Third Person

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Joe demanded as he stared at what used to be KrakenKid's home.

The kraken huffed and leaned back in his seat, knowing it was now too late to explain his situation to them. He might as well get a few moments of rest while the others check out what happened. No doubt they'd start bombarding him with questions once they came back to their senses.

Pikalus stopped the whole Cephalopod just so he could stare at the damage for as long as he needed and not have to worry about flying a ship at the same time. Joe leaned forward, getting closer to the window until he pressed his face against it and started to fog it up with his breath. Cody got out of his seat and followed his brother's example, trying to get a good look at it.

Though Cody and Joe did mess the Conch Command up pretty badly before, now none of it was standing. Not only did it look like someone smashed walls until it collapsed, much like the princes did, but there were craters in ground, most likely from bombs. Not only was it broken, but it was beyond repair.

Whoever did this clearly wasn't looking just to damage it, but to break it all together.

"KRAKENKID!" The brothers and Pikalus yelled in unison and whipped around to face him. The kraken looked up at the mention of his name, adjusting his cowboy hat as he did. He nonchalantly attempted to lean against the side of the seat, but it didn't work out so he used his own tentacles as armrests.

"That is my name." He answered as if nothing was wrong, getting the others to gape at him.

"What..." Cody couldn't seem to get the words to form so he took a moment to collect himself, glancing back at the destruction one last time before saying anything. "What happened? I thought you were repairing the Conch Command!"

"I was." He answered, eyes narrowing. "Then that uncle of yours came along."

Even Pikalus seemed surprised. "Phaeton attacked you?" KrakenKid nodded slowly. The scientist's head tilted as he was thinking to himself. "I thought you and Phaeton had a deal? You leave each other alone?"

KrakenKid let out a dry laugh and put chills down Cody's spine. It didn't matter if he was against them or with them, the outlaw was creepy. The way his eyes shifted with criminal intent, how easy he found it to shoot someone or ruin their lives for his own gain, and the fact that Cody didn't even know what his motives were, were all things that made him so sinister.

"Yes, we did have a bit of an agreement. It would have stayed like that if I hadn't gotten caught."

Joe's eyebrows knitted together. "Caught? What did you- ohhhhh." He stopped himself mid way and nearly face palmed. Cody turned to him for answers, arching his brow. "The bank heist, remember?" He told him, getting him to let out a similar 'ohhhhh' in response. The kraken grunte, displeased.

"Yep. I would have gotten away if you two," His eyes narrowed at the brothers but his gaze was mainly focused on Cody of the two. "Hadn't gotten in my way."

"We got in your way?" Cody scoffed, crossing his arms. "We were there first!"

"Were you now?" The kraken challenged, sitting up more and instinctively started to hover over his gun. "We were there for two hours, waiting for the guards to shift spots! We just followed you two in!" He growled back. Cody began to slowly reach for his own weapon without thinking before Joe gave him a nudge, then shot KrakenKid a glare for him to stop as well. The pair glared at each other but backed off, relaxing slightly but still kept a hateful gaze on the other.

"And then what happened?" Joe prompted, bouncing slightly on his feet. KrakenKid's eyes shifted back to the chicken and sighed.

"Well Joey-"

"It's just Joe."

"Don't care- let's just say that," He nodded towards the mess behind the window. "Happened. I tried to prevent it, but life isn't exactly fair, is it? Mind taking me home now?"

Cody blinked and switched between looked at KrakenKid and the Conch Command. "Isn't that your home?" He pointed to the rumble, getting an eye roll in response.

"Old home, yes. I gotta new home now. It's a little ways away from here, just go further into the outskirts until you see a mountain." He directed without breaking eye contact. Pikalus spared no time to start driving them there, nearly knocking the brothers off their feet with the sudden and fast movement of the CephaloPod.

"Whoa! Professor!" Joe protested, stumbling back and managing to get lucky enough to fall into a seat, next to KrakenKid. "A little warning next time!"

"Sorry boys, but I mean what I said before! I am getting rid of him as soon as possible. Not a fan of outlaws, they always stir up trouble! Just look what he did to my drone!" Pikalus glanced back and made a quick gesture towards the broken box on the floor that KrakenKid had dropped before.

"That hunk of junk was a drone?" The outlaw began to laugh. "You see, this is why I am not a fan of scientists. They think they can make something out of nothing when in reality, some things are nothing for a reason."

Pikalus actually growled at him, scaring Cody who was unlucky enough to sit in the front seat. KrakenKid smiled in triumph and the remainder of the trip was in silence.

"That mountain?" Pikalus asked, as they began to approach a tall and rocky mountain. KrakenKid peeked ahead and nodded.

"That would be the one. Just look for a giant hole in the side of it, and you'll find home." The brothers exchanged a look before shrugging and going along with it. As they circled it, eventually they spotted what they were looking for. Pikalus carefully landed the CephaloPod while the brothers and the outlaw all stepped off and headed towards the tunnels.

