Third Person
They didn't even make it two days before the first fights broke out.

The first day, KrakenKid kept to himself, staying in his room most of the time and only went out of it for basic needs, like food. The others just figured he wasn't used to them so they did their own thing. On the second day, he actually came out and had breakfast with them. Given he didn't sit at the table and instead just leaned against the wall far away from the princes, but it was a start.

Breakfast soon escalated when Pikalus stormed in the room, groceries in hand but didn't look happy. His eyes were locked onto KrakenKid as he came in, but the outlaw didn't so much as flinch when he saw him.

Pikalus placed down his groceries carefully on the counter before rapidly approaching the criminal. The brother's shared a "What's he doing?" look and shrugged to each other. Pikalus crossed his arms, much like a disapproving father would and gave KrakenKid a look like one too.

"What did you do last night?" Pikalus demanded finally after a couple minutes of silently trying to get him to confess.

"Sleeping. Like any normal living thing would." His eyebrows raised. "Why?"

"Is that all you did?" He pressed on, still holding his ground. "Because the citizens of this reef are freaking out! They saw a "Shady figure" walking in the shadows and they're afraid it was one of Phaeton's men!"

KrakenKid paused for a long moment. "I might have taken a slight walk." Pikalus glared and held out his hand as if he were waiting for him to do something with it. KrakenKid didn't budge for a while before eventually sighing. He took off his hat, revealing a pearl necklace underneath it and handed it over. The scientist's fingers curled around it protectively and brought it close to him. The kraken only smirked. "I might have taken a little something while I was out."

"You can't just steal things from people! What were you thinking?"

The outlaw laughed. "I was thinking about how those people were real idiots for leaving their front door unlocked and having no security for their valuables. Anyone could have walked in and stolen "Puffy" if they wanted to."

Pikalus began to pace back and forth. "If you want to take down Phaeton with us, you need to cooperate! No more stealing and-" As Professor was trying to lecture him, he blinked and stopped himself, only now truly processing what he said. He side glanced at KrakenKid. "'Puffy'?" He echoed, unsure if he heard him right.

The kraken grinned, putting his hat back on. "Yep. Puffy the puffer fish. Not an original name but a real cute pet. Almost took him with me since he took such a liking to me."

"Wait," Cody couldn't believe his ears and stood up. "You met their pet while breaking into their house?"

KrakenKid's ego only seemed to boost from the question. "Oh sure. I get bored sometimes and decide to learn a little about the people I rob. For example, even though she's won awards for her discoveries, Opal isn't very observant. She didn't even notice my sloppy exit when she went for a snack in the night. Her wife however, a lovely woman." He nodded at the pearls. "She really knows how to pick a good piece of jewelry."

All three of the Atlanteans just stared at him. "How is that possible?"

He shrugged. "I've had a lot of practice. I'm pretty good at making little things seem like they just got lost when in reality, I took them." His eyes shifted to the penguin, something glinting in his eyes. "Does the name, 'Mr. Snuffles' ring any bells?"

Both Cody and Joe's eyes widened but Cody's were full of hurt. "Y-You took Mr. Snuffles?" Cody's voice wavered.

KrakenKid nodded. "An easy steal, really. I took it from right under your nose, literally."

Cody went silent for a moment but tried to lunge at the kraken. Joe quickly stood up and restrained him before he could, and KrakenKid didn't move, like this was exactly how he expected them to react. Cody glared hatefully him, mentally punching him in the face. "Mr. Snuffles was my favorite teddy bear! I had him since I was born and then he just suddenly disappeared when I was snuggling him and you're telling me that you took him? I couldn't sleep properly for months because of that! I had back to back nightmares!"

KrakenKid shrugged. "Not my problem. You had plenty of toys, why not get another one? Mr. Snuffles was nothing special, I thought he was trash."

Cody's face twisted with anger. "Oh no..." Joe whispered.

"LEMME AT HIM! WHERE'S MY SWORD?" Cody thrashed against his brother's hold violently.

Joe called out to Pikalus as he did his best to hold his own brother back. "Get KrakenKid to his room! Go!"

KrakenKid found himself being forcefully escorted out of the room as Joe did his best to soothe Cody a little.

KrakenKid had been confined to his room for about an hour. The first twenty minutes he heard screaming and even a pounding at his door but it all faded eventually. Though he was a little bored, he entertained himself with whatever he could find, including his memories of what he's accomplished.

KrakenKid had to admit, he felt like he was more of a prisoner than a guest but with nowhere else to go, he didn't have a choice.

