A/N: Sorry for such the long wait, but I've been both extremely busy and mapping out the remainder of the series after this story, chapter by chapter! But, I finally managed to complete this chapter, so enjoy!

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Chapter 1

The Underworld, or Hell as it is most commonly referred to, is nothing like how it's perceived by the living souls inhabiting the world above it. The Underworld isn't a virtual inferno with powerful and imposing flames rising higher and higher with each passing second. There is no Devil with horns on top of his head, clutching a body-length three-pronged pitchfork in one hand, just waiting on a platform for the next batch of evil souls to enter his domain for an eternity of damnation. This image of the Underworld has been imprinted into every person's mind as a result of misinterpretation and one other person's overactive imagination. The Underworld is nothing like the vision that has been spoon-fed to us for countless years. In fact, the only piece of truth we as the human race possess about the Underworld is that it is the place where a soul will experience an eternity of damnation, automatically robbed of the faintest idea of a reprieve.

In the true Underworld, there are no monstrous flames whatsoever, nor molten rock with heat virtually emanating off it and contributing to the sweltering atmosphere that would make anyone parched of thirst within mere seconds. To contrast that idea, the Underworld was actually cold; so cold, in fact, that if any living person were to somehow enter the place, they would be under the impression that they had just stepped foot into the most frigid location in the Arctic. Of course, to the demons, tortured souls and other evil manifestations inhabiting the dank and dreary world, the freezing temperature was normal. There was no sign at all of any bright colors in the land of the dead, however the only light that did exist in the Underworld was slightly bright and was able to sufficiently light up the entirety of the nightmarish surroundings; the light in question was dark blue, the darkest form of the color imaginable. The type of bluish haze that gave off a sinister impression and had the ability to instill the most dreadful sense of foreboding into the hearts of anyone. The source of said light was the narrow rivers of translucent water that ran all through the Underworld, all of which led to a rock-made castle that stretched so high up, the top of it threatened to poke through into the mortal realm itself. At various intervals of the craggily-rock castle, there were crudely shaped holes, or windows, through which came not only a wave of sweltering heat, but an eerie light; a devilish blue as well. There was no red coloring whatsoever in the Underworld, just a form of the color blue that wasn't a cheerful form of the color, but rather a type of blue that was uncommon in the human world; one that emanated a feeling that could only be described as malefic.

Floating gracefully along one of the narrow straits was a longboat, one with a solitary figure sitting in it and a dim light resting on the tip. The water it was floating upon, however, was yet another evil addition to the nightmarish surroundings. Under the surface of black water that was tinged with just the right amount of blue were two greatly unsettling sights. The first was something that seemed almost inevitable for a location of the deepest and darkest forms of evil: thin, yet wide streams of another liquid-like substance that was clearly thicker than the water in which it was immersed in. Whenever any amount of this thick liquid was pass above some of the glowing blue of the river, the faintest hint of a dark red color would stand out, if only for a quick moment; blood. But the streams of blood were not the only chill-inducing thing mixed with the plain water. Accompanying the blood were pale and ghost-like, yet completely solid corpses; their eyes were closed and their faces peaceful, but in a creepy way; the sight was made even more frightening by the faint but audible sound of painful moaning that seemed to come from multiple mouths. Merely glancing at these dead bodies was enough to send shivers running down anyone's spine.

But the lone figure in the longboat purposefully paid no attention to these literally spiritless figures, and kept her gaze trained upon Hades' castle, which loomed before her. Calypso then allowed her beautiful eyes to move down to look at the locket draped around her neck and over her breast, the value and power encased inside of it evident. Wary of the disfigured and disgusting wraiths crawling upon the walls of the underground kingdom of death and despair, Calypso tucked the locket into her breasts, so it wouldn't attract the attention of the greedy eyes of said demons. With that done, Calypso's attention was averted to the castle of Hades, which was now as close as it was ever going to be. Sure enough, a spit of land (if it could even be called that) lay only inches away from the tip of the longboat.

