Part Six. The Bounty of Zodiac

"Almour? What are you talking about?" Will asked after a moment of disbelief.

"That pendant. A silver pendant in the shape of the crescent moon, traced with the signs of the Greek zodiac!" Almour cried out, advancing on Joan. "That's it! It should have been mine! How did you get it!?"

Will grasped Almour by the shoulder to hold her back. "I want to know what exactly is so important about this pendant."

Jack sprung from his seat in his chair, his eyes growing big at Will's demand. "No! I mean… there's no need for this. After all, we should really be on our way. Isn't that right, Joan?"

Almour pushed Jack back into the chair forcefully, almost causing him to fall backwards. "What do you have to do with this, Sparrow? And I swear on my father's grave, if you lie to me the last thing you'll see of the Black Pearl is her rudder running you down!"

"Almour… stop," Will protested, pulling her away. He cast angry looks at Jack and Almour, frustrated by being left out of what was happening. "Someone better tell me why this is all so important."

"I'll tell you why," Almour stated heatedly.

"Don't you dare!"

"Shut it, Jack!"

Jack receded back into his chair sullenly, mumbling to himself, his dark eyes watching Almour menacingly. Joan remained silent and still, not particularly wishing to keep the pendant's truth as secret as Jack. After all, it was in his best interest that no one knew. Not hers.

"Captain Neil Zodiac was the richest man ever to sail the ocean. Back in the sixteenth century, he stole artifacts, jewels, gold, silver, from all over the world. You name it he had it. He even stole from thieves. His favorite were Egyptian grave robbers. Needless to say, he had a fortune that most men would kill a thousand men for, and then a thousand more.

"Now, Zodiac was sailing back from a raid on the Spanish coast to his harboring point in Mexico. But, as the story goes, the boat was weighed down by all the goods. Now, they may have made it home, that is, if the crew hadn't gotten restless and decided to mutiny against Captain Zodiac."

Jack grunted at this, slouching into his chair. "He ain't got my sympathy."

"Anyway," Almour continued, ignoring Jack's comment. "they got lost. None of the crew could navigate half as well as their captain. From out of nowhere, a hurricane came through, blowing them way off course, demolishing any hope they had of ever reaching any port again. All anyone knows that the ship, and Zodiac's hiding place, is that it's somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle."

"But I don't understand… the pendant…?"

"This is where the legend comes in. The pendant belonged to Captain Zodiac, one of three, that is. It's said to endow the wearer with the knowledge of where the treasure lay."

There was a long silence after Almour finished the tale. Rhiannon, who had remained silent through the whole time, was shaking her head. Drumming her fingers on the butt of her pistol, she simply shook her head thoughtfully.

"It doesn't make sense. Captain Zodiac… one of the richest and most feared pirates in recent memory…"

"I beg your pardon!" Jack started, but shut his mouth just as quickly when Joan kicked him in the shins.

Rhiannon looked at him form the corner of her eye, slightly aggravated, but continued. "Doesn't it seem odd to anyone else that he would just… make it so any pirate could go and claim his treasure?"

"That's not important," Joan stated quickly, stamping out any doubt there might be among the others. "The important thing is, that we could have more money than God if we do this."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,……… wait." Jack held up his hands. "Wait. Since when did this become we. It's just me, my little friend here, and the Black Pearl, savvy? There is no 'we'."

"What makes you think she's any more entitled to it than me!?" Almour growled. "She stole that pendant! I know she did!"

"Ah, you don't know that," Joan muttered.

"Yes I do! It's been heirloom in my family for a hundred years! It was my father's… It was supposed to come to me!"

"Look, like you said, there're three other pendants out there, you can't tell that this is the exact one that was supposed to come to you," Joan couldn't help but smirk. "You can't prove a damn thing."

"Alright, Joan, we're leaving," Jack said, trying to get up for the second time, and for the second time, Almour pushed him back into the chair. "Don't push your luck," Jack said, glaring up at her.

"You're not going anywhere without me," Almour stated stubbornly. "I am rightfully entitled to a part of it. You're taking me with you." She paused to look around at Will and Rhiannon. "And you might as well take them along as well. After all, they know the story now."

Jack groaned, throwing his head back over the edge of the chair, staring up at the ceiling. "Just what I need, more trouble." He sighed then looked back at the other three. "If you can pull your own wait, you can come…"

Rhiannon grinned broadly. "Don't worry… I'm no stranger to the ways of a ship, Mr. Sparrow."

"Well good," Jack replied, keeping his tone even. "And you can begin proving that to me, by addressing me as Captain Sparrow, or sir." Jack half lifted himself out of the chair, then looked up at Almour. "If you push me, lass, it'll be the last thing you do in a long time."

Almour stood aside, allowing Jack to stand up. He turned to everyone else, not feeling as light hearted at all when he first heard he'd be the one to find the Bounty of Zodiac. "The Black Pearl leaves at dawn. Be there, or be left out of history books."

"Yes, sir!" Rhiannon said enthusiastically.

Jack took a moment to survey her from under the brim of his hat. "Yes, sir," he mimicked in a high-pitched voice. "You sure you were a pirate before this?"

Rhiannon's face fell. "W-What do you mean, sir?"

Jack heaved a sigh and walked past them to find a back way out of the blacksmith's shop. He shook his head wearily to himself. "I must be getting soft. So much for my reputation as the ruthless Jack Sparrow," he muttered despairingly.

A few moments later, Rhiannon and Will left, and Joan was about to leave by the same way as Jack, but Almour had different plans. She tackled Joan from behind, pulling her to the ground. Caught of guard, Joan hit the ground with a muffled. "Oof!" Though Almour had not expected the other woman to be stronger. In one quick movement, Joan rolled out from under Almour and pinned her to floor of the room.

"Don't test me!" Joan shouted, holding back the intense urge she had to bite into the young woman's throat and drink all that she could. But she knew if she did, she'd probably lose the opportunity to find the Bounty of Zodiac.

"You stole that pendant from my father! I know you did!" Almour yelled threateningly, in return, not caring that the other woman had the upper hand.

"What are you gonna tell me next, it's not fair that I have it and you don't?" Joan taunted in a mocking manner.

Almour stared up at Joan, her eyes flaring with anger, as if that was what she was going to say.

"Life's not fair, and trust me, I've had a long life," Joan said, sneering at Almour. "Now, it's going to be a long ride to into the Bermuda Triangle. And I think it best you accept what has or hasn't happened." With that, Joan got up and headed towards the door casually.

As soon as Almour was free she jumped up on her feet. "This isn't over, yet!"

Joan paused, her hand on the doorknob, then pulled a smirk on her face, not unlike Jack's. "No, but that's what makes it fun, now isn't it?"