So, upon seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales I absolutely fell in love with it, in particularly I've grown to adore Salazar and the rest of the crew of the Silent Mary. However as much as I loved the movie I was more than a little disappointed with two major aspects of it. For starters Salazar and his crew were not treated well throughout the movie… I mean they were very interesting characters that die horrible deaths and then immediately upon being freed from their curse they end up dying again with the knowledge that their captain betrayed them? Sorry but that doesn't sit to well with me…

Secondly there is the issue of the Trident of Poseidon's destruction; an all-powerful artifact suddenly being destroyed which will and I quote "Release the Power of the Sea" and all it does is break all the curses at sea and nothing else? I somehow doubt that. If this relic truly held that much power and then it was abruptly released, wouldn't that mean all of that extra power by default would end up going to Calypso and thus end up causing all sorts of havoc on the world… that sounds much more plausible.

Now for this fanfic I am taking a few creative liberties and adding a slight crossover with a manga I enjoy reading called +Anima and also from the old Disney show Gargoyles. No there won't be any characters from these worlds but some basic creatures and concepts are added to make an interesting read. I hope this could be an entertaining 'redemption' fic in a way. With the main pairing being Salazar x OC, and a few others as well. Granted they are a little bit less fleshed out at this point. Still enjoy the story!

Men and Monsters

Prologue: Traitor

He was sinking...

The seawater from the colliding walls churning all around his body with a hellish fury as the ocean called for him, pulling him down to her deepest depths. Although Salazar couldn't actually feel anything beyond the horrific pain that consumed him, radiating from what little remained of his face after he'd fallen and smacked into the anchor. The agony of being stabbed with a sword and then having it rammed in even deeper as he'd landed on the two members of his crew who'd somehow managed to make it onto the chain couldn't even begin to compare to the feeling of having nearly all of his teeth knocked out while the bones in his face shattered and distorted into the flesh. Some fragments of bone even punctured and severed the nerves behind his eyes. The raging waters now hastily being tainted with his crimson lifeblood.

It was pain, but pain mixed with an all too familiar terror. The knowing that he was going to die… again. What was worse was that nothing he had done even mattered at this point; the Sparrow had escaped him yet again. In fact, this time he hadn't even met his end at the hands of the Sparrow! It had been that pirate Barbossa, who he had let live twice in his crazed attempts to get to Jack that was responsible for his demise. With the crushing force of the waves surrounding him there wasn't even enough time left for him to realize that he was now facing the consequences of those disastrous choices as his world descended into a cold, unfeeling darkness.

El Matador del Mar drowned beneath the waves once more...

But little could he imagine that he was nowhere near done feeling the repercussions of his actions…

Fate was nowhere near that kind…

Barely a minute after Jack Sparrow, Henry and Carina had been helped onto the deck of the Black Pearl, a frightened yelp from Scrum signaled that there was an unexpected surprise still clinging tightly to that anchor. One of the Spaniards, more precisely one of the officers, had somehow managed not to be knocked off when Salazar had fallen into him. He was coughing violently when he gripped the ships side and pulled himself onto the deck where he collapsed into an indignant heap. Immediately all weapons were drawn and pointed straight at him, the crew of pirates looking at the man like he was a demon who'd sailed with the devil's own crew. Perhaps to them that is exactly what he was. He lay on the deck for several moments, coughing and hacking with a look of utter anguish written clearly upon his face.

But suddenly his eyes snapped open and before anyone could react to either stab or shoot him, the man was at the rail again looking over the side and into the water. He seemed frantic, as though he was searching for someone, presumably the other officer who had made it onto the anchor along with him. But after a few seconds it registered that he was the only one to make it aboard and despair visibly washed over him like the waves he had just escaped from. A barely audible whisper of 'No' was the only sound he made as his head hung in defeat; apparently uncaring about the growing chorus of 'kill him' or 'run him through' from the Pearls crew, all of whom were still pointing their weapons at his back.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jack intervened before there could be any murder on board his ship. After all he'd only just had his precious Pearl freed from that blasted bottle. The last thing she needed was a fresh coat of blood, guts and brains coating her deck. "We've got other things to do right now mates! Throw him in the brig and we'll deal with him later." After a moment there was loud grumbling and in spite of being clearly unhappy with the captains' orders, the crewmen obeyed and the nearest pirate roughly grabbed the Spaniard by his arm to which he promptly screamed in pain. Although it revealed just how he had managed to stay on the anchor when Salazar fell onto him. Clearly his arm had been looped through one of the links of the chain on that fateful moment, most likely recovering from nearly slipping or losing his grip a second before... But when his Capitán had hit him his arm was snagged, remaining stuck in the link. It may have prevented him from falling but his arm had been mangled in the chain as a result. Evident by the multiple shards of ivory white bone poking through the sleeve of his waterlogged coat. Not that this revelation earned him any sympathy from the pirates who dragged him down to the ships brig and threw him onto the cells floor like a piece of garbage. None of them even payed attention to how he landed on that badly broken arm, presumably damaging it all the more.

