Mariners Anthology of Myth: Captain of the Kraken

“The body is a temple meant to be protected 
A plethora of stories destined to be collected
Decorate it with the ink of the gods
And you will forever defy all odds”.

Words vibrated through Alexander’s head, feeling as though they was bouncing off of his skull. He raised his hand to his head to soothe the ache. As his vision began to clear, he realized he was surrounded by wood.

He lowered his hand to the surface beneath him, he could feel the grain against his dried skin. As he whipped his head around, taking in the scenery, he was without a doubt, back on a ship. Except he had no recollection of how he got off the island and back on a ship.

“The world is a cruel place full of cruel men. Men who would willingingly throw away the life of another just for the sake of glory and riches. Men who would drag boys and children to their doom all for their own selfish purposes. It doesn’t have to be this way.” Frigg whispered into Alexander’s ear. Her breath tickled the hairs on the back of his neck and he fell into darkness. That was the last thing he remembered before waking up on the ship, back in the middle of the ocean.

“You’re a lucky man.” A scruffy man, covered in tattoos with dreaded hair stood over Alexander. He reached out his hand for Alexander, who obliged and pulled himself to his feet. His eyes were still adjusting to the bright light of the sun bouncing off the ocean. 

“The Sirens don’t let just anyone go. You must have made quite the good impression.” He said before turning and walking away. Alexander shuffled behind him and followed him below deck. 

“Where, where am I?” Alexander asked, still unsure of what happened or who this man was. This ship didn’t look familiar. It definitely wasn’t in the Britannian fleet. If it had been, he would recognize it. Based on the unruly look of the man in front of him, he assumed it was a pirate ship. 

“The Kraken.” The man said, his lips turning up at the ends. It was a devilish, and sadistic smile. Alexander took a step back, growing uncomfortable. Who would name their boat after a beast of the deep? After a monster who had taken so many lives from so many men?

“I’m sure you have heard of the stories.” The man motioned towards a seat opposite of him at the table in front of him. The man sat down, relaxing in his chair, waiting for Alexander to sit down. Alexander slowly shuffled towards the chair and sat down. He sat straight up, at attention, ensuring that he was always on his guard.

“Where do you think the stories of the beast come from? Did you really think it was some giant octopus?” The man chuckled as she shoved a piece of fruit into his mouth. 

“I’ve seen it. The Siren’s showed me a vision with the Kraken in it. I know it to be real and not just a myth.” Alexander’s voice shuddered as the words came out of his mouth. He wasn’t sure why, but this man terrified him. He knew the story wasn’t just a myth, he had seen it. Yet, for some reason, this man’s implication that this ship was behind those stories made Alexander sit at the edge of his seat, ready to jump away at a moment’s notice.

The man pulled back his shirt to display an expertly drawn tattoo of a Kraken on his very well defined left pectoral muscle. He raised his eyes to catch Alexander’s who just stared at his chest.

“I’m the Captain of the Kraken. The beast of the Seven Seas, protector of Oceanus and bane of man. Call me Captain.” The man stood up and motioned for Alexander to follow him back on deck. Alexander followed but he didn’t know what to say, and was still rather confused by what was going on. Was this man claiming that he was the Kraken? The beast of the deep? This grungy pirate captain? It didn’t make any sense.

“Captain, Portugese slave ship heading west toward the Southern Continent.” A crewman called from the top of the mast. The Captain waved his hand and the crew immediately jumped into action, though Alexander didn’t know what this meant.

The Captain whipped off his shirt and threw it to the deck. Another tattoo lined his muscular back. As he flexed, it was as though the collage of sea creatures on his back were coming alive. Alexander slowly walked around to the front of the Captain as he removed the rest of his clothes until he stood naked. Alexander stared at him confused.

The kraken on his chest began to move and flex it’s tentacles. The Captain turned towards Alexander with a smile on his face.

“Ink made in the forge by Hepheastus, and blessed by the Muses.” The Captain began laughing as tentacles shot from his chest and darted towards the water. His four limbs slowly began to transform into tentacles and his body increased in size ten-fold. As he threw himself overboard and into the water, he completely transformed into the Kraken.

Alexander watched, mouth agape as the beast swiftly swam towards the Portuguese vessel. As it approached its tentacles shot out of the water, wrapped around the hull, and began to squeeze until the ship snapped into a hundred pieces. 

