Chapter 16: Loathsomeness of the Deep
In the Fishmen Kingdom, Orm stood in the presence of a being that only vaguely resembled a human. Shaped much more like the mermen of lore, the Fishermen were beings with cool colored skin, fins for ears, and long fish-like tails for legs. The King 'stood' before the Atlantean King, his wife and young daughter watching from the side.
"King Ricou, Great ruler of the Fish Kingdom," Orm spoke. "I come before you today to request you join Atlantis on a righteous crusade against the surface."
"We know why you have come, King Orm." King Ricou declared. "We know of your hatred for the surface, and your foolish declaration of war, one the Fisherman kingdom shall take no part in. If and when the time is right, we shall arise from the waters not as conquerors, but as teachers."
Orm just shook his head, smirking in response.
"I admire your… lofty aspirations, King Ricou." Orm admitted. "But part of me can't help but suspect… they are but clouds of ink, hiding the heart of a coward."
"How dare you!" Ricou snapped, swimming up so he was right in Orm's face, two guards armed with plasma rifles backing him.
"Oh please," Orm dismissed. "Your attempts of intimidation are pointless. You're nothing but a kingdom of poets and philosophers whose waters have become stagnant."
Ricou let out a roar of anger, raising his trident to strike Orm down. Orm struck first, stabbing Ricou in the chest, effectively killing him. The guards tried to shoot him down, but were immediately struck down by King Nerus, who has accompanied Orm. The princess and her mother both squealed in fright, the former trying to protect the latter as Orm shook Ricou free of his trident.
"My king!" the queen let out.
"The king is dead!" Orm declared. "Long live his heir."
Orm floated towards the princess, who stiffened at his approach as she tried to protect her mother.
"Princess, I suggest you mobilize your armies." Orm told her. "We move on the Brine Kingdom at once."
…
Elsewhere, the four heroes arrived at Sicily, a welcome change from the desert. After getting some much needed water and food, they headed into the city. J'onn took on a human version of his Atlantean disguise while Diana got herself a jacket and some pants to cover her armor. As they all walked around the city, Mera was honestly taken aback by the beauty of everything. The sights, the smells, the people, it was all so new and inviting. She went over to a flower seller, seeing a bouquet of red roses on display.
"Pretty flowers for a beautiful woman?" the peddler offered, holding out the bouquet.
"Thank you." Mera replied, taking them. "They are beautiful."
Arthur saw her smile and made sure to slip the man one of the gold coins he'd taken. She took in the scent of the flowers, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"I've never smelled anything so lovely." she remarked.
"Glad you're enjoying yourself." Arthur replied.
As the two Atlantean's talked, J'onn pursued some of the shops, eyeing the various trinkets and bobbles. He stopped upon seeing a star shaped necklace at one of the shops. It was a small, very simple necklace, but J'onn picked it up, running his finger across the small gem. Diana noticed, coming over to him.
"It's pretty." she commented. "Who's it for?"
"Kari." J'onn told her. "I thought she might enjoy it."
"I'm sure she will." Diana confirmed.
J'onn nodded, paying for the necklace as Mera and Arthur approached a fountain in the center of the square. There, Mera watched a little girl toss a coin into the water, making a wish. As soon as she tossed it in, Mera manipulated the water to form streams that spun around the fountain. Then she formed them into the shape of dolphins and whales, delighting the girl and causing her to gasp in delight. She ran off to tell her mother as Arthur cracked a smile.
"It seems like you're enjoying the surface " he mused.
"Well, it would be wrong to judge a place I've never seen before." she told him, recalling the very words he told her before.
He just smiled in response before noticing a fresh bread stand.
"Wait right here." he insisted. "I'll be right back."
He walked off as the little girl from earlier approached Mera, tugging on her sleeve. Mera turned to see her holding out a thin, brightly colored book. Mera took it, giving the girl a small nod of gratitude before looking at the cover.
"Pinocchio." she read before flipping through the pages.
As Arthur came back, he noted the book she was reading.
"Whatcha got there?" he asked.
"Pinocchio." She told him. "Starting to see why you like this story."
Arthur smiled, then offered her some of the bread.
"I got us a snack, and some information." he reported. "Apparently the area we're looking for is right up the hill in an old castle."
"Lead the way, then." Mera replied, taking the piece of bread.
