Atlantis, 15 years after the Haly's Circus incident
Deep within the Conservatory of Sorcery, where the training grounds were carved from ancient sea rock. The chamber was vast, filled with swirling currents and the faint hum of magical energy. Here, Garth and Kaldur floated in the water, their faces tight with concentration as they attempted to master a new sorcery skill: conjuring a giant octopus from the waves.
Queen Mera, their instructor, hovered nearby, her brown hair flowing like liquid mercury in the current. Her sharp eyes watched their every move, her expression a mix of patience and exasperation. "Again," she commanded, her voice echoing through the training ground. "The octopus is a creature of elegance and power. Your magic must reflect its essence."
Garth clenched his fists, his blue eyes narrowing as he focused on the water before him. "I'm trying, but the tentacles keep dissolving!"
Kaldur, who was always calm, nodded in agreement. "It's as if the water resists holding the shape. Perhaps we're missing a key element."
Queen Mera sighed, her tone hinting at her frustration. "You're overcomplicating it. Magic is not about forcing the water to obey; it's about becoming one with it. You must feel its rhythm, its flow."
Garth groaned, letting out a stream of bubbles in frustration. "I am feeling it! It's just not working!"
Kaldur placed a hand on Garth's shoulder, his voice steady. "Let's try once more. Together."
They raised their hands in unison, their magic intertwining as they channeled their energy into the water. The currents responded, swirling and rising into the rough outline of an octopus. For a moment, it seemed to hold—a massive body formed, and eight tentacles began to take shape, undulating gracefully. But then, as if mocking their efforts, the structure collapsed with a loud whoosh, sending a shockwave through the water that knocked them both back.
Queen Mera pinched the bridge of her nose, her patience wearing thin. "Enough. You're both too distracted. Go clear your minds and return when you're ready to focus."
Garth threw up his hands, his voice rising. "We are focusing! This is harder than it looks!"
"Clearly it is" she snapped, her tone final. "Leave. Now."
Kaldur gently tugged on Garth's arm, pulling him away before he could argue further. As they swam out of the training grounds, Garth muttered under his breath, "Maybe the octopus magic just doesn't like us."
Kaldur chuckled despite the frustration. "Or maybe we're just not octopus people."
Queen Mera watched them go, her expression softening as the chamber grew quiet. "You'll get it eventually," she murmured to herself. "Maybe not today."
As they passed through the bustling streets of Atlantis, Garth glanced at Kaldur. "We can't just give up. Let's go somewhere quiet to practice—somewhere no one's watching, perhaps we'll be able to do better and when we are done we'll go see Tula."
Kaldur nodded. "The outskirts, near the kelp forests. It's peaceful there, and we won't have an audience."
With that they swam toward the city's edge.
The outskirts of Atlantis were a place of quiet beauty, far removed from the bustling heart of the city.
Here, the ocean floor was dotted with towering kelp forests and ancient sea rock formations, their surfaces covered in bioluminescent algae that glowed softly in the dark waters.
It was a place of solitude, where the currents whispered secrets and the weight of responsibility could momentarily fade.
The water was calmer here, the currents gentle. Garth stretched his arms, shaking off the frustration. "Alright, let's try this again. No pressure, no Queen Mera breathing down our necks."
Kaldur smiled faintly. "And if it doesn't work, at least we tried our bests"
For the next hour, they practiced in the quiet solitude of the kelp forest, their magic weaving through the water as they attempted to shape the elusive octopus. Progress was slow, but without the pressure of judgment, they felt more in tune with the water.
Meanwhile, Aquaman rested on a nearby cluster of towering rocks, his golden armor reflecting the faint light. His trident rested beside him as he closed his eyes, allowing the rhythm of the ocean to calm his mind. Balancing his duties as king, protector, and mentor had become increasingly challenging, and he needed this moment to reflect.
However, this peaceful moment would not last.
A sudden surge of water alerted him to danger. His eyes snapped open just as a blast of dark energy struck the rock behind him, shattering it into fragments. Aquaman spun around, quickly grabbing his trident as he turned to faced his attacker.
Ocean Master emerged from the shadows, his black and silver armor gleaming menacingly. His helmet's jagged design mirrored his twisted ambition, and his eyes burned with hatred. In his hand, he wielded his signature weapon, his staff, its tip crackling with dark energy.
"Brother," Aquaman said, his voice steady and furious. "I should have known you'd show up when I least expected it."
Ocean Master sneered. "You've grown complacent, Arthur. Too busy playing king to notice the tides turning against you."
Aquaman tightened his grip on his trident. "What do you want, Orm?"
"What I've always wanted," Ocean Master spat. "To take my rightful place as ruler of Atlantis—and to see you drown in your own failures."
