"Agatha, wake up," Jonah whispers against my ear.

There's apprehension in his voice and tension in the arms wrapped tightly around me. I bury my face against his shoulder. If he's frightened, then whatever is out there must be terrifying.

He gently jostles me until I lift my head. As soon as he feels me shift my weight, he releases his grip and lowers me to the water. He won't take his eyes off the horizon. "Be very quiet. We're being watched." His eyes are shifting as if he's still searching for the danger.

He must be able to sense it or something because when I look around, everything's fine. I want to ask him what he's so scared of, but it's probably best to let him handle it. Plus, I don't want to distract him or get in his way. I wish he'd lie to me and tell me everything is fine.

He's cautiously skulking around like a cat. I'm trying to match his movements, but I'm too awkward and clumsy. When he finds what he's looking for, his eyes grow so wide they take up most of his face. He doesn't even acknowledge me when he forcefully clamps his big hand on my shoulder and pushes me forward at a fast clip.

We're practically running. Jonah easily maneuvers over the water, but I'm tripping with every spongy step. His painful grip is the only thing keeping me on my feet.

I'm trapped by the openness. There is nothing as far as the eye can see. The shore disappeared ages ago and there's nowhere to run. We're alone in the middle of the ocean, defenseless. Something brushes the side of my thigh and I jump, then trip. Jonah catches me, and we keep moving without losing a step. I think my heart has stopped, but when the thing hits my thigh again, my heart nearly bursts out of my chest. I jump again and twist in the air. I need to know what's touching me.

Jonah doesn't stop as I examine my legs and find nothing. Could we be under attack by an invisible creature? I want off this stupid ocean. I want to run, but there's nowhere to go, and that thing just touched my leg again! This time I'm ready for it. I quickly look down and discover my hand.

I'm baffled for a minute until I realize that I'm so frightened, my hand has gone numb. It's balled in a fist and has lost all feeling. When I touch it against my leg, my thigh registers the contact but my hand feels nothing. I can't open my fist or move my arm. I don't know what's going on, but it's spreading to my legs. It's in my face too, a tingling sensation that hurts. Just keep moving. There is nothing else to do. I don't know if someone can die of fright, but I may find out.

Jonah increases our pace. I trip again and painfully torque my knee. The pain registers to my consciousness, but it's irrelevant as Jonah propels me forward. There is nothing but the pounding of blood in my ears. We're going to die out here.

"Run!" he yells.

I'm blindly running on a blank canvass. I don't even know what I'm running from. I freeze in my tracks when the massive serpentine back of something enormous breaks the water to my left. Terrifyingly large, pointy gray fins pinwheel through the water like a saw blade. I run for my life.

Something wraps itself around my waist and lifts me in the air. I try to scream, but no sound will come out. The world blurs. Then somewhere through my fear-induced fog, it registers that it's Jonah carrying me while he runs. How is it possible to be more scared than I already was?

Jonah is sprinting alarmingly fast and then without warning, he lifts me into the air and throws me as far as he can. I land hard, but the water is soft, so I bounce a few times before regaining my footing. I look back at him, stunned and confused.

"Run!" he roars.

I don't move.

The gigantic serpent breaks through the surface, sending waves of bouncy water rippling my way, knocking me to my back. Its olive-green neck shoots up at least fifteen feet and leads to the long slender head of an eel. All I can focus on is its thin needle teeth going in every direction from its enormous gaping mouth.

It lets out a deafening shriek, and then swings its long neck toward Jonah. He leaps out of its path, but not before giving the serpent a good whack to the snout with his staff. I remember him fighting the soldiers in my living room, and it gives me some hope. But this monster is colossal. Jonah looks like a tiny mouse next to it.

The serpent recovers from its near miss. It lifts its head, focuses on Jonah, and takes another swing. This one is more forceful than the last. He leaps out of the way, but not fast enough. The tip of the monster's nose brushes his arm, sending him somersaulting across the ocean's surface.

He regains his footing while the serpent pauses to let out another ear-splitting shriek. They study each other for a moment and then the giant eel lunges directly for him. Jonah swings his staff like a baseball bat and smashes the serpent's jaw.

The stunned monster shakes its immense head before skulking beneath the surface.

As soon as it disappears, tears spring from my eyes. I pray a boat will come and remove us from the awful water. I want off this ocean. I want Jonah to tell me it's over. I want him back over here with me.

He's standing with his legs apart and his arms stretched out wide, looking down at the water. He's so still he makes everything stop, including my breathing. My entire body stiffens with fear when he lets out a thunderous roar. It's as if an electrical shock has traveled through my body, making my heart pound in an erratic staccato. He leaps into the air and lands on the giant head of the serpent as it breaks the surface of the ocean.

