Issue #18: “Revelations, Part One”

Poseidonis’s streets were crowded, everyone being filled with a newfound appreciation for the beauty of the city after being forced to lock it down during the recent attacks by The Shark. Orin and Garth strolled through the busy streets of the city outside of the palace. They had been trying to reconnect lately after having been so busy with their own lives.

“I’ve been much more cautious about our people being by themselves recently. I can’t let a thing like what happened to Kit and Rorisk happen again,” Orin said.

“You’re going to be selecting new council members tomorrow, right?” Garth asked.

Garth didn’t hear the answer, his eye caught by a face in the crowd.

Tula.

She stared at him with those piercing blue eyes. Garth could feel her gaze making him uncomfortable. He knew she was upset with him over the secret about his abilities that he had asked her to keep, but he believed it was for the best.

“Garth? You alright?” Orin’s voice broke through Garth’s thoughts. He shook his head for a second, snapping back into reality and smiled.

“Y-yeah! I’m fine,” Garth said, a bit embarrassed.

Orm Marius stood waiting on the steps of the palace. He watched patiently while Orin and Garth climbed the enormous royal staircase. When they reached the top, Orm bowed humbly before Orin.

“Brother, I have news.”

“What is it, Orm?”

“There’s a beacon of a submarine close by…It’s trying to make contact…”

“And?”

“It’s Cornelius Krell. He’s back.”



Captain Cornelius Krell sat stiffly in his command chair at the center of the submarine. He rubbed his gray beard slowly, in deep meditation. It had been a long time since his last encounter with Aquaman, and their last encounter had cost him his daughter’s life. Oh, how he missed Mariana…if only she were here with him now. Krell’s soulless eyes flashed towards the monitor at the sound of one of his men calling to him.

“Captain! Atlantis is in view. We have sent a communications beacon. We’re waiting for a reply,” the man said.

“Very good. See if we can dock.”

“Yes, sir.”



“What the hell is Krell doing here?” Orin said, storming past the crowds of people staring at the sub floating a short distance from Poseidonis.

“Who’s Krell?” Garth cut in, confused.

“A man from the surface world. I faced him shortly before you came here. He’s a madman. He captured me and tried to interrogate me for information on Atlantis. This was before Atlantis was public knowledge. During our fight, his daughter, Mariana, was killed because of his greed and stupidity,” Orin explained.

“So, I’m going to take a shot in the dark and guess that you’re not a fan of his?”

“You could say that,” Orin said grimly. “Orm, have we made contact?”

“Yes, brother. They request permission to enter the city.”

Orin froze in his tracks and watched the ground silently. Garth and Orm glanced at each other and then at their king.

“Let them in.”

Minutes later, Captain Cornelius Krell and a few of his men, clad in divers’ suits, passed through the entrance of the dome that the palace was in. Orin stood tall and confident, but Garth could see that his friend was trying to keep control over his emotions. Krell stepped forward, his men positioned closely at his side, his eyes focused on Orin.

“It’s been a long time, Mr. Curry.”

Without a word, Orin lunged forward and grabbed Krell by the collar with both hands and shoved him against a pillar.

“Hey!” His men quickly drew out harpoon guns but they were all immobilized just as quickly by Orm slicing their weapons in half with his cutlass.

The men backed off, hands in the air. Orm held the point of his sword up to their necks steadily.

“I believe our leaders just wish to have a chat. I suggest you surface dwellers stay out of this,” Orm hissed coldly.

Orin lifted Krell a few inches off of the ground, keeping him pinned against the pillar. Orin glared up at his enemy. Krell, on the other hand, looked down upon him calmly.

“Mr. Curry…”

“Stop calling me that. You don’t know anything about me.”

“As I showed you once before, I do. Now I don’t want to start any trouble…just came here to talk,” Krell said.

“So, talk!” shouted Orin.

Garth was taken aback by Orin’s hostility. This Cornelius Krell guy must have really made a lasting impression on Orin; a bad one.

“I do not wish to harm you anymore, Mr…Aquaman. I don’t even want revenge for what you did to my daughter.”

Orin’s eyes seared with rage.

“What I did!? What I did!? You’re the reason Mariana’s dead, you bastard!” Orin threw Krell onto his back and stood above him threateningly.

Krell got to his feet and dusted himself off mockingly.

“Look. I’ve changed. I regrettably have made many mistakes and I apologize. I owe my life to Atlanteans. Neptune Perkins saved me when I was very young. I think it’s time I repaid your people for that. I want to do whatever I can to help you with your kingdom. I mean after the whole Starro thing, your relations with the surface world have waned. I think I can help with that.”