For a time he didn't move, he just lay there staring at the bars of the cell desperately trying to rouse himself from whatever horrible nightmare he was currently trapped in.

"Just a nightmare, just a pesadilla. When you wake it will be over." He whispered to himself over and over again like some sort of mantra. But the burning pain in whatever was left of his arm warned that this was no dream… just as the cold and bitter numbness that had set in upon his first death in the Devils Triangle had assured him that it had been all too real as well. The pain he was feeling now was such a harsh contrast from feeling… nothing… for nearly thirty years. Being conscious but sickeningly numb, with only phantom pains from how the fire burned away his flesh being the occasional break from the empty nothingness.

But this was different now, everything was. As horrible as things had been for those long years, he had not suffered in solitude. The others were there, they had all been there together and that made the hell they were trapped in slightly more bearable. But now he was alone… and the others were all gone. In his mad dash to reach the anchor, driven by a freshly resurrected sense of self-preservation, upon managing to get on the damned thing enough of his humanity had over-ridden his adrenaline-fueled sprint that he had tried to help the others. He had reached down and clasped the hand of another officer, Antonio Moss, and pulled him up. But that... that had been all he could do… but this effort had been in vain, Moss had been the only one he'd been able to save and… he didn't make it. No one else had either.

…Moss…

…Nico…

…Lesaro…

…Santos…

…Everyone…

…Por favor perdóname…

And so, Officer Magda was left to rot alone in the brig of the Black Pearl…

Everything was a blur of rage, fear and confusion.

Salazar was not sure how long it had been or just what was happening as his senses gradually began returning to his damaged body. At first he believed that he was dead, really and truly dead. But that thought had quickly been dismissed as the first pangs of pain had resonated through him, like a ripple on a still pond. By some grace from a God he'd believed had long abandoned him, the pain actually helped him to pull his mind out from the darkness. Another unforeseen mercy came with the realization that the blinding agony in his face had greatly subsided from what it had been, granted he still felt sore. However judging by the sharp jagged feeling that occurred when his tongue lightly grazed his teeth they had not been knocked out, but rather broken into pointed shards.

As he came out of this addled state his first truly coherent thought was an expected one… namely wondering just how he was still alive. But the internal inquiry was met with a strange memory, or something closely akin to one anyway. It was… the sound of a woman laughing, ringing clearly through his mind. Yet it was not comforting, not by any means. In fact it sent a chill down his spine, the laugh seeming as cold and as dark as the embrace of the ocean itself. Shaking his head and driving away the echo of ominous laughter, Salazar slowly opened his eyes. Blinking them several times as he did so as his vision was still hazy, but as it cleared his confusion was magnified to far outshine anything else that he felt. So much so that he wondered if his eyes had remained severely damaged because what he was looking at made no sense at all. For Armando Salazar was greeted with the image of the full moon shining down through the seas ever shifting waves.

He stared. He must have stared unblinking up at the moon for a solid five minutes. While he undoubtedly knew what he was seeing, his mind was desperately trying to reason out just how it was possible. Sensing something was very wrong but unable to tear his eyes away from the moon, he cautiously brought his hands up and felt his neck and to his complete and total horror his fingers traced over several ridges just above his cravat… he had gills.

This led to him to thrash violently in the water as his mind reeled at the discovery. What was this madness?! What sort of devilry had befallen him now!? Of course, the frantic movements triggered an abrupt and searing pain that went through his shoulder to his back. Revealing that while his face had somehow been mended, he still had the pirates' sword nailed in his body. Disturbingly similar to how the real matadors would strike the bulls in the arenas. But neither the irony of that comparison, nor the reality of the sword lodged within him could come close to the terror he felt upon realizing that he could no longer feel or seemingly move his legs. Ceasing his rapid movements, he went to feel for his legs only to actually get a decent look at at his hands, now suddenly equipped with two inch long black nails on every finger. But looking past his hands, he saw that beginning at his waist the entire lower part of his body had become a long and thick black tail with a dark grey frill which ended at the tails tip. It was as though he had become some sort of bastardized version of a mer, but instead of having a fish tail he was given the tail of some sort of serpent or eel.