Calypso tightened the black cloak that covered her, kept her head inclined downward, stood up and exited the hellish longboat as an invisible force raised the rope connected to it and secured the rope to the small wooden pole used for just that purpose. The moment that Calypso had stepped foot on the land belonging to Hades and his other assorted minions of death, two circular, but miniature, whirlwinds of black smoke came down from above and settled on either side of the sea goddess. They stayed there for a few seconds, after which the swirling smoke disappeared from sight, spinning into the chests of their sources: two human, yet demonic figures with pale blue skin that contrasted with smears of what was clearly blood, still fresh it seemed. Both demons wore black cloaks that billowed, even though there was no wind, and expressions that were not only disturbingly wicked, but impassive at the same time.

The demon on Calypso's right spoke in a voice that sounded the screeching of bats, but also had a low and sinister rumble to it. "Mortals are unwelcome in the Land of the Dead. Who are you and how did you come to be here? Identify yourself."

Calypso returned the demon's coldness by incorporating the feeling into her reply. "I am no mere mortal, you festering piece of filth."

"Then who are you?" asked the second demon in pretty much the same voice as his companion.

"Someone who commands enough importance to be granted an audience with Hades himself." Calypso purposefully avoided identifying who she was for the time being, but only for the slightest of moments; she knew that the revelation of who she was needed to be simple and shocking in its delivery. However, the two demons were relentlessly persistent in their duties.

"Either identify yourself or be subjected to the cruelest of treatments."

The first demon slowly pulled out a long, curved blade from inside his cloak and grasped it in a warrior-like pose. But that wasn't all; the blade also erupted into glaring blue flames along the edges, the weapon alone proving the magnitude of the dark power that existed in the Land of the Dead. Then, the demon inched the tip of the blade as close to Calypso's soft cheek as he could without actually penetrating the skin. Calypso could feel the heat surging fro it in invisible waves. As the sea goddess stared at the flaming blade quite indifferently, the demon holding it continued on in his appropriately malicious tone of voice.

"It would be such a shame to damage that flawless skin of yours, wench. Simply cooperate, and I can guarantee your business with Hades will be tended to."

Calypso shifted her amused gaze to the pale and bloody face of the demon, giving off the air of someone who considered dangerous situations to be good sport.

"You see," she said, "that's your grandest mistake. Assuming that I'm nothing more than a mere human."

Then, moving so fast that neither of the demons had time to react, Calypso raised her left arm so that the palm of her hand faced the demon trying to intimidate her, and a great wave of water shot out from it, wrapping around the demon's waist and raising him high into the air; the demon dropped the flame-engulfed sword as a result.

The demon's compatriot made a move to assist his partner, but Calypso spotted his movement out the corner of her eye and did the same thing to him. Seconds later, both demon minions of Hades were suspended in midair, held up only by rings of water; the demons were struggling with all their might to wriggle free. Calypso observed their futile attempts with entertained eyes, not possessing the intention to relinquish her hold any time soon. The only thing that would make Calypso stop was Hades himself, and soon enough, his serpent-like voice pierced the air.

"It would be considered highly imprudent of you to not let my servants down."

The dangerously silky voice came from behind Calypso, and thus she turned around to face the owner of said voice; as she did so, the water rings that grasped Hades' two minions vanished, causing the two demons to come crashing down onto the cold stone that served as footing.

Hades stood facing Calypso now, his gloved hands resting atop a cane which had a miniature silver model of a human skull at its tip. The most common vision of Hades was one that portrayed the Keeper of Evil Souls as a disfigured man with physical characteristics that made him appear like a creature rather than a human; this perception was universally inaccurate.

Hades had the appearance of a human, as normal as any living being could possibly look. The God of the Underworld was dressed in total black, robes befitting only for a God. His black hair was slicked back with oil and his cold eyes were just as dark. But currently, Hades' eyes were fixed upon Calypso, reflecting not the purest of evil, but a sense of amused curiosity. The slightest of smirks graced his mouth.

"Could it actually be Calypso? Goddess of the sea and sister to not only Poseidon, but me as well? And in human form?"

