Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. Chapter title is an extremely awesome story that I'm reading right now, written by, uhm…some guy.

Chapter 46: The Pirate Queen

"I'm just an honest man," Long John said, who was now at the edge of the cavern where Will lay, still unconscious. "And since we be talkin' of honesty and truth, I believe, Miss Quartermaine, that you have a promise to keep."

Camille's face went white. Before she could even think about reaching for Jack's pistol a tentacle was wrapped around her foot and she was facing the ground. "NO!" she screamed. "Shoot him! Shoot him!" she cried, struggling with absolutely no luck at all. The creature was about one hundred times stronger than she would ever be. But she continued to struggle.

Another tentacle wrapped around Jack's waist, and he shuddered with digust before dropping his pistol on the ground. They both reached for it, forgetting the heartbreak of the previous moment as they combined efforts to save their friend.

Long John bent over Will, observing him. "Yes," he said, stroking his beard. "Ah, he is a strong one. Much better than this measly body I've managed to get myself into."

"That is the body of James Norrington, you murderer!" Camille screamed.

"Now, now, Camille. As always I think I've had a bit more of you than I can handle. I can see why ye sleep with other women, mate," he said, winking at Jack.

"Now," he said, kneeling down beside Will, and lifting up his arm. He wrapped Will's loose fingers around the crutch, and Jack and Camille both watched in horror as the transformation took place more quickly than it had yet.

"Will!" Camille shrieked, knowing that she was completely useless. Tears streamed down her face. "Will, no!" she wept, kicking at the tentacle that released her in another second.

Long John straightened up, and cast the crutch aside. The transformation was complete, and the crutch was once more just a plain crutch. Camille sat on the ground, not knowing what to do anymore. Jack was standing, staring at his enemy. "How did this happen?" he murmured.

"It's all my fault," Camille sobbed. "I made a choice between you and him. And I made the wrong one," she said bitterly.

She knew that Jack would be hurt by that comment, but he only nodded. "Apparently you did," he said, still staring at Long John. He took a couple of steps toward the grinning pirate. "I know you can still hear me in there, mate. And I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get you out," he said to Will.

"Aw, how very touchin'," smirked Long John. "Except for the fact that he died the instant my black heart took over his body."

"That's impossible!" Camille said. "He's not dead, I refuse to believe you."

"Go right ahead," Long John said, making his way to the walls of the cavern. "Because we both know how well that's gone for ye in the past." He stepped up to the wall and put his hands on it, and then knocked on it while his ear was to it. "This'll be it," he said, producing Gretchen's ring. "I think I'll let you see the treasure, and then kill you."

"You're not planning on keeping us around as slaves to haul the booty back to the Pearl? Pity," Camille said.

Long John paused. "Well, now that you mention it…no," he turned back to the wall. "The other ring, please," he demanded, making the 'please' rather unnecessary.

"Give him my ring, Jack," Camille said without an ounce of fury in her voice. She was going to deal with him after Will. There was absolutely no time for anger now. She prided herself with having at least that much logic.

Jack looked at her, and he opened his mouth. But instead of saying anything else, he shut it again and handed the ring to her. After he did that, he picked up his pistol, even though all three of them knew he wasn't going to use it while Long John and Will were in the same body. That was Long John's main reason for choosing Will in the first place.

She took it and slipped it on her finger. "We'll need the other woman again."

"Now where have I seen this before?" Long John said. "Oh yes, when you killed me!" he yelled, spinning around and facing Jack. "I don't think so, love," he said, talking to Camille again. "Ye'll do it without the Thatcher woman."

Camille panicked. How was she possibly supposed to do this alone? She didn't even know what she was supposed to do. But there was one thing she did know; her Mark had stopped burning when she had put the ring on. She rolled up her sleeve, sighing with relief as Jack and John still had theirs.

"Please, take all the time in the world," Long John said sarcastically. "My arm has only been burning for days now," he cocked his pistol and pointed it at her.

"Women have to go through childbirth when not facing the monthly pains of menstruating, and you want sympathy from me because of a burn on your arm? You fucking pansy," she said, feeling the wall. She knew that he was going to hit her for that comment, and she was absolutely right. The last thing she felt was the butt of the gun on the back of her skull.

She woke up with a terrible headache. Her ring, of course, was gone, and the Mark had returned to her arm. She tried to lift herself up, and only then did she realize that there were hands gripping her. She yelped, trying to shake them off as she heard a familiar voice.

"Camille! Camille, it's only me! You have to help us!" It was Ana Maria. Camille was resting on a grate, and Ana Maria was below her reaching an arm up through. She was soaking wet, and Camille looked down to see that the room was slowly filling up with water.

"Where are the others?" she asked, immediately gripping the grate and trying to loosen it.

"My best guess is that they are all in rooms like this one, filling with water. What happened? Where's Will? And Jack? You've been out for a bit less than an hour with a nasty bruise on your head, girl."

"Yes," Camille said as she gingerly felt the back of her head where Long John had pelted her. She looked around. She was in a room made of rotten wood. "Where are we?"

"In an old ship!" Ana Maria called up. She had water up to her waist, and was wading around underneath the grate.

"Then this stuff has got to give way sooner or later," Camille said nervously. She could already hear some slight creaking. "All right, we'll have to do this together. We've got to find a weak spot in the wood."

"I've already looked, there's none," Ana protested.

"Either there is, or you're as good as dead," Camille said, getting to her feet. She began stomping around and not even a minute later one of the floorboards gave way. With a cry, Camille fell into the water right next to her friend.

"Well, that's a fine rescue," Ana said. "Let's wait and float to the top now, eh?"

"No time. It's Priscilla and Wynona that I'm most worried about. I don't know if they have the strength to stay above the water as long as we do. Especially Priscilla. Let me climb up onto your shoulders, I'm lighter than you are."

"Excuse me?" Ana Maria said, lifting an eyebrow. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

"Ana, this is no time to get offended, give me a boost," Camille said.

Ana Maria growled, complying with her friend's request and in a minute they were both in Camille's room. It took them a while to break down the walls of the rotted out ship, but slowly they made it around to everyone, rescuing them from nearly drowning.