Shoreline

35

The Black Manta kept the sub in the dark depths of the ocean. I sat in the corner of his sub with my arms wrapped around my tiny figure, shivering. "It's not that cold," he said. 

"You have layers, I have nothing!" I spat. 

"No, you're just not used to it," he replied and placed his tools down on the table. 

"Or my broken ribs are just making me more sensitive," I said. His serious expression broke into concern or so I thought.

"You'll be fine," he said and walked away to another part of his sub. I laid on my back staring up at the hatch. I prayed we would come across some of the animals we were tracking. Sleep was impossible, the shivers would only wake me up. I staggered to the table and looked over the equipment, he was serious about ending Arthur. I pulled one of the wires free and hid it now he would have no power. The sub was suddenly hit and thrown out of the way of something large. "What's going on?" he called and ran to me.   

"I don't know," I said and rested my ear against the metal wall of the sub and heard the call of whales. I checked my watch, it was Artemis and her baby Juno. They kept pounding the sub till they made a dent in the side. 

"They're going to break through!" he exclaimed. 

"I hope so," I whispered. 

"What was that?" he asked. 

"Nothing," I said quickly.

"I don't believe you," he replied. 

"You're just not going to have to believe me," I replied, suddenly the whale's snout burst through the side of the submarine and the water poured in. 

"Stupid animals!" he exclaimed. Before I could reply the current pulled me out from the submarine and into the cold dark depths, I could just about see the silhouettes of Neptune and Juno as they swam toward me. It wasn't long until I lost consciousness. The next time I woke up, I was still cold, was laying on something wet and I could smell the sea. The sound of a loud whale call woke me up from my daze. As soon as my eyes focused I realised I was in the mouth of Artemis. 

"Thanks, girl!" I called and gently patted her tongue. She called back to me, I was safe and laid back down. What must have been a few hours she surfaced, opened her mouth and I swam to the beach throwing myself down onto the warm sand. I panted hard, my heart racing and smelt like whale saliva. I pressed a hand to my chest as pain wracked my torso. I turned onto my other side and pulled my legs up. A dog ran toward me and pushed its nose into my hand, not long after its owner followed, but it wasn't a normal dog it was almost prehistoric and its owner dressed in the armour of the creatures from the deep. 

"W...Who are you?" I stuttered. 

"Atlanna," she replied.