Issue #24: "King's Reign, Chapter 4: The Ashes"

“Atlantean.”

Orin, once known around the world as Aquaman, now former king of Poseidonis, weakly opened his eyes where he could see a dim light shining down upon him. He squinted into the light, making out the silhouettes of two figures towering over him.

“He’s waking up.”

“Welcome back to reality, Atlantean.”

The dark shadows began to brighten and sharpen and the once proud king could make out strange shapes on the back of their large and muscular bodies.

“Where am I?”

“Relax, Atlantean. You were near death when we found you.”

The faces of the figures were becoming clearer and he could see large mouths and beady eyes in the darkness. Their heads were broad and with snout-like features and suddenly Orin realized exactly what he was looking at.

Two shark-men.

Aquaman sat up, throwing his fist out in front of him but the taller shark-man caught the punch with ease, gripping Orin’s hand tightly.

“Calm yourself!” the shark-man hissed and Orin noticed that this shark-man had no teeth. “We saved your life.”

Orin recognized this particular shark-man. Tall, broad, and muscular this toothless whale-shark man was one of King Shark’s right hand men, Rhin. Memories flashed into Orin’s mind and intense confusion swept over him.

“You saved me? Why?”

“The news of the mer-folks’ evacuation of their city had spread quickly across the tides and we investigated it. We stumbled upon your war and that is where we discovered you, floating around the ancient city, merely inches from death.”

“Death…” Flashes of Black Manta and a syringe shot through Aquaman’s mind. “Manta’s poison.” Orin said, suddenly looking at his own body in surprise. “I was dying. He poisoned me and then everything went black.”

“You’ll be fine. We managed to remove the majority of the toxin from your body.”

Orin tried to climb to his feet but Rhin put a strong hand on his shoulder, keeping him at bay. Orin stared into Rhin’s cold face and saw worry in his beady eyes.

“I need to speak to Nanaue…now.”



“Get down!”

The dozen surface world soldiers, clad in their high-tech Scavenger diving suits, darted around the murky water surrounding Poseidonis. Their faces were frozen with absolute horror while they propelled away from a dark shape looming behind them. Their speed matched that of Aquaman’s but what they were facing was something the likes of which they had never seen.

Lord Ladon had been dwelling in the darkest reaches of the ocean, miles and miles beneath the surface where all light was extinct. What most didn’t realize about the enigmatic Lord Ladon was that the power he held inside his own body was as ancient and as dark as the waters he ruled.

Ladon was a sea serpent of legend…and a ferocious one.

“Scavenger Six! Scavenger Six, do you hear me!?”

Peter Mortimer, the scientist who had developed the Scavenger suits, bolted away from the enormous sea monster that barreled by, pursuing three of the other soldiers.

“I’m here, Mortimer. What the hell is this thing?”

“Probably one of Atlantis’s secret weapons.”

“Secret weapons?”

“For years I’ve been telling my superiors that Atlantis was far too dangerous to be dealt with so carelessly. I was ignored, but this…this is proof of what they’ve been plotting. A monster like this couldn’t be living in the ocean unnoticed unless they covered it up.”

“But, Professor, Aquaman-“

“Is dead for all we know. But there is no doubt in my mind, he was involved with this creature. Looks like the man who overthrew him has decided that it’s time to let it off the leash.”

There were muffled screams, high-pitched ones, that could barely be heard through the pressure of the water. Mortimer turned his attention back to the sea serpent who lashed out at the three Scavengers it had been chasing, engulfing two of them in its mouth, whipping its head back around to devour the third in seconds.

“Oh my g-“

The beast spun its long slender body around, its red eyes glimmering in the water. Ladon’s head shot forward at Mortimer and Scavenger Six, the serpent’s jaw open wide. Mortimer was paralyzed in fear, staring into the black abyss that was down the enormous monster’s throat.

Seconds felt like minutes, with the serpent inching closer and closer but Mortimer found himself incapable of moving his body to avoid the creature.

