3 Uncle from the Sea

Previously on Marvel's Aquaman

"Where are we? And WHO the hell do you think you are?" Jackson raged at the man, as he ripped off the hat covering his head and face. Only to drop the hat and man, and take a step backwards in total shock as the stranger's light blue skin was revealed. The man was quite handsome with a strong jawline and high cheekbones, one of which was already bruised from Jackson's punch. The man whipped the blood from his lip, caught his breath, and locked eyes with the utterly confused, shocked, and angry teen as he said,

"Your Uncle, Prince Kaldur'ahm."

Now

{Uninhabited Island}

{Atlantic Ocean}

Jackson was in a state of shock and denial. He could only stare blankly at the strange blue man, claiming to be his uncle and calling him a Prince? For literally a second one small part of him wanted to hit the man again while he was still on the ground, he wanted to yell and rage at him. But a greater part of him, a more reasonable, calm, and curious part of him, made him simply hold out his hand to the man, who looked up at him with a slight smile and accepted his help, while thanking him. Once the man was on his feet, Jackson's face gained a deep frown as he crossed his arms and said in a rough voice,

"You say you're my uncle, explain now. Because according to my mother, my father was a ship captain, who was killed at sea. I have a cousin in Africa, who is some type of politician or something. And that is all the family she ever talked about, she's never, and I mean never mentioned me having a blue uncle named?"

"I am Prince Attuma'Orm, Son of King Orin and Queen Mera Fen, and Brother to King Namor, your father," Attuma said as he stood a bit straighter and spoke with more authority in his voice. Jackson blinked owlishly, before narrowing his eyes in confusion as he asked in an incredulous tone,

"You said Atlantis, as in the underwater city? And my father, King?"

"Precisely," Attuma said before Jackson fired back in fiery tone, as his anger increased and his voice rose,

"Ha, where's your proof, you could just be some experiment or like one of those monsters that attacked recently. You say my father's a king, then how'd he get himself killed, before he could tell me himself. You call yourself my uncle, then where were you huh, why wait 17 years to approach me, and at a football game of all things." Attuma withstood his nephew's anger and accusations with a neutral expression before he vehemently said,

"I am no monster or science creation, nephew I am a Prince of Atlantis, as are you. My proof is in the way you reacted to my magic. My proof is in the strength you used to knock me away. No normal person could punch with that much power, I'm sure you know this. You are also truly talented in magic it seems, you were able to unconsciously block me from water vapor-traveling us for about 15 seconds. Impressive, your father will be proud." This caught Jackson off guard as he slightly froze, looked to his supposed uncle with widened eyes, and asked in a hushed tone,

"What do you mean, will be?" Attuma looked to Jackson with a sad smile as he walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and said in a soft voice,

"As I said Prince Kaldur, he will be proud, because he is not dead" Jackson didn't know how to react for a second, before for a second time that night his face was a picture of rage, as he swatted his uncle's arm away and shouted out,

"Then where the hell is he! Why isn't he here to tell me this himself?!!" His rage full tirade was instantly shut down as Attuma replied evenly,

"He and myself have been busy protecting you and keeping you alive."

"What," Jackson asked in a quiet voice as he looked at his uncle in confusion and uncertainty. Attuma took a deep breathe before he said,

"Your father is a King to a people of 11 billion strong. A majority of that number love him, respect him, and would willingly die for him. But there are a good amount that would love nothing more than to turn him to dust, bring his long and prosperous reign crumbling down, to bring him any modicum of pain or agony they can muster. It is part of my job as your father's Advisor and Top General to monitor for these threats and handle them accordingly. But you must ask yourself my nephew; What could cause a powerful monarch more pain than the destabilization and possible loss of his realm?"

"What," Jackson asked as he looked at his uncle questionably.

"The loss of his loved and most cherished heir," Attuma said in a steely tone as he locked eyes with his nephew. Jackson looked at his uncle again with a slightly questioning face, before looking down as he said,

"Loved and cherished," Attuma stepped forward again, placing a firm hand on Jackson's shoulder, forcing him to look him in the eyes. As he said in a serious tone,

"Never doubt your father loves you Prince Kaldur. It is forbidden for any Atlantean to have relations with the surface world, even the King himself. Your father broke that rule when he met your mother and had you. Yet he still named you his heir, he and I have worked tirelessly to protect you from many high-standing Atlanteans, who've wanted to do you and your mother harm. He even named me as your Royal trainer, to train you in all of Atlantis' ways, if you should so choose," Jackson listened to how passionately his uncle spoke and heard as his voice softened as he offered to train him. A part of him was sold on this whole Atlantis thing and wanted to learn more about himself and his father. But another part was frustrated with his father and this situation he'd found himself in. Prince to some place he didn't think existed and an alive father he'd previously thought dead. His thoughts were in a swirl as he look to his uncle and sighed as he said,

"This is a lot to take in..Uncle. I just wish I could see him, wish he could be the one here telling me all this."

