A/N: Chapter 17 is written, but since I've been updating this story in 2's, I'll have to finish Chapter 18 first. Bad news, school starts back tomorrow. But the good news is that I only have 3 more chapters left to write.

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Chapter 15

The central island was larger than the rest in the area in terms of square miles. The majority of open land was blanketed by a sea of palm trees and other pieces of forestation that sometimes blocked out the sun, not that there was much sun to begin with. At the center of the island was a large and active volcano, which currently had steam billowing out of its open top; the volcano was flanked on either side by two smaller, but large enough structures that were obviously specially designed caves to be used for rather sinister purposes, given their ominous and haunting appearances. What was more, the cloudless blue sky of the bright Caribbean day seemed to be virtually cut off from existence as the portion of sky surrounding the island was composed of thick, impenetrable gray clouds that gave the impression of an imminent storm.

The sand on the island was also rather unique; instead of lying completely still and in small mounds, as sand normally does, these innumerable grains moved as if buffeted by the gusts of wind from the air above. The moving sand also seemed to suggest that there was a huge snake of some kind beneath it, moving about here and there as if unsure about its destination. The palm trees of this island were contorted into odd and rather unsettling ways, as if the trees were human bodies whose limbs had been twisted at grotesque angles. The collection of islands in this vortex were reputedly Calypso's design, and it was evident that the sea goddess had a very sick and disturbed sense of presentation.

At the shoreline, longboats carrying both members of McGivens' crew and Jack's crew, including the eccentric pirate captain himself, were secured to ensure that they would not float away with the tide; everyone inhabiting them hopped out and onto the shore which was being assaulted with waves rolling in from the ocean. Black boots slammed down upon the moist sand, creating depressions in the form of the soles of each leather boot. McGivens' men went about tightening the ropes which bound the wrists of Jack and his crew after they had gotten a satisfactory view of the island. The brutes then poked the barrels of pistols in the small of each person's back, ushering them forward.

Ahead of everyone else, McGivens and Smith walked beside each other, with two other henchmen behind them who were dragging Elizabeth along with them by holding on tightly to each of her arms. Sooner than she had anticipated, Elizabeth noticed that the goons pulling her begin to get restless. The result of this was the pirates starting to grope her.

Elizabeth angrily elbowed each pirate in the gut, forcing their dirty hands off of her. This enraged the scoundrels and they had almost fully drawn their weapons when the exasperated voice of McGivens stopped them.

"Don't," he sighed. "It's not necessary to engage in such barbaric actions."

His henchmen nodded silently as they replaced their weapons. Elizabeth, however, gave McGivens a steely stare.

"I didn't realize that you were a man of principle, McGivens," she sneered.

McGivens snorted in amusement. "I'm not, Mrs. Turner. I just don't like to see women bein' treated so disrespectfully; it taints the image of a proper gentleman."

"Is that how you refer to you and your men and the actions in which they take part in? Proper?" Elizabeth did not even try to mask the tone of sharp rudeness that her question carried.

McGivens, however, chose not to answer; he merely stared straight ahead and continued to walk alongside Smith, rubbing his hand across the hilt of The Golden Sword, which was stuffed into his belt. After a few minutes of silence, McGivens inclined his head toward the former Clan member.

"You're certain that this is the island we need to be on?" the mercenary asked.

"Positive," Smith replied. "Isla de Secretos houses the tombs of both Cortez and Calypso."

"And the Spanish Armada?"

"Waiting in the depths of the surrounding ocean for someone to command them...the corpses of the crewmen bound to them, much like the coral that encrusts each vessel."

"So, tell me, how do we reawaken Cortez?"

Smith, who had the map of the area clutched in his hands, unrolled it and began to scrutinize it. "According to the map, the tomb of Cortez is located inside the same cave we're heading toward. All we have to do is simply shift aside the stone slab covering the un-decayed body, and the Spanish conquistador will live again."

"And, as you've informed me, it must be Cortez who performs the blood ritual...otherwise, Calypso will not be resurrected."

Smith grinned. "Correct, Mr. McGivens. And I trust that your men are more than capable of dispensing with our...collateral before it's too late?" Smith indicated Jack and his crew at the mention of the word 'collateral'.

"You've completed yer part of the bargain, Smith. It's high time yeh allow me to complete mine."

