Cody

Since I technically was in the past, I decided to keep my head low. I might not look exactly like my younger self, but if I did run into him, people are going to put two and two together and I'll have some unwanted attention on my hands.

Moving through the city, the palace was getting closer by the second. I could hear my own heartbeat, as if the Nexus is calling to me, telling me things I couldn't make out. It only got louder the more I approached it.

How am I supposed to do this? Just waltz up there in front of all the guards and hope something happens? What if I get arrested? What if- then my heart stopped at the thought. What if Poseidon was there? What am I supposed to say? To do? What is he anymore? A King? A father? An enemy? A Villain or Hero? So many questions, but none of them were answered, nor would they be easily.

I stood, frozen in the middle of the white road and trying to figure out what to do. I wasn't supposed to be here, so what if I was caught? I haven't done a stealth mission in a while, and never have I ever done it to Atlantis. Then again, I've never really had this happen to me so I guess this is another thing to check off the bucket list. 

I really thought I'd at least go to Disney Land before breaking into Atlanits.

Shaking my head, I retreated to the side of the path, walking much slower and allowing other Atlanteans to pass through without having to going around me. When passing by a bench, two people started to whisper to each other.

"So did you hear? The palace is under lock down right now! They're trying to get the military here as fast as possible! Poseidon too! I heard he was visiting the outskirts for something so he doesn't even know yet!"

I perked up. Lockdown? Slowing the pace, I listened in as discreetly as possible.

"Really? Why? Robber? Some crazed attacker?"

The first one shook their head. "No, no. Much more interesting." They glanced around, but didn't seem to care if I was there. They eyes instead locked onto a guard hastily moving past. As soon as they did, they spoke again. "You see, it's... Code Purple."

The second one gasped in shock. "Shut up! No way! Code PURPLE? As in-"

"Yep! They spotted one. I even saw them myself! So scary!"

Unable to resist any longer, I faced the pair. The first sat up, seeing me immediately. He elbowed the other, nodding towards me and she mirrored him. "Oh, hello!" The girl said sheepishly. She gave me a little smile.

"Can we help you?" The guy's eyes narrowed a bit, searching me for some sort of sign. I didn't wait around to figure out what it was.

"Sorry to interrupt but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. What's Code Purple?"

Both of their eyes widened. "You're-... You're kidding right?" I gave them a blank stare. "You haven't heard of Code Purple? Have you been living under a rock or something? Or- oh! You must've just moved in."

I laughed nervously. "Yep! Fresh in the neighborhood! Haven't really been around much because moving in takes all of my time up. Can't wait to explore Atlantis! There's so much here that I haven't seen. Does Atlantis have like a tourist attractions I can see? Never mind, forget that, just tell me: What's Code Purple?"

The pair exchanged glances, having a silent conversation before the female beckoned me closer. I leaned in.

"Okay, Code Purple is a sensitive topic so normally, people don't bring it up often. We'll give you the benefit of the doubt because you're new, so listen up because no one else wants to say anything." I nodded, giving them the green light.

"Code Purple means that there's a kraken sighting. You see, Atlantis had a bad experience with krakens that actually led to a war against them! Any that were in Atlantis either left or were killed! Needless to say, we don't get along. This means that every time we see one, we have to report it to the authorities! Though because they lost, we haven't had a Code Purple in forever! However, today, we got one! The first one in years and it's no joke, I saw them myself."

My heart palpitated. They saw a kraken? All I could think of was the child KrakenKid following me and getting caught. I gulped before talking again. "You didn't happen to remember what they looked like, do you?"

They nodded. "Yeah I do! Who could forget that? Besides, I have a great memory. This kraken was HUGE! Like an adult one! Or I guess kinda youngish one... I've never seen a fully grown kraken so don't quote me on that. They were bigger than me though! They had this long purple body with teneicals! They were wearing this brown belt like thing around across their body and around the waist! AND, wait for it," He paused. "Glowing. Yellow. Eyes."

Right then I stopped breathing.

"Creepy huh?" I just nodded absentmindedly.

"Yeah..." So not young KrakenKid... Wait... Then it hit me. It was the KrakenKid from my time. My breath hitched and I took deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. "Interesting."

Instantly I made a move towards the palace. "Hey? Weren't you listening? They are at the palace! Don't go there!" I ignored their cries and sped through the town I knew so well and up the stairs.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I had to do something.

The entrance, sure enough, was blocked off. There was a small crowd of people trying to look in but guards stopped them. "What's going on?" The crowd mumbled to each other. Two ladies in the back began to whisper loudly so I listened in.

"Agatha, you were here before me, what is going on?"

