X Marks the Spot
Chapter Twenty-Two
Black Beard slowly awoke and immediately felt the worst pain within his head that he's ever felt. He groaned and screamed with anger for almost a minute before the pain subsided enough for him to be able to move, then open his eyes and upon doing so, he began to look all around him and found himself standing in nothing, but thick, black fog until it finally disappeared. Once it was gone, Black Beard found himself again in Storybrooke. Only the sky was strange and everything appeared to be rundown, while some of the structures such as the clock tower were even torn down or demolished. When the pirate fell out of the shock of the sight now surrounding him, he started walking forward and realized that the one thing he didn't see were the people living there.
"What the hell is this foul, dismal place?" he shouted angrily while he continued moving, not really expecting anyone to actually answer him at all. "Where the devil am I?"
"I hate to break it to you, mate, but I'm afraid that you're in the bloody Underworld," Killian suddenly responded as he stepped out from within what looked like the diner Black Beard remembered the heroes always eating at in the realm he was in before everything began to become strange, then stopped and stood before his enemy. "And it appears, so am I… again."
The villain stared at him in surprise as he replied, "Hook? I assumed you'd be back in your home writing in agony and sick as a dog. Your wench came to see me in that jailhouse, in town. She begged me to help her save you. I saw the fear in her eyes, so how is it that you're standing here, in perfect health."
Killian took a few more steps towards the villain as he answered angrily, "Oh, I'm hardly in perfect health no thanks to you. You trapped me inside my own mind, while I'm forced to relive your memories. Although apparently something's gone wrong with the curse you created and whoever's helping you… the Crocodile I gather. Or maybe it's that something's gone right and this is what the Dark One intended all along."
"I don't understand," Black Beard stated in confusion. "What are you saying exactly?"
"I'm saying that it appears my memories have now begun to mix in with yours, except that because this is the price you're paying for making his deal, we're now able to see them as ourselves, and together," Hook responded coldly, then he sighed in frustration and struggled to try to make sense of everything. "At least that's what I gather, although I'm not so sure. All I know, is that this is the Underworld because I've been here. And I'd wager that it won't be long before a memory or two of my own will arise."
Just like Killian predicted, their surroundings suddenly changed around them as both he and Black Beard found themselves someplace different while a new memory of Killian's began from when he was chained up over the green pool he came to know as the River of Lost Souls and was risen above it, then Hades walked on the platform below as he spoke up saying smugly, "Now, I want you to think about why you're here. You tried to escape. You freed another prisoner. You refuse to do what I ask, and do you know the most important reason?"
When the memory began, both Killian and Black Beard suddenly doubled over in pain as though what they were seeing was happening to the poor sod above was happening to them also, while Killian stared up at the bloody form of the broken man he had become after he had died sadly as he whispered, "Bloody hell. Not this… Not again."
While he strained and struggled to breathe through the pressure within his back and chest from the rusted old chains that were holding him captive, Hook responded weakly, "I couldn't begin to guess."
"Hope," the God of the Underworld replied when he looked up at his prisoner and then continued. "You and your colleagues brought contraband, hope, into my world, and that is strictly forbidden. And despite some... creative beatings, I still see hope in your eyes. Now, I would like that to be gone before you reach the water."
"You have interfered with my carefully cultivated existence," Hades sneered as he lowered Hook down again with his magic so that Killian was eye-level with him, causing the hero to groan in pain. "So... I am going to hurt you. Then I'm going to collect your friends and hurt them. So there's going to be no one left to save you."
"Feel free to go mad," the God added finally when his head then became engulfed again in blue flames as he prepared to walk away from his prisoner.
Once Hades faded from view, Killian turned away quickly in order to walk away from the image of himself hanging high above the green waters as he made his way through the caverns below Storybrooke above them, while Black Beard immediately felt relief upon his enemy's departure, then he glanced at the other pirate Captain now in front of him as multiple questions came to his mind and followed after him while he asked snidely, "What the devil was that? I just felt your agony while you were chained up like that and hoisted above that water. Who was that glowing haired villain torturing you? You're saying that actually happened?"
Hook shook his head in frustration and without turning his head to look at him, he answered wearily, "Aye. That actually happened. Welcome to the Underworld. I died and my soul became trapped down here until Emma and her family came down to rescue me. That glowing haired villain tormenting me was Hades, God of the Underworld. He's dead now, thank goodness. As for your first question, it's none of your business what any of that meant. At least you finally get to feel what I've been feeling all this time too. I've dreamt of moments like this enough when I sleep. I don't need to see it come to life again right before my eyes with one of my enemies here to bloody watch!"
"I don't think anyone's listening to your complaints," the other man behind him responded upon realizing that the last comments he made weren't meant to be directed towards him.
"I didn't ask for your judgement or… or… or for your opinion, so just be quiet and leave me be to try to think of a way we can both… escape this… hell!" Killian vehemently retorted as he stiffly kept moving until all of a sudden he became lightheaded again and collapsed against the cavern wall beside him, putting his hand up to squeeze the bridge of his nose upon becoming overwhelmed by his anguish that hasn't subsided nearly as much as Black Beard's had some time ago.
