Nick and Laurie have a giant problem, and it's a lot bigger than they originally thought. When Taloa sent them off to find her sisters, they discovered a single fire breathing giant, but as it turns out, that one giant is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. According to NoSeeum Jack, the blind giant killer who helped Nick, Laurie, and Jared dispatch the original giant, there are hundreds, possibly even thousands of giants underneath the surface waiting to wake up. And since Taloa refuses to give any assistance until her sisters are located, the kids turn to a kingdom of merfolk for help. As is the way of the fey, the merfolk send the kids on a quest--to find a sea creature they'd never seen--before they'll even consider helping. They then capture Julian and leave him stranded on a distant sand bar that's too far for him to swim to shore from. He'll drown if they're not back from the quest by high tide. Between Julian's hysterical girlfriend, Noseeum's ruthless hunting of the giants, and trying to figure out the quest, the kids have their hands full. But evenmore so when they find a creature the mermaids have never seen. Still, the mermaids refuse to help, stating that what the giants are about to do is part of a natural cycle.