See the first chapter for acknowledgments and major canon divergences.

I am back! And I have a slightly longer chapter for you folks. Sorry it's been so long, I didn't have a laptop with me on my vacation and I needed to do some stuff after I returned, so I couldn't finish this chapter before last Sunday. But I think/hope I'll be able to post weekly from now on.

Anyways, happy reading!


Chapter 11

Orm barely managed to suppress a groan of pain as he was thrown on the ground and kicked in the abdomen by one of the creatures that crowded him. He raised his hands in order to prevent another kick in his face.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he and the surface-dwellers were swallowed by the sands of the Sahara desert and were captured by the creatures whom he suspected were Deserter remnants. There were no windows in the dusty barren cell he was held in, so he couldn't track the coming and passing of the light. Instead he had to guess that at least two or three months had passed at this point. Maybe more. The other humans seemed to have died at this point, their screams having stopped after the first couple of weeks. Orm suspected the only reason he was still alive was because of his Atlantean physique, made to endure greater hardship. Unfortunately, his captors had noticed this as well and were trying out other ways to weaken him, such as limiting his water supply. An Atlantean could withstand harm being done to their body and long periods without food as long as they were hydrated and had enough water. Without it, they became brittle and fragile.

Which was why the hits and punches he received hurt more and more every time. Orm braced himself for another kick from the creature that would surely come, but then… it didn't. Instead, the room was flooded with mist and the door to his cell was kicked in. Next, all that could be heard were the sounds of punches being delivered and screams from the creatures. Eventually the room became quiet. Orm lowered his hand and almost wanted to pinch himself in order to make sure the sight in front of him was real. The ground lay scattered with the unconscious or dead bodies of the Deserter remnants. In the midst of them stood a tall, panting, dark-haired man with golden-eyes.

"Hey, little brother."

"Arthur?"

Arthur gave him a wry grin. "Looking rough." Orm gave an unimpressed snort before trying and failing to stand up. He was stopped in his attempt by a pair of hands on his shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey. Take it easy." He allowed his brother to slowly guide him into a sitting position and greedily drank the flagon of water he was presented with. He immediately felt slightly better and less brittle. He then looked up at his brother's worried face. "What in Poseidon's name are you doing here? And how did you find me?"

Arthur pulled out Orm's phone. The last time he had seen it had been when the creatures had taken away his possessions. "Every phone has a GPS-tracker so you can find it in case you lose it," the dark-haired male explained. "The why can wait. Getting you out of here and making sure you're alright is more important. Can you walk?"

"I… don't know," Orm admitted. The small bit of water had helped, but he would need a lot more in order to be his old self again. Arthur nodded and helped him stand up. Orm tried to take a few steps but his knees buckled and almost collapsed again. Arthur quickly caught him, swept him off of his feet and started to carry him. He was glad for the layer of dirt and grime covering him and hoped it would cover the blush covering his face. The crush he had started to develop when they first met apparently hadn't subsided, and now he was presented with a muscular yet soft chest to touch and honey-golden eyes to gaze in. Orm shook his head in order to stop his train of thought before it went too far. If he had noticed that Arthur's eyes contained very small specks of green, or that his brother smelled like seawater and peaches, well… no one would ever know.


Arthur ran through various halls with Orm in his arms, trying to avoid as many of the creatures as he could. His brother looked terrible. His body was bruised and malnourished to the point of showing bones. An unkempt beard covered his face, but his blue eyes still shone bright and seemed happy to see Arthur.

Eventually they came upon a large closed door. Arthur came to a stop and adjusted his grip on his brother as he called out: "Topo, you stupid squid! Open the door!" He still didn't understand why his mother had insisted he'd take the octopus with him. "Topo?" his brother asked incredulously. "The cephalopod?" "Trust me, it wasn't my idea," he replied with a sigh. Orm's expression turned amused. "Mom?" "Mom," Arthur confirmed, unsuccessfully trying to contain a smile.

Finally, the door opened up and showed two saddled bone-like steeds. Arthur carefully placed his brother on top of one of them and made sure he sat secure. "You know how to ride one of these?" Orm asked, looking unsure. Arthur let out a laugh as he jumped on the other steed. "Are you kidding? I don't even know what the hell they are!" Together the brothers rode towards the surface.

When they broke through the sand, the bone-like creatures threw them off and disappeared. Arthur helped Orm stand up as he glanced around. In the distance he could see the Atlantic ocean beckoning them. Once they reached the water they could make their way to the ship Arthur had come in. "Alright, the water is right there. Let-" Before he could finish a number of other bone-like creatures reached the surface, this time being ridden by Deserter remnants.

