Chapter 2: Dark Orca

A seagull flew over the ocean before it landed on a nearby ship. The crew was cheering as they hauled up an old chest from the water. As they opened it, the captain chuckled in success. "Tell the museum we found it." He said. "Captain! There's something under us! It's huge!" A crewman exclaimed in alert. The captain looked over the side and gasped as he saw a big submarine coming up right under their ship. Just then, several grappling hooks shot out of the water and ensnared the ship. "No. It can't be! Lifeboats now!" The captain ordered. The crew tossed the lifeboat into the water and hopped in. "What is it?" One of the crewmen asked. "They don't exist! They can't!" The captain said. He leapt into the water as he watched his ship get dragged down under by the submarine. The crewmen managed to pull him out of the water. "Captain, what was that?" One of the crewmen asked. "Something impossible. A myth. The Dark Orca!" The captain revealed.

(Intro)

Meanwhile, Ant and Fontaine were training with quarterstaffs. As they clashed, Ant was explaining about the ship that got dragged down. "So, the stolen salvage vessel was dragged down by giant grappling hooks." He explained. "But what could possibly have that much power to drag down an entire ship like that?" Fontaine asked. "I'm not sure. But I've been leaning towards that recent myth that's been going around." Ant said. "You mean…the Dark Orca?" Fontaine asked. "If it's possible. And whoever was controlling the Dark Orca is a force to be reckoned with." Ant said. With that, they stopped training, drenched in sweat. "Do you think Dad knows about this?" Fontaine asked, taking a drink of water. "Let's hope so. The only thing he's been focused on is that scroll we found in the dragon's den." Ant said. "I know. He's barely drank any of the coffees me and Dionna made for him." Fontaine said. "Well, if he doesn't know, we should tell him." Ant said. Fontaine nodded in agreement.

Later, Ant was explaining the salvage ship's disappearance to William, who barely paid any attention. "The stolen salvage vessel was searching for a Dutch trader sunken in the 17th century. It was carrying a fortune of Gilders when it was pulled into the sea by giant grappling hooks." Ant explained. "Mm-hmm. That sounds great." William said, not paying attention. "Mom, a little help?" Ant asked, annoyed. "The salvage vessel was last seen orbiting the Earth being towed by Martians singing Jingle Bells." Kaiko lied. "Yep. I'll get to it tomorrow." William said. "Oh, for Pete's sake, Dad!" Ant exclaimed. "Huh? What?" William asked, coming back to Earth. "Will, we both know that finding the scroll was important." Kaiko said. "Important?! This could be the key to finding lost Lemuria, Kaiko. This is what my parents were searching for. Important doesn't quite cover it." William said. "But you know what does cover it? Obsessive! You've been looking over every piece of scripture on that scroll ever since we found it! You barely pay any attention to us anymore! It's like we don't exist to you!" Ant exclaimed. William started feeling bad at what his son just said to him.

Just then, Dionna walked in with a cup of coffee. "I brought you another coffee, Dad." She said. "Thanks, Dionna. Just put it over there." William said. Dionna put the cup onto his table…with about a dozen other cups of cold coffee. "You mean with all the other coffees you haven't drunk?" She asked. William didn't answer as he reached another no match for the scroll's symbols. "Ugh! Still no match!" He exclaimed. "What're you trying to match, Dad?" Skipper asked. "This looks like an ancient map, but it doesn't match any modern cartography." William said. "But what do these symbols mean?" Fontaine asked. "I'm not sure. A location, maybe. But they're in a lost language. No one alive today can read them." William said. "There's one person who might be able to." Kaiko said, not feeling too pleased about it. "Dolos." William said. "Who's Dolos?" Skipper asked. "A mysterious keeper of ancient secrets. He runs his shady operations in the Floating Black Market." Fontaine said. "Guess we know where we're going." Dionna groaned. "I'll go get Jeffrey." Ant said. "But Ant, the market floats above water. Jeffrey doesn't do above water." Skipper said. "He does now." Ant said before leaving the study.