"Code Purple that's what! I was actually among the first here and I caught a glimpse of them! I saw my life flash before my eyes. I'm going to marry Ethan. He's always been there for me."

"The things you do when you have a near death experience! Did anyone die? Have they killed them yet? Come on Agatha, details!"

Yeah Agatha! Tell those spicy details!

Agatha chuckled. "Sorry! You know best when it comes to my rambling! Like I said, Code Purple has been activated. There's a kraken down by the pedestals and library. You know the place, right Cathy?"

"Of course I do! You have to pass the pedestals to get there!"

Just get to the point people! Come on Agatha! Work with me here!

"Well, I saw them while I was coming up from my studies! They ran right past me. If my memory serves me right, they were pretty young, not a baby but kinda like the young adult area if you-"

"To the point Ag!"

Preach it sister!

"Right, right. They barricaded themselves in between that area. All of those people in the library and church are trapped!"

And thank you Agatha. At that moment, my brain went haywire, creating a plan on what to do. Then, a memory of the Sneaky Sister and Professor came to mind. I broke away from the crowd and rushed towards the market as fast as my legs could take me.

The blacksmith wasn't quite what I remember them to be. The business was much smaller and few staff members. The weapons, tools and armor wasn't really impressive, the best they seemed to have was diamond, but it would have to do.

The woman at the desk was falling asleep, her hair in a messy bun and glasses drooping from her nose. She didn't even notice me come in or when I snagged the pickax. It was too easy. Guilt weight down on me but I did what I could to shrug it off.

It was a necessary evil.

I strived to make it to the back of the palace while avoiding everyone's gaze at all cost. However, everyone was too busy gossiping about Code Purple to even notice the suspicious looking penguin trying to keep it together.

Finally, making it to the back, to my luck the place was empty. There were few houses and a tower or two but other than that, I was in the clear. I mined the blocks and it wasn't long before I broke down the palace walls. I peered inside.

There were a couple things different than I remembered. For starters, there wasn't any carpet and the pedestals weren't fancy like I was used to. The other thing was a wall made up of cobblestone cutting off the area from the rest of the palace. A kraken paced back and forth in front of it, glancing at the wall every once once in awhile.

I knew I should have addressed him first, but I couldn't take my eyes off of it once I looked for more than a second. My spear. The power still swirled around the whole thing and now that I was locked onto it, the blue crystal hummed to life and shone. For just a moment, it whispered things to me. Promises of power, of peace and of prosperity. I could hear my own heartbeat. Everything else in the world faded. There was nothing except me and this spear. So badly I wanted to reunite with it.

I would have gotten sucked in if I didn't resist and force myself to focus on the more important thing at hand. "Kraken! Psst! KrakenKid!" I hissed.

He whipped around, tensing up. "... Cody?" KrakenKid squinted at me. His shoulders relaxed but still held the questioning gaze. He examined my form in the newly made hole. Something sparked in his eye when he first saw me.

"Well yeah! Do you know any other penguin royalty?" I joked. When he didn't respond right away I began to wonder if he really did. "Wait... Do you?"

"Kinda." He admitted. "Does it count if they're the same person as you?"

I gave him an odd look before something occurred to me. "So you're also in the past like me and you met another penguin... You didn't happen to meet a younger version of me, did you?"

KrakenKid hesitated making my eyes widened. "No way."

"Yes way. I spent the last couple days with younger you. It was... Interesting to say the least."

I continued to stare. "And you didn't kill him?"

The kraken stifled a laugh. "Nope. I don't mess with kids, remember? Besides, he's not terrible."

"Not terrible... I think that's the best compliment I've ever gotten from you. Any who, I also was with a little someone. They were this dorky kid who loved playing with trains and talking about various villains. They could not stop ranting about all of their heros, and they REALLY liked this T-Rex guy." I watched as his face became more flustered with each detail I added.

"You could have just said it was me..." He mumbled under his breath, looking away.

"But where's the fun in that? Come on, I was originally here for a rescue and that's what I'm going to do! That little wall isn't going to hold Atlantis off for very long."

This time it was KrakenKid who gave me the look. "Rescue? You're saving me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I am. If I remember correctly, I am "Not terrible" and I plan on keeping the reputation. As a "Not terrible" person, I'm going to help a guy out from certain death so we can go home somehow. The Nexus will do something, I'm sure of it."

His eyes rolled as he swam up to the hole I made. I stepped back and allowed him in. "How was being with little KrakenKid?" I could hear the curiosity in his voice. I just laughed a little. "Fun to say the least. You sure were a little ball of energy back then."

"You're one to talk." I snickered at his comment.