"So does he, Kaldur'ahm, but he readies all the people of Atlantis for the news of your existence and eventual arrival. This involves taking care of a few enemies and potential risks. He sent me in his stead to help you and watch over you, but he still watches over you through this charm," Attuma said as he motioned to a carved seashell pendant Jackson had on his neck. He'd forgotten he even had it on, as he never took it off. He looked down at it caressing it, before he looked back to his uncle in confusion and asked,

"What do you mean, my mom gave me this?" It was his uncle's turn to look confused as he said,

"No it was your father's, I sat with him on a beach in the Bahamas as he carved it. He gave it to you, do you not remember?" At his words, Jackson felt himself slip into a stream of memories, as Attuma watched as his eyes glazed over a bit and his seashell seemed to glow a bit. He watched as his nephew quickly came too as he looked up at him with a look of recognition on his face and slight tears in his eyes. Jackson quickly wiped them away and said with a sad smile,

"I remember now, it was my 5th birthday. My mom threw it in Central Park, for space, and I'd wandered off. This man found me crying, he was tall, and huge, like way bigger than you Unc," He chuckled at his uncle's look of annoyance, before he continued,

"Anyway he had the weirdest pointed ears and he looked kinda mean, but he gave me the kindest and warmest smile I'd ever seen. Kinda reminded me of my mom, and he said to me ('Prince's shouldn't cry especially on their birthday.')Then he gave me this, that was him wasn't it, my father?" Attuma nodded while sharing a small smile with Jackson as he said,

"That sounds like my brother Namor." They both stood in silence for a moment, watching the ocean and the waves as they crashed gently against the sands edge. Jackson felt a connection to the sea he'd never felt before, he couldn't fully describe it, but he wanted to learn more about it. He looked to his uncle as he said,

"I think I'd like to learn more about Atlantis, more about my heritage, but it'll have to be another time. My mom wants me home by 11:00, it's 10:40 now, and I have no idea how far we are from New York."

"I'm happy you want to learn more about where you come from. And we're About 4,000 nautical miles from New York," Attuma said matter of factly.

"What the hell?!" Jackson exclaimed as he slowly started to panic and think about his mom. His uncle noticed his panicking and chuckled a bit to himself before pulling his nephew into the water and as they slowly started to submerge he said,

"No worries Young Kaldur'ahm, that distance is no problem, for two Royal Atlanteans such as ourselves, to travel in no time at all." Jackson gave him an are crazy face as he said,

"You've got to be kidding me, I've swam before, hell I was captain of my swim team and I know I can breathe underwater. But how the hell is that gonna help us get to New York in like 10 minutes from 4,000 miles away. And what's with the whole Kaldur'ahm thing, my middle name is Kaldur, what's Kaldur'ahm?" Attuma looked at him in confusion as they fully submerged, before he said underwater,

"It is your full Atlantean name, the one your Father gave you. Kaldur is a mere shortening of the name. It is a name of power and courage in Atlantean culture." Jackson looked at him in surprise before he began talking to his uncle underwater, which oddly enough he'd practiced, he said,

"Huh, I wonder if my mom knew that, I wonder why she never told me all this? Does she know the truth about my father?" As the pair expertly swam further down into the depths of the ocean, Attuma looked conflicted before saying,

"She does b-," But he was cut off as his nephew exploded in angry stopping him in his tracks,

"What, how come she never told me all this?She knew I was different! That I felt like a freak all the time!!" Jackson felt betrayed as he was fuming in anger but his uncle put his anger to rest again as he firmly said,

"Because your father asked her not to, it was not her duty to inform you. It was his to inform you of your status as Prince and Heir to the Throne. There was just never time, but your 18th birthday approaches fast. And it is crucial you take your place as heir by then." They floated in place under the water, as Jackson look at his uncle in confusion as he asked,

"Why?" Attuma looked uncomfortable for a second before shaking it off as he quickly said,

"Just a part of the Atlantean Culture and rules, you may tell your mother of your learning of your heritage if you like. Try not to hold it against here too much though, she may be a surface dweller, but she is as much a slave to our rules and culture as we are. Now no more questions or worries nephew, let me show you how a true Royal Atlantean transverses the Sea," And with a smirk he shot off like a rocket underwater, pushing Jackson away and deeper into the water. When he finally righted himself he let out a laugh before, catching sight of his uncle far ahead of him and swimming at impossible speeds. He shook his head as he said,

"Ah that's awesome, okay how do I do this?" He focused himself and clenched his fist as he tensed his muscles. He pointed his body in the direction his uncle had shot off in, and focused on himself again and the water around him. His eyes gave off an ethereal glow, along with his tattoos, as he unconsciously accessed his water magic and used that and his tremendous strength to launch himself after his Uncle.

"Woahhhhh! Yaaaa! Wooohoooo!!" Attuma watched as his nephew shot past him with a giant smile on his face, as he swam at speeds even he couldn't calculate. But they had to pass his top speed of Mach 10 while underwater. He watched his nephew slightly disappear from his view with a gentle smile as he thought of the possible future, and the positive changes his nephew would bring to Atlantis and the surface world, as he was a child of both.

