“Come on,” Rio said invitingly.
I shook my head and frowned. The water was too deep and too wet, and it was best without me in it.
“No, no. You guys go ahead, I’ll stay here. Have fun,” I babbled uncomfortably.
It surprised me that the thought of going underwater was more terrifying than our possible rendezvous with the pointy end of a spear. I fumbled with one of the oars.
I heard an exasperated sigh before the boat rocked sideways and a solid arm wrapped around my shoulders. I tipped sideways.
The rush of coldness over my body paralyzed me and it took me a split second to register just where I landed. Then, I thrashed in panic. I would have screamed in anger and surprise if I had not been busy clawing to the surface.
As soon as I stopped spitting out ocean, I found myself clinging to Rio’s shoulder. He shook with laughter.
“Gods curse you and your offspring, Rio Mortimer,” I muttered as I pushed him away and latched onto Levent instead. The kin did not respond to the touch.
“Oh come on, now” Rio said, gesturing to me. “Float over here, float over here.”
He offered his shoulder to me again. I frowned, but took it. Though it embarrassed me to do so, I wrapped my arms around his neck so that I hung off his back like a living cape. My teeth chattered.
“Let’s go,” Rio said.
I watched Levent dive, then looked to the half-blood nervously.
“Take a deep breath,” the half-blood advised.
I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together as we sunk. I dared not open my eyes to see where we were going, but my ears responded to the change in pressure. The water felt like a prison around me, and I clung to Rio because my life truly depended on it.
My mind was filled with so many ways I could drown, and my heart beat rapidly in panic. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. I tried to dwell on that rhythmic sound instead of what was causing it.
It was hard not to think about how long we had been underwater, but it was just as my chest began to burn for lack of air that my head broke the surface again.