They didn’t need to wait long. Twenty minutes later, just beyond the wake of their boat, it rose.
A massive tentacle broke through the surface, followed by another. Then a body. Suckers the size of plates. Eyes black and still. It hovered for a moment before vanishing again into the deep.
The crew sat frozen. They hadn’t just seen something rare. They had seen something that wasn’t supposed to be there. Later, marine experts would confirm it. A giant squid. Real. And far too close to the surface for comfort.