2 months later
The tavern was crowded with pirates and the room crackled with tense energy, as if a fight could break out at any second. This was a thought not too far from the truth.
Elizabeth Turner sat at the head of the table, surrounded by her subjects. Having called this meeting of the pirate lords, her patience was beginning to wane as they all argued amongst themselves.
Pulling her pistol from her belt, she pointed it to the ceiling and pulled the trigger. Those around her jumped and turned, startled at the sound.
"Good, now, down to business then." Putting her gun back into her belt, she stood up, taking in the faces around her. "I have called this meeting of the Pirate Lords for one reason, and one reason only: The goddess has awakened."
The grumbles began to turn into shouts once more before she banged her hand upon the table. "Quiet! We must have some semblance of order if we hope to rectify this situation."
"Wasn't Lannister supposed to take care o' this?" asked one of the men to her right.
"Do you see Lannister here?" she snarled back.
"He and his entire crew disappeared two months ago," said Malloy, one of Elizabeth's advisors. "Bitch probably wiped them out."
"The seas have been unruly of late," called out Mistress Ching. "Mermaids taking more lives than usual, monsters rising from the depths. I would venture that the new goddess and the old are putting in their play to take back the oceans."
As her statement made those around erupt again, Elizabeth regarded Mistress Ching carefully. The woman was blind but easily one of the wisest and most ruthless of them all and Elizabeth trusted her words implicitly.
"You believe that the gods are trying to take back the seas?"
"Why would they not?" the old blind woman asked. "It was theirs in the first place."
Gentleman Jocard stood up. "We will find them and bind them again!"
"Calypso would never let us close enough," replied Chevalle. "It was only because of Davy Jones the original nine ever got to her."
"I have heard whispers that the new goddess had a consort in Jack Sparrow," said Captain Esmeralda. "No one has heard a thing from him or his crew in the past few months. I think he's hiding out from us, knows what we need to do."
Folding her hands, Elizabeth looked away from them all, trying to breath deeply. She knew exactly where Jack was. Will had been able to find him for her. However, she did not want this situation to turn out to what it once had been. Too many would die and their numbers were getting smaller and smaller every year, thanks to the East India Trading Company.
"I will go," she announced.
That earned her many confused looks. "Go where, your Grace?"
Her sharp brown eyes fell on the pirate who spoke. "I will go meet with the goddesses myself. We will discuss what has been happening of late and come to an agreement of our own."
All at once, the crowd exploded. "You cannot do such a thing!", "It's mad, you're mad!", "Goddesses don't listen to sailors!"
Raising her hand, she gestured for her bags. "It is the only way that this will not end in blood. Too many of us have been lost in the past years, I will have no more dead from this either." She looked around, making eye contact with all of the pirate lords at the table. "Until an agreement is reached, you will all stay off the waters at the ports around the island. So your King has said, so shall it be done."
She raised the gavel over her head and banged it against the table, ending the meeting of the pirate lords and ignoring the protests that were being shouted at her back. Turning, she walked out of the room that had erupted in chaos, heading back to her ship to chart out her course.
Finally in her cabin, she sank wearily into her chair. This was not going to end well, that she knew well enough. With the old goddess whispering in her ear, the new may not be so willing to listen to a pirate like herself, knowing the history that the Brethren Court had with the deities of the sea. She could only hope that the girl had held on to a enough of her humanity that she would at least listen to the Pirate King.
The pattering of feet brought her from her reverie. Her son ran and jumped onto her lap, holding her by her waist. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Hello, my love. What are you doing out of bed?"
"Couldn't sleep," he mumbled into her. "Waters bad, bad things coming."
"I know my dear, but you know that I will keep you safe, don't you?"
Her son, her sweet William, looked up at her with those eyes that reminded her so much of his father. "You will keep us all safe, mama. You always do."
"I always do," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I stood out on the balcony, the wind whipping my hair all around me. I breathed in the air deeply, concentrating on my thoughts and my feelings. Exhaling slowly, I reached up in front of me and concentrated. Opening my eyes, there was a loud crack and lighting appeared in my hand.
