Chapter Text
“The Léaina?"
“Yup. Sunk in the Aegean Sea an incredibly long time ago. But with how water levels are right now, we’ll get access to the cave it’s washed up in.”
Nadine frowns. “Ships?”
“Yeah, one ship, I mean--” Chloe realizes the problem. The last time Nadine had gone for a ship had been for Rafe’s whole deal. Chloe knows the whole story. Nadine had left Rafe and the Drakes there to die; Chloe doesn’t blame her. The entire thing had been horrible. Whatever got Nadine out of it alive, that was what mattered to Chloe.
It's only logical Nadine is uneasy about this; treasure hunts that might involve pirates or the like. Ships aren't something she's fond of. It brings her back to one of her lowest points.
Chloe sets down the paper she’s holding and turns towards Nadine. She moves in close, setting a hand on her arm. "If you’re okay with it. Just you and I. No one else.”
She takes a deep breath. She knows Chloe will give up this hunt if she asks. It’s not just a power of veto, it’s a trust they have in each other. And Chloe might act a bit annoyed over it, but she’ll recover quickly and find them something else. If Nadine asks her to, that is. That’s an option if Nadine sees fit to take it.
But this hunt isn’t with Rafe. No Drakes are involved. She’ll be with Chloe.
So Nadine nods. “If it’s just with you.”
"Just us . And, hopefully, some treasure.” She winks. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Finally, Nadine smiles and meets her eyes. “Me either.”
“You wanna know about the rest of it?”
A nod. “Ja."
"Alright, so, a long time ago, there was a Temple to Athena on this tiny little island. Apparently, it was all pretty humble except the temple where they had some nice and shiny jeweled statues. But, them being a smaller island, it didn't take much for them to be raided." She shrugs. "And well, Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war . The women fought back as well as they could. But still, they lost a lot."
Nadine frowns. "Should I assume the ship, the Léaina, has what they took?"
"Yes! The ship took their ill-gotten gains and started off, but they say Athena herself struck it down with a thunderbolt from Zeus." Chloe shrugs. "Whether or not that's what happened, I've got a location for it and… this."
She hands a paper to Nadine.
On the paper is a detailed sketch of a small statue, maybe thirty centimeters high. It's a woman in armor and draping fabrics. It’s Athena if Nadine had to guess. No wonder she’d struck the ship that had stolen it.
Chloe taps it. "Ivory and gold, not unlike the Athena Parthenos. But this one is manageable and worth millions."
"You think it's still on the ship?"
"Only one way to find out, yeah?"
Nadine sighs. "Chloe."
"Come on, China! This is a quiet job. We rent a boat and some scuba gear and we get what we need." She pouts a bit. "Promise we won't have competition."
It's a near thing, but Nadine agrees to it. Chloe tosses her arms around the woman.
"Lovely!”
Nadine heads over to where she’s got her laptop set up. “I’ll start on finding us a boat, ja? Are you trained in scuba diving?”
“Ugh, I love the ocean.” Chloe is laying on the back edge of their small boat with one hand in the water as they go.
Nadine looks back at her. Her gaze is soft. “This is a sea," she can't help but say.
“And what’s the difference?”
“Seas are smaller. Usually, they’re where ocean and land meet. They’re enclosed by land. The only exception is the Sargasso. It’s defined by water currents.”
“You have the nature facts, I’ve got the history ones.” Chloe shrugs. "Fine then. I’ve been proven wrong. I love the sea ."
Sometimes Nadine feels like Chloe only pretends not to know things so Nadine can feel like she's sharing new information. Because Nadine knows Chloe likes to learn but also knows Chloe likes to make her feel good. She has no real proof Chloe actually knows these things; it's simply a gut feeling, but it's moot either way.
"Suppose that’s why you insisted on being the one to dive down there?”
“Definitely.”
“I want you to have your tracker on. I don’t like that you’re going down alone.”
Chloe chuckles and sits up. “Afraid sharks will devour me whole?”
“Shark attacks are incredibly rare. You’re more likely to be killed by a mosquito than a shark. Or a horse. Or a deer. But I digress. Diving alone is dangerous, especially in a sea or ocean. Maybe we should’ve brought someone else in.”
