Chapter 5

The trip to the Underworld

"Checkmate," Jim smirked as he captured the king for the fifth time in a row. Jed slammed his hands dramatically against his face as the crew gathered around them to watch their match of chess started laughing. A few of them patted Jim's shoulder impressed by his abilities, and Jin threw Li a coin (Jim had noticed that they were always betting money on everything). Jed handed over the last coins he had, and Jim placed them on the top of the growing pile of money in front of him.

"Okay, I think I've had enough now," he said, stuffing the money in his pockets and getting up. He didn't want to rob these poor men blind, after all. They had turned out to be quite nice under all that pirate attitude. Jim wouldn't say that he trusted them yet, but he wasn't entirely against them either. At least they could keep him company until he was free again.

"Having fun?" Kale asked. He handed Jim a bottle full of something that smelled strongly like rum, and Jim accepted it gratefully. He wasn't much of a drinker, but it wouldn't do him any harm if he drank every now and then.

"Absolutely. Maybe you should play one match against me too." He took a gulp of the bottle, handing it then back to Kale.

"Oh no, not after I watched you beat all those others," the shirtless man grinned.

The waiting had become quite boring. Sinbad had disappeared somewhere early in the morning without telling anyone where he was going, and Kida was supposed to come to get them when Milo had translated the paper. It had been hours now, and Jim was growing restless. John Silver had come here a week before them, so it might mean that he had got his hands on the half of the sphere already. And if he had not, every minute of waiting meant a minute of more time for Silver to find some way to get there before them.

Jim sighed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to meet the cyborg or not. He missed him, of course, but at the same time he was angry with him. He had left him like his father. Jim understood his reasons, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

"What are you thinking about?"

Jim looked at Kale, and suddenly he wanted to tell him everything. About his mother, about his father, about the cyborg, about how much Sinbad got on his nerves (although he probably knew that already), about his past as a hooligan, and about the adventures he had had. Somehow he trusted Kale, and he didn't know why. Maybe it was those honest eyes (as honest as a pirate's could get), or the genuine interest he showed in Jim. It didn't even matter that he had tried to kill him. Now they were kind of on the same side here – even if Jim had been forced on it – so it would be nice if he had someone he could talk to.

"Well…"

"Hey, it's Captain!" Rat yelled, and everyone's head turned to look at the man who jumped onto the ship, seeming deep in thought. He didn't pay attention to anyone; he walked straight into his cabin instead. The crew seemed slightly disappointed, but they continued on playing the chess as if nothing had happened.

"What's this all about?" Jim muttered to himself, jogging after the captain because he knew no-one else wanted or could do it. It wasn't fair that he made the crew wait for him all day, and then he didn't even tell them where he had gone or why.

Sinbad was lying on his hammock when Jim barged in. He had pulled his hat on the top of his face so that his eyes weren't showing.

"What now?" He didn't even look at him.

"Where the hell have you been?" Jim stopped in front of the pirate, crossing his arms.

"I don't think it's any of your business."

Wait, did he sound… sad?

Jim backed and sat on the edge of his bed, thinking carefully what he should say next. He could start a fight to let the man take out his feelings on him, but he wasn't really in the mood for fighting. He could also just walk away and leave Sinbad be, but he wasn't that heartless either. Honestly, he had no idea how to deal with gloomy pirate captains.

"Okay, what is it?" Jim asked. He got no answer. "Is this about me? Because I swear to god if it's – "

"Not everything is about you, Hawkins." Sinbad turned his back to him, clearly signaling that he didn't want to talk about this topic anymore. But Jim didn't give up so easily.

"So we're back to Hawkins now. If it's not about me then who is it about? Did you get rejected by someone? Or are these just your regular mood swings?"

Sinbad grunted, moving the hat away from his eyes and facing Jim. "Will you leave me alone if I tell you?"

"It depends."

"Fine. I met with an old… friend of mine who happened to be nearby. There you go. Now, don't talk to me again unless it's about Kida or the map." He shut himself completely.

Jim rolled his eyes and left the cabin. Sinbad's answer raised even more questions. Who was this friend and why did Sinbad feel sad about meeting them? He would have to try to pry information from the crewmates since they would know more about this matter. Kale was the captain's right hand, so he wouldn't probably say a word, but maybe someone else. Someone who was used to observing people and things… Rat!

Rat had been previously in the group of people who had watched Jim play chess, but now he was nowhere to be seen. After searching for him everywhere, there was only one place left where he could possibly be: the crow's nest.

