_
What are you playing at, brother?
You are not my brother.
What is Vandal Savage up to this time?
You are babbling.
I am not a clone.
Well?
He is telling the truth...
Or at least believes he is.
Stay out my head, Martian!
- You are certain? - It was a cursory read.
I didn't invade his mind, but he has no guards up. So. yes,
- I am fairly confident. - You poor bastard.
You really do not know what you are.
You call me a bastard? That is rich.
Think. Your memories of your previous incarceration...
Do they seem complete?
Do they even seem real?
You say you remember the times I visited you here?
Of course I do.
Except I never did.
I visited the prison, a matter of public record,
but I never came to your cell to see you. I was still too angry.
That... That's a lie.
It is not.
- Your mind is not your own. - I can help you
if you'll let me.
No.
No. I don't know what game you are playing, but it will not work.
Let us know when you are ready to face the truth.
I am not a cl...
Sync & corrections by emeline-whovian www.addic7ed.com
- _ - Arion! Arion!
Arion!
Only the True King can save Xebel!
- Only the True King can save Atlantis! - Give us our One True King!
- Give us Arion! - Arion at all costs!
It has been weeks and still they chant his name.
I should have this so called Arion arrested for treason!
Stop it, father!
You must know such an action could turn
this unrest into a full-blown revolution.
And not just in Xebel, but in every city-state in the kingdom.
Aye. Even in Nanauve, the people call for Arion.
We had hoped to salvage the situation here,
but, I fear we may already be too late.
Now, finally, when your entire kingdom is under threat,
you deign to leave your little bubble in Poseidonis.
That is not fair...
You are no better girl.
When was the last time the first daughter of Xebel
set foot or fin in the city of her birth?
I hold you both responsible for allowing this Arion to take...
And what of your responsibility Ryus Nereus?
You have plotted my overthrow for years,
sowing the seeds of this current crisis to both our rules!
You dare speak to me that way in my own palace?
Good!
Settle it! I thought I smelled royal blood
- in the water. - Enough!
Fighting among ourselves will not solve anything.
And despite our suspicions, Arion has done nothing wrong.
In fact, he may very well be the One True King that fulfills the Prophecy.
That prophecy cannot be fulfilled without Arion's lost crown.
A definitive answer to the question of rule is impossible.
_
Hear that?
Locate.
- On your right. - Got it.
Good. Our response time improves.
It should. We've been down here ducking
and dodging these thermal vents for weeks.
To be honest, I did not expect the search to go on
- for so long. - None of us did.
Neptune's beard.
Coral is due to give birth soon, assuming she hasn't already.
If we don't find the damn crown soon...
La'gaan,
no one forced you to accept this assignment.
Either you are here one hundred percent, or you need to swim away.
Right.
Sorry.
I'm here, Kaldur.
- One hundred percent. - Then we press on
by foot or by fin, till the job is done.
Do not take it too hard, my friend.
His words are harsh, but...
I know I just wish I had his strength sometimes.
He is strong... But he is also exhausted, and has been for some time.
Plus, the death of Conner Kent has hit him particularly hard.
Of course.
For years I held a grudge against Conner, a petty, immature grudge.
I never made amends, and it hurts, knowing I'll never get the chance.
I can't imagine Kaldur's pain... Or M'gann's.
I just wish I knew how to help.
So do I.
Kaldur holds so much inside.
I'm afraid it is only a matter of time
before all that he keeps buried, rises up to overtake him.
Hear that?
Locate.
Arion! Arion! Arion! Arion!
Though I wish it were under different circumstances,
this Conference of Delegates will now come to order.
Emissary Coral of Neptunos is not in attendance?
She is in labor, Your Highness.
How wonderful.
Indeed. And in her absence, she has granted me her proxy.
Her proxy? To what end?
Well, we all presumed this meeting would end with a vote.
A vote for what?
For High King of Atlantis
Relax into my current!
I cannot overcome it!
Keep fighting!
La'gaan!
Neptune's beard! That's how it's done.
- Good work. - Kaldur, look.
- I can't see a thing. - Allow me
This is why we haven't found the crown. Over the millennia...
The ocean floor shifted.
Atlantis' original capital sank even deeper.
By the Gods...
Whoa.
Someone was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Huh. I wonder who she or he was?
There is powerful magic in these ruins. This way.