Peter was at a loss for words, at a loss for thoughts. He didn’t even let out a scream but let his mouth fall open in shock. He watched as the darkness of the monster’s mouth took up his entire view. The world became still and sweat poured down Mortimer’s face. Somewhere, deep inside of himself, he found the power to move, the power to live.

Suddenly, he threw himself through the cold, damp, water and for a second, just one second, Peter let out a sigh of relief.

Then the pain shot through his body.

Peter felt the serpent’s large teeth bare down upon his left arm, just below the elbow. The sharp fangs sliced through the Scavenger and Mortimer’s flesh and bone easily.

“Ahhh!”

The bones in his arm shattered in seconds and blood and bubbles erupted from where the teeth had sunken into his body. It was a pain like no other, something he had never even dreamed of ever feeling. While the sudden loss of blood was sapping all of the strength from his being, he could feel his heart thumping in his chest and that was the only thing that reassured him that he was still amongst the living.

Mortimer continued to holler in unspeakable pain, seeing the red water rise from his left arm, bone pieces mixed in along with it. Like a whip, Ladon snapped his serpent head to the side, throwing the dying scientist crashing into the rocky reefs below.



“Mm. Did you see all of that blood?”

The Shark was watching Ladon’s attack with a wicked tooth-filled grin stretched across his hideous face. The mob of Poseidonis’s citizens who were spectators of the fight outside continued to be held back by the Oceanics. General Gorgon glanced over at The Shark.

“It seems that the master did have good reason to make Ladon an ally after all. I didn’t expect anything like this.”



Mera, queen of Poseidonis, stood shoulder to shoulder amongst the crowd with Vulko, one of the aides to the throne, the teenage siblings, Tula and Javen, along with their mute friend, Tramm. They all looked out at the serpent’s massacre in horror but Mera shifted her attention to General Gorgon and The Shark who were only a short distance away, past a line of Oceanics.

“This has to stop.”

Mera took a step forward but felt five fingers hold onto her shoulder. When she turned around, she found the elderly Vulko shaking his head.

“We can’t let this go on, Vulko. Orin may not be here but it’s our responsibility to do what he would have done.”

“I know, Mera, but this…he wouldn’t want this. He wouldn’t want you to die.”

“I will do what I have to for my love.”

“I’m with you, Queen Mera,” the youthful Javen said.

“Oh no you’re not, Javen!” his sister, Tula, warned.

But it was too late.

Mera leapt through the air, diving into one of the scaly Oceanic warriors, tackling him onto the ground. She had proven to be quite the capable warrior herself over the years. Being the wife of one of the sea’s greatest heroes had taught her a few things.

Javen shoved through the crowd while Mera picked up the downed enemy’s spear, blocking another Oceanic’s sword. She knocked her opponent away with a swift kick while Javen tackled one of the Oceanics approaching the queen. He threw a few punches into the creature’s slimy face but then felt his body get slung backward, lifted off of his feet.

The Shark held Javen up, his hand wrapped around the young man’s neck, squeezing tightly. He laughed coldly at the sight of Javen trying to pry his hand off.

“I recognize you, boy. We met during my attacks on you Atlanteans, didn’t we?”

The Shark sliced his clawed hands across the boy’s chest, tearing through his shirt. There was a long scar stretching across the left side of Javen’s torso.

“Oh yes, I remember you…”

The Shark breathed in deeply while Javen could only look down upon his captor in horror, with flashes of the first time he encountered The Shark invading his mind. The Shark’s bead-like eyes popped back open.

“Mmm. Yes, I remember you tasted pretty good.”

“Let him go!”

Mera was running toward The Shark, the spear held out in front of her aggressively. She was seconds from throwing it when a cold hand caught her by the wrist, halting her attack. She spun her head around, expecting to find another Oceanic but instead, she found Orm.

