Nina Vale: I'll let you figure that out in future chapters.
D.N.S Akina: Glad you love it.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."
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Chapter 3: New Mission
The whole team was relaxing at Sophie's house. She and Lok had graduated from high school the previous week, and Dante had promised a special mission for them as a reward. They were just waiting for the call. Right now, they were eating the ice cream sundaes that Zhalia had fixed for them.
"They never let us have anything sweet like this in the Blood Spiral," Harrison said as he ate a spoonful of vanilla with peanut butter sauce and candy pieces.
"All the more reason to stay in the Huntik Foundation," Den said as he dug into his sundae of fruity candy.
"You know, Sophie," Lok said to the girl with the chocolate sundae, "we joined the Foundation two years ago around this time." He took another bite of his own sundae, which had a little bit of everything.
"That's right," Sophie replied. "You wanted me to help you study for finals, but then we found your father's journal and were ambushed by Suits."
"Good thing you weren't ambushed this year," Cherit commented as he dug into a sundae that was the same as Lok's. "You needed all the help you could get." Everyone but Lok laughed at that.
"You may have graduated high school," Zhalia said as she ate her own sundae, which was a copy of Sophie's, "but there's still college to think about." Lok groaned.
"Don't worry, Lok," Sophie told him. "The Foundation has dozens of universities around the world, with courses designed to suit your interests and even let you earn credits by going on missions."
"In that case, I'll have graduated within one year." Sophie rolled her eyes at Lok's comment.
Just then, the wide-screen TV started beeping. Dante was calling.
"Answer it! Answer it!" the boys cried as Sophie reached for the remote. Pressing the right button, Dante's smiling face appeared.
"Hey, everyone," he said.
"Hi, Dante," the team replied.
"Lok, Sophie, congratulations on graduating high school. I can't believe it's been two years since you two joined the Foundation. I still remember the day we first met."
"We were just talking about that," Lok said.
"So what's this reward you've been telling us about?" Zhalia asked.
"Just a little vacation to Sutos Island," Dante answered. "I've made all the arrangements with Grier," he continued after the teens had stopped cheering. "Seaside apartments, fantastic swimming and surfing, and all the seafood you can stomach." The teens once again broke out in cheers.
"You said there was a mission behind this?" Zhalia asked when the noise had died down.
"Yes. You'll be investigating the legend of the Hippocampus."
"The mythical water horses that pulled the chariot of Poseidon, the god of the seas," Sophie said in an excited voice.
"That's right," Dante said. "You'll meet with someone on the island who knows quite a bit about the legend. He'll guide you to the titan's location. Take your time, though. You have two whole weeks to complete the mission."
The teens said their goodbyes and raced off to start packing. Zhalia sighed before she and Cherit said their own goodbyes. Dante smiled at them before closing the transmission.
Two days later saw the team on a boat headed for Sutos. The boys were dressed in swim trunks and T-shirts while the girls wore bikinis under their clothes, Sophie wearing a sun dress and Zhalia wearing loose pants and a tank top. All of them wore flip-flops on their feet.
"So this place we're going to," Harrison began. "You've all been here before?"
"Zhalia and I have only been here once," Den answered. "Lok and Sophie have been here twice."
"The first time we were on a mission for the Foundation," Sophie told Harrison. "The second time we were looking for something to help us fight the Blood Spirals."
"Details." Harrison leaned forward. He was always eager to hear about the team's past missions.
"The first time we came to Sutos," Sophie explained, always ready to tell a story, "we were looking for Jason's ship, the Argo, and his titans, the Hoplites. Sutos had been in a civil war for ten years, but the day we arrived was the same day the Organization took over. They were led by Grier, a man we had encountered several times in the past when he was working for Defoe." Harrison nodded. He had heard all about Defoe. "As it turns out, Grier is actually the prince of Sutos, the son of its leader who died ten years earlier, sending the island into civil war. Grier joined the Organization in hopes of taking back the island one day. We made our peace with him that day and completed our mission.
"The second time we came here, we were asking Grier for help."
"I thought you said you were looking for something to fight the Blood Spirals," Harrison questioned.
"Right," Sophie said. "We were hoping Grier could give us something that could help us defeat Rassimov. He led us to the Professor's castle, where we found files that the old leader of the Organization had kept on Rassimov. That was before we fought you and him in Egypt."
"So that's how you were able to defeat him," Harrison observed. Sophie nodded. "But you didn't know about Legion."
"Which is why we lost in the end," Sophie said. "We were unprepared to fight such a titan."
"I wonder if we'll run into Wilder while we're here," Den thought out loud, trying to change the subject and forget about the time when his brother had fought against him.
"Who's Wilder?" Harrison asked.
"A member of the Organization," Cherit answered. "After we defeated the Professor, he tried to take control. We've fought him several times."
"The last time we saw him," Den said, "was at the Professor's castle. He tried to take the files on Rassimov."
"What happened to him?" Harrison asked.
"Grier defeated him and brought him back here," Lok said. "Maybe we will see him."
"Approaching the dock," Zhalia called over her shoulder from her place at the wheel. "Grab your luggage and prepare to go ashore."
The teens didn't listen. Instead, they walked to the front of the boat and watched as the island grew closer. Zhalia rolled her eyes.
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So what did you think? Don't worry. Wilder will show up in the next chapter. Until then, please review.