King of the Seven Seas..... "The Clear and the Dark"
Aquaman #1 - January, Year One	by Mike Exner III

King of the Seas. A title coveted by many, gods and men alike. To be protector of the seas, to rule over the seas, to aid all the creatures of the ocean, from the tiniest amoeba to the great humpback whales was an honor bestowed upon only a select few throughout the entire history of the world. Poseidon, King Neptune, Arion, Triton, all gods or demigods whose power far exceeded their compassion. At times the sea would suffer under their rule, at other times it would prosper. Prosperity would never last long though, for the gods were petty and cruel. For amusement they would devastate entire populations of sea life. Creatures of the sea knew well that the price for a favor granted by a godly king of the sea could well turn out to be too hefty a price to pay. On the day Orin defeated Triton the god however, all the sea rejoiced and the news spread quickly. A mortal was King of the Seas. A mortal who was also the king of Poseidonis, city of Atlantis. A mortal who was a hero both to the surface world and to the one beneath the waves. A hero more commonly known as Aquaman.

But the gods were still petty, still cruel. Triton, the former King of the Seas, was the son of Poseidon, and Poseidon was the god of the sea. Not many were as powerful as he and when he witnessed the defeat of his son in battle with Orin, he struck Orin blind. The many inhabitants of the sea witnessed this foul gift and grieved for their king, but none were willing to avenge the injustice. Triton had long ago fled with his tail between his legs, ashamed of his loss of status to a mere mortal. Poseidon left soon after his deed was done and the harsh ring of his laughter still echoed and twisted through the waters to remind Orin of the price he paid. Aquaman was now King of the Seas, but the price was more than he could bear.

Dolphin swam through the underwater currents of the ocean effortlessly. Her long white hair flowed behind her but did not hinder her progress. She was on a mission of mercy. The people of Poseidonis, Aquaman’s people, were suffering and some were near death. Their own actions had led to their plight and Aquaman himself had decided upon the punishment. The Poseidonians had destroyed their sister city of Tritonis and had been ordered by their king to rebuild it for the Tritonians.* When the people had fled the dome of Poseidonis when they thought the city was coming apart, they had quickly followed Orin’s son, Koryak to Tritonis to find shelter, and rejected their king’s leadership.** The people had hidden in the caves underneath the city of Tritonis but had inadvertently released a horror that none of them could of anticipated, a horror that had not only taken control of the prince of Poseidonis, Koryak, but Dolphin herself. The menace of a man long thought to have been dead, Kordax.***

[*Tritonis was wasted by the Poseidonians in Issue #22 and Aquaman gave his order in Issue #27 of DC’s Aquaman - Will]
[**Issue #11 of DC’s Aquaman - watery Will]
[***Kordax was released to menace the world in Issue #15 of DC’s Aquaman - Will]

Kordax had terrorized the people into destroying Tritonis and they knew they had made a mistake. When Aquaman returned to Tritonis to deal with his people after defeating Kordax, they had deferred back to him as their liege lord. Koryak too had stayed to help rebuild the city of Tritonis, as he felt responsible as well. Still, the Poseidonians were working themselves to death, and King Iquila, ruler of Tritonis, had no pity for them. His wife, Queen S’ona, had nearly died when the Poseidonians attacked and crucified many of his people. He would work the Poseidonians to death without a second thought. Dolphin had to get Orin to reason with him and release the Poseidonians so they could return to their own city.

She only hoped the Aquaman would listen to her. Not long ago they had been close, lovers. Then she had seen something inside Aquaman that had frightened her to no end. He was becoming much like Kordax. After defeating Kordax and struggling with himself, Aquaman had been able to find himself once again, but in the time she had stayed away from him she’d found that her love for him had faded. Garth, Aquaman’s long time friend who was now known as the sorcerer Tempest had captured her heart, even though he didn’t know it yet. She felt guilty about it, but Aquaman didn’t know about her feelings anyway. Orin was a difficult man to read but Dolphin knew that he understood why her feeling for him had diminished. Still, Aquaman was a friend, and as a friend, she had to plead for the plight of the Poseidonians. For if something wasn’t done soon, Aquaman wouldn’t have a populace to rule.

His fists beat upon the murky floor in front of the gates to his majestic city. His cries were heard from miles away and as they hit their crescendo, every creature beneath the waves shuddered in response. Abruptly, Orin stopped shouting. His rage had fueled this tantrum but he knew it was pointless. He was blind, everywhere he looked, darkness prevailed. He 
could feel the sand and bits of the sea floor sifting over him and drifting back down to the ground below him.

