Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. Chapter title is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Language warning, as well. Just so I don't get sued.
Chapter 44: The Kraken
But the three of them wasted no time. Camille's arm was burning, Will was anxious to return home, and Wynona was even more anxious to meet her father. So the three of them ran with the energy that they didn't think they possessed any longer. They were just at the edge of the cliffs when the creatures began to emerge from the jungle.
"Can you swim, Wynona?" Camille asked.
Wynona nodded, than screamed as she was shoved off the edge of the cliff. Camille and Will jumped off just behind her, and resurfaced just in time to see the creatures doing the same thing. They weren't very close to the ship, and Camille found herself nearly being dragged under the water by a few of them. She was saved by James, who had been shooting at the water with a few pistols.
She rolled over the banister and lay on the deck, soaking wet again and catching her breath. She could hear the most familiar voice of them all approaching her.
"A fine entrance, love. And most pertinent to the situation as well. I applaud you," Jack said as he reached out his arm to help her up. She took it, relieved that he was safe. His little speech at the inn had worried her. He glanced at Wynona, who was looking at him. "One more question, Camille: Why do insist upon bringing more children aboard this ship?"
"I think that you may take a particular liking to this one, Captain," Camille said, winking at his daughter.
"Unlikely. Why are dressed as a boy?" he asked Wynona.
"Because of my dislike of corsets, sir," she answered meekly.
Jack sighed, letting go of Camille. "Christ almighty, she's another one," he said as he made his way to the helm.
Camille laughed, and it was several minutes before anything else worth mentioning happened. "Gretchen, let me see your ring."
Ana Maria produced Gretchen's ring, and she put it on her hand. Both of the women looked at their palms, and saw nothing. "No spot on yours?" Gretchen asked.
"No, I assumed it was on yours. Perhaps this is the spot. Captain, I think we've arrived!" Camille called.
As a reply, the ship stopped abruptly. The stop was so abrupt, that most of the crew lost their balance. Camille recovered quickly, and so did Will. They weren't aware that ships could stop like that. "Uh…Jack?" Will called out.
"I'm a bit busy, dear William," Jack called. He was just as confused as everyone else as to the Pearl's odd behavior, and was steering carefully now. For another moment, everything seemed normal until the ship began leaning.
At first, Camille thought they were sinking. She began climbing towards the bow, when Gabriel pointed to a large mass at the stern of the ship. It was what looked like a huge squid that had the Pearl in its grip. Gretchen began screaming, and she and Priscilla were hanging on for dear life as the ship became nearly vertical.
Camille was trying to hold onto one of the masts, and caught Wynona as she went sliding by. All that that two of them could do was hang there and try to climb up as best they could. Ana Maria and Will were in an easier spot, since they had made it to the cabin and were standing on it, shooting at the terrible creature. Camille couldn't see Jack, Gabriel, or James from where she hung, but she cried out in terror as she felt the burlap sack around her waist getting lighter.
"The crutch!" she cried just before it slid out. It skidded down the deck, and would've fallen directly into the creature's mouth if it hadn't been pressed against the deck by one of the hideous tentacles.
"Camille!" Wynona cried out. She was able to balance herself horizontally on the mast. "James is going to fall, and the only thing he has to grab onto is that!" she yelled over all of the commotion.
Camille tried to look, but she had to strain from where she was. As she did, her grip on the mast became loose and she began falling towards the creature's open mouth. She screamed, and so did Wynona before she felt a hand grab hers. Jack pulled her to safety.
"Thank you, Jack," she said as he put his arm tightly around her waist. "But I think that things are going to get much worse." Jack looked up, and sure enough, James was beginning to slide along the vertical deck of the ship. He was reaching out to grab anything that he could, and finally his hand rested on the crutch, which was being held by the squid.
"Oh, fucking hell," Jack cursed as he realized what was going on. "You were supposed to burn that thing," he said in an amazingly calm voice to Camille.
"Well I was trying, but somebody," she signaled above her, "was constantly evading me."
"You gave her the crutch?"
"She stole it, Jack," Camille said plainly.
"You think that I am going to believe that a young girl outsmarted you?"
"She's very good at it."
They both focused their attention back on James. Camille prayed that it wouldn't work, just like with Wynona, but even from where they stood she could see some physical changes starting to take place. "Oh, fucking hell," she repeated, gripping onto Jack.
And so that's how Long John Silver returned to this world. With a wave of his hand, the creature slid back into the sea and the Pearl was upright, floating in the water that was as calm as if it had never been disturbed.
Long John stood there, looking not a day older than when Jack had splattered his brains all over the caves of The Rune. He grinned his friendly yet threatening grin, with his hands on his hips and twirling the crutch back and forth between his fingers.
"James!" Camille shrieked, shocked at how fast the change had come over him.