Truth was, he didn't just steal pearls when he went out, he actually visited the mountain and where he previously lived before they took him in.

It was collapsed and not naturally. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that it was Phaeton's doing. Something told him that his little stunt he pulled didn't sit well with the fake king. If KrakenKid had stayed in his home, he would have been found and who knows that the king would do.

KrakenKid had no place to go, and staying with these "Allies" was the best route for him to take.

However, there was a deep rebellious part of him. It didn't matter what his situations were, he didn't want to change for them. He wanted to steal, insult the penguin whenever he wanted to and pick fights with Pikalus. He wanted to prove to Joe that he wasn't a good person and that he made a mistake for even remotely trusting him.

There could have been a million reasons for this, but deep down, he knew the real one. He was punishing and distancing himself from getting too joyful or getting too close to anyone. It didn't matter if it was out of his control or not, KrakenKid still blamed himself for what happened.

A soft knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts. "It's me." Came a muffled voice. "Your favorite."

KrakenKid closed his eyes softly and wondered why he let that slip. "It's unlocked." He answered, allowing the chicken to slip in and close the door behind him.

Unlike all the times before, he looked actually mad, eyes narrowed and trying his hardest not to blow up. Joe looked at him like he was trying to solve an impossible math problem, and finally voiced what he was thinking.

"Why are you acting like this?" KrakenKid was a little taken aback by the question but tried not to show it.

"Acting like what? Myself?" His eyebrows raised. The prince just huffed and walked towards him, only stopping a foot away.

"Like a jerk." He said finally.

"That's what I am." KrakenKid could feel his mouth twitch into a smile. "Don't you know that's what happens when you take in villain and try to turn them good?"

But Joe didn't budge in the slightest. "Okay, the sneaking out and stealing the pearls was kind of expected to be honest. I didn't think you'd change your ways that quickly but..." He trailed off, shaking his head and sending a little glare in the kraken's direction. "Why'd you have to bring up Mr. Snuffles? Cody was devastated when he disappeared and now you're saying you took him? Why? You had no reason to bring that up!"

KrakenKid thought to himself for a moment. "At least I was being honest." He shrugged. "I don't know what you expect out of me, but you're standards are too high. Lower them, I'm not changing for the likes of you."

Joe didn't respond right away and instead studied his eyes with stuch intent that KrakenKid began to shift uncomfortably. "What are you doing?" He mumbled as Joe continued to stare.

"You're acting this way deliberately." He said finally. "But why?"

KrakenKid rolled his eyes. "I'm not a good person you know, it just sorta comes like second nature."

"No." Joe's tone stayed firm, straightening up. "Everyone has some part of them that's good, even outlaws. I saw that part of you two days ago when you were talking to the woman. You were different, kind even!"

KrakenKid was almost rendered speechless. What was he talking about? He was just as blunt and rude to her as he was with any Atlantean woman. "How?"

Joe's eyes flickered and he smiled softly. "You could have taken the fame, gotten something out of her because you saved them," Joe's eyes brightened. "But you didn't. You could have snapped at her for asking so many questions, but you didn't. You didn't even have to swoop in and save her, you could have waited for the guards to deal with her and then attacked the guards." That's when Joe truly smirked that time. "But. You. Didn't."

KrakenKid wasn't sure if he could have defended himself at all. Thoughts came to his head, things like 'I got impatient, I wouldn't wait' or 'I didn't need her help, nor do I need yours.' but no matter what, he couldn't find the will to say anyone of them.

It would have been too far from the truth.

Joe's smile only got larger as KrakenKid fumbled for words. "That's what I thought!" He laughed. "All I want from you is to at least try to get along with my brother. Who knows, you two might not be so different after all."

As he opened the door to leave, the kraken's head shot up and instantly protest. "Me? Like your brother? Don't make me laugh, we're nothing alike."

Joe paused for a moment and peeked at him, a smug smirk on his face. "Funny, he said the exact same thing." Then left with the last laugh.

Joe stood in his room and held out his spear, concentrating on the power of it. For so long, he had been trying to perfect his a trick he came up with, and now was finally the time to test it out.

He took a long breath, the swiftly casted an ice spell and started to form a ball of ice, around the same size as a tennis ball. It formed successfully but he kept his hold on it until it gained a deep blue color, then let go.

And unlike all the other creations he created with ice, it stayed long after he released his hold on it. A smile edged on his face as he picked it up and tossed it up in the air a couple times. He knew it! For a while, he was wondering if he could create things that would last longer than a minute or two, and here it was! The only question was, how long would it last?