“Now, now, my dear. It’s not proper for a queen to be involved in such matters.”

Orm ripped the spear from her grasp, shoving her a few steps away. Once she regained her balance she lunged back at Orm who held the spear upside down. He smacked the butt end of the spear into the queen’s jaw, knocking her onto the ground with a thud.

“I suggest you calm yourself, beautiful Mera. Otherwise, as king, I’ll be forced to take action of my own.”

Orm tossed the spear carelessly away, towering over the queen. She stared up at her attacker with her emerald eyes but rather than seeing the beauty of them, Orm saw a fire lit within them, a fire of hatred.

“You’re not the king, Orm.”

Orm Marius’s jaw tightened, nodding to two Oceanics who pulled Mera up by the arms. She tried to wrestle away from them but they subdued her with little effort. Orm turned around, his long cape twirling behind him, to stare at the young Atlantean, Javen.

“Let the boy go, Karshon.”

“Don’t call me that,” the Shark hissed, his bloodshot eyes shifting from Javen, who remained tightly held in his grasp, to Ocean Master. “I’m hungry. You promised me food.”

“You will have your food…but right now, you will follow my orders. Release the boy.”

The Shark dropped Javen to the ground, his eyes still fixed upon Orm.

“Good.” Orm looked down at the boy who returned his gaze with a glare. “All of you…” Orm shifted his attention from Javen to the Atlanteans who were struggling to get past the Oceanics to aid their queen. “I must say, I am surprised by the number of traitors here among us. Now tell me, what exactly have I done to deserve such disloyalty?”

“You’ve gotten us into a war we didn’t ask for!” one man at the front line of the crowd shouted. “This massacre going on out there is proof of that!”

“We’ve been at war! They’ve been plotting our destruction ever since they first learned of our very existence!” Orm stared into the eyes of dozens of glaring faces. “Now all of you traitors can either aid in the protection of this kingdom or you can continue this useless resistance and face whatever consequences that path may take you! It’s entirely your decision.”

Silence fell over the crowd while Mera and Javen remained in the grasps of some of the Oceanic soldiers. They watched in anticipation while the man in the front who had shouted before finally spoke up.

“Long live Orin. Our real king.”

The Atlanteans turned toward each other and one after another, the chorus of chanting grew louder.

“Long live Orin. Long live Orin.”

A smile formed across Mera’s lips and she began to join in with the words. Tula left Vulko, stepping out from the crowd, speaking alongside her allies.

“Long live Orin!”

Orm Marius froze, his face growing pale. His hands trembled while he could feel a damp wetness creeping into his eyelids. The citizens of Poseidonis, the citizens of the kingdom Orm had now claimed as his own, continued their praise for Orin. Orm drowned out the echoes of their voices, his mind racing with thoughts while the whole world seemed to be crumbling around him.

What he had fought to achieve for so long, what he had wanted so dearly, he finally had.

But it wasn’t his.

Not really.



“Why is it you trespass into my throne room yet again, Atlantean?”

Aquaman stood tall in front of King Shark who sat in his throne made of bones, deep within the caverns of the shark-men’s colony. Rhin, the whale-shark-man, remained still, at the right side of his leader.

“Poseidonis has been taken over by the Oceanics and my brother. As much as I can’t stand the sight of you, Nanaue…” King Shark let out a low growl, having shed any reason for that name long ago. Orin ignored this and continued, “…if anyone can help me take it back, it’s you.”

“Ha. And you’ve given me every reason to help you. Just be thankful we were gracious enough to mend you back to health. But know that I will gladly bring you to death’s door again. Now, leave these waters and do not return.”

King Shark looked away from Orin, believing their conversation had ended but the former king of Poseidonis didn’t move an inch.

“Did I mention that The Shark’s with my brother?”

King Shark’s clawed hand clenched into a fist.

“Karshon?”