KrakenKid glanced back as he was walking and chuckled. "What, you want a house tour or something?" He joked, picking up the pace.

The brothers jogged behind him, having a mental conversation, Joe trying to convince Cody something but wasn't getting very far. "'Or something' fits it better." Cody answered finally, breaking eye contact with his brother but only for a moment as they went right back to where they left off.

"Pikalus won't allow it!" Cody hissed.

"He will if it's the right thing to do!" Joe pointed out.

KrakenKid could very well hear them, given they were terrible at whispering, but said nothing. After all, he was a little lost in what they were discussing and wasn't sure he even wanted to know what the crazy birds were up to in the first place. He'd probably find out eventually.

When they finally arrived at the cave, Joe and Cody both stopped in their tracks. KrakenKid noticed, whipping around and spread his arms out in a 'Ta da' gesture. "Well, here's home sweet home." He smirked, just waiting to see their reactions.

There wasn't much to it. He had a singular lamp, with ran off of batteries; a scrawny blanket; a damaged mini fridge; a table that looked like it could fall apart at any second; a makeshift couch, made up of two cushions; and a box of seemingly junk.

KrakenKid settled down on the couch, leaning into it comfortably and simply relaxing. Joe was frozen in place for a second before walking as casually as possible over to the fridge and peeking inside. Cody decided to check out the box of junk.

Joe looked through the containment of the fridge, widening his eyes before rushing over to Cody as fast as possible, nearly tripping over the table as he did. KrakenKid watched in amusement, silently making notes on what they were doing but still said nothing. He settled down and crossed his arms, like he was watching his favorite TV show. "Dude!" Joe hissed to his brother as he rummaged through KrakenKid's keepsakes. "It's nothing but canned food in there! Not even the good stuff either! Like canned green beans, Cody! Canned! Not even fresh!"

Cody frowned but kept continued what he was doing, examining everything he could find. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "What even is all this stuff?" He called over to the outlaw, who was watching. "Like," he picked out a ring at random. He examined it closely. It was silver, but had a singular small emerald attached to it. Given by the size of it and how Cody could barely slip it on his finger, he guessed KrakenKid wouldn't be able to wear it. Plus, why didn't he just sell it? He was all about money, wasn't he? "Why do you have this?"

The kraken stared at it for a moment before shrugging. "I dunno, guess I got a little sentimental and kept some things with me. That was my first successful thieving, you know! That ring. Swiped it right off some lady when I was only six years old!" He laughed like it was fond memory, and knowing him, it probably was. "She didn't even notice until it was too late. I got some food along with it, but I can't exactly keep that forever, now can I?"

The brother's heads shot up and gaped at him. "You started to steal when you were six years old?" Joe couldn't contain the shock from coming out with his voice. The outlaw nodded.

"Why?" Cody asked in disbelief. "You had to have know that was wrong by then!"

"Everyone has to eat, Princy." His gaze hardened on the penguin. "And not everyone had the privilege of knowing when their next meal was going to be." Cody immediately shut his mouth and stared at the ground, sudden guilt overcoming him but he wasn't sure why. "I got lucky if I got at least something to eat twice a day. I knew it was wrong, but did I care?" He stood up, and hovered over the penguin. He didn't waver in the slightest. "No. I did what I had to, to survive."

Cody decided it was best not to ask anymore questions and leave the guy alone. He turned to his brother, going to tell him that they should leave, but saw him with a look, one he had seen before when they were arguing. He knew exactly what he was trying to say and sighed, finally giving in. "Fine." He said, getting a smile out of Joe.

Joe faced KrakenKid head on, who was waiting this whole time to figure out what the brothers were planning. The kraken's eyes sparked with interest as Joe started to speak. "KrakenKid," He grinned excitedly. "You're coming with us!"

KrakenKid tensed. This wasn't what he was expecting. Then again, when it came to the princes, he always had no idea what to expect. Maybe that's why they had always been formidable foes. Of course, he'd never say that outloud, but his point still stood that they were something else. "I don't think I heard you right, what did you say?" He asked again, voice lower this time.

"I said, you're coming with us! Join us! Help us take down Phaeton!"

He blinked, then chuckled. "I'm going to have to pass." He shook his head and turned to go back to his spot, but Joe grabbed his arm for the second time that day. He glanced back, giving a cold look. Already knowing the chicken's iron grip, he didn't bother with tugging away. "And what do you think you're doing?"

Joe didn't flinch, staring him down. Cody watched the exchange and for the first time in a while, tried to get his brother to back off. "Joe, it's okay. He said no, let's just go." But the chicken didn't move.

"KrakenKid, admit it, you need help. Just come with us. We can provide a better place to stay and we can work together to take Phaeton down. We need all the allies we can get, and you're too reckless to do this alone."