"CODY! JOE!" Called a familiar voice. "GET OVER HERE!"

Joe tossed the ball onto his bed and bolted out the door without another word.

Pikalus was waiting in the main room, furiously scribbling on the chalkboard and drawing out plans. Cody was a little ways behind him, staring at the writing and drawings and trying to make sense of it all. Given that he was gaping at it, it wasn't working. Finally, Cody had to ask something as his brother approached and started to take a look for himself. "What... Is all this?"

Pikalus spun around and blinked in surprise. "Oh! You two got here quicker than I thought... Well, there are some sharks that are stirring up trouble in the reefs, mind splitting them up, talking some sense into them and getting through it as peacefully as you can? They're not normally like this so they're probably just cranky. You know how sharks get."

The brother both nodded but didn't take their eyes off the board behind him. "Alright, but what are you doing exactly?" The chicken prompted.

Pikalus glanced behind him and just smiled. "Oh, this is just some equations to make our oven better. I'm trying to find a way to make it cook things faster without burning the food!"

The princes both let out an 'Oh', finally understanding. "That explains why I can't understand a word on there." Cody nodded, smiling a little now.

Professor's gaze went from the board and back to the brothers before brightening up. "Well, if you want I can teach you!" He whipped around and pointed to the first symbol he saw. "See this uh," He thought to himself, trying to find a way to explain it to the brothers in a way they could understand. "U with a little drop coming off it? This is MU, or mew if you want and it's purpose is to-" He turned towards the brothers again, but found they were already gone. He sighed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes playfully. "I should have known. Teaching them science never works, does it?"

It wasn't hard for the brothers to find the fighting once they asked around. Near the edges of the town, they found three sharks in a free-for-all fight against each other. Everyone in town was avoiding them so clearing the civilians wasn't a problem.

But the fighting sure was.

Neither had any idea why they were fighting at first, those sharks were dead set on beating the other two to a pulp. Both noticed how they're eyes were red and raw as if they had been crying, then started to realize that some of their other actions pointed to it as well. The sniffling, the sadness and ruthlessness in their movements, it all made sense. The only problem was getting them to split up.

"Hey!" Cody decided to try for himself, rushing up to one of them that got pushed out of the wrestling circle they created. "What's going on?"

But the shark only sniffed, a tear escaping him. "BRUCE!" He screamed, covering his face as he sobbed. "BRUCE, DID YOU EVER LOVE ME? WAS CARL THE ONLY ONE FOR YOU?" In his fits of screaming, he lashed out randomly. Cody dodged out of the way but it was a close call.

The largest of all the other sharks lifted his head and locked eyes with the other one. "FRED! I DO-" He was cut off by Carl, the other shark, tackling him to the ground. Fred wailed and joined in the fighting again.

"What is going on?" Joe wondered out loud, taking a couple steps back as the fighting started to move around in circles, just to make sure he wouldn't get sucked in against his will. "Is this some sort of love triangle?"

Cody shrugged, trying to understand what they were saying but failed in doing so. "I don't know, but we gotta get them to stop fighting. Try freezing the ground below them so they can-"

Cody would never get to voice the rest of his plan, nor put it into action as a third party came: KrakenKid. The kraken spared no time in shooting all three of the sharks directly on the back in an instant. Carl, Bruce and Fred all yelped in surprise and broke off. KrakenKid, now pleased with himself, lightly blew away the smoke from his gun. "Stop your fighting." He said cooly. "Sheesh, can't you guys just talk for a moment? It's not that hard."

Joe blinked in surprise at his sudden appearance but Cody wasn't a happy camper. His sword sparked, reflecting his sour mood and he stormed over to KrakenKid, glaring. "I had that under control." Cody told him.

KrakenKid just smirked. "Sure, but I got it done faster and efficiently. What's your problem?"

Cody's eyes narrowed further. "I could have done it with less violence. There wasn't any need to hurt them, they're just confused! If you just worked with us, it would have turned out better."

"Yeah right, and I'm the king of Atlantis." He shot back, only worsening the situation.

"Why can't you just cooperate for once?"

"Why can't you accept I do what I do for once?"

"Guys!" Joe, understanding the escalating situation dangerous, was quick to intervene, pushing himself in between the two of them. Though Cody didn't resist, KrakenKid fought against him for a second, unwilling to back off. "It's over, let's get back to the ship."

"I didn't do anything!" Cody protested. "He just came in and ruined everything, just like every time he tries to "Help"!"