“Yes. The last time we spoke, he was on the loose, rampaging through my kingdom. We managed to stop him.” Orin glanced over at Rhin who shifted his stance awkwardly. “And then you were supposed to deal with the punishment. So that didn’t happen, I assume?”

“He managed to escape, yes.” Rhin rubbed a long scar that curled around his left shoulder. “I was the only one of my brothers to survive when the Oceanics came for Karshon.”

“Why was I unaware of this?” King Shark said.

Rhin looked down at his leader who waited for an answer.

“It was a defeat, my king; a defeat that at the time I believed to be far more valuable if it was forgotten. I have no excuse.”

“I asked for none.”

King Shark rose to his feet, his shadow looming over Orin who kept his ground.

“This man you speak of, your brother, he’ll eventually try to come for us?”

“I don’t think Orm will ever be satisfied with just Poseidonis,” Aquaman said.

“Well then, it seems I have no choice.” King Shark stepped in front of Orin. “My people will help you in retaking your throne but do not think, not even for a moment, that this is any favor to you. This is for the survival of the shark-men and more importantly, a chance to taste the blood of that traitor, Karshon.”

A smile stretched across Aquaman’s bearded face.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”



Mera felt a scaly hand grasp each of her shoulders while she was being led away toward the exit to the city, on her way to the holding cells that were located in an ancient building a short distance away from Poseidonis.

Behind her walked dozens of other Atlanteans who were being marched toward the prison, all pronounced traitors by the man who now called himself king.

Mera had reached the dome wall when she noticed a familiar face to the left of her. Thanatos leaned against the wall of one of the city’s citadels, his black eyes locking with Mera’s own. She frowned, looking away from the young man but as she did, she saw something in his face that haunted her to the core.

She saw regret…and fear.



Orin had seen this all before…

Aquaman, as still as a statue, was standing on the edge of Poseidonis’s neighboring city of Tritonis, stationed on the cliff overlooking his home. He stared down at the domes that surrounded the city he had ruled only a day earlier.

“Now what, Atlantean?” King Shark swam up to him, his brigade of shark-men waiting nearby. “I know my species is strong but do you really believe we can defeat the sheer amount of enemies you spoke of before?”

Orin said nothing, his golden mane of hair swaying gently in the tides. King Shark drifted a bit closer, his whale-hide sword held tightly in his grasp.

“Atlantean?”

“No. We can’t win with what we have right now.”

King Shark let out a rough snort, not of humor, but of annoyance.

“Then tell me, Atlantean. Why are we engaging in a losing battle?”

Aquaman tilted his head toward King Shark.

“Because we have open access to something I doubt my brother has.”

“Enough riddles, Atlantean. What do we have he doesn’t?”

Orin turned his full body around so he was facing his shark-man comrade. A smirk flashed across his bearded face.

“Reinforcements.”



Lord Ladon stepped through the transparent dome, his fangs still retracting after he had transformed into that great beast. He grasped his neck gently before cracking it, proceeding to crack his fingers. He let in a deep breath before letting it out with a sigh.

“And that’s my excitement for the day. I hope there aren’t any more nuisances to clean up?”

“Let’s hope not.

Orm and General Gorgon were grinning, impressed by Ladon’s demonstration of power. Ladon brushed past them, his pale skin gleaming.

“Well, that’s excellent news. I think I will be resting in my quarters. I could use some nice, quiet darkness.”

“Of course,” Orm said.

Orm turned to Gorgon whose eyes were fixed upon the water outside of the domes of the city.

“Th-that may have to wait, my lord.”

Orm Marius raised an eyebrow, gazing into the direction of the neighboring city of Tritonis. His jaw dropped open at the sight he was seeing.

Fish, thousands of them, were all swarming toward the looming towers of Tritonis. And as he watched them swim past the domes, he discovered that the enormous school did not just consist of fish but of every manifestation of marine life.

There were countless species, thousands upon thousands of creatures, all passing by Poseidonis carelessly, en route to one gathering point. The surrounding waters, that could usually be viewed with ease through the transparent domes of the city, became shrouded with the mass of objects moving through the water.

