Disclaimer: Only non-SG-1 characters are mine.

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews and pm's! You guys are amazing. Thanks especially to bluemoonmaverick for making me get off my bum and get moving on getting this task on paper (or computer as the case may be. :)

This task is really, really long, so I'm splitting it up into 2 (or possibly 3 chapters). Poor Jack.

Review please and let me know what you think!

Jack felt like he'd been swimming forever. The icy water made him sluggish. He kicked harder, trying to move faster, and get the blood moving through his limbs. Much like his nightmare about Carter though, he felt that the island was moving further and further away. Stopping for a moment, he treaded water and looked around. The shore was no longer visible. If they'd been able to see the island from the shore, he should easily be able to see the shore from his current position. "Son of a bitch," he muttered. It apparently wasn't his imagination that the island was getting further away. He was just starting to move again when his leg felt like it had caught on fire. He kicked hard, but the stinging got worse. Taking a deep breath, he dove underwater, eyes open. A large jellyfish had a several tentacles wrapped around his leg. The others were perilously close and Jack knew he wouldn't be able to go on if they hit him too. His knife was of course strapped to the leg with the tentacles. He quickly reached down, arms being stung where they came in contact with the floating tentacles, he grabbed the knife and sliced at the ones wrapped around his leg. The jellyfish jerked back and floated away, but the damage was already done. His leg and arm were on fire and he was still far from the island.

After another half an hour of swimming, Jack finally pulled himself onto the shore and flopped down in the sand, taking deep breathes. Knowing he didn't have much time to rest, he sat up and looked at the angry red marks covering his leg and arm. The salt water had helped dull the pain, but it still burned. "I would say 'what else can go wrong,' but I'm fairly certain it can," he shouted at no one in particular.

The air around him was warm in contrast to the icy water and he knew he couldn't sit still or his muscles would begin seizing up. Hauling himself from the sand with a groan, he began walking along the shore. Adrastos had said he needed to get to the other side of the island, which might be quicker if he cut through the thick trees growing just off the beach, but then it might also get him hopelessly lost or cause him to run into something he'd rather not meet. The soft sand turned into the more rocky terrain he'd seen on the mainland, and he was forced to climb over them. He was grateful for Adrastos's sandals. His feet would never have made it without the little bit of protection they offered.

An hour and several mutterings of "small island, my ass" later, Jack was sure he was in the right spot. There was a dock built next to a large flat rock. He walked carefully to the dock and looked around. Unfortunately, there was no boat. "Dammit." He looked across the water and could see the other island, but it was clearly too far for him to swim, even if it stayed where it was.

"You have to throw the coin in the water," a voice said nearby.

Jack turned around, still clutching the knife he'd been holding since his run in with the jellyfish. He didn't see anyone. "Who's there?" He was beginning to wonder if he'd made the voice up when he heard a splash. Stepping carefully over the rocks, he looked down, but saw nothing but the water.

"Over here," the voice said again, this time coming from where he'd just been. Jack whipped around and ran back to the dock. At the end, a woman hung on, her bluish hair spilling across the wood. "Hello," she said as he slowly walked down the dock toward her.

"Hello," he responded warily.

"You are here for the trials, yes?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "If so, you must toss a coin in the water for the boat to appear."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" He'd run into enough things on alien planets to know better than to just trust someone.

She seemed surprised. "What purpose would I have in lying?"

"Oh, I don't know, because you're working for a Goa'uld, maybe? They're not exactly known for being truthful, nor are their minions."

"I serve no one." Her voice was rich and lyrical, with a slight accent that Jack had never heard before.

"Uh-huh. So, what are you doing out here, then?"

She gave him wide, white toothed smile. "I live nearby."

He did a 360 turn. "Nearby? Lady, there's nothing nearby, unless you live on that island over there, in which case, I'm thinking you're working for the Goa'uld."

She shook her head. "Oh, no. That island is forbidden. I never go there." Jack remained silent, taking her in. "I live in the water." She came around the side of the dock and pulled herself up.

Jack's eyes widened. "Woah, hello!" He took an involuntary step backwards. "What the hell?" He leaned over and was shocked to see a scaly fish tail where her legs should be. The scales were a similar shade to her hair, but above that she had pale skin that shimmered in the light. He also noticed that from the waist up she was completely naked. "Okay, hallucinations. I can deal with that. Naked hallucinations though are something all together different." Unless they involve Carter, his treacherous brain reminded him.

"You're different from the others who have come here. You speak differently and you have on more clothing." She told him.

He looked down at himself. He had on his boxers and standard issue t-shirt, a knife holster and sandals. He supposed he did look a bit odd, but he was hardly wearing what he would call a lot. "No, I'm not from here. In fact, I'm a long way from home. Say, you gotta name there, Ariel?" Jack asked, not getting too close.

"All creatures have names."

"And yours would be?"

The woman laughed throatily. "I'm afraid you could not pronounce it and I don't know what it would be in your language."

"Okay then, since you're my hallucination, I guess I'll give you one. Let's see...blue hair. How about Marge?" Jack thought for a second. "No, that doesn't suit you. I'm thinking you look more like a Lisa."

"Ehl-ee-sah," she tried the name, her soft accent giving it a slight lilt. "Ehl-ee-sah. Yes, you may call me Ehl-ee-sah." She gave him a smile.

"Well, it's not exactly what I had in mind, but I suppose it'll do. Elisa is it is, then." He told her, still keeping his distance.

"You have not told me yours."

"Jack."

"Ja-ack. It is a nice name. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ja-ack."

