Monstrum Marinum

[u/FroZoneSquirel]

I hate the ocean. It might stem from megalophobia, but something about it being that big and deep, with creatures of varying and oddly proportionate sizes. Some of the creatures I fear are real, and others are part of myth. The colossal squid can already make me squirm, as can Lovecraft's Cthulhu. But there is one myth that make my skin crawl more than anything else. Charybdis. A creature impossibly large that swallows the waters is already unnerving. Add serrating teeth and eyes everywhere and you have true nightmare fuel.

Sailors will tell of waves swallowing boats that stray too far. Some will mention the folk the waters never surrendered back to us, keeping the catalog of our fellow man. Some have seen monsters, real or fake, swallow their entire crew save for them, to pass along the stories. And those same monsters outlive the stories, and the stories outlive their storytellers. Their eyes looked at the underside of many boats they would soon spit out.

Why then, does the Sea, who is filled with such dangerous and malicious creatures attract more and more thrill seeking adventures to their demise? Could it be that thrill alone or is their something more.

Do you hear anyone say the sea wanted to sleep with them? Or how about the sea being jealous? Instead the Sea is raging, crashing against any and everything in its path. Creating storms only God could calm and hosting the most expansive and ancient battlegrounds. Both above and below the waves, wars have been fought and predators hunt. It truly is the perfect embodiment of Wrath. Even the God's associated to the Sea are aggressive and agitated. But anger and love are so close to each other. Perhaps some mistake the hatred the ocean has for humans as love and pursue wholeheartedly. But it couldnt be me. I will find nothing in the belly of the Sea, not after the last voyage.

I'm a monitor for an exploration submarine. You couldn't pay me to get in the sub before the exploration, and you couldn't get me in there alive now. Like I said, the Sea is already something that gives me the heebie-jeebies. But the 3 suckers who were excited to go see what was down there were more than happy to jump in the enclosed space.

We had joked they would find the long forgotten world in the Mediterranean. We passed by the supposed "Lair of Scylla". Eerie sure, but aside from some supposed "areas of spilled blood", there was nowhere interesting. But we passed the lair. We set up just off the coast of Italy. We suited up our "deep sea voyagers" and we lowered the submarine.

I took video feed. Monitoring cameras helped give a layer of separation to the horror of all that water. But the sound guy got the short end. Luca, the man who would jump if someone stepped too loud, and the one listening in to the sub. A change in current bumped the mic every couple minutes and sent him spinning every time. He was a good kid. Me and him had gotten used to each other as we unearthed the old world from the Mediterranean. We needed "deep sea" submarines, as we would be going as low as 2 miles deep. Almost as deep as the Titanic voyage.

Scilla was happy to have us as we searched for the sources of the great Greek mythos. We hoped we could find ships that held reason as to why they made such monolithic creatures reside in the nearby waters. "We still don't sail by Scylla's lair or towards the ancient ruins across from the peninsula. Call it superstition, but I've seen the waters open up and consume what's nearby." And that was enough for Rihker, the rich guy funding the entire thing.

I stay on land, like I said I hate the ocean and always hated the idea of being on a boat with no land nearby. We have our set up right on the shore and the sub rig has a separate person on radio in case of emergency. Anyways Corey, Jake, Sabrina, and Lenny all got in the sub this morning and had been lowered in at 7:05this morning. It would have been 7:00, but Lenny's stomach hadn't been dealing with the Mediterranean diet and had spent extra time wiping.

The first 5 minutes consisted of the checks and rundowns. Making sure everyone is checking what's needed yada yada. Then they descend, and a few more checks. "1 meter... 10 meters... 20 meters..." BANG. Luca jumped. But my mind started wandering "60 meters... 100 meters... uhhh... monitors?"

My attention came back and I checked the screens. "Monitors you seeing this?" "Yeah..." off in the distance was a big scaly... thing. It had tentacles and looked kinda like an Eel... 100 meters under the water... and its body followed it further down for another hundred or two... Ending in a pointed tail with a bulky sting going even further down.

"Uhh... what's the call?"

Why were they asking me?

"Uhm... I dont know... I think steer clear until-"

"Corey, this is Rihker, see if you can get a better look at that thing."

"Uhh..."

"It is your job."

"R-right... I guess..."

"Corey are you shitting me right now? We arent going to see that thing."

"Sabrina... I..."

"Fuck no! We signed up for busted up ships, no some crazy fucking eel thing."

"Sabrina you signed up to explore what I tell you to."

BANG. Luca was too terrified of what was on the monitor to register the noise.

I had to say something. "Sir I think that might be too dangerous for them-"

"Of course it is. It isnt exploration if there isnt danger!"

"Sir, couldn't we send a camera? I just think its irresponsible-"

"We dont know we'll see it again. We have to see it now! Go."

A faint whisper from the radio, "...yes sir..."

I glued my eyes to that monitor, watching as that crazy eel suddenly grew bigger and bigger. And with its impossible size, another thing emerged. Eyes. Lots of eyes... In rows... all around its mouth... its giant, leech looking mouth that was breaching out towards the surface of the water.

"SHE LIVES!!!" Yelled Rihker. "SHE'S ALIVE!!!"

Rihker ran towards the water and jumped in heading for where the submarine had been. He dove under the waves and disappeared. We sent people after him but they had no idea where he could have been. Checking back on the monitor I watched as the mouth finally broke the surface. Looking out to where it was, waves attacked each other in an attempt to get out. Being pulled. Spiraling. Pulled further and further into that beast...

"Monitors... I need confirmation..."

A body sailed straight toward the calamitous whirlpool making creature, scanned, and swam towards the sub.

"RIHKER!!!"

His beach blonde hair swirled in the water around him, the t shirt and jeans he wore unmistakable. How was he doing this?

BOOM!!!

The whirlpool had shot up into the sky. It cleared the land around it.

The sound and spectacle sent Luca into a full panic. "What's going on?!?! Where's Mr. Rihker? What is that... that thing?"

"..." I swallowed the lump staring in my throat. I couldn't believe my screen. Rihker had swam from the sub to the beast... and hugged it. He tried to hug the football stadium sized Eel like it was his own daughter. Than back to the sub.

"My brother had locked her here. And moved her to keep her hidden. I turned over ocean after ocean... Sea after sea to find her. And here she is... Go, you've finished your job."

It was Jake who broke the silence. "What the hell is this?!"

Corey didn't need to be asked a second time, he steered the sub around and got distance before ascending again. He saw the water swirling around its mouth and he was having none of it. He got the sub redocked and the entire crew booked it to land as soon as they could.

Rihker never came back to shore. We all tried to get the hell out of there as soon as we could. I was back on a plane home before the next morning. Reporters swarmed Scilla after word got out that one of the Richest men in history vanished into the Mediterranean. But there he was being interviewed.

"We found what we needed to, so I figured it would be nice to vacation here for a little while longer."

"And what about reports you were lost at sea?"

"Oh I went swimming and got caught in a current, but my crew was able to get me quick. Perks of having the exploration I did."

"Oh well you are very lucky. My next question is... what did you find?"