“So many animal facts, dearest. You teach me something new every day.” She looks up at Nadine and switches back to the matter at hand. “Anyway, there's a very short list of people you would trust enough to watch the boat as we went down and that list starts with your dad and ends at me. No one else is on it."
A frown. "Suppose you're right."
Chloe stands and stretches. She’s in a simple pair of shorts and a crop top. Nadine’s eyes linger over the exposed skin, all of which is tan from the first few hours Chloe spent reclined on the deck. Her smooth skin is nicked by scars in some places. Some, Nadine knows where they’re from. Others, Nadine still needs the story on. Either way, Nadine wants to get more acquainted with it all.
Chloe knows she’s watching. She turns with her hands still stretched above her head. Her back cracks and she drops the stretch.
“How long do we have til we hit those coordinates?”
“An hour.” Nadine turns back to the wheel of the boat. “You should go do your preemptive diving checks. Then put on your wetsuit and the rest of your gear.”
“Mmm. Sounds boring. I’d much rather relax up here. Unless you’d like to help me get dressed?”
“If you need help getting your gear on, I suppose.”
Chloe, all of a sudden, is leaned against Nadine’s back, arms looped over her shoulders. Nadine can feel her breasts against her back and Chloe’s breath on her ear. “I have to be undressed for you to help me get dressed, you know.”
Nadine takes a deep breath and lets it out as slowly as she can. She has self-control. Even if Chloe tests the limits of it. “I’ll do your pre-dive checks. You take the wheel.”
“I’ll take your wheel.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Must you think into every innuendo I attempt?”
“Think of better innuendo.”
Chloe grins. “Sounds like a challenge.”
Nadine rolls her eyes but smiles as she escapes Chloe's grasp and heads below deck.
She's still waiting on the day Chloe actually acts on the innuendos she uses so often. Nadine fears they're just jokes, but that fear pales in comparison to how she feels for Chloe. It gives her entirely too much hope that Chloe might feel the same way.
An hour later, they've reached their target. It's a shallower bit of the sea. If their equipment reading is right, it's no more than twenty-five meters deep here. Nadine is no expert at seas and the like. But surely the sea being so shallow here must mean there's land nearby, right? But the maps show nothing.
"Oh, china, I'm glad I brought my camera. I'll take as many pictures as I can for you. There's like… grass, but more crinkly, a whole field of it. Lots of colourful fish.”
“The “grass” is likely posidonia oceanica. It’s home to almost twenty-five percent of the species in the Mediterranean.”
“Ah, my partner coming through with those late-night wikipedia facts once more. Pity I don't have any Grecian facts to exchange with you.”
Nadine chuckles. “That wikipedia search was on the plane ride to Greece. You were snoring on my shoulder.”
“I do not snore.”
She chuckles, watching the shape in the water far below. The water here is clear and lovely. She can see down plenty, though with little real clarity. She’s sure there must be some lovely sights down there, but they’ve made plans to scuba dive in Australia when they get a chance for a vacation. That’s surely going to be better than a quick trip down for treasure.
There's also been promise of some good zoos and the like on that trip. Nadine is excited.
"Any evidence of your wreck?"
"Not yet. But remember, I'm looking for a cave down here. Oh!"
Nadine tenses. "Oh? Oh what?"
"I just saw a stingray!"
"Stay away from it. They're dangerous."
"Yes, ma'am. Have any facts for me?"
Nadine has to think for a few brief moments. "Ja. It's got a venomous tail barb. Usually eats bottom-dwelling crustaceans or the like."
"Should I assume the tail barb is where it gets its sting?"
"Probably."
Chloe chats at her for a bit. She's got plenty of air left, and her talking means Nadine knows she's still alive. She's used to Chloe's chatter anyway. It's a warm and comfortable sort of thing for her at this point. There have been times she falls asleep to the warm tones of Chloe's voice. Now isn't that time; Nadine is focused on the job at hand.
"I think," Chloe starts, cutting herself off from her previous topic of Grecian pirates and ancient pottery shards. "I may have found our cave."
"How's it looking?"
"Seems clear. Well, the entrance isn't, but there's plenty of room for me just past all the-- what'd you call it? Poseidon something."
