The new team, including Karen, sat around throwing popcorn into their mouths and watching The Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes when suddenly an alarm started blaring. "What's that?" Yelled Karen in shock and fear as a red light started flashing.
"Someone's entered the cave. Someone we don't know." Robin declared, already in a defensive position and by the door checking the hallway to make sure the coast was clear, whilst also tapping his arm computer.
"Rob, check the cameras!" Artemis prompted "We need to know who or what we're dealing with."
"Oh if only I had thought to look at the cameras!" He said sarcastically, showing her the screen on his wrist computer which very clearly stated that the cameras were temporarily offline.
"Ok well then, KF do a quick recon. See what's around the corner and come straight back, and please, try not to get seen."
Wally nodded and went to do just that.
"Since when did you become team leader?" Robin grumbled snarkily.
"You know someone told me you were a professional and you wouldn't let your apparent hatred of me ruin our working relationsh-" she was cut off by Kid Flash reappearing back in the room.
"There's a weird fish dude in your room Kaldur. Do you know him?"
Kaldar deadpanned "Just because he's a … 'Weird fish dude' doesn't mean I know him... That being said I'll go check it out." He started silently towards his room.
"I'll back you up, this fish guy could be an enemy of Aquaman's for all we know." Robin said jogging after the taller boy.
Kaldur nodded gratefully "That's a good idea."
"I'll go too!" Red Robin chimed in following the team leader and his big brother to check out a cool fish man.
For a second it looked like Robin was going to snap at him, tell him that he wasn't trained enough to take this on but something pulled him back, a sombreness neither Karen nor Tim had seen much of from their happy-go-lucky birdie. "Ok. But just stay behind me." Robin agreed.
The three boys crept down the hallway, weapons posed. They busted through the door like a bunch of cops on a drug bust and came face to face with what could only be described as a 'weird fish dude'.
"La'gaan?" Kaldur asked "What are you doing here?"
"You know this dude?" Tim asked, wondering how smug Wally was going to be about this.
The guy who Aqualad had announced to be La'gaan replied, grinning like a frat boy "Did King Arthur not tell you dude? I'm the new recruit! We're going to be Land buddies!"
"Oh joy." Kaldur said it with about as much joy as Red Tornado on a bad day.
"And get this," La'gaan continued not picking up on Aqualad's disdain for him "I'm no longer La'gaan!" He pulled Kaldar's blanket off his very neat bed and presumed a noble 1950s radio show voice "I am now Lagoon Boy!"
"Could you put my sheets back please." Kaldar asked, in turn ignoring the Atlantian's attempts to be a Young Justice Hero.
Aqualad didn't seem to like Lagoon Boy much, which Robin noticed instantly, he wondered what could have happened between them to cause such friction without La'gaan being aware there even was friction.
"Oh sure thing bro." He placed them back on the bed in literally the most untidy way possible. "So what about your two friends here? Care to introduce me?"
"This is Robin and Red Robin, they're the ptotégées of Batman."
"Ah the infamous Man of Bats! I've heard that he is 'Outrageous'! I have to meet him!"
Robin frowned "Hang on. You've been vetted for the team and you're in the cave but you haven't met Batman yet?"
"Yeah, why? Is that weird?"
"Yeah it is. Hang on some more!" Robin exclaimed "How did you even get in here?"
"I went on 'the net' to locate this 'Mountain of Justice' and then swam over here. It was quite easy to enter because of all the information My King gives to me as his new apprentice."
"Is he really letting you join the team?"
"He thinks it would be better if Atlantians were more ingrained with the surface dwellers, he must have thought you weren't doing a good enough job."
Kaldur bristled at that, "He probably just wanted to get you out of Atlantis and away from him."
La'gaan laughed, still not feeling any of the animosity directed at him "Oh Kaldur'um you crack me up!"
Suddenly Robin understood why Kaldur seemed to hate La'gaan. He was jealous of other Atlantean, much like Robin had been jealous of Jason. Kaldur felt like he'd been replaced as Aquaman's protégée just like Richard had felt replaced by the second Robin.
"Hey Kaldur, can I talk to you over here for a second."
"Of course." The Atlantean seemed more than happy to have an excuse to leave the other Atlantean.
The two left and Tim gave them both death stares for leaving him alone with this new weird fish dude. "Why don't I introduce you to the rest of the team." Tim dragged him back to the lounge where a majority of the team was still waiting.
The team leader and the future team leader stood in Aquaman's room "What did you want to talk about?"
"About Lagoon Boy. I know it may seem like Auther is replacing you but he's not."