"Please, I did all the work while you just sat back and watched." KrakenKid retaliated. "I never thought you'd be the lazy royalty type."

Cody's eyes blazed with anger. Joe didn't blame him and if he didn't care about KrakenKid getting torn apart, he would have moved out of the way.

Cody drew his sword, now sparking with energy but Joe was faster. He grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him away from the fight. "We'll deal with this back at the ship. Kraken, come." He ordered sharply, and to his surprise, the kraken obeyed but followed from a distance.

"Short cut." KrakenKid murmured under his breath. By the time Joe glanced back, he was gone, already one with the shadows.

By the time the pair got back, KrakenKid was waiting for them in the doorway. Cody shot a glare while Joe silently wondered how he made it back so quickly.

"I'm going to get something to eat." Cody grumbled under his breath.

"And I'm going to my room." The criminal decided, going the opposite direction.

"No." Both paused at Joe's order and gave him a perplexed look. Joe's gaze slid from one to the other and marched to the kitchen. "Both of you are coming with me."

Joe walked a little while before stopping and whipping around. Both were still staring at him, neither had moved an inch. "I wasn't asking! Come on, kitchen! Now! We're going to sort this out."

Joe had KrakenKid and Cody sit on one side while he sat on the other. They tried to move their seats away from each other but Joe just shot a look and they stopped.

"I expect agruing but this is just ridiculous! Cody," his gaze first turned to his brother. "You need to accept that KrakenKid is part of the team and that he's a lot different than us."

Cody's eyes dropped and KrakenKid laughed. "Yeah Cody."

Joe cleared his throat and turned to him. "I'm not done! KrakenKid, you need to cooperate with the rest of us in battle. I get it, you feel the need to rebel against us every chance you get here," KrakenKid bristled at the comment. "But out there it's important." Cody grinned smugly, straightening up in his seat.

KrakenKid didn't take his cocky behavior well and stuck out his tongue. Joe groaned and hit his head against the table. "What am I, your mothers?"

"He started it..." Cody pointed at KrakenKid who pointed right back.

"It's not my fault you're annoying as heck!"

The chicken's mind drifted back to his experiment he pulled in his room, and then to a trick his own father pulled on him and his brother.

While the pair were bickering, Joe whipped out his spear and aimed it at their arms, which were both on the table. KrakenKid noticed before Cody did and tried to move away, but Joe acted before he could.

In an instant, ice shot from the spear and bended to his will, wrapping around both of their wrists. Cody yelped in surprise and attempted to yank his hand away but the magic pulled it right back. Seeing this, KrakenKid kept as still as he could.

Joe consentrated on forming what he wanted the ice to create, then on solidifying it. Only when the ice became a dark blue did he let go.

A pair of cuffs trapped one of Cody's wrists and connected it to one of Kraken's. The rope between it was only a foot long.

The whole room went silent as they both tested the durability of the cuffs, but it didn't do much as budge. "Did you just..." Cody half asked, tugging at the cuff.

"... Handcuff us together?" KrakenKid finished, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, and I'm not taking it off until you to work together." Joe crossed his arms triumphantly.

Cody groaned as he tried to slip it off. "Just like Dad's "Get Along Shirt"? Really Joe?" Joe just smirked. KrakenKid had no idea what they were talking about but didn't care.

"No." The criminal said flatly. "I'm not playing your silly little games."

Joe just snickered. "Doesn't matter if you want to or not, that's not coming off until I say so, and I'm very sick of your fighting." He slammed his hands on the table and leaned in close to KrakenKid's face. "So get your head in the game!" He grinned goofily and left them alone.

Joe sent a silent prayer that they wouldn't strangle each other by morning and went back to his room.

Though they screamed at each other for about ten minutes, Cody and KrakenKid eventually had to move along. However, as night descended on them, they encountered their first problem.

"My room." Cody tugged them towards the right while KrakenKid pulled towards the left.

"Nope, we are going to my room. I don't want your stink on anywhere other than you, and your room is definitely going to reak of penguin." He hissed.

"You heard Joe! You need to cooperate with us!"

"He also said that you need to accept me for me, and I ain't staying in your room!"

Cody grumbled, he'd have to kick it up a notch. "I'm a wanted man, possibly could be imprisoned forever if found by Phaeton and my father is in a sleep that he could never wake up from!"

KrakenKid's eyes narrowed, unimpressed. "I can't be left with the people of this coral reef or the same thing would happen to me, plus Phaeton's on my back and," he added. "My parents are long gone and have been since I was a child."

