Wonder Woman, What Was That About?

"I've heard of you. I didn't realize you knew so much about Atlantis." Atlanna raised an eyebrow. Very few people knew about Arthur Curry, her son by a human. Even in Atlantis, it was a closely guarded secret. How had Damon learned it?

The surface heroes were nearby, yet none had discovered that she had survived and was hiding here.

He had found her effortlessly.

"Do you know where my son is? Help me find him, and you'll be the only surface dweller honored as a guest of Atlantis."

"What does that get me?"

Atlanna said nothing. Perhaps she considered the question beneath her.

Damon smiled, intrigued. "Suppose Atlantis were about to face a disaster unlike anything in its history. You could make only one choice. Would you save Atlantis, or your son?"

"That would depend on the disaster." She didn't ask why he was posing the question. She considered it seriously.

"If you don't resist, the losses probably won't be too bad. Mostly a blow to your reputation. If you do resist..." He thought about it. "You might be wiped out."

"Would the surface take control of Atlantis?"

He shook his head. "No. I'd just take something."

"My son." Her answer was firm. "I've carried my responsibilities long enough. I can't carry them forever. Atlantis needs a new ruler to take that burden. That is a monarch's duty."

Damon nodded and fell silent. So did Atlanna.

Barbara was lost. They had talked through all those hypotheticals, and now neither would say anything?

At last, Atlanna spoke. "My son is alive. You know where he is, don't you? You've come to bargain. What do you want?"

"The Trident of Neptune."

She frowned immediately. "That weapon has passed down through Atlantis for generations. Only our ruler may wield it. It symbolizes royal authority, commands our people, and controls the sea. It can summon storms and tsunamis, and unleash powerful electrical currents."

"I don't need a lecture. Will you give it to me or not?" Of course Damon knew what it did. It was the weapon Arthur Curry would wield as Aquaman, the symbol of his position. Aquaman's trident.

He had noticed that Orm carried a five-pronged weapon instead.

"I want to know what you'll do with it."

"Collect it."

Atlanna looked irritated. After a moment's silence, she stood and returned to the room behind her. Soon she came back with a golden trident a little over a meter long.

The Trident of Neptune. Aquaman's trident.

She laid it on the table and looked at Damon. He inspected it, nodded in satisfaction, and opened a breach. "Someone sent him to a parallel world. He's living in its Atlantis now. An Atlantis that never sank. You should have no trouble finding him."

Despite the startling explanation and the portal before her, Atlanna showed little shock. She gave him a long look, then stepped through without a word.

Whoosh!

The breach closed. She was gone.

"She just believed you?" Barbara asked.

"She's clever. I suspect she worked out that Orm wasn't the one who took Arthur. I was." Damon chuckled.

"What?"

Barbara stared at him. "You kidnapped her son? Why?"

"Why does everything need a reason? If you insist on one, he was unlucky." He sent the trident through a breach to the Disciple, leaving June Moone to look after it. "Come on. Let's go watch the show."

They left the bar and headed for the shore.

Soldiers and weapons crowded the coastline. Waves rolled across the sea, as though the Atlanteans might emerge at any moment.

Not far away...

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green Lantern Guy Gardner had gathered at a temporary command post. They coordinated with the military but operated independently.

"War may be unavoidable," Batman said quietly. "Get ready to fight."

The others said nothing. There was nothing left to discuss. At this point, force seemed to be the only answer.

"Wait..."

Wonder Woman suddenly stood, her face lighting up.

"He's here."

"Who?" Guy asked.

The others paused, then thought of the same man.

Damon Keller.

A flash of light.

The Flash raced outside. Wonder Woman and the others followed.

A man and a woman were walking toward them along the shore.

"Damon!"

"Barbara..."

Their reactions varied.

Certainly...

Damon was a bad man. A villain.

His strength and complete lack of restraint were a nightmare for Batman, the Flash, and Superman. Guy knew that all too well; Damon had destroyed half of the Green Lanterns' headquarters. Even so, his arrival gave them hope.

The distance closed.

Damon quickened his pace toward Diana. She moved to meet him.

With each step, they drew closer.

He spread his arms, beaming. She covered the last few strides on her long legs.

Thud!

Diana drove a fist into his stomach and sent him flying.

Crash!

He slammed into the rocks near the water.

Everyone froze.

What the hell? Why had she hit him?

"What are you doing?"

Barbara stepped in front of Diana, furious.

Diana glanced at her without answering, then leaped clean over her and landed beside Damon.

"Bastard!"

Before he could get up, she dropped onto him, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him.