Cyclades

The Cyclades, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea, form a crucial setting in the second half of the Nautilus's voyage, where Captain Nemo's hidden ties to human struggle and his complex relationship with the natural world are starkly revealed. Here, the narrative shifts from pure exploration to a more direct engagement with the political and humanitarian currents of the 19th-century Mediterranean, as Nemo orchestrates a clandestine delivery of gold to support the Cretan revolt against Ottoman rule, and later guides the Nautilus through the volcanic fires of Santorini, demonstrating his mastery over both the sea's wonders and its perils.

The Cretan Gold Delivery

While the Nautilus navigated the waters near the Cyclades, Professor Aronnax witnessed a scene that pierced the veil of Nemo's isolation. Through the lounge window, a Greek diver named Nicolas, known as "Il Pesce" and familiar to Nemo, approached the ship. Nemo signaled to him, and the diver soon disappeared. Shortly after, Nemo opened a safe containing a large number of gold ingots, which he methodically packed into a chest. The chest was then loaded into the skiff, which departed into the night. Two hours later, the skiff returned, empty. Aronnax realized that Nemo had delivered millions to support the Cretan rebellion against the Ottoman Empire, a cause that resonated with Nemo's own stated identity as a native of "the land of the oppressed." This act of philanthropy, conducted in secret, directly contradicted Nemo's public persona as a man who had severed all ties with humanity, revealing a deep, ongoing commitment to political justice.

The Volcanic Passage of Santorini

Shortly after the Cyclades, the Nautilus encountered a different kind of marvel near the island of Santorini. The ship entered a channel between the volcanic islets of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, where the sea had turned to boiling water. The temperature inside the Nautilus rose to an unbearable 42° centigrade. Through the lounge windows, Aronnax saw a completely white sea, steaming with sulfurous fumes, and the water turned red from iron salts. Nemo explained that he was offering Aronnax the sight of an underwater volcanic eruption, a phenomenon he had observed before during the formation of new islets in 1866. The Nautilus was forced to retreat from this furnace, but the episode underscored Nemo's intimate knowledge of the sea's most violent geological processes and his willingness to expose his ship and passengers to extreme natural forces for the sake of observation.

The Diver and the Secret Network

The encounter with Nicolas, the Greek diver, was more than a simple meeting. It revealed that Nemo maintained a network of contacts on land, despite his professed hatred for society. The diver, who lived more in the sea than on shore, was a trusted agent, and the gold chest was addressed in modern Greek. This incident, combined with the earlier delivery of millions in the Bay of Vigo, confirmed to Aronnax that Nemo's wealth was not hoarded but actively used to support revolutionary movements. The Cyclades, therefore, became a stage where Nemo's dual nature as a reclusive scientist and a secret benefactor was most clearly on display, linking the underwater world of the Nautilus to the political struggles of the surface world.