OK, here's the first part of the Aquaman Solo Arc. Enjoy everyone.

Trouble in the Deep Part 1

(During the last arc…)

(Miami, Florida. March 13th, 10:23. Port of Miami)

People in the Port of Miami worked hard and quick, unloading the ships as shadowy figures began to come near the docks.

Aquaman: You see, friends, it was a normal day for me while I was on patrol in the Atlantic, when I heard word that one of my enemies was in Miami, causing trouble. But it wasn't just anyone…it was the one enemy I had wanted to see for a long time.

People worked unloading cargo from ships, all of them keeping tabs as they heard something shaking behind them. "What the…?" one of the workers asked before, to his horror, a harpoon almost skewered him.

"Hello everyone." Said a deep voice as a figure walked out of the water, glaring at them with glowing red eyes. His armor appeared to be a high-tech version of a scuba's uniform with a very large, circular helmet that has a glowing red visor, spiked elbows that appeared to be like a Manta Ray's fins, webbed gloves and flipper shoes, and dual sheaths on his sides with hunter knives in them.

"What the?" asked one of the workers as, to their shock and horror, a group of men clad in similar armor only with regular helmets came out of the ocean next, all of them wielding under-water based weapons. "I am the Black Manta, and I am commandeering your shipments. If you wish to disagree with me…you'll soon regret it." The leader of the group said, glaring at them under his visor.

"Listen bud, we don't want any trouble." One of the men said nervously as Manta just glared at him.

"Then you chose the wrong moment to speak." Manta said as he points a wrist-mounted weapon at the man as it glowed with energy, the man's eyes widening in horror.

"Pete, get out of the way!" One of the other works yelled as a sudden burst of water came out of the ocean.

"What in the world…?" Manta asked in confusion as he turned and frowns under his mask. "…Arthur." Standing in front of him was the King of Atlantis himself, Aquaman.

"Hello David. I assume you know why I am here, yes?" Arthur asked him calmly, glaring at him as he had his trident at the ready.

"…Yes, I am. And you won't get me that easily." Manta warned as his visor glowed brightly as he unsheathed his two blades, going into a dual stance with them, as his men all aimed their weapons at him.

"Yes…but first, lets even the playing field." Aquaman said as he raised his trident. Around them, a giant burst of water came out and went down on his henchmen, making them yell out as they were dragged into the water.

Manta frowns as he fires a blast of energy right out of his visor, as Aquaman yells out before glaring darkly at his old time enemy as he pushes through, putting his trident out as a burst of yellow energy flew out of his trident and sent him back.

Black Manta growled as he got up, as Aquaman ran forward and tackles him back down as he glares down at Manta. "Now…Sleep." Aquaman said as his telepathy began to go into him.

"Please, I am not a fish, Arth-AHH!" Manta yells out in pain as he felt the pain suddenly go into his mind.

"All life started in the sea, Manta…you know this. I've been taking lessons with Manhunter, however, to learn how to use my telepathy outside of the ecosystem of the sea." Aquaman said as he says "Now…Sleep." Manta groaned as he fell down with a faint groan.

"I'll…get you…back…" He groaned as Black Manta, the infamous modern day pirate, fell and passed out, his helmet dimming as he was now out cold. Aquaman stood up and grabbed a few chains that were from one of the dockworkers and used it to bind his hands together and picks up the now out cold villain.

The dock workers cheered for Aquaman as a news van arrived, getting Aquaman's attention as he saw the words 'Godfrey Hour' on the side, making him look confused. Then a man came out of the van with a camera crew.

The man who came out was a bespectacled man with short orange hair, dark blue eyes under his glasses and wearing a nice black suit came out with a microphone as he turns to the camera. "Greetings my ever-loving public, Welcome to Godfrey hour, with me, G. Gordan Godfrey."

"…What in Zeus's name is going on here?" Aquaman asked as he carried over the out cold Black Manta as he says "You, Newsman. What is going on?"

"Ah, the Sea King has graced us with our presence, my dear viewers. I see you have finally captured Black Manta. Tell me, how do you feel of all of the damage this man has done?"

"If you want me to be honest, I am not pleased with it. Which is why I am bringing him to Atlantis for his trial." Aquaman said calmly, as Godfrey raised an eyebrow as he adjusted his glasses.