'Anguila' Salazar thought as he stared in complete horror at this new appendage that had replaced his legs. 'Soy una anguila!' The shock, the horror and a tempest of other emotions swirled within his head enveloping him so completely that he failed to notice multiple dark forms approaching him from all sides. One in particular got so close that it could easily reach out and touch him should it choose to, although it did not… it merely stared at the panicking man for several moments, making no moves or motions to either harm or help him. Until a voice utterly deprived of emotion spoke only barely louder than a whisper.

"…you left us…"

These quiet words immediately pierced Salazar as deeply as the sword in his back and he twisted around attempting to see who had spoken to him, only to accidentally end up upside down and yet still staring straight up at his lieutenant. "L-Lesaro?" He questioned as he somehow managed to right his body in order to meet the one-eyed man's oddly stone gaze. It was a look he had never seen on Lesaro's face before and it was… unnerving, to say the least. But the pain from the sword drew his attention away from his lieutenants oddly frigid look. "Help me." Salazar hissed out. "Por favor, help me!"

But in spite of his pleas Lesaro remained as still as a statue, not making any moves to aid his capitán. "Help you?" He echoed icily. And in a moment his emotionless and cold demeanor melted away, quickly being replaced by one of burning, all-consuming rage. "HELP YOU?! YOU LEFT US ALL TO DIE YOU BASTARD!" Lesaro snarled at Salazar before lashing out and striking Armando across his face… leaving four deep cuts in his left cheek that immediately began to bleed tendrils of blood into the surrounding water. The action surprised Salazar who clumsily recoiled from the blow, only at that time did he get a decent look at his lieutenant.

Clearly visible in the moonlit waters Lesaro had been transformed as well. Only he had not been changed to be part eel as Salazar was, instead his lower half had been replaced with a distinctive sharks' tail and fins. Judging by the stripes running along his body he was most likely based upon a tiger shark. He also had been equipped with the same knife-like nails as his capitán and his bared teeth were truly as sharp as that of a real sharks. As Salazar looked in both disgust and fear at the creature that had once been his second in command, he began to notice the other forms in the water that had surrounded both of them. When he realized just what these shadowy creatures were, he felt as though his heart would give out. For surrounding him were at least a dozen of his men. All of them mutated into varying and deeply disturbing aquatic forms… and they were all staring at him with the same wrath filled glare as Lesaro.

"We served you in death just as we did in life;" His lieutenant spoke, his voice now as cold as winters ice. "we followed you on the hunt for Jack Sparrow… and when we are finally free of our curse, you betrayed all of us! Now look at what we have become! Many of the others look just as bad, if not worse!"

"The rest live?" Salazar questioned before he could stop himself. Something inside him screaming for him to remain as quiet as possible.

"And why would you care?!" The angry voice of officer Nico snapped from directly to his right, although he never came into his capitáns view.

"The rest of the crew is on the island… their new forms move better on land than we can." Lesaro continued but his voice had lost its rage and chill, now sounding somber and simply exhausted. Not that it made Salazar feel better, he hadn't even noticed that he'd begun moving backwards as the other members of his crew had started to advance towards him. With the only exception being Lesaro who remained stone still.

"Please, amigos I'm sorry-" That was exactly the worst thing he could have possibly said… not only did they not believe him, but it was as though those words fanned the flames of rage in their hearts and they suddenly rushed him. Not even allowing him the opportunity to finish what he had started to say. They immediately began to tear into their former capitán! Some slashing into his skin with blade like nails, others just pounding him with their fists… hell there was at least one man biting him with teeth that had become thin and pointed almost like needles. Salazar tried with all of his might to push them away. He pleaded and begged for them to stop… but his words were barely audible and must have come out as little more than screams. Finally, one individual clasped the sword in his back and yanked it out; the blood in the water surrounding this hellish scene must have doubled at that moment… this man prepared to run Salazar through with that blade while the others cleared away in order to give him a direct path to his target. Several of the abominations even held the writhing eel still. But before he could strike, Lesaros voice rang out again.

