A/N: So, I was a bit inspired by a couple different things for this chapter. Mainly the Flashpoint Paradox world. Though not so fond of the New 52 I was intrigued by the much darker world Flash accidentally made. Also, please note the character is actually Canon I just allowed him to finally grow up (albeit in a much darker way than he probably would have normally)
Kyd shifted his arms a little. The chains wrapped around them from his biceps to his wrists jingled and jangled and were wound much too tight to get free of. That boded so well…
It hadn't taken the villains long to lead Kyd to a room that Klarion had obviously set up before hand. There was a large magical circle on the ground, which was surrounded by candles. The walls had other symbols painted on them and a chandelier hung directly in the middle of the room. Kyd had been directed to kneel in the magic circle on the floor and been promptly chained in place.
The rest of the villains were outside of the room but looking in from a camera mounted in the corner or from the doorway itself. Kyd wasn't so fond of being the spectacle but he supposed it came with the territory. He was, after all, the reason Klarion was going to be able to do whatever insanely complex spell he'd come up with. And Kyd had no doubt it was complicated. Pulling someone permanently through the dimensional barrier was no small feat to accomplish, even for a Lord of Chaos.
Klarion was standing in front of where Kyd was kneeling with Teekl prowling around the outside of the magic circle like some miniature shark looking for a meal. Kyd just ignored the aggravating familiar and closed his eyes behind his mask. As he had been trying to do on his own for ages, Kyd focused on the dimensional barrier that he routinely reached through to summon fire. Black flames gathered in his hands and started spiraling up his arms even as Kyd concentrated all of his attention, power, and will to opening the tiny hole in the barrier wider. This would never work if he couldn't force the barrier to open more.
Kyd grit his teeth as the magic in the room started to build and crackle in the air. His power word floated in his mind, practically begging to be said. The atmosphere in the room grew even tenser as fire clashed with the static that had begun to form in the atmosphere. Teekl yowled as the magic-infused elements clashed and created a randomly flying lightning bolt that nearly hit the tabby.
The Lord of Chaos simply ignored his familiar as he began to start his spell. All of the circles and runes around the room began to glow a bright red as Klarion raised his clawed hands. Klarion didn't hesitated, as soon as his part of the spell was ready he slammed his hands forward into Kyd's chest and unleashed all of the magical energy he'd gathered.
Red light filled the room, blinding the observers even as the noise of electricity began to grow. Kyd let out a silent scream as pain ripped through his chest and seemed to burn away a bigger and bigger hole around his Master's hand. It was excruciatingly painful. The amount of force being sent through his body was pushing him backwards and would have toppled him completely if not for the chains in place around his arms and even they were straining to keep him upright.
After several heartbeats, there was an even louder thunder-like noise and Kyd collapsed as the pain became simply too much to stay conscious during. As the light faded and the noise died away, it became clear that while Kyd had not been able to stay awake, Klarion did manage to pull someone through the barrier.
The figure, clad almost entirely in black, slowly got to his bare feet. His mostly bare arms were well muscled and his blonde hair was an odd mix of spikes and braided –almost tribal- styling. Red tattoo of various sized spots swirled down from the teen's shoulders to gather around his wrists and hands. A thick line of red paint crossed his blue eyes in a pseudo mask. The red reappeared as two shoulder decorations almost like pauldrons but not nearly as large. "That," Lex began, "is not a Kryptonian."
Blue eyes flashed and instantly focused on Lex. "Of course I am no Kryptonian," he said, voice full of pride that bordered on conceit. "I am Atlantian and ruler of the seas," he declared.
Klarion snickered a little. "Oops, looks like I grabbed the wrong one," he said, sounding utterly unconcerned. "Oh well!"
Lex glared at the Chaos mage. "Oh well? Send him back and get Superman like we agreed!" he ordered.
Suddenly, the blonde reached up to his shoulder where his red gem-like decorations were. His tattoos glowed bright red before he whipped his arm back out and had a deadly sharp blade made of red tainted water pointing directly at Luthor's neck. The 'gems' as it turned out, were, in fact, water bearers. "You will tell me why you have brought me here, Luthor!"
"We didn't want you," Klarion said nastily as Teekl jumped into his arms. "And I can't send him back," he added with a tittering laugh. "I told you… it was a one way trip," he finished in a sing-song voice.
The teenage Atlantian glared instead at Klarion. "You will find a way to send me back. I had a mission to complete!" he hissed in fury.