Its neck extends even higher than before as it wildly thrashes about, trying desperately to shake Jonah loose. His body is wildly flailing about at a great height. He's only able to hold on for a moment before the serpent violently flings him high in the air.

A deafening scream makes my ears bleed.

The serpent opens its mouth to grab Jonah as he falls.

Another scream.

It's me. I'm screaming. I can't stop.

The eel misses, leaving Jonah hanging on one of the whiskers that surround its mouth. It violently whips about with Jonah at its mercy.

The monster jumps completely out of the water, making it temporarily airborne. Then it dives headfirst into the ocean, taking Jonah with it.

My legs collapse as they both go deep into the sea.

The serpent has the advantage in the water. It swivels its tail around and hits Jonah so brutally he flies off its head. He tumbles through the water and floats limply as if he's dead.

I claw at the water. If the eel didn't kill him, then he'll definitely drown. I can't tunnel through the thick gelatinous ocean. As soon as I dig a substantial hole, it fills in again. He's too far below. I'll never reach him.

The monster circles him a few times and dives deep. I think it's going away. But then its body grows bigger as it gets closer. Its mouth is open wide under Jonah.

I scream and pound on the water. "Wake up!"

Jonah disappears in a vortex of color and mayhem as they both exit the water. The ocean is heaving wildly, and I'm thrown on my back again. I scramble to my hands and knees to get my bearings as if my watching is somehow keeping him alive. I'm disoriented because there are no landmarks. I search the surface but there's no sign of the serpent or Jonah.

I stop and listen, but there's no noise. I've stopped screaming. The ocean is calm. I'm alone.

I tear at the water again, but Jonah's not below.

A groan from behind me causes me to spin around. Jonah's about fifty feet away, on his back. He's not moving.

I stand so I can rush to his aid, but don't. I can't travel across this water. That serpent or something worse will see me. Jonah needs me and I'm failing again. I need to go, but I can't. It's my fault he's hurt because I'm too much of a coward to help him.

Finally, he rolls over. I'm about to call to him when the serpent breaks the surface directly behind him.

Jonah swings back and buries his staff in the lower gum line of the monster. The serpent shoots high in the air and lets out an ear-splitting screech. It reaches its pinnacle, then reverses itself back into the deep. As its head passes Jonah, he grabs his staff out of the monster's mouth and rolls onto his stomach.

He lies eerily still for a moment, watching until the serpent disappears under the water.

Once he's convinced it's gone, he walks over to me. My entire body is shaking violently. I throw myself into his arms and sob. I've never been through something so terrifying in my life. I've never been scared for someone else before. The newness of that feeling frightens me more than the monster. I can't lose Jonah now; he's all I've got.

He holds me tight until I let go and look him over to make sure he's alright. He's so strong, it's hard to believe anything could hurt him, but the serpent was bigger and it did. My attempt to examine him is futile because all I can see is black flowing robe and hood. I give up and ask in a voice that's shakier than I expect, "Are you okay?"

He gives me one of his best cat-like smiles. "Yes. I'm quite well. I'm sorry that scared you."

"I thought you were going to die."

He wraps an arm around my shoulder and gives me a squeeze. "I'm alright. No dying today. We've got too many important things to do."

I don't take any confidence from his words. I hate this place. I want off this water.

Jonah starts walking and because his arm is still around my shoulders, he drags me with him.

"I want to leave." I wish my voice would stop betraying me. I want to sound angry and forceful, but I sound as pathetic and weak as I feel.

"I could carry you again, but you would do better walking a bit."

Neither of us speaks for a long time. The serpent has shaken the normally unshakable Jonah, but he's trying to play it off so he doesn't upset me. I really want to talk about what happened, but I don't want to make him think about it if he doesn't want to.

"Just a few more steps and we'll be on thicker water." I can't tell if he's talking to me or himself.

Now that he's broken the silence, I have to talk. "What was that?"

"Some kind of Jörmungandr. He's gone now."

His answer wasn't helpful, but I don't ask him to clarify because he still doesn't want to talk. I don't want to think about it anymore, either. I've stopped shaking, and the queasiness is subsiding. I just want to forget it ever happened.

I'm looking at my feet, watching the ocean grow cloudier with each step. When the water returns to its previous bouncy mirror state, Jonah announces, "We're safe. We've reached the thicker water."

"So nothing can get through?"

"Nothing can get through."

"I don't like this place. Do we have to walk back?" I can't face another crossing.

"We'll have to travel across the thin water again when we return. We may not see anything on the way back. We almost made it without incident this time."

"I don't like this place."