"So, as a king of a neutral party country that is basically waterlogged since the fall of Greece, you believe you are above the American law system?" Godfrey asked him as Aquaman looked at him oddly.

"That wasn't what I said. His crimes were in the sea, not on land. As king of Atlantis, the seas are my responsibility to help police and keep safe." Aquaman said as Godfrey frowned at this.

"What of all of the ships that are from different countries? Do they need your permission to bring cargo across the ocean?" Godfrey asked, as Aquaman frowns.

"Now listen here, little man-" Before Aquaman could finish, a strange light came from behind them as Aquaman's belt buckle blinked as he pressed it, curious.

Suddenly, out of the water, was a very large, pale blue and white submarine of some kind that had a design very much similar to a robotic sperm whale as the 'mouth' opened, revealing an older man as he walked out onto the docks, as everyone looks in shock.

The older man had gray hair, a thick goatee and wearing a dark blue and green outfit very similar to robes. Next to him was a muscular young man, a couple years younger than Aquaman, with neck-length black hair, dark blue eyes and wearing a suit of armor similar to Aquaman's own uniform, but was red and violet instead or green and orange.

"Orm, Vulko." Aquaman said as Orm frowns when he saw Black Manta.

"So…you have captured the killer of Prince Thomas and the Gods know how many other people?" Orm asked as he saw the chains on him as he nods. He snaps his fingers as two soldiers clad in blue and black armor with special-looking handcuffs and they removed the chains and put on the outfit as Orm walked up to his older brother.

Arthur nods as he says, "So, I see that you two have come for me, why?"

"Come with us. We will tell you when we arrive back to Atlantis." Orm said as the two soldiers dragged the out cold Black Manta. Aquaman nods as Godfrey walked in front of the camera.

"And there you have it, folks. The so-called 'King of Atlantis' is running from the public. And as you can see, the Atlanteans have their own personal army and forces. When will be the day when these fish men will take over our world?" Godfrey asked as Vulko frowns as the royal advisor walked into the ship as it closed and went down.

Aquaman, now inside of the very high-tech aquatic ship looked and saw Garth was waiting, relaxing as Garth looked towards Black Manta, a frown on his face as the ship went down, unaware of some shadowy figures following after them in the water current.

(Later…)

(Poseidonis, Atlantis. March 13th, 12:34)

"So Orm, why are Garth and I here, brother?" asked Aquaman, looking at Orm who lead the two ahead towards a training area in Poseidonis

"Simple my brother, you are here to chose a new protégée. And who better to help you decide than the former Aqualad himself." said the man with a smile as the two just shrugged as they followed him to a training area, where four people were waiting.

"Well…this brings back memories of when I was a kid." Garth said with a smirk, crossing his arms as the two walked towards the teaching area.

In front of the students was two women and a child: The older of the two had long red hair, dark green eyes and wore a long flowing green dress and a golden crown, with a small blonde haired child in her arms with her dark green eyes and clad in a blue shirt and pants. Next to her was a dark red haired young woman with a yellow and blue uniform.

"Arthur..." said the woman as she smiled and floated over as Aquaman smiled and hugged her and the child as the two shared a kiss.

"Mera, you're as beautiful as ever. And let me guess who this small one is." He said, smiling at the child, who giggled as he says "Hello AJ." as he kissed the child on the forehead, as the child giggled and pulled on his hair, making Aquaman cringe faintly as he chuckled. "You got my strength, that's for sure." The child laughed a bit as he clapped his hands, Mera smiling softly at this.

Garth saw the child and had a sad smile on his face at this, as if remembering another time before he shook it off as he nods to the young woman, who hugged him. "Hey Tula." He said with a chuckle. "So, who are the new kids?"

"They're right here." said Tula. "All of them 15 at the oldest. All of the Queen's students like we were."

"Alright, all of you...introduce yourselves." Mera said the teenagers as they got up. The first to swim forward was a humanoid shark with black and red armor, crossing his arms before patting his fist against his chest and bowing before the king and queen.

"Prince Nanaue, your highness. I am here to aid you in the name of my father, the Shark King." said Nanaue, as Aquaman nods. "My main abilities are my great strength and my amphibious powers, and I know some basic Atlantean magic, but my shark-like attributes will be of great aid to Atlantis."