Later, Ant presented his newest invention. A fish tank backpack with Jeffrey inside. "Ant, you invented this?" William asked. "That's fantastic." Kaiko said. "Thanks. I decided to call it…the Jorange." Ant said. "Uh, why call it that?" Skipper asked. "I wanted to invent 2 things at once. So, I invented this fish backpack to carry Jeffrey around in and I also invented the first word to rhyme with orange." Ant explained. "Makes sense to me. Especially if you took Jeffery's name and put it in orange." Fontaine said. "Okay, but why would want to carry around your fish everywhere?" Dionna asked. "It's not about what I want, Dionna. It's about Jeffrey. It's not fair that he's excluded whenever we do things out of the water." Ant explained. "Ant's right. And we shouldn't let stuff like oxygen stop Jeffrey from being with us." Fontaine said. "He's a fish. Oxygen always stops him." Dionna said. Later, the Nektons launched out of the Aronnax in their jet boat. After they reached the surface, they opened the hatch. "So, this is just a swap? I get your turn the next time we use the jet boat, right?" Ant asked as Fontaine drove the jet boat. "I should say that this would count as your turn, but you can have my turn. But only after you find a way to drive with the Jorange." Fontaine said. "Right. Backpack development log: Learn to adapt Jorange while driving jet boat." Ant said, recording on his wristband. "Fontaine's development log: remember to ask Ant to help build my own Jorange for when I get a fish." Fontaine recorded. "Now, remember, kids, we need to keep a low profile." Kaiko said. "No kidding. That Floating Market is full of thieves and pirates. We can't trust anyone there." Ant said. "What about this Dolos? Can we trust him?" Skipper asked. "No!" William and Kaiko answered simultaneously. "So, what's the plan, Dad?" Fontaine asked. "I've only scanned the symbols I need him to translate. I don't want Dolos getting any hints that the scroll exists." William said.

After a while of driving, the Nektons arrived at the Floating Black Market. "11th century Dutch Treasure! Only discovered a few days ago!" A young vendor, named 'Smiling' Finn, called out. "Get your gilders here! Absolutely priceless artifacts! For a price." But the Nektons just glared at him as they walked by. Just then, a balding midget, Danny Boy, walked up. Finn gestured to the Nektons with a sinister grin. Danny Boy smiled just as sinisterly and followed them. Across from them, a young girl with messy black hair, named 'Mad' Madeline, watched Danny Boy follow the Nektons with a concerned look. As the Nektons continued walking, Danny Boy tripped himself and cut the kids off from their parents. "YOU UGLY LOWLIVES! MY GRANDMOTHER'S WORTH TWICE THAT MUCH! EVEN WITH HER WOODEN LEG!" He exclaimed, pretending to shout at someone. But Ant and Fontaine weren't convinced, knowing he was faking it. "Ooh, what do we have here?" Danny Boy asked, eyeing the Jorange. "This? Not for sale." Ant said. "You sure about that? What about the fish? How much you want for it?" Danny Boy asked, not giving up. "Like I said…Not. For. Sale." Ant said. "I wasn't asking, boy. Give it to me!" Danny Boy exclaimed, trying to grab the Jorange. But Ant kicked him in the face, knocking him down. Madeline winced at that, impressed with Ant's style. "You don't want to do that." William said as Danny Boy recovered. "Really? And who are you?" Danny Boy asked as he turned around. But then, he gulped at the sight of William. "My name is William Nekton. And you just tried to mug my son, Antaeus." William said with a glare. Danny Boy looked back at Finn, who shook his head. "The Nekton family?" Danny Boy asked. "The one and only." Fontaine said as the family glared at the little pirate. "Right! You've been known to make things difficult for us…legitimate business men like myself." Danny Boy said nervously. "Nice try…pirate." Ant said, not buying his act. "Walk away." William demanded. "Happy to." Danny Boy said, walking away. "Good work, Ant." William said as the family continued on their way. Just then, Finn and Madeline's father, Captain Hammerhead, walked up to them. "Find out what they're doing here. Now." He ordered. Finn walked off before Madeline reluctantly followed.