Smith nodded as he caught the maniacal glint in McGivens' eyes. "Understood."

"So you can just go about killing people without remorse," Elizabeth spoke up again, "and it would be considered good business, am I right?"

"There is no good business in this world, Mrs. Turner," said McGivens. "Merely the business of good men."

"If you consider yourself a good man, McGivens, then you are sorely mistaken."

McGivens suddenly reached into his belt and grabbed his pistol, pulled back the hammer, and aimed it in-between Elizabeth's eyes. "Enough talk," he spat. "I prefer silence as opposed ta' pointless blabberin'!"

Elizabeth glared defiantly into McGivens' eyes. "You can't kill me now. It would put a damper on your plans."

McGivens sneered. "Maybe not." Quick as a flash, McGivens pointed the gun just inches away from Elizabeth's right foot and fired off a shot. The sudden action caused Elizabeth to jump a step back, gasping in surprise; some henchmen laughed in amusement. "But what's to stop me from giving you an injury?"

Elizabeth did not reply and McGivens laughed as he went about reloading his pistol. Just then, the congregation came to a halt in front of the entrance to one of the caves that were situated on either side of the mountainous volcano. The craggily archway no doubt led to a small pathway that twisted and curved until it reached the main portion of the cave. From the light filtering in from outside, McGivens was able to see a torch resting in an iron sconce on the interior rocky wall. Without looking back, McGivens held out his hand behind him; a gesture for one of his men to hand him their pistol. Someone did exactly that and McGivens used the weapon to ignite the torch by discharging the gun.

The moment the first torch had been lit, others along both walls simultaneously did the same thing. McGivens, grinning as he did so, tossed the pistol over his head and grabbed the torch he had lit. McGivens then turned around, staring at Elizabeth.

"Make sure her bonds are as tight as they can be," he ordered. "We don't want the bonnie lass runnin' off, do we?"

Elizabeth scowled back at the mercenary as the two brutes on either side of her tightened the ropes encircling Elizabeth's wrists, which caused them to cut into Elizabeth's flesh. Elizabeth did not have much time to think about the pain, however, as she was promptly pulled forth by the muscular minions into the cave.

The trek through the cave lasted only a matter of minutes. The pathway seemed to wind in every possible direction until at last, the narrow space opened up into a wider, oval-shaped chamber with even more flaring torches resting upon stone walls that were smoother than they had to be, given the location. Unlike the cav e that housed The Golden Sword, this particular rocky structure had no body of water inside it; it was only hard earth and marble stone. Glittering multicolored specks were scattered about in the floor, twinkling under a solitary ray of light coming in from the curved ceiling. In addition to the flat stone floor, the light from outside shone down upon two objects placed at the center of the chamber: a curiously colored rock that changed its color every few seconds by means of something sparkly at its core and beside that, a gray tomb with a large stone slab on top of it. Clearly, the tomb was that of Hernando Cortez, awaiting to be reawakened by the simple shifting aside of the slab on top of his tomb.

Everyone cautiously stepped into the chamber, each pair of eyes darting around quickly in order to absorb their surroundings in as little time as possible. Once they all were well within the confines of the circular stone chamber, McGivens turned to face his men.

"It'll take quite a few of yeh to move that stone slab, so I suggest yeh get to it."

A group of five muscular henchmen, including the two who had been dragging Elizabeth into the cave, immediately rushed forward and up the nicely carved stone steps that led to the tomb. Meanwhile, McGivens pulled out his pistol for the second time in under twenty minutes and placed it against Elizabeth's temple.

"I'll stay with you to make sure you don't go gettin' any cute ideas," the mercenary snarled.

The five crew members had ascended the stone steps very slowly, as if they each feared something to suddenly lunge out at them at any moment...a feat that did not seem entirely impossible in a place like this. At last, the henchmen reached the tomb of Hernando Cortez and they all spread themselves apart around it. Below them, McGivens observed their slow progress in annoyance.

"Just get on with it, yeh idiots!" he called out.

McGivens' men each stared at each other with slight trepidation, preparing themselves for the task with which they had been bestowed. Finally, the pirates nodded and placed their fingers underneath the stone slab covering the tomb, getting a proper grip. Next, the men heaved, lifting the slab with all their might, the veins in their arms suddenly becoming visible. The sound of sliding stone filled the chamber and it reverberated off the walls, invading everybody's ears instantly. Grunting accompanied the rough sound, and the noise lasted under five minutes.