Cody panicked for a moment. He was winning. "I am a child! I have the weight of the whole kingdom on my back!"

"I grew up on the streets, never knowing when my next meal was and always being chased off by other people because I just wanted to eat."

Cody hesitated but hung his head in defeat. In this game of who suffered more, he had lost. He followed KrakenKid to his room and closed the door behind him once inside.

"I get the bed." Cody didn't even try arguing at that point and just walked besides the bed and laid down on the floor. KrakenKid had to drape his arm over the side so that Cody's arm wasn't raised the whole night.

For a while, he just laid there in silence but moments later, something soft hit his face. Regonizing it as a pillow, he grinned. "Thanks."

"Don't get mushy on me princy. Just assume it fell off and I'm to lazy to get it back." KrakenKid responded without looking. Cody went with it and just tucked it behind his head.

The prince tried to sleep, but his mind was everywhere at once so he couldn't settle down. It wasn't long before he said anything again. "Why is Joe your favorite?"

"This isn't a sleepover. Keep your feelings to yourself."

"Alright, alright..." Cody sighed and shifted in his makeshift bed. "... It's just that it seems like Joe is everyone's favorite."

"Oh my-" KrakenKid peeked over the side and glared. "I tried to be subtle but apparently you can't take a hint! Shut your mouth! I'm try'n to sleep!"

Cody held his hands up in a surrendering gesture and KrakenKid rolled back and out of his sight. Not even half a minute later, he rolled right back and examined him. "... You're not gonna sleep until I answer your question, are you?" Cody shook his head and the kraken groaned, hitting his head against the mattress. "If it's any consolation, I think you're Pikalus' favorite."

Cody's eyes brightened. "Really? You think so?" KrakenKid nodded slowly. KrakenKid actually didn't know if Pikalus had a favorite or not, but he didn't really have the will to find out. He'd do a lot to make the penguin shut up.

"Yep. Can you sleep now?" Cody nodded vigorously allowing him to settle. "'Sides kid, you don't want somebody like me to think of you as their favorite."

Cody blinked. "Why not?"

His eyes rolled. "Please, you never want a dangerous person to like you. It will almost never bring good luck to you. Count yourself and your brother lucky that I'm not as dangerous as I'd like anymore." KrakenKid chuckled.

Time passes on but Cody found himself still wide awake. "So... You grew up on the streets? What about your parents? What happened to them?"

KrakenKid huffed. There was no point in resisting at this point. "Never knew 'em. Died, left, or taken away, I might never know. I don't know how I lived as a babe, but I learned to live as a raccoon would once I was old enough to walk. Soon, 'round six or so, I needed more than just leftovers so I swiped it off people. Lucky for me, no one expects a little guy like I was to pickpocket them so it was easy. The older I got, the harder it was to look innocent until, well, I was an outlaw before I knew it." KrakenKid explained, staring at the ceiling. "I barely got to be kid like you and your brother, but I cherished the few times I got."

The prince's mind drifted to his teddy bear that he claimed to steal. "Wouldn't breaking into the palace be kinda difficult? Why risk it for Mr. Snuffles?"

KrakenKid went silent for a long time. "Jealousy." He admitted, surprising Cody. "You were a prince who had everything: A family, a nice house, food and you got to be a kid. I saw that bear and how much you loved it, and I wanted something that you didn't have, so I took it from right under your nose." The criminal paused but laughed in the end.

"What's so funny?" Cody questioned. KrakenKid finally met his eyes, now looking a little more relaxed and humorous.

"I can't believe it... You made me get all touchy-feely." He snickered again. "Joey sure is smarter than I gave him credit for."

Though the night went will, the morning did not.

At breakfast, the pair sat next to each other, not like they had a choice anyways with the chain connecting them together. Both had cereal out, newly made and ready to be eaten. Cody reached for his spoon but KrakenKid reaching for his made his hand jerk and hit the bowl, spilling some milk. "Hey! Look what you did!" KrakenKid looked over and shrugged.

"You got in my way." He responded, filling his spoon with cereal. Cody's brown eyes narrowed, not pleased with his response. As the kraken lifted his spoon to his mouth, Cody pulled his arm suddenly and he spilled it all over himself. "Oh, so you want to play that way?" He challenged, a growl in his throat. Cody just matched his rage and nodded.

KrakenKid acted fast, grabbing Cody's face and stuffing it in his cereal bowl before he could resist. Only after a couple moments did he release him. Cody's eyes flashed dangerously and grabbed KrakenKid's meal and splashed it at him.

