In 2011, Sy Montgomery wrote an article for Orion magazine titled "Deep Intellect" about her friendship with a sensitive, gentle octopus named Athena and the grief she felt over her death. The article went viral and highlighted the widespread interest in these mysterious, almost alien-like creatures. Since then, Sy has practiced true immersion journalism, from the aquariums of New England to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, while chasing after these wild, solitary shape-shifters. Octopuses have different personalities and intelligence, which they display in various ways: endless tricks to escape enclosures and obtain food; playfully squirting water to make objects like balls bounce; and evading caretakers by using a net as a trampoline and walking on eight arms across the floor. But how can a creature with a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake, and a tongue covered in teeth know anything?.