"That can be very helpful. I'll think on you, my boy. Next." said Aquaman, looking up as another swam up, this one a humanoid with dark green skin with fin-like growths on his head, arms and legs with dark red eyes and short growths on his upper lip and chin similar to the whisker's of a catfish, making a form of stubble.

"La'gaan of Poseidonis, my lord. My magic allows me to control water at my will and I can also enhance my own strength durability." said La'gaan, doing the same salute as Aquaman nods with a small nod as he swam back, and was soon replaced by more human-looking young man with tanned skin, short red hair, dark green eyes and dressed in armor as well.

"I am Wyynde, I am the son of an Atlantean general. I know many forms of combat magic." said the young man as he looked up as Aquaman nods as he went back, as the final one came up, who was covered with a form of robe.

"And you are, young man?" asked Aquaman, holding his trident as the young man gulped as he walked over and removed his hood, making several people gasp in shock.

The teen before him appeared to be African-American in appearance with short blonde, dark green eyes, gills noticeable on his neck and wearing a red shirt and a pair of blue pants, and a pair of hilts on his sides. But one thing that was noticeable was eel-like tattoos that went down his arms to the back of his hands.

"I am Kaldur'ahm, I am a half-Atlanteans who's from…Xebel, like Queen Mera." the young man explained, as he heard some whispering as he looked up at Arthur, who looked at him calmly. "I am a orphan, but I have been training with the Atlantean military since I was a child, given to me by my adopted father, Captain Calvin Durham."

"Hmm...alright." said Aquaman with a nod as he saw something growl near by and frowned. "What is that?" Suddenly 10 creatures came out with a roar, as the group got in a stance. "Mera, take our son to the castle and lock the door." He said, his trident in hand.

"We'll take care of them." Said Orm as he got out a sword, which glowed with energy similar to Aquaman's trident as the creatures hissed. They were humanoid in appearance with very long teeth, pitch black eyes that were reflective, four fingers per hand and three-toed feet with claws and dark gray skin. They all hissed, spots on them glowing with energy as they swam forward.

Nanaue grabbed one and threw them into the ground, roaring at this as Wyynde summoned water swords and slashed at two of them as Aquaman grunted as he stabbed one of them with his trident, releasing energy into it.

Garth grunted as he blocked one with a water shield before sending out a burst of energy out at one of them as a yell is heard. "Orm!" said Garth in shock as one of them bit him in the arm, as Kaldur got out a pair of hilts from his pockets and created a glowing water whip and wrapped it around his neck, and tugged back, making it let go as it roared as electricity went into it, making it roar out as it passed out.

La'gaan growled as he saw four of them head to Tula as his body began to expand in size, his body doubling in size as he roared at this, growling as he jumped forward and slammed two of them down, roaring at this as his hands created glowing water fists and slammed them down as Tula smacked the last two with water blasts as Garth grunted.

"Everyone, stand back!" said Garth powered up his fists as all of the Atlanteans backed up. " Tempestatem percutiat eos!" Suddenly a giant gust of water, lightning and currents came down, sending all of the strange creatures away, making them roar as they were swept away.

"What were those things?" asked La'gaan as he shrank back to his normal size.

"They are the Trench..." groaned Orm, getting up at this. "They are cursed beasts from the ocean's abysses. They were Atlanteans who worked with black magic in ancient times, and were all cursed to have evolved into creatures who survive in the darkest reaches of the seas."

"So now they want Atlantis back, yes?" asked Kaldur'ahm, as Orm nods.

"Well, they shall not have it." Aquaman said calmly. He turned to Orm and says, "Tell the guards to be on double alert. I shall look after these four until then...but make sure no innocent is out when those creatures come back." The group nod as Orm swam back into the castle...but a smirk slowly formed on his face, as did Nanaue as he swam up to work on something else.

Kaldur sighed a bit as he put his hilts back on his sides as Mera walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "You alright, Kaldur'ahm?"

"Yes, my queen. Just…troubled." Kaldur said with a sigh as he saw some of the soldiers near by, looking at him with a cautious look as he looked down and sighed as he walked off.

