It had gotten gradually colder once Hector had adjusted their course to World's End. Mary was soon forced to put on more layers of clothing, yet once they passed the first icebergs she was shaking like a leave anyway. She tried to get a little warmer, but neither hiding under deck nor constantly walking up and down the ship worked. At least at night she found some warmth snuggled up to Hector, but he soon began to spend far too much time at the helm for it to make a difference. Once they were constantly surrounded by icebergs, Mary found herself standing next to Hector at the helm, jumping up and down to keep her blood streaming.

"What are ye doing?", Hector asked amused.

She looked at him, shivering at the sight of his still half open shirt. "Aren't you cold?", she managed to say with clattering teeth.

He smiled. "No."

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Would you be so kind as to tell me how you are doing it?"

Hector crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Ignore the cold."

"Ha!", Mary exclaimed. "That might just be the most unhelpful advice you have given me."

Hector shrugged. "Try more layers then."

Mary gave him an annoyed glare and then turned to Elizabeth who was cowering in the corner behind her, a blanket wrapped tightly around her. She seemed to be so cold that she was absentminded. "The cold might kill some of us", Mary said.

"We'll soon have passed through these waters", Hector assured her.

Mary only grumbled in reply and started rubbing her upper body while walking on the spot. Will came up the stairs, holding Sao Feng's charts. He handed them to Hector, pointing at a specific part of the map. "Do you care to interpret, Captain Barbossa?", he asked.

Hector lowered the map and rolled it up. "Ever gazed upon the green flash, Master Gibbs?", he said.

Gibbs was looking at the passing icebergs. "I reckon I've seen my fair share", he replied, turning around to face Will. "Happens on a rare occasion. At the last glimpse of sunset, the green flash shoots up into the sky. Some go their whole life without seeing it. Some claim to have seen it. And some…"

"It signals when a soul comes back into this world from the dead", Pintel blurted out which made Gibbs glare at him angrily. Pintel shrugged apologetically while Hector only rolled his eyes in annoyance. Mary had listened to the story carefully. "So when Tia Dalma resurrected Hector, there would have been a green flash?"

"If the story is true", Gibbs pointed out, looking questioningly at Hector who only smirked.

"Trust me, young Master Turner," Hector began and handed the map back to him. "It's not getting to the land of the dead that is the problem." He adjusted the course. "It's getting back."

Will eyed the map thoughtfully, then left the quarter deck. "How did you figure out the course?", Mary asked Hector.

He frowned. "I'm a captain."

The ship was sailing towards a massive cave within an even bigger iceberg. Darkness surrounded them. Mary was in awe of the natural phenomenon that the cave which turned out to be a tunnel was. She wondered how it had come to be, but suspected that something supernatural was the cause. "Beautiful", Mary whispered. The view helped her to forget the cold. Beyond the tunnel, night awaited them. The sky was clear, a million stars twinkling, mirrored in the pitch-black sea. Small clouds of fog were beginning to rise from the water and Mary couldn't help but think that the horizon looked odd all of a sudden.

"Hector, what exactly is world's end?"

"World's end", Hector replied meaningfully.

Mary felt a little sick. "Since we're going to the land of the dead… If one were to die on the way, would it matter?"

"That'd be the only way," he said quietly, to make sure no one else heard him.

Mary swallowed hard. "Good to know", she said. "I can't believe I'm going to die to save that man."

"I do share that sentiment", Hector assured her.

Mary took his hand. "I'm scared", she admitted quietly.

"Don't be. Yer with me", he told her.

Will came running to them, followed by half the Pearl's crew. "Barbossa, ahead!"

He let go of Mary's hand, not without giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Aye, we're good and lost now."

"Lost?", Elizabeth asked shocked.

"For certain you have to be lost to find a place as can't be found. Else ways, everyone would know where it was", Hector explained.

Gibbs leaned over the rail. "We're gaining speed!"

"Aye", Hector said.

"To stations!", Will ordered.

Mary frowned. "What is he doing?"