It's getting stronger.
Yeah. I think I'm feeling what you're feeling.
As am I. Together, we should be able to triangulate the source.
There!
Is that it?
That must be it. Arion's Crown!
The Crown of Prophecy.
Oh, man, not another one!
_
Orin! Orin, are you there?
Do you hear me?
Answer me!
The High King is otherwise occupied.
That is fine.
You are the one I sought.
I...
I want the truth.
That is all any of us wants.
Now relax, and open your mind to me.
Hmm.
I recognize Psimon's mindtouch.
In fact, his fingerprints are all over your psyche.
He's masked his work from you-
but not from me.
I can take you back
to your first, true memory.
He's awake.
The force-growth is almost complete?
I assume now he'll fade in and out of consciousness
until activated?
Fine. But he's seen us.
Make certain Psimon erases this memory.
Arion! Arion! Arion! Arion!
I never wanted this.
But perhaps, for the sake of Atlantis,
I must once again take up the mantle of leadership.
With all due respect, Lord Arion,
Atlantis already has a leader.
I am sorry, my queen, but the people disagree.
King Orin is a great hero, but Atlantis has never taken to him
as Annax, except in Poseidonis.
Lord Arion, on the other hand,
has rallied everyone around him by twice saving Atlantis,
and he seems to fulfill the prophecy.
That is secondary.
Let us face the truth.
The people are on the verge of open rebellion.
If we are each to maintain control
over our own City-State,
we must elect Arion High King.
Both subjects have received the Psy-Back transfer,
with Ocean-Master's memory engrams,
recorded just before his incarceration?
Excellent.
Then Project Thrinos may proceed.
Release Ocean-Master.
So,
in order to protect your positions of power,
you would hand our Kingdom to someone you know almost
nothing about?
I appreciate all Arion has done,
but to even contemplate giving him the Crown...
Orin, you do not have to do this.
I am a king, not a dictator.
And serve at the behest of the people.
All those in favor of Arion as Annax
say, "Aye."
Aye.
And as Emissary Coral's proxy, I say "Aye" on her
- behalf, as well. - Aye.
Well... At least he's powerful.
- Aye. - Nay!
Father!
This is... Unexpected. Thank you for your support.
I am not supporting Orin! I am voting for myself!
Six votes for Arion. One for Nereus.
Even without my vote, the result is forgone.
Arion is High King.
I pray your decision is the right one...
For all our sakes.
Amazing that my grandson's flute
contained a recoverable sample of his DNA.
Being the first of the Homo Magi and an immortal,
his body will have a substantial affinity to magic.
Considerably more substantial than your previous body, Orm.
For that, you have my undying,
literally undying, gratitude.
You understand why we had to kill you?
Yes. I was out of control. Apologies.
Accepted, tentatively.
This is your chance to redeem yourself before the Light
and achieve everything I have ever dreamt of. Thank you.
You will need to memorize everything I know about Arion's life.
In addition, your training with Wotan is paramount.
In the past, you were too reliant on Neptune's Trident.
From now on, you shall wield Arion's power without such trinkets.
Understood.
Psimon will soon begin to edit this one's memories,
creating a false history to cover his incarceration,
and the time since.
He will be pre-programmed to lose to you
and draw suspicion his way.
The puppet will end up in prison or dead,
no longer of any use or concern.
I'm sorry.
What they did to you... It's unforgivable.
I must inform the King before it's too late
Arion! Arion! Arion! Arion!
The people
will wish to hear from the new High King of Atlantis,
Annax Arion.
- Delphis! Douse your light. - Right.
Come to me, beast.
Everyone aboard!
Guess it can't eat us if we're riding it, right?
Right?
Hold on!
Now!
Go! Go!
Whew. I thought we'd never exit those depths.
Do we radio King Orin we have the Crown?
- He commanded radio silence. - Hear me.
Hear me, my children.
Hear your new, old High King...
With reluctance, I have accepted your call
- _ - to lead our people... And return Atlantis
to the glory
of its forebears.
I'm sorry we didn't get the intel sooner.
But if you outed him...
Were I to reveal all now, no one would believe me.
This is a responsibility I assume
with the full support of your former Annax
and the leaders of all...
Ah.
Kaldur'ahm.
I believe you have something that belongs to me.
This is hybris.
Do not put it on, brother.