Now with milk and pieces of his cereal all over him, KrakenKid was pissed. He used some of his tentecales to break one of the legs of Cody's chair and watched the prince tumble to the ground. However, one thing he didn't take into account as Cody rolled on the ground was the very chain connecting them. He was pulled right down with him, not suffering as much but still wasn't too pleased with himself. On his way down, he bumped Cody's cereal with enough force to send it tumbling to the air and landing right on its owner's stomach.

Right then, Joe walked in to see the two of them sprawled on the floor and covered in their breakfast. He paused before addressing the elephant in the room. "This sure doesn't look like teamwork."

"You and your teamwork!" KrakenKid barked. His instincts took over and seemingly out of nowhere, he whipped out his laser gun. Cody flinched but was relieved to see he pointed it at the icy chain that connected them. KrakenKid repeatedly fired at it but once the smoke cleared, it appeared just as untouched as before.

Neither of them noticed Joe's strained face when he shot it, and by the time they whipped around to him, he recovered.

KrakenKid then did the next thing that his instincts told him to: Negotiate.

He turned his gun towards Joe and cocked it. Cody's eyes went wide and lunged at him but KrakenKid anticipated it, moving out of his grasp and once his back was to him, knocked him to the ground and held him there. Though his aim was off of the chicken for a moment, soon it was right back to Joe. Cody struggled to get up but KrakenKid held him down.

"Take it off. Now." He ordered, but Joe refused. "Do it or I'll shoot you!" He bared his teeth.

Joe simply watched and shook his head. "That's going to stay on regardless. Only unless I let it fade will it go away, and hurting me won't do you any good." He retorted. He was lying through his teeth, but KrakenKid didn't catch on.

KrakenKid watched him for a moment, then turned the gun on Cody. "If not you, maybe you'll respond better to your brother getting hurt."

Cody froze once he felt the gun at his head, but Joe still didn't move. "You're not going to do that, you aren't going to shoot him." His voice was confident, confusing Cody.

"Oh?" KrakenKid laughed and narrowed his eyes while smirking. "Why wouldn't I? I hate this one, it's taking all my willpower not to pull the trigger right now."

Joe cocked his head. "Dooooo you?" He asked in an odd voice. KrakenKid found himself off guard from his statement. "You seem to be a little hesitant there, are you sureeee you aren't a least a little fond of Cody? That gun isn't leathal through one shot, it just hurts a lot. Why haven't you shot him yet?"

"Joe!" Cody hissed. "Don't tempt him!"

Joe shot a reassuring smile. "Let him answer for himself." He said.

KrakenKid paused for longer than he should have. "He's really annoying."

Joe's eyes glinted. "I'm not hearing anything along the lines of, "I hate him" so I think I'm right!" Joe grinned. "You're not shooting anybody."

KrakenKid held his gaze locked onto the chicken's for a long time but eventually groaned and let his arm drop and released Cody. Cody shot up and scrambled as far from the criminal as possible, his heart beating at the speed of sound.

"That's what I thought." Joe pumped his fist in the air. "I'm getting so good at predicting you!"

Unamused, KrakenKid shot near Joe's head, purposely missing. Joe yelped in surprise and nearly fell over. "Did you predict that?" He asked dryly.

Joe took that as a sign to keep his mouth shut and hurried out of the room. He'd have to eat later.

KrakenKid put his gun away as Cody collected himself. "... So you don't completely hate me?" His tone unsure if that was the case.

KrakenKid glanced over and huffed. "I guess not."

Pikalus was able to work for about five while minutes before sighed and turning around. "Are you two okay?"

KrakenKid and Cody lounged around in the seats normally used when they flew around. Cody laid on the couches while KrakenKid was face down on the floor. "I'm alright." Came a muffled southern voice. Cody just gave a thumbs up.

Pikalus watched them for another moment, unconvinced, then called for Joe. As soon as he came in, the scientist took him off to the side and whispered to him. "Joe, let them go. They're miserable! Just look at them!" He gestured towards the pair of them.

Joe's shoulders drooped. "They need this! What if we go into battle and they argue the whole time and both get captured? This problem needs to be solved now, or it'll become a problem later."

Professor's face went grim. "I know that, but is this really the way to do it?"

Joe nodded firmly. "It worked for me and Cody, and look how close we are now! Just trust me that it'll work, and in my father's methods of parenting."

