Petra was woken up by the warm, bright morning sunlight shining down onto her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to block out the light and sleep some more, but the brightness made it physically impossible. Finally giving in, Petra blinked her eyes open, finding herself staring up at a bright blue sky.

Groaning, Petra pushed her stiff body up into a half sitting, half lying position. Her body felt like that of somebody who had slept on a hard wooden surface all night, which was exactly what she did.

By the time Petra and Lukas left the paddock the previous evening, Jesse had already found the boats and pushed one to the shore. All three of them had bundled into it and set off. It didn't take Petra and Lukas long to nod off, both of them drained from the day's ride. They must have slept through arriving at the island, as the trip couldn't have taken much more than two hours.

Grimacing, Petra sat up properly and rubbed her tired eyes. Her entire body was sore and bruised from lying on the wooden surface, and she felt slightly seasick from sleeping in the rocking boat all night. The air had a vague rotten egg smell, a clear indication that they had arrived at the swampy island.

Lukas was still asleep in the boat, so Petra simply gave him a prod with her bare foot, before clambering out of the boat. She shivered slightly as she stepped into the shallow ocean water, the coolness sending tingles up her legs. It was a nice feeling, the early morning air already warm.

Petra trudged to the shore, carrying her boots in one hand with her bag slung over the other shoulder. She stopped by an old fallen log that was partially in the water. Sitting down on it, Petra dried off her feet as best she could and yanked her boots on.

"You're awake!"

Petra looked up from tying her laces, seeing Jesse wave to her. Jesse was looking a lot more cheerful than she did before, actually smiling. The morning breeze played with her long, uncombed chestnut hair.

"Hey." Petra greeted, accepting Jesse's hand to pull her to her feet.

"I spent almost all night looking for the spot Jack buried the helmets, but I found them!" Jesse explained as a sleepy looking Lukas also came trudging to shore.

"That's good." Petra said, pulling her bandanna off and raking her fingers through her dishevelled red hair.

"I have never felt less like going deep sea diving." Lukas muttered, still sounding half asleep. "Please tell me we can eat something for breakfast and wake up first?"

"You've clearly never been through one of Romeo's portals." Petra said, folding her arms. "Believe me, the last thing you want to do before going through those is eat. And besides, we're out of food."

"Yay." Lukas mumbled, leaning over the water's edge as he tried to use his reflection to neaten up his blonde hair.

"If Xara's been working on restoring the Oasis, the two of you could probably get something to eat there." Jesse said. "Remember all the automated farms she mentioned? If those things are up and running again, I'm sure they could spare you some bread or potatoes."

"If they give me potatoes, I'm screaming." Petra muttered, shuddering.

"So, what's this sea temple going to be like?" Lukas asked, peering back into the water. "Lot's of traps? Deadly pufferfish? Zombie dolphins?"

"I don't think zombie dolphins exist, Lukas." Jesse said, chuckling.

"We can't go in through the front without the gauntlet." Petra explained. "Lucky for us, Romeo's prismarine colossus completely smashed open the room we need to get into. It'll be a breeze!"

"It won't be a breeze, I don't like the ocean!" Lukas protested.

Jesse and Petra both looked at him, both of them raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, correction, I love the ocean, but I don't like swimming in the ocean!" Lukas protested. "There are too many creepy things down there you can't see."

"Well I'm really sorry to hear that, but you're going to have to man up." Petra said, not sounding the least bit sympathetic. "Now, where are those helmets, Jesse?"

"Wait, we're going now?" Lukas asked as Jesse began leading them across the island. "As in, right now?"

"There's not much reason to wait." Petra responded, shrugging nonchalantly. "Let's just get it over with."

They continued making their way across the island, sloshing through stretches of murky, sludge-like swamp water. Petra could hear Lukas complaining about the stench and how he was never going to get it out of his boots. He had given her an unamused glare when she called over her shoulder that at least swimming down to the sea temple would clean it off.

"Here we go." Jesse said, kneeling beside a freshly unearthed chest.

She opened it with a creak, revealing five old diving helmets. Petra reached over, picking one up and wiping the sand off it. Once more she felt that wave of sad nostalgia, remembering their first trip down to the sea temple.

"I don't technically need one of these, but I'll use one just for the sake of communicating with you guys through them." Jesse said, carefully putting one of the helmets on, her long hair instantly getting in the way.

