Meet the Parent's

Inside the home of Kaldur'ahm was a sight all parents wished for. Seeing their son after a separation and knowing he has friends he trusts enough to bring home to meet them. Kaldur's parents glowed with happiness.

Sha'lain'a, "Kaldur, you look thin. Are you eating enough on the surface world?"

Kaldur, "Mother please..."

Calvin, "Sha'lain'a, let the boy breathe the water of his home before interrogating him." 

Kaldur had a blush you could see even with his chocolate skin, "My friends, these are my parents. Sha'lain'a and Calvin Durham. Mother, Father, please meet Logan and Miss Martian."

M'gann, "Please call me M'gann."

Sha'lain'a, "You speak Atlantean!"

Logan, "Not really, our psychic abilities allow us to translate and communicate. It is not worthy of the respect for those that have studied and learned the Atlantean language."

Sha'lain'a, "You are very humble for those with such great power. Your skin colors are truly beautiful, I wish I had known, I would have changed our lighting to green to favor your tones even more. Are the two of you betrothed or related, you seem very close."

Logan answers as M'gann is lost in her thoughts of Connor at the word 'Betrothed'. "We are siblings, she is being clingy because she is going through her first heartache." 

M'gann blushes furiously, "Logan!!! That's not random conversational information." She says as she hits me on my shoulder. 

Luckily Sha'lain'a was as empathetic as I had hoped, as she instantly reached for M'gann and brought her into her embrace to offer comfort only another female could. "BOO. Men have no tact when it comes to matters of the heart dear child. Come with me and we can talk while the men blabber about what they think makes the Ocean waters flow."

I moved to where Calvin and Kaldur were only to hear Calvin say, "When you visit Poseidonis you must be careful, there are rumors of trouble since the Queen's return. Some have begun to spread the word of the purity of Atlantes. Most likely people trying to use the bigoted views of a few elites to gain power."

Kaldur, "We head there first thing in the morning. I will take note of your warnings, Father."

We spent a night regaling Kaldur's parents with stories of the sights and sounds of the surface world. M'gann shared a few embarrassing stories of some missions she and Kaldur took on together, but we understood that Aqualad had no wish to worry his parents with any talk of dangers. It took most of dinner to explain the condiments of the surface world and then explaining the battles with the Condiment King was just hard to do without laughing.

The next morning, we all bid farewell to Kaldur's parents and thanked them for everything before making our way back to Bio-Ship. M'gann had a bit more of a spring in her step after spending time with Kaldur's mother. I was happy to see it, but I also needed to see if she was on the path of growth before getting too excited.

When we reached The Atlantian capital of Poseidonis, Kaldur took us directly to the palace and had a page boy inform the Queen that her requested guest was here. Very soon after the page left, we were escorted to the Throne chambers. It was not as opulent as I expected but was surrounded by glass walls. Kaldur said it was to remind the King's and Queens of Atlantis that they ruled and guided all the people of the sea, not just the ones inside the Throne room. 

Seated on the throne was a woman of beauty despite her age. It wasn't wrinkles or weakness that spoke of her age but her bearing and her eyes. They both spoke of wisdom and trials that had been placed upon her. Next to her stood a stout man of Samoan descent, he didn't carry the immense size of his fellow islanders, but the undiminished spirit shone through his eyes. This was a man who would fight to the bitter end for what he believed, taking a step back was the same as willingly giving up a part of his soul. 

They both wore silver outfits that clung to their skin and in doing so showed that the Queen was with child. My uneducated guess is 4-5 months. The hand the Queen unconsciously ran over her belly spoke of her devotion to this new life she carried. Floating behind her was hair that was white more than blond, but it held vibrance that showed the color was natural and not a sign of advanced age. 

Queen Atlanna, "Kaldur, it makes my heart proud to see you again. I hope you stopped to see your parents before coming here this time. Your mother pouted and gave me sad looks for hours at the last city dinner, I felt like I stole the stars from her sky. All because you came to Poseidonis first during your last visit."

Kaldur, "Please forgive my mother for her outburst my Queen. She tends towards a childish nature when it comes to me. I am sure she meant no ill will towards the Throne." Aqualad saluted with his right hand, fist clenched to his forehead. 

Queen Atlanna, "Naturally I forgive her you silly boy, a mother's love for her child should never be a reason for contention, besides she is great fun to tease. Would you like to introduce your companions?"

Kaldur, "Yes, my Queen. I bring before you my teammate Miss Martian also known as M'gann M'orzz and Logan J'onzz, her sibling." 

Queen Atlanna, "Logan J'onzz! You have done me a great service helping my son. Tell me please, how is he doing?"

Logan, "Queen Atlanna I didn't get to spend much time with your son. He is struggling with his new identity on the surface world and with his abilities granted by the sea. But the gravest struggle that I witnessed was his loss when he was trying to hide a picture book from Princess Mera. My attempt at blocking thoughts could not hide his anguished mental cries of vengeance against what he referred to as his Shitty Old Man."

Thomas Curry let out a barrel laugh without restraint as he heard the reaction of his son to Mera finding the embarrassing book of photos he built up over the years. "So, she did find them, that's good. It should start their relationship out perfectly."

Queen Atlanna, "Yes, I remember the book your father brought to us during his first visit. It was most entertaining."

Thomas Curry had a panicked look on his face and quickly begged, "Please my beloved, there are children here. No need to bring up the past." 

Queen Atlanna, "Let us not ignore young M'gann with our conversation, it is truly an honor to meet a friend and teammate of our envoy Kaldur'ahm. You bring us joy with your presence child."

M'gann, "The honor is all mine Queen Atlanna, 47 years on M'arzz and I had never even seen a member of the royal clan in person much less had a meeting with the head of the royal family. I am overwhelmed by your gratitude."

"There is a certain wisdom in inaccessibility when the Queen carries a potential heir to the throne." A voice comes from a corridor connected to the throne room. The person accompanying the voice was a man in his mid-twenties wearing a skintight gray and red bodysuit with a gold belt and golden boots that went to his knees. At each forearm were bands of gold as well. 

Queen Atlanna, "Allow me to introduce Chancellor Orm, my overly protective Nephew."

Orm, "How can I be anything less than overprotective my Queen, with Your eldest off playing Aquaman for the world rather than ensuring the safety of Atlantis and its people."

  Kaldur, "I assure you Chancellor Orm, Prince Arthur is playing no games on the surface world. As we saw with the invasion of Darkseid, what happens to the surface has consequences for the Oceans as well. I am learning that we are a very small world in a vast galaxy and a world divided is chum before a hungry shark."

Orm, "Oh course child. Still, I am glad you and your fellow champions are here Kaldur'ahm. There are reports of unrest in the city waves, unrest originating at the Conservatory of Sorcery." 

Kaldur, "With your leave my Queen, I would like to show my friends the Conservatory and some other parts of the city."

Queen Atlanna, "By all means, show them the city. But do return for the evening meal, I would like to hear about young Logan's adventure with my son."