Jack made himself stay put. If she wasn't real, she wasn't a threat. "Aha! I get it! The jellyfish sting had some sort of hallucinogenic in it. That's why I'm seeing you."

Elisa held out a hand. "I assure you, I am quite real. Touch my hand and you can see."

Jack narrowed his eyes at the outstretched hand. "I don't think so." He stepped back a little and winced at the stinging pain in his leg.

"You're hurt," Elisa said with concern. "It looks like the sting of the medusai. They are nasty, nasty little creatures."

"Medusai?"

"Yes, they have long stingers and drift in the water. Do you not have these where you are from?"

"Oh, we have 'em, but we call them jellyfish."

Elisa laughed. "What in incredibly silly name. They look nothing like fish."

"No, I suppose not." Jack agreed. "Not much like jelly either."

She leaned forward to look at the red welts on his leg, then slid back into the water. "Stay here, I've got something that will help."

"Hey, I don't have time for this. I've got to get to that island." He called, but she was gone. He blew out a breath. Of course she was gone, she was never there. Pulling a coin out of his pocket, he was about to toss it in, since he had no better ideas, when Elisa popped back out of the water, startling him.

"Please, sit," she said, patting the edge of the dock. She held up a small pot of something. "This will help, I promise."

Jack hesitated, but decided if he sat down he could prove to himself that she was a figment of his imagination. Sitting hesitantly, he tightened his grip on the knife. They stared at each other for a long moment, when she opened the pot and pulled out something green and slimy. When her hand touched his leg, Jack nearly fell into the water. "Holy crap! You're real."

Elisa continued to rub the salve on his leg, then moving to rub some on his arm, noticing that he was incredibly tense. "I won't hurt you, you know."

Jack snorted. "I've heard that before, usually just before getting stabbed or shot." He was still wary, but beginning to relax slightly as her hand rubbed the soothing concoction on his leg. "So, you really live under the water?" She nodded. "I'm assuming there are other little mer-people swimming down…there?"

Finishing with her ministrations, she closed the pot. "Well, yes. There are many of us, just as there are many of your kind above the water."

"Believe me, lady, there aren't many of my kind above the water. Probably a good thing." The stinging in his leg and arm was going away. The angry red marks were still there, but the pain was far less than it had been just moments before. "Hey, that really helped. Thank you." He stood. "So, I've really got to get going. Just toss the coin in, eh?" When she nodded, he held the coin in his hand and flung it out into the water, watching it skip twice before sinking. It made him think of Carter. "Okay, so now wh-" Before the words left his mouth, he felt the dock start to shake and the water rippled. He looked at Elisa who acted like this was the most normal thing in the world. Though to her, he realized, it just might be. The ripples grew, and a loud rumbling shook the dock more violently as a small boat with a curved bow rose up from the water.

"Sweet!" Jack said watching the water sluice off the sides. It was completely dry on the inside. Stepping in, he picked up the two paddles, settled himself in and started rowing.

Elisa swam along side him. "You must love your woman very much."

"I do," he said absently. "I mean, yes, I care for her, but it's not what you think."

"But you are doing this for her. Why would you go through all this trouble for a woman you do not love?"

Jack looked at Elisa. "It's complicated."

"Love shouldn't be."

"So, you gotta merman down there?" He asked, trying to change the subject. His feelings for Carter were more complicated than even he cared to think about. Focus on the mission, Jack, he told himself. He'd gotten through many of his worst times in the military by putting his feelings aside and focusing solely on the mission. It was often the only thing that kept him from going insane. This particular mission though was taxing his abilities to do that.

"I did," she said. "He died some years ago though."

He didn't want to think about how he would feel if something happened to Carter. "I'm sorry. Mind if I ask what happened?"

She shrugged, or at least it looked like one. In the water it was hard to tell. "He and his friends were out the night before we were to wed. They were being foolish and decided to swim out where the Cetae live. According to his brother, who was there, he got to close to a Cetus. I never saw him again." Her voice was sad and in a way, she reminded Jack of Adrastos.

"Cetus? What the hell is a Cetus?" Jack asked. His arms were beginning to tire, and he needed a distraction.

"Ceatae are terrible monsters," she said, her eyes growing wide. "They have great, long bodies and many rows of very sharp teeth. They are very dangerous. All of my people know never to go in waters inhabited by them, but there are those who go there and most never come back."

Jack looked around. "I'm not going to see any of those sharp toothed bastards around here, am I?"

Elisa laughed. "No, Ceatae live out in much deeper waters. I assure you, if they were around, I would not be here."

"Well, that's the first bit of good news I've heard today." Jack continued to row, turning around every now to see how much further he had to go. Too far in his opinion, but at least this island didn't seem to be moving further away.

"You haven't found anyone else?" he asked.

"There are many who have asked for my hand," she said without any hint of pride. This was apparently just a simple fact to her. "None have stirred my heart though."

"Very wise of you not to accept then. Wait until you've found the right man...er, merman. The right person will make all the difference." The right person might also be the one person you couldn't have though. The thought clenched his insides.

"This is as far as I can go," Elisa told him when he was about three quarters of the way there. I am forbidden to get any closer.

"It's that bad, eh?" Jack asked. If the merpeople weren't allowed to go there, it had to be pretty bad.

Elisa gave him a cheeky grin. "I wouldn't know. I've never been there. I wish you luck, Ja-ack. I will be watching for your return."

"That's assuming I return," he told her.

"You will," she said simply and dove under the water, leaving him feeling quite alone.

TBC