I'm home today...sniffle I broke my toe last night, and it hurts like bloody heck. But, I did get out of school. : D Soo, since I've got a few more chapters already up and ready to go, I thought that I would go ahead and post one today! If I get some reviews, I'm going to post the other one tonight!

Love you, darlings!
MWAH
-Captain Autumn


"You said it was a secret. And secrets are called secrets for a reason..."


October 14, 1821

To Her Royal Highness, Queen Lila Turner

The Sun

Dearest Lila,
Darling, I want to tell you so much. I just can't. And believe me when I say
that if I could, I would. But please, please do me a favor and come back.
Not only are you putting your own self in danger by going out and
looking for Mercer, Saphira is as well. And the baby.
Lilabelle, you girls' safety is not worth this.
Come back to the palace. I'm here. Your father is too.
We'll talk about this, and work something out. Lila, your so much like myself.
You're so much like Jacob. But please, your place right now, is here.
We can't jepordize yours and Saphira's safety anymore.
Mercer won't stop. And you're not just thinking about yourself anymore, love.
William won't always be there, and that's what scares me.

Come back. Please.

All my love,
Your mother.

She was gripping the wheel of the Sun rather tightly as she ordered them to go back. Needless to say, Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't too fond of the idea. Being a Sparrow, Jack's rather large ego did seem to get the best of him at times. Hell, if even got Lila at times, but Lila knew now was not the time for this. Jack didn't know why. If he knew why they were turning back, well, that wouldn't help at all. And she knew she could speak for Saphie when she said that she didn't want Jack to do something stupid.

Her golden-brown ringlets were blowing softly in the wind as her green eyes focused on the horizon. She glanced beside her to see that the Dutchman was following closely behind her, but she noticed that unlike herself, the captain of the Flying Dutchman wasn't at the wheel. She realized why a minute later. "Not trying to sound like Jack, but darling..."

She turned around to meet Will's hazel eyes as he said, "...what the bloody hell are you doing, Li? We were almost to where Mercer made port, for goodness sakes...What?" Will's tone chanted when he saw Lila's expression fall. His features instantly softened, and he whispered to her as she turned to the wheel again, "As my queen. I trust you. As my wife, I say that you're completely mad, but somehow brillant."

Will smiled when he saw a smirk form on Lila's face. He walked to the other side of the wheel, blocking her view, and put his hands over hers as he said, "But, Captain Turner, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. But, pray tell, what on earth is going on in your head, Li?"

Will smirked at her when she met his gaze, and said, "Darling, it's like you don't know me at all. Now, if you don't mind, Captain. I do believe that I need my wheel back." Will let go of the wheel, and shot her a smile as he said, "Take the bloody wheel."

"Gracias, querido." She said, losing her British accent and gaining a perfect Spanish one that she knew Will couldn't resist. Will smiled at that, and took her in for amoment, before saying, "Did you drink it?"

Lila sighed sighed, and stared at him, before saying, "Yes. Yes. A million times yes, darling. Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl." Will had been reffering to the medicine that Calypso gave her to delay the draining process. Weaker though she was, Lila still had control over most of her powers.

And to Jack's well being, Lila didn't have as much control over to weather anymore. Which was good for Jack, since it seemed that when she was mad, the lightning always seemed to strike closer to a certain infamous pirate captain. Will only shook his head, and said to her, "We should be arriving then?"

"You tell me."

He rolled his eyes, a habit he knew that he had somehow picked up from Lila, and said, "Honestly, darling..." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

"You're slacking again, Captain." Lila said, pushing him back and grabbing the wheel. "Now now now, what would Calypso say about the Flying Duchman's love struck captain, hmm?"

"Bloody witch." Will said with a wink, before materializing back over to the Dutchman. Lila looked back down at the letter, and sighed as she absent-mindedly played with the Jewel that was hanging loosely around her neck beside Will's key. She dropped it, and looked back up at the horizon...