Calypso rolled her eyes at her brother's taunting of her current form, and nodded. "Yes, brother. It is me." The sea goddess took one step toward Hades, letting her eyes dart all around. "I must admit, you have a rather...appropriate home. Comfy...," she indicated the rocky walls and the grossly disfigured demons crawling on them, "...cozy." Next, Calypso pointed out the rivers carrying fresh corpses.

Hades followed her gaze and nodded. "The bodies of those who perish at sea," he explained. "Their bodies are transferred down here, as well as their souls. However, the fleshy prisons for these particular souls are being preserved for important purposes."

"Such as?" Calypso inquired.

"To serve as warriors who would be virtually indestructable; unable to die in combat and incapable of exhaustion. The perfect soldier."

"So you're building an army of warriors who are really corpses?"

"Corpses who can be controlled and manipulated by me, of course," Hades corrected his sister. "You see, free will is the one major flaw of humans. The ability to do anything without outside council is simply inhumane, in my opinion. Take away free will, and suddenly, you have the perfect human being: unable to enact resistance of any form and as easy to control as a pawn, which is what this army will be composed of."

"And I take it this army of yours will be used to help in your campaign against our eldest brother, Zeus?"

Hades scoffed at the mention of the God living on Mount Olympus. "Zeus' perception of power is vastly inaccurate...Poseidon agrees. He himself is breeding an army of sea creatures to combine forces with my undead soldiers; an uprising is inevitable, dear sister. Perhaps you should join us?"

Calypso shook her head. "No. Control over the mortal world does not entice me as it does you and Poseidon. No, why I'm here involves entirely different matters."

Hades, grasping his cane tighter and regarding his sister with a new form of curiosity, turned. "Those matters being...?"

Calypso hardened her expression and gazed down unblinkingly at the floating corpses. She then stated her answer in a very simplistic tone. "I'm in need of a ship."

Hades looked at her as if she were speaking gibberish. "A ship? You came here to my domain seeking a ship?" He smoothed back his already slick hair. "That seems a bit contradictory. After all, you are the goddess of the sea...can't you simply create one yourself?"

"Yes," Calypso nodded, "but I'm afraid the type of ship I require needs to be...how shall I put this...more...otherworldly than the powers of my locket allow." She pulled the locket in question from her bosom; it was carved in the shape of a heart.

"Why am I sensing that there is more to your proposal than you're divulging? What are you intending to use the ship for, exactly?"

"I'm a Goddess with decidedly limited power," Calypso began, "so, naturally, I want to regain those powers. And I know for a fact that there is a certain diamond, large in appearance and located in Singapore, that contains the full multitude of my abilities...perhaps all of it. I need a ship to get to Singapore using rather...unique ways. And I assure you, brother, that I already have an able crew under my command." Calypso paused, surveying Hades carefully. "Please, Hades, consider it a favor...I'll owe you."

Those final three words especially caught Hades' attention. "And what, specifically, will I receive in return for my services to my sister?"

Calypso smiled. "Just tell me whatever it is you desire."

Hades' face took on a thoughtful expression, and the Lord of the Underworld turned around and started to pace back and forth over the course of a few minutes until finally, he came to a halt right in front of Calypso. "Well, as you know, I strive on collecting as many souls as I can. But, for a few years now, there has been one particular soul that has eluded me countless times. This is the one soul that I would personally come to the mortal realm to collect, should the opportunity ever present itself."

"And whose soul might this be?"

"Perhaps you're familiar with him...a certain Captain Jack Sparrow."

Calypso's eyes widened at the sound of Jack's name. Hades noticed this, smirked, and continued on.

"Ah, I see you are. To put it bluntly, Sparrow has somehow managed to cheat death many times, making me grow hungrier for his soul with each stroke of sheer luck that assists him at the last possible moment. And seeing as you're about to embark on a journey to Singapore and will no doubt be hindered by Sparrow, all I ask is for you to deliver Sparrow and whatever comrades of his may be with him to an...acquaintance of mine who lives there. The new Pirate Lord of Singapore...Captain Cheng Lo. Ever since Sparrow vanquished the soul of former Pirate Lord Sao Feng, Cheng Lo has sought vengeance against him. Of course, I'll need to contact yet one more mortal accomplice of mine in order to inform Cheng Lo of Sparrow's impending visit, but once that is accomplished, all you need to do is hand the pirate over so that he'll finally spend an eternity here."

