws around Superman’s neck. Grabbing hold of Aquaman’s wrists and dodging his jaws from another attack, Clark managed to roll the offending dragon off him and pin him down. In the heat of the moment, Superman bit down on Arthur’s neck, causing the blonde furred dragon to yelp and cry out in pain. The act caused Mera to halt her attack on Wonder Woman and cry out in alarm, then dart her horned head over to Arthur, who Clark was containing, until Aquaman stopped resisting.

When it looked like neither dragon would make a move to attack again, Clark released Aquaman and slowly moved off of him. The defeated dragon slowly got up to all fours with his head lowered as Mera quickly moved over to nuzzle under his neck and chin. Keeping an eye on the two, Clark moved to check on Diana, finding her cradling her right arm, which appeared unharmed.

“Are you… Okay?” Superman asked, getting an affectionate press of her snout against his own when Wonder Woman regained her footing and stood next to him—folding her wings at her sides and staring cautiously at the red and blonde dragons in front of her.

“I’m… Good…” She answered, finding speech difficult but possible in her transformed state. “Used to… Bracelets…”

Looking down at her arm, relieved that she was unharmed, Clark turned to look at the royal couple. Then, he got a start when Mera nuzzled and licked at his chin like an affectionate pet. Taking a step back, both dragons looked at Clark the same way Diana did when he managed to placate her for the first time. Taking a chance, he opened his wings and gave a small flap, which elevated him off the ground. The three other dragons did the same, following him up off the beach, where off in the distance, Clark could spot the authorities and news choppers arriving.

“Let’s… Get you… All back… Home…”

Turning in the air, Superman motioned for the others to follow him as he flew off, heading north. None of the police or news helicopters had a chance of following any of them as they flew off at supersonic speeds.

***

Looking up at the display screen in front of him, Batman’s face was as unreadable as always as he explained current events to the remaining Justice League, who listened in on his report. He went over the events of Faora-Ui's parole hearing, the rampages caused by their friends, and his intervention after piecing together the evidence. Hawk Man and Hawkgirl stuck close to each other during the report while Green Lantern and the Flash made a squeamish gesture, realizing the monster they were fighting was Supergirl, who had lost herself to the changes.

“How are they doing, Batman?” Asked the red speedster with a pang of remorse.

“Right now, Superman and Wonder Woman are dealing with the two kryptodrakes in Jersey. Everyone else is here at the Fortress of Solitude, undergoing detoxification to remove the Phantom Zone energies from their systems. I’ll be keeping you all up to date on their conditions and recovery.”

“Keep us informed, Bruce.” Green Lantern finally regained some composure. “We’ll try to clean up any messes left behind.”

“Will do. By the way, Flash.” Batman nodded to the speedster. “Diana lost her bracelets during a confrontation with Cheetah in Washington. Can you go search for them?”

Saluting back to the Dark Knight with a smirk, the Flash nodded back. “Will have them back in a flash, Batman.”

With that, a red blur left the viewing screen as the flash raced out of the Halls of Justice to find the missing items.

“I’ll keep you all posted.” Turning off the viewing screen, Batman went to the control console and adjusted the lighting throughout the Fortress of Solitude to near darkness. Every room and corridor darkened with the lighting gone down, save for the emergency lighting that kept such rooms and hallways illuminated enough to see where you were going without bumping into a crystalline wall.

Once he was sure that was all done, Batman made his way out into the rest of the fortress to check on the ten remaining tenants and their conditions—one of whom he needed to keep a close eye on.

***

Looking up at the overhead lights dimming to near darkness, Power Girl sat with her triplets in her arms. The trio of bundled toddlers were asleep in her lap as she watched the lights darken.

“Looks like Batman is taking extra precautions…” She smirked, softly bouncing her son and two daughters in her arms to help them sleep after being fed. Across from her, Kara Zor-El sat next to two hovering cradles where her twins were awake and reaching for her dangling fingers with curiosity.

“They’re growing so FAST!” Supergirl shook her head in disbelief. Feeling her son squeeze her extended finger with his cherubic, clawed hands. “It’s almost like they’re growing months' worth every hour.”