"All hands to stations!", Will shouted, running towards the middle of the ship, alerting the crew. "Rudder full. Hard aport! Gather way."

"Nay! Belay that! Let her run straight and true!", Hector shouted, leaving the helm to find its own way. His words had the intended impact, as the crew stopped trying to follow Will's orders. Instead, most men gathered at the railing to see what was ahead.

"Brilliant", Mary mumbled, now seeing and hearing the waterfall that marked world's end. The falling water thundered into the unknown and Mary didn't feel like sharing the water's fate.

Elizabeth angrily turned to Hector. "You've doomed us all!", she accused him.

"Don't be so unkind. Ye may not survive to pass this way again. And these'd be the last friendly words ye hear."

"Besides, you agreed to get Jack back", Mary pointed out. "Though I have to admit, I'm having second thoughts on that."

Hector rolled his eyes, grabbing a rope hanging above his head. Mary watched Will who had not yet given up the task of turning the ship around. "Tie her off!", he ordered and ran towards the helm.

"Hard to port", Elizabeth shouted.

The ship was now in the waterfall's firm grip, shaking heavily. Mary grabbed a rope with one hand and Hector with the other. The fact that he was entirely unbothered at the prospect of the deadly fall they were facing made her uncomfortable. He seemed to have kept a sense of carelessness years of being undead had created. For a moment she had the urge to tell him that she loved him, but she tossed that thought aside. Firstly, she was sure he knew that and secondly, the task of holding onto the ship seemed more important. Thanks to Will, the ship had turned around. Far too late though. Mary turned as well, not wanting to fall into the depths backwards. Not seeing what was awaiting would have terrified her only more.

"Hold on!", Will shouted, making Mary grab the rope tighter. The ship began to dip towards the edge, raising the bow up in the air. Upon seeing the darkness in which the waterfall disappeared, Mary could do nothing but panic. Her legs were lifted off of the deck and she was dangling in the air, hanging on for dear life while Hector only laughed next to her as if this was fun. Some crew members were rolling down the deck, having lost their grip. Mary wanted to scream, but no sound would cross her lips. She forced herself to stop looking at the darkness underneath, but at Hector. He seemed to have lost his mind, but she would have preferred looking at him in her last moments no matter what. And then the ship turned upside down as it finally fell over the edge and into the depth completely. The waterfall soaked her through as the ship was shaking and turning. Mary had lost all orientation. Her hands were cramping. And then they hit the water at the bottom. Mary was unable to recall for how long they had been falling or how deep, but she survived the clash with the water. Salty water, she realised as she accidentally swallowed some. It was an ocean. The ship was sinking, now threatening to pull her into the sea as the Kraken had. She let go and began swimming upwards. Light was glistening above her head, letting her know that there was a surface. Her head burst out of the sea and she took a deep breath. Blinking at the bright light, she searched her surroundings for the other crew members. One after the other appeared at the surface, all gratefully inhaling.

"This way!", she heard Hector shout to her right and she followed his voice. Soon her feet found some ground and she waded towards an empty beach with sand shining almost as bright as the sun. Once she reached the shore, however, the beach lost its shine and looked deserted, unwelcoming and with nowhere to go. There were no trees, no sounds, but the sea. The sky was clear, the sun burning down. Gibbs stumbled ashore next to her. "This truly is a godforsaken place", he said.

Mary inspected her hands that were yet again rope burned. She sighed, then felt Hector's gaze upon her. She held her hands up. "Could have been worse", she told him with a shrug. A hint of a smirk appeared on his face and he nodded.

"I don't see Jack", Elizabeth said, trying to catch her breath. "I don't see anyone."

"He's here", Hector assured her. "Davy Jones never once gave up that what he took."

"And does it matter?", Will asked. "We are trapped here by your doing. No different than Jack."

Mary wringed some of the water out of her clothes. "And how else could we have saved Jack but by coming here?", she wondered. "Wasn't all this rather obviously going to happen?"

