Mount Olympus, a grand structure that transcended beauty and shined like freshly washed pearls and diamonds. It was at Mount Olympus that Zeus, the leader and king of the pantheon sat amongst his brothers and sisters, silently he lounged before addressing those around him.
“Brothers, sisters” he said, a hint of mirth escaping him “my son Perseus has saved those he wished to protect and has overcome all his fated obstacles” Zeus said with a happy grin peeking from his beard. The pantheon cheered at Zeus’s words and applause rippled throughout Olympus “however, there is still one matter that must be addressed” his tone was stern and demanding, bringing the cheering to a complete stop while some chose to look on with confusion at the Thunder god. “A being of great loyalty was slain during my son's escapades, one we wrongly condemned to its fate without realizing that it would follow its orders without doubt” Zeus raised his hand revealing a glowing orb that floated out of the ground before lazily resting above the world below, the light fading to reveal a large and monstrous soul, a soul that looked to be sleeping peacefully within the glowing ball of energy that lazily hovered over the pictured planet. “The kraken, a being that aided us in not only subjugating the titans but did our bidding without failure for countless millennia” the others looked at the beast within and pity washed over the gathered gods. “I believe” Zeus started “that it has gained, no earned a proper retirement” Zeus finished as others amongst his family began to dawn smiles and grins. Zeus circled the orb, arm outstretched, as he addressed the others. “I believe that the kraken through its long millennia of service should be honored and given peace from those who would do harm to it” the crowd looked down in sadness. “We as gods have done no better, abusing its loyalty and sending it to die for a wrongful and petty cause at a simple whim!” Zeus bellowed, Athena walked up to the orb before speaking.
“What would you recommend then?” she asked as she continued to eye the creature floating before her.
“I say we grant it a new life before casting out to live elsewhere, far away from our influence and the meddling of man, who will stand with me as we shower our great servant with boon and rewards that has long been overdue for such a fine soul as this?” Zeus asked to the Olympians, while most sent a rousing cheer for the one who had served them well, others briskly declined and left as the festivities went on. As those that remained circled the creature the first gift was given and a blinding light filled Olympus.
I awoke slowly, my vision clouded as each one of my six eyes slowly adjusted to my surroundings, I was floating, and of that I was sure as to why that was uncertain. My mind was abuzz with thoughts and things I could not perceive. My mind was sharper, no longer the berserk rage infested logic center that thought nothing but death and undying loyalty to my masters.
“Wake loyal servant of the gods”
Ah a voice that sparked recognition, I remember this voice well for it was the voice of one of my many masters, he however I recognized as Zeus, the god who released me upon that unsuspecting city only for me to die as crumbling stone amongst the waves. My fate I could not fault to my master's fully, though I believe my death should have been final upon my petrification however with the gods it is never so simple.
“Come too, you have been called”
A new voice it would seem, this one was Athena, a preferred voice amongst the many I served. While not demanding I quickly gathered my senses, if I am to be punished for failure then I am to meet it with dignity.
“Good, now that you are aware it is time for you to hear of your rewards”
Shocking, I did not believe I had completed my goal. The gods are as always cryptic and elude me as to how I have earned any award. My anger bubbles but I remain calm ‘odd’ I usually found it simple to bring my anger to bare. Usually it would be my rage to guide me on my endeavors but for some reason I found myself tired and calm, the gods doing no doubt.
“My doing truthfully, my gift to you is wisdom to match your age and though you already contained sentience I have brought you further to the mind of a great philosopher than that of a mindless beast able to understand simple commands” Athena said, slight signs of a smile creeping across her face.
A wonderful gift indeed though of little use if I’m dead, as if hearing my thoughts ‘though I would not be surprised at this point’ Zeus stepped forward before clearing his throat.
“Kraken, you may or may not have taken notice but your intelligence is not the only thing that has changed, combining our powers and strength Hephaestus and I have created you a new body, one that is stronger, larger and more powerful than before though you may notice a few changes compared to the original.
