The Canals of Venice. I heard that there are two titans at the bottom of one canal. They are fairly deep but i have mastered holding my breath for a long time! I also have a small rebreather thats easy to take with me just incase i need to breath.
I looked at the map and highlighted a section of a canal. I have checked all the Canals but this one up ahead. I set the map down with my coat and my shoes and socks and got prepared to dive.
"What are you doing, kid? You could get seriously hurt." A man told me as he grabbed my sholder.
"Im getting in some diving practice. So dont mind me." I told him and began to calm my heart rate. A calm heart rate will use less oxygen all at once, making you need to surface less.
"The canal isnt a safe place for that. It doesnt matter how experienced you may be with diving. You shouldnt dive in the canals." He told me. Im gonna have to come back later... I put my socks, shoes, ad jacket on and circled the canal with my highlighter before pocketing the map and the highlighter.
"Then im gonna head home. Have a good day, sir." I told him.
"Do your parents know about you trying to dive in the Canals?" He asked me. Im 18 and i live alone. Im a highschool senior.
"Im a transfer student. I live in one of the dorms my school has so no. They dont." I told him and began to walk home and he continued to ask questions.
"Does the school know?"
"They do. They gave up with me. But i am on the swim team so i guess it has some perks." I told him and began to walk home.
When i got home, i began to prepare for a retrieval dive. By the time i get back, that guy should be gone.
When i was about to leave, my father called. I answered the video call and transferred it to the TV.
"Hey dad. Whats up?" I asked as i made it look like i was going to head out to a friends house for a study session
"I received word from our lead seeker there in Venice about a kid diving in the canals. He did some research and saw that two titans lie at the bottom of a canal. He initially stopped the kid for their safety but now, him and his team are going to look for them."
"Call them off! Those titans are mine!" I told him, hung up, and ran.
When i got to the canal, i saw the guy from before. I quickly got ready and dived before they could and got my flippers on as i let myself sink and then began to swim. I put the rebreather into my mouth and turned my flashlight on once the light barely reached. Its kind of murky but im used to it.
When i got to the bottom, i began to search and i soon found them! I swam to them and grabbed them and went back up. I saw that the adults went in anyway. I pulled myself out and i recognised the two kids.
"Damn it..." I mumbled. "Hey sophie. What brings you to the canal?" I asked sheepishly.
"We heard there were two-" and her mouth was covered.
"We dont know if he is one of us or not." Lok told her. We are in the same history class.
"If you were looking for the titans, they are mine. I spent three weeks diving in EVERY canal looking for them. If you tell Guggenheim that i refuse to give them up, i will tell him how long i was looking for them." I told them and got out fully and grabbed the towel i brought.
"Three weeks?" Lok asked. "How many canals are in Venice?"
"150. It takes a while to check each one. Plus i know that if i dive sooner than noon, when people are everywhere for a lunch rush, i wont be able to dive without them pulling me back. And of i dive later than 5 or 6, it will be too dark for me to dive. So three weeks since i used my time well." I told them and the two adults came up and saw that i had a triumphant look.
"Please give us the titans. We are with the huntik foundation. We need to get those to a huntik safehouse." The guy told me.
"Do you really think i would spend three weeks of my time looking for these just to give them up?" I asked him.
"Its important to get those to a huntik safehouse. We dont know what type of seeker had them last." He told me.
"The last seeker who had these was a determined, brave, and loyal seeker who didnt want the wrong hands getting ahold of his two titans. He threw them in the canals, knowing that only someone as determined and brave as him would go after them." I told him. "Its easy to tell just by holding them. You recently heard about these. These are the reasons why i begged my father to let me study here in Venice. Have a good day and a good life." I told them as i got my stuff and left. The woman ran after me. Shit! I booked it and took ad many turns as i could to lose her before using a spell to get up onto the roofs of the buildings around me.
When i got home and was showered and changed, someone knocked on my door. I put the titans into my pocket and saw the guy. Im assuming he is Dante.
"You do know that a grown man knocking on the door of a student can be seen in a lot of different ways right?" I asked.
"I need to talk with you about those titans."
"Alright then. But your not getting them." I told them.
"First of all. Are you a seeker or are you someone who knows of seekers and titans?" He asked me.
"I've been a seeker since i could speak. My father told me that if i want a titan, i have to find it and bond with it myself like he did with Bulreguard." I told him and his mind made a connection.
"And how did you know about the titans?" He asked.
"I did some digging in the really old books in the swiss Huntik run library. It caught my attention and i began to bug my dad to let me study here is Venice." I stated.
"You should still let the ones in the huntik safehouse take a look at them to make sure they are safe for you to invoke. I took out of my pocket and held it between my hands and sensed everything about it.
"This one is the griffin, Maltu." I told him and set it down and took the other out of my pocket and did the same thing. "And this is the chimera, Taliti." I set that one down too. "And no. I dont have a holitome. My father thinks i will break it withing the first week." He took his out and checked and was surprised that i was correct.
"How did you know without a holitome. Very few people can sense a titans name without it allowing it." He told me.
"I may be 18 but im a very talented seeker. And since i found these two, they are mine. Tell my father that i beat you and you team to them." I told him and my father called on the tv. I stiffened a bit, knowing i was gonna get yelled at for interfering with their retrieval mission. I ushered him out and answered it.
"Yes, dad? Whats up?" I asked, obviously nervous. There are very few things that scare me. One of those things is my father when he is mad at me.
"Why did you interfere with Dante's mission?" He asked me as calmly as he could.
"I spent the entire year mapping out the canal system and three weeks diving for the titans. I say i earned them." I told him.
"And why did you think it would be a good idea to not tell me that you were diving for titans?"
"I didnt know i wasnt the only Huntik operative in Venice. I didnt think i had to." He pinched the bridge of his nose while being very annoyed at me.
"What are the titans names?"
"Maltu and Taliti." I told him. "Their seeker tossed them into the canals before he died so only someone just as determined and brave as he was would have them. Not an evil soul who only wants them for their power." I told him. He was shocked to hear that i actually had that kind of information.
"How would you know that when you dont have a holitome?"
"I have a sixth sense that helps me as a seeker. We have been through this before, havent we?" I asked.
"I initially thought that you used my holitome." He told me.
"Yeah. I didnt. So i can keep these to?"
"The deal was 'You can have titans if you find them yourself' after all. Also, try not to cause too much trouble for Dante, Lok, Sophie, and Zahlia. And your free to ask them questions if you have any." I nodded and he hung up. I let out my breath. I didnt even realise i was holding it.