“They probably are.” Agreed, Power Girl, setting her triplets in the floating cribs that had been orbiting her where she sat. “We were only pregnant for just a few hours; by that math, our kids will likely become adults in… Just a couple of weeks.”

“Shame, I would have liked to have seen them grow up a little more slowly.”

“Pff… Weaklings.” Scowling, Faora-Ui from across the amphitheatre, the woman leaned against the wall with her arms crossed as robots tended to her twins. “You coddle your newborns; no wonder none of you are warriors.”

“Says the woman who failed at her parole hearing.” Called out the Dark Knight as he stepped into the amphitheatre, his cloak trailing slightly behind him as he joined Kara and Karen. It was no surprise to Batman that, with all that had happened, the two women looked almost indistinguishable from each other. The Phantom Zone influx had matured Kara’s body rapidly into adulthood. As of now, the only real difference between the two women was the length of their hair. “I’ve turned down the lights to help with weaning off the radiation exposure.”

“Thank you, Batman.” Kara smiled warmly as she traced a finger through her long hair. Turning her gaze back to her sleeping twins, her demeanour turned more worrisome. “What do you think it’ll do to our children?”

Following the woman over to the pair of floating cribs she had been doting over, Bruce looked down at the sleeping twins, who by now looked like they were 2 years old. Still humanoid in shape, but with a sheen of yellow scales lining down his back, with stubby horns and a short tail.

“Hopefully… Since they were born under the exposure of phantom zone energies, we’re not sure if it's temporary or permanent.”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and…”

A crashing noise from the entrance to the fortress alerted everyone to the arrival of Superman and Wonder Woman, making their way through the large corridor with Aquaman and Mera in tow. Folding their wings to their sides and standing between their friends and the royal couple, Clark and Diana looked down at Batman and their two cousins.

“Don’t… Worry… They’re… Pretty tame… So far.”

“So far?!” Karen scoffed, looking up at the blonde and scarlet dragons who looked around the dark and open chamber, sniffing the air and looking down at the woman. Leaning his head down, Aquaman sniffed at the woman out of curiosity, then, much to Karen’s surprise, nuzzled and licked at her face. Smiling with one of her eyes closed as she looked away, Power Girl reached up to scratch at his jaw when the dragon lumbered back and groaned, almost out of fatigue.

“Okay, here we go…” Kara sighed, knowing what was coming next as the four dragons were caught with vertigo and fatigue.

Very quickly, the four began to shrink and transform, the soft crunch of bones echoing in the amphitheatre as scales faded away into bare skin, fur receded, and claws smoothed into toenails and fingernails. Clark had managed to keep his balance, standing on his feet and covering himself, as Karen handed him some spare clothes and did the same for Diana. Arthur and Mera, however, were **** on the floor, completely human again, save for a slightly noticeable increase in muscle tone.

“Well, easy parts over.” Clark breathed in, rolling his shoulders, and found his clothing fit rather snugly.

***

Nearly 40 minutes had passed before Arthur slowly stirred awake and sat up from a cushioned seat he had been in, looking down. He found himself dressed in robes with the house of El emblazoned on the chest. Near him, Mera too was slowly rousing from her slumber. Looking around, they found themselves in a dark chamber, almost like nighttime.

Looking up, Aquaman found Superman sitting nearby with Batman and Wonder Woman standing by the door.

“My friends… Where are we?” He asked, getting to his feet and regretting it as he sat back down with a wave of vertigo going through him. “How long was I…”

“Husband?” Mera asked out loud, rubbing the confusion from her brow and looking up to the three heroes at the door, approaching them. “Where are we? The last thing I remember was… The fishing trawler… Then…”

“There's something you two need to be caught up on,” Batman explained, offering the couple a tablet with a video paused for them to see. Pressing play, the couple watched the news footage of a pair of dragons, one red, the other yellow, roaming over the beaches of New Jersey before a pair of black dragons appeared and fought them down. Then flew off.

“There are MORE of these beasts?!”