"Posidonia oceanica."
"Right, that. Tons of it growing here. But the cave is… Jesus, this is big."
"You're already inside?"
"Of course, China."
"Eish, Chloe. Be careful."
Chloe hums. "For you? Maybe."
“Can’t you be careful for yourself?”
Chloe grins. The mask does little to impede her sight. She loves being in the water. Swimming, boating, even just a bath. Whatever gets her close to it. Water is beautifully relaxing to her.
The cave is mostly dark, but a few shafts of light fall through cracks in the roof above. There’s more posidonia growing down here. She catches a glimpse of some silvery fish that dart past her and out of the cave.
“Shit.”
“What?” Nadine’s voice comes through slightly panicked.
Chloe knows the animal she’s looking at, but she can’t remember it’s name. She had seen it in a show she had watched with Nadine a few months prior. She’d fallen asleep during the program. “Hey, remember that ocean thing we watched. For the reefs? And there was that long fish thing. An eel? With a big mouth.”
“A moray? It’s probably a Mediterranean moray. Don’t move. Don’t go near it. It could bite and the slime on its skin is mildly toxic. We do not need a trip to the hospital today.”
The moray is a couple meters away from her. It doesn’t seem to focus on her, but makes its way past her and towards where the little fish had gone. On it’s way past her, it’s tail just barely brushes her arm. Her wetsuit more than protects her from the slime.
“It… It’s gone now. Wish I’d gotten a picture.”
“I’d rather you not risk a bite.”
She pushes further into the cave. “So when we find this, love, Victor mentioned a job for us.”
“Thought you wanted to go to Australia. See the great barrier reef.”
“We can go after! Sully just needs us to distract a bit. He’ll pay well. He always does.”
“Chloe…”
“C’mon. You like Sully. We pick up a little extra money from him for flirting a bit with some mark he has and then spend it on each other.”
“If you’d like.”
“We don’t have to if you don’t want to, China. I’m not-- Whoa .”
Before her, illuminated by the beams of sun making their way down through the cracks, is a ship. It’s certainly from a time long past.
“Can you stop reacting like that and tell me what you see ?”
“Found our ship, dearest.”
It’s in amazingly good condition for being in the water for a couple hundred years. Plants are growing off it, but there’s no real decay. The only damage is the burn from the top of the sail and down through the deck. Just below it is a hole in the side. It looks as though it would float if it weren’t for the hull damage.
“Eish. Just saying that… I can't see what you're seeing." She sighs. "Is it the right ship?"
"Well, it's greek, from the right time period, and in the place we thought it'd be. The only thing that confuses me is how well preserved it is. There's only the damage that made it sink. No real signs of rotting away or anything." Chloe runs her hand over a bit if it. "Feels sturdy too."
"Can you get into it?"
"Certainly. Maybe we'll find what we need, yeah?"
"Ja, hope so." Nadine swears. “We should’ve had you wear a video camera down. So I could see what you do.”
Chloe shrugs. “Hindsight is twenty-twenty, love. We can blame Nate since he’s who helped us get the boat and whatnot.”
“Works for me.”
Chloe peeks inside the hole in the belly of the ship. There are some remnants of barrels and boxes. Underwater plants are here as well. They fill up the space and give it an absolutely eerie vibe.
“I’m going in.”
“Be careful,” Nadine insists again. “I don’t want you hurt.”
“So sweet .”
Chloe hums to herself as she swims in. There’s no evidence of anyone else having been through here, but the water would wash away any traces in the sand.
She finds remnants of cargo, all empty. It’s no more than broken bits of crates and barrels. There’s plenty of wildlife evidence. She spots a few starfish, and some odd, tube-like creatures, and plenty of small fish. None are dangerous. No more stingrays or moray eels make an appearance.
“Does Greece have any decent wildlife reserves?” Chloe asks in way of conversation.
“Hm? Yeah. A fair few.”
“Want to take a day to visit one? While we find buyers for the treasure we’re certainly about to find?”
“Yes!” Nadine’s voice is excited at the prospect, but she reins herself in after. “... Yes. I’d like that.”
