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The passing of Monstro the Whale, the Terror of the Mediterranean Sea, seemed almost too incredible to believe. Since ancient times, that creature had devastated fishing boats, battleships, and various other human attempts of crossing his territory.
The Greeks believed that praying to their god of the Sea, Poseidon, could keep their sea voyages safe, while the Romans pleaded to Neptune. No one knows if either god (or if they are one and the same) is real, but most of the time, the prayers seemed to work.
Mainly because Monstro mostly slept at the bottom of the sea floor, until it was time for him to feed, every other week or so. Then he terrorized the fish and other creatures of the Sea, sometimes even rising to the surface if he desired.
All of the creatures of the deep, even of colder, deeper waters, knew of the Terror, and feared him. Even other famous terrifying monsters of the ocean, such as the Kraken and the Sea Serpent, didn't bother to challenge or ally with Monstro.
The giant whale was far more aggressive than his more peaceful cousins, even compared to the vicious Orca, and didn't require as much air as they did. Thus, his times above the surface were unpredictable. It was the law of all creatures of the water to stay as far away as possible from Monstro the Whale.
Then, on a seemingly ordinary day, mysterious rumors began whispering among fish and mollusks of the Mediterranean Sea. A young boy made of wood had plunged down into the deep, with a heavy stone to anchor him. His companion was a small, strange creature that none of the fish had ever seen before.
Both of these strangers continued calling out the same thing: "Father!" and "Mr. Gepetto!" and asked around for the whereabouts of Monstro. What strange beings! Surely, they realized the Terror would only eat them alive?
In spite of themselves, fish and other sea creatures kept their eye on the odd pair, wandering along the seafloor, calling out for this person, and seeking the last thing anyone could ever wish to see...
Rumor has it that the same strange, wooden boy brought upon the death of Monstro the Whale. Not by design, but sheer luck. The seagulls reported to porpoises that the corpse of the Terror could be found, half buried by the cliffs leading back to the mainland. Curious fish and other creatures journeyed to see for themselves, despite the terrifying concept of the Whale still being alive.
But no, slowly but surely, the story began spreading throughout every sea in the world, shocking and relieving everyone (even other monsters, though they wouldn't admit it). But only in the Mediterranean Sea did another rumor circulate, claiming that the wooden boy who was crazy enough to search for Monstro, had actually angered the Whale enough to the point where it willingly crashed headlong into the cliffs, driven by vengeance to get rid of him.
For the first time since time began, it seemed, the fish and creatures of the Mediterranean Sea could live out their lives in peace. All because one wooden boy dared to seek out the Terror and bring about his long-awaited death…