"Enough!" He commanded, stopping the crew immediately. "Do not kill him." As the protests from the raging men began Lesaro held up his hand quieting them down. "He doesn't deserve to die… he's not worth it." The shark mer made his way to were Salazar was, still held tightly in the grip of several men. Apparently Lesaro could maneuver his body easier then Salazar could at this point. He reached over and grabbed him by his arms, momentarily making Armado believe that his best friend was going to help him. Only those hopes were dashed in a single swift movement as Lesaro ripped the sleeves of his once magnificent coat… the mark of treason…

…traitor…

"…you don't deserve death…" His once closest friend whispered lowly. "You don't deserve to be free, while we suffer. So now we'll leave you to suffer just as we are… only this time you will suffer alone." And with that he released his grip on his former capitán, as did the rest of the men, letting him sink down to the awaiting seabed below. His blood swirling all around him like some sort of death shroud. He let himself fall, his eyes staring up at the hideous forms that had once been his crew. The crew he had sailed with for years as they had sought to destroy all the pirates who dared to infect the seas, the crew who had suffered with him in the living hell that was the Devils Triangle… and the crew he had left to die at the bottom of the sea without a second thought as he'd desperately tried to get to and kill Jack Sparrow. As Salazar finally landed on the sea floor, the impact of which stirring up large quantities of sediment most of which seemed to end up settling in his numerous open and raw wounds, he could do little more than emotionlessly watch the shadowy forms disappear into the dark water.

The full weight of this newfound guilt upon his soul preventing him from moving...

With a solemn eye, Lesaro watched Salazar fall. He felt nothing but contempt towards that… creature… which had once been his capitán and closest friend. But that was in the past now, the man Salazar had once been had died a long time ago and his lieutenant could no longer worry about him. Not when there were far more immediate problems to focus on. Whatever curse they'd been under had not broken when the trident was destroyed. Or if it had, then they'd been damned with a new one upon their deaths once again. It deeply disturbed Lesaro, looking down at the sharks tail which had now been grafted onto his body to replace his legs. Contrary to the venom laced words he had said to Salazar, he was not entirely sure that any of them actually could die. The thoughts he dared not listen to whispered in the back of his mind the possibility that this was how it was always to be. Would they never truly die and be at peace? What if by some miracle he and the others were to find freedom from whatever curse now afflicted them? Would another immediately take its place? The curse of the Triangle had been a seemingly never-ending nightmare and as hideous as this new form was, it was a marked improvement over the unfeeling lost soul he had been.

Even though his heart was now heavy with anger, resentment and bitterness. Lesaro turned to look at the members of his crew and he watched as the rage slowly ebbed away from their faces and before long they too were left with the same look of exhaustion that he wore so clearly. Radiating from the same bitterness within their weary spirits as the one-eyed man.

"What now… capitán?"

"Do not call me that!" The lieutenant snapped; his words coming out far harsher than he had originally intended if the way this man recoiled was anything to go by.

"But senor you are… now." This man explained in a low, hushed voice. Lesaro pinched the bridge of his nose, his elongated nails digging into the flesh but honestly, he could not bring himself to care at all. After inhaling deeply and steadying his internal resolve he turned his attention towards the present members of his crew.

"We will return to The Mary," Lesaro decided. His voice was strong but frigid and dark. "We all saw her didn't we? Somehow she was restored to her true glory when the trident was broken." He paused for a moment before gesturing to three members of the group before him. "You will head to the surface and inform the others on the island of this. The rest of you will come with me back to the ship to make preparations. We're going back to Spain." There was a noticeable hush in the breathing of the crew as this order fully registered, but once it did the men moved without any hesitation and raced past their new capitán. The way their aquatic forms moved through the dark water as well as how they were only faintly illuminated by the moons light caused them to barely resemble anything that harbored a human side… they were indistinguishable from the unnatural gliding monsters of the deep. The mere sight of this made Lesaro's stomach churn in disgust; revolted at what they had all become. As he turned around and began heading in the direction that the Silent Mary was anchored he suddenly found one of the men in front of him blocking his way. He recognized this to be one of the youngest members of the crew. A young man named Bracero; though Lesaro could not make out all of the details it would certainly seem that the boy had a body which was much more aligned with what a traditional mer would look like rather than the more monstrous forms that had afflicted many of the crew, himself and Salazar.

"Capitán Lesaro, what of Santos?" He asked in a voice that sounded just as nervous as he looked. "He's still at the bottom of the sea, turned to stone as though he looked upon the face of Medusa herself!" No doubt one of the more bizarre fates to have befallen one of their own. When Officer Santos had lost his life to the waves he had not awakened in some new horrific form, but rather his body had mysteriously turned to stone. Whether this was a blessing in that the youngest of the ships officers was truly free of the nightmares of this existence… or something much worse was yet to come for him, Lesaro was not sure. But Braceros question made him realize something and he turned to face his small group.