The sound of scraping stone abruptly ceased, stopped by a peculiar rumbling noise which sounded like a click. The click caused the five henchmen to stop moving the slab and to stare down at the tomb in curiosity. The moment of silence did not last long, however, as a sudden loud bang! And burst of light erupted from within the tomb and sent McGivens' men hurling backward and dropping hard on the chamber's stone floor. Beneath the tomb, everyone who stood watching staggered back a few steps as a result of another violent gust of wind that both rippled clothes and sent hair flying.

Next, the torches that were perched high on the circular wall were extinguished with an eerie blow of chilly wind. The chamber was now blanketed in a shroud of darkness that was nigh impenetrable to everyone who stood inside it. Suddenly, a corpulent beam of greenish light rose up from the now open tomb of Cortez, stretching up to the domed ceiling of the chamber. The faces of everyone inside the chamber were illuminated in the ominous lighting, their gaping mouths and wide eyes apparent. White smoke then began to billow from the four sides of the stone tomb, providing an even more fearful sense of danger to the already nightmarish scene. The smoke soon became thick and impossible to penetrate for the human eye, but one thing was visible: a dark figure rising from the tombs, its massive arms outstretched on either side of him. The figure turned around just as the thick cloud of smoke began to dissipate, revealing the figure in a more clear light as the chamber's torches suddenly flickered back to life.

The man who had risen from the stone tomb was an imposing being. The resurrected Hernando Cortez was bedecked in all black clothing and plates of dull gray metal armor. Black hair hung down from both sides of his face, which was ruggedly handsome while cold and hardened at the same time. Muscular arms bulged beneath the sleeves of Cortez's top, which blended almost perfectly with leather gloves that came up a considerable length of his arms. The belt which held his black pants up effectively grasped a sword with a large and jagged blade, accompanied by other fearsome-looking knives and pistols with intricately carved designs covering the handles. Large boots covered enormous feet that helped the Spanish conquistador step out of his tomb and start to descend the stone steps leading down to level ground.

Cortez took in many breaths of fresh air, reveling in the sensation of being alive again. Despite countless years of being stuck inside of a tomb, the flesh on Cortez's body had not decomposed in any way. He came to a halt in front of the crews of Jack and McGivens, surveying all of them intently. A dark smile played across his lips.

"Nothing is more empowering than being awakened from an eternal sleep." Cortez's voice was that of a gentleman, but a gentleman who abided by his own laws his tone was controlled, something that seemed to indicate self-restraint. "I am extremely grateful to you for bringing me back into the mortal realm. Now, the dreams and ambitions that I so desperately sought before my death can finally be made into realities."

McGivens, relinquishing his grip on Elizabeth's arm, cautiously stepped forward and acknowledged the resurrected killer with unwavering respect. "Hernando Cortez, great conqueror and revered commander of an unstoppable fleet, I had you brought back for a reason."

Cortez stared at McGivens with an unreadable expression. "Ah, yes. I deduced as much. After all, that was the deal I struck with Calypso so naturally, I would have to fulfill my side of the bargain." Cortez's voice was also accented with a perfect Spanish tongue. "You seek to summon forth the sea goddess herself in human form for your own purposes, and I am the one with the ability to do so. I trust you are familiar with the ritual that must be performed?"

"Of course," said McGivens. "The blood of a woman must be spilt over that very stone there in order to successfully bring Calypso back." McGivens indicated the glowing stone in question with the hand that still clutched his pistol.

"Indeed. The woman? Where is she?"

McGivens roughly pulled Elizabeth, her wrists still bound tightly, forward and brought her face to face with Cortez. The Spanish captain quickly sized Elizabeth up with one upward and downward glance and nodded in approval.

"She'll do perfectly. Give her to me."

Cortez grabbed Elizabeth and hauled her over to the second set of stone steps that led to the enchanted stone that served as the grave for Calypso's god-like soul. Along the way, Elizabeth struggled in protest, but there was simply no escaping Cortez's firm grip. Within seconds, Cortez and Elizabeth had reached the top of the stairs and were standing upon the platform that surrounded the Calypso stone, which was glowing more brilliantly than ever with the blue light.