Without warning, Ocean Master lunged, his staff slicing through the water with deadly precision. Aquaman deflected the blow with his trident, the clash sending shockwaves through the surrounding currents.
Ocean Master struck again, his staff crackling with energy as he unleashed a barrage of attacks. Aquaman countered each one, his trident glowing with its own mystical power. The two brothers moved through the water like predators, their strikes precise and unrelenting.
Aquaman summoned a massive wave, sending it crashing toward Ocean Master. But his brother countered with a blast of dark energy, splitting the wave in two. The force of the explosion sent Aquaman tumbling backward, his armor scorched.
"You've grown weak, Arthur," Ocean Master taunted, his voice dripping with malice. "The throne has made you soft."
Aquaman gritted his teeth, pushing himself upright. "I won't let you destroy Atlantis, Orm. Never !!"
He charged forward, his trident blazing with light. The two clashed in a flurry of strikes, their weapons sparking as they met. Ocean Master's staff grazed Aquaman's side, drawing a faint trail of blood, but Aquaman retaliated with a powerful thrust that sent his brother reeling.
The battle raged on, the kelp forest around them torn apart by their fury. Ocean Master's attacks grew more desperate, his dark energy surging with each strike. Aquaman fought with everything he had, but the strain was beginning to show.
Finally, Ocean Master saw his opening. With a swift, brutal strike, he disarmed Aquaman, sending the trident spiraling out of reach. Before Aquaman could react, Ocean Master slammed the butt of his staff into his chest, pinning him against a jagged rock.
Aquaman struggled, but the weight of the staff held him in place. He could feel the dark energy building, ready to consume him.
"It's over, Arthur," Ocean Master hissed, his staff crackling with energy as he raised it for the final blow. "Atlantis will be mine."
As Ocean Master prepared to strike, a sudden voice rang out through the water.
"Not so fast, Orm!"
Ocean Master whirled at the sound, his concentration broken. Through the swirling debris of the destroyed kelp forest came two young Atlanteans – Garth and Kaldur'ahm, their hands already glowing with arcane energy.
"You dare interrupt?" Ocean Master snarled, but the momentary distraction was all Aquaman needed. He grabbed the staff and shoved back, breaking free of the pin.
Garth struck first, sending a burst of concentrated water waves that forced Ocean Master to dodge. Kaldur followed with a masterful manipulation of the currents, creating a powerful vortex that threw their opponent off balance. The two young warriors moved in perfect sync, their training sessions together evident in their coordinated assault.
"You've got spirit, I'll give you that," Ocean Master sneered, deflecting their attacks with his staff. But fighting on multiple fronts was taking its toll on him. Each time he turned to counter one opponent, another would strike from a different angle.
Aquaman retrieved his trident and rejoined the fray. The three of them pressed their advantage, herding Ocean Master into an increasingly tight space. Kaldur created constructs of hard water that limited his movement while Garth's precise magical strikes kept him defensive.
In a final, desperate gambit, Ocean Master gathered his dark energy for a massive blast. But before he could release it, Garth and Kaldur combined their powers – Garth's magic amplifying Kaldur's hydrokinesis into a tremendous wave that slammed Ocean Master into the seafloor. Aquaman's trident found its mark, pinning Ocean Master's staff away from him.
"Yield, brother," Aquaman commanded.
"Never!!" Ocean Master responded as he vanished in a swirl of dark energy, leaving his staff behind.
After ensuring Ocean Master had truly fled, Aquaman turned to his young saviours. "That was impressive work. Both of you show remarkable potential. I would be honored to take you on as my mentees. Together we shall protect both the surface and the sea"
Garth stepped back, bowing respectfully. "Thank you, my king, but my path lies with the conservatory. I wish to master the mystic arts."
Kaldur remained silent for a moment, his thoughts racing:
"This could be my chance. Training under the king himself – the connections, the opportunities... Mother always said to grab fortune when it swims by. And who knows? Maybe one day I'll be the next Aquaman"
"I would be honored to accept, my king," Kaldur said, bowing deeply to hide the calculating glint in his eyes.
Aquaman smiled broadly, clasping Kaldur's shoulder. "Great choice, Kaldur'ahm. I sense great things in your future."
Two weeks later
Aquaman and Aqualad stood at the edge of the rocky coastline, the sun hanging low behind them, casting a warm golden light over the crashing waves which provided a rhythmic backdrop to their training session.
Aquaman, moved with the grace of a seasoned warrior while Aqualad was struggling to control the power of his waterbearers outside the ocean.