“Arthur… Those beasts are you…” Clark explained with a heavy heart. “And they were us.”

Taken aback and silent from the accusation, Arthur was unable to react while Mera pulled the tablet from his hands and played the video on repeat. Watching with widening eyes at the scarlet dragoness forming a sphere of water over its outstretched wings, and instantly recognizing it as one of her spells. “No… NO! We… We were responding to a trespasser in our waters. He was fishing just over… By Neptune! Is he alive?”

Raising his hands to calm her down, Clark tried to be as reassuring as possible. “Mera, your highness.”

“DID WE KILL HIM?!” Her cries were frantic, frightened even.

“No! No, you did not.” Diana moved to sit next to the queen and took her hands in hers. “You ate all the fish in his stores and gave him a scare, but you never harmed him, or anyone for that matter.”

“The interviews from those at the beach said that neither of you hurt a fly; if anything, you were pretty tame, you were just hungry.”

Covering his face in his hands and exhaling a deep breath, Arthur slowly slouched forward, exhaustion etched on his bearded face. “How… How did this happen?”

“Two days ago, Superman was overseeing the parole hearing for Faora-Ui; she brought with her a crystal from that reality that had an effect on their biology,” Batman explained. “Direct exposure to sunlight jumpstarted a transformation that overwhelmed Faora, Superman and his two cousins. Turning them all into… Kryptodrakes.”

Looking up, the couple held hands as they continued to listen in.

“Clark and the others have been in containment as soon as he was aware. Supergirl unintentionally got exposed again, and it led to the two of you getting infected, you AND Diana.”

Wait… That doesn’t…” Mera sat back, her eyes shifting. “I was never bitten by anything. I was back in Atlantis, with my husband the entire time while he recovered and…” Realization had hit the queen like a tidal wave as she gasped, covering her open mouth with her hand.

Superman nodded.

“We believe even a single exposure to affected kryptonian cells is enough to transfer what happened to us to anyone else. A bite, a scratch, anything that could cause an exchange of fluids is enough to spread it.”

“By Poseidon… What have we become?” Looking down at the floor, Arthur almost didn’t register Superman resting a hand over his shoulder. “We… I could have doomed all of my people…”

“No, Arthur, the change overwhelmed you, stripped away your mind and memories, but deep down, you were still you. Both of you were. And deep down, neither of you would have hurt an innocent. Even when we changed, we didn’t go out to sow terror or rampage, I’ve seen the recordings. Deep down, you were still good.”

“No, my friend…” Sighed Aquaman with a heavy heart. “We were not ‘good’… We were just lucky.”

***

Opening the entrance of the provided quarters, the trinity took one last look at the royal couple.

“We’ll check in every few hours,” Clark said, voice low. “The Fortress robots are monitoring everything: vitals, energy decay. Rest. We’re in this together.”

Arthur exhaled heavily. “Thank you, Kal. Diana. Bruce. For… everything.”

Diana offered a faint, reassuring smile, though her posture remained rigid—still adjusting to the absence of her bracelets, the raw edge of emotion they once tempered. “You’re not alone, Arthur. Mera. None of us are.”

Batman gave a curt nod and turned toward the door. Clark followed, but Diana lingered a moment longer, pressing a gentle hand to Mera’s shoulder.

“If the hunger becomes too much, call for the dispensers. They’ll provide anything you need.” Mera managed a weak laugh. “At this rate, I’ll drain the entire stock of Atlantean kelp reserves.”

Diana chuckled softly, then paused, one hand drifting unconsciously to her own midsection. A faint rumble sounded from her stomach—audible even in the humid quiet. She blinked, surprised, then waved it off with an embarrassed half-smile.

“Sorry. I suppose I’m feeling a bit… hungry myself. Must be the flight back. Or the adrenaline crash.”

Clark glanced over, concern flickering. “You sure? We can grab something from the mess hall on the way out.”

Diana shook her head. “I’ll manage. Go on. I’ll catch up in a minute.”

