Episode Four

From Beneath the Waves

Chapter One

Atlantis Outskirts

Deep Beneath the Atlantic Ocean

10:02 – Atlantis Time

March 18, 2007

Garth swam quickly, following Tula closely as she led the way. As to where they were going, he didn't know, at least not yet. She wanted to show him something and he was more than happy to follow her.

She slowed down near an underwater ridge, then perched herself on the side. He sat next to her and looked out towards Atlantis that shone brightly ahead.

Tula smiled at him. "Doesn't it look beautiful from here?"

He nodded in agreement. "Yes, it does."

While he had seen the city from a distance many times before, he had never really stopped to just look at it. Now that he was, he noticed how the glow it gave off in the dark water gave it a near-divine look. As though the city itself were crafted by the gods. Then again, if legends were anything to go by, then in a way it was.

He felt her hand on his and he turned, looking into her blue eyes. His heart began to beat faster in his chest. She was so beautiful, so smart and so funny. She was perfect. It was strange to think that when the two of them were younger, he had pretty much ignored her.

He regretted it now and sometimes dwelt on what life would have been like if she had given up on him. He was glad she hadn't. Life would have been quite lonely without her. He loved her and he was glad she had given him the chance to realise that fact.

Tula began to lean towards him and he leant towards her. As their lips were about to meet, they were interrupted.

"Garth."

Garth looked at the source of the voice in annoyance and found King Orin's personal messenger floating there.

"Garth, the King wishes to speak with you."

"With me?" Garth asked. "What about?"

The messenger frowned. "Isn't it enough that he wishes to speak with you?"

Garth quickly nodded. "Yes, of course. Apologies."

"Come with me. You can spend time with Tula afterwards. Right now, your presence is required."

Garth turned to Tula. "Sorry about this."

While she was upset about the interruption she understood. "There's no need to be sorry. I'll be at the plaza when you're done."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he told her, before addressing the messenger. "Lead the way."

The messenger swam and Garth kept pace close behind. It didn't take them long to reach their destination.

The palace was always a sight to behold. It lay within the confines of the atmospheric domes where the elite of Atlantis lived. The rest and majority of the Atlantean people lived outside the dome in homes within the sea itself. A good majority of the population would never experience atmosphere as they spent their entire lives deep beneath the waves.

It always felt strange to Garth when he moved through the airlock and stepped into the air. He felt so light, yet also heavier. Walking was a little strange to him as he was used to swimming everywhere but that sensation often passed quickly.

Garth's heart began to thump in his chest as he stepped into the throne room. There sat down waiting at the other end of the room was King Orin. He looked as intimidating as ever.

"There you are," Orin called out. "Come here, Garth."

He moved quickly up to his king and then knelt before him. "I am here to serve."

"Stand up," Orin commanded.

He did so, keeping his posture straight and his arms rigid by his sides.

"I have been invited to the World Assembly of the United Nations for some kind of discussion. I was considering ignoring it, but I have decided to go and I have chosen you to come with me."

"Me?" Garth asked in surprise. "To the surface world?"

Going to the surface world had been something he had always wanted to do. He was curious about it, about how they lived, how their social structures worked. To think that there were people up there above the ocean filled him with wonder and it had done since he was a small child. To be given the opportunity.

Orin stepped down towards him. "Do you want to go?"

"I would love to, my Lord," Garth said, bowing his head. "It would be an honour to join you in this venture."

Orin rested his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I've told you before, Garth, you don't need to be so formal with me."

"Apologies."

"No need," Orin said. "Just make sure you are here early tomorrow morning. We will be heading out to the surface world once you arrive."

"I will make sure I get here on time."

"Excellent. Tomorrow you will get your first true taste of the surface world."

"I cannot wait. Just one question. Why me?"

"Let me tell you something Garth. Not all of us can communicate with the creatures of the sea. Not all of us have the strength of will and the noble, loyal heart. You have all of these things Garth and you have been wanting to see the surface world for some time. I have been looking for an intermediary between us and them and I believe that one day soon you may be that person."