Jim looked up the tallest mast. He had no choice but to climb.

Halfway up the mast he was glad for his military training. No matter how fit he was, it was tiresome to hold himself up like this. The ropes helped, but not very much.

"Rat? You there?"

With sheer adrenaline he managed to drag himself up, and soon he saw Rat's face peeking over the railing. He gave him a hand and helped him up, and Jim slumped down onto the floor.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Rat said. "What brings you up here?" He sat on the railing, looking at Jim with a curious look. The white bandana he wore made dark shadows appear over his eyes, but Jim had gotten quite used to him by now and it didn't creep him out anymore.

"It's, uh… I was just wondering if Sinbad had any friends outside of the crew." The question sounded stupid now that Jim said it out loud. Why he even bothered, he wasn't sure.

Rat scratched his head as he thought about Jim's question. "Well, there's Señor Proteus. A very handsome young prince, yes. He was Captain's best friend once. Why do you ask?"

"Sinbad was friends with a prince?" Jim snorted. "Doesn't really suit him. Anyway, would he have any business here in Greece?"

"Not that I can think of. He's probably busy in Syracuse now that he's going to be the king soon."

Right. That's what he had thought. He was also pretty sure that Sinbad wouldn't be so gloomy after meeting an old friend like he had said. Maybe it wasn't a friend after all…

"Did Sinbad happen to have a lover?"

Rat's face lit up as the memories came back to him, and he leaned towards Jim in excitement. "Señorita Marina! Oh, what a woman. She was Proteus' fiancée, but even we could see that Captain fell in love with her during the time she came with us to get the Book of Piece back. She was such a lovely lady… She broke Captain's heart, though, when she decided to stay with Proteus. Captain hasn't been with anyone ever since."

Jim felt like he had heard something that wasn't for him to know. He had invaded Sinbad's privacy, and somehow he felt bad about it. He was already in this deep, though, so he decided to continue.

"And would Marina have any business here?"

"Maybe. I heard Proteus gave her a ship as a birthday present."

That was it. It had to be. He didn't know why or what Marina was doing in Greece, but he was sure that she was the 'old friend' Sinbad had mentioned. And if they had met today, it was no wonder Sinbad was feeling sad. Unrequited love was never a funny thing, Jim should understand if anyone. Why Sinbad had thought it to be a good idea to see her, no-one would know.

"Thanks, Rat. You're not as bad as I thought you were," Jim smiled. Rat chuckled, nodding at his words.

"I take that as a compliment, Señor Jim."

Jim decided to stay in the crow's nest for a while after Rat had gone back to play chess, and he watched the leaving and coming ships. Up here he could see the whole harbor. The sun was shining brightly and the seagulls were almost like chattering at him as they flew by. The sea was Jim's home, and no pirate could ever take it away from him.

He wondered what kind of woman Marina was. She had to be quite amazing if she had managed to make Sinbad fall in love with her. Rat had described her as 'lovely', but how lovely could one be if they messed around with two guys at the same time while being engaged to one of them? He sort of felt bad for Sinbad.

His thoughts went back to Eric, whose ship had probably reached its destination already. The kidnapping had probably reached the military's ears by now, and soon they would send a ship or two after the pirates. Jim hoped they wouldn't reach them before he and the crew had managed to find the damn map and meet Silver again. This was his only chance to see the cyborg, no matter how mixed his feelings were about him.

Jim noticed that a small boat was sent from Kida's ship, and on it were Kida and Milo. It seemed like Milo had finally translated the paper.

"Well? What does it say?"

Sinbad, who had dragged his ass back on the deck after someone – probably Kale – had told him Kida was coming, was the one to ask the question that was on everyone's mind. Even Spike seemed eager to know as he had stopped wagging his tail and was now staring at the duo.

Milo fumbled with the paper, adjusting his glasses.

"Um, I wasn't sure about all of the parts, but the main message was to travel to the temple of Hades, the Necromanteion, when the moon is full, and light a fire on the biggest altar. After that you should sacrifice food and blood, and then apparently a woman will appear who will guide you to the Underworld. But," Milo paused, "only four can pass the gates to the Underworld. If anyone else tries to follow, they will, uh, drop dead."

Dead silence landed on the crew as everyone thought about what Milo had just said. Kida broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"It means that you and I get to choose one man from our crew to go there with us," she said to Sinbad. "Unless you're not man enough to go?"