"We will leave none of our own behind. I don't know what has happened to Santos or if any others have suffered a similar fate but we won't leave them here. Search the area to make sure that everyone is accounted for." He stated, his one good eye shining clearly with an unreadable emotion. "We're going home… all of us." No questions were asked, nearly all of his present crew hastily swimming off to conduct a thorough search of the entire area. Although none of them dared to venture where Salazar lay brutalized on the seafloor, lest they lose control and finish off their former capitán. The notion was a tempting one but none of the men wished to disobey Lesaros direct order. Nonetheless, in spite of the others members of the crew dispersing to search for any of their wayward companions, Officer Moss lingered behind.

"Lesaro," Antonio Moss whispered, barely catching his superiors' attention. "Earlier I looked everywhere but… I could not find Magda." His voice may have been very low but the concern in it was extremely noticeable. In fact one could argue that because Moss was being so quiet it was symbolic of just how concerned he truly was as the officer was well known to be one of the louder boisterous crewmen. Even in death he'd still retained his quick wit and vocal personality. To hear him talk in the manner that he was… it was really off-putting for Lesaro to hear.

"I'm sure that he must be here, don't worry we will find him amigo. We won't leave him behind." His words while meaning to be reassuring clearly were not having that desired effect. Although Moss's body was mostly veiled by darkness which made it difficult to see the major physical changes he had undergone, his nervous and jerky movements were easy to notice.

"I just have this terrible feeling. He's not here…" These words echoed through the water but they paled in comparison to the immense distress shining clearly within the mans eyes. But Lesaro reached over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. An action that steadied his subordinate if nothing else.

"Maybe… maybe he's free of the curse? He may very well have truly passed on." He surmised hopefully, praying that the doubts he carried were not detectable in his voice. "If anyone deserved to be free, he did." This was not an over exaggeration, but something that any member of the crew would have agreed on without hesitation. Magda had not only been the quietest man on the ship but also the calmest and certainly the most approachable. He was the man that everyone could talk to about anything and yet he never burdened anyone with his own problems. And Moss's distress over Magdas supposed disappearance was also to be expected, as those two were particularly close. Best amigos, yet they balanced each other. Moss was by his nature outgoing, overconfident and more than a little bit of a troublemaker whereas Magda and his eternally calm demeanor would just quietly follow his closest friend and ensure that he would not get into too much trouble, but obviously enjoying every minute of their companionship. "I assure you that we will search thoroughly." Lesaro reiterated to the now somewhat calmer officer. "After all…"

"Where else could he be?"

The moon had long begun its journey across the nights sky by the time that the ship, Silver Arrow, finally made port. The medium sized Galleon, looked as though she'd just sailed through a bad storm, her sails were torn and ragged in places while her hull appeared to have taken quite the beating and recently too. However, in spite of the battered ships approach and the late hour, the dock was bustling with activity. Sailors of all kinds were loading and unloading various types materials and supplies from the other ships and conversing with each other in loud predominately jovial tones. A few individuals took notice of the incoming ship and began the dockside preparations for when its crew would inevitably begin unloading her cargo, some even commenting on the ships oddly damaged exterior.

But the Arrow had barely dropped its anchor when a woman who'd apparently been pacing on its deck suddenly raced forwards and leapt onto the dock, clearly in no mood to wait until the gangplank was lowered. There were several surprised cries of "Runa!" or even "Captain Runa!" Yet in spite of an obviously hard landing, it took 'Runa' less than a second to recover and then she was up and tearing across the docks as though death itself was chasing her. Although even in her incredible hurry, the woman was extremely agile and gracefully avoided running into a multitude of people working on the docks without sacrificing any speed. Reaching the town, she raced through the streets that were surprisingly well illuminated by both the light of the full moon and the lights shining out from within the various homes and shops. Normally in other similar towns it would be rare for anything other than the taverns to be rowdy and alive at such an ungodly hour, most normal people would have been long asleep at this point. But that was clearly not the case here as there were even young children laughing and running all about and playing in the dark. Clearly the night was every bit as full of life as the day in this strange place.

The well-lit town did however allow for its residents to get a decent look at Runa as she dashed by. For starters she seemed to be a bit taller than average, standing at about six feet tall. Her skin was a sun kissed mocha and around her face she had a faint scattering of darker freckles, her eyes were the darkest shade of blue that could only be compared to the deep waters of the ocean itself. Her hair was a brown so dark it was nearly black and it was kept in a most unusual manner; with much of it cascading to a little past her shoulders but then, oddly enough, she had a long braid that went well past where the majority of her hair stopped, reaching down to the small of her back. Her clothes consisted of a white blouse with the traditional loose sleeves, a simple brown leather corset, two belts crisscrossing across her midsection with one holding a gleaming silver rapier with a large sapphire in its hilt on her left hip, and a lethal looking curved dagger as well as a short dark green side skirt on her right. She also wore dark brown pants with a noticeable tear a little bit above the left knee and well-worn brown knee-high boots. Lastly, she had a jeweled signet ring adorned with the letter 'B' on her right ring finger and around her neck was an unusual necklace consisting of a spiral seashell pendent with a deep blue crystal on a silver chain that was actually wrapped around her neck twice due to the said chain being too long.