As the Nektons reached the right boat, Finn and Madeline followed them and watched as they hid behind some crates. Ant, Fontaine, Dionna and Skipper watched as their parents interacted with Dolos. "Ugh, I forgotten how much Dolos creeps me out." Fontaine said. "Ah, children. All those years of sleepless nights and dirty diapers. Such a blessing." Dolos said, unimpressed with the kids' presence. "Did he just insult us?" Skipper asked. "Yeah. Dolos isn't a big fan of children." Ant said. "Let's keep this short. We're only here so you can translate some symbols." William said, setting down his high-tech laptop. "Oh, anything for old college friends." Dolos said as he activated the laptop. "And of course, they went to college together." Ant said. "Oh, and you taught them to speak too. The blessings are endless." Dolos said. "Watch it, senior nerdlinger. You don't want to insult me." Ant threatened. "It speaks once more, I double my fee." Dolos threatened. Ant glared at that, wanting to hit Dolos for that remark. "Later." Kaiko mouthed. Ant calmed down and backed off. Dolos opened the symbols and looked through them. "Hmm. No, I don't…I only recognize 2 of these. Maybe 10,000-years-old. Mesopotamian or…no. This is something else. Where did you get these, William?" Dolos asked, getting suspicious. "You're getting paid. And that's all you're getting." Kaiko said. Dolos went back to the symbols. One of them resembled a gateway and the other resembled a mountain with a fiery peak. "I think this one means 'entrance' or…no, 'gateway'." He said. "And the other?" William asked. "Uh, this literally means 'wet fire'?" Dolos said in confusion. "You mean lava. Wet fire means lava. Seriously, why do we even pay this guy?" Ant asked in disbelief as Dolos glared at him. After getting the information they needed, Finn and Madeline headed back to tell their father.

Later, the Nektons were heading back to the jet boat. Ant was rubbing his knuckles. "Ant, not that we don't appreciate what you've done, but you gotta learn to hold back you temper around Dolos." Kaiko said. "I know. But at least he got the fee he was promised." Ant said. "You punched him and broke his nose when he doubled the fee." Dionna said. "He called me an it! You know how much he pushes my buttons. And I still owed him for nearly feeding me to Hydra that one time." Ant said. Just then, Danny Boy walked up. "Our captain would like a word." He said. "Oh, I thought we already had a word." William said. "We did. We had 3 words. Get lost, criminal." Ant said. "This time…" Danny Boy started to say, gesturing to his fellow crewmates. "We brought friends." Finn said as he, Madeline and 2 others dropped in. Just then, Ant's eyes shimmered as he saw Madeline, who blushed as she saw him staring. "What's the strategy, Dad? Bargain? Bluff? Outthink them?" Skipper asked. "We RUN!" William exclaimed. The Nektons started to run as the pirates started chasing after them. As they ran along the docks, William and Kaiko stopped at the ramp. "What are you doing?!" Dionna exclaimed. "Keep going. Hide. We'll draw them away." Kaiko said. "We're not leaving you!" Skipper exclaimed. "Yes, we are. Mom and Dad can handle themselves." Ant said, taking his brother's arm. "Don't look back!" William exclaimed as the pirates caught up with them. "Remember, Ant, if anyone follows you, feel free to do the inventive things you wouldn't normally be allowed to do." Kaiko said. "Done and done, Mom. Let's go!" Ant exclaimed as he and his siblings took off. As the 2 pirates started to run up the ramp, William knocked over 2 barrels, knocking them into the water.

Meanwhile, after patching up his broken nose, Dolos was looking over a symbol he drew. "Dolos." Hammerhead said, startling Dolos. "Captain Hammerhead, my favorite pirate." Dolos said nervously. "What did the Nektons want?" Hammerhead demanded. "Oh, I couldn't possibly betray the confidence of my old college friend." Dolos said. Knowing his type, Hammerhead offered some of the rare coins he stole. "Ah. What would you like to know?" Dolos asked, accepting the coins.

