Mina’s imagination has never wandered past the glimmer of Hollywood or the allure of Beverly Hills. Sure, as a child she played with Barbies and dressed them up in high heels and fluorescent pink mini dresses. Even as a child, she didn’t dream of being a princess or riding a unicorn. She dreamed of being important, and famous for something other than movies.
A lump forms in her throat as she grasps Captain Rodrigo’s shoulder. Her breath hitches and for a moment she thinks she’ll die for sure. Fear grips her and it rushes through her body in a crashing wave. Her thoughts race about her parents, her business, and her sister.
Life is short. Sure, but Mina isn’t ready to die. She has so many plans, and so many things left to do that this can not be the end. Captain Rodrigo is talking again. It sounds like he’s giving commands but commands to who? She doesn’t know. His voice is barely audible, almost muffled and there’s a ringing in her ears.
He’s shouting now and in a split second Fisher is running back inside. He tosses the grenade launcher back in the box.
“We’ve got five minutes at best,” he yells to Captain Rodrigo, “I did what I could but I don’t think it was enough.”
Captain Rodrigo grits his teeth as he rubs his clenched hands on the wheel. “Full throttle. Punch it. We need to move, fast.”
Fisher looks worried, “this is a cruising vessel it can’t-”
“Just do what I said,” Captain Rodrigo shouts back as Fisher scrambles to override the controls.
The yacht continues to sway violently. Mina finds herself on the floor again, trying to gain some kind of stability in the chaos. A sharp turn accompanied by the assault of another wave sends water rushing over the yacht. It is as if the ocean is threatening to capsize them.
“Lord please don’t let me die,” she says between tears as she slides across the floor. She hits the couch hard on her left side. The paid shoots through her.
She’s losing control and there’s nothing she can do about it. The yacht is sinking and all she can do is cling to the floor and let the monstrous ocean take her, her sister, and her friends. Tears sting her eyes again. She’s on the verge of giving up when a stern hand comes down on her shoulder and helps lift her.
“I got you,” he says and she realizes it’s Marcel.
He holds her close, but even though he’s discarded his jacket, he still smells like vomit. Mina is torn between pushing him away in disgust and clinging closer to him for dear life.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” His voice is like butter, silky and warm against her neck. “I won’t let you drown.”
Mina clings closer to him and buries her face in his chest. Hot tears pour down. She never got to tell him how she felt about him and how much he meant to her.
“Oh, Marcel I-” he shushes her with comfort and says, “Don’t. Not now. Just stay with me.”
The yacht moans and creeks. Water seeps through from somewhere and Mina’s feet are getting wet. Her breath hitches and she wants to cry again but can’t. Fear grips her and she thinks about Yvette again. Mina can only hope that her sister is faring better than she, somewhere else on the yacht.
The noise is unbearable and she’s never heard an ocean so mad. Captain Rodrigo is still yelling but now he’s swearing about things he should have done. “I knew we should have made that offering on the pier. What captain goes to the outer rim without the blessings of the sea?”
“You do,” Fisher shouts back, “because the sea can kiss your ass, remember?”
It's like a realization goes off in his head. Captain Rodrigo nods his approval and says, “Damn right, man. Punch it through. We’re almost there.”
Fisher is on the radio, speaking into it frantically. At first, the man on the other end is speaking Spanish back until a woman’s voice comes over the speaker. It’s Yvette and Mina’s heart skips a beat. She must be with the engineer in the engine room.
Mina wants to go to her but she knows she’ll never make it. The ship continues to take a beating from the waves. They climb up and up. The water is like a wall until they reach the top where they come crashing back down. Her stomach turns.
Then, like a bad dream comes to an abrupt end, the waves die. The crazy storm passes and the clouds open up to a beautiful sky. It’s daylight, no longer night. Mina is stunned by the sudden transition between day and night, deadly storms, and calm seas. She doesn’t remember it even being morning. Marcel eases out of the embrace and runs his palm down her back.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Her voice cracks and her throat is dry.
Ice towers around them with a white sheen that's almost blinding to look at. They glitter and sparkle like pristine sheets of white. She rises, her eyes transfixed at the massive natural structures on either side of them. Like monoliths, the ice rises in a passage that can squeeze their ship to death. There is not enough room to turn around and they are now at a point of no return.
Fisher and Captain Rodrigo are as calm as the ocean. They seem to both sigh with relief but not enough to reassure Mina that the worst is now behind them. The water that once puddled the ground of the bridge cascades down the stairs, trying to escape. Mina’s feet make little splashing sounds as she makes her way to the window again.
