Chapter 37

A/N: hey y'all, back for the next chapter! Glad to see y'all again. Anyways, I just own my OCs, YJ & JPS aren't mine.

/comms/

"Bold is raptor."

Telepathy/flashbacks

January 29, Mt. Justice 19:12EDT

"You sure you don't wanna join us?" Artemis asked as she stood with Robin, Wally, Raquel, and Zatanna.

"Wish I could, but Mom and Dad want to meet up with me for training and patrol."

"I forgot my glamour," Onyx shrugged.

"I was just kinda wanting to chill out for the evening," Conner said rubbing the back of his head and M'gann nodded.

"Yeah! I have a new recipe I wanna try!" she smiled nervously. "And…horror movies…not exactly my thing."

"That's fine, they're not for everyone," Artemis shrugged.

"What about you Kaldur?" Robin asked. "You coming?"

"No, I was about to go home myself," he replied. "I wish you all well while you're out."

"Thanks bro," Robin waved as the tubes began to activate.

"Recognized: Robin—B01, Kid Flash—B02, Artemis—B07, Zatanna—B09, Rocket—B11, Remix—B10."

As the group Zetaed away, Kaldur turned to look at his remaining teammates. "I am returning to Atlantis now, and was wondering if you three would care to accompany me?"

"We'd love to!" M'gann said jumping in place before sheepishly smiling. "I mean—I'd love to—"

"Thought you just went?" Conner remarked.

"Yes, but I need—I want—to return more often," Kaldur replied.

"So why wait to ask till after the others left?" Conner asked tilting his head.

"In all honesty, our friends would not do well with the extreme pressure at the bottom of the ocean. It seemed kinder not to make the offer in their presence."

"Who cares! They're going to see a movie! Let's go!" Onyx grinned.

"Actually," M'gann smiled, "I thought we could take the scenic route."

-.-

Shayeris, January 30, 01:31UTC

"Welcome to my birthplace, the Atlantean city-state of Shayeris."

"WOW!" Onyx grinned, his tail swinging up as he took in the city.

"It's spectacular!" M'gann gasped standing up and rushing to the window with the rest of them.

"Yeah it is," Conner smiled before raising a brow as he looked at his girlfriend. "Are…are you shorter?"

"It's the pressure," she answered, "even the Bioship's smaller at this depth."

"I hope you are experiencing no discomfort—" Kaldur began looking worried.

"I'm fine, honest," she reassured.

"Good, I have stocked the hold with more appropriate attire and rebreathers."

"None for me, thanks," she smiled as her clothes changed to a suit more like Kaldur's and gills appeared in her neck.

"Gills, nice touch," Conner smiled before yelping as Onyx grabbed his arm.

"Come on! I wanna explore!"

-.-

"This is my parents' home," Kaldur said leading his friends inside where a woman with flowing blonde hair in a green two-piece dress.

"Kaldur! You look so thin!" the woman gushed.

"Mother please," he flushed.

"Sha'lain'a," a man gently chided swimming over, "let the boy breathe."

Laughing lightly, Kaldur swam back and motioned to his teammates, "My friends, these are my parents: Sha'lain'a and Calven Durham. Mother, Father, meet Superboy, Miss Martian and Nightmare."

"Please call me M'gann," the Martian girl smiled.

"You speak Atlantean!" Kaldur's mother admired.

"Not really," M'gann blushed, "my psychic abilities enable me to translate and communicate."

"The g-gnomes programmed me to speak Atlantean."

"The rest of the Amazons were very unhappy when they realized I didn't know every single language on Earth," Onyx groaned running his hands through his hair as he remembered the torturous weeks he'd spent learning so many languages. Granted his time in the lab at least gave him the basic understanding of many languages; but living alone on an island for three years wasn't exactly known for helping one improve skills in language.

"I understand—yet have no idea what that means," his mother smiled as Calvin took Kaldur aside.

"Son, are you planning to visit Poseidonis this trip?"

"First thing in the morning."