Meanwhile, Danny Boy, Finn and Madeline were searching for the kids. "Over there!" Danny Boy exclaimed, spotting something. Jeffery and his Jorange were sitting in a different boat. "What is that?" Finn asked. "It looks like a fish tank backpack." Madeline said as Danny Boy was about to walk aboard. "It is. But it's also a diversion." Ant said as he appeared and kicked the plank underneath Danny Boy, knocking him into the water. "Backpack development log: Jeffery makes an excellent diversion." He recorded. "Good job, Ant. You too, Jeffrey. Let's keep going." Fontaine said as she, Dionna and Skipper kept moving with Ant and Jeffrey following. "That fish did make a good diversion." Madeline admitted. "After them!" Finn shouted before taking off. Madeline was hesitant as she followed her brother.

Meanwhile, Dolos told Hammerhead everything he learned for the Nektons. "A gateway and lava?! I thought you'd be more useful than this, Dolos. You don't want to join the list of people who have 'disappointed' me." Hammerhead said. "There's more. The Nektons were holding something back. I'm guessing this gateway leads to an ancient treasure." Dolos explained. "See? Now you're being useful. What sort of treasure?" Hammerhead asked. "Something of enormous value, I'm sure. However, the only clue to the location is the volcanic activity. You'd have to follow the Nektons to learn more." Dolos explained. "Oh, I won't have to follow them. I shall have them already." Hammerhead assured.

Meanwhile, the Nekton kids made their way onto another boat. "You think we lost them?" Skipper asked. But then, Finn and Madeline were spotted running towards the boat. "Nope." Ant said. Just then, Dionna got an idea and ran towards the control room. "Dionna, where are you going?" Fontaine asked. "I got an idea." Dionna said. As Finn and Madeline were almost to the boat, Dionna started the engine and took off. The rope that connected the boat to the dock pulled on it and broke off a piece of the dock, causing Finn and Madeline to fall in. "Hehe. Pirates. So stupid." Ant said. Unfortunately, Finn and Madeline had grabbed onto the dock. They climbed up the rope and prepared to board. "Alright, now we need to find Mom and Dad…Oh, shark bait." Ant groaned as Finn and Madeline boarded the boat. "Stop the boat." Finn ordered. "Why? You can see we have you 2 outnumbered." Fontaine said. But then, Finn drew a flintlock pistol and aimed for them. "I said…stop. The. Boat." He threatened. Madeline looked at her brother with worry, thinking he was going too far with the pistol. "Dionna, kill the engine." Ant said. Dionna did as she was told and stopped the boat. "The captain is waiting for you. I don't want to have to do this the hard way." Finn said. "Should've thought of that before threatening us with that pistol." Fontaine said. "Believe me. He never thinks." Madeline said, making Finn glare at her. Just then, the kids' wristwatches beeped, showing that William and Kaiko were coming. "Then we'll make it easy for you guys." Ant said as he and his siblings walked to the edge of the boat. "We're leaving." Fontaine said as they dropped over the side. "No!" Finn exclaimed as he and Madeline raced over. But the kids revealed to have hopped onto the jet boat as William and Kaiko drove away with it. "Wow. That was…well-planned." Madeline said with respect. Finn just shook his head as he put away his pistol.

Later, Finn and Madeline returned to the Dark Orca and told their father exactly what happened. "I'll take that treasure, and I'll take that fancy sub of theirs for my fleet." Hammerhead declared.

Meanwhile, after returning to the Aronnax, the Nektons started moving underway. "We're underway. But it would be good to know where we were underway to." Kaiko said as she, Fontaine, Dionna and Skipper walked into the study as William and Ant were examining volcanic areas on the digital map. "Do you know how many volcanic sites there are in the world?" William asked. "Would like another coffee you won't drink?" Dionna asked sarcastically. "And if this gateway is near volcanic activity, it could be buried by now." William said. Suddenly, Ant had a thought. "Wait. Dolos said those symbols were 10,000-years-old, right?" He asked. "Yes." William said. "I remember that the Ice Age was around then. Which means the sea water level…" Ant started to say. "Would've been much lower than it is today." William said, cross-referencing the information on which volcanic areas were around during the Ice Age. And then, a match came up. "A match! The location in the scroll is now underwater near the Aleutian Islands. And they're volcanic! Ant, you're a genius!" He cheered. "Dionna's development log: Never underestimating Ant's smarts again." Dionna recorded. "I can have us there by morning." Kaiko said. "That long?" William asked. "Well, we could get there faster, but the teleporter's on the fritz." Kaiko said as she left. William smiled at his wife's sense of humor.

