Chapter 9
The burning sensation of the saltwater rushing up her nose, down her throat and into her lungs was like sharp shards of glass scraping her insides as the liquid moved. Kiara held her breath for as long as she could but she was the daughter of Hades, not Poseidon. The ocean was not kind to her.
As the ship slowly made its way down to the sandy bottom, Kiara struggled to push against the water pressure and rise. She was beginning to lose her strength and the light was quickly disappearing. Using the walls of the cabin, she felt her way up to the top where the small rays of light were shining through.
But as neared, the water by the door began to shimmer and vibrant. A small whirlpool formed sucking in the little light Kiara had. She tried to swim back to keep herself from being sucked in but as the thin veil of a portal opened, she pushed herself forward and rushed towards it.
Kiara's lungs were beginning to scream. Her legs ached and her arms protested. She had no strength to swim to the port as it grew larger and larger. But just when she thought she was going to miss her window of opportunity, Hayden dived in through the portal and appeared in the small cabin.
Small air bubbles escaped his nose as he puffed up his cheeks to conserve air. One of his hands emitted a pale blue light as he held it up to see in the darkness. When his eyes spotted Kiara, he pushed forward and grabbed her by her waist.
Kiara, relieved and grateful, used her last ounce of strength to pull herself closer to Hayden. Her eyes were only on the portal as the boy raised his hands and they shot into it as if they were comets.
The first breath of air on the other side of the portal was sweeter than honey. As Hayden fell onto the floor with Kiara on top of him, the portal to the bottom of the ocean closed behind him. But by then a mini puddle had formed where the two had landed. Hayden looked up and panicked as he spotted how blue Kiara's lips had turned.
"Kiara," he said, shaking her shoulder.
The girl made a small helpless sound, making Hayden sit up and lay her down on the floor. He pushed her wet hair out of her face and kneeled beside her as he cupped her cheeks.
"Kiara, can you hear me?" He asked, shaking her. When he realized her pulse was dropping, Hayden turned towards the door. "Clare!"
Kiara wanted to turn over and cough up all the water in her stomach. She wanted to crawl into bed and wrap up in her warm blankets. But the strength to move was nowhere to be found. She was afraid to move even an inch because then the air would shift and she would be even more cold.
"Clare!" Hayden hollered again.
Kiara felt one of his hands move from her cheeks to the side of her stomach. It began to heat up as if his hands were on fire. She should have been concerned, but the warmth he radiated felt so good.
"What the hell did you do to her?" Killian's voice suddenly rang out.
Hayden looked over his shoulder as the boy rushed into the room and pushed him away from Kiara. The girl whimpered immediately and opened her eyes as the heat was taken away from her.
"I'm trying to heal her!" Hayden said as he moved back toward Kiara.
"Where did all this water come from?" Killian looked around the room.
His gaze fell on Kiara's blue lips and her pale skin and he immediately assumed the worst. His heart started to hurt as he pulled her closer and laid her head on his lap. When Hayden tried to take her hand, he pulled it away.
"Kiara," Killian's voice shook as he looked at the girl in his arms. "Why is she not responding?"
"Hayden...." Kiara struggled to get the word out.