Before Will could reply, Tia Dalma spoke: "Witty Jack is closer than you think." Just when she had finished the Black Pearl appeared, sliding over a sand dune as if the ship was sailing over a wave. After everything Mary had seen, this shouldn't have surprised her. But the sudden appearance of the Pearl heading to the ocean across the beach did leave an expression of disbelief on her face. "Are those… crabs?", she asked upon seeing what was carrying the ship.

Ragetti raised his index finger to shakily point at the Pearl. "Boat", he said.

"Slap me thrice and hand me to my mama! It's Jack!", Gibbs exclaimed.

The Pearl stopped in the shallows near the beach. Jack rowed ashore in a longboat, striding towards them in his usual manner. And they were running towards him.

"It's the Captain!", Pintel shouted.

"A sight for sore eyes!", Gibbs said.

"Mr. Gibbs!", Jack said, as the crew lined up and Gibbs saluted: "Aye, cap'n."

"I thought so", Jack announced. "I expect you're able to account for your actions then?"

"Sir?", Gibbs asked with a frown.

"There's been a perpetual and virulent lack of discipline upon my vessel. Why? Why is that, sir?", Jack shouted.

"Sir, you're...", Gibbs began and gave the crew a side glance before leaning closer to Jack. "You're in Davy Jones' Locker, cap'n."

Jack stared at Gibbs and looked around by only moving his eyes. "I know that. I know where I am. And don't think I don't", Jack warned Gibbs.

"Jack Sparrow", Hector greeted Jack. Mary remembered that they hadn't faced each other since their fight in the caves. Nonetheless, Jack seemed to be happy to see Hector.

"Ah, Hector", he greeted him with a smile. "It's been too long. Hasn't it?"

"Aye. Isla de Muerta, remember?", Hector replied with a smile that then turned into an angry glare. "You shot me."

"No, I didn't", Jack disagreed, still a broad smile on his face.

Hector raised his eyebrows in confusion at that, but got no chance to speak further with Jack as he had spotted Tia Dalma. "Tia Dalma, out and about, eh? You add an agreeable sense of the macabre to any delirium." Tia Dalma seemed equally confused as Hector.

Will sighed exasperatedly. "He thinks we're a hallucination."

"William, tell me something: Have you come because you need my help to save a certain distressing damsel, or rather, a damsel in distress? Either one", Jack wanted to know.

"No", Will replied firmly.

"Well, then, you wouldn't be here, would you? So you can't be here. Q.E.D., you're not really here", Jack concluded happily.

"It's fascinating how you manage to make that sound reasonable", Mary remarked, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Yes, I'm rather good at these things", Jack agreed.

"Jack! This is real. We're here", Elizabeth said, stepping into Jack's view. He eyed her, unable to speak. Then he hurried back to Gibbs. Mary couldn't hear what they were saying as they had turned their backs to them.

Elizabeth followed him. "We've come to rescue you."

"Have you now? That's very kind of you", Jack replied. "But it would seem that as I possess a ship and you don't, you're the ones in need of rescuing, and I'm not sure as I'm in the mood."

"I see my ship. Right there", Hector said and pointed at the Pearl.

Jack held up his hand to block the sun. "Can't spot it. Must be a tiny little thing hiding somewhere behind the Pearl."

Mary rolled her eyes. "This is really not the time."

"Jack, Cutler Beckett has the heart of Davy Jones. He controls the Flying Dutchman", Will told him.

"He's taking over the seas", Elizabeth added.

"The song has already been sung. The Brethren Court is called", Tia Dalma finished.

"Leave you alone for a minute, look what happens. Everything's gone to pot", Jack said, but didn't seem interested.

"Aye. The world needs you back something fierce", Gibbs said.

"And you need a crew", Will pointed out.

Jack turned to face them. "Why should I sail with any of you? Five of you have tried to kill me in the past." He looked at Elizabeth. "One of you succeeded."

"What?", Mary blurted out and looked at Elizabeth who was avoiding Will's gaze.

