One week later, Julia had just finished her training for the day, and exhausted from damage control lessons with Captain Barbosa (of the Queen Anne's Revenge) which involved sinking a dinghy and told her to swim to shore, decided to go to ''The Salty Wench'' pub for a bite and a splash of rum. She ordered fish an' chips, and waited at the bar for her drink. Over in the corner of her eye she could see a strange man, wearing an enormous long trench coat that had long seen better days. It was very dark, like he was trying to hide something. She at first attempted to avoid him, so she turned around and went to the other side of the room, but then she looked up from her fish to drink, and he was sitting right in front of her. Frightened and not expecting that, she yelled, not terribly loud, just was jolted.
"Apologies Ms. Sparrow; that be not my intention." His voice was deep, and very salty. But also a little raspy this fellow was not on the young side of the family tree. He wore an enormous ripped up (in places) black hat with three very large red feathers, and the shadows of both the dim and poor lighting in the pub and his hat, hid his face. This being Shipwreck Cove, light was against us, in light you can see things, Shipwreck Cove was meant to not be seen except by those who already know where it be.
"I'm sorry do I know you? How do you know my name?" she asked the man.
"That is not important. What is important is your training. I see you are rising fast in your class, just like your father. Your sea legs are good too." He saw her piece of 8.
"What do you want from me?" she asked.
"Just a young person to hear and believe an old man's sea stories. I have tried to tell people but they don't believe or listen." He leaned forward.
"Well, I do like adventures, what's your story?"
"Centuries ago, there was a palace. Some might even say Poseidon himself ruled there, but that be an old wives version of the story. This palace, built entirely out of an old magical crystal as blue as the pacific, and was the richest in all the land. The ruler was considered by many to be more powerful and fierce than my…" He coughed a couple times, "Excuse me. Anyway he seemed to be more powerful than one man others called, Captain Redhook. He was a brilliant man, conquered the seas aboard the biggest and strongest ships of them all,"
"The Sea Witch, yes I've heard of that one, but come on man that's just a legend, sort of like a fairy tale for kids." The man's hand then clenched tightly into a fist.
"SHE DOES EXIST, I'VE SEEN HER ME SELF, A THOUSAND TIMES, AND A THOUSAND TIMES AGAIN!" He sat back down, and controlled himself, everyone in the bar stopped when he screamed at her, but she stood up and said,
"It's alright, I brought me sword and we both still have our rum, no need for panic!" Everyone went back to their business, and she glared at him.
"Do control yourself, stranger! If you're going to tell your story the do it! Do not argue with me over something that may or may not even exist!" She put him in his place, and he continued.
"As I be sayin, this city eventually joined forces with Cap'n Redhook, and made him the richest Pirate Lord in all the land. But only if he promised to protect the city. But one day, the city betrayed him! They banished him from the city and destroyed his crystal, the crystal being the only thing that can allow entrance by anyone into the city. They banished him from their city, and took refuge at the bottom of the Atlantic, hoping to never be found by him or anyone else ever again. Now the only thing keeping that city hoping for anything is their own prophecy of a girl who would return, discover their magnificent an' powerful palace, and return them to their rightful place on the map. That's what the city's ruler said anyway, but she was a crazy old hag." He grinned in his own darkness, provided by the enormous red feathered hat he wore.
"Who is this girl in the prophecy? What was the city's name?" She was very interested now.
"No one knows. The story I just told you is hundreds o' years old nowadays. Think what cha like lassie, but be warned, once the city of Atlantis, I believe it be named, gets in your thoughts, it drives you mad to find it." Julia thanked him for his time and quickly rushed out, wanting to tell Anthony about what this guy just told her, but I was practicing me hand at straddling sea turtles with Cap'n Teague for a week, an' at the end of that week, the ceremony for him to receive the Pearl was at hand. She had to keep it secret, keep it safe, but desperately wanted to tell someone. Then a few days later as she was walking along the docks and First Mate Lanse bumped into her.
"Excuse me miss, 'old on, I know you, ye be Anthony's friend, Julia, well lassie it be nice to finally have the chance to talk." He shook her hand and then they continued walking together. She told him about the meeting with that strange person, and of the lost city of Atlantis. Lanse was fascinated, but also a little skeptical.
"That be a fascinating thing to be thinking indeed missy, but, how real do you think it is?" he asked her, adjusting his hat.
"Well, I didn't think that The Flying Dutchman was real, but look at Anthony's dad,"
"Aye that be true, so I suppose ye be looking for a ship then, wait a minute, Jack gave you the Pearl, didn't he! And ya plan to give command over to Anthony when he be finished training!"
"Yes, but don't tell anyone, just wait for Captain Grey to get back."
"I hear he is enjoying every minute with his mistress,"
"His mistress? Oh geez,"
"Nay nay, his ship, the Caroline, she be a fine lady she. Pure and white like the gods, calm and fast as a whale."
"Oh ok, I though ye be talking about a person for a sec."
"Nay miss. Might I ask ya something? Could I join your crew, to find the lost city of Atlantis?"
"Well ye'd have to ask Anthony, he is gonna become Captain of the ship to take us there soon, and we'll all be on his ship really, but I know he'll say yes, he thinks very fondly of you." Julia smiled. Lanse and Julia walked home and waited for Anthony to return, getting his piece of 8, confirming that he was finally a Pirate Captain. Julia had already gotten her piece of 8, depending on your service in training you got one at different times as anyone else. Lanse had his too, the belt that helped him hold his pistol. Julia's was an opal ring around her thumb.
A few days later, Captain Gray returned from Tortuga with his crew of scallywags, and tied his majestic ship up at the dock himself, and greeted us all on the docks.
"Gray! Me matey nice at see you again!" Anthony gave a hug/pat around the shoulder, and after catching up on old times together, and him telling us of how rough the seas were, and how he almost capsized, but luckily tied down the sails right, they decided to bring up Atlantis, and about the strange man in the pub. Gray had just received his piece of 8, a nylon line around his right hand. Gray and I at first didn't believe it, but after hearing all the details, I was hooked, and thirsted for adventure. Then I told them all about the completion of my training and showed them my piece of 8, a shark's tooth necklace. Julia brought the conversation back to Atlantis. Gray was interested but worried.
"I must be the voice of reason here, are we really saying we're gonna ignore life and put all at risk for something which may or may not be real?" He had a good point and we all started to have second thoughts.
"Come on Gray, we could sail to it together, make sea stories of our own, and be heroes of exploration in our time!" Gray thought about it, and then couldn't resist and pounded fists with us.
"The winds'll be on our side gang, that's all we need!" Gray cheered with all of us, and at this late hour, we all went to Julia's house, getting ready for the change of command ceremony for the Pearl.