They enveloped the area, nothing visible but fish, crustaceans, and sea life the surface had never even discovered, all orbiting Tritonis, an enormous ring of the ocean’s citizens.

That was when Orm Marius’s attention was caught by a shape at the epicenter of the swarm of sea life.

A man.

“Orin.”

Orm Marius swung around, his teeth clenched and his cape whipping wildly behind him. He stormed away from his followers who looked at each other in confusion.

“My lord, your orders!?” Gorgon called.

However, Ocean Master was already out of earshot.

Lord Ladon let out an unenthusiastic chuckle.

“Well, isn’t this an interesting predicament we’ve gotten ourselves into?”



SNAP!

Black Manta let go of his hold around the Oceanic soldier’s neck, the creature’s body floating in the water beside two other Oceanics.

“Try to have me killed without giving me my pay, eh Marius? Big mistake.” Manta’s deep voice echoed through his helmet. “What the hell?” His head suddenly darted upward to find the swarms of fish sweeping across the ocean toward Tritonis.

“Looks like the real party’s just getting started.”

Black Manta swam back in the direction of Poseidonis, vengeance on his mind.



Countless thoughts flooded into Orin’s mind, none of them his own.

Aquaman felt every prick of the sea creatures’ consciousness jab against his body as he became one with each and every one of them in both mind and spirit, willing his own emotions into them. Within them all, a debate raged with Orin over his motives and why they should help him. He explained the situation, his own memories meshing with theirs, revealing these recent events of his past.

One by one, all of the creatures from the corners of every ocean gathered behind the Atlantean hero. King Shark and his shark-men stared at the scene before them in awe, stunned by the turn of events.

“Have you ever attempted anything on this scale before?” King Shark asked.

Orin, in deep concentration, his veins pulsing from his brow, answered with a mumbled response before taking in a deep breath of water to speak.

“Once. And that was when all hell was raining down on Earth and Darkseid’s forces almost destroyed my home.”

Just then, an enormous octopus swam by them, vibrations slicing through the water as it passed. Aquaman recognized the great beast as Topo, an octopus he had met a few times in the past. Once, while rescuing a small submersible vessel from the great octopus when the creature had gone a bit out of control. But all in all, Topo was trustworthy and a strong ally to have on his side.

“Okay…we’re just about ready.”

Orin took a step back, relaxing his muscles. He turned to King Shark and Rhin who looked at him with great anticipation and hunger.

“You’re sure I can trust you, right, Nanaue?”

“For the last time, it’s King Shark, Atlantean. And yes, I will not betray my word.”

“Good. Then let’s go.”



“Is he going to keep us trapped in here forever?”

The citizens of Poseidonis all gathered in a large dark holding cell. All of the men and women congregated around Mera who comforted them all with her words.

“Please. We all just have to remain calm in this terrible hour. We’ve lost our home, yes, but let’s all be thankful we haven’t lost more than that.”

“Don’t get too thankful.”

The metal doors to the blackened room creaked open and two Oceanics, their scaly bodies shimmering in the darkness, stepped in.

“We have orders to bring you back to Poseidonis, woman. The rest of you will stay.”

Mera eyed the new arrivals cautiously before edging back toward her people.

“And if I refuse to accept the invitation?”

The Oceanics looked at one another for a moment before advancing.

“You will come with us. Now.”

A shadow took up the doorway and suddenly one of the Oceanics let out a gasp. He stared down at his torso to find the tip of a shining blade impaled through him from behind. The creature dropped to the floor while the other Oceanic turned to face the attacker.

There was another flash and the glimmering blade slashed across the shrieking Oceanic’s neck, killing him almost instantly. The final Oceanic tumbled to his back while all of the Atlanteans grouped together defensively, Mera at the lead, her mouth held open in awe.