Calypso took a moment to let Hades' words seek in, and nodded when they had. "Agreed. So, we have an accord?"

"That we do," Hades confirmed. "And I expect you to fulfill it."

"Don't fret. Now, if you'll kindly summon up a satisfactory vessel, I can be on my way."

Hades nodded. "Stand back."

Calypso obliged and took a few steps backward as Hades raised his skull-topped black cane up slightly, let it hang suspended in midair for a few seconds, and brought it back down to make contact with the crude rock in a way that caused the entire area to quake violently.

Calypso struggled to maintain her balance and footing during this time and she noticed the ground beneath her gradually begin to rise upward, toward the stalactite-covered ceiling. Aware of how susceptible to pain she was in her human form, Calypso braced herself by covering her blonde head with her arms, waiting for the sharp tips to pierce her skin...but they never did. Once Calypso was positive that they had passed the barrier of the Underworld, she removed her arms from over her head and stared around.

Not only were Calypso and Hades now out of the Underworld and in the mortal world, but they were also standing upon the main deck of a vast ship, sporting many hellish and aquatic features that were definitely befitting to someone like Calypso. The sea goddess continued to gaze around at her new vessel, and noticed that her crew of vicious-looking sea creatures/humans now stood at different intervals of the ship. Calypso turned to her brother and regarded him admiringly.

"I must say, Hades, you've rather outdone yourself."

"Praise is not necessary, this is merely a result of genuine power and concentration."

"Which I hope to regain very soon." Calypso leaned over and planted a sisterly kiss on Hades' pale cheek. "I regret abandoning you so soon, brother, but you understand my dilemma."

"Of course. I've fulfilled my end of our bargain, now it's high time you begin to fulfill yours."

And with that, Hades vanished into thin air by evaporating into nothingness, leaving Calypso alone with her crew. Not long after that, Calypso's first mate approached her and asked for orders.

"We need to make sure Jack Sparrow follows us to Singapore," she said as she opened her heart-shaped locket. Calypso then touched her forefinger to the locket's contents and closed her eyes in concentration; the sea goddess was soon rewarded wit a crystal-clear vision of the town of Port Royal. Calypso smiled in satisfaction and closed the locket again. "Chart a course to Port Royal. I need to first get Sparrow's attention, and I believe that I have a fairly good idea of how to do so."

Her first mate nodded, relayed his captain's orders, and soon they were headed in the direction of Port Royal...which happened to be the same destination as the Black Pearl.

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And presently, the Black Pearl was gliding along the calm waters of the Caribbean under the starlit sky, with each and every star reflected in the shiny ocean. The moon was full and shone bright, which added to the luminescent quality of the surface of the ocean. Everything about the vessel seemed peaceful enough, but inside the living quarters of the Black Pearl, one crewmate in particular was experiencing troubling dreams.

Elizabeth Turner lay in the bed she shared with her husband Will whenever their old friend Jack Sparrow managed to delude them into joining him on yet another one of the pirate captain's escapades, and currently, her face was contorted in a troubled expression and she was sweating. Will lay sound asleep next to her, while their son Michael slept soundly in a small hammock on the cabin's opposite wall.

In her dream, Elizabeth was engaged in battle yet again with the same figure whose identity was concealed by the shadows. They were fighting in the same location as before: the withered remains of a shipwreck, mainly the Captain's Quarters. In one hand, Elizabeth held a vial of neon-green colored liquid, which was of the utmost importance.

Elizabeth persisted in the duel, willing herself to go on despite the feeling of fatigue that was slowly enveloping her. But all too soon, the strength of her opponent caused Elizabeth to fall backward onto the wood floor, the vial of green liquid rolling one way and her sword skidding in the other. Elizabeth did her best to try and recover the two objects, but was unsuccessful as her opponent began to bear down upon her, stepping into the light as he did so.