…
The heroes made their way to the ruins of an old castle sitting on the cliffside. There, several broken statues could be seen overlooking the ocean.
"This seems to be the place." Diana announced, checking the map. "The only question is what do we do now?"
"I'm not sure…" Arthur admitted. "Mera, what did that recording say?"
"That we had to look inside the bottle for the charted path." Mera recalled.
Arthur mulled it over, then realization dawned. He chuckled before turning to Diana, who had the bottle.
"Can I see that?" he asked.
She handed him the bottle and he held it up to his eye like a kid pretending to look through a telescope. He laughed again, eliciting confused looks from the others.
"What is so funny?" J'onn questioned.
"See for yourself." Arthur offered, holding out the bottle.
J'onn took it, peering through the bottle. When he did, he saw that markings on the bottom of the bottle made it resemble a map.
"Clever." He remarked. "However, there is still the matter of where this map leads us."
"It said that only in the eye of the true king can the way be seen." Diana recalled. "Well, only one of these statues is that of a king."
She took the bottle from Arthur, approaching the statue in the center of the seven.
"Romulus, the first king of Rome." she declared,
She put the bottle in the statues hand, which miraculously aligned with a hole in the statue where his eye should have been. Arthur took a chance and looked through, seeing that the markings on the bottle aligned with the surf and the sea stacks in the distance.
"Bingo!" Arthur declared. "That's where we need to go."
Mera looked in herself and saw the same thing he did.
"Hah." she let out. "I know where this leads. I know where the Hidden Sea is."
She stepped down, but her foot caught on the statue and she nearly face planted. Arthur quickly moved towards her, catching her before she fell. They remained frozen there for a moment, just staring at one another. Then that moment ended with a bang.
Literally.
A massive blast of energy hit nearby, sending the four of them flying back. As the four of them picked themselves up, several of Kane's soldiers came towards them. As they approached, a new figure rocketed upwards, landing in front of the soldiers, revealing himself to be dressed in black armor with a massive helmet with cables attached to the back and large glowing red eyes on the front.
"Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep." He quoted. "And decay spreads over the tottering cities of men."
The figure then charged it's helmet, blasting his eye lasers right at Arthur, knocking it back. As the figure rocketed towards Arthur as the soldiers opening fire on the remaining three. Diana quickly got in front of Mera and J'onn, deflecting the blasts with her bands. J'onn made himself intangible so the shots would phase right through him as Mera ran forward, kicking one soldier aside before grabbing another's gun and throwing him against a wall.
Arthur meanwhile, was picking himself up off the ground as the new figure approached.
"Who the hell are you?" Arthur asked.
"Maybe this will jog your memory." the figure remarked, extending a sword from its wrist.
The figure swung his sword at Arthur, causing him to duck under it and hit the figure in the back of the helmet.
"You again?" Arthur let out. "What are you doing here? How do you keep finding me?"
"Your lady friend has some very interested friends who like to keep tabs on her." Kane remarked, spinning around and stabbing Arthur in the shoulder. "And have given me the tools to end you. Such as far more Atlantean steel than a mere knife."
Kane pulled the sword out and kicked Arthur in the chest, knocking him back. Before Arthur could react, Kane darted forward and slashed Arthur on the side. Arthur cried out in pain as knelt over.
"Kane…" He let out.
"Call me… Black Manta." he declared, blasting at Arthur again.
This blast sent Arthur flying through the air, heading towards the village. Diana noticed and quickly flew after him, catching him before he hit the ground. The people in the village saw the two of them and began scattering, screaming in terror as they did. Before she could put him down, Black Manta jetted towards them, firing again and blasting Diana and Arthur out of the air. The two landed hard in the square, shattering the fountain as they did. Manta blasted again, but this time, Diana held up her wrists, blocking the blast with her bracelets. As she did so, Arthur moved and leapt up towards Manta, grabbing him by the leg before slamming him onto the ground.
"There are too many civilians." Diana insisted. "We need to lead Manta and his men away from the village."
"Any ideas?" Arthur asked before getting hit by Manta's fist.
"You're not going anywhere." Manta declared. "You owe me blood!"
Diana moved towards Manta, drawing her own sword to clash with Manta's. The two traded blows repeatedly until Diana grabbed him and slammed him into a wall. Manta shook it off and blasted at her, knocking her back.
