Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Pirates of the Caribbean.
A/N: Hey! Shoutout to my new reader: MarieDarcy97! Thanks hun!
The pirates were scared to eat her food. Rebecca frowned at that; she had worked hard on the fish and it was certainly better than whatever slop Mr. Gibbs had been feeding them, she was sure of that.
And yet they were staring at their plates as if the fish had just grown legs and did a jig for them. "This is ridiculous," she muttered, shaking her head.
Still, they wouldn't eat. Shaking her head again, she picked up her fork to eat. They could starve to death for all she cared. Beside her, Will reached for his own fork, digging into his plate and taking a bite. Rebecca looked down to hide her slight smile. She didn't want the men to see it and assume that she was indeed plotting. No, she found that she was just plain happy that she had at least one friend aboard this ship.
Starting with Will, once they saw he hadn't dropped dead from eating her food, one by one, the men started to eat, Captain Jack saying, "Well, where's the rum, love? Can't have a good meal without rum."
Giving him a smile, she stood, moving to get the rum from behind her. At the table, the atmosphere was becoming more cheery, Mr. Gibbs spinning a yarn that was surely false. Despite their initial apprehension, pirates would be pirates and they had been yearning for an adventure. The excitement was there, if not tampered by the fact that Rebecca was clearly other worldly. They were still at sea, where they always longed to be and nothing would change that.
Rebecca walked around the table, pouring the men their drinks. She normally didn't drink the stuff but she was in a good mood. She sat next to Will again and he smiled at her, toasting her with his own glass before he chugged it back, making a face and reaching for the pitcher again. How strange it must be to suddenly be on your own, she thought, no parents to tell you what to do, nothing but the open sea to command you. If the raucous laughter coming from around the table was any indication, this was they life.
Bracing herself, she lifted to cup to her lips to drink . . . only to see Hermes staring back at her. A small scream escaped her and she slammed her cup down onto the table. The noise around her stopped and she looked up to meet the many eyes of the crew. "What's the matter, lass?" Captain Sparrow asked.
"I, uh –" Rebecca sputtered for a second before putting a smile on her face. "It was nothing, just a spider."
"Pfft," a pirate she had come to know as Lee scoffed, shaking his head, "women."
The pirates laughed and Rebecca rolled her eyes, looking back to her cup. Hermes' face was gone but she knew it had been a warning.
Something was coming.
She put her cup down because her hands were shaking and she hoped no one would notice but, of course, the ever watchful Will Turner murmured, "Are you okay?"
Giving him a tight smile, Rebecca nodded, grabbing her cup again and chugging the whole thing down. For now, she would be but later – who knew?
The next morning, the pirates were more prepared for the supernatural affair that was Rebecca. The sun came up, and the light took her over, the necklace sending the beam of light to the Northeast this time.
Will stayed out of the way, leaning against the railing besides Rebecca, watching her. She really was quite pretty . . . but he supposed she would be, being a goddess. Others might call her plain, but it was something about those intelligent eyes that made her gorgeous, definitely more so than the women he had seen tromping around with rouge and lipstick.
The light shifted slightly and Will measured it, shouting, "Five degrees Northeast!"
The directions where repeated up the deck until they reached Captain Sparrow, who nodded and turned the wheel to follow the direction. Will smiled slightly, watching the man at his job. From his parent's descriptions he had learned all he thought he could about Captain Jack Sparrow. He was possibly the best pirate in the world, cunning, intelligent, adventurous . . . kind when it was called for and possibly cutthroat otherwise. . . . And yet, after having sailed with him for the past week and a half, from Farrisdale to Tortuga to here, he had determined that the man was still full of surprises. He was certainly an imposing figure, even if half the time he seemed to be drunk or in his own world but nothing escaped his eye. People said the time of pirates was coming to an end but that wasn't going to stop Will. One day, he hoped people all over the world would tell his story as they told his Captain's, his mother's and his father's.
Will turned back to Rebecca, his eyes drifting past her to look out to the sea. He gripped the railing, climbing up onto it and holding onto the rope. "Captain!"