Professor might have said something, but then a sudden beeping from the ship caught his attention. Pikalus rushed over to the main computer with Joe close behind. Cody sat up while KrakenKid lazily lifted his head. "Whaaaat in tarnation is that annoying sound?" He groaned. His eyes flickered open and closed.

Pikalus huffed. "Take a guess who's causing trouble."

Cody's eyes drifted from the exhausted kraken besides him and back to the computer. "If KrakenKid is right here, my money's on Phaeton."

"We have a winner." Joe shot an amused look at his brother before trying to read the computer. "Where is that, the mountainous city?"

Pikalus adjusted his glasses, squinting. "It appears so... A couple guards are harassing some shop owners. It appears to be a simple job so maybe you should take care of it, Joe." He suggested lightly.

Joe quickly agreed but the other two were quick to protest. "Wha- Joe!" Cody got up as fast as he could, dragging the outlaw with him. "Let me come along! We're a team!"

KrakenKid composed himself and straightened up. "And I don't want to be cooped up in here any longer."

Joe's head shook lightly. "You two aren't ready for combat at the moment, you can barely eat in harmony." KrakenKid averted his gaze but Cody kept it on Joe. The chicken put his hand on his shoulder and sent a grin. "It's a small mission, I'll be fine on my own! I got this."

Cody had to stand by as his brother went off on his own, and he was left behind.

"Well this sucks." KrakenKid grumbled, arms crossed and he slouched on the table. Joe had been gone for almost an half am hour but it felt like years.

Cody sat besides him, not like he had a choice anyways, and leaned back with his eyes closed. He kept attempting to see if he could create a phychic connect with Joe to see how he was but nothing happened. He gave up after seven or so tries.

"I'm sure he's fine." Pikalus kept reassuring Cody, but at this point it felt like it was more for himself if anything. "It was just a couple guards, nothing he can't handle."

A sudden glow emmitted off of the handcuffs around KrakenKid and Cody's wrists soon became the center of attention. KrakenKid kept as still as possible and took deep breaths but Cody had a mini heart attack. The dark blue color flashed, now becoming a faint blue before the ice shattered.

The three of them all stared at it for a while before a horrifying thought came to each of them. "PROFESSOR!" Cody screeched, getting up and rushing to the passenger seat of the ship. "Something happened to Joe! Get to him! Now!"

Pikalus scrambled for the pilot seat but KrakenKid didn't move from his seat. He flexed his now freed tentecal and for some reason, only felt dread. He was free, he should be happy... Right?

But freedom could have came with a price he didn't want.

Cody didn't wait for the Cephalopod to fully stop before he jumped off and headed for the city built into the mountains. KrakenKid followed closely behind him. Cody glanced back, surprised but decided against commenting on it.

The streets were mostly empty as stone buildings towered above them, but as KrakenKid scanned the area, Cody picked up footsteps from behind them. He shoved KrakenKid behind a pile of rocks and dove down besides him. KrakenKid glared and opened his mouth, only for it to be covered by Cody's hand. Cody put a finger up to his lips.

"Guppy, we gotta go! All the others actually caught someone!" A purple armored man came into their view but didn't notice them. Cody let his hand drop, confident that the outlaw would stay quiet.

Another guard, most likely "Guppy", rushed up besides him. "No way, really? We never get anything!"

"Even better," the first guard added. "They says it's one of the princes!"

Cody's mouth opened to scream at them but this time, KrakenKid covered it and shook his head. Not now, his eyes told him and Cody had to obey.

"NO WAY! I have to see this!" Guppy bolted forward with the other following behind him. Only then did they emerge from their hiding spot.

Cody didn't have to say a word as they stalked the guards, KrakenKid already knew how he was feeling by the glints of rage in his eyes. He couldn't help but sympathize, Phaeton took a lot from him too.

The pair hid behind a nearby building where they found a bunch of guards circled. Noting that nobody was inside, he gestured the outlaw to follow him in, and they scaled to the second floor to get a better look at what was going on.

There, they could see it all. All the guards circled around Joe, who had chains around his hands and feet, plus a black eye. Joe looked all around him, but no matter where he tried, there was no escape route for him to take. His spear was just outside the circle, in the dirt. The guards all clammored about what to do with each other.

Cody scanned, counting around thirty guards in total. Much larger than originally thought. "Kraken." KrakenKid faced him and they locked eyes. Cody kept his face deadly serious. "I need you to listen to me, and listen carefully. I have a plan, but I need your help."

KrakenKid nodded and listened in. As soon as he was finished, the criminal grinned. "That, I can do."