“We made it.”
Captain Rodrigo snickers. “If you can call it that. I won’t count my blessings so soon. Just because we made it through the gate, doesn't mean danger doesn’t still exist beyond the ice shelves.”
Mina licks her lips but there’s no moisture left in her dry mouth. “We took on some damage. I’m waiting on the report now from the engine room,” Captain Rodrigo says.
“The engine room,” Mina says under her breath and then hurries toward the stairs. She stops at the rail and turns back to the captain, “Just get us there in one piece. I’ll worry about the rest.”
“Where are you going?” Marcel asks. He looks as bad as she feels. His hair is tossled and his shirt is untucked. Yet, there’s that brilliance in his eyes that melts her heart for him.
“I’m going to find my sister.”
She hurries down the stairs before he can say another word. Her hands grip the railing as she navigates down the wet stairs. The bar below is a mess and there’s broken glass everywhere. She carefully steps across the soaked carpet and stops at the bar where there is an untouched, pristine bottle of Filico lying in the sink.
Mina picks it up, pops off the cap, and then takes a long drink. The water runs down her throat and there’s a slight mineral taste. It's refreshing and possibly the best water she’s ever drunk. However, she’s not sure if that is only because she’s dying of thirst or because it is that good. “Thank you, God,” She says, looking at the bottle of water in her hand.
“Thank you, God, for water or thank you, God that you’re alive?” It’s Yvette, and Mina is so happy to see her that she tosses the bottle to the ground where it hits with a squishy thud against the carpet. She throws her arms around Yvette.
“I’m so happy you’re alright,” Mina says. “I was so scared of losing you.”
“Me too, sis,” Yvette says. A moment later she pulls away. “Have you seen this yet?”
Yvette goes to the windows and pulls back the wall-to-ceiling curtain. The room is bathed in sunlight and a brilliant glow from the ice. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Andres says this is called the Argus Passage.”
“I thought that guy only spoke Spanish. How did he tell you that?” Mina asks as she makes her way to her sister.
“Oh, he speaks English too. He just doesn’t like to, that’s all.” She gazes out the window like she’s in a world all her own. “We talked all night. I even fell asleep to his voice. Do you know how wonderful it feels to fall asleep like that?” She gasps. “I think he’s the one, Mina.”
Mina furrows her eyebrows, “calm down, romance novel. It’s not like you two are soul mates or long-lost lovers from centuries past.”
The sisters stare out the window as the yacht slowly moves past the masses. The ice is so close, that Mina holds her breath in anticipation of them coming in contact with it. The sleek walls of white give way to a sculpted body of art. Two knights as tall as the ice, made of ice, stand on either side of the passage. Their long-drawn swords look menacing, and dangerous, like they’re a warning of what’s to come.
Ignoring Mina’s comment about Yvette’s instant attraction to Andres, Yvette says, “Andres said this passage was made by Argus, the ancient Greek shipmaker. He used a ship made of magical wood that the goddess Athena gave him. He cut through the ice like a knife with the ship. Water poured in and this passage was made.”
“Why did he do that?”
Yvette shrugs, “I think it had to do with the gods getting tired of mankind or something like that. They were ready to bounce, so Argus cut out the passage for them to escape. It's one of the only ways a human can pass from our world to theirs.”
Mina smirks and says, “Who made the ice guards? Did he carve those out with his magical ship too?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Argus did make them.” Yvette seems to believe the tale or at least finds it fascinating enough to repeat it.
“And there you have it, the gods can’t do anything without a human,” Mina says, adding sarcasm to the statement.
“A human and a little magic,” Yvette says, “and the help of a goddess of course, because hey, what’s a man without a smart woman by his side?”
Yvette winks at Mina and then almost skips her way to the bar. She rummages around until she finds what she’s looking for. With two unbroken champagne glasses in one hand and a lukewarm bottle of Dom Perignon in the other, Yvette zigzags across the wet carpet, dodging upturned furniture.
“Another toast,” she says, handing Mina the glasses.
“And what are we toasting to this time? A hefty cleaning bill?” She looks around at the mess in just one room. All she can see is dollar signs of how much it’s going to cost to clean and replace items.
“No,” Yvette says as she pops open the bottle. The cork goes flying into the air, hits the ceiling and plops down to the floor. “To true love. May we both find it.”