"You got me there. I have to say, the kid you was soooo cute. I really didn't want to leave for a while there. But, you know, duty calls. Plus, I don't belong in this timeline. He- you- did give me this stuffed squid!"

I held it up, flashing it towards him. In an instant, his eyes flashed and he took a step back. "YOU HAVE THAT?" KrakenKid shouted. My eyes knitted together and I nodded. "I- what? That was you?"

"What?"

KrakenKid used both tentacles to wipe his face, and breath out a short breath of hot air. "Okay, I'm not going to lie here, my memory isn't the best at times, especially my childhood one's. Like I remember I had this AMAZING friend when I went to this weird Monster Baby Daycare or something like that and then I had to move to Atlantis so we would E-Mail each other using our parent's E-Mails but then... I got cut off from him from lack of pretty much anything to communicate with and I have no idea what he looks like. All I had was some gummy bears that he loved so much. Another thing that gets hazy was a stranger who I helped and in turn, helped me. They were really nice and encouraging to me and when they had to leave, I gave them my favorite toy: a stuffed squid. I never saw or heard from them again, and I might have forgotten what they were like, but they were the whole reason why I started the Tide Changers. I didn't have enough courage at the time to do much of anything but they helped me through it. They gave me courage. And now," He nodded to the toy. "You are telling me that was you? You were the reason I turned out a successful villain?"

I stared at him blankly. "Uh... I think so... Holy crap, I was the one to suggest naming your base the Conch Command instead of," I let out a giggle. "Security Shell."

KrakenKid's eyes narrowed. "Hey! I was young and I thought it sounds so cool, don't judge me! At least I understood sarcasm and what a rhetorical question was! You could barely take a hint!"

I forced myself to stop laughing but a smirk still played on my face. I opened my mouth to say more but then the sound of mining coming closer stopped us both. KrakenKid whipped around, and then returned back to me. "We better get going, they're trying to break in. You have a plan right?"

"Nope. Making this up as I go. So far so good."

I rushed out of the hole and back into the open, searching around for anybody. It was all empty. Empty, except for one wandering child who locked eyes with me. My heart skipped a beat at who it was.

"Hey! Penguin! Is it safe?" The kraken hissed. He carefully emerged from the hole, but then stopped dead at what I was looking at. "Is that... Is that who I think it is?"

I couldn't respond, my body was suddenly not responding to my brains pleads to move on, to run away and avoid it all. My heart wanted to stay for one more moment. I just wanted to cherish it.

"Robin Hood! Hey! It's so cool to see you again!" The child version of my best friend stood before me, grinning wildly. "What cha doing? Is that your like, follower or something?"

I gulped and nodded. "Yep... A follower... Hey, uh, Joe? Can you do me a favor?"

His eyes widened in awe. "Robin Hood knows my name? AND HE WANTS A FAVOR FROM ME?" He exclaimed. "Yeah! Anything to help you! You were always one of my favorite bedtime stories!"

"If anyone asks, you didn't see me or my friend here, okay?" He nodded wildly. "Anything for Robin Hood!"

I just kept nodding and signaled the kraken to follow me. "Okay, thanks Joe. I-I'll see you around." I stuttered and escaped into the shadows of the city. As we walked, I didn't talk, only continuing forward and never stopping. KrakenKid grabbed my shoulder, finally ceasing my steps.

"Uh, dude, are you okay?"

I attempted to say 'Yes' but the word got caught in my throat. That's what happens when it's too big of a lie to say. Tears formed at the edges of my eyes and threatened to spill over. Just as they did, something happened. Something that even if the world ended, I never would have expected to happen.

KrakenKid hugged me.

"It's okay bud. Everything's going to be okay."

I stood there in shock. "Uh, Kranken? You're... Hugging... Me. And comforting me? Are you really the same KrakenKid?"

He quickly pulled away and gathered himself. "Oh, uh, sorry. Kinda of an instinct now. You know, seeing a crying penguin, I have to comfort them otherwise they will keep crying. Looks like younger and older you are both pretty sensitive."

I still couldn't get over it. "You comforted younger me too?"

"I'm a father, of course I had to comfort a child! Give me some slack!"

I shook myself, sighing. "Well, the guards are going to figure out what happened any second now so we better hide."

I wasn't really someone who was great at hide and seek, but apparently KrakenKid was, which made sense once I thought about it all. He showed me the best place to hide, in plain sight. We choose a place right next to the palace near one of the windows. I kept taking little glances, trying to find a moment where we could get in and get to the Nexus somehow.