{One month later}

After learning about the other side of his family Jackson was in a bit of a daze. He'd decided not to tell his mom about learning about his father and his true nature, at least until he'd learned more for himself and actually met his father. The following weeks after his first initial meeting with his uncle he'd scarcely met with him waiting for after his high school graduation, to which he invited his uncle. After his graduation, at the end of May, he started meeting more with his Uncle on the same island that he learned was in Portugal. He almost managed to convince his mom he'd gotten a job to save more for college later in the year.

Swimming from New York to there had become a great workout and pass time. As Jackson continued to learn from Attuma about his Atlantean heritage, he also learned more and more about himself. He was getting stronger and faster everyday, and his incredible strength was apparent in and out of water. Once, while swimming he came across an old submarine that his uncle estimated had to weigh at least 16 thousand tons.

And he lifted it with ease, and with one hand. That strength showed itself on land as well as Jackson was able to shatter boulders, the ground, and topple trees with ease as he missed blows while sparring with his uncle. Attuma theorized to his nephew that his special attributes, like his massive strength, were due to him being a hybrid of an Atlantean and a surface dweller. He told him regular Atlanteans were only able to survive a week at best on the surface with no contact with water, but Royal Atlanteans were able to survive for months and possibly years on the surface with no water.

His uncle theorized a mutation in his genes gave him the ability to breathe surface air as he did ocean water, which was why he was able to live most of his young adult life on land. Things like that gave him a bit of a headache, but he was truly fascinated with the magic of Atlantis. He stood with his uncle on the beach again as he explained the magic of his people and how he could be considered a prodigy.

"Us Atlanteans, like all beings as I've come to learn, are able to use their internal energy for various effects," Attuma said to start the lesson. Jackson look to his uncle confused as he said,

"I thought you said it was magic." Attuma used to his nephew's check, rolled his eyes while saying,

"It is mystical in nature and harnessing your personal energy can fuel a spell."

"Oh, cool," Jackson said intelligently.

"Yes, well we Atlanteans use our personal energies to psychically interact with, influence, and control the water around us. Almost all can learn it but most practitioners of water magic are naturally born with a disposition to it. Identified by mystical markings on their bodies, like yours" Attuma revealed to a surprised Jackson, as the teen looked to his markings in wonder before looking back to his uncle and asking,

"So, do other Atlanteans have marks like mine?"

"Not exactly, most markings are a simple symbol or a small marking on the user's chest, or sometimes face or arm. Yours covers both your arms and parts of your chest, shoulders, and back. It is the most unique Atlantean mystical marking I've ever seen, and I believe it benounces your extreme potential in the mystic arts," His uncle said with a prideful smile directed toward his nephew, who looked a bit bashful as he looked down as he said,

"Thanks uncle, it means a lot to me."

"No problem nephew," Attuma said. Jackson then looked to his uncle again with a curious expression as he asked,

"Hey uncle, you said all beings can use their personal energy for magic. Have you met any other people that can use magic?" His uncle looked slightly caught off guard for a second before, he replied,

"Well now that you've asked, yes, I have. Like your father I took an interest in the surface world and its cultures and innovations, and in my youth I toured the land to learn more. In my time in India I came across an order of surface dwellers who were able to use their personal energies for a variety of effects such as spells, telepathy, and telekinesis, to name a few. They used their powers to defend the surface world from threats of a mystical nature and they were led by a woman called the ancient one, the most powerful of their masters." Jackson looked amazed at his uncle's tale and explanation of these impressive and noble people.

"Wow, they sound amazing. Did you learn from this Order and Ancient One?" He asked his uncle in curious excitement, to which Attuma nodded his head, yes, as he said,

" I did but I wasn't able to learn much, other than how to hone my own form of personal energy manipulation." Jackson looked a little put off as he asked,

"Why's that?"

"These Sorcerers, as they are called, are more powerful than you can imagine. They can manipulate not just their own energies, but also the energies of the universe. I found this to be too much for me to handle and ended my education there early." Attuma said in a tone of utter seriousness.

"Woah," was all Jackson could say.

"Indeed, now let us continue with your training, your task is to manipulate as much of this water as you can, for as long as you can. Begin," Attuma ordered his nephew as they continued on with his instruction in Atlantean water magic. Jackson nodded his head as he stared out at the Ocean surrounding them and began to talk to himself, repeating what his uncle had told him were the fundamentals in water magic.

"Okay. Feel your connection to the water, let it become one with you, make it listen, but don't force it." With his eyes closed he didn't notice as his Atlantean markings lit up with an ethereal blue light, but he felt as his entire being connected with an outside source. He felt the calmness of this source, the power it had, and destruction it could cause. He pulled on that source and opened his eyes to see a massive tidal wave slowly forming before him. He looked on in complete shock as he said in a whisper,

"I did it." He heard his uncle approach him and looked at him as he put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes you did, as I knew you could, my Prince. Now see how long you can maintain it." Attuma said with a giant smile on his face and pride dancing in his eyes at his nephew's prodigious skill. Jackson returned his uncles smile as he looked by at the tidal wave he'd created with pride and hope coursing through him, he said

"You got it Unc." He'd show his father and all of Atlantis how powerful he was. He'd make them and his mom proud.