The captain huffed. "Obviously I'm going. And I'm taking Jim with me."

"What? Why?" Jim protested but was ignored.

"As for me, I choose Milo." Kida landed her hand on the shoulder of the man standing next to her, and a small blush crept up on his cheeks from the attention. "He's not a fighter, but we need him to get everything right at the temple."

"As long as he doesn't get in the way," Sinbad grunted. He wasn't pleased to have even more people to share the possible treasure with. He hoped the awkward man would have some sense and not come with them after they had found the other piece of the sphere.

"Are they serious about fighting a god?" Jim muttered to himself, making Kale laugh.

"Pirates never joke about things like that," he stated. "Seems like Sinbad trusts your fighting skills enough to take you with him."

"He can trust all he wants, but I'm not going to duel with a god. Especially not with a god of Death."

"Alright, men!" Sinbad yelled, getting everyone's attention. "The full moon is tonight, so we four must leave immediately to make it on time to the temple. Kale will be in command of this ship until I get back. Understood?" Several 'aye, aye, Captain's were heard, and the captain crossed his arms satisfied.

The crew gathered to stand in line to say goodbye to Jim and their captain as they walked by. Kale nodded and smiled at Jim, and Jim did the same. Sinbad noticed their exchange from the corner of his eye, and he raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

Kida helped Milo carry all the stuff he had bought (including maps, some sheets of paper, candles, matches, band aids, and god knows what else). He had three bags, each not very light-looking.

He really prepared for this, Jim thought amused. He himself had only the sword and a small bag the pirates had given him (it had most likely food and water in it).

After they all were landed, they decided to rent a carriage drawn by a mule (an old mule and a worn-out carriage were all they could afford since being a pirate didn't come with much of an income and stealing wasn't an option right now). Going by carriage would take them faster to Necromanteion than by going on foot, but it would still take hours according to Milo and his map. None of them knew how to drive a carriage, though, so they decided the driver by doing the old rock-paper-scissors. Sinbad lost.

"Well isn't this a sight," Kida snickered, "the Legend of the Seven Seas driving a mule-drawn carriage."

Sinbad sat on the driver's bench, clenching his fists around the reins of the harness and sulking (he was glad that his crew wasn't here to see this). Kida and Milo were pressed together on one side of the carriage, and Jim sat on the other side with Milo's bags. Milo had the map in his hands, and he was giving instructions to Sinbad on which road they should take and such.

It took them a while to get out of the harbor without colliding with people and other carriages, but eventually they found their way out of the town and onto a hilly path. No one talked much, except for Milo's 'what beautiful scenery' or 'Greece is really a wonderful country'. The mule seemed like it would collapse on any second, so during uphill everyone had to get off and push the carriage, and during downhill they got on again.

"How much longer? The sun is almost set. It will be difficult to travel when it's dark," Sinbad said, stretching his sore neck and back. Sitting so much was tiresome, and the bumpy road didn't help at all.

Milo squinted his eyes, trying to place their location on the map. "I'd say it's right behind the next hill, but… I can't be sure. It's located near the river, so we – we should be able to find it as long as we follow the river on our left. I think."

Milo was right, and soon they could see the Necromanteion standing between two high hills. There was no-one around, but there were signs of campfire being made near the temple. Sinbad parked the carriage a little farther away from the temple, tying the mule to a tree.

"Stay here," Sinbad ordered, patting the mule on the back. The mule neighed.

"Doesn't something feel a little bit off about this place?" Jim wondered out loud, looking up and down the temple as he walked up the stairs leading to the entrance. Even though the sun should have still provided enough light to see inside the temple, it was pitch-black inside.

"It's a temple of Death, after all," Kida commented as she followed Jim's steps with Milo.

"It's not just that. It's something different… I can't put my finger on it." Jim decided to leave it be, though. It was probably just his imagination. "Do we have to wait until it's past midnight or can we go in now?"

"Why should we wait? The sooner, the better!" Sinbad grinned, marching past them into the temple. Milo just shrugged his shoulders since he didn't remember the text saying anything about the time other than on full moon, and everyone followed Sinbad inside.

"Did you bring those candles?" Sinbad asked Milo and stopped after a couple of steps, almost making Jim bump into him. His eyes should have gotten used to the darkness by now, but he still couldn't see anything.