The three departed, the crystalline door sealing behind them with a soft hiss. Diana stood alone for a beat, hand still resting on her abdomen. The hunger wasn’t fading; if anything, it sharpened, a deep, gnawing pull that felt less like ordinary appetite and more like… demand. She turned toward the corridor leading to the mess hall.

***

Several hours later…

Making their way through the darkened corridor of his fortress of solitude, Superman and Batman conversed about the current status of the group’s recovery. For their best interests, the entire fortress's inner lights had been dimmed to near-total darkness, save for guide lights in the rooms and hallways to help them see where they were going. **** at face value, but it was all so their bodies could wean themselves off the phantom-zone energies still saturating them.

“Your automated staff have managed to change the lighting in every room. At this rate, you’ll all be clear of the phantom energies in the next 3 days or so.” Batman spoke plainly, the two turning a corner in the hallway as they made their way over to the new quarters given to Clark’s ‘guests’ as they were **** to stay at the crystalline home away from home.

“Kara and Karen are keeping an eye on Faora-Ui. I don’t want to send her back to the phantom zone just yet, not until we can be sure our condition can be treated… And I don’t want to separate her from her children.”

“You mean YOUR children, right?” Batman pointed, ignoring the look Clark gave him as they made their way down the hallway. “…Probably wise. Ever since you were all exposed, you haven’t exactly been… Disciplined. Separating her from them would likely make her more emotionally unstable than she already is. Incidentally, I am not in the habit of tearing kids from their parents.”

Frowning back at Batman’s clinical response, Clark slowly accepted that Batman was agreeing with him as he changed the subject to one that was less loaded and personal.

“Arthur told me he communicated with his Atlantean advisors about all of this. Hopefully, in a few days, he and Mera can return to their kingdom without any fuss.”

“So long as we don’t say out loud that the two dragons who ate an entire fishing trolley full of cod, then went on a beach trip to Jersey to destroy a fish and chips restaurant, were in fact the king and queen of Atlantis, I think we can avoid a PR nightmare.”

“Yeah…” Wincing, Clark rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, concerned that he could feel the skin on his neck felt scaly. “Speaking of which, we’re coming up on their quarters now, we can see how they are settling in and make sure they are recovering.”

Walking up to the crystalline door, Superman turned his attention to a small panel at the doorframe and pressed a button there. A light chime called out from inside the quarters when the doors hissed open to reveal Aquaman standing there with a look of concern on his bearded face.

“My friends.” Arthur smiled and greeted the two. The man was wearing a tunic provided by the Kryptonian robots that catered to the entire complex.

“Your highness,” Batman spoke, dryly as he and Superman entered. “How are you holding up?”

Retaining his dignified stance as he stepped aside to let both men in, the personal quarters given to the royal couple were pleasant, but the lighting was intentionally kept dark for their health. Batman noticed the room felt humid, likely a request from the two Atlanteans to keep moisture accommodating for themselves. The quarters were dark and spartan, but at least inviting. Or would be even more so if not for the lights being almost turned off.

“It has been a challenge. Even though Mera and I had eaten hundreds of pounds of fish, our appetites haven’t gone down much. And then there are the other… Problems.”

“What kind of problems?”

Frowning at the question, Arthur raised his right hand and exhaled over his fingers, the act causing frost to cake over his palm and fingertips almost as if his hand had been dipped in **** cold, but when he flexed his fingers, the ice cracked and shed off him harmlessly.

“Freezing breath…” Superman spoke under his breath, watching Aquaman close his hand and open it again, showing no ill effect.

“That’s to be expected, you have kryptonian cells in you giving you their powers. That should wear off when the phantom zone energies do.” Bruce deduced.

“That’s… Not the only problem.” Aquaman sternly added, stepping back and guiding his two friends to the bedroom of the offered quarters. There, the two men, in shock, stopped at the entrance to find Mera. There, the red-haired woman was lounging on her side, her offered robes undone and splayed open, as she traced her fingers over her belly, which had swollen round and taut. The skin of her stomach was exposed, the robes pulled up and open, while her hand rubbed circles over its surface, catching movement beneath. Her face was flushed with what looked like discomfort, and she rested her head on a pillow. That is, until the woman squirmed and bit her lower lip, clearly aroused from a sudden jolt of activity in her womb. Sighing as she looked up to the three men staring down at her in surprise, Mera shifted, rubbing circles over her belly.