"What?"
"He may be oblivious to how much you hate him but I'm not. Look, when Batman brought in the second Robin I was devastated and angry, not only had I been replaced, but the kid had tried to steal the name given to me by my late parents. I hated his guts and I made it abundantly clear that I did, unfortunately he wasn't as obtuse as La'gaan, he knew I hated him not because of anything he did, I barely knew the poor kid, simply because I was jealous. And then he died."
"I'm not jealous of-"
"You think that Aquaman just replaced you because he didn't need you anymore but really he needed you so much that when you got busy with the team he realised how much he needed you."
"Then why didn't he tell me?" Asked Kaldur finally admitting to hating La'gaan.
"Because he didn't want to hold you back. Young Justice was founded on the base of making our own way and getting out of our mentors shadows, if he ordered you back it would go against everything we've worked so hard for."
Kaldur looked like he wanted to protest but then he sighed, defeated "Yeah okay, I guess La'gaan isn't that bad." The two went to join the rest of the team in the lounge "And I am sorry about Jay."
"Yeah well... It wasn't you're fault I was a jerk." He reaches for his communicator "I'm gonna call Batman, tell him Lagoon Boy is here."
LINE BREAK
"Oh my God!" Karen exclaimed when she saw La'gaan.
"What?" He asked confused not getting her shock.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." She shook her head as if the motion would fix her eyes which must have been broken if she was staring at a weird fish man.
"I'm La'gaan aka Lagoon Boy, I'm a friend of Kaldur'um's."
"Called it!" Yelled Wally, Artemis gave him a death stare "I mean I'm Kid Flash but you can call me Wal-man."
"Wal-man? Is that a...common name on the surface?"
"Oh uug no, it's just a nickname."
"Mmm." He nodded contemplating this.
"I'm Artemis."
"Zatanna."
"Ka-Bumb-Kar-uum." Karen choked out
"This is also a nick name yes?"
"Um no that's not my name at all. I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if we were using our superhero names or our real names."
"Until I get a hold of Batman it's Superhero names." Robin said redialling the Bat's number.
"Well then I'm Bumblebee. You can call me Bee though."
"It is lovely to meet you Bumblebee."
"I'm M'gaan / Miss Martian and this is Superboy."
Lagoon boy took one look at the green girl and fell head over heels in love with her. He smiled flirtatiously in a way that somehow didn't come off as arrogant as when Wally did it "La'gaan." He took her hand in his and planted a kiss on it, he was happy when he saw the light blush he had drawn onto her cheeks.
Connor scowled at him "M'gaan is my girlfriend."
"You two seem quite different though." He said confused looking at the bubbly and bright M'gaan and then the dour and dark Superboy.
"Well you've known us for a grand total of three seconds. You don't know us yet alone know if we're 'quite different'."
After a few seconds of silence Raquel pitched in with "I'm Rocket."
"Batgirl." She nodded at the boy and then turned to Robin "You got Batman yet?"
"No. He's not answering." Robin replied worried.
"That's unlike him." Tim added.
"I'll go check it out." Robin declared walking towards the door.
"I'll come too!" Tim started after him.
"Absolutely not!" Robin snapped and regretted it when he saw the hurt creep onto his little brother's face "Look if Batman's in danger then whoever has him is dangerous. I can't risk you getting hurt."
"But I'm hero, same as you. I can do this!"
"But you're not the same as me! You're good at what you do Red, but I've been doing this for longer and I won't put you in danger."
"Well what about you? You're always looking out for me, who's going to watch your back?"
His eyes scanned the team, his closest and most loyal friends (and Artemis) "Batgirl, let's go."
The two left and for a second Artemis couldn't control her temper "Typical." She huffed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Tim.
"Oh nothing, it's just typical of a bat to make everyone else seem like they're not as good at hero-ing and then cutting them out."
Tim frowned "Well maybe he'd be more inclined to share if he knew that you wouldn't turn on him over something so incredibly stupid! And to think I tried to get him to forgive you!"
She stopped "You did?"
"Of course I did. You guys are-were friends and Kaldur didn't want the team to be fractured. It seemed like the only right thing to do but now I fully understand why he's so mad at you. You take every opportunity to blame the Bats. Now if you'll excuse me." He started to leave as well.
"Hang on!" Wally stopped him "Where are you going Robin said not to get involved."
"And I'm not, I'm heading to the Bat Cave to play mission control. Just because I can't be there, doesn't mean I can't help." And with that Tim left too only leaving a re-guilted Artemis, an over-excited fish dude and a cast of awkward team mates behind.