Thanatos stood in the doorway, his newly bloodstained cutlass lowered, his black eyes examining the group of civilians.

“What are you all waiting for? You need to get out of here before more Oceanics arrive!”

The Atlanteans uttered confused murmurs but filed out of the cell hastily nonetheless. Thanatos moved aside as they all passed until Mera and the swordsman were the only ones left in the room.

Mera, inches from the exit, raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?”

A thin smile formed on Thanatos’s face as he beamed down at her.

“What I was created to do.”



“Orders, General Gorgon?”

“Send out as many of our forces as you can! And get those surface world vessels up and running! We’ll need them against this amount of opposition!” Gorgon said. “And you, Ladon.”

Lord Ladon peered outside of the city at the incoming forces. He toyed with the rings on his fingers before turning to Gorgon.

“There will be no need to waste all of our troops but if that’s what you wish to do…so be it. None of these creatures compare to the power I hold.”

Ladon slipped off his beautiful rings one by one before the last one hit the floor.



The entire ocean descended upon the domes of Poseidonis.

Aquaman rocketed through the shifting tides, adrenaline pumping through his veins while the millions of creatures followed on his heels. King Shark, rushing through the water with velocity matching Orin’s own, appeared at his side with his jagged sword clasped tightly in his grip.

Oceanics were pouring out of the transparent domes of the undersea city, weapons drawn and their battle cries echoing through the sea.

Orin felt a rush of anticipation and even confidence at the fact that he had so many forces at his command. He did not have the time to summon enough warriors of the sea to his command in the invasion of Poseidonis but now…

Now he’d prove why he was called the King of the Seas.



“We need to get all of you a safe distance from the city. It’s not safe for you with such a battle raging there.”

“A battle?”

Thanatos stormed down the halls of the prison tower with Mera and the Atlanteans following behind. They passed by dozens of empty cells while Thanatos held one hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword, cautiously.

“Your husband is alive. He’s leading an attack on Ocean Master and the Oceanics at this very moment.”

Mera’s eyes darted to the floor and she gently bit down on her lip.

“Orin’s alive,” she said in disbelief.

They were near the exit to the building when a muffled voice spoke.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

Thanatos drew his sword, aiming its tip at the metallic door to his left. Mera and the others gathered behind him as he slammed his foot against the door, kicking it open. Light from the hallway shined inside to reveal Aqualad shackled to the wall by numerous chains on his limbs.

“Garth?”

Tula excitedly rushed to the young man, putting her hands on his cold cheeks. Mera and Javen shuffled around Thanatos to Tula.

“We thought you were dead!” Tula said, tears rolling down her cheeks. “We thought you’d been killed in the battle, but I knew it, I knew you weren’t gone!”

“Thanks, Tula.”

Garth managed a weak smile while Tula and the others tried to remove his shackles.

“Allow me.”

Thanatos sliced the chains to ribbons with a few quick swings of his magnificent weapon, taking a step away from Aqualad while he wearily climbed back up to his feet with help from Tula and Javen.

“What’s he doing here?” Garth glared at the swordsman who stood before him.

“Trust me, Garth, he’s not like the others. We wouldn’t have been able to get out if it weren’t for him,” Mera explained.

Aqualad nodded to her but his gaze was still fixed on Aquaman’s doppelganger. Thanatos looked away from the young mage and to Mera.

“We really must hurry. This prison is far too close to the city.”



Two swordfish slammed into an Oceanic, skewering the vile creature. Another group of Oceanics were engulfed in the schools of tuna that swam into them. Eels tangled themselves around their enemies’ bodies, squeezing the life out of them.

The guardians of the sea seemed to be gaining the upper hand on the Oceanic forces, their numbers easily smashing through the lines of Oceanics.

Aquaman and King Shark darted ahead of their army, fighting their way through a horde of their enemies. They were approaching Poseidonis at breakneck speeds when, suddenly, metallic shielding began to spread across the outer layer of Poseidonis’s domes. The citizens that occupied the majestic city fled through the remaining areas of the dome that had not yet been covered.