"It would be an honour," Garth said humbly.

Orin smiled broadly. "Now, I'm sure that Tula is waiting for you. Don't keep her waiting."

Garth felt his face grow hot and he turned away as the king chuckled.

"I will see you early tomorrow, Garth, now get going."

Garth bowed his head slightly and left the palace

Just as she had said, Tula was at the plaza that lay within the dome. The moment she saw him, she ran over and wrapped her arms around him.

"Now where were we before you left?" she asked teasingly.

He rested his right arm on her back and leant in. "I think we were at this part," he said as he kissed her.

When they parted, she stood there, her eyes shining with a bright wide smile on her face.

"Why did King Orin want to see you?"

"He wants me to go with him on a trip to the surface world."

"Really?" she asked surprised. "Have you been up there before?"

"I've been to the surface, but not on dry land."

"I've never even been up to the surface," she told him.

"Very few of us have," Garth said. "The sky high above can be intimidating when you first see it."

"The sky?" she asked. "Is that the thing with the clouds in it? I've heard of it, but never been up to see it."

"I'll show you when we get back," he promised to her.

"I'd like that, but all those stories about how dangerous it is. About how humans will catch us and keep us as slaves and stuff."

"They're just silly stories to stop children from going up there," Garth told her. "I don't know how dangerous it is, but I doubt anyone will try and catch us. Or at least I hope not."

"Didn't they catch King Orin a few years back and didn't they also try to kill him?" Tula pointed out.

"It was Orm that was behind the attempted assassination," Garth said. "And he died for his cowardice and treachery."

Tula turned and weaved her arm through his. "I'm glad he's gone. He wasn't a very nice man."

"No, he wasn't," Garth agreed as they began to walk, Tula leading him. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"For a walk," she replied. "Just the two of us."

He smiled. "That would be nice," he said as the two made their way up the shallow steps that led to the bridge that ran along the front of a rather large decorative waterfall.

They slowed and she turned and they both looked out at the interior city. Garth turned his gaze towards Tula, who kept her eyes on the buildings below.

His heart quickened as he beheld her. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Greater than even the most majestic of sea creatures, more stunning than a fluther of jellyfish illuminating the deep dark ocean in a flurry of colours.

She turned her head and her eyes locked onto his. She smiled that smile that made his legs grow weak.

He cupped the side of her face with his hand. "You are very special to me, Tula," he said.

She grasped the hand that cupped her face in hers. "And you are very special to me, Garth," she replied.

He had wanted to ask her the question for them to be bonded as husband and wife. He longed to ask it, but every time he got close he began to feel nervous, sick even. He felt idiotic because he knew she would say yes. Still, something stopped him and he wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps because he felt like he wasn't yet ready for such a commitment. He was still young and had plenty of time.

He leant in and the two kissed passionately once more.

Metropolis

United States

08:02 – Eastern Standard Time

March 19, 2007

As their heads broke out of the water, Garth saw the city ahead, standing tall and proud on the land.

He glanced at his king, who wore a deep scowl on his face. He didn't particularly care for the land or those that dwelt on it and it showed.

Even at this time of day the humans had begun to gather on the beach and they stared at the two as they made their way up the sand.

King Orin stopped and turned to Garth. "This is the surface world," he told him. "A place full of jealousy, greed and murder."

Garth looked around. He didn't see any of that. Just curious bystanders who were staring at them.

"Come, the Metro Tower is on an island deeper within the city," Orin said as he began to walk again.

The two of them made their way up to the top of the concrete stairs onto the pavement and Orin moved to cross the road without taking even a first glance at the moving vehicles.

"It appears to be dangerous," Garth warned.

Orin stopped and turned to look at him. "They will stop," he said as he continued on.

Cars screeched to a halt as he walked forwards onto the road. Garth followed close behind, unsure whether they would even make it to the Metro Tower. At this rate, they would be run down by the land vehicles.

As they walked, a black limousine slowed to a halt and one of the rear windows rolled down.

