Jack had noticed by now that Calypso was on board. He squeezed Elizabeth's hand to warn her to stay out of it, and then came over to Calypso.

"While you're rememberin' all that, your goddessness," Jack said, "Here's something else for you to keep in mind. If Elizabeth stays dead, she's likely to stay right here to serve on the Dutchman. She was once married to your ferryman. D'ye think you want her around, mooning over Will all the time, day and night, knowing that they've loved each other for far longer than he has loved you… if he does? I would think you'd want to send her trotting right back to land, alive, and out of Will's—I mean, harm's way!"

Elizabeth had turned her back and was gazing out to sea.

Calypso glanced at Will, who was watching Elizabeth wistfully.

"You make a good point," the goddess admitted. "You bot' do. Yes, I can do dat."

"There, now, you see?" Jack said, beaming. He raised his voice. "See, Will? She'll do it! I just knew if I appealed to her… sense of…" Too late, he realized that what he had appealed to was her sense of jealousy—not her better nature—and that he'd better shut his mouth. "Her sense of loyalty," he finished, congratulating himself inwardly on his save, "then she'd agree! Well, let's get to it, shall we? Liven her up, Tia!"

"Do not forget about my payment, Jack," Calypso reminded him.

"So what is it?" Jack asked Calypso. "What is required to bring Elizabeth back to life?"

"A sacrifice," Calypso told him, "And a choice."

"Whose choice?"

"Yours."

"What do I choose?"

"Who makes the sacrifice."

Of course. A life for a life.

"Why me?" he asked her, trying to stall for time.

"I be curious to see who you choose," she said.

"Tia, I'm not sure I can do this," Jack admitted.

"You want me to do de choosin'?" she asked sharply.

"No! No, I—I'll do it. I'll choose. I just need a minute." His gaze darted around the ship. Will, Tia Dalma, Elizabeth, Teague—they all stood silently watching.

Elizabeth turned back around and shook her head slowly. "Just let me go," she whispered.

Jack caught her gaze and held it for a long moment.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Teague stepped forward. "I'll do it," he said in his raspy voice.

"What? Dad, no," Jack protested. He looked at Calypso. "No! Not him."

"Don't be a fool, Jacky. If the goddess needs someone's life to save your lady, let her take mine. I've had a good life. I've been away from the sea too long as it is."

Calypso smiled at Teague, and then looked at Jack. "Is dat your choice?"

Jack scowled. "No, it is not. You're not taking my father."

"Who, den?"

"I'm thinking!" A bit of motion across the cove caught his eye, where Gibbs and Cotton were unbinding Angelica from the mast of the Pearl and taking her down to the brig. "Don't suppose you could take her instead?" he asked, pointing.

"Who, de daughter of Blackbeard? If you still loved her I could. But de choice must be someone dat it will be a sacrifice for you to lose. Losin' her not bothah you at all."

"What?" Jack said artlessly. "I'm still very… fond of Angelica. Really, I am! Didn't I tell her I loved her, when we parted before?"

Calypso laughed. "Fo' a pirate, you a bad liar, Jack! No, you didn't say you love her. You tol' her dat you love you. She t'ink you mean somet'ing else, but I hear what you really say."

"Since when did you become a grammarian?" Jack grumbled. "You don't exactly speak the king's English!"

Calypso shrugged. "Choose your sacrifice, or I choose de sacrifice fo' you. An' you maybe not like who I choose. You know de sea not picky—maybe I pick yo' fadah, maybe I pick de Turnah child—"

"NO!" Jack cut her off. "I'll choose, all right? Although I really have to wonder at you, Calypso."

"'Calypso'?" she asked. "Not Tia Dalma?"

Jack gave her a hard look. "I called you Tia Dalma when you were human, and we were friends. I'm thinking when you got your goddess-powers back, you maybe forgot what it felt like to be human, what made you human. Compassion, for instance."

He cocked his head and scoffed, "You don't need a sacrifice in order to bring someone back to life, and you know it—you brought Barbossa back on a whim. You're only doing this now because you want to see what I'll do. You're just playing with us, with me. It's not like you care anymore.

"So—fine. I'll dance to your tune. I'll choose my favorite person in the whole world aside from Elizabeth. I hope that will be enough of a sacrifice for you?"

"Who be yo' choice?"

Jack took a deep breath and faced her squarely. Once again he felt that sense of being part of something larger than himself, of rising above his limitations. Elizabeth's belief in his goodness really did make him a better man. He knew what he had to do. "I choose… me."

Calypso gave him a narrow, slant-eyed look.

"You said it yourself, that I love me! You know it's true!" Jack pleaded.

Calypso considered it for a moment and then nodded her acceptance.