"Common kid" Aquaman said, his voice calm but firm. "The waterbearers are just as perfect as they are in the ocean. The only difference is that on land, you'll need a deeper connection with the water. Feel it. Command it."
"Let's try one more time," he continued, his voice steady and commanding.
With a swift, sweeping "V" motion of his hands, Aquaman began to build a powerful stream of water, its crystal clear tendrils coalescing into a roaring torrent.
As the aquatic blast shot towards Aqualad, he clenched his fists, the waterbearers glowing faintly as he summoned a stream of water from his water bearers.
The liquid twisted and coiled in the air, but as he tried to shape it into a defensive barrier, it splashed harmlessly to the ground. He let out a frustrated sigh as he got hit by the powerful current Aquaman hit him with. "It's not the same as being in the ocean. Out here, it's like the water doesn't want to listen."
Aquaman placed a reassuring hand on his protégé's shoulder. "You'll get there. Trust yourself, focus and the rest will follow."
Before Aqualad could respond, a faint beeping sound interrupted them. Aquaman tapped the communicator on his wrist, and Batman's stern voice crackled through.
"Aquaman, we've got a situation. A submarine is transporting a significant quantity of illegal genetically modified material along the coordinates I'm sending you. It's headed for the chillum Island . You're the only ones who can intercept it before it reaches shallow waters."
Aquaman's expression hardened as he processed the information. "Understood. We're on it." He turned to Aqualad, who was already adjusting his waterbearers, as his earlier frustration had begun to wear off .
"Ready for your first real mission?" Aquaman asked, a hint of pride in his voice.
Aqualad nodded, his eyes dazzling with excitement "Just tell me what to do."
Aquaman smirked. "Follow my lead.
Meanwhile at Cadmus Labs
Lex Luthor leaned back in his chair, a smug grin spreading across his face as he watched the live feed from the mercenary kingpin's bodycam.
He had employed them to help him steal some photonic meta materials from a Caltech warehouse in California and the mission was going just as planned.
Suddenly, the screen flickered as Wonder Woman's crimson and gold form streaked across the warehouse with her glowing lasso of truth.
She was joined almost immediately by martian man hunter and together they began to dismantle the mercenaries.
Within a short time, all his mercenaries were down including the kingpin from whose bodycam he observed the mission.
Suddenly, wonder Woman's eyes locked onto the camera like an eagle's on its prey. For a moment, Lex felt as though she could see him through the screen.
Then, with a deliberate slowness, she raised her fist. The screen erupted in a burst of static before going completely dark.
Lex Luthor got up and l paced angrily in his office, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"The Justice League," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "A constant thorn in my side."
With a sharp wave of his hand, he dismissed the hologram and stormed out of his office. The elevator doors slid open at his approach, and he stepped inside, jabbing the button for the lowest underground floor with more force than necessary. The descent was swift, but it did little to cool his simmering rage.
When the elevator doors opened, Luthor strode briskly through the dimly lit hallway, his polished shoes echoing against the cold, sterile floor. When he got to the end of the hallway, He opened an unlabelled door using his hand prints. He then walked across the corridor it opened to until he came across a heavy, reinforced door labelled "Nx". Without hesitation, he leaned forward for the retinal scan. The door hissed open, and he stormed inside.
The lab was a hive of activity, dominated by the hum of machinery and the glow of countless monitors. Dr. Desmond stood at a control panel, his fingers flying across the interface as he input a series of commands.
He didn't immediately notice Luthor's arrival, as his focus was entirely on the task at hand.
Luthor's voice cut through the room like a whip. "How much longer until the weapon is ready?"
Desmond flinched, startled by the sudden intrusion. He turned to face Luthor, his expression a mix of surprise and apprehension. "Uh, about two or three years," he replied hesitantly, adjusting his glasses.
Luthor's eyes narrowed, his face darkening with fury. "What?!" he roared, slamming his fist against a nearby console. "I have a high-stakes mission in two weeks, and I need this thing for that mission! The Justice League has bitten off more than they can chew this time, and I intend to make them regret it!"
Desmond took a step back, visibly shaken by Luthor's outburst. "That is quite risky Sir," he stammered. "We haven't yet programmed in sufficient memories to enable it to function properly. Its behavior is still unpredictable, and—"
"You're no good to me dead, but you're also no good to me disobedient". Luthor interrupted, in a low menacing voice "You do as I say or face the consequences." Do you understand me?"
Desmond swallowed hard, his throat dry. He nodded quickly, his hands trembling slightly as he returned to the control panel. "Understood, Mr. Luthor. I'll... I'll do what I can."
Without another word, he turned and stormed out of the lab, the door sliding shut behind him.
"Two weeks?" Desmond muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. "This is madness."