"Aquaman of Altantis?" a voice called out.

Orin stopped and looked at the car. "That is me," he said. "Or rather what you people call me."

"We're here to take you to the Metro Tower."

The king looked at Garth. "What do you say?"

Garth didn't know why he had asked him. It wasn't like he was the one in charge here. "It is up to you, my lord," he answered.

"I'm asking a simple question. Do we accept the offer for transport or do we walk?"

"I believe it would be safer to accept the offer of transport," Garth said with a slight bow of his head.

Orin turned back to the man. "We will come with you."

The man opened the door and the two Atlanteans climbed inside.

"I am Maxwell Lord," the man said in greeting. "I'm hoping to get to know you a little before we arrive at the tower."

"I don't want to get to know you," Orin said quickly and firmly. "Just take us to the Metro Tower."

Maxwell called forward. "You heard him, driver."

The car started moving again and Maxwell picked up a bottle out of some kind of ice box. "Do either of you want a drink?"

"No," Orin answered, his voice stern.

The man put the bottle back. "Not exactly a friendly fellow, are you."

"I'm not here to be your friend," Orin answered. "I am here to hear what your World Assembly has to say. Nothing more."

"I see," Maxwell said sitting back. "In that case, I won't bother you."

"Good."

Maxwell turned his attention to Garth. "How about you?"

"I am here at the request of the king," Garth stated. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Well, this should be an entertaining ride to the tower," Maxwell mused. "I was hoping to get to know you a little bit."

Orin glared in response.

"Maybe one day, that will change," Maxwell said as he leant forward and poured himself a drink. "Sure you don't want one?"

"No."

"As you wish."

The rest of the journey was mostly in silence. Garth stared out of the tinted windows watching the pedestrians and the buildings move past.

Soon they were crossing a bridge and a very large skyscraper came into view.

"That's the Metro Tower," Maxwell told them, pointing.

"I know," Orin said with a slight sneer. "I've been here before. Back before it was stolen from the Justice League."

"It wasn't stolen," Maxwell said. "Just temporarily seized by the US government."

"It was taken away unjustly," Orin repeated more forcefully.

The car came to a halt, Orin climbed out, followed closely by Garth. The two of them were then escorted into the building and instructed to wait inside a room.

As the two of them stepped into the room, they saw a lone blonde woman dressed in white adorned in gold, with a gold headdress. She appeared to be some kind of royalty, but as to where she was from, Garth didn't know and judging by his king's expression, he didn't either.

The woman looked over at them. "And who are you?" she questioned.

"I could ask the same," Orin responded, standing tall, making himself look as imposing as possible.

The woman simply rolled her eyes. "I am Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira and the Amazons. Again, who are you?"

"I am King Orin of Atlantis. Known up here as Arthur or Aquaman," he told her. "And this is Garth. He is my aide on this trip," he said.

Hippolyta rose from her seat. "I have heard of you, King of Atlantis. Is it true you were raised not in Atlantis but by fishermen?"

"I have also heard of you, Queen of Themyscira," he said back to the first statement, before responding to the second. "And yes, it is true. But not by fishermen, by my parents. The story is long, one I don't want to get into right now."

"As you wish. It is interesting that we were both called here," Hippolyta said. "Do you know why they called for us?" she asked him.

"They were rather vague, but it seemed they wanted to discuss Atlantis and its place in this world."

"Yes, that was what I got from the invitation also," Hippolyta said.

"I didn't originally plan on even coming," Orin revealed.

"What made you change your mind?"

"Curiosity."

"It was the same with me," Hippolyta admitted.

"I see you have met the King of Atlantis, Mother," a female voice said.

They turned around and Garth saw seven people were in the room. Two females and five males, all dressed in various costumes.

Hippolyta took a step forward, a smile on her face "Ah, Diana. Yes, it seems they requested his presence here also."

King Orin then added, "Probably because they fear the power and strength of the Atlanteans."

"And the same is probably said of the Amazons," Hippolyta agreed.