Orin looked at Cornelius Krell with disbelief. The man who had attempted to kill him in order to get to Atlantis now wanted to ‘help’?

“Get out.”

Krell twitched, shocked by Orin’s reaction.

“But…

“I said get out. I will see what my council has to say about this. Until then, you leave.”

Krell hesitantly nodded and turned around to depart with his men. Orm lowered his blade and watched them exit. He then turned to face his brother and gave him a knowing nod.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do. Assemble the council.”

“Yes, brother. After that, I have to make a quick journey to our scouts in the Atlantic.”

“Why? Is there a problem there?”

“Not that I know of. But it is important to make sure it stays that way.”

“Very well, Orm. Be careful.”



A long-haired young man with black eyes, clad in orange armor, green pants and a magnificent sword resting by his side sat on a large rock. His dark eyes moved slightly as he stared out at the camps of Oceanics not too far away. Ocean Master’s army was grand indeed.

“Well, look what we have here.”

The young man shifted his head a little, but did not completely look at who was behind him. General Gorgon, the supreme commander of the Oceanics, stood arrogantly behind the youthful warrior.

“I hear they’ve given you a name now. Thanatos.” Gorgon snickered wickedly.

The young man did not respond but merely ignored the taunts. Gorgon took a step closer.

“What’s the matter, boy? Did that witch forget to give you ears?” Gorgon said.

A pebble smashed under Gorgon’s foot and a second later Gorgon found that Thanatos’s blade was resting on his shoulder beside his neck. Gorgon twitched and then stared at the young man who was now facing him.

“It is not wise to irritate someone who outclasses you in almost every way,” Thanatos said calmly. His voice was stern and intimidating.

“I have been trained in combat my entire life and you think you outclass me?”

“You have trained your entire life, yes. But I was bred for combat. Literally. There is nothing more to this world than the next battle and following the orders given to me by my real superiors. You are not one of them.”

Gorgon growled but then backed away from the cutlass. Thanatos sheathed his sword and then sat back down on the boulder. There was a momentary silence until Gorgon spoke up.

“I don’t understand why we need a freak created by magic like you when we already have everything we need.”

A voice spoke, “Do we truly have everything we need, General?”

Gorgon looked up to find Ocean Master standing in front of him. Thanatos got onto one knee and bowed low. Gorgon did the same as a sinister grin snuck onto Ocean Master’s masked face.

“Arthur Joseph Curry, also known as Thanatos, is essential to our plans, general. Remember that.”

“I will, my lord. But why the aliases? Why does he have a name very similar to that Atlantean filth?” Gorgon said stubbornly.

“All in due time. Which reminds me, General, I have a new task for you.”

“Really, sire?”

“You are to recruit the last of our lieutenants.” Gorgon’s eyes widened with anxiousness. Ocean Master had never given him such an important task.

“What if he refuses to aid our cause, lord?”

“I have confidence he will join. Now, be on your way.” General Gorgon got to his feet, bowed once more, then departed. Ocean Master turned his attention back to Thanatos. “I have a task for you as well, Arthur. An important one.”

“I will do whatever you ask of me.”

“Well then, here is what you must do...”



“Take the suit lower.”

Peter Mortimer studied the data on the screen in front of him intently. One of the prototype Scavenger suits was being worn by a diver who was descending deeper into the dark vast ocean, while being monitored by cameras. Peter’s eyes moved from the camera view of the diver to the numbers crunching on the computer screen as he lowered.

“The pressure’s beginning to squeeze the suit. I don’t expect it to be a major problem though. Continue the descent,” Peter said, keeping his calm.

The diver continued to lower but seemed to be slowing down a bit.

“What’s the matter?” Mortimer snapped.

“The pressure’s starting to hurt…” the diver gasped through the comlink.

Sweat began to pour down Mortimer’s cheek. His eyes widened with anxiety and he stared at his computer with disbelief. The suit’s systems were shutting down!

“Abort! Do you read me!? Abort the test!”

Peter’s orders were never heard as the Scavenger suit suffered a complete shutdown and the diver disappeared into the blackness of the sea, unable to breath. Peter sat in silence, his hands shaking. The test had been a complete failure and a life had been lost because of it.



Orin and Garth walked down the halls of the palace towards the council chambers. Garth had not seen Orin this upset for a long time, and wondered if this Krell was really as bad as Orin believed. Orin strolled ahead of Garth by a few steps, anxious to take immediate action against the surface world captain.

