Night had fallen by the time our heroes have reached their destination. Deep into an overgrown gloomy swamp, two boats with our crew on top were making their way up the river. Artemis, Will, Gibbs and Jack were all on the first boat; the Captain looking around in slight worry.

"Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?" the second asked.

"Well, if you believe such things, there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature with giant tentacles that suction your face cleans off and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness. The Kraken. They say the stench of its breath is… ooh. *shudders* Imagine, the last thing you know on God's green earth is the roar of the Kraken and the reeking odour of a thousand rotting corpses… If you believe such things" Gibbs explained as Artemis looked at Jack slightly worried.

"And the key will spare him that?"

"Now that's the very question Jack wants to be answered. Bad enough even to go visit… her"

"Her?" both friends asked at the same time, the female being as clueless as him.

She had been informed that they would see someone but never imagined would be a woman. Particularly, a woman who seemed to spread some fear or worry to the older man.

"Aye"

They finally came to a halt in front of a hut, deep into the wilderness. As they started to climb off the boats, Artemis shivered when she felt the eyes of strange people following their progress.

"No worries, mates. Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are. Were. Have been. Before" Jack said, sounding less convincing by each word that left his mouth.

"I'll watch your back" Gibbs reassured him.

"It's me front I'm worried about"

"Mind the boat," he said to Will.

"Mind the boat," Will said to Artemis.

"Mind the boat," she said to Raggetti and the line kept going as our heroes walked towards the hut.

Jack was the first to enter or better say cautiously creeps into the house.

"Jack Sparrow" a voice with a thick foreign accent was heard as the rest of our heroes entered the hut. In front of them, at the other end of the room; a dark-skinned woman with thick black hair and some paint looked at them.

"Tia Dalma" the captain greeted and almost knocked his head against a hanging jar full of eyeballs.

"I always knew the wind was going to blow you back to me one day. *approaches Jack, then spots Will and points to him* You. You have a touch a' destiny about you. William. Turner"

"You know me?"

"You want to know me," she said and leaned closer, only for her eyes to land on Artemis. A smile appeared on her lips as she approached the redhead. "Artemis, my dear. Look at you, all grown up… full woman"

Our heroine kept her ground as the mysterious Tia Dalma approached her, the smile never leaving her face.

"I am sorry… do I know you?"

The smile disappeared from her dark face and the woman stood right in front of her.

"You do not remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

"The girl… blessed by the sea" Tia Dalma said and raised her hand to touch her eyepatch, but Artemis pulled back before she could.

"Okay, there is enough knowing. We've come for help and we're not leaving without it. *leads Tia Dalma away from Artemis*"

"Come," the woman said and lead them further into the hut.

"What service may I do ya? *forcefully, directed in Jack's general direction* You know I demand payment"

"I brought payment. *whistles for the cage to be brought closer; unveils it to show the monkey inside* Look… *shoots it* an undead monkey. Top that!"

Tia Dalma opened the cage and the monkey climbed on her shoulder, jumped on Artemis shoulder before making its way to the back room. It stopped on top of a pair of boots and Artemis found herself taking a step closer as she was trying to see better.

"No… You've no idea how long it took us to catch that" Gibbs whined and drew Artemis attention.

"The payment is fair"

"We're looking for this. *lays out the drawing of a key* And what it goes to"

"The compass you bartered from me; it cannot lead you to this?" she asked as she looked at Jack.

"Maybe. Why?"

"Aah. Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants. Or do you know but are loath to claim it as your own *looks at Artemis for a second* Your key goes to a chest. And it is what lay inside the chest you seek. Don't it?"

"What is inside?" Gibbs asked.

"Gold? Jewels? Unclaimed properties of valuable nature?" Pintel added his questions as his greed showed up.

"Nothing bad, I hope" Raggetti commented.

"You know of Davy Jones, yes? *the Crew nods* A man of the sea. A great Sailor. Until he runs afoul of that which vex all men"

"What vexes all men?" Will asked her.

"What indeed"

"The sea?" Gibbs hypothesized.

"Sums" Pintel pointed out.

