Poseidonis #73

As I stood in the awe-inspiring grandeur of Poseidonis' throne room, I had to fight the urge to let my inner country bumpkin and comics geek run wild. I mean, seriously, I was standing in the throne room of Atlantis! The place was dripping with opulence, adorned with golden and blue decor, and supported by towering pillars that reached up to the heavens—or should I say, the ocean's surface.

The walls boasted gigantic windows that offered a breathtaking view of the underwater world, teeming with an array of colorful fish darting to and fro. And there, at the end of it all, sat Aquaman himself, perched atop his throne like a king of the sea, shirtless and donning nothing but a pair of snug green pants.

Now, I'd originally asked the fish man guard to lead the way, thinking Aquaman would be in Tretonis. But as luck would have it, he was chilling in a whole other underwater city. But hey, no backing out now. Once I said I'd meet him, I couldn't exactly bail, right?

Fortunately, Atlanteans had this slick mode of transportation—a sort of magical submarine—that could zip through the underwater currents faster than a speeding jet. So, despite the slight detour, I didn't waste too much time getting here.

Aquaman's voice reverberated through the throne room, jolting me out of my reverie. "Welcome to Atlantis, Micah Foster," he proclaimed grandly, rising from his throne. "First, allow me to express my gratitude for dealing with Eclipso on behalf of Atlantis and the entire world," he continued, his demeanor serene as he approached me.

"I'm the king of Atlantis, but you probably know me better as Aquaman," he introduced himself, extending his hand toward me. "But there's no need for formalities-- you can call me Arthur." 

"The pleasure is mine," I replied, shaking his hand with a smile. Yup, that's Aquaman for you. Sure, comic book fans like to crack jokes about him, but he's truly something else. 

Not only is he insanely powerful, but he's also the ruler of an entire submerged continent. He could probably sink the world with a single word if he wanted to. Yet, here he was, as humble and friendly as they come.

But hey, this wasn't exactly the time for fanboying. "May I ask why you asked to meet me?" I inquired as I released Aquaman's hand after a few firm shakes.

He gave me a troubled smile. "I'm afraid I've called upon you to request a favor," he admitted. "I understand you must be exhausted after such a monumental battle, but I must ask nonetheless," he added.

I chuckled softly at his words. "Just asking isn't a problem," I assured him. "I'm willing to hear you out, but I'll be honest, dealing with Eclipso took longer than expected, and I still have some business to attend to in the surface world... so..."

Aquaman gave a solemn nod. "I understand, but we're dealing with a serious problem here...," he explained, his expression grave. "A species of highly intelligent jellyfish are rallying to invade. They're gearing up for a full-on invasion of Atlantis, and if we don't nip this in the bud, they'll wreak havoc on the surface world too," he added.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Jellyfish? Seriously? Those squishy, floating blobs?" I said, trying to wrap my head around it. "How much trouble can they really cause, even with their brains?"

Aquaman let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know it sounds absurd, but these creatures are no joke. They've caused us headaches before," he explained. "Back in the day, they took over Tretonis during King Orin's reign. We barely drove them away then, but now they're back with greater numbers and more advanced technology," he added, looking grim.

Well, this was unexpected. These jellyfish must be straight out of a vintage comic storyline. I mean, seriously, where did these jellyfish come from? 

Did someone spill ink in the ocean or what? It's probably the butterfly effect again, but as much as I wanted to take responsibility for my mere presence and clean up this mess, I've got other fish to fry. 

Livewire's probably wondering where I've been, and I've got a startup to launch, and not a whole lot of time to waste. Besides, I'm sure Atlantis would be fine, even without my help. Aquaman still had his buddies in the League if things go south, after all. 

"I'm sorry, but fighting underwater isn't exactly my forte," I said, shaking my head apologetically. "I'm more of a surface dweller, you know? Plus, last time I got my feet wet, I almost became fish food if your people Tretonis didn't bail me out," I added with a wry chuckle.

Aquaman shrugged like he was deciding what to have for lunch. "There's no need to worry about that," he said, his tone easygoing. "Ever hear about how we Atlanteans adapted to underwater life?" he asked, as if sharing some insider info.

I scratched my head, trying to recall my high school Atlantean history lesson. "Oh yeah, some scientist whipped up a special serum, right? Made you guys able to withstand the pressure and breathe underwater..." I replied, the light bulb finally flickering in my brain.

"You're not suggesting you'll slip me a dose of that stuff, are you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow so high it almost disappeared into my hairline.

Aquaman nodded like it was the most normal thing in the world. Okay, now I was officially confused. 

"You do realize what you're offering, right?" I said, my skepticism cranked up to eleven. "Handing out superpowers isn't exactly the League's style. What's the catch?" I pressed, giving him my best 'I'm onto you' look.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm already a walking arsenal with my light magic, shadow control, and all my gadgets. Adding Atlantean powers to the mix? It's like giving rocket boosters to a race car— anyone would tell you it's unnecessary and potentially explosive. And that totally goes against the whole Justice League ethos.

The League wasn't about power grabs; they were all about checks and balances even amongst themselves, making sure no one got too big for their boots. So, Aquaman offering me (an already dangerous individual who isn't affiliated with the League) this serum was like trying to sell sunscreen to a fish—fishy as heck.

Now, for all you comic book novices out there, you might be scratching your heads wondering why a little serum that lets you breathe underwater is such a big deal. I mean, isn't that just Aquaman's thing? What's the fuss?

Well, let me lay it out for you. Aquaman may be the punchline of a few too many jokes, but let's not forget, the guy is no slouch in terms of pure physical attributes, comparable to the best of them. 

Sure, someone like Superman could probably obliterate Aquaman on the surface with his bullshit ensemble of superpowers, but underwater? That's a completely different ball game. 

Aquaman's like the heavyweight champ down he, and even ol' Supes would have a run for his money. So yeah, getting Aquaman's powers? It's kind of a big deal.

"Am I offering you anything you can't already gain on your own?" Aquaman asked, flashing me a grin that felt colder than a polar bear's toenails.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shot back, narrowing my eyes at him.

"It's not exactly a secret that you were not much different from a regular surface world until recently, and yet you managed to take down Eclipso," Aquaman replied, all cool and collected. "We don't know how, but it's clear you've got a knack for acquiring powers," he added, dropping the bomb like it was no big deal.

I let out a sigh. As I thought, it looked like I couldn't keep my constantly rising strength under wraps forever, not that I thought I'd be exposed this soon. Has it even been more than two months since I washed up in this crazy comic book world?

"We, as in, the Justice League?" I raised an eyebrow. "Am I right to assume this isn't just your idea but a decision made by the whole gang?" I prodded, trying to piece together what was really going on behind the scenes.

"It was Batman's brainchild, and the seven founding members of the League agreed to it," Aquaman explained, shedding some light on the situation. "Initially, there were some skeptics, but Batman and Superman managed to persuade everyone, and here we are," he added with a shrug.

Ah, good ol' Bruce, always stirring the pot. I couldn't help but wonder what mischief was brewing in that Bat-brain of his. But hey, no use dwelling on it now.

I took a moment to mull it over, weighing the pros and cons, before finally exhaling a defeated sigh. "Feels like I'm being played like a fiddle," I muttered. "But hey, why the heck not? Count me in," I declared, figuring it'd be foolish to pass on a power-up like this.

 As for Bruce's ulterior motives, well, he can plot all he wants-- what does that have to do with me. I'm shameless enough to take what I can get and tell him to piss off if he came asking for a favor I wasn't willing to give.