“This is ridiculous. I can’t believe he was naïve enough to believe he could just stroll into my kingdom after threatening to destroy it!” Orin said, furiously.

“I don’t know. That was a long time ago. Maybe he’s smartened up…” Garth said hesitantly.

Orin stopped dead in his tracks and glanced at Garth with utter astonishment.

“You’ve never met the man before today. He’s as bad as the surface gets!”

Orin hastened his pace towards the council, with Garth struggling to keep up behind him. Garth was beginning to grow frustrated with his mentor’s attitude.

“You know, I can’t believe I actually bought it,” Garth sighed.

“What?”

“You are always preaching about how the surface dwellers and us are all part of one world and we should be united. But the second someone from the surface comes here, you want him executed as quickly as possible!”

Orin’s eyes stared hard into Garth’s, fury flashing through his pupils. Garth did not budge an inch.

“How dare you? I have done nothing but try to help the relationship between us and the surface!” Orin countered.

“So why now, when we are in direct contact with the surface, do you look upon them like they are insects to us?”

“Krell is not like the other surface dwellers. He’s dangerous. End of discussion.”

They stopped at the door to the council chambers, tempers high.

“I’ll see you after the meeting,” Orin muttered and then entered the doorway.



Garth walked through the busy streets of Poseidonis’s palace dome. He was still feeling a bit anxious after the dispute with Orin but he tried to ignore it to the best of his abilities. He couldn’t believe how he had heard Orin talking. That wasn’t the usual attitude his friend and mentor had…

“Garth.”

Aqualad halted and turned around to find Tula looking up at him.

“Hey Tula…” Garth’s gaze fell to his feet.

“Hi. Garth, listen, I know you’ve been avoiding me but-“

“Hey, guys!” Javen and Tramm came into view.

“Javen! Feeling better?” Garth straightened up, covering up his nervousness.

“Yes, all thanks to you, Garth. Tramm and I were just heading out to play some marlin chasing. Want to come?”

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea. With Cornelius Krell just outside the city, I don’t think the king would be happy with you going out there,” Garth said.

“Right,” Javen sighed, thinking it over.

“Thanks for the offer though.”

Garth turned around, glancing quickly at Tula and then left. Now was not the time for them to talk, but it would be someday soon.



“First of all, thank you all for coming. I was going to lead this session with the head of security, my brother Orm, but he is currently out on an errand.”

Orin stood up in front of a table full of councilmen and politicians of Poseidonis. They all looked up at their king with mixed emotions showing on their faces. Some seemed ready to listen to anything Orin had to say, while others seemed prepared for a dispute. Obviously the arrival of Krell had caused some different reactions.

“There are a few cases we must discuss concerning the safety of our great city-state as well as the rest of Atlantis. I’ll start by congratulating Forz Givai and Ryen Moril for their election into this council. I wish both of you the best,” Orin said as two councilmen got to their feet, bowed to the others, and then took a seat back in their chairs.

“The second is of vital importance to the security of our people. As all of you have no doubt noticed, a surface dweller has docked a short distance from where we sit. His name is Cornelius Krell. He has threatened Atlantis’s existence before but now he states that he wishes to make peace. My question for all of you is should we believe him,” Orin asked the group, well aware of what his own answer was.

“We should absolutely not believe this man. If we allow a surface dweller to enter as he pleases into Poseidonis it could turn into Black Manta all over again!” Wol Dyron shouted.

“Can we really be sure though that his intentions are as sinister as Black Manta’s were? If we take the wrong course of action, this could easily injure the relationship we are currently trying to rebuild with the surface!” Crom Uvas protested.

There were several mutters and whispers from different councilmen to each other as Orin took his own seat, knowing this would be quite the debate.

“What exactly has this man done that is so wrong?” Forz Givai asked.

“He kidnapped a mermaid from Tritonis and tried to probe her for information on our people. Information he would have used to try and destroy Poseidonis in order to create his own undersea facilities,” Orin explained.

“And you stopped him, your highness?”

“I did. But in the fight, he caused the death of his own daughter.”

There was much more chatter amongst the group including cries of outrage over a man killing his own flesh and blood.

“We should not make alliances, covenants, or anything of the sort with someone who would go so far as to kill his own descendant. If he cannot be trusted to keep his own family safe, how can we trust that this man will not try to exploit our kingdom as he has tried to do once before?” another councilman hollered above the conversations.