Aquaman looked at Garth as he says, "Garth, I may need your aid, but we must prepare for our journey." Garth nods as the two swam off to get supplies as Mera looked at Kaldur and nods to him as he gave a nod and swam after them, as Tula came over with Arthur Jr., who cooed a bit in confusion.

(King Orin's Castle Dungeon. 13:43).

Black Manta was sitting in a dry jail, which was specifically made for him as he awaited trial. His helmet was off and as were his weapons, revealing his face to be a man with neck length curly black hair with a faint gray in it, dark green eyes, and faint scars on his face from various blades.

The door opened, revealing a mystical barrier keeping the water out of the cell as a figure with a bag as the figure threw in the bag, revealing all of Manta's gear. "Suit up." The man in the shadows said calmly as Manta put on his helmet as he activated the inferred vision as he frowns under his helmet.

"And you are?" he asked calmly, curious as he finished putting his armor together, as he saw the stranger blasted the cell bars with his trident as hissing is heard as the Trench can be seen behind him.

"You may call me…a friend." Said the stranger calmly as he says "Come, we have much to do…but first, we got to take care of two people." The figure said as he led Black Manta away, the Trench following suit, all hissing as they went back into the water.

(Castle Library 14:12)

Inside of the castle, Aquaman swam into a library and began to look for tomes as he says, "Lets see…these Trench must be somewhere in here…" Aquaman said as Tempest looked and frowns as he found only other books.

"It must be hidden somewhere…I could have sworn there was a book here about them." Garth said as they saw Kaldur swim into the library.

"Do you guys need any help?" Kaldur asked, looking at them curiously.

"If you know where the book of this 'Trench' things are?" asked Garth as Kaldur swam forward and went to help, but frowns when he noticed an empty space.

"Odd…this spot it empty, like someone else knew of where to find this book before us." Kaldur said with a frown as a hiss is heard as he quickly got his hilts out and says "They're here!"

"In the castle, how?" Aquaman asked as a Trench beast came out from above Kaldur, making him yell out as he was kicked away as the creature hissed as he took the two hilts and broke them in half in it's grip.

"Ugh…" Kaldur got up as he got up, but looked behind him and gasped in shock as he saw Nanaue behind him before he was hit in the head by the shark man, making him go out with a groan.

"Kaldur!" Garth said as he glared at the shark man, as Nanaue got a hand out.

"Oceanus eruptio!" Nanaue said as he put a hand out as a shockwave of water came out, sending Garth away as Black Manta came out and, with a powerful blast of energy from his optic, sent him flying right into a wall, making him pass out.

"Manta…so, you were planning this?" Aquaman asked with a scowl as Nanaue smirked.

"Not us, our boss." Nanaue said with a smirk as a figure came over as Aquaman ran forward, as he was about to strike down as Black Manta looks at him and nods.

"Not so fast!" he said as he fired a blast right at Aquaman, who went to move as Nanaue grabbed him, making him slow down enough for his trident hand to be hit.

"GAAHHH!" Aquaman said in pain as his trident hit the ground, as the teenage shark man threw Aquaman down, as he held where his right hand once was, which was now badly burnt and was damaged beyond repair.

"Oh dear…looks like that hand is badly damaged, don't you think?" asked Manta with a sneer under his helmet as he walked over and got out a blade that glowed with energy. "And since normal metal can't cut through that skin…guess this'll do for the amputation!" As he sliced downward, making him yell out in more pain as he panted a bit, his now badly damaged hand removed as Manta chuckled, kicking it away.

"Looks like you lost your dominant hand, half-blood." A voice said as a man came into the light with the trench creatures, a smirk on his face.

He wore violet and black armor with a style similar to one of the Trench beast with red eye covers with a helmet styled after the Trench species' head, which had a mouth-area that revealed his mouth, webbed gloves and boots that looked like the trench's hands and feet, and a long black cape that looked like a fish-version of Batman's cape.

"Who…who are you?" Aquaman asked with a faint groan as the figure chuckled as he looked at him.

"I am the new king of Atlantis, fool…I am OCEAN MASTER!" He said as he slammed the trident down on his head, knocking him out as the three stood over the fallen heroes of Atlantis, not knowing that La'gaan watched with widen eyes as he quickly swam away.

End of Part 1

Well folks, it looks like Arthur is in trouble, huh? Well, better hope for the best with next time. So please Read, Review and Suggest away!