“It’s a date, love… I winked, but you can’t see me.”
She only hears soft laughter in response.
Searching farther in, she finds mostly what’s expected in a shipwreck. Bits of sea-life, remnants of what had been here. She finds a rusted bit of metal, but it’s long past the ability to be identified. She tosses it aside. Further in, there are a few coins. “Oh, old drachma. Should get us some nice bonus money.”
“Good.”
It’s in the darkest area of the ship that her light hits something shiny.
She trains her light on it. The light reflects off, lighting up the area more. It’s partially buried, but she sees the face of a woman in an ivory carving. Though everything around it is covered in a green sort of slime, the statue remains untouched.
“China, I hope you're ready to expand our bank accounts a fair deal. We can certainly skip that job with Victor if you really want to-- This thing is gorgeous.”
“You found it?”
“Mhmm.” She’s busy digging into the sand around it. “It’ll fit just fine in the bag I brought. Might poke around a bit more and see if anything else survived. This statue is in an unbelievably good condition, so maybe I can find something else to fatten our pockets."
“Just--”
“Be careful, I know. I won’t check out on you early. Promise.”
It’s a casual promise, but Chloe knows Nadine worries terribly much. She has, as of late, tried to be a tad less impulsive to help out.
Not that Nadine would ever let anything happen to her if she could help it.
Nadine breathes easier when Chloe pops back up out of the water. She tugs her mask off and smiles up at Nadine.
“Well, hello, gorgeous. I brought you a woman.” Chloe tugs the statue from her bag and sets it on the boat before pulling herself up.
“I think I have enough trouble with just you.” Nadine helps pull Chloe back further onto the deck.
Chloe chuckles. “And who says I wasn’t talking about me?”
Nadine snorts.
Chloe starts unbuckling bits of her suit and dropping what she's done with on the deck. Nadine helps pull her off the oxygen tank and tuck it away. “There’s plenty of oxygen left if you’d like to take a dip.”
Waving away the thought, Nadine starts picking up the smaller pieces of the dive suit. “Né, thanks. We should head back in to shore.”
Chloe scoffs and rolls her shoulders. “We’ve got three days left on this boat rental, love. Let’s enjoy the sunshine. Which reminds me! I’m going to send a picture of our new friend to Elena.” She looks at Nadine, pouting a bit. “Sunbathe with me after I change?”
Nadine considers it. “Ah, no, but we’ll stay here a bit if you really want?”
“I do! I’d love to work on my tan while we’re here.” Chloe grins at Nadine in a way the woman is all too familiar with. “You’re welcome to rub suntan lotion on my back.”
“Maybe if you ask nicely. Go change, I’m going to bring us a bit away from where we found it.”
“Just in case?”
“Just in case.”
Nadine grabs the little statue and tucks it back into the shoulder bag Chloe had discarded.
That taken care of, she heads for the controls of the boat.
Again, Chloe's flirtatious attitude is putting her in a position where she wants to act but is all too aware of the risk. She almost prefers jobs where they bring in a third, if only because Chloe doesn't flirt as hard or shamelessly. But then she very much enjoys when its just them. With only Chloe, she feels comfortable and unashamed of who she is. She can speak her mind and receive no judgment. She's actively encouraged to share animal facts she previously found embarrassing.
Chloe is a goddamn gift. She'd do anything for her.
It's not long before Chloe pops back up on deck in a bright red bikini with a towel over her shoulder. Nadine is just sticking the statue back in the shoulder bag when she stops to gaze at Chloe.
"Alright, China. I intend to stretch out in the sun. Are you sure you don't want to join me?"
Nadine sighs. "For a bit, maybe. After I eat something."
Chloe hadn't been expecting that, it seems. She grins wide. "Excellent. Do I get to help you with your suntan lotion?"
Nadine rolls her eyes and heads below deck. It's a smaller boat, but plenty for what they need. She'd packed enough food for a few days and to avoid Chloe's whining, it's not all MREs. Nadine considers grabbing an MRE anyway but decides a sandwich would be better.
As she eats, her mind wanders. It doesn't need much for her to think of Chloe, a woman who's constantly on her mind.