Orin sat in his chair, agreeing with what this man was saying. Krell was much too dangerous to be trusted.

“Anyone in favor of making any sort of deals with this surface dweller, say aye,” Orin said boldly.

There were a few responses but they only accounted for about a quarter of the council’s members. The final decision however was still up to Orin. He sat in his chair in deep thought, taking into consideration what everyone had said. After a few minutes of thinking it over, Orin got to his feet and stood proud and tall.

“I have made my decision.”

The council waited anxiously for the announcement.

“And my decision is-“

There was a loud crash as the ceiling crumbled down and rubble smashed down onto the table. Dust filled the room and some councilmen lay sprawled on the floor, while others stood up, trying to see what the cause of the explosion was. Orin remained on his feet, fist clenched.

The dust cleared and Orin saw a man atop the table. Orin was amazed by how the man seemed to resemble himself, just younger with a few differences. The man had long blond hair, black eyes, wore orange and green armor, and clutched a cutlass tightly in his grasp. His black eyes shifted from the startled politicians to Orin. He stretched his arm out and pointed the shining blade at Aquaman.

“I deliver a message from the Ocean Master.”



Garth couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Some sort of object had entered the transparent domes of Poseidonis and crashed through the roof of the palace. Garth sprinted towards the building, running as fast as he could up its steps.

“Garth! What’s happening?” Mera appeared at the palace gate.

“I don’t know but I intend to find out!” Garth said.

Garth entered the palace and rushed through its corridors towards the council chamber.



Thanatos leapt off of the table, sword raised. Orin dodged the man’s first volley of swings, noticing once again that the attacker resembled himself, only younger and with black eyes.

“Who are you?”

“None of your concern!” Thanatos answered, lunging forward.

Aquaman sidestepped the move and grabbed Arthur’s wrist with both hands. With a roar, Orin lifted Arthur off of his feet and tossed him spinning through the walls of the palace and out of the dome of the city. Orin followed, jumping out of the air-filled city and into the waters of the ocean outside of the domes.

Thanatos had seemingly vanished! Orin gazed at his surroundings, annoyed by his opponent’s cowardice.

“You attack me but then hide when I defend myself!?”

“Not exactly.”

Arthur Joseph collided into Aquaman, arms around Orin’s torso. He swam at lightning fast speeds past reefs and canyons and tackled Orin onto the muddy ocean floor. Orin kicked Thanatos off of himself and then got ready for more action.

“You mentioned Ocean Master. Why did he send you to kill me?”

Without a word, Thanatos drew his blade once more and began another volley of attacks. Orin couldn’t believe the speed at which the swordsman was fighting. Aquaman jumped backward and ascended through the water putting some distance between him and his enemy, but his doppleganger was immediately on his tail, cutlass at the ready.

“I will not allow you to escape!” Thanatos said.

The next strike caught Orin by surprise. The sword moved through the ocean’s currents with such gracefulness and speed, Orin didn’t even see the blade pierce him in the chest. Orin remained floating in the water, frozen with shock. The sword had gone through his chest and now stuck out of his back. Orin, wide-eyed, glanced down at the red misty water rising from the wound. He then looked up into the swordsman’s black eyes. Thanatos, satisfied, removed the blade from Orin’s chest. Aquaman fell slowly and crashed onto the ocean floor, clutching the wound.

Thanatos slowly drifted towards the bottom of the ocean, sheathing his blade, while Orin lay there, glaring up at the victor of the fight.

“Why? Why…listen to Ocean Master? Why…fight his battles? He’s never…even shown his face.”

“Until now.”

The water around Orin seemed to grow colder as the menacing voice spoke. Orin turned his head slightly to see a new figure appear, floating next to Thanatos. The newcomer wore a mask that Orin recognized; the mask that a challenger to the throne would wear.

“Ocean Master, I presume. The new fool to try to take the throne.”

“You are correct. But you see, Orin, I’m not so new. I’ve been waiting for this day my entire life. I mean why is it that the exile, the heir to the throne, who was cast away along with his mother to the surface, can return and immediately take the throne? Why do you sit as king of the seas while I do not?”

Ocean Master paused for a second, staring down at Aquaman.

“It is just as much my birthright as it is yours.”

Ocean Master slowly began to remove his mask. Orin looked up at the man’s face, horrified by the discovery. A sick grin was painted on the man’s face; a face the king knew all too well. The face of a man Orin trusted with his life. His own brother.

“Orm?”

To Be Continued!


If you wish to comment on this issue, please CLICK HERE to visit the letters page.