Alexander stumbled backwards when one of the crewmen grabbed him and forced him to watch the ship be destroyed right before his very eyes.

“Don’t look away, sailor. Watch as he completely destroys the racist bastards.” 

Alexander wanted to shut his eyes and pretend that he couldn’t see what was happening, but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to do so. Something about the scene in front of him made him keep his eyes open.

Through the wind he began to hear a soft lullaby. A familiar sound of a female voice began to ring in his ears. He turned to see Frigg standing mere inches from him, but no one seemed to notice her. The crew’s eyes were trained on the Captain devouring the ship.

“Upon the Seven Seas does a true captain lie,
Waiting for the truly heinous to pass him by.
For with his gifts from the divine,
He passes judgement against those who cross the line.
Ink born from the blacksmiths shrine
And blessed by the muses nine
To commit a sin is to foretell 
Davy Jones’s locker is where you forever dwell.” 

Alexander stared at her, his brow furrowed. This was not a story he had ever heard, let alone a myth. The Kraken was something, sure, but not this captain. Who was he and what was this ink? 

Frigg smiled at him as she continued to hum into the wind, slowly dissolving away as if she was nothing more than a cloud blowing in the breeze.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Captain was again aboard, and barking orders at the grew to clean up and to assist the captives. More than a dozen Portuguese men, and slaves were pulled aboard and out of the water. But to be honest, most of them were just the slaves. The Captain had killed the majority of the crew.

As the pirates assisted and fed the slaves, it was then that Alexander noticed that they all had tattoos. All over their entire bodies. On their faces, arms, necks, and gods only knows where else. Did this ink really hold such power?

‘I’m sure you’re wondering what that was about?” The Captain asked as he approached Alexander. He nodded to him mindlessly, his mind still running with thoughts of the ink and what Frigg said.

“Like I said, it’s magical ink, blessed by the gods themselves. Here take your boots off.” The Captain ordered Alexander. Without thinking he took his boots off and the Captain motioned towards the crewmen to come over.

Alexander watched, and winced in pain as the man tattooed a chicken on one foot and a pig on the other. He had never felt such excruciating pain in his entire life. He couldn’t even imagine this on his entire back or chest.

“Each symbol holds power. Those will ensure that you will never drown and will always make your way to shore. This,” he motioned towards the Kraken tattoo, “allows me to turn into the Kraken of myth so that we may punish those who wish to commit atrocities at sea. Every member of this crew suffered at the hands of greedy men who only cared about lining their own pockets or polishing their rods. Men who were willing to burn the soul of a ship and never properly lay it to rest. Those who would own men and sell them for money. For millennia I have sailed the seven seas to ensure the safety of my fellow men.” The Captain paced back and forth as he told his story.

“Millenia?” Alexander asked, the story distracting him from the pain. He stared at the man before him who could be no older than thirty. There was no way he could have been alive for several thousand years.

“I was a part of the first ship to set sail in the sea in South China. It was here that I was shoved over board for attempting to defy my captain who was willing to commit atrocities for the sake of profit. Thanks to the assistance of a chicken and a pig I washed ashore in Athens. I was taken in by Hephaestus, and nursed back to health. I had drifted at sea for quite some time and was beyond dehydrated and delirious. But I knew that no one would ever have to pay for the sins of the greedy ever again. No captain should ever use the ocean to commit sins again. Poseidon will allow any to pass who pay him an offering. He does not care what occurs once that offering is paid. So, I was gifted the ink and traveled to have it blessed by the nine muses so that the art that decorated my body would hold power. Power so that I may protect men of the sea until the end of time.”

The Captain rolled up his sleeve, and for the first time, Alexander saw the infinity sign tattoo onto one wrist and an ankh on the other. He reached that hand out for Alexander.

“Will you join me, and ensure that the tragedies that befell those Sirens never happens to another soul ever again. As long as you have this ink upon your body, you will never face harm again at seas.” The Captain said.

Alexander reached up, grabbing the Captain’s hand and taking him up on that offer. What he saw become of his crew, and the tragedies that created the Sirens, he knew he never wanted that to happen to innocent people ever again. At that moment, he decided he would become a member of the crew on The Kraken.