Aquaman: The Junior Novel by Jim McCann

Author:Jim McCann [McCann, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-11-05T18:30:00+00:00

Six

As a child, Arthur dreamt of Atlantis, imagining a place of wonder and, most important, his mother. As an adult, Atlantis plagued his nightmares, a twisted and corrupted undersea nation responsible for killing his mother. As he looked upon it at last, Arthur realized he had never known Atlantis. No one could.

Atlantis was beyond anything in the realm of imagination.

Stretching for miles, built upon giant rock and coral formations, nestled in a vast canyon, interconnected by active pathways, were buildings that looked as though they had been pulled from the ocean floor and crafted into shining, multilevel dwellings. Illuminating the city with a bioluminescent glow were tens of thousands of jellyfish, ranging in size from a foot in diameter to one hundred feet across, floating in place. Surrounding the capital city was a massive wall; the only entrance flanked by two impossibly large statues, each a proud warrior.

Rising a mile high in the center of this magnificent city was a pointed spire that appeared to be made of pure silver. It was lit by radiant energy that pulsed from it and through the city. At the base was a large opening with a circular energy wheel lighting what appeared to be a grand throne room, open on three-quarters so that whoever sat on the throne could gaze out upon the massive kingdom.

Arthur turned to Mera, his jaw so open she thought his beard might touch his lap. She simply smirked in response.

Mera brought the ship closer to the wall. Looking around, Arthur saw all manner of races he’d never encountered before, riding various sea creatures or in vehicles that those on the surface could never have dreamt up. There were mer-creatures that were half humanoid, half fish or shark or dolphin—any number of combinations, Arthur noted—some humanoid on the top half and even some reversed in their combinations. All were headed to the gates of Atlantis’s capital city.

Arthur reflexively gripped his mother’s trident harder as his eyes fell upon figures from his darkest childhood nightmares. Although he was only three years old when he saw them last, the image of Atlantean guards in their white-and-silver armored suits was seared in his brain. Surrounding the wall were dozens of these sentries, mounted on large armored sharks.

“Why build a wall and bridge underwater?” Arthur asked, tearing his gaze from the soldiers.

“The Gateway Bridge is a remnant of the old world. And it’s the only way in or out of Atlantis.” Mera was still surprised at how little the son of Atlantis’s former queen actually knew of his birthright kingdom.

Arthur snorted in derision. “Can’t they just swim over the wall?”

“Security getting into the city is impenetrable. Even if someone were to sneak past the guards, they’d never make it far enough to evade the hydro-cannons.” Arthur gave her another questioning glance at this.

“People are always trying to get into Atlantis. Everyone wants to live in the greatest capital in the world.” Mera’s voice was filled with wonder at the last part. Arthur let out another grunt, not swayed by her words.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.