"Oh, she's not told you. You'll have loads to talk about while you're here", Jack said. "As for you...", he addressed Tia Dalma who grinned.

"Now... don't tell me you didn't enjoy it at the time."

"Fair enough. All right, you're in", Jack said and went on. "Don't need you. You scare me", he told Ragetti and moved on. "Gibbs, you can come. Marty." He eyed Pintel and let out a disgusted sound. "Cotton. Cotton's parrot, I'm a little iffy, but at least I'll have someone to talk to", he thought out loud and stopped dead in his tracks facing Sao Feng's men. "Who are you?"

"Tai Huang. These are my men", their leader replied.

"Where do your allegiances lie?", Jack wanted to know.

"With the highest bidder."

"I have a ship", Jack offered.

"That makes you the highest bidder", Tai Huang said.

"Good man. Weigh anchor, all hands. Prepare to make sail", Jack ordered while the men hurried towards the Pearl. He took out his compass, but didn't seem too pleased at what he was seeing.

"Jack...", Hector said with a grin, tapping the charts with his fingers. "Which way are you going, Jack?"

Mary concluded that the compass didn't work in Davy Jones' locker, forcing Jack to take them aboard. By the time they reached the Pearl and were ready to leave, Mary had dried for which she was grateful. Now only her hands needed to be taken care of. But once Hector and Jack were both on board, they began to fight over who the captain was. Mary watched them from the quarter deck, finding the scene playing out before her amusing.

"Trim that sail. Slack windward brace and sheet. Haul the pennant line", Hector ordered.

"Trim that sail. Slack windward brace and sheet. Haul the pennant line", Jack repeated every single order the moment it had left Hector's lips.

"What are you doing?", Hector asked Jack as they met in front of the main mast.

"What are you doing?", Jack returned the question.

"No, what are you doing?", Hector asked again, this time shouting.

"What are you doing?", Jack repeated again.

"No, what are you doing?", Hector bellowed.

"What are you doing?", Jack replied yet again, but had figured out that he needed to change his tactic. "Captain gives orders on the ship."

"The captain of the ship is giving orders", Hector pointed out.

"My ship, makes me captain", Jack reminded him.

"They be my charts", Hector fired back.

"That makes you chartman", Jack shrugged.

"Stow it! The both of you! That's an order! Understand?!", Pintel shouted, earning a glare from both Captains.

"Sorry. I just thought with the captain issue in doubt, I'd throw in my name for consideration", he explained. "Sorry."

Neither Hector nor Jack replied to that, but started racing for the helm. "We're heading for the open ocean. Unless either of you has a more precise course to offer, there will be no need for you to take over the helm", Mary let them know.

Hector and Jack eyed each other skeptically for a moment and then took position on opposite sides of the helm, watching over the ship. After a while, Hector seemed to get bored and took out his spyglass to watch the sea. Jack did the same, but his spyglass was smaller and he retreated upon that.

Mary leaned against the rail next to Hector. "Are we stuck here?"

Hector slowly lowered the spyglass. "For now", he mumbled.

"And here I was thinking you had all this thoroughly planned through", Mary sighed.

Hector took offence at that comment. "I planned it as much as possible", he defended himself grumpily.

"Doesn't Tia Dalma know the way out?", Mary asked hopefully.

"No, the answer we're looking for is on the map", Hector said.

"Then lets figure it out", Mary said.

"I tried!", Hector snapped.

Mary realised that there was no point in discussing the topic further. Hector was already angry enough at himself without her making it worse. "Hm, a task for tomorrow then", she decided. "Would you help me with these?", she asked then, holding up her injured hands.

Hector's face softened. "How do ye always manage that?"

Mary raised an eyebrow at that. "I wouldn't, if I didn't end up in this certain kind of situations."

"I suppose I'm to blame for that too", Hector grumbled.

"Partially, aye. But it does give us an excuse to disappear under deck", she teased with a cheeky glimmer in her eyes.

Author's Note: More originial content to come again in the next chapter! Please drop a review :)