Chapter 8

The next day, Ivy was down on the gun deck messing around with the cannons. She was back in her original clothes. The one's she had arrived in. It felt good. It was awfully quiet, too quiet and the water outside looked like the heavens turning to black. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Ivy stuck her head out of one of the gaping holes and snarled in disgust.

After kicking the cannon a little to see if it would go off miraculously, Ivy looked back out to the water. You couldn't see a thing, the misty white fog surrounded everything. An attacker could just appear out of no where, but that was the least of everyone's problems. Now a sound could be heard. A low creaking sound and scraping of wood.

In an instant Ivy was up and running to the deck. Through the hallway, past the Captain's quarters, take a left after the feasting room and up the stairs we go.

Up on deck, Ivy got hit with a gust of cold. It froze her from head to foot. Goosebumps shedding all up and down Ivy's arms. Partly from the cold, the other part from the cruel scenery.

Now that she was on deck she could see the water properly. Full of broken down ships, empty with the color of gray, and cold with the feeling of flesh. Ivy of all people should have liked this place but for some reason she loathed it already.

"What is this place?," She asked as Will slowly walked up next to her. Ivy's eyes still on the horrific place, Will looked down at her.

It was like a picture. It didn't look real. It had the feeling of an old worn out painting, never moving, never seeming to stay still.

Ivy could feel Will's eyes burning in her, she furrowed her brows and looked up at him. He smiled and said, "It's the Graveyard of ships"

She looked away and muttered, "No shit." It was terribly cold up there that Ivy started to rub her arms. Even the friction between her hand and arm wasn't a great warmer. It was probably the death aura. Dead sailors in the water along with broken down ships and endless corpses of fish and sharks. All types of sea animals were on the bottom of this area of the ocean.

"It's bloody cold," muttered Elizabeth who had come to stand next to Will. Ivy's head snapped in her direction. She could feel the crack in her spine as doing so. "ow," she lipped to herself.

Ivy looked back out to the water and sighed. There Ana Maria walked by and placed a blanket over her shoulders. That was extremely surprising for Ivy. She didn't think Ana Maria the caring type.

Already the dark wool was warming her skin. Ivy spun around with her mouth open and saw the cocoa-queen staring right back at her. Her eyes were still cold and beautiful as she said in her loud voice, "Yer Jack's mate…least I can do." And she left.

'Jack's mate,' Ivy thought happily and pulled the blanket tighter around her small body.

"Me mate?," asked a rocky voice behind them all. It was Jack, of course. "Who says yer mine and my mate?," he added haughtily. Ivy let out a laugh then quieted down.

Looking down at her feet she said, "Yeah…what was she talking about?" Her eyes shifted a bit then rested on Will, where he nudged her in the arm.

"Play it smooth," he muttered and smirked. Leading Elizabeth away rather quickly, Ivy saw them disappear behind the helm. She looked up to Jack and snarled.

He bit the insides of his cheeks and looked off to another direction. "Are you avoiding my gaze?," Ivy asked as she got into his vision frame.

"No, something else," he muttered and his brow furrowed as his lips became pursed. Ivy sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Don't lie. I know you don't like me, but is it too mu--,"

"Shut up, Ivy," Jack cut her off.

Insulted she was. Very insulted. "Is this some kind of joke? You say that to me daily now! What's the fucking big deal?!--," Ivy said angrily as she stood in front of Jack.

In an instant to shut her up, he placed his hand over her mouth and spun her around. She was pressed to him and didn't know what to do. 'Should I bite his hand? No, he'd really kick me off--' but Ivy's thoughts were interrupted by a faint voice singing nearby.

His hand dropped from her gawking mouth and he came to stand next to her. Ivy gawked in interest and surprise. Jack gawked in a spell.

"Oh shit!," Ivy yelled and turned to look at Jack. "Wake up! Come on! Get out of her spell! Out!," she started to hit him in the back of the head, but it had no effect what-so-ever. "Hey Jackie-boy! I'll give you a nice bone if you get out of her trance! How does that sound? Hmm?," she sighed angrily and shoved her knee into his groin. He still didn't move.

'Damn, they've got him tight.'

"Help! Please!," Ivy heard a scream from the helm. Her head swiveled in that direction and knew instantly who's voice it was.

"Elizabeth!," she whispered and bolted up the steps, taking two at a time. There she was, her hands covering her mouth and a splash from down below. They both ran to the side and looked down into the dark ominous water.

"What was that?," Elizabeth yelled as she looked over to Ivy. Ivy stared at the water as the wind was colder. The blanket had fallen from her arms a while ago, laying on the deck next to Jack.

"They're sirens," Ivy yelled over the howl of wind that seemed to be coming from the anger of one siren off to the side.

It was all blue, with nothing but a purple tunic on that was tattered and looked moldy from the water. Her hair was deep sea green with many ocean flowers tattered in. All of their hair seemed to be down and shaggy. Wet, foul smelling but they had a gorgeous voice. Singing to a melody-less song.

"Elizabeth! You hafta to try to get the dude's outta their trance," Ivy ordered as she pointed over to Jack. Still standing as still as can be. Nothing moved. His arm didn't twitch, his eye didn't twitch like it usually did, his mouth however was still in it's gawking position.

"What are you going to do?," Elizabeth asked.

Ivy looked up from the water and to Elizabeth. She smirked, "Why, save your man o'course."