Orin gestured to Garth. "This is Garth," he said. "He has been interested in the surface world for quite some time, so I brought him along."

The one in red with a lightning bolt symbol on his chest waved. "Hello, Garth," he said, looking rather goofy.

He decided that it was best to make a good first impression. "Hello Justice League," he said, bowing slightly. He had heard his king talk about them on a few occasions and it was clear that he had respect for them. That meant that Garth too had respect for them.

"Polite," the man in blue with a giant "S" on his chest said.

Garth suspected that this was the one known as Superman. He looked at the others, trying to ascertain which was which. He suspected the greyish green one was the alien and that the one with wings was Hawkgirl. The one in black and grey was probably Batman and the one in green was most likely Green Lantern. That meant the one in red with a lightning bolt on his chest had to be Flash and the woman in red and blue was Wonder Woman.

"So," Batman began, "Have any of you been given any information on what is going to be discussed here?"

Hippolyta looked from Batman to Diana, then back to the Dark Knight. "Both I and King Orin are here to discuss our position in this world and we believe they wish us to join the United Nations."

"Not going to happen," Orin said, with a shake of his head. Garth knew that his king enjoyed being independent and would rather not get involved in the politics of the surface world.

"So why come?" Superman questioned.

"Because I'm fair and will still hear them out," Orin replied.

"I'm here to humour them," Hippolyta stated. "I am also here to see how they try and control and neuter your Justice League."

"Don't fall in line," King Orin advised. "Fight and they will yield."

"I don't think it's that simple," Diana said. "They could essentially forbid us from operating in any UN allied nation."

"They cannot forbid you from doing anything," Orin said firmly.

Superman disagreed. "I think we would rather operate legally than illegally."

The door behind them slid open and they all looked around to see two people step into the room. One was an older male with grey hair, the other was a large dark-skinned woman. Out of the two, the woman unsettled Garth. There was something about her that made him feel uneasy.

"What do you want?" Superman questioned, immediately folding his arms over his chest defensively.

There was clearly some unpleasant history between this woman and the Justice League.

"I have good news," she told them.

The older man stepped up beside her. "Depends on what you class as good news."

"I'm the new United States representative to the Justice League," she told them.

Orin leant over to Garth. "I don't know who the man is, but that woman is Amanda Waller. She is dangerous and manipulative."

Garth nodded, taking his eyes off of the group and addressed Orin. "Have you had dealings with her before?"

"Luckily it has been very few. She may not look it, but she is a formidable woman."

Garth looked at Waller. Her physical appearance didn't look at all threatening, but the unease about her was there. She was dangerous, as his king had said. He could feel it.

He addressed his king. "I will be cautious around her."

"Be more than cautious. Have your guard up."

"I understand," Garth said with a nod before he continued to listen in on the conversation that was being had.

The woman, Waller, didn't look happy by a conversation Garth had not been listening too. "Your best resulted in the loss of over a million dollars in priceless artefacts," Waller said angrily. "And heavy structural damage. Not to mention your confiscation of four items."

"Hold on," Superman said, raising his hands to stop Waller. He looked to Diana. "You confiscated artefacts from a museum?"

Lantern folded his arms. "Sounds more like the princess stole them."

Garth didn't know what she was talking about but knew that he may find out if he remained observant.

Wonder Woman looked to her mother to explain. "I found four Themysciran artefacts there. I could identify the Sword of Athena, the Gauntlets of Atlas, the Sandals of Hermes and a shield."

Hippolyta nodded, agreeing with her daughter's actions. "These items do belong to the Amazon people and were lost many centuries ago. They are also very dangerous and should not be out here beyond our shores and certainly not on display where anyone could get ahold of them."

"They were the reason the museum was attacked in the first place," Wonder Woman defended herself. "And it was Aresia who was behind it."

Hippolyta's eyes widened in surprise. "So she's still alive?"

"Yes, and she managed to escape when we were fighting of Circe."

"Circe was involved as well?" the Queen of the Amazons said. "Did they both escape?"