KrakenKid attempted to tug his arm away, even though he knew it was futile, and as expected, it failed. "I don't need help, especially from the likes of you!" He replied, narrowing his eyes but only got a returned look from the prince. Did this guy not know when to give it up?

"Really? Because I seem to remember that we had to save you from Lennox-" KrakenKid opened his mouth but Joe cut him off. "Don't say you had it under control, you didn't! Plus, you're still injured." He added, his eyes shifting to the arm he didn't have a hold of.

KrakenKid's eyes flicked and his eyes went to the cut on his right arm, feeling the one on his shoulder as well when he moved it. He had forgot about it. He quickly examined it, seeing how deep it was. He huffed, both noting it was something that needed to be treated soon and knowing he didn't have any medical supplies. Why'd that chicken have to be right?

He thought to himself for a moment, before coming up with a deal, one that would hopefully get the crazy chicken off his back. "Fine, I'll join you and go by your rules, all that stuff, but," Joe got excited for a moment but paused at the word 'but'. KrakenKid smirked to himself. "Only if that scientist of yours agrees to it. If not, you leave me alone to do as I please, and never bother me again."

"Joe." Cody warned, but it went unnoticed.

"Done." Joe replied, and the pair shook hands. "It's a deal then."

Just as KrakenKid suspected, Pikalus was not so happy with Joe's news.

Since Cody didn't want any part of Pikalus' wrath, he said nothing, simply providing his brother moral support by standing behind him, not to mention he still didn't trust KrakenKid in the first place so trying to convince Pikalus would be harder for him. KrakenKid was off to the side, leaning against the wall of the ship, silently laughing at Joe's conversation with Pikalus going south. As for Pikalus, he said nothing at first, simply crossing his arms and glaring at the chicken for letting one of the most dangerous outlaws onto his ship for the second time that day.

As Joe finished up, he gazed up at Pikalus with his best pleading eyes. "So? How about it?"

"Absolutely not!" Pikalus answered, arms crossing. "KrakenKid will do just fine fending for himself, and I don't believe we can trust him! What if he turns his back on us?"

"He's not going to, he's too angry with Phaeton to pass up an opportunity to overthrow him!" Joe argued back.

Pikalus hesitated this time, thinking over Joe's words but still refused. "Your father would want me to protect you two, and keeping him around won't do that promise any good! Whether he needs us or not, he's going to turn his back on us the second he gets a better deal! I..." Professor's voice trailed off, a sad look lingering in his eyes before he swallowed it and replaced it with a firmer one. Both of the brother's could still see that his previous look didn't fully fade when he spoke. "I don't want to see you two get hurt, especially not by someone you trusted."

Joe went silent for a moment, but placed a hand on Pikalus' shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. "I know you're scared, but you need to trust me. I know what I'm doing! KrakenKid is a powerful ally and," He added in a lower voice, making sure the kraken couldn't hear his next words. "I think KrakenKid needs us. He's alone, and he just needs someone to help him along!" He quickly spoke louder before KrakenKid got more suspicious than he already was. "And, we need as many allies as we can get to fight against Phaeton's army."

Pikalus and Joe locked eyes for a moment, both having a battle of wills before Pikalus backed down. Joe's smile only became wider. The scientist's eyes darted to Cody, still at his brother's side. "And you're okay with this?"

Cody nodded firmly and made eye contact with his brother. "I trust Joe."

KrakenKid probably would have fell over if he hadn't been taking the support of the wall. "No way... You're not actually..." His voice barely audible. 

Pikalus sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this but Joe, I'll support you and I'll tolerate keeping KrakenKid around. As long as you get him to abide by the rules somehow." He added in, shooting a glare at the kraken, who sent one back.

"You gotta be kiddin me." The villain couldn't stop the words for escaping him as he stood there, dumbfounded. He just lost a bet.

"Nope!" Joe rushed over and put an arm around him, making his eyes widen even more than before. The prince had a triumphant grin on his face. "Welcome aboard the CephalodPod! Let's go grab your things!"

The room KrakenKid was presented with wasn't half bad. The Atlanteans had explained that it was normally a guest room but now it would be his. He would live inside the CephalodPod for now and join them on missions. He now had a well made bed, with a comfy pillow and blanket to go with it. There was even a shelf there so he could store his box of junk on it. They had moved what they could fit in there, having to leave behind the couch. KrakenKid didn't really care too much, he hated that couch anyways. The brothers already took care of his wounds, wrapping them up with cloth.

"So, what do you think?" Cody asked as he finally set up the mini fridge. "You like it or what?"

He gazed over it with narrowed eyes and shrugged. "It'll have to do." He answered, walking over to the bed and pausing. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes on Cody. "Mind leaving? I need to rethink my life choices on why I even made that deal with your brother in the first place."

