Ethereal

18

Danny had slinked back under the surface, a sense of worry clouding his thoughts.

So now they knew, and there was no convincing them that it was only a trick of the eye.

The merman thought back to a simpler time, one where he was worried how Dipper might react at his secret identity. However, with the newfound weight growing on his shoulders, he only found that he was particularly wary. Perhaps Dipper would understand, perhaps he wouldn't. Nonetheless, he had bigger fish to fry.

No pun intended, Danny added with a soft smirk. Oh, how he needed to get back to his old life, filled with the sound of witty banter and maniacal laughter. At this point, even Skulker would be a welcome and familiar face.

As he was deep in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed the wild creature swimming up to him. All too late, he saw the bright flash of a red scale.

Danny slammed into the being with an umph, landing in the sand not far away. With a shiver, he felt a throbbing pain in his head, almost like a hammer smacking against his skull, persistent and painful.

His eyes flashed a bright yellow and he tensed in pain, causing the other being to laugh. With blurring eyes, he looked towards the girl in confusion.

Long, brown hair covered a tan, ovular face. A large, red tail gleamed in the dissipating light, bright scales climbing up her body and ending in swirls on her cheeks. Her smile, accented by large, pointy fangs, was deathly and horrifyingly calm as she stared down at Danny's sinking figure. Her bright red eyes shone like flashlights.

"Serafina," he muttered with a shaking breath.

"Danny," she greeted, a laugh escaping her lips. "Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"You'll never get away with this."

"Oh, don't worry." Danny's eyes closed, his head resting on a mixture of sand and dirt. "I'm sure when you wake up, we'll finally see eye to eye."

* * *

Danny's eyes snapped open, a bright, crisp yellow color. With a groan, he felt scales climb from his neck and stop at his temples, resembling a mask of sorts. The majority of his flat teeth had been replaced with terrifying, sharp fangs, which poked uncomfortably at his mouth.

"Finally, you're awake."

As if thrown out of his own body, Danny watched helplessly as the monster he'd become pushed himself off the ground, facing Serafina with a slight grin.

'No,' he whispered, but the words never escaped his lips.

This was hardly what he'd planned when turning evil. Not only was he a threat to the world, but he also had to watch from the sidelines as he did things he would never have dreamed of.

A triangle appeared by the merwoman's side, a cane in hand and a top hat balanced precariously on its point.

"Heya, Phantom." His eye tilted upwards. "How's it feel?"

Danny shook his head, a smirk playing across his lips. "Please, like you don't know."

Bill rubbed his hands together, his cane floating beside him. "Great. Now here's what you're gonna do--"

"Actually, I think I have a better idea." Danny nodded at Serafina, who bared her fangs.

"Must I remind you that the two of you work for me?" Bill's eyes narrowed.