…
Back up top, J'onn and Mera continued to fight off Manta's soldiers in rapid succession. J'onn continuously made himself intangible to avoid being hit by the soldiers attacks before hitting them aside. He then grabbed one and flew him high into the air before throwing him into a crowd of others.
Mera meanwhile, resorted to hand to hand to deal with her opponents, dodging their attacks and returning in kind. She grabbed one soldier and send him flying right through a pillar before kicking another in the stomach, knocking him back. As she continued to fight, she looked down and saw Arthur and Diana going against Manta.
"They need our help!" She called out.
"Go!" J'onn told her. "I will be fine!"
She nodded, vaulting down the mountain to help the two.
…
Back down below, Diana and Arthur continued their fight, with Manta blasting and slashing at the two whenever he could.
"I have no quarrel with you, Amazon." Manta told him. "My fight is with Aquaman."
"He is my friend." Diana informed him. "That makes it my fight."
"Then you may die along with him!" Manta promised, charging up his laser eyes.
Just then, water from the remains of the fountain shot out and slammed into him, knocking him back. Both Diana and Arthur looked back as Mera came over.
"We have to get out of here." Mera insisted. "There are too many people at risk."
"Agreed!" Diana concurred. "The Marina! We can take a boat and head for the hidden-!"
Another blast hit the three of them, scattering them across the square. Manta moved towards Arthur before picking him up and using one of his blades to stab him.
"I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer," Manta told him. "Like you made me and my father suffer!"
Arthur pulled the blade out of his shoulder, kicking Manta in the chest and away from him.
"Then I suggest you try harder, asshole." He snarled.
"Consider it done." Manta snapped back, blasting at him as Arthur rolled out of the way.
Arthur sprung back up and punched him across the face, causing him to stumble back. As Manta recovered, he tried to stab Arthur again, but was stopped by Diana's lasso. She pulled hard on it, throwing Manta into the air and forcing him to activate his jet boots before preparing to blast again. The three scatter again as he fires, shooting up several shards of shrapnel and sending the heroes flying from the blast.
Mera ended up crashing into a wine shop, Arthur in front of a church, and Diana into a statue. As Manta moved towards Arthur, Mera picked herself back up, looking at where she was as more soldiers moved in. A grin broke on her face as her eyes began to glow, all the wine bottles shaking. They then broke open, releasing their contents in a massive wave of red liquid. The wave slammed right into the soldiers, knocking them back across the square and over the cliff, where they went falling into the water.
Diana meanwhile, quickly sprung back to her feet and quickly kicked one soldier aside before one managed to get her from behind. She turned, preparing to defend herself before a green hand suddenly shot through the soldier's chest. The soldier cried out in pain before the green hand retracted, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. This revealed J'onn standing there, offering a hand to Diana.
"Are you alright?" J'onn asked, helping her up.
"Yes." she answered, taking the hand. "Though I would have taken him out easily."
"Undoubtedly." J'onn concurred.
Meanwhile, Arthur was duking it out with Manta once more, the two exchanging blow for blow and neither seeming to gain the advantage over the other. Seeing an opportunity, Arthur managed to get behind Manta, jumping onto his back. Arthur began punching the back, damaging his suit's targeting system as well as its power supply. Manta quickly managed to rocket backwards, ramming Arthur into a wall and knocking him off. He then turned around to try and blast at Arthur, who quickly grabbed a piece of stone and threw it at Manta's helmet, causing the energy to double back and severely damage the helmet. He went flying backwards over the cliff and into the ocean. Arthur looked over at where his defeated nemesis disappeared before collapsing from his wounds.
"Arthur!" Mera and Diana called out as they ran towards him.
J'onn finally joined up with them, all three of them gathering around Arthur.
"We did it." Mera told him. "They're gone."
"Tracker..."Arthur wheezed, reaching for Mera. "Orm's… got a tracker… on you."
Mera looked down at the bracelet Orm gave her, grabbing it and smashing it against the ground. It sparked when she did, revealing the circuitry inside.
"Come on, we need to get him out of here." Mera told them.
"I will procure a boat." J'onn declared. "You two help him as best you can."
The two women nodded as J'onn took off, leaving them to patch up their friend.
…
Sometime later, Arthur let out a groan of pain as he came to. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by J'onn and Diana standing over him.