The face that met Elizabeth's eyes caused her to gasp in genuine shock. It was hardened in a serious expression, handsome, and belonged to her husband: William Turner. However, the cold hatred and darkness reflected in Will's eyes at the moment was not like him at all; it was as if he was a completely different person.

But before Elizabeth could utter a single word, Will brought down the sword in his hands lethally.

Just then, Elizabeth awoke with a jolt. She was breathing heavily, and she allowed her eyes to dart around frantically as they took in her true surroundings; she was still safely aboard the Black Pearl, not a part of any battle whatsoever. Her breathing normal again now, Elizabeth wiped her sweaty forehead and made sure not to wake Will as she sat herself up, wrapped herself in a spare blanket, and quietly exited their cabin to walk up onto the main deck.

Elizabeth came up the stairs and onto the main deck of the Pearl, immediately met by a light breeze of cool, crisp night air that blew a few strands of Elizabeth's hair upward slightly. Elizabeth walked over to the railing and stood there, her arm still wrapped in front of her grasping the blanket and now resting upon the railing itself.

She stood there like that, content with just gazing out at the moonlit ocean peacefully, giving no regard to the various troubles that existed in her mind. Elizabeth used this time to herself to try and clear her mind of said uncertainties and troubles, most of which involved the previous dream. Elizabeth firmly assured herself that the dream was just that: a dream, and did not mean anything. And yet, there was another part of her that was certain that it was important, and that Elizabeth should treat it with seriousness.

But the tender touch of a strong, but gentle hand on Elizabeth's shoulder brought her back to reality. Elizabeth could tell precisely whom the hand belonged to without turning around, and she gingerly laid her own fingers upon the firm ones now grasping her shoulder. Next, the caring voice of Will reached her ears.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Elizabeth replied in an airy tone as she closed her eyes, a tone that made it evident that something was wrong.

"Elizabeth," said Will, "I can tell when something's troubling you. Please tell me what it is."

Elizabeth sighed heavily, reopening her eyes and turning around to face her husband. "It's just..." She trailed off and looked into Will's concerned eyes in order to summon the strength to voice her fears. "I...had a dream. It was so vivid and so real that it felt as if it were actually happening."

"What happened in this dream?" Will queried, his voice laced with genuine concern.

Elizabeth plowed on with her explanation, unable to stop now. "I was dueling someone inside what appeared to be the remains of a shipwreck, but we weren't underwater. My opponent always stayed in the shadows until he finally overpowered me...and then he stepped into the light, and I saw his face..."

"Did you recognize who it was?"

Elizabeth merely nodded, as she suddenly lost the ability to speak. She turned her head away from Will, tears beginning to well up inside her eyelids.

"Elizabeth, who was it?" Will repeated.

Elizabeth wiped away a single tear that fell from her left eye, but did not want to face Will again. However, she felt Will's fingers come up under her chin and rotate her head so that husband and wife were facing each other yet again.

"Y-y-you," Elizabeth stuttered in a breathless voice, letting the tears come full-force now. "You were fighting me and then...you...brought your sword down as if...as if...you were going to kill me." Now, Elizabeth was truly sobbing.

Will stood where he was, his face filled with blank confusion. When Elizabeth threw herself at him and started to cry into his chest, he absently wrapped his arms around her and began to rub her soothingly. At last, Will was able to voice the question on his mind.

"Have you had this dream before?"

"Once," Elizabeth admitted in-between sobs.

"When?"

"When we were searching for The Clan Of Cortez."

"And how real was this dream?"

"Too real."

Will then blinked, as if he had just come out of a reverie, and now began to speak to his wife in a soothing tone. "Elizabeth, it was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything." He cupped Elizabeth's face in his hands and looked her dead in the eye. "I love you, and I would never do anything to harm you at all."

Elizabeth nodded and sniffed, hugging Will close to her for the second time that night. And as Will stood there comforting Elizabeth under the flourescent moonlight, he found that he could not shift aside the feeling of uneasiness and fear that had accompanied Elizabeth's explanation of her dream.