Sleeping under what seemed like a pile of logs, a homeless man slept behind a boat-shed, using the logs as a makeshift shelter. Strands of blond hair fell in front of his face, hiding his closed, almost bruised eyes. Dirt and grime covered his scraggly beard, as if it hadn't been trimmed in years. A torn and tattered sweatshirt barely kept him warm, green cargo pants were sewn in most places, and his shoeless feet were covered in frost.

Apparently, the one and only king of the sea had lost himself.

Arthur woke up to the sound of chirping birds, clouded eyes blinded by the sunlight. He covered his eyes, wincing in pain and annoyance. Honestly, if he knew his life above the water would be this... painful, he wouldn't have left the ocean. As drunk as he was, the pain slowly subsided with every day that went by. The logs that sheltered him rolled onto the ground, hitting the dirt with a soft thud. Arthur sat up, bloodshot eyes examining the area around him. How... did he get here again? The bottles of alcohol around him were self-explanatory, the strong scent of whiskey still in the air. Last night's dinner nearly came up Arthur's throat, but he kept it down, sending shivers down his spine.

"That is the last time..." He paused to cough, "...I ever eat raccoon meat."

The phone in his back pocket rang, Arthur's eardrums amplifying the muffled ringtone. Grumbling under his breath, he reached for the phone, swiftly swiping the screen. He put it to his right ear, clearing his phone before speaking.

"Curry speaking..." he spoke with a slurred voice, "Who... is th-this..?"

"Figured you'd be drunk. It's me," said Clark, "You were supposed to be in Gotham a day ago, Arthur. What happened?"

"Whiskey. That's what happened," Arthur shook his head, "Everything still hurts... I can barely think anymore. Going to Gotham would bring back too many memories, Clark."

"That's why you're in Mónz, right? You've been looking for Aqualad, haven't you?" Clark 's voice was now lowered to a whisper, "Arthur, Kaldur'ahm has been dead for years. Once you're dead, there's no coming back."

Arthur felt a lump in his throat, but he held the tears back. "I... I know that. I've m-moved on already."

"Mónz is the home of the Salazar Twins. They're metahumans, Arthur. What's the point of traveling to their hometown?" said Clark, "You're desperate. You want a new apprenti- excuse me, apprentices to train. I understand if you don't want to admit it."

"That's preposterous! I never- I-I..." Arthur's voice trailed off, his head lowered, "...It's true. I've heard rumors about the twins, what they were able to do. All I want to do is talk with them, and that's all. At least let me do that."

"Arthur, how good are your negotiation skills?"

"Wha-? Well, I'm no novice to negotiations. Especially the ones that get out of hand. Why do you ask?"

"The New Young Justice initiative has begun. After the Arkham incident, we need a new strategy."

Arthur silently nodded. "The Salazar twins won't fall into the wrong hands, and that is a promise, Clark. What is their location?"

"Bay Street, the last house near the river stream. The rest of their information is classified, but I'll have to contact the Watchtower about attaining the files. Good luck, Arthur."

CLICK, and Clark hung up.

""""""""""

It was no lie, the Salazar twins were troublemakers, and the entire town knew it. Deviants, tricksters, deceivers, everyone, including their parents, gave the twins all sorts of nicknames! The big problem: they happened to be identical. That was why the Justice League needed them.

Sitka, the oldest twin (by one minute, to be exact), showered in the school locker-room, water almost but barely scalding his skin. Just like his twin brother, Sitka's drenched, dark brown hair was short, always kept disheveled as usual. Mysterious hazel eyes seemed to look more like a dark green, and with some hints of yellow and amber. Tan skin glistened under the hot water, his body well-toned thanks to running laps around the campus.

The "faster-than-a-speeding-bullet" type of laps.

Zooming out of the shower, Sitka was dry and dressed in a matter of seconds. His shirt practically screamed "geek", a design of an X-Wing printed on the front. Beige pants were frayed and wrinkled, but that was what he preferred to wear most of the time. His white, ankle-high sneakers were a bit scuffed, and the soles weren't quite worn out... yet.

