A.N. I have Jack give a little exposition in this but I think it's still in character. Again I own nothing to do with Pirates of the Caribbean...blah blah blah...

A Pirate's Life: New Adventures

Chapter 5: Set a Course, Captains

Informing the 'Black Pearl' and the 'Troubadour' to follow Atkinson's ship, the HMS 'Conquerer' and Herron's ship the HMS 'Mauritia.' Jack himself was aboard the 'Conquerer' with Gibbs, Anamaria and Elizabeth and her son, whom she wanted to be near in order to protect him herself. While Teague and his men were back aboard the 'Troubadour'. Jack was confident that Cotton could steer the 'Pearl' well enough, he had proven to be a competent helmsman.

Before setting sail Teague and his son had shared a short conversation about the nature of the voyage.

"I know wha' I'm doin'," Jack had said at the frown on his father's face.

"I hope so, Jackie," Teague replied.

"Someone'll be boun' ter find 'em eventually, rather me be there than no' when i' 'appens," Jack had said.

"Aye, no doubt, bu' wha' yer plannin' fer the Trident?" his father asked him curiously.

"Dunno ye'," Jack had replied and they had been forced to cut short their conversation as navy men had joined them.

Jack stared out at his father's ship as he stood lazily beside the helm of captain Atkinson. He had provided a heading and now they were just weighing anchor. Jack had to admit that these navy men knew what they were doing, they were hard working men...they'd probably make good pirates.

The two members from his crew were aiding with the rigging while Elizabeth sat with her son son deck. The sky above was still unusually grey and cloudy and the sea below was choppy.

"So wha's in i' fer you?" Jack asked the fellow captain.

"Ownership of the 'Conquerer', and an official commission in his majesty's navy," the man replied honestly. "Regardless of the outcome, I will be recompensed."

"Workin' wif pirates...yer sure the crown'll turn an eye ter tha'," he smirked.

"If I call you a Privateer," (*1) the man answered and Jack snorted.

"I like th' way yer think," