Looking out at the dark raging waves, Nathan took a deep breath. He was so close. He couldn't turn back now. Turning to face Yelena, he told her hopefully. "Are you sure that Ahtohallan is just beyond this?" Yelena held her walking stick close, nodding as she informed him. "Yes. You'll know it when you see it. Just be careful. Aalto is clearly in a mood. I've heard that Aalto can sense the truth in your heart. So... if you are hiding anything from each other. You might want to get it out now... or you might attract it to you." Mark stopped pacing the shoreline to blurt out in shock. "What? You never said this before!" Yelena sighed, telling them openly. "Aalto is dangerous. Probably more so than the others. It's an element of wisdom and truth. It doesn't respond well to lies or secrets. It drowns them." Nathan hugged himself, glancing out at the water as he mumbled out to himself. "My parents kept secrets from me... Maybe that's why it came for them." Yelena moved closer to him, telling him cautiously. "Nathan, Aalto is Ahtohallan's protector. Even if your intentions are pure... Aalto still might see you as a threat. Your magic is unnatural in its eyes. So... be prepared to fight the rage of water. Just in case."

Mark turned away from them, bending over like he was going to be sick. Nodding to Yelena, he walked up beside Mark and asked him gently. "Are you ok?" Mark coughed, then straightened up a little as he strained out in a shaky voice. "I'm good. I'm just... Not very confident that tiny boat is going to get us there." Placing a hand on his back, Nathan told him sweetly. "Mark... You don't have to come with me. You can stay here." Instantly, Mark straightened up to his full height and retorted firmly. "No. You're not going alone. If that river tempts you to drown... I'M going to be there to pull you out. You can trust me to be there for you." Nathan brushed his knuckles across Mark's cheek, whispering to him lovingly. "I know you will be. But I know how you feel about deep water." Mark put his hands on his shoulders, replying boldly as he bowed his head. "I am afraid... but I'm afraid of losing you more." Nathan pulled him into a hug, kissing his neck as he teased out. "You're so stubborn." Mark stopped shaking in Nathan's arms, prompting Nate to hold him a bit longer. When he finally pulled away, Mark rolled his shoulders and told him reluctantly. "Let's do this before I keep you from going."

Following him to the boat, Nathan slowly pushed it into the water. Mark helped, keeping his head down to only focus on the boat. Donner bellowed and grunted, trying to go to him, but the Lieutenant held him back. Nathan watched Gale swoop down to land on the boat with Fia in his clutches. Nathan didn't care what they chose to do... until he heard soft growling and the rapid tapping of claws on rocks. Looking back to the shore, he saw Aputsiaq racing after them like the world was ending behind her. Stopping, Nate pointed back to Donner and told her sternly. "Aputsiaq, no! Stay with Donner!" She ignored him. Leaping into the boat, she hissed at Fia with her wings raised menacingly. Fia blinked at her unphased, while Aputsiaq paced the seat on the boat like she was awaiting a fight. Reaching in to grab her, she squeaked and leapt onto Mark's shoulders. Curling up around Mark's neck, she whined at Nate with big pleading eyes. Nathan shook his head, reaching out for her. Her response was to dig her icy nails into Mark's jacket to clung to him fiercely. Mark raised a hand to Nate to stop him, telling him coolly. "Let her come. You know she'll just swim across if she has too."

Rolling his eyes, Nathan gestured Mark into the boat, grumbling out. "She's as stubborn as you are." Pushing the boat into waist deep water, Nathan climbed in. While Mark shouted out to the shore to Yelena. "What is Aalto?!" Yelena didn't answer. She just waved to them with a worried face. Taking up the oar, he gave it to Mark and told him in a rush. "You paddle and I'll try to suppress the waves." Mark was going to say something, but at the sight of the large wave coming, he just started paddling. Taking a breath, Nathan raised his arms and frosted the wave into snow, causing the heavy wave to level out before the boat road over it. Gale let out soft calls as the waves started to act a bit strangely. Nathan used more of his power to try containing the waves and moving ice over them to shift the flow. Behind him, Mark warned him nervously. "Nathan, be careful! You shouldn't be using so much! Remember?" Nathan huffed, staying focused as he told him. "I'm using what I need to." Fia suddenly let out distressed squeaks, hopping around toward Gale in her terrified state. Nathan briefly looked at them, noticing Gale stiffen as he looked ahead of them.

Quickly looking back, Nathan saw a large wave rising before them and within it a light flickered to reveal something inside. Something swimming through the water. Tensing, Nathan extended out his hands and tried to freeze it, but the wave froze and not what was within in! The wave sank in the water, causing the boat to rise a bit, while the thing within the water flawlessly slipped back into the depths. Panting a little, Nathan scanned the surface of the water for it. Behind him, Mark asked really nervous. "Nate? What did you see? What is it?" Nate kept his eyes on the water, mumbling out distracted. "I don't know... but it can swim." Nathan watched another wave form and spotted something swimming up the side, before it just seemed to vanish. Gale let out a started call, snatching Fia and flying off into the air. By the time Nathan looked at where they'd been, he gasped as the head of the water spirit burst up from the water to bite the side of the boat! Mark jerked to the side, screaming out in fright. "SHARK!" Nathan shot shards of ice into it as a reflex. The shards of ice went right through its watery body without even stunning it! It's watery shark teeth gripped the side of the boat, making the wood strain and creak under the pressure it was putting on it as it pushed them off course.

Composing himself, Nathan extended out his hand to freeze the Porbeagle Shark into solid ice. Instantly, the shark stiffened and couldn't move. Mark then hit it with the oar, smashing it apart and causing the shark to melt back seamlessly into the water. Nathan looked for it again and saw a watery dorsal fin rise from the water a good distance out, but it was coming straight for them. Shifting to face it, Nathan shot ice at it, but Aalto was FAST! Dodging every bit of ice as it cut through the water. Then Aalto dived and within seconds reappeared right next to the boat over a distance that didn't seem possible. Aalto slammed its body into the boat so hard that Nathan fell out. Sinking into the dark water, Nathan tried to swim back to the surface as fast as he could. Reaching the surface, he looked for the boat and saw Mark screaming out to him. "NATHAN! BEHIND!" Spinning around, Nathan saw the watery dorsal fin sink into the water. While looking for it, he saw its bright glowing eyes and a flickering shimmer as it raced up toward him from under him. Freezing a patch of water, Nathan climbed up onto the thick slab of ice, just as Aalto slammed into the underside of it.

The hit was so strong that the slab rose clear out of the water and shattered. For a moment, Nathan was sent into the air before free falling back into the water with a loud splash. Going back to the surface, Nathan coughed and spit water, when a small wave started to come toward him. Nathan's heart raced, watching as there was nothing there one second and then glowing eyes the next. Bursting from the wave, the shark leapt out of the water and arched down into him. Snatching him in its jaws, Aalto's tail thrashed hard as is started to take him deeper into the depths of the dark ocean. Feeling the pressure on his abdomen from the watery teeth, he placed his hands on Aalto's face and froze him solid. The sharp teeth finally cut into his skin, but he didn't care. Twisting from its jaws, he started to swim up to the surface, hoping it would just sink to the bottom. Barely reaching the surface in time to gasp in air; Mark paddled quickly with the help of Aputsiaq to try and reach him. Nathan started to swim toward him, when Aalto slammed into him from below. Biting into his leg with his watery jaws again and dragging him back under. This time when he tried to freeze Aalto, Aalto thrashed him around to disorient him.

Losing air, Nathan started to panic, until a small glowing body swam through the water behind Aalto. Upon reaching him, Aputsiaq opened her mouth and belted out a jet of ice that hit Aalto's tail and froze it solid again. Then using her wings to propel herself faster, she bit his wrist and guided him back toward the surface. Her little tail, wings, and legs pumping hard as she slithered through the water. Bursting up out of the surface, Nathan coughed loudly and gripped the side of the boat. Mark reached over to grab him, pulling him in as fast as he could. Dropping across the boat, Nathan vomited water as Mark patted his back. Aputsiaq climbed into the boat on her own, then let out a loud snarl. Nathan looked up to see the dorsal fin, seconds before it hit the boat and broke the boards to let water in. Nathan sat up to ice the crack, when he heard a loud slash and Aputsiaq let out terrified squeaks. Mark had fallen into the water! Mark's hands breached the surface, but only for a second because Aalto grabbed him and started to pull him down. Aputsiaq let out a snarl, springing off the boat and into the water after him. Coughing and ignoring the blood he saw in the boat, Nathan staggered up to his feet and dived off the side.