Feeling outward I quickly discovered the nature of said changes, instead of three sets of small crab like legs between my much longer and stronger main legs they were replaced with yet another primary like appendage, bringing my leg count from ten to a simpler six. the change was welcomed for while six small legs were great for latching onto surfaces and aided by the four much larger variants I was easily unmovable, however the small legs prohibited me from attaining great speed on the seafloor and these new much larger legs would allow me swift purchase on the sand. As I went to check my new pair of legs I found that I felt four claws grasp my legs instead of two. Looking down I noticed that I now had four arms instead of my previous two. What was unnerving however was that these were only slightly smaller than my previous ones while my
Original arms only seemed to grow larger during my change. Turning around I noticed that my tentacles had changed as well, no longer were they the short and armored whips of death I had come to know, now they were easily twice the length and size of my original. These tentacles also lacked sharp protrusions and armor, while the spear like tips I could live without the armor I retained mix feelings. On one hand no longer would my tentacles be hampered by the armor that restricted both speed and flexibility, bringing the larger tentacle to my face I mused to test the durability only to find I could not bite my own tentacle due to some form of shield blocking my mouth. Looking to the gods for an answer it seemed Zeus had already foresaw my query.
“We restructured your mouth to be more guarded, you now have multiple appendages to cover your massive maw, of course the appendages can open up at you will, you should try” said Zeus as he gestured to my head.
At his words I concentrated, still getting used to this new body, I slowly felt my jaw move as it lowered to allow two large mandibles to slide outward alongside two more to uncover my upper teeth. Another plate lowered itself in the front of my lower jaw and sunk deeper into the gap between my lower front teeth and my lower lip before completely receding from view. Clicking my mandibles provided a nice sound that echoed for a bit as I tested my new mouth out as well before a cough brought me out of my practice.
“I believe it is my turn to present my boon” Poseidon stated before me, drawing closer with every step. “to you I give my boon, what that entails is simple, wherever you find yourself the waters present will aid you in any way they can, the seas and oceans will favor you while ponds, lakes and rivers will look to you with reverence and loyalty. May water forever be your ally’ he finished before a blue glow floated out of his chest before merging into mine.
As the glow faded I felt a slight tingle as the power settled throughout me which left me dazed. Taking advantage of this the other gods gave me their gifts. I watched as both Apollo and Artemis sent a wave of power through me. They then explained that Apollo had made my blood highly regenerative and that it would cure most illness and injury that I received on my journey. At the mention of a journey however my looks of confusion caused Zeus to bring a stern glare onto Apollo who broke away to retreat from what I assumed was some form of secret being revealed. Closing my line of thought for now I focused on the gift that I was granted by Artemis, another one of my masters who I admired greatly, she was possibly near the top of the list in truth, it helped that I enjoyed her soft tellings of the sky and all it held. Bringing up my concentration I listened in to her explanation of her boon.
“-ill make you more attuned to your senses and grant you greater power during the cycles of any moon, may my vassal provide you sanctuary whenever you need, I shall miss you kraken, you were a loyal servant and more, may you find peace and tranquility amongst the stars” she said before making way for Hermes to step up and present a small silken pouch that he proceeded to tie around the wrist of my inner left arm, the pouch itself easily fitting in my smaller claws palm.
“Now this here great kraken is a pouch I made myself, made with the finest silks Olympus could offer, it shall never tear or be destroyed and not only that but it can hold any treasure you can fit into the opening without limit” he said as he turned away before stopping as if remembering something important.
“Ah yes and the pouch can only be opened and removed from your body by you yourself” he quickly added before continuing on his way before my vision was quickly filled with Dionysius the god of drink and parties, one of my preferred masters, he always found a way for me to enjoy my duties better, be it offering slight challenges as I went on to my task or simply giving me drink after a subjugation of one of the many titans. What he gave me however was something I may have denied had my voice not been rendered gone by his gift.
“Here take a few of these for your great service to Olympus, should you ever feel parched in the depths of wherever you find yourself know that for your service you have earned the right to taste the drink I have bestowed” he said softly as he got out of his kneeling position and walked away. However before he left he swiftly placed two large barrels of ambrosia inside my pouch, their size easily the size of my chest snuggly fit past the pouches opening which had extended far more than I expected. As he walked away he added a few simple words that caught the ears of all the gods present.
“And don’t worry about running out, they are bottomless barrels of my finest batch yet, may your drinking cup forever run full with spirits” he said without a care. The other gods watched him with astonishment, not noticing the black mist accumulating in front of me before a figure clad in black armor and cloak emerged before me, the mist surrounding him like smoke on a candle. Hades stood before me as a sickly figure with a sad face, the other gods looking at him with mild anger and disinterest. Zeus stepped forward with a stern face before speaking.