"Uh, yes, wait a second," Milo dropped his bags on the floor and crouched over them. He rummaged the bags thoroughly until he found a candle for each one of them, and he lit them on fire.

"That's better," Sinbad stated after getting his vision back. The hall of the temple was big, and there were a lot of paintings on the walls. Closer study showed that they were all portrayals of Hades from different eras (Sinbad could do nothing but admire the god's self-esteem. And that blue flaming hair of his).

"We should be looking for altars of some kind," Kida said, holding the hand of Milo who was gaping at the paintings. She didn't dare to let go of his hand in case there was some place he could get lost into.

At the end of the hall there was a tunnel leading underground. Jim was already having second thoughts, but he followed everyone else because he didn't want to be left alone in the hall.

"Stay close to me." Jim was surprised to hear Sinbad's words and he wanted to say something along the lines 'I'm not a child anymore, I don't need you worrying about me', but for once he felt glad about the other's presence, so he restrained his tongue. Even if it was the pirate's fault that he was in this situation in the first place.

The underground tunnel was so narrow everyone had to hunch their back a little not to hit their heads on the ceiling. The air around them was humid and suffocating and it smelled like it had been there for at least a hundred years. There were also weird markings on the walls, and not even Milo knew what they meant.

Everyone was relieved to see that the tunnel opened out into another smaller hall. What they saw there made their eyes widen, though: there were burning torches hanging on the walls, but no-one was around. And they hadn't seen anyone in the previous hall either, so there was no place to hide.

"I think I've read about this somewhere. Those are probably the torches that have been burning here since the temple was built," Milo explained fascinated. "They've been burning over 2000 years… Amazing!"

"I can see the altars, too," Kida nodded. "Let's light the fire. The biggest one, wasn't it?"

Kida used the oil Milo had carried in one of his bags (he had seriously prepared for everything) and the fire from her candle. Then she threw a piece of bread into the fire, watching it burn.

"How are we supposed to sacrifice blood?" Jim intruded. He definitely didn't want to sacrifice any poor animals. Or humans.

Milo searched the paper with the ancient text from his bag, eyeing it through. "Sacrificing blood most likely means a drop of blood from everyone who wishes to enter the Underworld. This doesn't say anything else about it."

"Okay. So," Sinbad drew his sword, "a drop of blood, huh?" He made a small cut on one of his fingertips, holding it over the fire and squeezing a drop of blood out of it. Everyone else did the same (Milo with his eyes closed in pain), and they waited.

Nothing happened.

"D-did we miss something?" Milo was about to check the document again, but then the fire on the altar burst into big flames, startling everyone. As the fire started changing colors from red to green and from green to blue, the hall started shaking.

"What the hell is happening?" Sinbad yelled. When he turned towards the exit, he saw it was sealed shut by a stone wall like it had never even existed. They had no place to escape to.

"Look!"

The wall behind the altars started moving, making rocks fall from the ceiling. Sinbad pushed Jim on the ground, covering his body with his own. Kida grabbed Milo from the collar of his shirt, pressing him and herself flat against the closest wall that wasn't moving.

When the rocks had stopped falling and the dust had settled, Sinbad hold himself up, looking at the man under him.

"You okay?" he asked with a worried tone.

Jim didn't realize that he had stopped breathing at some point, so he exhaled and inhaled a few times before he managed to croak a 'yeah'. Sinbad looked serious until he realized their position, and he quickly jumped up.

Sinbad was definitely not flustered. Why would he be? He was a pirate captain. He was never flustered. (Or at least that's what he told himself.)

Jim was going through mixed emotions, but they were all forgotten when he saw the gates the wall had revealed.

The gates were gigantic and decorated with some sort of symbols. They creaked slightly open, and a woman dressed in a purple Greek dress walked out. She had his brown hair tied up into a high ponytail, and she looked like this was the most boring place in the world to have been summoned to.

"So, you're here for a tour in the Underworld?"

A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating this in a long time! ;_; My school started three weeks ago and I've had too much work to do. The time between updates will probably be from one week to a month from now on, depending on how busy I am and how long chapters I write. But don't worry, I'll finish this fic even if it takes a long time!

I hope this chapter was worth waiting for, it's a little bit longer than usually. If you see any grammatical errors or have the need to point out some plot holes or anything, feel free to do so and tell me. :D I'm blind to my own writing, and sometimes things that make sense to me don't make sense to you readers. As always, thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter.

Guest: Tack så mycket! :D