Later, after arriving at the Aleutian Islands, William and Kaiko departed in the Rover. "Rover, this is Aronnax. We don't need thermal imaging. There's volcanic activity everywhere." Fontaine said through the com-link. "Setting GPS coordinates for the gateway. Or at least where I'm hoping some sort of gateway will be." William said. Dionna and Skipper walked into the cockpit, seeing Ant and Fontaine watching the Rover head deeper into the volcanic territory. "You didn't go with them, Ant?" Skipper asked. "With all the heat generating down there? Not a chance." Ant said. "Besides, Ant was too busy putting some new upgrades on his Jorange." Fontaine said. "Yeah, that too." Ant said.

Meanwhile, William and Kaiko continued on their way towards the gateway. "Let's find this gateway and get out of here." Kaiko said. "According to the GPS, we should be close." William said. "Look. What's that?" He spotted some kind of archway nearby. And there were Lemurian markings on it. "Incredible. This gateway must be 10 meters high." William said. "An archway like that has to lead to somewhere as impressive." Ant said through the com-link. "Taking us in to find out." Kaiko said. The Rover drove through the archway and entered a strange cave. "It's…empty." William said. "Will." Kaiko said, pointing the Rover's headlights up at the ceiling. There was a strange symbol on it. "Kids, are you seeing this?" William asked. "Yeah." Fontaine said as William took a digital picture of the symbol and sent it to the Aronnax.

"What sort of symbol is that?" Skipper asked. "Not sure. Maybe there's something about it in the study." Fontaine said. But then, she thought she saw something. "What's wrong?" Ant asked. "I'm not sure, but I thought I saw something on the external cameras." Fontaine said. "What kind of something? There's nothing on the radar or the sonar." Skipper said. "Kids, is everything okay?" Kaiko asked on the com-link. "Fontaine's probably seeing things, but we could be in for trouble." Ant said. Suddenly, the Dark Orca appeared on the screen. "There's something under us! Something HUGE!" Fontaine exclaimed, putting the Dark Orca on screen as it launched its grappling hooks. "It's the Dark Orca!" Ant exclaimed as the grappling hooks snagged the Aronnax. "They're gonna pin us down!" Fontaine exclaimed. The Dark Orca fired another grappling hook at the sea floor, anchoring them to stop the Aronnax from escaping. "Aronnax secured! Enter the vessel!" Hammerhead ordered. "Rover! Rover, this is Aronnax! We're under attack!" Fontaine exclaimed into the com-link as Ant rushed out.

"We're coming!" William called as Kaiko turned the Rover around and exited the gateway. "Whoever they are, they're coming!" Skipper cried as they saw 2 divers swimming towards the Aronnax. "Shut the moon pool!" William ordered. "No! We have to cut ourselves free." Ant said. He hopped into the White Knight and prepared for launch. "Jeffrey, you stay." Jeffrey bubbled at the order. "Backpack development log: find a way to carry the Jorange with the White Knight." Ant recorded before being launched through the moon pool. "Okay, Fontaine, I'm out! Close the moon pool!" He ordered. "Good luck, Ant." Fontaine said as she closed the moon pool, shutting out the divrs. "Get that boy!" Hammerhead ordered. Ant swam up to the roof as the divers followed. "Activate laser." He activated the White Knight's laser and cut the first grappling hook off. But then, Fontaine saw the 2 divers coming at him from behind. "Ant! Starboard side! You've got company!" She exclaimed. After Ant cut the other grappling hook free, he saw them. "I see them, Fontaine. Too bad they didn't bring cake. Can you slow them down?" He asked as he swam away. "I can try. Discharging bilge tanks. Have a nice day." Fontaine said. Just then, the bilge tanks released their gross contents into the divers' faces. The Dark Orca crew cringed in disgust at the sight of that. "That's a nasty bit of business." Hammerhead said.