Just then, Black Manta, who had been watching over the camera, burst into the room. His helmet was still on but it was obvious from his stance he was surprised. That didn't stop him from training his weapon on the teen however. "What is Orin doing here?!"
"Don't insult me," the teen snapped.
"Then just who are you?" Black Manta demanded.
The blonde scoffed at the question. "My name is Arthur-"
"I don't see how that is any different."
"Junior," the teen finished with clear distaste. There was a moment of silence as the villains of the world digested this bit of information. The different dimensional son of Aquaman turned slightly to glare at Klarion again. "Now. Figure out how to send me back. I have an Amazonian bitch to kill."
Luthor's eyebrow went up to his nonexistent hairline at that. It was surprising to hear a hero's son speaking with so much venom. Especially about another hero. He hadn't thought there was any ill will between the Atlantians and the Amazonians but apparently in some dimensions there was more than a little. "Perhaps… if you give us some time," Luthor said, being careful to use his most beguiling tone. He didn't want the ever-shifting blade of what looked to be bloody water slicing through his neck.
Arthur Jr. glared at the mastermind at the end of his sword. "And why should I give you time?" he demanded. "It is not a luxury I have ever been given."
"Because. We have our own Amazonian we've been having problems with," Luthor said lightly. "Wouldn't you like to kill Wonder Woman twice? Fighting us won't help you get home any faster. But if you wait you're more than welcome to kill as many Amazons as you want."
The teen seemed to think about that for several minutes before putting the red water back in his water bearer. "Very well. But I suggest you hurry. I am not known for my patience," he said.
"You are not known at all. You have not yet been born in this dimension," Manta told the teen. "King Orin has no heir," he added with no small amount of contempt in his voice.
"Speaking of… what should we call you?" Captain Cold asked. "You don't strike me as an 'Aqualad'…"
Arthur made a face of visible distaste. "Those groveling boys? Hardly. They called me Red Tide in my world. You may continue to do so here," he announced. He watched as the entirely black clad Kasumi slipped into the room to begin undoing the chains around Kyd Wykkyd's arms. "If you want me to kill Amazons by all means I will be glad to. But I somehow doubt that I will be welcomed in my home under the waves."
Lex hummed a little in thought. "Perhaps it would be best if you stayed with Kasumi and the others," he mused. "It would allow you to remain hidden and secure while you are here."
"Is it near the ocean?" Red Tide asked, folding his arms over his chest and looking less than thrilled.
"It has waterways," Lex answered dismissively.
The blonde narrowed his eyes. "Water ways," he echoed. "I am going to assume that is a no to my question then."
"It is not ideal but it is for the best," Manta said. "Aquaman would most likely find you if you were to be close to the ocean."
"I do not fear my father," Arthur Jr. stated. "He is as much to blame as the Amazonian whore. If he gets in my way I will simply add his blood to my collection," he said gesturing to the red water bearers on his shoulders.
Klarion laughed some at that. "So that is blood!" he said in absolute glee.
"Not entirely," he responded. "It is a mix of ocean water, blood, and a special algae that obeys only me. One that no Atlantian can use their gills around. A Red Tide is an algae bloom so thick and toxic it chokes the life out of everything around it. It is appropriate that my water do the same."
"Your water is poisonous?" Lex echoed in surprise.
Red Tide smirked. "It is death in liquid form," he corrected. "It will kill any Amazon you want… and my traitorous father as well."
"I like you so much better than your father," Manta said as he pulled his helmet off. "I think you will do quite well here."
"I do well everywhere," Arthur stated. "Now, why exactly were you looking for a Kryptonian?" he asked Lex.
Luthor waved a dismissive hand. "We've been having a bit of a problem with Superman. Cloning him didn't work so we were hoping to find a different alternative in another dimension," he explained.
The new Atlantian raised an eyebrow. "Why not clone his cousin then?" he asked. "They were working on that in my world and it seemed to be doing fairly well."
"… cousin?" Luthor repeated. "What. Cousin?"
"The girl," Arthur said dismissively. "Blonde hits like a Mac Truck. Every bit as annoying as those Amazon harlots. She popped up a few years ago in my world. Had to undergo some sort of medical thing. Used a kryptonite needle or something to do it so got DNA that way I suppose."
Luthor's eyes nearly glittered as his mouth turned into a smile. "Arthur… I do believe we need to have a nice long chat about this girl. You may have just solved our little problem after all," he said before putting a hand on Arthur's shoulder. The blonde eyed the man's hand for a minute before shrugging it off. Luthor just smiled, not apparently upset at all by the action. He was far more interested in this news of another Kryptonian.