A/N: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean or any of the characters; all I own are the words I write. I am going to make this a multi chapter story, because this little subplot was honestly my favorite part of the movies, and I didn't think it got all it deserved. Please Please Please give me reviews, positive and negative! They help me to grow as a writer and help me to write better fanfictions for you to enjoy.

The moment the first explosion lit up the sky, the mermaids knew to flee. In the water and near the shore they had an advantage against the weak humans, but they could do nothing against flame and falling debris. In seconds, more than a hundred tails could be seen chasing the horizon, but one head turned at the last moment. One young mermaid stopped for a second and looked over her shoulder. She would later try to remember why she decided to hesitate, but never quite figure out what made her stop.

The missionary, Philip had his back to the lighthouse, entranced by the sight of the many mermaids swimming away. A Godly man, he never imagined such creatures could exist. Having seen their elegance and terror with his own eyes, he was fighting away the traces of doubt that were threatening to taint his pure faith in his lord God. He didn't even notice the growing danger behind him.

The young mermaid turned just in time to see the missionary and, more importantly, in time to see the flaming debris falling right in his direction. Without even thinking she just propelled herself out of the water, pushed him off the rock he was standing on, and into the water behind him. He coughed and spluttered in surprise, and she pushed away from him just as the debris started hitting the water. A log was on fire to her right and rocks were cascading all around. Suddenly, she couldn't swim forward. A heavy wooden plank had her tail trapped. She called out to her sisters, screaming in pain and frustration, but none were close enough to help or even hear.

Dazed, but aware that he was wet, and should probably focus what he had of his consciousness on staying afloat, Philip looked around confused. When he saw the tail flipping off to one side, obviously trapped, he was ashamed that a flash of pleasure ran through him. He realized that she had pushed in the water, but hadn't been able to drag him to a watery death in the depths of the ocean when the wreckage hit her. Gaining his footing, he waded over to the creature and was torn. The other mermaids were beautiful, but there was an edge to their beauty and sharpness to their features that hinted at the cruelty that hid behind their kind faces. She was different. The few glimpses he got of her face as she struggled to free herself made him feel sorry for her. A sudden cry of pain from his right reminded him that there were as many as a hundred of his fellow man lying wounded due to these foul creatures, and before he could even think about what he was doing, he plunged a forgotten sword into her tail, further trapping her.

The flash of pain in her tail made the young mermaid cry out. She continued to struggle, but knew it was hopeless. She turned and looked at the man who had trapped her in fear. Hate flashed in her eyes as she regretted saving his life. He took a step closer and all hate was replaced by pure fear. She knew the stories her sisters told about what happened to the mermaids that were stupid enough to get captured by humans. They never made it back. Stories were passed around that they were hunted for their tears, which were powerful and potent, but she had never really believed them until that very moment. She had never thought about her mother and sisters had told her that no matter what, if she ever found herself with humans, she must do whatever it takes to protect her tears.

A/N: Weird place to end I know, but I have more planned and I wanted to get this up so I could get some feedback. Be brutal! Reviewers make this website go!