They’ve been through a ridiculous amount since meeting each other. And maybe it’s because they’ve already thwarted death many times over and beat a warlord with their bare hands, but they’ve got a strong bond. At this point, Nadine can’t think of something she wouldn’t do for Chloe.
How much sway, she wonders, does the woman have on her at this point? Chloe can get her to do almost anything. What might Nadine sacrifice if Chloe asked her?
She's been thinking about it more and more lately. Because the more she's around Chloe, the more she wants to pull her close and kiss her. The more she's willing to take a bullet for her. Stop the world for her.
And with how often it's on her mind, maybe she should just goddamn act on it.
Take that risk.
Nadine heads back up to find Chloe already relaxing in the sun. She pops an eye open to look at Nadine. "There's room on this towel for two, you know."
Nadine rolls her eyes, but she still tugs her shirt over her head. She's got a bathing suit below, but no real interest in putting it on. Chloe will have to live with the shorts and sports bra combo Nadine has now.
Chloe doesn't comment, however, just scoots a bit so there's a good amount of towel for Nadine to rest on.
Nadine feels awkward for all of two seconds, then Chloe rests her head on her shoulder and lets out a soft hum.
"We need more jobs that go this well," Chloe murmurs. "Treasure grabbed and now I can relax with you like this. And we do not get this enough."
"Ja, we don't."
"The trick might lay in just us, you know. No Sam bugging us, no Charlie waxing on about Shakespeare. Just you and me and this nice day."
"I like when it's just us," Nadine murmurs. The hot sun is making her feel lethargic. That plus Chloe beside her has her warm and happy like a cat in a windowsill.
"Me too, love. Nothing beats it."
Nadine lays beside Chloe, content where she is, until she drifts off to sleep.
Nadine opens her eyes to a grey sky. A cold breeze passes over her.
Chloe is dozing against her. As peaceful as she looks, Nadine hops up and shakes her awake.
“Frazer. Frazer.”
“Ngh, what?” She blinks and focuses on Nadine, rather than the darkening sky around them. “My last name? Again? We were making such progress.” Her voice is whiny and tired.
“Chloe,” Nadine tries again. “We need to get up.”
“Why? We were so comfy…”
Nadine’s eyes go to the horizon. “Think there’s a storm brewing. We should head back to land.”
“Ugh, fine. Not like I can tan with these clouds.”
“Go get dressed.” Nadine pulls her own shirt on. “I’m going to bring us away from it, try to get us towards the shore.”
Chloe disappears down below, her towel tossed over her shoulder.
There’s thunder in the distance.
Nadine frowns and brings up the GPS screen. Everything seems normal for a moment, but then the icon indicating their boat jerks to the side, then up, flashes briefly with it on land, and then back to the middle of the water.
“No signal” flashes on the screen.
Nadine feels the blood drain from her face, but she wouldn’t be a Ross if she didn’t have a backup. She’s got an echo sounder, as well as a backup GPS, and nautical charts of the area. Even her phone has various nautical navigation options. She came prepared.
Very quickly, it seems not to matter.
The storm must be whipping up the seabed, she assumes, as the echo sounder is having trouble. The other GPS has no signal as well. They’d drifted during their nap, so she isn’t sure where they are on the charts. Her phone has signal, but the app seems to have a hard time finding her location. It jumps between locations as though the boat is far wider than it should be.
She keeps her air of calm and does what she's learned from her time with Chloe. She improvises.
She can feel the direction of the wind around her and she can see the storm clouds approaching. She angles them in a diagonal away from the storm. The boat isn't as fast as it could be, but movement at all makes her feel better. She has no idea if they're headed towards land, but they have plenty of supplies, so all they need is a damn signal or calm seas.
Chloe emerges from below, now dressed in her signature red shirt and a pair of short-shorts. At any other time, Nadine would be treating herself to a look at Chloe’s legs, but right now is too stressful.
“That storm doesn’t look good,” Chloe comments. She’s looking back behind them.
The line does not help Nadine’s anxiety drop. “Ja,” is all she responds.
“Strange that there’s a storm at all. I know for a fact you checked the weather like ten times right before we left.”