"Arthur." Diana let out.
"Are you alright?" J'onn inquired.
"Just a slight headache…" Arthur shared. "And a bone ache… and a muscle ache… you know what, just assume everything aches."
"Be grateful that Mera was able to heal you as well as she did." J'onn told him.
Arthur looked over at Mera as she maneuvered the boat out onto open waters.
"You healed me?" Arthur asked.
"It was just some seaweed wraps and a bit of Atlantean magic." Mera brushed off. "Besides, you'll need your strength for our next destination."
"And where might that be?" Arthur asked.
Mera hesitated, then turned back to Arthur with a remorseful expression.
"The Trench." she answered.
Arthur looked out to the sea in contempt as Diana and J'onn were surprised themselves.
"The Trench?" Diana repeated. "The place where your mother-?"
"Yeah." he interrupted. "That's the place."
"It was once a thriving kingdom, but the Atlanteans who call it home have long since devolved into mindless, bloodthirsty beasts." Mera informed them. "Now, those who have wronged Atlantis are banished there, to be eaten by the savages."
"And that is the only path to Atlan's trident?" J'onn surmised.
"Yes." Mera answered. "Unfortunately, our chances of reaching the hidden kingdom in one piece is slim at best, and for you surface dwellers, nonexistent."
"Besides, if we don't make it out alive," Arthur realized. "The League needs to be there to stop Orm before he attacks the surface."
"Right." Diana agreed reluctantly. "If you're certain about this."
"No, but it's not like we've got a whole lot of options." Arthur replied.
"Where would Orm go to finish building his army?" J'onn asked, morphing into his Martian Manhunter form.
"The Kingdom of the Brine, located near the Ring of Fire volcanoes." Mera answered. "They are the only other kingdom of sentient Atlanteans left after the Fisherman."
"Then that is where we will go." Diana declared, she and J'onn hovering in the air. "Good luck Arthur."
"We're gonna need it." Arthur told her.
With that, both J'onn and Diana took off into the sky, leaving the two Atlanteans alone on the boat.
"Well… I guess we have nowhere to go but forward." Arthur declared.
"Guess so." Mera agreed as they continued towards the Trench.
…
Orm looked out at the open ocean from his ship, which was closing in on the Brine Kingdom. As he did, Vulko approached him with a report.
"The tracker on Lady Mera is still dark, your highness." He informed the king.
Orm's eyes remained out on the ocean as he spoke.
"Vulko..." he began. "My trusted vizer, who stood by the throne since my father sat upon it. Have you any advice for me before this war begins?"
"I have already given it, my King." Vulko answered. "However, I will stand by your decision as always."
"As always." Orm repeated. "Is that why you have been aiding my despot brother behind my back?"
Vulko's face fell in surprise.
"Do not deny it." Orm warned. "I know it is you who trained him as a boy, grooming him so that one day, he would take the throne from me."
"I will not deny the truth." Vulko told him, straightening as he saw soldiers approaching him from behind.
"Why?" Orm questioned. "I am the pureblood son. I have devoted my life to Atlantis. He would prefer to play hero on the surface. You swore to serve the throne!"
"I do serve it." Vulko insisted. "Arthur may only be half Atlantean, but he is twice the king you will ever be."
Orm nearly stabbed Vulko in the neck with his trident, but quickly withdrew his weapon and regained his composure.
"Take him to the brig." Orm ordered. "And make sure he has a view."
The guards escorted Vulko off the deck, leaving Orm alone with his anger.
...
Later that night, a storm broke out, and Arthur and Mera did all they could to keep the ship from capsizing. As their boat rocked back and forth, something silently skulked through the water. It moved through the water towards them, brushing against the boat and earning Arthur's attention just as it submerged again.
"Mera, I think we're about to have company!" Arthur warned.
Mera looked over the side of the boat to see a scaled, webbed fingered hand latching onto the side of the ship. The hand pulled itself upward onto the boat, revealing it to be attached to a large, lanky creature with sharp teeth, big eyes, and a fin on its head.
"Trenchers!" Mera yelled, kicking the creature back.
The creature fell overboard back into the water, only for three more to spring up on board. Arthur saw this and ran towards them and rammed right into one of them, knocking it into the water before punching a second one in the face. This did little as more and more began swarming the ship.