Below, Will had managed to temporarily escape from his captors and darted toward the set of stairs, only to be stopped by a blow from McGivens with the butt of his pistol. Will sank to his knees, gasping for air while McGivens aimed the weapon at his head.

"Try anythin' again, and I'll put a bullet righ' between yer eyes, boy!" McGivens snarled down at Will.

Will, his breath now regained, stared vehemently up at McGivens. "If you think that you'll get away with this, then you're operating under astronomical assumptions."

"Don' talk at me with those fancy terms of yours. I'm the one with the gun aimed at yer head and my finger on the trigger. You've lost. I've won." McGivens pulled Will to his feet and placed the gun barrel at his throat this time. "I'm the last person on the face of the Earth that yeh wanna tick off." McGivens pulled back the hammer with his thumb. "Yeh wanna try yeh luck? Go righ' ahead."

Will did not respond, he merely closed his eyes solemnly before McGivens shoved him backward, where he was instantly grabbed by two pirates.

On the platform, Elizabeth and Cortez had been watching the scene play out below them. When it was finished, Cortez reached down to the stone column the Calypso stone was resting upon and picked up a gold dagger that had been resting beside it. The hilt of the dagger was pure gold as well, with many different rubies and other various diamonds encrusted into it. Cortez then gripped the hilt more firmly and eyed Elizabeth with an expression of pure anticipation.

"Don't fret, my dear," Cortez said in an eerily silky tone, "it'll be quick and painless."

Elizabeth glared at Cortez with narrowed eyes. "What would you know about pain?"

Cortez smirked. "More than you'd expect."

He suddenly grabbed the back of Elizabeth's neck and pulled so that she was now bent over the Calypso stone, her face in the closest proximity to it. Cortez brought the blade up under Elizabeth's neck until it practically, but only slightly, touched the skin. Elizabeth started breathing in short and uncontrolled gasps that resembled hiccups. Then, Cortez slowly brought the blade down to the ropes that tied Elizabeth's wrists together and in one fluid motion, cut the bonds. The action caused a small bit of blood to emanate from the flesh on Elizabeth's hands but she did not have time to dwell on the slight pain because Cortez roughly grabbed Elizabeth's left arm and tore the sleeve covering it with the dagger. A bit of skin was now revealed and Cortez placed the tip of the dagger on top of it and quickly sliced it. A long, thin line of blood was now on Elizabeth's arm and Cortez brought it to rest on top of the Calypso stone so that the blood was oozing onto the blue rock. When Cortez removed Elizabeth's arm from the stone, Elizabeth yanked it from his grasp and began to dab at the wound with her torn sleeve.

Meanwhile, the blood that had been rubbed onto the Calypso stone started to spread in a straight line down the circumference of the stone. Cortez looked down at the sight with a wry smile and stepped back, as did Elizabeth. The line of blood soon began to glow and turn to pure light which shone brightly, blinding everyone inside the chamber and causing them to lift their arms in front of their faces in order to protect their eyesight. The bright light preceded a violent rumbling that shook the entire chamber and knocked everybody to their feet. Cortez leaped down from the high stone platform and landed on his feet on the smooth stone floor while Elizabeth was thrown off the platform but grabbed the edge just in time and she dangled from the platform. Below her, Will dashed forward and placed himself directly beneath Elizabeth. The continuous shaking inside the chamber caused Elizabeth to gradually lose her grip on the edge of the platform and fall down to the floor, where Will caught his wife in his arms. The couple kissed before Will put Elizabeth back on her feet and they both retreated to the far wall, where everyone else currently was.

Back on the platform, cracks were beginning to form in the Calypso stone, allowing even more rays of bright light to shine. The rumbling grew and the cracks became more pronounced and quite abruptly, the Calypso stone shattered into countless pieces and a downpour of water came from the domed ceiling; but this water did not pour down into a straight line, instead the water formed the outline of a human being and within seconds, the figure the water had been creating was complete.

A beautiful woman now stood on the platform, observing her physical features in rapt fascination and astonished delight. Her hair was blonde and her skin perfectly tanned; she was dressed in piratical attire that mixed the colors of the sea with other regular colors that gave her the appearance of a Goddess, which was exactly what Calypso was. Calypso's eyes were blue and her beauty infallible, but her appearance betrayed her demeanor. Her temper and fury were things that could not possibly be predicted.

But one thing was certain: the sea goddess Calypso had returned in human form.