However, the oddities of both this town and her own appearance were unimportant to this young woman as she abruptly turned down a twisted and heavily overgrown path leading her further away from the settlement and more towards the outskirts… where the moonlight shone down highlighting the form of a large and looming stone castle against the nights sky. She ran straight up to the heavy grand doors and pushed them open without seemingly any trouble. Yet upon entering the castle Runa no longer ran, but rather walked at a hurried pace through the grand hallways which were illuminated by a multitude of ornate torches positioned high upon the walls. It seemed that she knew exactly where she was going, navigating the winding corridors with such familiarity she must have done this a great multitude of times before. Finally, as Runa rounded another corner the sounds of voices carried from somewhere further down this particular hall and she began to run again, frantic to reach the-

WHAM!

With incredibly poor timing, a door opened and she ran right into it at top speed and then she fell backwards onto the floor. Groaning in a mix of pain and frustration…

"Why Miss Maelstrom, what in the world are you doing down there?" The surprised and yet slightly amused voice of a man spoke immediately drawing the woman's attention to its owner.

"Leland!" She groaned, her voice hoarse and low. No doubt resulting from both running headlong into the door as well as from her long sprint straight from the harbor. The man identified to be named Leland appeared to be in his mid-thirties; his eyes were an azure blue in color while his body was of a lean build and his face was clean-shaven and sharp, yet still quite attractive. His clothing was nothing short of distinctive and was composed of an ornately decorated blue and gold uniform and powder white wig. If this was anything to go by, he was clearly a high-ranking officer of some sort in the British Navy. In fact, the only thing that was even remotely off about his appearance was that he was wearing a strange necklace… it was some sort of crystal pendent woven into an ornate white gold chain, with the stone being the color of golden honey.

Leland chuckled lightly for a moment before reaching down and grabbing the young woman's hand and helping her up. "Up we go!"

"Leland!" Runa gasped again before having a mild coughing fit as she gradually was able to reclaim her lost breath. "Leland, did you feel it?!"

"No, but others have been claiming to have felt something 'unusual' earlier today." He recalled thoughtfully. "Rhea and William are already inside. It's likely Rhea knows something more about this than she's telling." With a quick nod Runa walked past Leland and into a large spacious library filled with towering bookshelves. Curiously all of the drapes were drawn preventing even the slightest glimmer of moonlight from shining into this room, instead the library was illuminated by hundreds of candles burning with eerie blue flames. Within the heart of this room were several long tables completely covered in open books, parchments, maps and other bits and bobs here and there. In spite of the dim light it was easy enough to make out the forms of two other individuals in this room.

The man named William, at first glance he was most likely around the same age as Leland and stood slightly taller than both him and Runa putting him at roughly about 6'2 and even with the eerie blue light it was clear that his skin was heavily tanned by the sun. This man's eyes were an unusual color of green which bordered on being more of a rich jade and he appeared to have a long thin scar which stretched from just above his right brow and down the right side of his face. But whereas Leland was clearly a member of the British Royal Navy, if this man's appearance was anything to go by he could not have been further from that occupation… as he clearly wore the garb of a pirate. He was a captain if the ornate dark green coat draped over his muscular body and the captain's tricorne hat was of any indication. Aside from his clothing it was also noticeable that he wore quite a bit of jewelry. There was a silver earring in his left ear, several jade colored beads woven into a mop of dark brown hair which spilled out from underneath his hat and went down the back of his coat, three jeweled rings on his right hand and lastly a green crystal wrapped tightly with a leather cord which hung from around his neck.

The second individual in the room, presumably the woman known as Rhea, appeared to be focusing her entire attention on a massive tome in front of her, one that actually folded out into varying sections rather than just opening like a normal book. Physically her appearance was the total opposite of Runa; for where Runas skin was a healthy mocha this woman's skin was a ghastly white. Not just pale but literally white, albino. Although in spite of this, her eyes were a very pale blue. Not the same shade of dark blue like Runas or an azure like Lelands, no her eyes seemed to match the blue flame candles which were scattered all around the room. Her long white hair went to roughly between her shoulder blades and was not restrained by any bands or ties, leading for a few stray hairs to have fallen into her face although she clearly was paying them no mind. Her clothing consisted of a black vest with a loose white ruffled undershirt, a black sash with three black and silver belts which were ornamented with at least three lethal looking daggers. She also wore black slacks and black boots and around her neck hung a crystal pendent on a silver chain, it was the same color as her eyes and the vast array of candles.

