I clutch desperately at the bank, my nails digging into the dirt as I clawed for purchase. Arms trembling, my breathing ragged, I make an attempt to hurl myself up. My hands slip. I clasp onto a clump of grass, the small blades snapping through my fingers.

Panic wells inside of me. My heart bangs against my rib cage like a wronged prisoner demanding escape. My eyes begin to droop, the fatigue setting in. I force them wide open, tightening my grip on the grass. Just one pull…

A wave crashes below me. No, not the sea… another wave. It’s tall enough to skim my dangling foot. I yelp, lifting my feet out of the way. Please… anything but the sea. The tide is slowly coming in below me. My eyes dart around desperately, scanning, _searching_ for escape.

The sea is a monster. It drowns people, pushes people under until their lungs inplode. The waves are unforgiving and the tide is merciless. It took my father, exactly how you imagined it would. A riptide, a wave, and he’s at the bottom of the sea, dead. It killed my father, but it will not kill me.

With a surge of strength, I hurl a leg up to the side of the bank, using the other to kick through the air in a frantic attempt to get momentum. I am almost there… a wave engulfs my leg. I freeze up, my breathing quickening. No, not now… my mind races, trying to get out of the panic the water caused. The bank crumbles. I slip.

I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing for the cold jaws of the sea to close around me. It never comes. A warm grip surrounds my hand and I feel myself moving up through the air. I land on the ground, the grass feels incredible underneath me. I dare to open a single eye. My brother, Atlas, was standing over me, with a triumphant grin on his face.

“Atlas? H-how, why…?” I stutter in shock.

Atlas merely smirks, “The ocean doesn’t deserve you, now, does it?”

I stand, step forward and pull him into a hug, burrying my face in his shoulder.

He pats my back.

I clutch his shirt, “what would I do without you?”

**I’m not sure about now the ending turned out, so if you have any better ideas, please let me know :)**