"I'm meant to put my head in this?" Lukas asked with mild horror, peering into the helmet that had algae growing on the inside.

"What? Afraid of messing up your hair?" Petra asked as she tied her bandanna around her wrist, before putting her own helmet on.

Lukas mumbled something about that being exactly what he was afraid of, before shuddering violently and putting the helmet on. Petra blinked a few times, growing used to the murky vision and shallow breathing again.

"You guys ready?" Jesse asked, her voice muffled.

Lukas replied with a quick shake of his head while Petra nodded.

"It'll be over before you know it." Petra said to the blonde, playfully rolling her eyes. "Come on!"

With that she jogged to the edge of the water and dived in. The cold water nearly knocked Petra's breath away, a violent contrast against the heat above water. Realising she had bothered putting her shoes on for nothing, Petra quickly wiggled her feet out of her boots again so she could kick better. Swimming was surprisingly easy, even with her weak leg.

"I don't like this one bit!" Lukas's muffled voice crackled through the helmet as he and Jesse both dived in as well.

"It's a short swim, don't worry!" Jesse responded as she took the lead. "Just watch out for the guardians."

"The what?!" Lukas exclaimed in horror.

"Just stay behind anybody with a sword." Petra responded, beginning to swim other Jesse.

They swam down through the beautiful underwater rock formations, all covered in various types of coral. A school of red and white fish scattered when the divers passed through, one nearly colliding with Lukas much to his horror. Petra had a feeling she was going to tease the blonde for years to come over that trip.

"Over there." Jesse said, coming to a stop on top of an algae covered rock. "That's the temple."

"It's surrounded by guardians." Petra noted, thoughtfully biting her lip.

"What are we going to do?" Lukas asked nervously.

"I can see the hole from here." Petra said, pointing to the collapsed prismarine roof. "That's our entry point."

"Swim and hope for the best?" Jesse suggested.

"I don't like the odds of that." Lukas responded anxiously. "Can't there be more strategy to this?"

"We don't exactly have the oxygen to strategise here." Petra said, already beginning to feel short of breath. "I'll hold off what I can with Miss Butter as we make it for the portal, okay? Just dodge their beams, and you should be all good."

She heard Lukas take in a shaky, nervous breath. It was going to be a close one, but they didn't have much of a choice.

"Now!" Petra called out, kicking herself ahead.

Using mostly her arms to propel her forward as her right leg had start protesting against the action, Petra swam straight for the sea temple. She could see Jesse and Lukas right behind her, diving beneath the guardian's electrical strike.

Petra pulled Miss Butter out, swiping at a guardian who was quickly gaining on her. It hissed as the weapon slid across it's side, before swimming away in growing cloud of red. Taking a deep breath of the thin air inside the helmet, Petra dove down towards the hole of the temple.

"There's the portal!" She called out, at once laying eyes on the familiar structure.

"There's so many guardians surrounding it." Jesse responded, her voice heavy with concern.

"Go, I'm right behind you!" Petra called, fishing out the soaked llama blanket and passing it to Jesse. "Get through the portal, I'll keep the guardians off your back!"

"Petra, no!" Lukas sounded horrified.

"Just go!" Petra called, using the last energy in her tired legs to kick herself off the prismare wall and right towards the surrounding guardians.

Raising Miss Butter, she sent the blade straight through one of them before it had a chance to strike. Jesse had reached the portal, putting the blanket into the frame. Immediately it ignited into life.

"Go through it!" Petra called to her hesitating friends. "I can't hold them off forever, go!"

Jesse hesitated only a moment longer before pulling her helmet off and swimming straight through the portal. Lukas followed her lead, casting Petra one last anxious glance before taking a deep breath and pulling the helmet over his head. Petra looked back just in time to see him disappearing through the portal.

Turning around on the spot, she began swimming for it as well. Her arms were quickly growing tired, only one of her legs still willing to kick. She wasn't at all up to her usual speed.

Another guardian swam up to Petra, flicking it's tail wildly. She raised Miss Butter, stabbing the weapon straight through the attacking fish. Not realising she had turned her back on another.

A pained scream erupted from Petra as an electrical strike met her square in the back, thrusting her down to the bottom of the temple. Her breaths were heaving raspily as she struggled to breathe, barely any oxygen left in the helmet. It felt like an inferno was blazing on her back.