Saphira fell in step with Lila as they walked in the direction of the palace. For the most part, both of the girls hadn't really talked much since they left Calypso's a few days earlier. Saphira looked back at Jack and Will who were quietly arguing about something. Anyone's guess what. Saph glanced back at Lila and whispered, "It'll be alright, Lila."

"Saphie, we've cheated everything. Multiple times. What makes you think we can do it again?" Lila said, in a tone that Saph barely recognized as that of her best friend. Saph looked down, unable to look Lila in the eyes as she said, "I don't know. I have faith is all."

Lila smiled and said, "Do you always have to be so happy?"

"Darling, when you're engaged to the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, you have to be." That made Lila laugh as she linked her arm with Saphie and said, "Fine, Mrs. Sparrow-"

"-not yet-"

"-goodness, Saphie." Lila said, rolling her eyes as the two girls waited in the courtyard of the palace for the boys to catch up. The goddess stopped suddenly, causing Saphira to as well, rather quickly. She looked up into Lila's face as she said, "-we'll make it out. Again."

"Of course we will." Saph said with a smile as the two arguing boys finally made their way to the palace's steps. Will looked rather mad as he quickly walked behind Lila, not looking at Jack anymore than he had to. Jack was smirking, as if rather pleased by this, and stood behind Saphira. Saph took Jack's hand and asked him with a sigh, "Do I want to ask?"

"Pro'ly not, love." Jack said with a wink as he followed Will and Lila into the palace. Saph laughed and walked in with him...

"It's a simple question whether or not-"

"Lila." Anne said after a long sigh, bringing Lila's attention away from her father. Lila looked at her mother for a moment, before Anne said, "Darling, think about this before you-"

"-I am thinking-"

"-not you're not-"

"-Mum, I'm-"

"Lila." Will said, before Lila could open her mouth again. Anne smiled down at Will as if to say 'thank you'. Will nodded at her, before turning back to his wife and saying, "Li, just sit. Let your father finish." Neptune ran his hands through his blonde hair, before focusing his eyes back on his daughter. Lila sighed, and sat down between Will and a rather freaked out Jack.

"Mercer wants power. You're queen. You're dead, he gets the power. He knows that where you are, Saphira usually is. He wants his daughter back. He wants power. He wants-"

"-what every idiot in the Spanish main-"

"Lila." Anne said in a warning tone. Lila sighed and took her seat beside Will once again. Will shook his head, but wrapped an arm around Lila, knowing that that would have somewhat of a calming affect on her. "Love, this seems hard to understand-"

Lila rolled her green eyes and shot at them, "Yeah, it is hard to understand, Mum. I mean, hell. I'm sorry, but you do know what this sounds like? Saphira and me are going to die because some bugger idiot wants his daughter back and my powers. Um, no. I'm not letting him kill me and my best friend because Mercer's just a bloody dried up fruit."

Will and Jack laughed at that, but Saphie was still in shock as she glanced over at Rupert who was sitting there in a bit of a daze. "Lila, just don't-"

"No! I am not going to sit here and let some dried up vegetable bang away at us with his bloody navy!" Lila sat down at that statement and crossed her arms across her chest. Jack sighed and looked up at his aunt who was staring at her daughter in disbelief. When Anne and Jack's gazes met, Jack just shook his head and leaned back in the chair, clearly amused by this whole thing.

"Jacob, honestly, darling. It's not funny." Anne said as she walked up behind the chair he was sitting on, and rested against it. Jack only smiled up at his aunt in response. Neptune was staring at his daughter as he said, "Love, we can't tell you-"

"-why the bloody hell not-"

"Lila!" Anne said, in an outraged voice. "You may be queen, but he's still your father." Lila stood up, ignoring Will's protests and said, "Daddy, I'm sorry! But you can't drag us here, and tell me and Saphie that we're pretty much going to die and then say you can't tell me what the bloody hell is going on! I have a right to know! I'm dying, literally."

