Chapter 3: Aqua de Vida


The morning amassed the sea with a great white fog. The Legacy, with the Black Pearl on its tail, had to take its course slow, careful not to hit shallow land.

"The Fountain of Youth is a treasure worth a thousand times more than the world's wealth. They say when ye drink the water from the Fountain, your younger years are relived. But there be tales from those who found it, where they all disappeared weeks after. They also say that those who drank from the Fountain of Youth disappeared little by little until they no longer existed from this world. The popular belief is that the Fountain of Youth gives you eternal life. Nevertheless, I'm not sure which story I'd believe."

"Oh, Mr. Gibbs. You and your tell-tale stories," Jack said as he walked down to the main deck.

"If there be one person I know who takes heed to 'tell-tale stories', it'd be you Jack."

"Ah, but this is the fortune of all fortunes we're talking about. No one's ever seen the Fountain. Not even Ponce de León himself."

Captain Hawkins cut in on their conversation, "I don't mean to impede, but it only makes sense that a treasure so fine as the Fountain of Youth would leave such consequences."

"Aye, of course," Jack said.

Break time was over. Gibbs dismissed the group and they all returned to their work posts. Jack walked back to the stern deck. Gen continued to steer the way. "The secret of the Fountain of Youth must be kept," Jack said as he tapped his compass, "it'd be dangerous if it ends up in the wrong hands."

It's already dangerous that you and Barbossa know about it, Gen murmured.

"Come again?"

"Nothing, Mr. Sparrow. Carry on."

The morning dragged on. The thick fog didn't seem to recede at all. Jack went down to the kitchen cabin for a bottle of rum. He couldn't help but think about what despicable plan Barbossa was conjuring up this time. He knows Barbossa won't give up the Black Pearl so easily, unless the winds of fate somehow change in his favor.

. . . . . . .

Soon enough, a strip of land appeared on the horizon. As the vessels neared the island, the crewmen ran to their stations and dropped the anchor on command. Barbossa stationed the Pearl beside the Legacy as longboats were hauled down to the water.

When the pirates reached shore, Jack handed his compass to Barbossa. Barbossa clicked it open and waited as the needle pointed the way. They were set for a northeast direction. Gibbs, Pintel, Ragetti, Marty, Mr. Cotton and his parrot, and several other crew members joined the venture.

We're going to the Fountain, we're going to the Fountain!, Anne chanted as she skipped across the beach.

Hours of hiking through the hot, sticky jungle exhausted the crew. Sundown was darkening into night. "I believe we should call it a day and rest up," Captain Hawkins said. The crew gathered wood and got a fire going.

Jack sat down and took out a bottle of rum from his coat pocket. He could never resist. Nothing satisfies him more than the sweet, pungent taste of good booze. Both he and Gibbs turned in the night after a drink or two. The rest of the crew soon gave in to their fatigue.

Gen made her sister go to sleep, no matter how reluctant she was about it. She made sure Anne got her night's rest. She later noticed Barbossa gently stroking Jack. The monkey. The little guy was fast asleep.

"Captain Barbossa, if I may ask, what's got you fixed on finding the Fountain of Youth?" Gen asked, breaking the silence.

"Is it not immortality that every man wants? Eternal youth. An escape from his mortality. An escape from Death himself," Barbossa replied, "these are the things that many long for."

"What exactly do you hope to find?"

"I've been undead. I've seen the other side. I've returned from Davy Jones's locker. A longer life lived wouldn't be too bad, methinks. I'm a greedy man, Miss Hawkins. A life of wealth and power is somethin' to die for, eh?"

"I presume your reputation is just as important?"

"Aye. What is wealth and power without notoriety?" Barbossa smiled. There was a short pause. "So, what in the devil made ye want to help Sparrow on this treacherous expedition?"

"The Fountain of Youth is the greatest treasure in the world. Wouldn't miss it for all the rum I'd waste myself with."

Both captains let out a chuckle. The fire eventually died down and slumber consumed the night.

. . . . . . .

The crew was up by daybreak. The first few hours came and went. As the crew walked across a rope bridge, they stopped before a large knoll covered in foliage.

"We should be here now," Barbossa said as he tied the compass to his belt.

"Captain, there's nothin' but a big wall covered in filthy vines," Gibbs said in disbelief.

"Exactly," Gen said. The crew looked at her in confusion.

"Aye, Miss Hawkins is right," Barbossa said, "cut through these creepers would ye, gents?" Gibbs, Pintel, and Ragetti began to hack through the thick layer of vines with their cutlasses. After getting through, Gibbs struck them one last time and hit a stone wall with an ancient carving on it.

The captains looked at the symbol. The rest of the crew peered over. Anne had to ask what the writing meant. Jack realized that it was the cave entrance to the Fountain and continued forward, "Don't worry. We're going the right way."

The crew lit a few torches as they entered the cave. However, it wasn't too long until the group reached a dead end. Jack began to search the wall and the ground below for a possible hidden entryway. "It can't just be a dead end," Jack said, thinking out loud. Barbossa mentioned that the stone wall had faded scratches on its surface. Jack disregarded the latter. But Gen noticed them as well. She pointed out that the same symbol on the cave entrance appears a few times on the wall, only faint.

This gave Jack an idea. He held out his hand. "Knife, if you please."

"I'll not be givin' ye a weapon, Jack." Barbossa crossed his arms.

The rest of the crew handed out their knives to him. Jack kindly took Anne's. "That wasn't so hard was it, Hector?" Barbossa glowered at him.