Gritting her teeth, Petra pushed herself off the prismarine floor and swam for the portal. She didn't know if she'd be able to survive another hit, and if she did she would no longer be in any state to swim.

Inhaling whatever was left in the helmet, Petra ripped it over her head. Reaching out she grabbed onto the portal, using every last shred of energy to pull herself through it.

Everything exploded in colour, and Petra felt herself being hurtled through time and space, pain pulsing through her body. It felt like an eternity before she was suddenly spat out onto solid ground. Her ears were ringing, the world spinning around Petra. Suddenly she felt really close to throwing up.

Jesse and Lukas were only a few feet away. Jesse was standing up, looking around looking around as she tried to make sense of where they were. Lukas was still sitting on the ground, looking dazed. His head quickly shot up when their friend was spat out beside them.

"Petra!" He gasped, pushing himself up and staggering towards her. "You made it through!"

Petra didn't respond, still trying to get her breath back as she inhaled short gasps of the thick, hot air. Dizziness washed over her like waves.

"Oh my god, Petra, what happened?!"

"Is she okay!?"

The voices were getting lost in the cloud of confusion that wrapped around Petra's mind. She tried to lift her head, say something, do anything to respond. But all there was nothing she could do as she felt herself slip into darkness.

Petra was barely out for a minute before she came to again. Her head was still spinning slightly, but the overwhelming dizziness had subsided. Instead, everything had begun to hurt.

"A guardian, you say?"

"Yeah, you can see over here where it struck her."

"How bad is a blow like this?"

"Guardian strikes are like an electric shock. Similar, but not the same. If she only got struck once, it shouldn't do any lasting damage and probably be gone within a few days."

"Please... tell me we.... are where... we're supposed to.. be?" Petra asked breathlessly, finally managing to speak.

"Yeah, we're below the bedrock." Lukas said, his one hand coming to rest on Petra's arm. "But you got struck by a guardian."

"My memory's fine." Petra muttered, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'll live, it's just a burn."

"You're sure you're feeling okay?" Jesse asked as Lukas helped Petra into a sitting position.

Petra could see that she was standing a few feet away from them, her arms wrapped around herself. There was a hazy glow around her brown irises.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Petra said, managing a faint smile. "Just a little winded, sore... and... really..."

She didn't get to finish her sentence, all the colour suddenly draining from her face.

"-nauseous." Lukas finished for Petra as she doubled over on the spot. "I felt like that too five minutes ago."

Feeling a bit more reassured about her friend's condition, Jesse had gone back to looking at the surroundings. Something was bothering her, and it was more than her powers.

"Feeling better?" Lukas asked Petra, giving the redhead a tentative pat on the shoulder.

"Shut up." Petra mumbled breathlessly, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.

"Hey guys?"

Petra and Lukas both looked up, hearing Jesse's voice. She was standing further away from them, staring down what looked like a cliff face.

"You might want to see this."

Petra and Lukas concerned exchanged glances. After shakily accepting Lukas's help to pull her to her feet, Petra had to continue holding onto him to keep her leg from buckling beneath her. They slowly walked over to Jesse, Petra half-limping, half-hobbling there.

"What is it?" Lukas asked as they stopped beside her.

"Look." Jesse whispered, gesturing ahead.

They turned their heads, eyes following Jesse's gaze down to the desert landscape below them. The remains of what looked like it once was a flourishing city, lay scattered across the dusty terracotta surface, not one living soul visible amongst the rubble.

"The Oasis is still in ruins."

___

So... where are things going to go from here?

Most of you predicted the situation was too good to be true, and we've finally started that downward spiral that will most likely only get steeper as we near the end of the story. What do you think is going to happen from here on out?

Yes, I'm going to brush over the fact that I haven't posted in ages, because most of you have already read my lame excuses on my notice board, and I think you all prefer I talk about the chapter itself instead!

So hey, if you have any theories, I'd love to hear them!

Also a quick question to the few readers I still have - would you like a choice driven story? Like, you make a choice at the end of the every chapter to determine where the plot would go next? I have a story in mind that would be really fun to do this with, but only if you guys would actually enjoy participating! (If not, I'l just write it as a normal story)

Anyway, next chapter will be here before the end of the week!