A/N: Normally, I wouldn't have these many chapters within two days. However, I've been bitten by the writing bug recently and couldn't help but update today as well. So, enjoy!

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Chapter 7

Meanwhile, many leagues away, a relentless rain was beating down furiously upon a pirate ship that was out in open water. This ship was believed to be a ghost ship by anyone who happened to catch a glimpse of it. The sails were tattered with a few gaping holes here and there, pointed ends as sharp as the tips of swords, and the ship itself was massive. It was able to turn your insides into pure ice and fascinate you until the moment its daunting cannons blasted you into smithereens.

This ship belonged to a man who could be considered a demon; a man that was said to have died many years ago, but one who had been spotted from time to time carrying on with piratical business. He was known as Henry Morgan, a pirate who had once possessed complete control over 15 ships, and had used this small army to attack various Spanish ports without remorse. When he had eventually died, Morgan struck a deal with the Devil himself in order to gain more time in the mortal world. Morgan had vowed to become the Devil's "hunter", tracking down various artifacts of immense power for his master. However, Morgan recently had become inundated with his insatiable greed, but the Devil was still under the false assumption that Morgan was continuing to diligently carry out his orders.

Quite frankly, Morgan was fed up with being a servant. He had decided at last that it was time to regain the control he once had in the Caribbean; all he needed to do was wait for one of the Devil's other indentured servants to show his ugly face, touting the latest object of value Morgan had to obtain.

Morgan himself was currently hunched over a map, intently studying the waters ahead of him and his crew. Morgan's cabin was dimly illuminated by the candles mounted at different intervals around the room, but it was just enough light for the conniving pirate captain. The only sound came from the heavy downpour of rain from outside. Every once in a while, the ship would rock slightly, swaying with the brutal waves that were a result of the weather conditions.

After a few minutes, Morgan leaned back in his chair and rubbed his right eye; the left eye socket was covered with a black patch, but the eye itself was missing. The price of Morgan's deal with the Devil had been his left eye. Now, it had been replaced with a violently dark blood-red light that harbored the gruesome ability to shoot straight through a person's flesh and bones. Morgan recalled using this power only three times in the past, all of which were scars in his dark memory.

As Morgan dwelled on his situation, he began to question exactly how he came to be here. The real reason he had agreed to take this curse was painfully easy to recall. Before Morgan had died, he was very much in love with a ravishing woman. Her eyes were emerald green, her hair as black as the night, and her body shaped so perfect it was as if it had been carved by gods themselves. Her name was Annabelle, and she knew that Morgan was a pirate when he had courted her. Over the course of a year, Morgan and Annabelle had fallen deeply in love and were eventually married in secret; Morgan couldn't let his enemies find out about her.

But before they could have a chance to really settle down, Morgan had abruptly died. Only Annabelle was the one who knew the truth behind Morgan's death. Everyone else believed that Morgan had died after retiring from piracy, when in actuality, he had lost his life in a grand battle. In the event of his untimely death, Morgan had made arrangements for a close personal friend to masquerade as him, making the general pirate community believe that Morgan was still alive. The plan had apparently worked flawlessly, lasting until Morgan's friend himself died.

Shortly, and secretly, after that Morgan returned to the land of the living with a truly demonic appearance. He had been given control of a crew comprised of pirates that were half humans and half demons that helped Morgan obtain the artifacts he was commissioned to find.

Soon after, Morgan had made a dark discovery. When he tried to find his lost love, Annabelle, Morgan discovered that she had been dead for a year; she was killed in a pirate raid on her town. After that, Morgan's hatred grew to immeasurable proportions, and he found himself completely indebted to his new master.

Now, here he was, consumed with bitterness and cruelty and determined to take it out on whomever may cross his path. As Morgan sat contemplating his past, a sudden pain erupted in his head. He grasped both sides of his head with his gloved hands, recognizing the signal.

Slowly, he rose from his chair and made his way over to the far side of his quarters, where a large and unlit candle was situated alone on a shelf. This candle contrasted from the others in that it was completely black, instead of tan or milky white. Attempting to ignore the pain, Morgan ruffled around in his coat pocket until he found what he wanted: a box of matches. He pulled one out and struck it ablaze before letting it make contact with the thread sticking out of the top of the candle.

Immediately, the searing pain inside Morgan's head subsided as the black candle began to shine with violent purple flames. Over the course of a few seconds, the flame grew until it almost reached the ceiling. Morgan stepped back as a pale figure draped entirely in black stepped out of the purplish fire as if it were merely a doorway.

This man's, or at least it appeared to be a man, hair was slicked back with what could only be oil and his eyes looked like they were on fire themselves. His black robes were godlike, and the gray lining sported weird and misshapen symbols. In his hands, he clutched a cane as wide as a sword, and the handle was in the form of a miniature skull. He gave Morgan a look so cold that it could have probably frozen rum.

Morgan bowed to the man. "Hades, Lord of the Underworld."

Hades now stared down at Morgan's form in indifference. "Rise," he spoke in a silky voice that would send a chill running down anyone's spine.

Morgan obliged while removing his hat. "How may I be of service?"

Hades smirked. "It is time, Henry, for you to find yet another object of considerable value to me."

"And what exactly am I after this time?"

Hades swept past Morgan, making his way to the window. As he did so, each and every candle inside the quarters abruptly flickered out the moment Hades had walked past them. Once every candle had died out, the cabin was cast in the purple light emanating from the black candle. From across the room, Morgan could see the purple flames reflected in the pitiless eyes of the Lord of the Underworld, and in addition, the light danced ominously off the demon's pale skin.