Poseidon had spoken of a price to pay for ruling the seas but Aquaman had never imagined it would be to strike him blind. How on earth could he rule over the populace beneath the waves, let alone protect and safeguard them, if he could not see? It was not fair. He had bested Triton, a god. The battle had been long and excruciating and Aquaman’s entire being was on the 
verge of exhaustion. Orin slumped to his knees. In vain he shut his eyes and opened them again over and over as if somehow his sight would magically come back to him. He felt the rage boiling up into his body again and he let it come. Poseidon would pay for this injustice. Aquaman would make him pay.

Suddenly he felt something, a rush of energy he couldn’t comprehend. It was foreign to him but it melted his grief and anger away within seconds and filled him with a sense of exhilaration. Something was coming. It was as if his sense of touch had been multiplied somehow and he was surrounded by an aura of sensitivity. He left the ground and turned towards the movement he knew was there and immediately recognized the form approaching him. He could not see it, but he could sense it, feel it, and he could catch its scent. He tensed his muscles as it collided with him and grappled with it. It snaked its limbs around his throat and squeezed. For a second Orin was at a loss for what to do but suddenly his senses recognized flashes of 
movement coming towards him and he caught the limbs, thrusting them upward and kicking away his assailant. He held out his hand to it and it playfully smacked his palm. Topo the octopus had heard his cries of pain and was here simply to cheer him up, Orin was glad for it.

Topo grasped Aquaman around the wrist and flung him through the water. Aquaman was lost in a sea of darkness because he couldn’t see, but he wasn’t blind. Somehow he registered a rock embankment ahead of him and stopped short of it. He swam around it and Topo rushed over to him eagerly, communicating in his beautiful language that he had avoided the rock without seeing it. Orin laughed in return and nodded vigorously. Somehow he was sensing things in the water even though he couldn’t see them. He was feeling them even though he wasn’t touching them. Somehow in some glorious way, Aquaman realized, he had developed a type of sonar.

Suddenly something rushed overhead but it only took Aquaman moments to recognize it too. Dolphin. She was away from Tritonis and rushing towards Poseidonis with great speed. He took off after her with Topo following and still babbling about his newfound power. Aquaman was thrilled with it as well but still wished he could see the silly octopus instead of merely 
sensing him. Aquaman increased his pace, Dolphin was really moving through the underwater currents. He had resigned himself to the fact that she was no longer interested in him romantically. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman but he could understand that after he had seemed to de-evolve before her eyes into Kordax, the man who had possessed her, that 
her fear constituted into the loss of her interest in him.* Still, they were friends, and she seemed particularly distressed.

[*Aquaman de-evolved into a visage similar to Kordax in DC’s Aquaman #31 - Will]

Before, if Dolphin had abandoned his love for her, he might have gone into a deep depression or a fit of rage. After losing his sight, he might have raved through the streets of Poseidonis, destroying things. He was a different man though now and he was determined to prove it. He felt more at peace now though and stronger as well, ready to rule. He called out to Dolphin once he knew he was in range of her hearing.

Dolphin heard Orin call out to her and turned. He was swimming with his eyes closed and Topo the octopus was alongside him. She thought he would collide with her and she held her hands out to stop him but he stopped short before her and even grinned as if he’d known she’d attempted to stop him and been worried. Her brow creased and she frowned. Orin still wasn’t looking at her. Could it be that he was still upset with her? She almost wished he would berate her for it but this childish gesture of not looking at her was certainly not the way to go about it.

“Orin, what are you doing?” She asked with a strong hint of annoyance on her lips. “Now is not the time for games, we must speak of your people.”

“My people have done a great injustice for which they must pay and not until King Iquila releases them shall they be spared.” As he spoke the smile on Aquaman’s lips into a scowl and his force of speech made Dolphin slump her 
shoulders.” I decreed this long ago Dolphin. If the reason you’ve come here is to speak on their behalf then you have ventured in vain.”

“But your people..” Dolphin began but she was cut off abruptly.

“My people are mine to rule. When they accepted me wholeheartedly and uncontested as their ruler they knew that the price for their wrong deeds would be heavy.” Aquaman spoke and as he did, Dolphin shied back. “When King Iquila releases them they shall be allowed back into the city to live in peace as they did long before. Even when they deserted Poseidonis and 
left with my son Koryak I did not find fault with them. But their punishment is in the hands of King Iquila now. I will not make war with an ally who is fully in the right. If you wish to pour sugar into someone’s ear, let it be his. I have other matters to attend to.”

