He turned around, planted his hands on his hips, and resumed his swagger.
"We're safe here. No one's listening."
"What does the famous Golden Armor God of War want with me? I don't think I've done anything wrong."
Yongye leaned against a reef and took a sip of lemonade. "I'm forming The Boys to keep Superhero in check. I want you to join."
Arthur's brows drew together.
He was silent for a while before speaking. "I've heard plenty about you. What you did to Black Widow Natasha and that Secretary of yours wasn't heroic."
"I don't trust you."
"Besides, Batman came to me. I've already agreed to join the Justice League."
Yongye set his lemonade on the reef, slipped his hands back into his pockets, and tilted his head. "Can Batman help you find your mother? I can."
The words struck like a lit fuse, burning straight through Arthur's easygoing composure.
His face tightened, his jaw setting hard as Rock.
"Don't joke about my mother!"
The words came from deep in his chest, hot with anger.
Arthur believed his mother, Queen Atlanna, was dead—sacrificed to the Trench in a horrific end. To him, Yongye's words didn't just reopen a wound. They were a deliberate insult.
Yongye seemed not to notice that Arthur was on the verge of exploding. He kept twisting the knife.
"Your mother has aged remarkably well, you know. You're all grown up, but she's still quite a beauty. Oh, right—she's Atlantis royalty. That probably has something to do with it..."
Now Arthur understood why Batman had looked ready to grind his teeth whenever he mentioned the President of the Eye Society.
Arthur's fists were itching too. He badly wanted to hit someone.
Yongye said, "Your mother's still alive, but she needs saving. As for the price, either