I smiled as I watched it crackle and dance, waiting for my command. Turning quickly, I threw the bolt at a nearby tree, hitting it in the center with deadly precision. The tree groaned and snapped as limbs fell to the ground, smoking with the heat of the lightning. I regarded it for a bit, watching the smoke rise up. Soon, my feelings of elation turned into anxiety.
Spinning around, I entered through the door into my room. It was the largest room I had ever stayed in throughout my entire life. The walls and floors were made from white granite that sparkled when the sun shined through my floor to ceiling windows. Cream-colored curtains swayed in the air gently, ruffling my equally cream colored bedding. The chairs and table were from a light sandalwood, sturdy and beautiful and edged in gold. All in all, though it was magnificent, it felt much too extravagant for my tastes. I didn't feel like I belonged there.
Sighing, I sat back on my chaise lounge, trying to rid myself of the anxiety I felt but it wouldn't go away.
Where is he?
"What have I told you about the trees?"
Startled, I whirled my head toward the door where my cousin stood, long tan arms crossed and a small foot tapping in annoyance.
"I have nothing else to practice with," I replied frankly.
"I've told you thousands of times to shoot one of those pricks waddling around down there," she huffed. "I enjoy those trees. They're even older than I am."
"Alright, alright Circe, I'm sorry for hitting one of your precious trees. I've told you more than once however that I refuse to harm one of those poor sailors you've decided to curse."
Tall and beautiful, Circe flung herself onto the second lounge, tucking her feet into herself. Throwing her straight blonde hair behind her shoulders, her eyes pierced me, eyes that were mirrors of mine.
"Eurybia, how many times must I tell you that those are no longer sailors? If you behave like an animal, I shall treat you like one. I wouldn't mind some smoked ham anyway…"
"I told you that I hate that name," I growled.
"It's a beautiful name, much better than Maeve. Besides, it represents exactly what you are: a wide force." She leaned back, a smirk on her perfect lips. "Besides, Maeve is so…ethnic. Why wouldn't you want a name that is closer to your sisters and cousins?"
"I grew up as Maeve and I shall stay that way. Stop testing me on this, cousin, or I fear it won't end well."
Circe waved a hand at me, dismissing my threat. "You'll get used to it eventually. Now tell me, why are you cooped up in your room and not out looking for your lover boy?" Taking in my stony expression, she pursed her lips. "You have not heard a thing, have you?"
"Nothing. I have eyes and ears out all throughout the seas but there has been not one whisper of him." I blinked away the tears that came unbidden to my eyes. "What if he is truly gone, Circe?"
Softness fell upon her face. "Then you will move on, sweeting. It is not our nature to love for long. You will find another."
I wanted to attack her for those words but instead I dug my nails into the fabric. "I have to know if he is alive or dead. It will drive me mad if I don't find out."
She looked at me for a moment, clearly not understanding, but she sighed nonetheless and stood. "Well then, let us go find him, lover. Calypso said that she would help find him. She also seems to have a fondness for this Jack Sparrow of yours."
"They're old friends," I said tightly, gathering my skirt to stand.
"Friends, yes, of course," she replied acrimoniously. "Anyway, be glad that she wishes to help. Otherwise you would have quite the predicament."
I rolled my eyes at her and descended down the stairs into the large room below. Inside, there was a huge sphere that floated in the middle, glowing blue with colors splashed all throughout. It was something that all of the sea deities possessed, a great globe showing us what was going on in our waters at all times.
My eyes passed over it carefully, scanning for any signs of life that I cared for. There was much more activity on the map than there had been since I first came to Circe's home on the island of Aeaea. Sirens were grouping together; monsters were rising from the depths. I had been told not to worry about this, that it was normal when a goddess (goddess, is that really what I was?) came to power, but this didn't feel right. However, my mind was so preoccupied with finding Jack that I wasn't overly concerned with a few unruly sirens and a larger than usual squid.
I stared at the globe for a long time, looking for any sign of his life but I found nothing.
"Ye won't find him there, Mae." Tia Dalma's calm voice filled the room, making my shoulders relax just slightly.