"Yes, but Circe is a little worse for wear."

"I see," Hippolyta said, understanding. "In any case, I will see to it that any damages are recompensed in return for these item's retrieval."

"How will you manage that?" Waller demanded.

The queen's brow rose. She found herself annoyed at the woman, though somewhat admired her brazenness, even if she felt it was inappropriate. "My land is not without its wealth and I do not appreciate your tone."

"I don't really care if you appreciate my tone or not," Waller said.

Garth stood ready to fight, but Orin rested his hand on his shoulder. "No, it won't come to that."

Garth settled. "Sorry, I thought-"

"I know," Orin said, interrupting. "But I doubt Waller is going to try and physically attack the league."

"She unsettles me."

"She does me as well," Orin revealed, much to Garth's surprise.

Garth looked back at Waller as she turned her back to them. "Five minutes," she said as she left.

The older man with her turned to them. "I don't envy you," he said as he too left.

Hippolyta frowned to her daughter. "Interesting woman," she commented.

"Quite," Diana said unenthusiastically.

Flash rubbed the back of his neck. "So, anyone else freaked out?"

"It is disconcerting," the Martian agreed. "In the past, she has sought to if not destroy us, then to at the very least hamper and undermine us."

"We'll have to be careful around her," Batman said adding his concern. "She has her own agenda, one that as of right now, is not known to us."

"I'm sure you'll find out what it is," Shayera told the Dark Knight.

"We can worry about that later," Lantern said. "Right now we need to focus on our immediate future."

"He's right," Superman agreed. "She can wait. We need to-"

Their attention was drawn to the door as it opened. A young woman in yellow and black with giant insect wings and yellow-tinted goggles stepped into the room. She looked between them, her mouth curled downwards not looking happy in the slightest.

Garth wondered who she was. Was she a member of the Justice League, or was she part of another organisation entirely.

"Bumblebee I presume," Wonder Woman said. "The current leader of the Titans."

"The Justice League," she said back. "I was hoping to meet you under better circumstances."

Batman stepped forward, ready to interrogate. "Why are you here?"

She looked at him before answering, seemingly not intimidated. "I was called here. Probably to discuss the future of my team."

Lantern looked at her sympathetically. "Hate to break it to you kid, but there's a chance there isn't a future for you."

"What do you mean by that?"

Flash was just as confused. "Yeah, what do you mean?"

Batman was the one that answered, "Children should never be put in dangerous situations," he said. "The Titans was built around so-called young heroes. Children that shouldn't be fighting."

"You can talk," Shayera muttered, referring to the two Robins, who had donned the cape at a young age.

Batman visibly clenched his jaw. "Yes, I can talk. I never should have put a child in harms way like I did. In fact, I did it more than once. My actions ruined a life and no child should ever, ever, be put in a situation where they're in danger. I don't care if they think they're ready. The truth is they aren't."

Garth felt like he had just witnessed something he wasn't meant to. The man in grey and black had clearly gone through some kind of tragedy recently.

"We currently only have one on the team that's under sixteen," Bumblebee said defensively. "And they chose to be on the team, we didn't force them."

"You may not have forced them," Batman said, "but they are not old enough to legally make such decisions. They cannot join the national military and for good reason. Children don't belong in this line of work. I wish I had seen it sooner before it was too late."

Batman cleared his throat and regained his composure. "In the end, all we can do is go in there and listen to what the UN has to say and what it is they want. We can be certain that whatever happens, it will be primarily in their best interests and not any of ours."

The others all agreed.

The door opened once more and two men in suits stepped inside.

"If you'll follow us."

"Now we see what it is they want," Orin said as the two of them followed the others out.

A/N Yes, in case anyone was suffering from Deja vu, that at the end there was a bit of a rehash of the final part of my first Justice League story. I wanted to change the perspective a little and have it from Garth's POV. Also, unsure of Garth's personality. Same with Tula and Aquaman. Hopefully, they're not too OOC.

Updated January 2018