Hours passed and the security there was now minimal. They all thought he was long gone so the guards were sent out to different sectors. At this time, I had no other choice. "Let's make a break for it." I suggested. KrakenKid checked, then agreed.

A moment passed before I jumped through the window and made a mad dash for the Nexus, the Tide Changer not too far behind. The few guards there noticed about halfway to it. The huge source of blue energy began to glow even brighter than before, recognizing my presence and most likely KrakenKid's as well. It sounded as though it was whispering, and reaching out towards us, trying to envelope us in the light.

"Stop right there! CODE PURPLE! CODE PURPLE!" Two guards grabbed a hold of my arms, stopping me in my tracks, I attempted to shake them off but I barely moved at all. "Get the other! Newbie! Get the Rasmus out of here! NOW!"

I glanced back. KrakenKid was farther behind and backing up. Four guards were all closing in slowly. His yellow eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape of some sort. To my left, there was a very young and female guard with black hair and one eye escorting a rooster away from the fight. His eyes scanned the scene and locked with mine. No doubt in my mind that this was Rasmus, but much younger than I knew him. His gaze held but I broke it off when the light of the Nexus became unbearable.

I know when you see something bright you aren't supposed to look directly at it but I couldn't resist. It was... Flowing. Moving. Almost like breathing. Almost like it was alive and its eyes stared right into my soul.

It filled the entire room and soon, it was like I was floating. I smile softly and closed my eyes. Just like before, my body faded away. I stopped trying to resist and trying to stand. I gave in, my body started to fall, but not a second later, I was gone, once again.

I collapsed to the ground, groaning and shifting on the carpet. My body ached, like it hadn't been used in years. There were sounds of something shifting next to me that filled my ears, leaving it with nothing else. Eyes flickering open, the light of the Nexus dwindled and returned to its normal state. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was smiling. Of course, why would it be? It's just a large source of mystical power.

I gazed over from the Nexus to the kraken slowly getting up next to me. His eyes blinked several times before actually taking in information.

"Never again..." He whispered, shaking his head. "Time travel really messes with your mind. And body. Pretty much everything. Never. Again."

I let out a low laugh. "I think that was a one time experience. Though, I think it was... Necessary. I didn't-..." I sighed and rubbed my eyes. "I didn't know about what my Dad did. About what happened to you."

"Well I didn't know you didn't know. And that you just might have equal, maybe even more stress than I do. You have a whole cities weight on your shoulders."

"And you can't stop thinking about all the death this city and my father caused to your kind, of course you wouldn't give us the benefit of the doubt."

Our pairs of eyes locked on to the other. Brown and Yellow eyes searching and seeing what they could find in the other.

They say the eyes are the window of the soul. There's a reason for that: It's true. When you look into someone's eyes, I don't mean just look at the color, I mean really look, you can see them. Everything they are, and everything they will be. At that moment, you understand. You understand them and everything they do.

The sound of chattering suddenly became apparent. I easily picked out an Irish accent among them and the deep voice that could only be Rasmus. It was coming close as each second passed, which only meant I had seconds to act.

And actions speak louder than words ever could.

"Go." I told him. His eyes squinted in confusion. KrakenKid opened his mouth so speak but I beat him to it. "They'll be here any moment and they won't be happy to see you so go! RUN!"

His eyes flickered and he scrambled to get up and out the window. I watched him leave and just before he left my sight, KrakenKid looked back.

Professor Pikalus, Rasmus and many other guards all rushed into the room once they saw me, still lying on the ground. "Cody! What happened?" Rasmus demanded.

I shot a look down at my state of condition. All the wounds I previously had gotten from the fight before I traveled in time now came back to haunt me, not to mention his sword and my spear were on the ground. I cracked a smile, sighing.

"That's a long story and I'm not really sure."

"Well are you okay?"

I hesitated, words caught in my throat before I came up with an answer. "Not really."

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As for this story, this might be among my longest chapter yet! Not really sure, I'll have to check but still pretty long! It also took me a lot longer than I thought it would.

Dang, this series is coming to an end now. There is one last chapter left, and it's going to be an epilogue! This has been really fun and I'm glad you guys enjoyed it! I'm giving you guys a warning now, the end-note for next chapter is probably going to be really long and sentimental so... Yeah.

Fun Fact: In the making of this chapter, I stopped for a moment and actually had inspiration to write a little part of the epilogue and... It's kinda heart breaking. Some emotional crap is going to go DOWN so uh... Yeah... Enjoy that. Just a little fun fact for ya.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Be sure to comment your thoughts on the whole thing and prepare for the last update of this book :(. Anyways, I'll see ya'll later! Goodbye!

--JustAnAtlantisWriter