"He has to be here," I muttered. "I'm just not looking in the right places." Turning back to her, tears once again filled my eyes. "I've looked for him everywhere," I whispered. "I went back to the cave, back to the shore and he wasn't there. There was some blood, but no Jack…"
"Hush, love." She put her hands to my shoulders, giving me a comforting squeeze. "I'm goin' to help ye look. We will find him, don' ye worry."
"What if we don't, Tia Dalma?" My voice shook. "What if he is somewhere far inland and I won't know where he is? What if someone captured him? What if he is in danger?"
"Mae!" Her voice was powerful, loud and cut me off immediately. "Ye' must relax, child. If ye don't, we will never find witty Jack this century, do ye undastand?"
I nodded numbly, knowing she was right, but then it struck me. "What do you mean 'this century'?"
Her face suddenly went blank. "I misspoke."
I looked hard at her. "You're lying. You know something that I don't know."
"I know many tings you don't know."
"Stop playing mind games with me!" I screamed, finally snapping. "You showed up after the best moment of my life and changed me irreversibly! Then, not only do you disappear, you completely ignore me for almost two months now, leaving me in the care of a sadistic, twisted old goddess who has no other friends besides the animals that she has cursed to live here with her! Don't you dare continue to lie or avoid me, Calypso because I will. Not. Have. It."
Her eyes narrowed at me. "Choose your next words carefully, Eurybia. You may be powerful but you have no idea who I am, but I will gladly show you if you continue to act like a spoiled, bratty child who isn't getting her way."
We stared at each other, eyes locked in a battle of wills. I refused to back down from her, not now.
Finally, a voice interrupted us.
"Oh come off it, Caly. Just tell her already," said Circe, popping a pomegranate seed into her mouth. "She really should know so that she doesn't get a fright the next time she sees him."
My head snapped back to Tia Dalma. "The next time I see him?"
Tia Dalma's face softened slightly. "Aye. The next time you see him."
"What am I not understanding here? What don't I know?"
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Every soul is reborn, as you very well know. Ye would not be here if that weren't the case. Some souls have a propensity to be reborn and their souls seek each otha out. You an' Jack, ye have a history, Mae. A long, long history and this history is something that won' end just because he dies. You must undastand, Mae, that even if Jack were to die now, you will likely find 'im again one day."
I stared at her incredulously. "That's not…that's not possible. How is that possible?"
"Why do you think it wouldn't be possible, lover?" asked Circe. "And why wouldn't that make you feel better? Even if he's dead now, you'll see him again eventually. Surely you didn't think that we could make him an immortal just for you?"
Stunned, I looked from Tia Dalma to Circe. "Come back? He could come back?"
A cat like smile appeared on Circe's lips. "As long as he doesn't get stuck in the Locker, then yes. He has the full ability to make it back to the human world." She took a drink from her cup, regarding me over the lid. "And here I thought that he was just a friend, Eury."
I stumbled away from them, needing to get away, needing to get out of this stifling mansion.
As I wobbled through the front door, I hardly registered that rain was pouring down in sheets, soaking me instantly. I walked through the rain across the beach into the surf and farther and farther into the ocean until I was completely submerged. No longer afraid of being able to breathe, I began to swim. I swam and swam as quickly as I could, passing schools of fish and sharks as I bulleted through the water.
There was no question in my mind, I concluded, that I couldn't find Jack. I would no longer be afraid of trying to find him. I would find him because there was no longer any more doubt in my mind that I was completely and totally in love with him, and there was no power in the Cosmos strong enough to destroy or deny our love.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The sun blinded him as the hold door lifted, making him raise his shackled arm up to shield himself. After a moment, he slowly lowered his arm, his pupils adjusting to the bright light of sea once more.
Soon, a face came into focus. A sickeningly familiar face.
"Hello, Jack," said Will Turner. "I do hope that you have enjoyed your stay so far here aboard the Flying Dutchman."
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Greetings readers! First off, let me just apologize now for how long it has been since I wrote a new chapter for this fic. Every time I opened it I would just stare blankly for a while before giving up, but I finally got my inspiration back! Thanks to all you who have reviewed/favorited/followed. It helps spurn me on and remind me that I have people waiting for my stories! Feel free to do all that jazz with this chapter and let me know what you think! Love you all,
xoxo,
Zeta Rose