Chapter 8: A "Dead" Man, Calypso, and Leaving

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :D

Everyone around the room gave me different looks. Dave looked encouraging, Tia confident, Mr. Turner skeptical, Jack intrigued, and Gibbs hopeful.

Mr. Turner, who had stood up from the table, asked uncertainly, "Are you sure you can find the Dutchman?" Knowing that he had no idea what exactly I was capable of, I was ready to surprise them all with my talent.

Standing up to match Mr. Turner, I confirmed, "Yes. I can and will find the Flying Dutchman. I just need a ship." As this was happening I noticed Tia Dalma slip silently from her chair from the corner of my eye, and disappear down the hallway. But, not before pausing and motioning with her hand to follow her. Knowing that she probably wanted to speak alone, I felt complied to get everyone going.

But, before I got the chance to, Gibbs spoke up from the front of the Shack. "We best be on our way if we want to make port at Tortuga for supplies." Coughing he mumbled what sounded suspiciously like "rum". Then with a glisten in his eye, Gibbs led the way out with Mr. Turner following. Jack, who had been moving toward the door, stopped and turned back to me and Dave.

"Aren't you coming lads?"

Glancing between where Tia Dalma disappeared and where Jack was standing, I quickly responded," Yeah, just give me a second to collect my things." Not that I had anything other than what was already on me… How am I going to give Tia payment?!

Jack, unaware of my actual reason of staying, simply nodded and continued out the door. Turning to Dave I addressed his confused expression quickly. "Umm… I've got to talk to Tia real quick."

Looking around with another confused expression he asked, "Where'd she go to anyway?" Besides us two, the shack was empty and gave a solemn feeling. But trying to make it light I smiled giving him a paraphrased quote from one of my Mom's favorite movies, "She walks like Dracula, with footsteps silent like death."

Dave just stared at me while twitching his left eye. I guess he doesn't get the joke… Well that makes me look like a loser.

Then he put his left arm over my shoulder and pointed to a stairway in the corner of the room. "She's in her room." Cracking up, I tried to catch my breath. When I did I noticed a proud look on Dave's face.

"You really had me going there." Then imitating myself I continued, "I thought, 'Oh he doesn't get the joke, I'm such a loser…"

Laughing at that thought Dave said, "Well, you are a loser, you just know some good movies." Hitting him in the arm I started a mini wrestling match, until he shouted, "Uncle! Uncle!" Helping him up, he said out of breath, "Not everyone can be invincible like you!"

"Nah, but you can try." Chuckling I continued, "Will you meet up with the pirates out there? I'll just be a minute."

"Sure man, take your time," Dave said with a wink before turning out the door. Wait, he didn't think something was going to "happen" did he?

Thinking about going after Dave and setting him straight I figured I should be quick so he didn't get any "ideas." Eww….

Following around the corner where Tia Dalma disappeared, I noticed a few doors in the hallway. Curious, I tiptoed over to the closest door and examined it. It was very dusty and looked like it hadn't been opened since before I was even born. Risking disturbing the dust, I tried the handle, but it was locked. Giving up on that door I moved on. A few feet down was another door that was cracked open. This door was different from the first; it was a lot less dusty and had light coming from underneath it. Even more curious, I pushed the door open enough, so I could slip in. Being careful how I stepped, I tried not to emanate a creak from the old floorboards.

The room itself was like the rest of the shack. It had oddities cluttered here and there, jars hanging from the ceiling suspended by thin pieces of twine, shelves of books, and ingredients for some sort of voodoo potion. But, what caught my eye immediately was a man lying on a table in the middle of the room.

Timidly walking toward the man I noticed that he was a pirate. Besides the general attire of the time, he had a pirate's hat with a gaudy feather attached, a holster equipped with a sharpened sword and pistol, and almost as much jewelry as Jack. His face looked very gruff, with a circle beard beaded with a variety of beads. Also on his face was a nasty scar running from the top of his left eyebrow all the way down to the middle of his cheek. It looked shockingly similar to that of Luke's.

Flashing back to the last time I saw Luke, I remembered the battle: Annebeth and I were in the throne room with Luke, fighting to stop him. Annebeth had seen a glimpse of the Luke she knew before he was turned bad and gave him her knife. I saw him take the blade and impale it into his armpit. Rushing to him, Annebeth and I caught his final words, before he was gone. Then the light rushed out of his eyes and the blade dropped from his fingers.

The man on the table had the same look. His skin was lightly gray and he didn't move a muscle. He was dead. Why would Tia Dalma have a dead man on her table?

"He's nod dead," Tia said from the doorway. Tearing myself from the body I knew I had been caught snooping.

"Sorr-"I started, but was cut off as Tia said, "No need for apologies. You're curious, and nod a cad. Id won'd kill you.

"But-" I tried again but was stopped.

"No. Id's perfecdy normal." It's normal to keep a dead body on a table in your house?!

Seeming to read my mind, she answered again, "Like I said, he is nod dead."

I was perplexed. "How is he not dead?! He doesn't have a heartbeat," (Well, not that I could tell…I mean would you touch a smelly pirate who you thought was dead?)

