Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. Chapter title is my favorite song by Nickel Creek. It's lyrics are really beautiful.
Chapter 45: A Lighthouse's Tale
Long John turned slowly, and smiled. "Oh he can't hear ye, love. I'm afraid he's just died, he has."
"You monster!"
John laughed his echoing laugh. "Monster?" he repeated. "Monster? Well, I've got just as many legs as you do now, there be no need to be callin' me a monster!" he guffawed.
"Oh, God," Camille said quietly. She instinctively curled her hand up into a ball to protect her ring.
"Long John, I have every intention of killing you again," Jack said in the darkest voice that Camille had ever heard him use.
"Glad to hear it, mate, because I have the same goal," Long John said fiercely, twirling the crutch in his hands. "But first, we shall do away with the ones that don't matter. Lucifer!" he called.
It was obviously the name of the giant squid, because just then everybody on the ship except Camille, Jack, Will and Gretchen was taken by a tentacle and held above the water. Jack grabbed Camille's hand and slipped the ring off.
Before she knew it, a giant, slimy tentacle was wrapping around her. She nearly gagged at how disgusting it was, and tried to scream. The sticky undersides were attached to her mouth though, and she was too disgusted to move. When her feet were lifted from the deck of the ship, she began to struggle a little bit as she got closer and closer to the surface of the water. Once she went under, she emitted some muffled screams and struggled even more to free herself. All of her efforts proved useless, because she soon found herself in a dark cave, still completely submerged underwater.
She sputtered a bit as the giant tentacles released her. Regaining her focus, she could see that they were still in the cave, in a part above the water. She could see nothing except damp rocks around. The only thing that gave her any clue to where they were was the intense burning on her arm that was almost becoming tolerable now.
"Well now," John chuckled as she was able to come into focus, "Before I kill you, which I will quite enjoy doing, I think that I'd like to bring something to your attention."
She moaned and sat up, still feeling a bit dizzy from everything. "Where are the rest?" she demanded, getting up quickly.
"They'll be kept alive for now."
"What do you want with me, Silver?"
"Oh, nothing really. Just a moment or two alone with you. You see love, I thought it best to give you one last chance to save yourself. You are Miss Quartermaine, as I see it, a beautiful and intelligent woman. But I'm afraid that ye've been most naïve about one thing."
"And what's that, Captain Silver?" she asked boredly.
"Well I'm supposin' that ye already know about the incident at the inn…" he said slowly, trailing off.
"Yes I do, and it is absolutely none of your business. Also, it has absolutely nothing to do with present circumstances. Now make your point," she said, looking around for something that she could use to defend herself with.
"My point, darling, is that Jack-"
"-was possessed by you!" she said, becoming irritated. What was John trying to get at talking about their personal matters? He was obviously trying to trigger some sort of emotion in Camille, and she wasn't sure which one it was yet. Anger? Jealousy?
Long John threw his head back and laughed as was his custom. "Oh no, my dear. Captain Sparrow was very much himself…all three times."
Camille's eyes widened. "I don't believe you! You simply want me angry at Jack so you can have me to yourself for whatever sick pleasures you have in mind. It is not going to work on me, Long John Silver," she refuted as the giant creature surfaced near them. It threw both Jack and Will on the hard rocks.
"As you like it," John said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But you know the man as well as I do."
Jack was getting up, trying to steady himself after being heaved onto solid rock. He looked from Long John to Camille. Will didn't stir at all. "You all right, Camille?"
She nodded. She was considering Long John's words, and remembering all of the fighting that had gone on between them over the subject. She trusted Jack though, and didn't let herself get too worked up over Long John's words.
"Ah, Jack. We were just talkin' about you, mate," John said heartily. "About what a decent, honest man you are."
"You bloody bastard, I'm no such man. And neither are you," Jack replied. "We've both done our shares of betrayals and murders, but you've gone off the deep end of it. You are mad with not only greed, but hatred and lies have consumed you."
"Don't get all 'holier than thou' with me, Jack. You're no different and you know it. Or perhaps Miss Quartermaine can refresh your memory that's faded somewhat over the years."
"I've made my peace with that, Long John. I betrayed her once, and have vowed never to do it again."
"Ah!" Long John let out a small chuckle. "Have ye now? That's fascinating Captain, it really is. Do go on," he urged.
"Jack, he's stalling us. Kill him," Camille said. The rest were in danger somewhere, and she had to find them and break this stupid, painful curse. Her arm was throbbing. And then the realization hit her. The Mark. It had only burned when she'd been near that crutch, or Silver. She now thought back to all of the instances where her Mark had burned intensely.
"My God, Jack. You lied to me!" she said, truly surprised. At the inn, she had never felt anything on her arm except for the evening that she discovered it was the crutch and kicked it out of Jack's grip. The night that he threatened Gretchen, and the morning after he slept with the whore her arm had been perfectly fine.
Long John grinned. "What an intelligent woman," he mused.
Camille looked at Jack. "How could I have been so stupid? I don't believe it, how could you?"
"I'm a pirate, love. How many times must I tell you that for you to fully understand? I always lie." He said it wittily and apathetically enough, but the look on his face was upsetting. He knew he'd just ruined a wonderful thing.
"Oh, Jack," she sighed. "Silver was right," she nearly whined.