He combed his hair out, grabbed his backpack, and sped out the door.

At this rate, Sitka would beat the bus back home, and he wouldn't be late for the soccer game. The Salazar family was very serious about their sports, and soccer was just one of them. The Mónz Antlers were going against the Gotham City Defenders. The two teams loathed each other entirely, and for a whole list worth of reasons.

It was a rivalry that went back at least 28 years.

"Sorry! Coming through!" yelled Sitka, dodging cars and buses. Ah, the tourist rush hour. Even during the winter, people from different parts of Washington only came to Mónz for the snow. That and the giant totem poles.

A two-story log cabin was in Sitka's view. The Salazar household was an old home, 130 years worth of history within and outside the walls. Sitka and Ashkii were just the Seventh generation of the family, and the only metahumans as well. They had a difficult time fitting in, but it wasn't that hard.

Okay... maybe it was a bit hard.

Sitka came to a screeching halt, stopping himself from crashing into the front stairs. He went through the front door, dropping his bag and taking off his shoes before heading upstairs. The entire house smelled like fish and salt-water, but the family had gotten used to it. With as many cats around the house, the fishy smell would linger for quite a while.

"Ash, I'm home!" Sitka shouted for his brother, Ashkii, "Yo, Ash! Did you hear me?"

He walked down the hallway, stopping at a poster-covered door. He pushed it open, the volume of a TV amplified by speakers. Ah, Ash couldn't stop playing video games, and the hack-and-slash games were his favorites. Portable consoles, collectors items, actions figures, most of them belonged to Ash.

The other half of the room was Sitka's. A replica of Red Hood's helmet was on his nightstand, pictures and magazine cutouts of Batman were taped to the navy-blue walls, all sorts of superhero/vigilante-affiliated merchandise was everywhere. Unlike his twin, who wanted to keep his powers a secret, Sitka wanted to become a superhero.

Super speed + a badass superhero name = Justice League material.

"How was your date with 'possible boyfriend #3'?" Sitka asked Ash, sitting back on the bunk bed, "I think you two would make a good couple."

"Didn't work out," said Ash, watching the TV, "He's not my type."

"Well, I doubt you're gonna find another metahuman around here, Ash. We're the only cool ones in town!" said Sitka, a smile on his face, "I heard Red Hood is in Star City today. I was gonna go get him to sign my helmet, but I have to do homework and-"

"Superman is cooler!" Ash interrupted, "Aliens are awesome, and he's better than Red Hood!"

Sitka was offended by the statement.

"Mom!" He yelled downstairs, "Ash is being mean again!" he joked.

"Sitka! Ash! Stop fighting, you two! We have a visitor!" their Mom shouted from the living room, "He wants to meet you!"

Ash and Sitka sighed. While Sitka made it to the living room within seconds, Ash could only walk down the stairs like any other normal person, socks slipping and sliding against the polished wooden stairs. It was a pain to half to keep up with his speedster of a brother, and an even bigger pain when it came to popularity. Either way, they were still brothers, they were twins. They had to force themselves to get along.

Ms. Salazar may have been a short woman, but that didn't mean she was easily frightened. Her brown, graying hair was always seen in a tight bun. Her skin was beginning to get wrinkled, her age finally catching up with her. She wore a loose-fitting dress, a thin jacket the only thing keeping her warm inside the cold house. Ms. Salazar was a modest woman, and ever since Mr. Salazar moved out, she gained some bits and pieces of freedom back. As the twins came downstairs, she sat in the living room, Arthur sitting in the chair across from her.

"Boys, this is Arthur Curry," she spoke, "I'm sure you'll recognize him."

The twins gasped in shock and awe, automatically recognizing one of their many idols.

"A-Aquaman..?" Sitka began to question his own sanity.