“Atlantean? What’s happening?”

Aquaman, zigzagging through the currents, stared ahead with unease.

“It’s a lockdown protocol. It appears that they want to make it a bit more difficult to get into my city,” Orin said.

King Shark showed a tooth-filled grin.

“Then we’ll just have to disappoint them, won’t we?”

Orin returned a grin of his own.

“For once we agree on something.”

There was a great roar and Aquaman gazed down into the murky depths beneath where he swam. An enormous shape shot up toward him, its mouth filled with enormous fangs. In an instant, it closed its jaws on the king but Orin had moved just as quickly.

Aquaman held up his hands, catching the top part of the monster’s mouth, just in front of the teeth. He placed his feet on the lower lip, his great strength holding its mouth wide open. Lord Ladon, once again transformed into his true form of a sea serpent, hissed with annoyance.

Orin could hear King Shark letting out a call but then everything fell silent, the only sound being the breathing of the serpent.

Ladon slithered up, ascending through the ocean.

Orin felt a warmness sweep over him when Ladon breached the surface of the seas, their battle spilling into calm waves, with the starry sky shining down upon them.

The serpent’s body towered high in the air, the lower half of its body resting quietly in the water below. Orin glanced down at the endless ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see. He then looked back ahead where he was gazing into the throat of the great beast.

Aquaman closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts on his attacker.

Release me, serpent…now.

APOLOGIES BUT I’M AFRAID I CANNOT DO THAT. WE WERE TOLD OF YOUR DEMISE AND NOW THAT THAT HAS BECOME QUITE THE RUMOR, A RUMOR THAT MAY CAUSE MUCH DAMAGE TO OUR CAUSE, I MUST NOT ALLOW YOU TO LIVE.

Orin felt Ladon’s own mental strength and willpower pushing his own abilities away. He pried further into the recesses of the creature’s mind.

You WILL cease this attack! You WILL!

Ladon let out a roar of pain, overwhelmed by the sudden psychic attack. He dove back down into the ocean headfirst. Aquaman felt a blast of salty water enter Ladon’s open mouth as the serpent continued to cry in agony.

Aquaman could feel his body shaking from the pressure that the serpent’s mouth brought down onto his body. With a yell, he leapt out of Ladon’s mouth, the monster’s teeth biting down on each other seconds after his escape.

Ladon brushed past him, continuing his descent. Orin grabbed onto one of the tentacle-like whiskers on the serpent’s face, being pulled along with it.



King Shark’s large fists smashed against the metal shielding that surrounded the undersea city. Most of the civilians had been able to flee from Poseidonis but there were still plenty of enemies inside. He turned around, discovering that he was surrounded by a small group of Oceanics.

“Heh. Just what I had been looking for. Something to take my frustrations out on.”

With a hungered expression, King Shark lunged forward, his bone sword raised high over his head. The Oceanics all held up their own weapons when they suddenly turned around staring at something.

King Shark looked in the direction that they were and saw thousands of the sea creatures Aquaman had summoned jetting off to the side in fear of something unseen. Then, as the wall of scared fish cleared, King Shark made out an image of a sea serpent with a man riding on top of its head, heading directly toward the shielded city.

“Atlantean.”



“Quickly.”

Water from the outside flushed into the prison tower after Thanatos pulled open the door. The formerly trapped citizens of Poseidonis made their way into the open ocean one by one with Thanatos holding the door open for them.

By the time the water from outside had reached up past Thanatos’s knees, only Mera, Javen, Tula, and Aqualad remained. Thanatos gave a small smile to acknowledge Mera as she walked by with Javen at her heels.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Garth?”

“Yeah. I just need to catch my breath for a minute. I’ll catch up,” Aqualad replied cheerfully to Tula who nodded to him unsurely.