"Go, I'll try holding them off!" Arthur shouted, pushing Orm towards the water. He jumped on the bone-steed nearest to him and knocked off its rider. He then took the gun attached to the saddle and shot two other creatures. A fourth creature leaped at him and they both rolled unto the sand. He quickly knocked it unconscious before rolling back on his feet. He could see Orm stumbling towards the ocean whilst being followed by four creatures on foot. Orm tripped and fell unto the sand.

"Orm!" Arthur called, fear gripping his heart. He started running, but knew he wouldn't reach his brother in time.

Suddenly, the tide came in and the fair-haired Atlantean was covered by a wave. Orm reemerged from the water and looked like his old self again. Gone was the malnourished and bruised body, being replaced by smooth unmarked skin and muscles. One of the creatures reached him and swung out with their spear. Orm caught the weapon and knocked the creature prone. Still running, Arthur watched as his brother expertly wielded the spear as a trident and took care of the rest of the Deserter remnants.

Arthur finally caught up and quickly checked to see if Orm was okay. He was glad to see no obvious injuries. "Come on, let's go. There's a ship waiting for us."

The two brothers made their way to the ship parked nearby and met up with Topo. Arthur led Orm to the small room behind the cockpit which held two cots, rations, and medical supplies. "Are you alright? Are you wounded anywhere?" No injuries were immediately visible, but perhaps he had missed something.

Orm shook his head. "I will be fine. The water took care of most of it. I would appreciate a change of clothes, however." Arthur looked down and saw that his brother was indeed only wearing a pair of torn pants. Before he had been too busy with getting Orm out and fighting the strange Deserter creatures. Now he noticed the broad muscular chest with water droplets still clinging to it. He had to remind himself not to stare and that Orm was still waiting for an answer. "Of course," he replied, grabbed a set of clothes from a drawer, and handed them to Orm. The two brothers stared awkwardly at each other for a minute, before Arthur started "I'll… uh…" He cleared his throat and pointed his thumb to the cockpit behind him. "I'll start up the ship and…"

Arthur sat down, started up the ship, and got them moving. By the time Orm joined him and sat down in the co-pilot's chair, he had his blush under control. The blonde Atlantean looked a lot better, having washed up, shaved, and dressed. After being settled, Orm turned to him and said: "Thank you for saving me."

Arthur nodded. "Always." He then sighed. "I am just sorry I didn't come sooner."

Orm placed a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You couldn't have known. And we've gone for long periods without contact before, so it wasn't too unusual."

Arthur shook his head. "Those periods were never this long."

Orm frowned. "How long has it been?"

"Four months." Orm's eyes widened and Arthur gave him a wry smile before turning back to the ship's controls. "Mom and I were getting worried… She asked me to tell you she loves you, by the way, and that she thinks about you all the time."

Orm's lips turned up in a small smile. "Is she well?"

Arthur nodded and gave a grin. "She is healthy, happy, and content."

The two brothers sat together in a comfortable silence for a while whilst Arthur steered them past coral reefs and underwater ruins. Eventually Orm broke it by asking what had made Arthur start looking for him.

Arthur sighed. "It's David Kane." He explained how Black Manta had broken into Atlantis and other storage vaults and had stolen orichalcum, how the planet had been heating up during the same time frame, and the conclusions that he and their mother had drawn. When he was finished his younger brother shook his head. "What happened to him? The David Kane I knew was ruthless but he wasn't insane. This guy just pulled a gun to the world's head and pulled the trigger, without even making any demands."

Arthur opened his mouth to speak again, but hesitated. Even though Orm said he was fine, he had just been held captive and tortured for multiple months. He needed to rest, not to be dragged off to another adventure. Unfortunately, the future of the planet was at stake, and his brother was the only one who could help. So, with reluctance, Arthur spoke up: "He needs to be found before he pushes the earth past its tipping point, but you're the only one who knows where to look for him. Will you help me?"

"Hey." Arthur turned his head towards Orm. The blonde Atlantean smiled and his eyes held a look of determination and something else. Approval? Pride? He wasn't sure. "Of course I will, Arthur." The King of Atlantis nodded in return before turning back to his controls. "Thank you." A moment later Orm continued: "I can get us to the person who put me into contact with Manta before. He will at least know where to look. But you're not going to like it."


Aaand there's the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, even though it has been a while.

The next chapter is nearly finished and will be posted on Sunday the 25th of August.