We are not brothers.
We were never brothers.
My lost crown!
The Prophecy fulfilled!
Yes...
Orm!
No, no!
It has been drained of power.
Here is all the proof you need that this 'Lord Arion' was false.
False to the Prophecy. False to the Kingdom of Atlantis.
False to all of us.
Let this be the moment that we as a people,
trust in ourselves and not in false prophets.
Annax Orin, my husband, is your true High King!
No, my love. This is not right.
I am not the king that was foretold.
It is Queen Mera who fulfills the Prophecy!
Arion may have been the stranger
and herald, the conqueror of Neptune's Trident.
But it was Arion, Orm and Mera together who faced down the Red Death.
And the Prophecy clearly states: "When best of these gains Arion's Crown,
our one True King revives renown."
Can anyone doubt that Mera Nereus is the best of those three?
Can anyone doubt that Mera Nereus is the best of us all?
It is Mera Nereus,
Princess, Queen and Sorceress,
who must be our High King.
Mera! Mera! Mera! Mera!
What say you?
- Aye! - Now, she's an Annax
- I can respect. - Aye.
It is unanimous.
No, Orin, no.
Let us be honest.
The Crown, any crown, never sat easily upon my head.
You were raised in a Palace, taught what it meant to rule.
I was raised in a lighthouse to a very different destiny.
It is as it must be, my love.
It is time for our long cataclysm to end.
Atlanteans, all Atlanteans, must be reunited as one people.
And our Seven Seas as one World Ocean,
and all eight city states will feel the benefits of our rule.
All hail High King Mera!
Annax Mera! Annax Mera!
Looks like you you didn't need to worry about Kaldur.
I mean, the way he took on that Leviathan!
He was a total bad ass!
Kaldur has training, talent and natural instincts.
Of course, he's a bad-ass when necessary,
but I fear he will use this success as another excuse not to rest.
What will you do next, Annax... Lord Orin?
Raise my son. Support my wife and her rule.
And, I believe I will also rejoin the Justice League.
I will, of course, relinquish the title of Aquaman.
If the League can include four Green Lanterns and two Flashes,
I believe it can embrace two Aquamen...
Or three.
Wait. Really?
It is time.
Congratulations, my friend. And it is a relief it happens now.
as I have decided I must take a leave of absence.
It is time.
_
Come to gloat, my son?
You should hardly be surprised at the result, Father.
The Lords of Order would never have allowed
their Crown to be used by your agent.
Then they are fools.
My Project Thrinos would have brought order to three-fourths of the globe.
We will not argue.
The Book of Chaos you opened upon Atlantis millennia ago
has reached its final chapter.
Now a new story begins,
one without Vandal Savage.
It's done.
Your mind is now clear of all programming, and outside influence
Thank you.
Here. You are free to go.
- I don't understand. - You cannot be held
responsible for the crimes of the original Orm,
nor for crimes committed while your mind was enslaved by the Light.
Your slate is clean,
and I would love nothing more than to give you a second...
Or, really, a first chance.
If you want one, you know where to find me, brother.
The first time I took a breath of air on the surface,
I thought I would choke. Yet despite my fears,
when my moment came,
my gills relaxed,
my lungs expanded,
and I realized I would never need to hold my breath.
But truthfully,
I find I have been holding a great deal inside for a very long time.
I know, Ghosty.
I know.
I failed you.
Be careful, Connor.
Always.
I failed M'gann...
I'm out of control...
An animal, a beast...
It's who I am...
We are trying to help you...
Who I've always been. Superman knew.
He always knew.
Stop it.
- Stop! - And now I've killed him.
I've killed my brother!
Hey. Wait.
Wait! Help me...
Please...
There was a bus.
The bus from the bridge...
Oh, god!
I'm losing my mind...
Red Sun.
It was ten years ago today.
Of course.
Robin and Kid Flash and I did something
rather stupid.
Something that nevertheless,
I have spent a decade regarding with over-weening pride.
We rescued Superboy from Cadmus,
created something that became a turning point in my life.
The Team.
And now,
ten years later,
So many of my teammates have paid the price of my hybris.
Tula is dead.
Jason is dead.
Wally is dead.
Conner is dead.
These are sorrows,
I must come to terms with...
if I am ever to return to the life I have led.
Sync & corrections by emeline-whovian www.addic7ed.com