Aalto thrashed Mark around as it dived faster. Aputsiaq stayed right on Aalto's ass, trying to get within range of it but she was too small. Risking everything, Nathan shot ice through the water to hit Aputsiaq with all the energy that he could spare. Aputsiaq flinched, her body glowing brighter as it absorbed the power, and she grew in size. Increasing to the size of Aalto, she dashed through the water faster. Her icy breath puffing from between her teeth as she gained on Aalto. Then encasing Aalto's tail in a beam of ice, she snapped her jaws on it and thrashed Aalto until it released Mark before completely freezing over. When he was released, Mark twisted around in his disoriented state, until Nathan reached him to take him up. Mark jerked, starting to clutch at his throat before they were anywhere near the surface. Forcing Nathan to make a choice. Clutching Mark's face, he pressed his lips to his and gave him the last of his air. Once he gave it to him, he shoved him up to the surface. As desperation sank in, Nathan tried to see if he could make a frozen air pocket in the water, but the concentration he needed wasn't with him.

Grabbing his burning throat, he twisted and thrashed. His vision was staring to darken, when he saw icy jaws rising toward him. Snatching him, he was rushed to the surface, when he gasped for air. Aputsiaq snorted water from her nose, keeping Nathan securely in her mouth. As she looked around though, she whined and started to paddle toward Mark. Mark was clutching the sinking boat and coughing. Not noticing the circling watery dorsal fin. Nathan tried to call out to him, but his voice was waterlogged. Mark let out a sudden yelp, before sinking into the water and Aputsiaq released Nathan to dive again. Only this time, Nathan grabbed her neck and swung onto her back to ride her down. Snarling loud enough to make the water bubble, Aputsiaq drew Aalto's attention away from Mark. Aalto turned to face Aputsiaq, opening its mouth to expose its sharp jaws of watery teeth. Just before they reached each other, Mark placed his hands on Aalto's side to grab its dorsal and front fin. Aalto took off with Mark, thrashing and spinning to try shaking him off. The longer Mark held onto Aalto; the more Nathan noticed that where Mark's hands were touching was causing a rainbow shimmer across Aalto's body.

Aputsiaq chased after them, watching with just as much fascination as Nathan. Racing to the surface, Aalto shot from the water with Mark. While in the air, Aalto went still as its body pulsed before splashing back down. Mark lost his grip on Aalto and struggled in the water before Aputsiaq rose up next to him. Nathan reached out to pull him onto Aputsiaq and Mark clung to him as he panted in deep breaths of air. This time when the watery dorsal surfaced, it just circled Aputsiaq before slowly swimming away like it wanted them to follow it. Behind him, Mark coughed out. "A shark. Aalto... is a fucking shark." Nathan couldn't stop himself from holding Mark's hand and laughing. It made complete since, but it was still funny coming from Mark. The raging waves calmed around them as they traveled over the dark ocean. Giving Mark time to tell him seriously. "You almost died trying to save me... Maybe I should have stayed behind..." Holding his hand tighter, Nathan told him over his shoulder. "No. Mark, you were right. I need you. Aalto would have killed me. You calmed it like you did with the others. You saved me. Thank you."

Mark hugged Nathan, giving his neck a tender kiss. Nathan closed his eyes to enjoy it, when he heard the sound of the vocalizing call again. Tensing up to listen, Mark asked against his neck. "What? You hear something?" Nodding, Nathan pointed as Ahtohallan came into sight. Ahead was a massive glacier of solid ice and it seemed to shimmer like the Northern Lights as they approached. Growing a little excited, Nathan whispered aloud. "I'm almost there." Reaching the icy shore, Aputsiaq crawled out of the water, while Aalto lingered in the shallows of the water. Sliding off of Aputsiaq, Nathan took in the sheer size of the glacier in awe. It was beautiful and frightening. An icy fortress. Slowly walking up to the narrow entrance way, Nathan slowed to a stop as his nerves got to him. Walking up next to him, Mark asked him. "Are you ok?" Nathan nodded, mumbling out uneasily. "Mark... What if this isn't what I think it is? What if... What if it can't answer my questions?" Mark's hands pulled up Nathan's shirt a little to check his bleeding cuts from Aalto's mouth, before calmly telling him. "You won't know, until we try." Fixing Nathan's shirt, Mark smiled at him as he asked. "Are you ready to go inside?" Nodding, Nathan took Mark's hand and walked up the icy steps to go inside. To Be Continued...