Then be careful, there have been…rumors circulating that there's trouble brewing in the capital."

-.-

Poseidonis, 08:06UTC

"Kaldur'ahm, it is an honor to finally meet your friends and teammates."

"The honor is all ours Queen Mera," M'gann said giving the queen a bow. "I lived my whole life on Mars without ever meeting a member of the royal family."

"Mars has a royal family?" Onyx muttered.

"There is a certain wisdom in inaccessibility," a new voice spoke and they turned to see a dark-haired man swimming towards them, "when the Queen carries the heir to the throne, whom is due any day."

Mera sighed, "Allow me to introduce Prince Orm, my overly protective brother-in-law."

"How can I be anything else while my brother is off playing Aquaman," he grumbled.

"King Orin's work with the Justice League is anything but a game My Prince," Kaldur reminded, his voice holding a slightly biting edge,

"Of course," he said resting a hand on his shoulder, "still, I am glad you and your fellow Champions are here Kaldur'ahm. There have been reports of…unrest, originating at the conservatory of sorcery."

-.-

"M'gann, Conner, Onyx, these are some of my former classmates," Kaldur began to introduce, "Ronal, Blubber, Lori Lemaris, La'gaan, and Nanaue Sha'ark."

"That's King Sha'ark chum, and don't you forget it!"

"You're all so different!" M'gann admired.

"You speak as we aren't different," Onyx teased.

"You know, millenia ago, Atlanteans were all surface-dwelling humans, until the continent sank," Kaldur explained. "Our ancestors used science and sorcery to adapt to life beneath the waves. Since then, the populace of each city-state evolved along its own course. Atlantis is now a continent of diversity and our capital, Posiedonis is the most diverse of all. The conservatory draws the best and brightest from throughout Atlantis."

"It's wonderful!" M'gann grinned, "My world could take lessons—they should take lessons."

"And are you three typical of the surface?" a fish-like boy, La'gaan inquired.

"Not really," Onyx answered. "Conner's more normal than I am."

"Really?" the other boy scoffed.

"You aren't half-dinosaur!"

"I've always loved mermaids!" M'gann gushed swimming over to Lori. Flipping back she allowed the lower half of her body to change, legs merging together and lengthening out into a tail. "What do you think?!"

"I…I am…flattered?"

"Don't worry, you get used to it after a while," Onyx reassured patting the girl's shoulder before swimming around to explore more.

"Well, this has been charming, but I should go," Ronal grumbled turning to swim away before looking startled as Onyx appeared in front of him.

"Why?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you surface-freak!" he snapped swimming around the hybrid like he had the plague.

"He's probably feeling outnumbered," Sha'ark snarled.

"Outnumbered?" Onyx murmured.

"So, what's it like on the surface?" La'gaan asked causing Onyx to swim back down to his friends.

"Other than drier."

"And tastier if you know what I mean chum?" Sha'ark growled looming over Conner and Onyx, neither of which felt very intimidated.

"KALDUR!"

"Onyx, M'gann, Conner, these are my dearest friends Tula and Garth."

"You all are very much welcome in Atlantis," Garth greeted. "Any friend of Kaldur's is a friend of ours!"

"So that's why he brought us," M'gann realized.

"Huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Kaldur's in love with Tula. It's radiating off him in waves, but she's with Garth and he couldn't face them alone," she explained.

"I thought he was dating Raquel?" Onyx asked getting a shrug from Conner.

"Topo?"

All heads turned to a squid-looking boy covering his chest with his arm's, looking startled to be spotted as Kaldur swam over. "Topo, I want you to meet my friends."

"Maybe some other time!"

Grabbing his friend's arm, Kaldur's eyes widened as he saw torn clothes and glowing burns coming from his chest. "TOPO! WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!"

Lori, La'gaan and Blubber swam over, pulling Topo away. "It doesn't concern you Kaldur'ahm."

"Ah, Squidboy's chum. And chum gets what it deserves: swallowed," Sha'ark growled swimming off after the group.