"Any idea on how to handle these things?!" Arthur asked in a panic.
"No!" Mera admitted. "These things are savages. Evolved to be mostrous killers on the ocean floor!"
"Ocean floor…." Arthur pondered before coming up with an idea.
He went inside the cabin of the boat and started digging around for something. Finally, he grabbed a box of flares and quickly snapped one, activating it. The red light illuminated the boat and caused the Trench creatures to scream in pain.
"Spent so long at the bottom of the ocean floor, bright light blinds them!" Arthur declared.
He passed some flares to Mera, who did the same thing before shoving one of the flares into the mouth of one of the beasts.
"Are these things waterproof?!" she questioned.
"Thankfully, yes." Arthur confirmed. "Let's go!"
The two then dove over the side of the ship, plunging right into the water with a flare in each hand. Once they breached the water, they realized that they were completely surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of Trench creatures. They parted around them to avoid the light, but quickly closed in behind them, forcing the two to keep moving for fear of being eaten. As they reached the ocean floor, their flares started to die out, prompting Arthur to pop out two more and hand one to Mera.
"Stay close!" He shouted.
They kept going deeper and deeper, entering the massive underwater canyon that gave the Trench its name. From every nook and crevice in the rocks poured out even more monsters, making the journey ever more treacherous. Once they reached the very bottom, Mera used her powers to shove all the creatures away, allowing them a brief glimpse of what the seafloor held. Much to their surprise, there was a light at the opening of the trench coming from what looked like a whirlpool.
"There!" Mera shouted, pointing at the light.
"You wanna go in that?!" Arthur declared.
"It's either that, or them!" Mera said, gesturing to the beasts. "Take your pick!"
Arthur looked back at the Trenchers before looking back at the whirlpool.
"Lead the way!" He declared.
They both took off for the whirlpool, pushing themselves as fast as they could go. The Trenchers tried to stop them, but before they could get close enough, the light of the whirlpool drove them away. As the two Atlanteans swam closer and closer, the two looked at each other and held hands right before entering the whirlpool.
Upon entering, the sheer force of the water coupled with an unnatural lightning pulled the two Atlanteans apart. They were thrown throughout the vortex, the dizzying light and water making it almost impossible to tell which direction was up, or where the other had gone.
"Mera!" Arthur shouted, managing to catch a glimpse of her distinctive red hair.
"Arthur!" she shouted back, hearing his voice.
They swam desperately for one another, reaching out and almost touching. However, that's when the water picked up and they were thrown in opposite directions.
"No!" Arthur screamed as Mera disappeared from sight.
…
In the calmness of an unknown sea, Mera was shot out, unconscious and unmoving. Sensing the vulnerable prey, a massive sea monster approached, crocodile-like jaws preparing to swallow her whole. Before it could take a bite though, something hit it in the side of the head before a figure scooped up Mera. It shot through the water, emerging out onto a beach.
Mera blinked, rubbing her eyes as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. He was on a massive island surrounded by huge sea towers stretching high above the clouds. Somehow, there was an entire ecosystem deep beneath the earth, one populated with creatures long thought extinct. As Mera got her bearings, she turned to face her rescuer, finding a very bizarre creature. It seemed to be wearing armor made out of the bones and fins of the Trenchers over a torn white scale suit, appearing almost human. Or, more appropriately, Atlantean.
Before Mera could begin asking questions, there was a splash out in the water as Arthur emerged. He locked eyes on the island and shot towards it, emerging on the beach and staring down the strange creature standing over Mera.
"Get away from her!" he shouted.
"Arthur!" Mera called out, glad to see he was alive.
The figure froze at the word Arthur, turning slowly towards him. They let out a soft gasp, removing their thick chitin gauntlets to reveal human hands. Arthur looked at that, then his eyes went wide as the figure removed their helmet, dropping it to the ground.
"You..." Mera let out.
The figure was a woman with long white hair and bright green eyes, almost identical to Arthur's. She had aged considerably, but was still as beautiful as ever. As she met Arthur's eyes, all the hostility and anger left him, replaced with utter shock and disbelief.
"Mom?" He let out.
One more chapter in the Aquaman story. This is turning out a little longer than I wanted, but that's what you get for adapting a 2 and 1/2 hour movie. hope you all are still enjoying it and stay tuned for more