“Is there anything to eat?”

Trading looks that matched the worried gaze of Arthur Curry, Superman and Batman. Both men felt concern as Batman finally spoke up from the silence.

“This complicates matters…” He exhaled, narrowing his eyes. “Where’s Diana?”

***

The mess hall was usually a sparse, efficient space stocked with preserves and occasional Earth imports, just in case Superman was ever hungry, or for guests. But all of that was in disarray. Empty package wrappers, broken serving trays, and scattered remnants of bones, utensils, and condiments littered the floor. The robots there were busy cleaning up the mess and kept a wide berth from the figure who caused it. Diana sat cross-legged amid the wreckage, back against a crystalline bench while biting into a package of bacon with her own teeth.

Her clothes stretched taut and ripped open to expose an enormous, round, bare belly that hadn’t been there when they parted. She looked full-term—perhaps beyond—skin glistening with sweat, veins faintly visible beneath where golden scales shimmered and faded like afterimages.

“Great Scott! Diana?!”

Her breathing came in heavy, satisfied pants; one hand cradled the swollen curve while the other clutched the table she leaned against to get to her feet. She looked up as Clark approached her, eyes glassy with a mix of exhaustion and feral contentment as she waddled forward with an exaggerated swivel to her widened hips. The hunger had clearly fueled the rapid gestation within her; the binge providing enough raw mass and calories for the triplets growing inside her.

“Clark…” Her voice was husky, almost a growl, as she waddled towards the Man of Steel. “I couldn’t stop. It was like… the children demanded it. All of it.”

“Diana, what happened to… Oomph!” Superman couldn’t finish his sentence. Diana had grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him in for a passionate kiss, one that had her tongue invade his mouth and moan down his throat. The pregnant Amazon melded against his body and reached out for one of his hands to press it against the swell of her womb.

“OURS! They’re ours…” She growled, separating from the kiss and pressing her forehead against his. Her eyes smouldered with arousal and hunger in a way Clark had never seen in her. Before he could respond, she shifted, wincing. A gush of fluid soaked the floor beneath her, her water breaking in a sudden rush. She gasped, gripping her belly as the first contraction hit, hard and fast.

“Clark… NOW! They’re coming.”

Looking at Batman, he was already calling for the medical bay robots via comm. “Karen! Kara! Get to the mess hall—Diana’s in labour!”

***

The dim emergency lighting in The Fortress of Solitude cast long, wavering shadows across the medical bay. The air smelled faintly of ozone and antiseptic, the crystalline walls muffling every sound except the ragged breathing of the women in labour.

Diana lay on a low platform the Fortress robots had hastily propped up—padded with thermal blankets and elevated slightly for access. Her once-athletic frame had swollen dramatically in the hours since their return; the phantom energies, combined with solar saturation from the brief flight and confrontation with the royal couple, had accelerated everything. Her belly was enormous, taut and veined, the skin stretched thin enough to show faint darkened scales shifting beneath like sunlight on water. Sweat beaded on her brow, dark hair plastered to her face. Without her bracelets, the Amazon's legendary composure had fractured; she gripped the edges of the platform until the crystal cracked, growling low in her throat with each contraction.

Beside her, on a second platform, Mera writhed. The Atlantean queen's red hair fanned out like spilled blood across the white fabric. Her pregnancy had progressed at the same pace, yet she was even larger than the Amazon princess. Her abdomen bulged obscenely, the skin rippling with movement. Hydrokinetic energy flickered involuntarily around her fingers, condensing moisture from the air into tiny, swirling orbs that burst against the floor like rain.

Clark knelt next to Diana, his hand on her shoulder, while Arthur was clasping his own over Mera's. Kara and Karen hovered nearby, both to provide support if needed and to keep a wary eye on Faora-Ui, the pair acting as her personal overseers. Batman stood at the periphery, tablet in hand, monitoring vitals relayed from the Fortress's scanners.