“What are you doing here brother, I did not take you for one who had some stake in these matters” said Zeus as he placed a hand on Hades shoulder.
“Relax brother, I have more stake then even you, it was my idea to use the kraken and it was my continued prattle that persuaded you to use him” hades stated as he lowered himself to view me closer. Upon getting closer he pulled out two glowing orbs. One orb was a swirling mist of inky black while the other was a shining mote of pure light. “As you see I owe the kraken much more than anyone else, he was my creation, it was me who sentenced him to die fighting your son, I owe him for his service to Olympus and all he's done for us” Hades said in a somber tone before pushing the mote of light deeply in my chest he continued his speech. “The first of my gifts is the luck of the dead for they no longer need its benefits” he started before pushing the inky black ball of mist into my forehead. “my second gift, is my boon…” he leaned in before whispering the rest of his sentence, his words bouncing around my skull as he stepped away before facing Zeus.
“I must leave now brother, my work in the underworld cannot go ignored for long” Hades said as his form started to slowly fade into the black mist of earlier.
“I understand, good luck brother” Zeus said, his hand patting Hades shoulder as he sank into the ground completely, his form fully gone from view. A moment of silence went by before Athena spoke up.
“I believe it is time” she announced, her voice bringing nods of affirmation from all those present.
“Agreed” said Zeus, his hand waving towards me as the view beneath me shifted to that of the stars. He looked down, a puzzled look crossing his face before looking back to his fellow gods. “The problem however is where we should send him” Zeus mused, his subtle query left room for others to provide ideas however his thoughts were answered as Athena spoke.
“Why not towards the Pegasus constellation, it was with the aid of said beast that your son was able to best the kraken in the first place” Athena chortled, the others weren't amused however Zeus took her idea to heart.
“Yes I like the idea however I’m not entirely sure it would be such a good idea, where would you like to go?” Zeus asked me. Looking down I spotted a small constellation near Pegasus that I remembered from an earlier memory, being the smallest constellation I could view at the time I pointed towards it and received a slight nod from Zeus. “I fine choice kraken, now sleep well for it is a long journey to reach the edges of our influence, even longer to reach your chosen destination” Zeus said sternly, his large smile betraying his true feelings on the matter.
My mind reeled as my view was suddenly flipped to where I found the image of the constellation behind me, to my front however were all the gods. With their hands outstretched they slowly guided me closer to the portal, sleep slowly encroaching the closer I got. As I was near the portal a few gods decided to have a few parting words with me.
“For your service to Olympus and your constant vigil at your own expense, to your undying loyalty to those you served and for your willingness to fulfill your mission at any cost I, Zeus, ruler of Olympus herby cast you out of our domain to the Equuleus constellation, may you find rest amongst the stars and all they may offer you” Zeus boomed, his voice echoing off the walls of Olympus.
“Know noble kraken that this is not done in spite but the exact opposite, we the great pantheon have come to the conclusion that you have more than earned your right to a peaceful life for the rest of eternity, may you never be ruled again and be free from any control, for you have earned that right, from this point on you are the master of fate” Artemis said, her voice filled with sadness as she continued on. ‘Know that you will be missed amongst your creators and that your loyal feats shall not be forgotten” she said, a bit of sadness in her eye.
With a final push by Zeus I entered the portal, sleep taking me fully as I was sent hurtling away from Olympus and towards what I hoped would be my new life of peace.
Princess Luna, diarch of equestria and mistress of the night awoke with a start. Running to the balcony she looked up into her sky with slight shock and fear, something was coming to equestria, and it was very, very big. Throughout her many years alive Princess Luna had never felt such a large life force before. Many times had Luna sensed faint signatures coming close to the planet but those were much smaller and most times they consisted of living comets or magical asteroids and nothing more, the former being good company when Luna had time to converse with such ancient beings and the latter being annoying hassles that could disrupt leylines unless diverted to a safe distance away from the planet. Briefly she entertained the idea of creating artificial ley lines on her moon using the magical asteroids but filed the thought for another time, right now she had to warn Celestia of what she had discovered. Bursting from the door Luna ran like a mare possessed, her speed startling two knight guards patrolling the corridors.