"The dichotomy of good and evil," Raggetti said and caused Gibbs and Pintel to give him a look.

"A woman!" Artemis said a second before Jack could.

Tia Dalma looked at her and gave a nod of approval as she kept looking at the younger woman with pride. Then, she focused her attention on the rest of the crew.

"A woman. He fell in love"

"No no no no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with"

"Same the story, different version and all are true. See it was a woman as changing, and harsh and untameable as the sea. He never stopped loving her. But the pain it caused him was too much to live with. But not enough to cause him to die"

"What exactly did he put into the chest?" Will asked in a serious tone.

"Him heart" she answered as she placed her hand above her chest.

"Literally or figuratively?" Raggetti asked, slightly scared.

"He couldn't live, putting his heart in a chest. Could he?" Pintel asked right after and looked at Tia Dalma.

"It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings. And so, him carved out him heart, lock it down in a chest and hide the chest from the world. The key he always keeps with him"

"You knew this"

"I did not. I didn't know where the key was. But now we do. So, all that's left is to climb aboard the Flying Dutchman, grab the key, you go back to Port Royal and save your bonnie lass, aye?"

"Let me see your hand," she said as she focused her attention on him.

Jack wanted to offer his unmarked right one but knowing better he gave her the one he has wrapped up; she undid the makeshift bandages, and everyone got a look at the black spot on Jack's palm.

Gasps were heard from the crew as they recognised the spot.

"The black spot! *dusts himself off and spins around, spitting on the ground once he's made a circle* The black spot"

"Blackspot," Raggetti and Pintel said and followed the ritual right after him while Artemis rolled her eyes.

"My eyesight's as good as ever, just so you know" Jack informed them as Tia Dalma turned her back and started to rummage around in the back of her hut.

She was talking to herself as she was looking, while at the same time Jack managed to steal another trinket from her. A minute later and the woman returns with a jar in her arms, filled with sand.

"Davy Jones cannot make port. Cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you will be safe, Jack Sparrow, and so you will carry land with you. *offers him the jar*"

"Dirt. This is a jar of dirt"

"Yes"

"Is the… jar of dirt going to help?"

"If you don't want it, give it back"

"No *clutches it close to his chest*"

"Then it helps"

Artemis smirked at how easily Jack can be manipulated by Tia Dalma and for a small moment forgot her worries and instead focused on the amusing scene in front of her.

"It seems… we need to find the Flying Dutchman" Will said and her stomach dropped.

The name of the haunted ship caused Goosebumps on her skin and her guts were telling her that nothing good was about to come.

"A touch… *picks up random items, she uses them to scry and drops them on a table with something resembling a map drawn on it* of destiny"


Our heroes went exactly where Tia Dalma had pointed them. A dark and haunted place surrounded by reefs. On them, you could see a broken ship which had met the very unfortunate fate.

Artemis looked at the sky at the incoming storm, as if the weather itself was warning them that something bad was coming.

"That's the Flying Dutchman? *Gibbs nods* She doesn't look like much" Will said as he stood next to the first mate and Artemis.

The redhead narrowed her eye and looked at the older man who refused to look her in the eyes. Something was off, she knew it.

"Neither do you… do not underestimate it" Jack said as he joined and elbowed Gibbs on the ribs, something that didn't go unnoticed by her.

"Must've run afoul of the reef" the first mate added.

"What's your plan?" the Captain asked.

"I row over, search the ship until I find your bloody key"

"And if there are Crewmen?"

"I cut down anyone in my path," Will said as he started to walk towards the rope that would lead him to the rowboat.

"Will wait," Artemis said as she caught up with him.

"What is it?"

"Be careful. I do not like all this, and I have a very bad feeling"

Will smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You always do but I have to do this. It is the only way to save Elizabeth"

"I know"

"I will be back before you know it," he said and started to walk away but after two steps came to a halt and looked at her above his shoulder. "Are you happy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you happy? With him?"

"Jack? Will… you know nothing goes on between us, right?"

The young man stayed quiet for a moment. "Yes" was his only answer and then continued his way, leaving a confused Artemis behind.