The commotion aboard the ship came to a shuttering halt. All hands moved to the sides of the ship, staring out at what was approaching them. "Steady men," Captain Sparrow said, his voice calm.
There shouldn't be anything to worry about, Will thought though his heart was pounding in his chest. It was just fog . . . a very ominous, foreboding fog. It would have seem normal if not for one simple fact. . . .
The fog wasn't moving. It just sat there, stretching in front of them as far as the eye could see. There was obviously no way around it and that was making everyone nervous.
The light from the necklace slowly flickered out as the ship slipped into the fog. Rebecca blinked her eyes and suddenly came to, slumping against the railing. "What's –?"
She went silent, eyes wide at the sight of the fog. "Oh, no," she mumbled.
Captain Sparrow ambled up beside her, face serious. "What is this?" he asked her.
"The first test," Rebecca told him.
The ship shuddered briefly before stopping all together. On the deck, everyone was silent and scared. The fog seemed to have taken away everyone's voice and everyone seemed paralyzed, standing horribly, utterly still.
"Who dares to travel through my domain?" A voice shouted from the fog, seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. It was loud and the crew was shocked into movement, covering their ears. "Step forward, now, and state your name!"
Captain Sparrow moved, walking towards the helm despite Mr. Gibbs muttered warning. Sparrow climbed the stairs, moving to the wheel and wrapping his hands around it. "I am Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirate Lord of the Caribbean and Captain of this vessel, the Black Pearl. I dare travel through your path. Will you show yourself?"
There was silence again for a moment before Rebecca gasped. Will turned, looking in the same direction she was, grabbing her to pull her back as the face of a woman came into view. She blinked large green, catlike eyes at the ship, just staring at them for a moment before the fog cleared around her . . . revealing the body of a lioness and the wings of an eagle. A serpent-headed tail snacked out, wrapping gently around her neck.
"Phix," Rebecca whispered, and those giant eyes turned to her.
"Little one, little one, from home you are so far," Phix murmured. "I'm afraid, from this task, you I will have to bar."
Suddenly, Rebecca fell to the ground as if someone had cut the strings holding her up. Will dropped down beside her, lifting her up and brushing the hair from her face. She wasn't breathing, wasn't moving but her eyes were open, wide and frantic. Will looked up at the sphinx, who was watching them. He opened his mouth to yell, to say something but was stopped by Mr. Gibbs' hand on his shoulder.
When she was satisfied that Rebecca or Will wouldn't say anything, she looked back to Captain Sparrow. "None shall pass by land or sea, unless, this riddle's answer, you can give to me."
"State your riddle!" Captain Sparrow told her. "We run from no challenge."
"Very well, but beware, my mortal friends, if you cannot answer my riddle, you will meet your end." She eyed the crew for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak again. "There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first. Who are these sisters?"
The silence was painful as everyone processed the riddle. Captain Sparrow drummed his fingers on the wheel. "How long do we have to figure out your riddle?"
The Sphinx watched him, eyes unwavering. Suddenly, her serpent headed tail, jetted out. Will pressed his face against Rebecca's neck as the tail shot past him, heard one of the men scream, a pain-filled, horrified, bloody scream, and looked up to see Phix throw Lee into her mouth. He could hear the man's boys crunch and popping before the monster swallowed him, giving them all a toothy, red grin before she spoke her shortest sentence. "Not long."
"Right then," Sparrow said, looking to Will and his First Mate. "Gentlemen, if you'll meet me in the Cabin. Young Turner, if you'd be so kind to pick up Miss Rebecca and bring her along as well."
Will did as he was told, sliding his arms under Rebecca's leg and her back, carrying her. Mr. Gibbs walked with his hand on the younger man's shoulder, guiding him. He passed men he knew who usually seemed so lighthearted, like Jives, a man closer to his own age, who stood with his fist against his mouth, eyes bugged with fear. Even Ragetti and Pintel were subdued, all eyes watching the Sphinx, dreading who would be her next meal.