It’s true. Nadine had done as she always does and checked all the conditions before they’d headed out. The sky was supposed to be clear for the next week. No evidence of storms, barely any clouds in the sky as it was.
“Take the controls for a moment,” she orders. “Just keep this way.”
“What are you up to?”
Nadine doesn’t answer, but she runs downstairs. When she returns, she’s got a plastic tub a little less than half a meter in height.
“What’s that?”
“Emergency kit. If we need it.”
Chloe frowns. “You think we will?”
“Hopefully not. Better to have it, though.” With another thought, Nadine grabs the shoulder bag that’s got the little statue in it. Hooking it over her shoulder, she takes back the controls.
“Anything I can do?”
Chloe’s being more serious; Nadine hopes that means she’s realized the severity of the situation. Being at the mercy of the sea will be much worse than the other things they’ve faced. Men, they can kill. Mountains, they can traverse. The sea can kill them in a variety of ways that are difficult to fight against.
Nadine has some practice in boating. Her father had spent time every summer with her on the water. It was never long, maybe a week at most, but she’d learned from it nonetheless.
This is entirely different.
And she’d practiced this sort of thing with her father, but never with such high stakes. She knows what she needs to do. But it’s not as clear for her as it once was and it matters so much more now.
Chloe is beside her. She’s relying on Nadine to get them out of this situation.
Nadine can’t fail. Not when she has so much at stake.
The storm hits them hard.
Barely any time passes before the rain hits them. It starts out pouring before turning into heavy sheets of water. The visibility is down to nothing. The ocean around them tosses and turns, making the path Nadine is trying to take treacherous.
It’s unbelievable, she can’t help but think, how fast this storm showed up and how fast it’s overtaking them. They had been in the lead from the storm; they should have been able to get away before it hit. It's like the storm had aimed for them.
There had been no evidence of a storm forming, not for many more weeks. But this, this is like a hurricane. The storm seems to have no end in sight. No chance of letting up.
The waves rock the boat hard. It's not long before water is splashing onto the deck.
Nadine has already dropped the sea anchor, trying to increase the drag on the boat as much as possible. It's helped her control, but it's far from ideal.
She's got lifelines attached to both herself and Chloe. They need to either weather this or break free of it. Staying tied to the boat helps with that.
Nadine stays focused, tries to keep her footing, as wave after wave slams against the side of the boat. They show no sign of stopping.
Chloe is at her side because of course she is. She should be down below, but she's insisted on staying at Nadine's side in case she needs help.
And she does need help.
They both do.
The waves are getting bigger, getting worse, getting stronger, no matter which way Nadine brings them. They rise higher and higher. It’s not long before they’re facing one far taller than their ship, illuminated by the lightning from above.
A wall of water crashes hard over them.
Nadine tries to shout to Chloe, only to see the spot she'd occupied empty.
Nadine panics.
She scrabbles for the lifeline attached to Chloe and follows it to the edge of the boat. Relief floods her when she finds Chloe, waterlogged but alive, at the end of the tether.
She pulls Chloe back onto the deck, checking her over as well as she can as the water washes over their feet. She keeps a tight grip on Chloe 's arm. Chloe gives her that grin Nadine is so fond of but infuriated by, but the no doubt suave remark is drowned out by another wave hitting hard against their vessel.
There's the sound of something below them breaking. It is a loud, terrifying noise over the sound of the storm around them.
Impossible to see, Nadine goes pale.
They're sinking now, they've got to be. That had been the sound of the boat breaking. What else could it be?
She calls to Chloe. They've got to move; Nadine brought a life raft for this very reason. She refuses to bow in the face of this. They’ll get through this, they’ve got to.
Another wall of water crashes over them. Nadine feels Chloe ripped out of her grasp. And then another wave hits them.
When the water finally clears enough for Nadine to see, Chloe is just gone .
Again, Nadine scrambles to find her lifeline.
All that's beside her is a frayed, snapped cord where Chloe should be.
Frantic now, Nadine yells.
She calls for Chloe. She cranes her head, trying to see the flash of Chloe’s red shirt, to do anything to find her partner.
She screams Chloe’s name, again and again, until her voice is hoarse and the water is taking claim of the boat beneath her.
There’s no response.