"No way... it... is it... are you really here right now or...?" Ash giggled nervously, accidentally letting out a snort only once.

"Yes, I'm really here. I'm not a hologram," said Arthur, "Sit down. We have a lot to discuss."

Sitka sat in his favorite recliner, and Ash sat next to Ms. Salazar.

"I'm sure you've heard of the Arkham incident by now. News these days travels fast," said Arthur, his arms crossed, "Before I begin, which one of you two is Ashkii?"

"I am!" the twins said in unison. Even though the real Ash only wore a sweatshirt and boxers, Arthur was unable to see a difference with the brothers.

"Just kidding. I'm Ashkii," said Ash, blinking a couple of times to adjust his contacts, "Everyone just calls me Ash."

"And I assume that you're Sitka?" Arthur diverted his attention to Sitka.

The teen nodded, slumping in the recliner. "I can outrun a bullet, and my brother can... do some weird stu-."

"Shapeshifting," Ash spoke up, "I can't shapeshift unless physical contact is made. All I need to do is hit someone, and I can shift into that one person. But when I turn into someone else, I'm limited to that one person. Shifting into two people puts too much of a strain on my mind."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "So, we have a speedster and a shapeshifter, eh? Very interesting. Are you two considering to join the Justice League?"

"Absolutely not! I don't want my only children fighting in a war!" Ms. Salazar answered for her sons, "Roman Sionis came after us once, and I don't want it to happen again! Do you know what will happen if he discovers what my kids are able to do?! He'll take them away from me! Just because he lives in Gotham, doesn't mean he can't send his goons here!"

"Ma'am, please calm down! I don't think yelling and screaming will solve anything right now," Arthur spoke with a calm voice, "I'm not here to recruit for the Justice League, but for the New Young Justice. I assure you, the team's only task it to help those in need, not go after high-risk criminals such as Sionis. Batman will handle that."

Ms. Salazar cursed under her breath, wanting to make Arthur's eardrums bust with her angered-fueled screams. "Sitka and Ashkii are too young to fight," she argued, "Not even at their age."

"19 is a good age to join, and they should be in college by now..." Arthur chuckled, "With the abilities they have, I think they can stay out of harm's way. Don't you think so, too?"

"I-I can't... I don't want them to leave me yet," Ms. Salazar's once ear-splitting voice was barely audible, "They're too y-young."

"Nobody is too young to fight in this era. It's war," said Arthur, "Ms. Salazar, we need your sons. They can make this world better for everyone."

Glancing back at her children, Ms. Salazar then looked back at Arthur.

"Next time I see them, I don't want it to be in a funeral home," she paused, wiping a tear from her face, "Just bring them home safe."

"I understand how scared you are, but I promise to keep them safe," Arthur promised, "Can I talk to Sitka and Ashkii alone? This will only take a minute."

Silently nodding, Ms. Salazar got up from her seat, hands shaking out of fear as she went into the kitchen. Arthur's whole attitude changed, the room's atmosphere changing from tense to calm.

"Sitka, Ashkii," he said, "We have a lot to talk about."


Author's Note:
Never have I ever stayed up for hours on the computer. Writing the first chapter wasn't that easy, let alone having to choose the OCs. So, to those who received a message about your OC being accepted, congratulations. To others who haven't received a message about the acceptance of your OC, it means one of two things. 1) your OC hasn't been accepted, of 2) I am still messaging people.

So please, don't grow impatient.

The SYOC is officially closed. Like I said before, I won't make any exceptions. Closed means closed, ladies and gentleman. Thanks to everyone for reviewing/submitting OCs.

Leaving a review is completely up to you, so don't worry about being pressured by me.

The big question that should be on your mind: "Why is Ms. Salazar so afraid of Roman Sionis"? A past confrontation? An unsettled score? That is entirely up to you to figure it out. There are so many mysteries within the world of the Justice League, and the Gotham underground is a maze of danger.

Expect the next chapter to be published within a week or so.