Sparrow held open the door for the cabin boy and the First Mate, slamming it shut as soon as the last had crossed the threshold. "Captain this is madness! We can't turn our backs on the crew." Mr. Gibbs proclaimed as Will moved over to the bed, laying Rebecca down. Her eyes were on him, full of fear and sadness and he tried to give her an encouraging smile though he was far from sure right now.
She still wasn't breathing. Could she die in this state?
"I need to think, Mr. Gibbs," Captain Sparrow said, stripping out of his coat and linking his hands behind his back as he began to pace. "Couldn't do that out there. . . . Will, repeat the riddle back to me."
"Er," Will started, heart pounding as he stood straight. "I believe she said, 'There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first. Who are these sisters?'"
"That riddle is impossible," Mr. Gibbs muttered, reaching for the bottle of rum that sat on the Captain's desk. "We should have turned back when she gave us the chance."
"We never turn down a challenge, Mr. Gibbs."
There were more shouts, pleas as another of their own was dragged off the ship. Mr. Gibbs shook his head sadly. "Aye, and we lose more men for it."
Captain Sparrow met his first mate's gaze for a moment. "Aye and if we intend to save the rest of the crew, we need to think."
Will sat on the bed next to Rebecca, taking one of her limp hands in his own, knowing there was no way she could give them the answer.
Gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first.
Maybe Mr. Gibbs was right. Maybe this riddle was impossible, meant to kill them. Maybe no one had gotten past Phix because they weren't supposed to.
Outside, someone pounded on the door, screaming, "Captain!" as more screams echoed behind him, followed by the sound of more bones crunching. Will had the sudden urge to throw up.
He looked down at Rebecca again as the two other men continued to pace. Her eyes met his, as if they were pleading for him to understand something. He wished, for a moment, that he could have met her in a different manner. He wished he never knew what happened when she and that stupid necklace met the sun. . . .
The sun.
Will stood again, the voices of his Captain and the first mate fading.
Rebecca stood motionless with the sun until it faded into darkness.
Until it gave birth to night.
"I know the answer," he mumbled. He started forward the door. "I know the answer!"
"Will!" Captain Sparrow yelled, reaching for him but he missed.
Will burst through the doors just as the Sphinx's tale whipped forward, reaching for Jives. . . . "Day and Night!"
The world seemed to freeze, even more so than it already had. Phix focused her gaze on Will, her cat-like eyes blinking slowly. Her tail receded, wrapping itself lazily around her neck again. "Do you have an answer, young lad? Or has your impending death driven you mad?"
"I have the answer to your riddle," Will told her, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. "The two sisters are Day and Night. Day gives birth to Night and, in turn, Night gives birth to Day."
The Sphinx blinked again and Will thought maybe he had made a grave mistake. But then she bowed her head at him. "Lady Luck lives with you tonight. You may continue pass with tomorrow's guiding light."
She disappeared as she had come, silently, quickly, first her body and then her head. With her the fog left as well, the night sky appearing above them, the ship rocking lightly beneath the stars; they had been trapped in the fog longer than they had thought. The men slowly came back to life, obviously shaken, obviously frightened. Jives silently clapped his hand on Will's shoulder in a silent thank you, the relief on his face almost painful. Captain Sparrow came up behind him, shaking his head in a way that made Will think he was proud, even if he wouldn't say it. "Well done, young Turner. Well done."
He turned to the crew as Mr. Gibbs did a sad head count; they knew they had lost three men. Will turned around rushing back into the Captain's Quarters. Rebecca still lay on the bed . . . but now her eyes were closed.
"No," Will whispered, dropping to his knees beside the bed and grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Rebecca, wake up!"
Her eyes flew open and she took a gasping breath of air. Will laughed in relief, pulling her against him and holding her tight. He was surprised, to say the least, when she wrapped her arms around him as well, pressing her face into his shoulder.
That was indeed the greatest of his victories today.
A/N: Geez it's been a while and for that I apologize. I wanted to have this story updated for you last Friday and had a bit of a slump. So I hope this makes up for it! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!