With those words spoken, Aquaman darted directly up into the current and let it carry him away with Topo still following close behind. He was a faster swimmer than Dolphin and she knew there was no hope of catching him. She was still puzzled as to why Orin had kept his eyes closed the entire time he’d spoken to her but she’d been to upset to ask. She began to make her journey back to Tritonis. There had to be something else she could do. Perhaps Aquaman was right, if the people of Poseidonis were to be released, she would have to convince King Iquila that it was the right thing to do.

“I will see Iquila dead for this.” Koryak said as he paced along a battered alley of Tritonis. Vulko, the longtime friend and advisor to Aquaman, was by his side. Once Vulko had thought that Aquaman was changing for the worse and that following Koryak was the true path. Now, he realized that it was Koryak who was the ill-tempered one and even though in the past the things that Koryak had done could be blamed on his reluctant subservience to Kordax, now he was fully in control of his faculties and things were even worse. Not only was Koryak as angry as hot-tempered as his father had been; he was much younger and more foolish as well.

“You must be patient Koryak, King Iquila is an honorable man, but he has been driven to making the people of Poseidonis suffer because his wife Queen S’ona was made to suffer. If we merely wait a while longer and then speak with Ki…” But Vulko’s words were silenced by Koryak’s heavy fist slamming into the building next to him.

“Enough old crone. I tire of your attitude and your opinions. Waiting would be a fool’s errand. The people are on the verge of collapse and Iquila does not care. The only way to make him see reason is with violence.” Koryak said with the purest hatred in his voice. Vulko trembled in his bones as Koryak continued. “I will go to Iquila now and fight him for the freedom of our people. The pompous fool will accept and he will lose. After he is dead I will bring the people triumphantly to Poseidonis 
and then we will see who they accept as their one true king.”

Koryak rushed by Vulko roughly and the old man fell on his back. As he lay there, pondering how he could possibly stop Koryak from killing King Iquila, he looked up and saw the face of Dolphin. She seemed out of breath and very tired but she only looked at him a moment before rushing off after Koryak. Vulko assumed she’d heard of everything they spoke. He only hoped she could stop Koryak in time.

Abruptly, the pain ceased and when Aquaman opened his eyes, he could see. He wished he had never opened them. He was no longer in the ocean that was familiar to him although it felt as though he was amidst the waters still. There was nothing, nothing but the purest white in front of him, he could not see the ground, he wasn’t standing on anything, and as far as his eye traversed there was nothing but pure white nothingness. He could move and in the only manner he knew how, he began kicking his powerful legs and arms, hoping that movement would bring some sort of knowledge about where he was and what was happening.

It felt as though he swam through the blazingly white nothingness for hours until he finally heard something. At first he thought it was a comforting sound from in his head because surely it could not have been what he heard, but he kept hearing it. Perhaps he was going insane, or perhaps he was in a land of ghosts and spirits, for as Aquaman listened and grew closer to the sound, he recognized it as his dead adopted mother, Porm the dolphin.

And then, as he grew closer, there she was. At first merely a speck of black on the vastness of white, then as she grew closer and called out to him, Orin could discern features that were as startlingly recognizable to him as any mother’s face would be to her son. Aquaman kicked harder, shot his arms out in front of him and strained his body to go faster. The lump 
rising in his throat and the tears growing heavy in his eyes told the tale. He missed his mother, when Demon Gate had murdered her as revenge upon Aquaman; Orin had been ready to kill the monstrous cybernetic killer. Both Dolphin and Garth had tempered him and Demon Gate had been left on an uninhabited island that had never been visited by humans before, reliant on the sea life to keep him alive. Aquaman thought it a fitting punishment.*

[*It all happened in DC’s Aquaman #’s 26-28 - Will]

But now his mother was alive somehow and as he came within reach of her he grasped her tightly, making sure not to touch her with his hook. The burnt in scars on her body that Demon Gate had delivered were gone and she even seemed younger somehow than she had before. Surely this was the work of the gods and Aquaman let out a primal cry of joy. Porm seemed amused by his attitude and Aquaman joined her in laughing out loud. It carried an eerily long distance over the white expanse and Aquaman turned to his mother quizzically as if he were a child.

“Mother what is this place?” Asked Aquaman in the beautiful language of the dolphins he had learned long ago when he was a child. Porm regarded her son with a gaze of grimness now, as if their reunion was a matter of urgency rather than joy.