"What the hell was that about?" Onyx muttered.

"Those markings, I couldn't read them," Conner replied.

"They're ancient Atlantean runes," Tula supplied.

"Spelling what?"

"Impure."

-.-

"Speak to me of Topo," Kaldur said as they swam in the direction the others swam off in.

"He was a victim of purists," Garth answered, "they consider themselves the direct descendants of the original Atlanteans—"

"And," Tula cut him off, "they attempt to scare anyone they consider impure into leaving Poseidonis."

"That's so messed up," Conner growled crossing his arms.

"What qualifies as impure?"

"Tula and I appear human and thus are considered pure," Garth explained.

"But my visible gills render me impure," Kaldur spat looking down.

"Only by the most rigid and ridiculous standards!"

"I'm gonna kick their asses," Onyx growled crossing his arms.

"But I was just here!" Kaldur continued looking to his aquatic friends. "There was no word of this then!"

"The old prejudices have always lurked under the surface Kaldur," Tula spoke softly, "but the clash between skin and scales, flesh and fins, has…escalated rapidly recently, almost without a cause into violence and intimidation."

"LET GO OF ME!"

They all turned around and swam up the ridge to find Blubber, Lori, La'gaan, Blubber, Sha'ark, and one terrified Topo in a shouting match with Ronal and several others.

"WE KNOW YOU'RE PURISTS!"

"YOU CAN'T HIDE BEHIND YOUR ROBES AND HOODS!"

"DO WE APPEAR TO BE HIDING BARBARIAN!?"

"YOUR KIND ALREADY INFECTS TRITONIS, NANAUVE, NEPTUNOS, LEMURIA, SHAYERIS, EVEN CRASTINUS!"

"SHA'ARK!" Kaldur exclaimed leading the way towards the feuding groups. "What are you doing with Ronal?!"

"Preparing supper," the beast growled.

"LET HIM GO!" M'gann exclaimed using her telekinesis to yank Ronal out of Sha'ark's grip and pushing them away from each other.

"Careful Earther! Come between a shark and his meal and you become the meal!" he threatened before Onyx and Conner got between them.

"Try us, you'll break your teeth, Chum," Conner warned as Onyx allowed his eyes to turn red with a slight electric spark over his arms in warning.

"This doesn't concern you Earthers!"

"WHO STARTED THIS?!" Kaldur demanded.

"THEY DID!" Ronal and Lori screamed pointing to the other group.

"MY FRIENDS AND I WERE JUST MINDING OUR OWN BUSINESS WHEN THESE FISH-HEADS ATTACKED US!"

AND WHAT WAS TOPO DOING WHEN YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ATTACKED HIM!"

"Please leave me out of this," the boy squeaked.

"You don't know that was us!" Ronal exclaimed.

"But," a girl on Ronal's side snarled with a sinister grin, "if your kind don't like your treatment here you're more than welcome to leave Poseidonis!"

-.-

"If Kaldur and his friends had not interviened, those fish heads would've been marked impure," Ronal smirked. "Especially Lemaris!"

"Then it's fortunate Aqualad did intervene, for anonymity is the greatest weapon of the purists," Kuleana smirked putting her hands on her hips.

Behind her, a tall figure rose from his throne, "My lieutenant is right my children. Put on your hoods, they are to you what Neptune's Trident is to the Ocean Master! The hour is close at hand! Good King Orin is away and by the time he returns Posiedonis will be purged of the impure! And since our King himself is pure, he will recognize the wisdom of our actions!"

"And what of Kaldur'ahm and his surface-dwellers?"

The Mosasaur hybrid scoffed, "Please, here in the water, only the Martian and Aqualad are the real threats, the other two are way in over their heads. But, make mistake to underestimate them. You know your missions, so let's get started."

As the purists swam away, Ocean Master removed his helmet, smirking at his Lieutenant, "You did well Kuleana."

"Of course Prince Orm, it won't be long before Atlantis and the Queen, see the Light."