Ant finally cut the third and last grappling hook loose. "That's all of them." He said. Just then, one of the divers swam up to him. But as Ant managed to knock him away, the other diver fired a pulse blast from the prod in his hand, hitting Ant and shutting down the White Knight. "Ant's been hit!" Dionna cried, seeing the White Knight's systems shutting down. "Ant! Ant, come in! Do you read me?!" Fontaine cried with worry. But Ant didn't respond since the pulse also knocked him out as he floated away. But before the divers could go after him, William and Kaiko blocked them with the Rover. "Stop right there! No one messes with my son!" Kaiko exclaimed as she turned the Rover around and blew them away with the turbines. "Mom, Dad, the White Knight's systems are down! Ant's got no power! He's got no air! Ant! Ant, do you read me?!" Fontaine cried. Ant gasped in relief as the White Knight's power came back on. "I'm all good, Fontaine. Takes more than an EMP to keep a good Nekton down." He said. Fontaine sighed in relief. "Open the moon pool, kids. We're coming in." Kaiko said. But then, they noticed the Dark Orca. "The Dark Orca. You were right, Ant." William said. The moon pool opened as the Rover and White Knight re-entered the Aronnax. "Try and catch us now." Fontaine said, steering the Aronnax away from the gateway.

"NO! They're getting away! Fire another grappling hook!" Hammerhead ordered. "Uh, it's our last one, Captain." Danny Boy advised. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you saving it for a special occasion?!" Hammerhead asked threateningly. Danny Boy fired the grappling hook and struck the Aronnax's primary propeller, damaging it and slowing the whole submarine down. "Primary propeller is down." Kaiko said as she, William and Ant hurried into the bridge. "We can't outrun them with only one prop!" Dionna exclaimed. "We have to. We can't let them get their hands on the scroll." William said. Suddenly, the volcano started shaking. "What's happening?" Skipper asked in fear. "The volcano. It's about to blow!" Fontaine said. "Then we have to stop!" Dionna exclaimed. Just then, making matters worse, they received a transmission from the Dark Orca. "Hello, Nektons. This is the Dark Orca! You can't go forward and you can't come back! Surrender your vessel!" Hammerhead ordered. Suddenly, the volcano erupted. "I repeat! Surrender your vessel and all its content! Now!" Hammerhead ordered.

Just then, Ant had an idea. "Wait a minute. Fontaine, how hot is the water around the volcano?" He asked. "Oh, you cannot be serious right now!" Dionna exclaimed in a panic. "No. He's right. The Dark Orca would never follow us through an eruption. Fontaine?" William said. "1200 degrees c. and rising." Fontaine said. "And how is this a good idea?!" Dionna exclaimed. "The Aronnax is titanium alloy. She'll be able to take the heat, but only if we go right now before the water gets any hotter." Ant said. "But we can't move as fast as we're supposed to with just one prop!" Dionna exclaimed. "Even with half the power, your mother can still out-pilot anyone. You're the captain, Captain." William said. "Buckle up." Kaiko said. Everyone strapped in as she started steering the Aronnax towards the eruption. "Backpack development log: add a seatbelt to the Jorange for future assignments." Ant recorded. "1300 degrees." Fontaine reported. "We'll be okay. The Aronnax's titanium won't melt under 1600." Ant said. "Yeah, but we do! Doesn't anyone think about our safety for once?!" Dionna exclaimed.