“My son, it is The Clear.” Chirped Porm and Aquman felt a shiver of energy rush through his body at those words. He opened his mouth to speak but Porm berated him with another chirp and continued. “This is your gift Orin, the gift given to you when you were made high lord of the seas. This is a place that will be both a blessing and a hindrance to your reign as king. It cannot be given back and it will never leave you as long as you rule the waves. It is a state of mind that only a few mortal minds have ever reached. It is a tool that will keep you in tune with the ocean itself. Whenever there is a threat, The Clear will be your guide to it. At times it is disorienting and the messages are confusing, but you must always follow 
its lead and trust in it. The Clear is your weapon against threats to yourself, as well as the ocean. I have come here to tell you this.”

Porm moved her fins hypnotically and raised herself up and away from Aquaman somewhat. Then she spoke again.

“You have come a long way since my death Orin. I look at you and I see a peace that I did not know existed before. You are beginning to walk the path that I always wished for you. You are a deserving king and a good man. Often I thought I could not raise you well enough for you to be who you were meant to be but it seems that you may prove me wrong.” Aquaman couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had touched his mother, felt her, she was alive and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her again.

“I see in your eyes the pain that you feel Orin. Know that I love you and that you are a good man. From time to time I may visit you in this place. I long for the days when we would swim the ocean depths together. The depths of The Clear are even greater and although it strains me to be here, I will see you again.” Porm approached Aquaman and he reached out his hand 
to her, stroked along her belly. He could feel that she was fading from The Clear. The tears long threatening to spill down his face finally came freely.

“Mother, I love you.” He said and tried to hold on.

“I know you do my son and I love you too. Be at peace Orin. Know that I am in a better place and let go of me as you let go of your rage and confusion. If you do, you will be the man and the king I know you can be.” Porm said and faded from the plane of existence known as The Clear. Aquaman let her go, he felt defeated, battered and torn up on the inside, but he also felt a 
strange calm traverse the whole of his body. It made his eyes heavy and tired. He closed them and drifted off into a contented slumber.

Koryak stood over the unconscious body of Dolphin with focused and horrible malice evident on his face. His blow had rocked her head back and she lay on the streets of Tritonis, completely his to do with as he wished. The people of Poseidonis, who had come out during Koryak’s scuffle with the Tritonian guards, had witnessed Dolphin’s attempts to free them with King Iquila and couldn’t believe that Koryak had struck her down after she had succeeded. Some shouted curses at him and some pleaded with him to spare Dolphin but none of their cries registered with Koryak for even an instant. This wench lying before him had stolen his moment of glory away and he would make her pay. He was the prince and eventual king of Poseidonis. Dolphin was merely a harlot that had seduced his father and then left him. She wouldn’t be missed.

Koryak raised his fists and began to form long spikes out of hard-water. The people had not realized what he was attempting yet but he didn’t care if they saw or not. Before he could completely form the spikes or send them hurtling towards Dolphin’s head however, Koryak was hit hard by something that flung him many feet away and drove the breath from his lungs. When he looked up, he saw a man in a black and red costume with scars dancing on his face and powerfully glowing hands. At first Koryak didn’t recognize him, but when the man spoke, Koryak was shocked to realize it was Garth.

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing Koryak, but I suggest you back off.” Garth said as his magical energy spilled from his hands in crude semi-circles. He’d just been through a lot with his mentor Atlan, Aquaman’s father. Discovering his homeland Shayeris, seeing his mother, battling his uncle Slizzath, and finally making peace with himself over the death of his beloved Tula had taken a lot out of Garth.* He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Koryak civilly at all.

[*See DC’s Tempest mini-series for all the details - Will]

Atlan had transported him directly to Tritonis and at first he was confused as to why Atlan had done it. He’d heard the commotion and had recognized a mass of the people in the city square were Poseidonians. When he’d approached, Koryak had been standing over Dolphin as if he were going to strike her and all Tempest could think of was her safety and the fact that he couldn’t lose her too. Now as Koryak looked upon him with confusion, he realized that Koryak might have simply been trying to help her up and he could of very well overreacted. The feelings he’d just felt for Dolphin startled him. Their intensity was something he’d only thought he could feel for Tula, but Tula was dead. Perhaps it was time to start moving on with his life.

“Are you insane Tempest? I am the son of the king of Poseidonis. Your actions against me will not go unpunished.” Koryak was babbling and Tempest regarded him with a bit more suspicion. If Koryak was looking for a fight, he’d be in for much more than he bargained for.