Cody snickered and left, shutting the door behind him.

The prince made a beeline for the front of the CephalodPod, where his two partners in crime were already waiting.

"Good, you're both here." Pikalus began. "I need to ask: What happened out there? When you met up with KrakenKid? Don't spare the details."

Cody told him with his brothers slipping in a few details he thought was necessary. Once he finished, Pikalus' eyes raised. "So he really does have beef with Phaeton... But why? What exactly happened? You mentioned his conversation you overheard with the Atlantean woman, what excatly was he so mad about? His men? His home? Did he tell you what happened?"

Before either of the brothers could respond, a different voice cut in. "Well why don't you ask him yourself?" All three of them whipped around at the sound of the southern voice, to see its owner standing quite a few feet away from them. He approached slowly, currently in no hurry. He plopped himself down on one of the chairs and got comfortable. "I heard you three a while ago, all you Atlanteans are so loud. I'm just here to say: I'm open for questions."

The trio exchanged glances before forming a circle around his spot and began to think of good things to ask. Pikalus started. "What exactly happened? Phaeton threw some bombs in your direction and blew up your Conch Command?"

A shadow flickered in his eyes. "Try full scale invasion." The Atlanteans were taken aback while the outlaw laughed. "Yeah, didn't suspect that did you? He sent Lennox and a hundred or so men to trash my Conch Command and raid it clean of everything useful. We fought back but there were too many of them, not to mention bombs. They collapsed the ceiling in a room I was in so I went out before the battle truly begun. When I woke up, it was just me and a sixteenth of my men left. Money was gone, most of my men captured, and my home? Well, you saw that for yourselves. The remaining of my men are scattered to the winds, and left me alone."

The princes held sympathetic gazes, but Pikalus watched his expressions and frowned. "You're telling us how you lost all of this, but you don't seem fazed by it... Why is that?" KrakenKid met his eyes, but didn't say a word so Pikalus came to his own conclusion. "If you aren't vengeful about all of that, then what are you missing so much? What did he take?"

KrakenKid slightly flinched. "Something important to me, and definitely not something I can replace."

"What is it?" Joe pressed on. The outlaw shot a look at him.

"It's personal, but just believe me when I say, I would do anything to get it back..." His eyes only burned with more hate when he said this. "Which is why I'm going to kill King Phaeton."

"WHOA!"

KrakenKid nearly jumped as all three of them screamed in unison of their displeasure. "No! We're not going to kill him! We might hate him but he's still our uncle and we sure as heck aren't going to kill him! He's going on trial and getting a fair one, and probably going to jail for the rest of his life." Cody retorted.

KrakenKid rolled his eyes, huffing. "Fine. I'll defeat him." His rewording allowed the others to relax.

"That's better." Pikalus glanced at the brothers. "Any other questions?"

"Favorite color?" Everyone gave Joe a collective weird look. "What? It can tell a lot about a person!"

KrakenKid raised his eyebrows, but answered anyways. "Red." Joe nodded, before his brother asked one.

"What about favorite place to go?"

KrakenKid hesitated a little longer this time. "The mountains?" He answered but held a perplexed tone.

"Hopes, dreams and fears?"

"What is this, a get-to-know-you game?" He scoffed.

Joe's shoulders slumped, disappointed that he wouldn't answer that question while Cody started to think of better things to ask. Suddenly, one came to his head. "I got a better one." KrakenKid perked up, intrigued. "Who's your favorite: Me or Joe?"

"Joe." KrakenKid answered without hesitation. Joe's face instantly brightened while Cody was shocked. Even Pikalus' was surprised. Joe started to make an 'Ohhh!' sound while Cody's mouth hung open. "What?" He shrugged. "He made a good first impression. Not my best dancer, but he was entertaining, I'll give him that."

Joe couldn't stop laughing. "Ha! Told you my moves were good!"

Pikalus finally cut in, rolling his eyes. "Okay, that's enough for now! We've had a long day, everyone to bed!" He ushered them all. KrakenKid decided not to protest, a little exhausted and slipped down the hall and into his room. The brothers left together, Cody mumbling something bitterly under his breath while Joe giggled.

Pikalus waited until he was alone before he groaned. "Things are going to get interesting with him."  

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And, chapter three is here!

KrakenKid really shouldn't make bets, especially one like this but he figured Pikalus hated him too much to allow him to stay. He underestimated Joe's persuasion skills, so now, he's part of the gang.

How well that will go will be showed in the next chapter! I'm pretty excited! I've been planning some chapter idea concepts and came up with some good ones! The chapters might take longer but hopefully it's worth it!

Also, @Wolf-Wisdom made this lovely cover, I have no idea how they do it but hold crap it looks AMAZING! PROPS!

I hope you liked this chapter! Be sure to comment what you think of it so far, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

--JustAnAtlantisWriter