Just then, the Dark Orca picked up the Aronnax's movement. "Oh! The Aronnax is moving again, Captain! It's heading straight for the volcano!" Danny Boy reported. "WHAT?! Don't let them get away!" Hammerhead ordered. "You want to follow them? Into the eruption?" Danny Boy asked in surprise. Hammerhead growled menacingly at him. "You're the captain, Captain." Danny Boy whimpered. The Dark Orca started following the Aronnax. "What's the temperature?" Hammerhead asked. "The gauges don't work, Captain." Danny Boy said, tapping the faulty gauges. "What?" Hammerhead asked. "He said the gauges don't-" Finn tried to say. "I heard him the first time! Let's go after them!" Hammerhead ordered. As the Aronnax and Dark Orca went further towards the eruption, lava geysers started erupting. "Hold on!" Kaiko exclaimed. Just then, the Dark Orca got hit by a lava geyser. "The upper haul is melting! We're taking in a lot of water." Finn said as water started leaking in. "We won't make it! We have to pull out now!" Madeline exclaimed. "KEEP GOING!" Hammerhead ordered, ignoring his own children. "We're nearing maximum haul temperature!" Fontaine reported. "Almost there!" Kaiko exclaimed. "Seismic activity peaking!" Fontaine reported as the volcano was about to let loose. "Hang on, everyone." Kaiko said. Everyone started screaming as she made the Aronnax turn on its side. Just as the volcano erupted, the Aronnax disappeared within the lava. More water started leaking into the Dark Orca as a couple wirings broke loose too. "PULL OUT!" Hammerhead ordered, pulling the Dark Orca away from the eruption. "You pulled us away just in time, Captain. There's no way they survived." Danny Boy said. The crew of the Dark Orca cheered while Maddie looked worried. But then, the Aronnax remerged from the lava. "The Dark Orca, they're turning back! Way to go, Mom!" Fontaine cheered. "Alright!" Ant cheered. "Yeah!" William cheered. "Yeah, we did it!" Kaiko cheered. Just then, the Aronnax appeared on the Dark Orca's radar. "Uh, Captain? I think they made it." Finn said with regret. "WHAT?!" Hammerhead exclaimed in shock. "Yes!" Madeline whispered.

"I didn't know the Aronnax could roll over." William said. "Me neither. But the top of the haul had the strongest insolation. I had to put it between us and the eruption." Kaiko explained. "It's a good thing you had the Jorange. Jeffrey would've spilled all over the floor." Fontaine said. "I know. It's one of the greatest inventions I've ever invented." Ant said.

Meanwhile, the Dark Orca was investigating the gateway. The divers searching the cave found nothing. "Aside from some old graffiti, there's nothing in this gateway at all, Captain." Danny Boy said. "Of course, there isn't! Whatever treasure was in there, the Nektons took it. I want it, I want that sub, and I want revenge! No one humiliates Captain Hammerhead!" Hammerhead declared…until he got sprayed by water.

Meanwhile, William and Ant were examining the scroll and the symbol they found in the gateway. "I've searched through the entire scroll and I didn't find anything that matches this symbol from the gateway." William said. "Uh, want your coffee on the table so it can go cold again, Dad?" Fontaine asked as she came in with another cup of coffee. "No. I'll have it now. Thanks." William said, taking the coffee. But then, Ant started getting curious. "What is it, Ant? You look like you're about to get obsessed too." Fontaine said. "Perks of being an explorer, Fontaine. We're either obsessed with things or we stay on the couch." Ant said as he walked up to the scroll. "Good point." Fontaine said. "Dad, you said that the symbol wasn't in the scroll." Ant said. "Yes." William said. "But what about out of the scroll?" Ant asked. "What?" William asked. Ant looked at the symbol on the scroll, took it and twisted it. Just then, the outer casing unrolled itself, revealing to be a stone scroll. William looked at it and saw the same symbol, comparing it to the picture from the gateway. "That's it. It's the same symbol." Fontaine said. "This is just the first. I think we're gonna find more of these symbols in the Deep. The start of a whole new path." William said.

Just then, Ant spotted something else in the canister. He reached in and pulled out a strange crystal on a chain necklace. Though the crystal looked like it was broken in half. "What is this thing?" He asked himself, wondering so many questions inside his mind as their journey continued.

Haha! How was that?! As the Nektons consult the abilities of their sleezy friend, Dolos, the modern pirate crew of the Dark Orca, led by the infamous and heartless Captain Hammerhead, follows them to the volcanic Aleutian Islands, where they hoped to find a clue from the scroll they found in the Dragon's Den. But there, they found a strange empty chamber along with a strange symbol on the chamber ceiling. But then, they came under attack by the Dark Orca. After the Nektons managed to safely get away from them, Hammerhead became determined to find the Nektons and take their treasure for himself. But what could the symbol on the ceiling mean? What other surprises will the Nektons encounter on their journey? Leave a review if you want.