The other pirate didn't make a move to help him, but he questioned, "What's wrong with you? Why is it that you're so much worse off than I am? I may be feeling ill as well, but I'm clearly not as bad off as you appear to be. Is it because you were the one of us who was cursed?"
Hook shook his head as he scoffed and then replied, "I don't know. Perhaps it's because you're actually proud… proud of the things you've in your life and have no regrets. I on the other hand do… and the memories you've forced me to relive, both yours and my own… does pain me."
"Besides, you've said it yourself," he added once he was able to stand taller, then turned his head to look over at his enemy. "I was the one who was cursed, thanks to you. I have a feeling that you will discover a way out of our minds faster than I will."
All of a sudden, their surroundings changed once again and the hero and villain found themselves back on the Jolly Roger among a large crew of pirates and women as they were all celebrating some victory with rum, gambling, and wenching shortly after they arrived at one of Arendelle's few ports. The transformation caused Killian to fall to the floor of the ship as a wave of dizziness passed over him again. Black Beard stared down at him almost gaily until they were both interrupted from their thoughts as they turned to watch as another form of Black Beard walked up on deck from the Captain's quarters to join the rest of his crew.
"It appears we've arrived in yet another one of your memories," Killian spoke again despondently. "What exactly am I going to be forced to see here?"
His enemy replied smugly, "You really don't want to know. What a shame that you'll have to see and feel it firsthand for yourself."
A few minutes later, after he played a quick round of cards with the ship's navigator and first mate, the villainous Captain then walked out into the center of the deck and called out drunkenly, "All right…! Which one of you wenches is next… to lie down with the great, Captain Beard Black? I mean… Black Beard? I promise you, I don't bite. But I can be rough."
"Right here, Captain!" one of his men hollered out eagerly as he pulled a woman who had been standing behind him out in front of him, then pushed her onto the floor at Black Beard's feet. "She's sure to give you the pleasure you're looking for tonight. She's plenty ripe."
"Is that right?" he sneered coolly as the woman nervously stared up at the Captain with fear in her eyes, while Killian was forced to watch the horror he thought he knew was coming begin to play out. "Is this true, darling? It looks like I'm… going to just have to fin… find out."
He roughly grabbed the woman by one of her wrists and dragged her along with him as they made their way back down into his quarters, then shoved her hard onto the bed inside. The real Black Beard standing over the weakened Hook, grabbed his nemesis by his shoulders as he led them after those in the memory. At first, she tried to escape from the Captain who was about to rape her, but Black Beard was easily able to apprehend her once more and threw her against the wall, then again to the floor. After that, she remained completely still as she sobbed as quietly as could so as to not upset the villain any further.
Hook immediately turned his head away and closed his eyes tightly when his enemy slowly began to undress knowing there was nothing he could do to stop what wasn't real, but even if he didn't watch what the pirate was about to do to the poor woman, Killian also knew that he couldn't stop himself from feeling all that both Black Beards had already started to feel and was about to once he began. Glee, pleasure, and a twisted sense of pride. It all made Killian feel sick, on top of the anguish his body was already suffering from.
Black Beard had undressed until all he had left to pull off was his undershirt. But before he finished, he moved to stand above the woman again and roughly yanked off the already torn blouse she was wearing as she immediately raised one of her hands and arm in attempt to cover her nakedness. He swiftly slapped her across her cheek to punish her for her insolence, then was about to rip off her long skirt as well when all of a sudden, she pulled out a dagger she had concealed behind her back and plunged it with all her might deep into the villain's shoulder, causing both Black Beards and Killian to cry out in agony from the wound.
The man from the vile pirate's memory looked down at the blade still embedded in his now bleeding flesh and saw that it was one of his own blades he realized she must have stolen from him before he undressed and she was close enough to him to do so. But before he had the chance to pull it out and stumble backwards to get away from her, the poor woman swiftly yanked the dagger back out herself and was about to thrust it into him again, this time in Black Beard's chest to kill him. However, a single shot sounded from behind them all as Hook, Black Beard, and his memory all turned to look for the source of the shot and saw the first mate standing in the doorway with a smoking pistol raised in his hand, still aiming it directly at the whore now lying dead at Black Beard's feet with a musket ball lodged in her heart.
The first mate quickly rushed to his Captain's side to help guide him over to his bed and to lie down as he asked worryingly, "Captain! Are you alright, Sir?"
The real Black Beard seethed as he answered his crewman over his other self, "How the hell do you think I am, you bloody bastard?"
"Let me help you!" the man quickly continued. "Don't worry, I'll fetch the crewman who knows little on how to treat a wound like yours. Just hold on."
"I don't exactly have much of a choice!" his memory shouted angrily as the first mate left the room to go get the men he needed to help their Captain.
The man of Black Beard's memory groaned and then screamed again when his pain only worsened, as did both Killian's and the real pirate's pain. But before anything else happened, the quarters finally altered once again and the two men sharing memories found themselves in a new setting neither of them recognized at first. Both of them were on the ground feeling the agony of the wound while they clutched at their shoulders, until Killian pulled away the cloth of his shirt and discovered that no wound was actually there, just as there were no wounds, bruises, or broken ribs from the former memory they relived. At least not any longer. Hook looked beside him at Black Beard again, then to their surroundings and realized the realm where their next memory was found in, was the Land of Untold Stories.