Hades finally spoke again after what seemed like an eternity. "Tell me, Captain, do you know anything of the legend of Atlantis?"

As Morgan crossed the floor to join his master, he scoffed at the question. "Almost everyone who's ever sailed the seven seas has heard of the lost city."

"Good. But I must assume that you remain blind to what remains buried within the ruins?"

Morgan's answer to this inquiry was merely a rather confused expression. Hades continued on.

"There is an amulet, the size of a fist, down there. It is said that it was the source of the city's immense power, but ultimately its destruction. What entices me to possess it is what it has the ability to do."

"I'm listening," Morgan prodded.

"The amulet has the power to create entire continents and new landmasses all on its own. With the amulet in my hands, I'll be able to destroy the human world, and create Hell on earth. The Gods of Olympus will have no choice but to make me ruler, finally de-throning my brother Zeus."

"And those are your intentions, are they?"

"They most certainly are. And if you succeed in finding it, I'm fairly positive I can guarantee you a position of power on Mount Olympus. Perhaps ruler of the sea? That would take care of my other brother, Poseidon, at least."

"What about gold?"

Hades smirked scarily. "Oh, the riches will be beyond your wildest imagination."

Morgan thought about it for a moment before replying. "What if I refuse?"

Hades' eyes flared dangerously. "What?" he asked sharply.

"What if I told you that I no longer wish to partake in your little treasure hunts? What if I was tired of being your slave?"

Hades chuckled darkly. "You have no choice. You must uphold your end of our bargain for however long as I see fit. You signed a contract." In that instant, a roll of parchment appeared out of thin air in a flash of flames. Hades unrolled it and turned the face around so that Morgan could see it. "You sold me your soul." Hades indicated a spot of dried blood on the contract's signature line. "A deal forged by blood is not one so easily broken. You will do as I say, or suffer an eternity of damnation." The instant those words left Hades' lips, lightning lit up the sky outside and a loud rumble of thunder cracked in the air. The sudden flash also caused Morgan to catch sight of a rather frightening and demonic face that seemed as if it were hidden under Hades' current human one.

Morgan glanced around uncomfortably.

"Don't forget," Hades plowed on, "even though you may appear to be a demon, you're still mortal. You could be killed very easily at a moment's notice."

"I'm aware of that," Morgan grunted. He gazed into the evil eyes of the devil standing before him and reluctantly uttered his next words. "Very well. Is there anything else I need to know about?"

"Such as?"

"Any hindrances that may stand in the way?"

Hades smirked once more. "Well, there may be the matter of a certain Captain Jack Sparrow to deal with. I know for a fact that he plots to discover the amulet as well, so be very wary of that."

Morgan gave Hades a dark look. "Did you say Sparrow?"

"Yes. Why, do you know him?"

Morgan sighed and gazed out at the stormy sea. "We've had...dealings in the past. But I mainly knew his father; we bumped heads quite a few times over the attack strategies I used back when I commanded my own little fleet of ships. In fact, James Sparrow was the one who killed me." Morgan paused. "It would be a great pleasure to kill his son in return. But how does Sparrow even know of the amulet?"

"He rescued a drifter at sea who was on the very same quest, under the employ of the East India Trading Company."

"So you mean to tell me that in addition to killing Sparrow, I must also dodge agents of the East India Company? Bloody hell."

Hades cackled in high, cruel laughter. "Henry, come now. I was under the impression that a man like you was ready to welcome any type of challenge with open arms."

"I am, it's just that I only have one ship and the East India Trading Company has hundreds, upon thousands!"

"Have you forgotten that I myself created this ship and gave you command of it? The Nightmare is more than capable of taking on that many ships." The Nightmare was the name of the ghostly vessel that Morgan captained with his vicious crew. "I have supplied you with rather sufficient supplies in the past that have helped you accomplish your treacherous missions."

"And I thank you for that."

Hades cleared his throat. "Now, back to business, there's another aspect of this odyssey that you need to be made aware of."

"That being...?"

"In order to gain control of the amulet, you must translate a certain inscription on an ancient scroll located on an island that disappears and reappears at will."

"How do I find a disappearing island?"

"That requires the help of a mysterious fortuneteller; a fortuneteller who just so happens to be an acquaintance of Jack Sparrow's. Sparrow will most likely be in the company of this person and all you have to do is wait secretly at the proper location." Hades then snapped his fingers and another, smaller strip of paper materialized out of thin air by means of flames. He handed it to Morgan. "Anchor The Nightmare at these exact coordinates and merely wait for Sparrow and his crew to arrive."

"I highly doubt Sparrow won't notice a ship floating in the area of this island."

"That's why I will place an invisibility charm over this ship until Sparrow's Black Pearl arrives. I always plan ahead, Henry. You of all people should know that."

Morgan nodded. "Any other valuable information I need to be aware of?"

"No. Just make sure you don't fail, otherwise it'll be the Devil to pay!"

After that, Hades swept past Morgan, making his way back to the tall doorway of purple flames that was still connected to the black candle. Hades stopped directly in front of it and turned. "But, if you do fail, then you can be sure that our agreement will end then and there." With that said, Hades exited the captains' quarters by stepping back through the purple flames, which sunk back down into the candle the moment he had disappeared. An instant later, all the other candles flickered back to life as another low rumble of thunder sounded.

Morgan stood there for a few more minutes, gazing down at the slip of paper still clutched between his fingers, then up at the black candle. After countless moments of silent contemplation, Morgan finally came to a decision.

I'm not going to let my soul be controlled any longer. It's high time I took advantage of the situation; I'm going to steal the Amulet of Atlantis for myself.