"Push, Diana," Clark urged, voice steady despite the tremor in it. "You're almost there."

Diana bared her teeth, eyes glaring in anger and pain. "I... AM pushing! Do not… Do not presume to tell… Tell me… AAAAARGH!"

A guttural cry tore from her throat. Her body arched, muscles corded like steel cables. The first child emerged—slippery, squalling, covered in a fine sheen of dark fur that quickly receded into pale skin. Tiny wings—feathered nubs—fluttered weakly against its back; stubby horns curved from the brow; a short, scaled tail curled around one leg. A girl. Clark caught her gently, wrapping her in a warm blanket as a robotic attendant whisked in to clean and swaddle her. Diana collapsed back, but labour was unrelenting as another entered her birth canal and **** her to push once more. Rearing her head back and arching her back, Diana clutched at her middle as the contractions seized her.

Mera came moments later. Her contractions were violent, water surging around her platform in reflexive waves that the Fortress robots hastily vaporized. Arthur held her hand, face pale, whispering Atlantean endearments she barely heard through the pain.

"By the seven seas... It's coming!" Mera gasped. The birth was swift and messy. A boy emerged first—scales glinting green-gold along his spine, gills faintly visible at the neck that sealed as he drew his first air-breath. His cry echoed like breaking surf. A second followed almost immediately—a girl, more petite, with red-tinged fur along her arms and a tail that ended in a delicate fin. Arthur stared, stunned, as the robots bundled them, and yet Mera continued to push. Birthing two more, a boy with red scales and hair, and a blonde-haired baby girl, before collapsing in a sweaty, heaving fit. Mera reached for them, exhausted but fierce. "My children... our children..."

Across from her, Diana wailed again, giving birth to a third child, another daughter. Leaving Diana panting and wheezing for air as exhaustion claimed her. Clark stepped back, wiping blood and fluids from his hands.

The amphitheatre was silent save for the soft coos of newborns and the hum of Fortress systems. He looked at the seven infants—his with Diana, triplet daughters. Then to Arthur and Mera's quadruplets. All marked by the same hybrid traits: scales, fur patches, nascent horns/wings/tails. All growing visibly even as they lay swaddled, accelerated by the lingering phantom radiation.

"We can't let this spread further," Batman spoke up after ensuring the newborns were safely cared for and after scanning the four heroes and their children. By now, there were 14 hybrid children among them. His eyes narrowed at the readings. "That stint that sent you two out into the open relapsed your phantom energy saturation; it's worse now than it was before. We can keep you longer until we are sure the energies have leached out. But if any of you step into sunlight before then, you could make the situation worse." A low, mocking laugh cut him off.

Faora-Ui leaned against the far wall, arms crossed over her chest, twins floating in cradles beside her. She had watched the births in silence, expression unreadable. Now her lips curled.

"Look at you all," she sneered. "Snivelling over your mongrel whelps. The great House of El, reduced to a nursery. And you—" her gaze locked on Clark "—the mighty Kal-El, playing midwife to your own mistakes."

Clark straightened. "Faora—"

"Do not speak to me as though we are equals, boy." She pushed off the wall, stepping closer. The Zor-El women glared hotly at the woman, but she ignored them. “I am a soldier! YOU are nothing more than a whelp raised by a pair of farm... ACK!”

“DIANA!!!”

Wonder Woman had been on her so fast that even the other Kryptonians were shocked. Her hand was around the woman’s throat as she lifted her feet off the ground. Already healing rapidly after giving birth to triplets, Diana’s eyes narrowed, and a low snarl escaped her lips.

“You will not speak ill of the father of my daughters ever again, Faora-Ui. Mark my words.”

Dropping the woman to the floor, Faora-Ui coughed and heaved, ignored by the Amazon princess as she turned on her heel and made her way back to the table to sit and look over her newborns. While on the floor, Faora-Ui fumed silently with glowing red eyes, watching the group of men and women venomously. She was growing tired of being patient with her captors.

All she had to do was wait for the right moment to act, finally.