55 pages • 1 hour read
Rick RiordanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Ana dreams of drowning, which she thinks “isn’t like me,” and she goes for a morning swim with Socrates to cheer herself up (168). After a quick breakfast, Ana, Nelinha, and Ester all go with Ophelia to see the Nautilus although it makes Ester nervous: The Nautilus is a prototypical AI that Nemo created, making it alive. Ophelia warns them to be careful when approaching the submarine, and Ester realizes that it was the Nautilus itself that killed Ana’s parents, since it was angry. Ester explains, “it had been sitting at the bottom of the ocean for a hundred and fifty years. Nemo abandoned it” (174).
Ana’s entire life has led to this point—trying to board the Nautilus. When they approach, Ana notes its distressed appearance. She also thinks, “even more unsettling are the Nautilus’ eyes,” which are the two windows on the bow (178). While the submarine was underwater, it entered a state of self-preserving dormancy, but when Ana’s parents attempted to enter it, the submarine sent out a deadly electrical shock. Before Ana enters, she greets the Nautilus in Bundeli, “Nemo’s native tongue,” and then she walks on board (182).
Inside, Ana beholds the same Nautilus that Verne describes in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. She thinks, “now I’m standing in the actual Nautilus. Cyrus Harding and Bonaventure Pencroft passed through this room. So did Ned Land and Pierre Aronnax. Not just as characters in Jules Verne’s novels, but as real people” (185). The submarine is intricate but decaying, and Ester senses that it is angry. In the engine room they find Luca, who asks Ana for her help opening a sealed door.
Nelinha is excited to see the submarine’s engineering. Ana thinks about her, “I’ve spent enough time with Nelinha to know that Cephalopods get tunnel vision when they’re working on things that intrigue them. And nothing could be more intriguing than the Nautilus” (188). In engineering, Luca explains that the Nautilus is powered by a cold-fusion reactor. He suggests upgrading it, but Ester can tell that the Nautilus “doesn’t like talk about modifications” (190). The submarine allows Ana to open what turns out to be a service panel, allowing them to start cleaning its central processing area. The Nautilus suddenly sounds a pipe organ, and everyone takes off to the bridge to see what is happening.
On the bridge, Luca points out the captain’s chair where they found Nemo’s body, and Ana feels hesitant about taking his place. She thinks, “I don’t want to sit in that chair. It isn’t mine. I haven’t earned it” (196). Ester suggests she take a turn with the organ first. Ana remembers how much her parents prioritized piano although she always believed that skills like that were easier for Dev. As she begins to play, Nelinha points out that lights are beginning to turn on.
Later, Ana shows the Nautilus to the rest of her classmates, and they learn that Hewett is beginning to improve. Gem is disappointed that he did not go on the submarine earlier to protect Ana. Nelinha mocks Gem, and Ana tries to apologize to him. Gem reveals that Hewett, his advisor, is the closest he has to a real father. He also wants to fix his relationship with Nelinha, and Ana tells him that there is hope on that front. In return, Gem tells Ana that she is a good leader. He tells her, “I’m glad you’re in charge” (205).
As the students begin to clean the Nautilus, Ester tells Ana that the submarine is pleased. The students are all happy, thinking about how they will rebuild HP Academy. Before they go to sleep, Nelinha tells Ana that the next day, Luca plans to have her pilot the submarine. Later, however, Ana recalls, “while I sleep, I have more nightmares about being trapped and drowning. Only this time, my underwater tomb looks like the bridge of the Nautilus” (209).
When Ana gets up for another early morning swim with Socrates, she cannot find the dolphin or any other animals in the lagoon. She thinks that “this doesn’t help my sense of foreboding” (210). Hewett continues to improve, and everyone is still in good spirits. Luca and Ophelia warn the students to remain serious, but one student jokes about the Nautilus being a wild animal, and the submarine sprays them all with water. Socrates appears, trying to warn them all of something, and Ana realizes that the Aronnax has found them.
Dreams serve both as a way for Ana to work through her emotions, particularly grief, and as a narrative technique to signal when danger might be imminent. Ana usually feels at home in the water, so to dream of dying there means that something must be wrong. Part of this dream is clearly a result of her brother’s supposed death during the attack on HP Academy. Part of the dream, however, provides a larger sense of foreboding for the reader, who does not know how dangerous it will be for Ana to enter the Nautilus, an act which killed her parents. Later, after Ana sees the Nautilus but before she takes it for its first drive, she has “more nightmares about being trapped and drowning. Only this time, [her] underwater tomb looks like the bridge of the Nautilus” (209). With each step Ana takes regarding the Nautilus—and therefore each step she takes in the shadow of her parents—she feels a terrible sense of dread. This increases the dramatic tension and sense of danger as Ana takes command of the submarine.
In this part of the novel, Riordan also reveals that the Nautilus is alive, in a sense. When Ana and her friends first enter the submarine, Ester can sense feelings coming from it. Ana does not understand how a submarine can be angry, but Ophelia explains, “Nemo created a prototype of what we could call AI, artificial intelligence. The Nautilus is alive” (175). This is why Ester can sense the submarine’s feelings—one of her skills is an excellent ability to understand the feelings of non-humans. It also adds an additional layer of complication to how Ana deals with her connection to Nemo’s technology. Rather than being a normal submarine that Ana could simply command and steer, the Nautilus is a creature whose feelings and desires must be accommodated. Luckily, Ana is an excellent communicator. When people start cleaning out some of the disgusting slime that dirties the inside of the Nautilus’ processor, suddenly, they hear a sound that “shake the floor and rattles [Ana’s] eye sockets: a deep, resonant low E-flat, held for a whole note” (192). The Nautilus signals its pleasure at being cleaned through music, in particular the pipe organ located on the bridge. When Ana tries to play the organ, everyone stares at “the lights that have come to life on the bridge” (199). Instead of talking, Ana and the Nautilus can communicate through music and lights, sharing their feelings and intentions with each other.
By Rick Riordan