While it was not immediately clear if Rhea had noticed the new presence in the room, William certainly did and he suddenly smiled a large, wolfish smile at the newcomer. "Well Runa ye sure took yer' time gettin' here! I thought ye were supposed to be back a lot earlier than now!" His voice was loud and jolly but still sounded noticeably rough.

"Something happened William." She stated firmly, seemingly ignoring his comment. "Did you feel it?"

The pirate chuckled slightly as he adjusted his hat. "Well, I felt somethin' earlier… crew felt it too. We were in the tavern, and all at once the whole place jus' fell silent. Was right unnervin' if ye ask me."

"So you've stated." Leland said flatly as he crossed his arms and shot William an annoyed look. "I've felt nothing strange today; if it wasn't for a multitude of others claiming to have experienced something abnormal I'd just assume that you were just making this whole thing up."

"Aw, don't be sad Le-lay, yer' still a bit new to things 'round here." He chuckled, seeming to greatly enjoy as the annoyed look on Leland's face intensified until it bordered on anger and he was obviously trying to suppress a blush.

"Do not call me that!" He growled warningly, of course this only got a light barking laugh from William.

"Whatever ye' say Le-lay…"

"That's enough out of you two." Rhea stated firmly, her voice was as calm as an untouched lake at sunrise and yet sounded eerily like the chime of a silver bell. Either way she drew everyone's attention to her and silenced the growing dispute between the two men. "Leland, the reason you weren't able to feel anything was because you're not connected to the forces of magic, unlike most of us here on Haven. Williams connection is not that strong, but he still felt something… those of us with greater understanding of magic felt it far stronger than he did."

"So, you felt something to Rhea?" Runa injected as the other woman stood up and began carefully folding up the contents of the book. In spite of the poor lighting it showed that Rhea herself was quite tall herself, but still stood about two inches shorter than Runa.

"Aye." She said once she finished with the book and closed it, revealing it had a lock and clasp on its cover which Rhea secured with a small silver key before returning it to one of her pockets. "I felt something. I imagine most everyone in Haven did. But I doubt that anyone felt it nearly as strongly as you did Runa, with your connection to the sea being what it is… what did it feel like to you?"

"It was as though a tidal wave crashed over my very soul. I couldn't move or breathe; it was like there was an anchor on my chest forcing all of the air out of my lungs. I… I'll admit, I lost consciousness when I first felt it." She muttered darkly with clear undertones of embarrassment in her voice. She also began to fiddle with the signet ring on her right hand, slipping it off of her finger and just rolling it about in her hand like some kind of nervous habit. It was highly doubtful that she even knew she was doing it as she continued with her story. "I awoke some time later to Ragetti dumping a whole bucket of seawater on my face." While there was a tentative chuckle from William at this, Runa showed no sign of amusement. If anything, her expression just continued to darken. "And that's when the sea… changed." The pirates' laughter died just as quickly as it had begun and a serious expression slowly formed on his face, something that anyone who knew him would attest was a rarity even given his profession.

"What do you mean by changed?" Leland pressed, not liking the sound of where this conversation was apparently heading. "The seas around Haven and the other islands seemed a bit choppy today but hardly dangerous."

"Well once you pass the Sea-Spires and the fog and get out into the open water it's a completely different matter entirely. The water was churning in a way I've never seen. I may not have been a captain for nearly as long as some of the other sailors around here, but I know the sea. And something changed. We were lucky the Arrow made it back in one piece." Runa explained, her voice was controlled but undoubtedly troubled. "What is going on Rhea? Surly you must have some explanation about what is happening?"

Initially the albino woman said nothing as her focus had seemingly shifted to one of the many candles on the table, one whose blue flame was flickering and dying out. Slowly she outstretched her hand and made a faint motion and suddenly the flame came roaring back, burning every bit as bright as the others if not brighter. "Just because I am gifted in the Arcane Arts does not mean I know everything; I don't know what exactly has happened… but you said it yourself, the sea has changed. I agree with your conclusion on that. I believe that something just infused the ocean with more power than we can even begin to fathom. But how or why… I'm afraid that I am at a loss to explain any of that."