She reached up to grab one of the ropes hanging next to her and got herself balanced onto the side. God she was terrified. She didn't know why she was doing this. It was a stupid idea, she could die. Yet, she couldn't. The fear was only there for a mere second before Ivy curled herself into a ball and hit the water's surface.

It was dark under the water. It was cold too. Eels swimming in all directions, along with sharks. Ivy's eyes got big as she saw the monsters. All the water gunk clogged over her lids. 'I hate this,' she thought to herself.

Spotting a boot in the darkness, Ivy swam deeper. It was Will alright. There he floated in the shadows, his eyes closed and his hair dancing in the water.

Ivy's fingers wrapped around his boot and she yanked pulling his weightless body to her. One arm under his arm she started to swim to the top. 'I hope there are no problems with these fugly beasts,' Ivy thought to herself as her cheeks just then lost all their air. The bubbles floated to the top as Ivy broke through them gasping for air.

She looked down at Will, "You dip-shit, your supposed to be the saver not the savee," Ivy muttered. Then she looked up and yelled, one hand cupping around her mouth, "Lizzie! Throw a rope down!"

The rope came tumbling down and broke the calm wave of sea. It was hard and gave her blisters as she hung onto it, with Will tied at the end. It looked odd.

Eyes open for any more sirens, her pupils got small when they rested into those dark cold black eyes of one of the creatures. "Fuck!," Ivy cursed. She gave the siren an oh-so-sweet-lovey-dovey-up-yours-smile.

It's mouth opened and out came a screeching sound. 'Now, that's not siren-like,' Ivy thought confusedly. It thrust toward her, but Ivy ducked below the side and it went tumbling over.

Taking a quick look behind her, Ivy jumped aboard the deck and hauled up Will's limp body. There it collapsed on the deck and laid completely still.

"Will!," screamed Elizabeth running over to the both of them. She dropped to her knees where he dress puffed out. In her hands lay Will's drunk-looking face.

"No time," Ivy said sternly and ran off into the other direction. She stood in the middle of the deck, the black sails flapping above her. Spinning in circles trying to find Jack, Ivy was lost. He wasn't there. Most of the crew was, but they were all in the same trance.

Ana Maria sprinted past as the wind swept her along. Still, she looked graceful. "Annie!," Ivy yelled, her hair flailing in front of her face. She moved it away angrily.

"Don't call me that!," Ana Maria snapped.

"Who cares about names now," Ivy sighed, but this wasn't a sighing moment. "Where's Jack?," She looked around for a second before her eyes rested once again on Ana Maria.

She shrugged and they both froze. Ana Maria's mouth now hung open. "Siren's only work on dude's, woman!" But she wasn't in a spell, she was shocked. Ivy looked at where her gaze was leading. The back of the ship.

They both ran to the helm and looked over the backside. Jack hung there like a fool, one hand on a rope the other reaching out to some invisible thing. "You piece of shit! Get back up here!," Ana Maria yelled. It made Ivy laugh the way she was talking to him. Still in the trance, Jack kept reaching.

"I'll get him up, you take this," Ana Maria shoved her sword to Ivy and started to lift.

Ivy stared at it for a while then asked in disbelief, "What am I supposed to do? Slay the sirens?"

"Precisely," Ana Maria grunted. Ivy opened her mouth to say something but she snapped once more, "Just go."

Ivy spun around on her heel and placed the sword next to her face as if she was the master samurai. 'as if' Then just out o nowhere, a siren came flying at her. With a scream and a duck, Ivy was on the ground cursing.

It was right above her. Just floating. Hovering. She thrust the sword up and into the creature's gut. It's blue fingers wrapped around the blade and dripped with blood. Not ordinary blood. Black blood. Everywhere. Suddenly it erupted with that mess, all over Ivy.

She screamed and placed a hand to her black coated face, where when she pulled it away, the gunk stuck with her. It was stretchy and gooey.

Ana Maria had pulled Jack aboard and was now next to Ivy with another sword in her hand. Two actually. She spun them in a circular motion and glared.

Together, they screamed a war-cry and went in separate directions. Each slaying the next siren that came to them, and swimming in a pool of shadow.

Elizabeth too had started to fight off those fiends. Killing one by one with her small dagger hidden in a pocket of her skirts. She got blood's up the most.

By the time it was all done and the ship was covered in all black…and very sticky, Ivy was counting her cuts. "1...2...3..." Ana Maria laughed a soft laugh. It was a change from her loud yell.

Elizabeth hadn't forgotten about Will. She was still holding him, whispering for him to come back. "He's not dead," Ivy said frustrated. But she ignored her and went on muttering.

"Ivy," she heard a calm voice behind her. But she knew better than to take it as a calm voice. She slowly spun around and saw Jack's angry face. Her eyes darted from one side to the other and then she looked up to him giving a disgusted smile. "What did you do to my ship?!," he bellowed and Ivy cringed from the booming sound.

"Jack," Ana Maria's voice was smooth when around him and she laid her hand on his shoulder. "Leave the girl alone, we saved you life."

"Nyeah," was his usual reply.

"You stupid idiot!," Elizabeth exclaimed, exasperated. All 3 of them looked down at her horrifically and raised their brows. Never had Elizabeth said anything like that. Or had she been expected too. Will sputtered and looked up.

Jack, Ana Maria and Ivy all exchanged funny glances before shrugging and walking away.