With the knife, Jack carved at the stone. By touch it was rock solid, but as the blade and rock made contact, it was almost like clay. He made the archaic symbol. As soon as he finished, the carving burst into a radiant glow. Everyone backed away. The stone wall disappeared and an abyss-like path was revealed.

"Lassies first." Jack curtsied Gen toward the chasm.

The captain pursed her lips.

"Ah, I didn't think so either, love," Jack smirked. He walked into the path as the rest of the crew followed. Once everyone was inside, the stone wall reappeared and blocked them in. It was pitch dark. As the crew continued to walk on, an image appeared in the distance. Closer and closer, the image became clear. Everyone was taken aback by the sight they have just seen.

It was very much a threshold into the cavern chamber of the Fountain of Youth.

. . . . . . .

Gibbs was in awe. "Well, I'll be four sheets to the wind. It is real."

Water mystically dripped from the summit of a small tread of stones and into a pool of water. There was another body of water behind the Fountain itself and the silence was almost deathlike. An eerie whispering in the air could be heard.

All the crew members dropped their equipment and slowly moved in closer to the Fountain. Jack and Barbossa took caution as they approached the pool. Gen noticed how they were willing to drink from the Fountain without a notion as to how easy it all was. She watched as the men cupped the water into their hands and drank it.

A soft sound resonated from the water. Quite like a song, and a gloomy one at that. Jack and the others looked around momentarily. Suddenly, there was a splash. One of the crewmen had fallen into the lagoon. The rest of them slowly walked towards the lagoon as well. Women-like figures in the form of water emerged to the surface.

Sirens.

Jack the monkey screeched as he saw his companion in danger. Captain Hawkins made no hesitation to run for the long coil of rope that the crew brought. She called out to her sister, who was busy sharpening her knife, "Anne! Grab the rope, quickly!"

Anne put away her weapon and followed through.

"Tie the crew! Weave the line!"

Anne nodded and ran by the crew, spinning a consecutive loop on each one of them. Once Anne finished the last man, she ran towards her sister. The sirens saw what they were trying to do. Abruptly, their song became wraithlike. They shrieked and tried to wash Anne away into the water. She pushed through the wave of attacks and returned beside Gen.

"Now, help me pull them in!" Gen heaved the rope as hard as she could. Anne tugged and darted behind a boulder to create weight. The sirens tried to pull Jack and the others down to the depths of the lagoon. The ghostly song grew louder. The sisters struggled to pull the crewmen to safety. A tug-o-war, more like.

"Can't we just kill 'em off or something?" Anne grumbled as she tied the rope around the boulder.

"If the crew stops listening to those damned sirens, they'll perish!" Gen replied, trying to pull the rope closer. She thought about the situation for a split second and had an idea, "Maybe if we can get the men out of the sirens' reach long enough, giving up might be their only option!"

Anne agreed. "It wouldn't hurt to try!"

The sirens were overpowering, but Captain Hawkins refused to lose against them. She and Anne pull the rope with all their strength. They eventually dragged the two captains and the crewmen out of the sirens' area of reach. The femme fatales splashed towards them, but couldn't get too far. Their hell-spawned shrieks echoed and vibrated throughout the grotto. The sirens persisted on taking the crew to the depths. Gen and Anne had to cover their ears from the agonizing cries.

. . . . . . .

An hour convinced the sirens of their triviality towards the crewmen. Their angry, ethereal howling became a calm, sad vibe once again.

As soon as the sirens disappeared, the crew awakened. They were unconscious the entire time. Anne laid down on the ground and let out a sigh of relief. Captain Hawkins witnessed Barbossa changing into a younger man. She saw the others changing as well.

"What happened?" Jack groaned, scratching the back of his head. The sound of his voice startled him. It had a higher pitch.

Barbossa sat up and rubbed his eyes. His face felt softer than usual. His hands were smooth. He glanced at them and noticed his clothes were a tad bigger. "What in blazes...?"

Gibbs, Pintel, Ragetti, and the rest of the victimized crewmen all looked at each other in amazement. They removed the rope from their waists. "We changed just like that?" Ragetti asked. "And why are we all soaking wet?"

"You all got hot and took a dip in the pool," Gen replied sarcastically.

"Really?" Jack raised his brows. He went to pick up his hat by the Fountain.

"No, it was a joke," Gen scoffed. "So you boys really don't remember a thing, do you?"

"Do tell, Miss Hawkins," Barbossa said as he got up.

"Drinking from the Fountain caused the sirens to target the lot o' you. Anne and I only had to save your petty arses from the sirens who wanted to trap your very souls into the depths of despair." Gen replied, pressing the bridge of her nose. "But they looked more like evil water nymphs if you ask me."

Pintel and Ragetti looked at each other in terror. "S-Sirens?"

"Sirens are the very epitome of a sailor's desolation. A truly appropriate test of fate for those seeking the Fountain of Youth. Those who cannot fight the song of a siren are lured into their trap and their souls are lost forever... if only we knew about them beforehand," Gibbs said. "I guess no one lived to tell the tales."

"Thanks for the save, Gen and Anne," Jack said as he walked toward them. He then turned to his fellow mate. "Ah, Hector! You look good! And now that you're younger, I think 'Hector' suits you better!"

"What e'er ye say, Jack," Hector replied.

"Oh, and I'm glad that scraggly beard of yours is gone!"

"Don't push it, mate."


To be continued...