Tula walked out of the tower, looking back at Garth for a moment as she did so.

With her gone, only Thanatos and Aqualad stood in the flooding hallway.

Aqualad’s expression suddenly darkened, his lavender eyes glaring at Thanatos. Thanatos ignored this and more forcefully held the door open.

“Please, you have to hurry. For your own safety.”

“You think I believe this?” Garth questioned, to which Thanatos raised an eyebrow. “You think I believe after everything you’ve done, after nearly killing King Orin not too long ago, that I’d just believe your sudden redemption?”

Thanatos loosened his grip on the door a bit, struck by surprise.

“I do not understand,” he said, blinking repeatedly, his face turning pale. “I know I’ve committed acts…Many that would give you no reason to trust me. And I know that I cannot make up for those past sins, but please, my friend, you have to get out of here!”

The hallway had been entirely filled with the salt water from outside and the two young men stared each other down, locked in a silent struggle.

Slowly, Garth approached Thanatos, not letting the swordsman out of his sight. Thanatos breathed a deep sigh of relief when Aqualad passed him, taking a step outside of the doorway. Thanatos began to close the door but was suddenly face to face with Aqualad, whose body blocked the exit.

“I’m sorry,” Garth paused hesitantly, “but you’re just too great a risk.”

Aqualad threw his hand out, its palm pointing at Thanatos. The water that surrounded Garth flew into Thanatos, knocking him back into the flooded hallway.

Thanatos regained his balance in the water, speeding toward the closing door. He was mere inches from the metal door as it locked shut in front of him. He slammed against it, leaving only a dent. He punched his fist against it a few times, his screams echoing through the tower.

“Don’t do this! You don’t understand what you’re doing!”

“I think he does, traitor.”

Thanatos turned and across the hall was General Gorgon, an axe held in his hands.

“And so do I.”



Aquaman pulled hard on the tentacle-like whiskers in each hand, tugging Ladon’s head back a bit. He could feel the serpent’s whiskers slipping from his grasp but managed to keep a strong hold on it. He scanned the area and saw absolute terror in the eyes of the creatures of the deep he had summoned.

Orin could see the now metal domes of Poseidonis coming closer and closer.

You may be on the wrong side of this war, serpent. But I will thank you one day for your assistance.

ASSISTANCE?

Orin heaved the tentacles up toward him causing Ladon to roar in pain, racing forward, on a collision course with Poseidonis.

King Shark dove out of the way, barely avoiding the serpent.

Aquaman braced himself on the top of Ladon’s head as the enormous beast collided with the metal dome, its skull smashing through the shielding. The dome burst open where Ladon had made impact and water poured in, taking Orin and the serpent with it.

Orin landed on his stomach with a hard thud, the water from outside crashing down on him through the huge hole in the dome wall. He looked up to find the serpent’s long slender body shrinking back down into the pale muscular build of Lord Ladon.

A large bloody gash appeared on Ladon’s brow, a wound from his collision with the dome. He twitched for a moment before opening hazy eyes, finding Aquaman standing proudly above him.

Ladon made a move to get up but was met by Orin’s fist which smashed against his jaw, knocking him back down onto the flooding floor with a splash.

“Like I said, serpent. Thanks for the assistance.”

Aquaman brushed some seaweed off of his orange scale-mail shirt before turning to look at his city. He had managed to get in and now it was all a matter of confronting the man who’d stolen his life from him.

His own brother.

Orin looked up to see the beautiful palace that stood high over all of the other buildings, as if taunting him to make his move. Without realizing it, he found himself sprinting toward the palace; his entire body, every bone and every drop of blood, were in sync with his goal.

Even if it killed him…

Today was the day he would be king once again.

THE END

NEXT TIME: Everyone, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! The jaw-dropping conclusion of “King’s Reign”! Aquaman faces off against Ocean Master in a duel that will decide the fate of the seas and ¾ of the world will never be the same again!


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