"If it's truly as powerful as you think it is, why are we not seeing this shift here at Haven?" Leland inquired.

"Yer' forgettin' the legend of this place Leland." William said with an annoyed roll of his eyes, even though his wolfish smile had returned it was not quite as broad as before. "It was said that Calypso herself rose these seven Isles from beneath the waves. Even created the Spires an' the fog that keep 'em hidden from the rest of the world."

"Not to mention that I know for certain that particular legend is true." Rhea injected but did not continue to elaborate upon, although she succeeded in returning the conversation to its original course. "At any rate the people should be safe as long as they remain on or around the island chain. Unfortunately, I'm very worried about what these developments will mean should we need supplies from other islands or worse yet the mainland. Trade is going to be a nightmare for the foreseeable future."

"Damn… I suppose this will make any attempt to return to Saint Martin even more difficult." The Englishman groaned as he rubbed his temples, feeling the first pangs of a headache beginning. "I have to get back. I don't much care for the thought of leaving Scarfield unattended for too long."

"I'll never understand why ye' transferred out there. Yer' an Admiral ain'tcha? Ye' can practically pick where ye go; so why did ye' choose to go to that sorry lil' spit of land?"

"It was not a permanent transfer Will. I received a letter from a young woman explaining that John Scarfield was not only abusing his power and his subordinates, but was also personally harassing and threatening her for declining his advances. I took the allegations seriously, so I transferred to Saint Martin as to take control of things there. And to remind Scarfield of his responsibility to the people, not to himself." Leland retorted. His voice showing clear agitation, granted none of it was directed at the pirate. "Of course, when I confronted him about it he claimed that she'd bewitched him. Went on a whole rant about how she was really a witch and she needed to pay for her vile accusations. Well, I could tell he was lying and just trying to cover his own hide. So I warned him that if he so much as spoke this woman's name again I'd have him demoted before he could finish adding the word 'witch' to the sentence. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to fear I slipped away to Haven before he had been sufficiently chastised."

"You're a good man Leland. Not many others would have bothered to do anything, let alone intervene." Rhea said softly, a small yet kind smile appeared briefly upon her nearly spectral features. However, this ghost of a smile vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. "But regardless of the situation, I'm afraid you're going to have to remain here for quite some time." She observed. Her voice having suddenly gained a distinctive chill. "Whatever is happening out there… It's only just beginning. You were expecting to leave in the morning? You'd best go and inform your crew that will not be the case."

Leland seemed to inwardly debate his options, no doubt considering the benefits and risks overall. But then he sighed in defeat and gave a nod before he dismissed himself from this little meeting. Of course less than a moment later William followed after him. "Ye' could have just shot him." He suggested merrily as the duo made their way out towards the castles front door. "Boom! Problem solved." And even from the opposite end of the hallway, Rhea and Runa could hear Leland's groan of ever growing annoyance.

"Quite a pair those two." Rhea observed with a slight chuckle.

"They deserve each other." Runa agreed flatly, although the slight curve of her lips indicated that she did not mean it as coldly as it came out. But then her attention refocused on Rhea and the fidgeting with the signet ring began anew. "Do you really have no idea what could be causing this Rhea?"

"I already told you that I don't." The ghostly woman said with the faintest tinge of irritation in her voice at being asked a question she had already answered before. "However… I do have one theory, but I'm afraid it isn't of much use." And she turned to face Runa, her pale eyes shining so bright it was as though the flames were behind her eyes rather than just shimmering reflections. It was an eerie, if not outright frightening look.

"Somewhere… someone just fucked up spectacularly."

And that is it for chapter 1 folks! It certainly came out longer than I originally intended, I don't think I'll make the other chapters quite as long as this one if only so I'll be able to update faster. Also, this is my first attempt at ever writing a POTC fic and I really trying to keep the way the characters talk accurate to that era; although I'll admit if Salazar could say 'Bootleg Turn' the term of which didn't exist until the prohibition period I think I may take a few creative liberties here and there but rest assured it will be used sparingly. If anyone has any suggestions or constructive criticisms I'd be happy to hear them. But nonconstructive flames for stupid things will be ignored… Well, I hoped that you all enjoyed it and will continue too! As always please remember to Read and Review! I tend to update a bit faster if I get more reviews… just saying ^^;

Also, I figured I'd post the translations to the Spanish phrases I used throughout the story here at the bottom just in case anyone was curious as to what they meant.

Pesadilla - Nightmare

Por favor perdóname – Please forgive me

Anguila - Eel

Soy una anguila - I'm an eel