"It was a secret, Lila." Neptune said, getting up from his desk and walking to the other side so that he could face her. Jack glanced over at Saph to see her looking worried. He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her. She rested her head against his chest, still in shock.

"I couldn't tell you because I made a promise. I created Atlantis. After the first war, I needed some sort of a backup plan. So I created a fake city. We put people in it...I made my best friend "king" of the city. Truth be told, he was my admiral at the time. Head of my navy. But we need King James's navy to be misleaded. The people of Atlantis were specially trained so that when King James attacked, they'd be ready. There was no real city, there was no real king...but then it fell through."

Anne smiled over at her husband reassuringly as he was forced to continue. "Trition and I soon found out that our plan was failing. James couldn't find you or your mother. So he settled for Athena. Now, Athena was Triton's wife. He threatened to kill their two children, and when she stood up for them, trying to protect them..." Neptune trailed off then. His sea blue eyes were sparkling with what seemed to be unshed tears. No one in the room had to be told what was happened. They knew.

"Triton blamed me. His wife and kids were murdered. He stayed in Atlantis, and made our fake city real. He became their leader, their king. For years since then, their city has been seperated from our kingdom because of our stupid mistake that cost us three lives."

"What does this have to do with us?" Saphira asked, quietly. Neptune looked over at Anne, before saying, "Darling, I can't say-"

"What the hell is wrong with you? You can't tell us? Our bloody lives are at stake!"

"Lila!" Anne said in that same stern voice she had used earlier. "Shut up and sit down this instant. You will not talk to him like that, Lila Mercedes. He's only trying to protect you-"

"-because Will won't always be there, I bloody know that." Lila sat back down, very mad about this whole thing. Tears were running down her cheek as she said in a much quieter and gentler voice, "I'm just tired of this." It didn't sound lila Lila. For one, she actually sounded scared, which Lila hardly ever showed outwardly.

Everyone was silent. No one knew what she meant. But they thought it better not to question her. She didn't have much power, but she was apparently mad enough for it to start raining. Neptune was at loss for words. Anne looked over at Rupert, and nodded.

"There's something else." Rupert said quietly. Everyone, with the exception of Lila (who was crying) and Will (who was holding Lila, trying to calm her) looked up at Rupert who took Saphira's hand and said, "Saph's my sister."

"Wha'?" Jack asked in a very confused voice. Will knew, had he not been whispereing reassuring things to Lila, he would have laughed at Jack's expression. Rupert nodded and said, "We kept it a secret to keep Saphie safe...apparently, it didn't work though." Saph closed her dark eyes at that, and the whole room fell silent. The only sounds that could be heard was Lila crying softly on Will in the corner, and the rain pouring down outside.

Will's eyes met Neptune's for a brief moment. The ageless former king only sighed, and said, "Lila, Saphira...I'm sorry. Some secrets were never meant be told. I made a promise." Lila made a noise at that that sounded like a disapproving grunt as she rose her eyes to her father and said, "You're trying to protect us? Well, look where that's gotten us."

And with that, as the lightning flashed across the Caribbean night sky, Lila got up from Will, and walked up the stairs in the direction of her old room. Neptune closed his blue eyes once more. Saphira leaned against Rupert, as Jack (who apparently had gotten over the brother shock) sighed and said to Neptune, "I wouldn't worry 'bout it, Uncle Parrish."

"Why shouldn't I, Jacob? Look what's happened."

"No. You shouldn't worry 'bout it." Jack said, matter-of-factly as he put his feet on the small coffee table in front of him, ignoring Anne's disapproving look as he did so. Neptune looked up at his nephew as Jack said, "You said it was a secret. And secrets are called secrets for a reason, uncle. They're never 'sposed to be told. Tha's why they're called secrets."

And the only sound that was heard throughout the kingdom that night was the Caribbean rain.


"...They're never 'sposed to be told. Tha's why they're called secrets..."