Walking up toward the man, she traced her finger along his jaw, and across his forhead. "Id is nod dad he is dead, bud rader dad he is simply…away," she muttered the last word eerily. Looking at her like she was crazy I rubbed my forehead. "What do you mean he's away," I fingered quotations around away.

"For pira'es, dhere is a special section of the Underworld. Id's called Davy Jones Locker. A long dime ago, one of de very firsd pira'es, Davy Jones, made a deal wid Hades. Da gifd of edernal life, so he could live forever wid his love. Bud, id came wid a price. He had to capdain a ship do bring losd souls to Hades, for da resd of his life. If he did his job correcdly, he could see his love every seven years on land. But, dad was nod enough, he gave up his dudies, and wend on land. Hades was furious and cursed him. Davy Jones could never again sdep on land, and he durned indo a monsder."

"Is that why he carved out his heart, because the pain was too great?"

"Yes, he could no longer bear de pain. He and his crew became pard of dad ship. Do make sure they did what was der job, Hades made a new secdion of de underworld."

Davy Jones Locker…

"Yes, he named id after Davy Jones do permanendly remind him of the consequences he had looked ad so lighdly before. Dis place was for the horribly wicked, or those on de ship who did nod follow der dudies. So, you see, dis man's soul," she motioned to the pirate on the table, "is dere. In de deepes' darkes' hole of de Locker."

"What'd he every do to make it there?" I asked deeply intrigued in this man's history.

"Dad sdory is for anodher dime. You musd be on your way, de otdhers are waiding," she finished and walked into the hallway.

"Wait!" I called after her remembering why I stayed behind in the first place. "What about payment? I don't really have anything."

Stopping outside of another door she smiled mischievously pulling a key from her neck. "Id is I thad requires 'paymend' nod you." Then she turned the lock and disappeared into the room.

She's paying me?

Following her I looked around for her and took in the new room. It had shelves running up and down filled with things that I had not expected. On the shelf closet to me was a collection of celestial bronze swords and knives of all different sizes. On the other shelf was armor, and shields. The rest of the shelves seemed to hold ingredients, ambrosia, and nectar.

"What is this place?" I asked still searching for where Tia had disappeared to.

"Dis," she explained, her voice coming from across the room, "is all of de dhings any demigod would need on a quesd. Id is how I'll pay you."

Still confused I questioned, "Well, why do you need to pay me?"

Coming around the corner with a knapsack, she explained. "Every now and den a demigod washes up here asking for my help." While talking she walked around the room and I followed.

I wasn't the first?

"No, dere have been odhers." She said while picking up a vial of nectar and a case of ambrosia."In exchange for helping dose who come, regardless of being a demigod or nod, I'm nod alone." She placed those items in the bag, along with a vial of Greek fire, before tightening the straps.

Having a sense of déjà vu, I recalled when I had last heard something like that: They send a person who can never stay. Who can never accept my offer of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero I can't help…just the sort I can't help falling in love with.

Looking at Tia Dalma in new light and wonder, I asked, "Calypso?"

Looking shocked she asked, "Where'd you hear thad name?"

Realizing she hadn't met me yet, I explained. "You haven't met me yet, but in my time, you were younger, and had a completely different personality. You talked and looked completely different. You nursed me back to health and saved my life. I didn't realize it was you until right then."

Looking sad she connected the dots as she handed me the knapsack, "You lefd." Frowning I nodded. Then she brightened up slightly and said, "I guess it was for the bedder, afder all you are here. You have a desdiny do help dose pirades. You wouldn' have sdayed if you were desdined elsewhere. No one happens by me dwice, unless dhey were really impordand." She then continued out the door and I followed.

As we walked through the hallway and back into the room that we were originally in, she explained something I had missed. "De firsd man do sday, was daken away from me, dhanks do Hades."

Connecting the dots to what she was getting at I stopped, causing her to turn.

"You fell in love with Davy Jones."

Grief flashed across her face, before her expression returned to normal.

"Come on," she changed the topic, leading me to the door, "You musd be on your way."

Before I made it to the door, Calypso/Tia Dalma said, "Don'd dell anyone who I am. Dhey will nod dake id lighdly." She then looked me in the eyes and said with a smile, "Good luck."

"Thanks," I said, before turning and exciting the shack. The sound of crickets got louder as soon as I closed the door. Looking ahead of me, the pirates where in the boat I assumed they came in, and Dave was in the dinghy we came in with Joe. Quickening my pace I hurried to the boat and undid the tie keeping it in place.

"Let's go," I said to Jack who was tapping his fingers against the rail of the dinghy impatiently.

Mr. Turner huffed annoyed at my lateness, and exclaimed, "Now we can that you're finally here."

I just turned to Dave who was smiling at me with two thumbs up and shook my head. "Lead the way Cap'" I told Jack as we made our way from the dock.

So, what'd you think?

Also, if you didn't know what movie they were referencing, it was The Pacifier. Good movie, a little cheesy, but cute.

Please review, it's really encouraging, even if it's to correct something. Anything is better than nothing. So, let me know what you liked and didn't, and all of that.

Thanks,

Annabeth7