Arthur Curry, king of Atlantis, dies of a disease that his half-brother Orm believes could have been cured by the "Trident of Atlan". Orm has been attempting to reforge the trident after it was destroyed by Black Manta, but is unsuccessful. A year later, Atlantis has been under pressure from other countries to share their Eternium, with some parties attempting to steal it by force. Thomas Curry implores Orm to continue his research on the Trident of Atlan, hoping to create a new Aquaman that will defend Atlantis, but he refuses as he believes the Aquaman to be a figure of the past. The CIA uses a new Eternium-detecting machine on an expedition to a potential Eternium deposit in the Arabian Desert.