“All I know is that you were standing over Dolphin and it didn’t look like you were offering her a hand Koryak.” Tempest said, as his magical energies seemed to practically spit and jump away from him. “The people seem to believe you struck her, I certainly hope that’s not true, for your sake.”

“I did strike Dolphin, yes.” Koryak said and didn’t seem in the least ashamed of his action. “It was a mistake, I was in a rage because she had interfered in the performance of the ritualistic ancient rites between myself and Iquila. When you struck me I was simply forming a hard-water platform to carry her to Poseidonis. Our people have been freed and I plan to lead them home. You may come if you wish.”

Koryak’s words were confusing Tempest. Since when were the people of Poseidonis under the control of Iquila? This had to be Aquaman’s doing. His people had destroyed Tritonis and for penance they must have been ordered to clean up their mess. He looked at the people and saw the weariness but also the happiness and even the relief etched on their faces. He still didn’t trust Koryak, but Koryak was right. The people deserved to go home.

“You’re right Koryak, and I’m sorry for overreacting. I’d be glad to accompany you and the people back to Poseidonis.” Koryak nodded but still held the scowl and mistrustful eyes on Garth. Garth knew that eventually there would come a day when Koryak and himself would probably have to deal with each other, but he refused to make it this day. When Koryak formed a hard-water platform to slip under Dolphin, Tempest intervened.

“Don’t worry about her Koryak.” Tempest said as he magically formed a bubble around Dolphin and brought her to him. “I’ll take care of Dolphin, you make sure the people are gathered and ready to depart.”

“Do not believe that you can give me orders Tempest.” Koryak said, but he left and began barking orders to the people of Poseidonis gathered in the square. Tempest began using his magic to revive Dolphin and was relieved to see that she was only mildly injured. Suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder and Garth whirled quickly, prepared to strike. There before him was Vulko, Aquaman’s advisor.

“Forgive him master Tempest, he is still young and impetuous.” Vulko said and Garth could see the fatigue in his eyes. “One day, with the proper care and attention from his father, Koryak will make a fair and honorable king.”

“Maybe it’s just me Vulko, but I’m still waiting for that day to come from the current king.” Tempest said and swam off with Dolphin in tow. He planned to head to Poseidonis before the others and speak with Aquaman. His training with Atlan and his journey was complete, but Garth wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay in Poseidonis yet. He needed to speak with Aquaman to 
find out, and he needed to talk with Dolphin about how he felt. Nothing in his life ever seemed to turn out simply.

Vulko watched Tempest swam away and then turned his attention back to his people. Koryak was treating them with care as he arranged for them to make the journey back to Poseidonis. Vulko was certain that Koryak would one day make a good king and despite what Tempest had said, Vulko was also sure that Orin was on the road to peace with himself. He knew that a king at peace with himself could bring harmony to the oceans. It was just a matter of time. Koryak summoned Vulko to the head of the line of Poseidonians and they began to make their way out of the city. The journey would be long but it would be good to be home again.

Next Issue: Aquaman is reunited with Tempest and his people as they travel to greet him at Poseidonis. How will Aquaman react to the injury dealt to Dolphin, and will he even have time after he’s attacked by three new villains rising from the depths? What does Captain Nemo want with Poseidonis and will Aquaman risk a life to stop him? All this and more. Be there.

Thanks for taking the time to read my first issue of Aquaman. For those of you who are interested in knowing, this story takes place after #34 in the recently cancelled run of DC's Aquaman. That's why Aquaman is blind and his people are being held in Tritonis. Aquaman has just recently become protector of the ocean after defeating the god Triton for the title and I plan on developing Aquaman from this point. Seems like as good a place as any to start.

One thing you'll be seeing in this book during my run is a return to life under the ocean. Aquaman is a hero, yes, but he's also the king of an underwater city and the newly appointed protector of the sea. That's a lot of responsibility and he's got to start handling business at home first.

Another thing you'll be seeing is the introduction of villains. Aquaman doesn't exactly have the most extensive rogues gallery out there and it's a real shortcoming I think. I definitely plan on introducing new villains that will strongly affect Aquaman as well as revamping old villains so that they're a bit more menacing to our King of the Seven Seas. If you read this issue you can already see I'm leaning that way with the Fisherman.

Well, I hope you've all enjoyed Aquaman #1 and you come back for more. Until next time.

Michael Exner III