Cody smiled back. "Stick to the plan and improvise if you have to. See you on the other side."

KrakenKid slipped out of the building hasitily and once he was out and hidden, Cody knew it was his turn.

"Hey!" He yelled, catching all the guards attention. He slid off the building through the window and landed in the dust. Raising his sword, he let off sparks to intimidate them, and it worked. "In case you forgot, there are two princes of Atlantis, and if you want both, come and get it!"

The guards hesitated before charging forward. Cody grinned and began to run, dodging attacks and zapping whoever he could. Cody started to turn, and out of the corner of his eye, watched as KrakenKid collected the spear.

With only a couple guards still standing by Joe, KrakenKid spared no time in shooting all of them and making them fall over. Once they were out of the way, he shot the locks on Joe's chains, releasing him and handed the spear over. Joe flashed a "Thanks" smile.

"Guys!" Cody called over to them. "I'm bringing them to you! Get shooting!"

KrakenKid happily started unloading his gun on the troops while Joe iced some and made others slip on the now slippery ground below them. Once he reached them, Cody whipped around and let out a zap from his sword, stunning the remaining of them.

Joe finally relaxed, now safe. "Thanks guys! They kinda jumped me, there's a lot more than we thought."

"No kidding." Cody laughed and scanned the city, but still only found empty streets. "Where is everybody by the way? All the Atlanteans?"

Joe pointed farther in the mountains. "Deeper in the mountain. They all had to retreat to their bunker to keep everyone safe and they held their ground there. We'll have to give them the all clear." Joe's smile became even brighter and he clapped his hands together. "But you two worked together! I knew it would work!"

Cody and KrakenKid chuckled and shared a look. "Ha yeah... Never do that again." Both said in unison and glared.

Jos held his hands up sheepishly and gave a nervous grin. "Point taken, no more forced bonding."

At the end of the day, Cody just wanted to lay down in his own bed and sleep. He managed to make it to his room and flop on the mattress with a groan but was soon interrupted.

A knock at the door. It was so light, he would have never heard it if it wasn't dead quiet. The penguin sighed deeply and rolled off his bed to get to the door.

"Wha-?" Cody half asked, opening the door but blinked when no one was there. His eyes slowly drifted downwards until they froze on one thing.

A teddy bear with pure brown eyes, golden fur, a blue bow, a sewn up stomach and a missing left ear. Even after all those years, Cody could regonize him instantly.

Mr. Snuffles.

Cody snatched it as quickly as possible, checking if it was real and when he felt the fake fur against his hands, he took it inside his room and slammed the door without a second thought.

The prince didn't wait any longer to embrace his lost toy that he had since a child and know, this was truly the same one.

There was an odd crunching noise when he hugged it, plus a strange texture that definitely not part of his bear on its back. Checking, Cody found a folded piece of paper secured around the back of the bear through the ribbon. Carefully, he took it and unfolded to see a scribbled out message on the back.

I'll let you keep it this time if you don't tell anyone about my vulnerable moment. Try not to let some jealous kid take it again.

Use it as a reminder of how lucky you are.

The note wasn't signed, but it didn't need to be. It was obvious enough to Cody who it was from.

He smirked and stored the letter on the shelf. That letter would sever as a reminder that everyone has a good side to them, even if it's not obvious.
***************************
It's been a while, huh?

A fun fact: I finished most of this chapter on a very long plane ride and now I'm updating after sleeping through dinner at like 3 AM so the world is just dandy!
Ah, jet lag...

Moving on, Joe sees a serious problem in Cody and KrakenKid's relationship and decides he's gonna fix it. Methods are questionable but hey, it did work.

His spell that kept them together faded because not only did he take a bit of a beating, but he was separated from his spear and let the spell drop. Thank goodness it was just that and not a far more sadder alternative, right?

Joe is starting to understand how KrakenKid works, and KrakenKid isn't too fond of that but can't seem to stop it. He's trying to push him away but he keeps getting too close for comfort. A scary thing for him, actually caring about the princes, and even scarier that he's already started to do just that. KrakenKid actually felt concerned for Joe and tries to convince himself he gave the teddy bear back for strictly purposes of keeping Cody's mouth shut, but he suspects there might have been some good will behind the action.

There are a couple moments in this chapter where KrakenKid predicts how everyone else will react because he's getting kinda used to them, even though it's only been a couple days.

Anyways, I hope you liked this! Be sure to comment what you thought, and farewell!

--JustAnAtlantisWriter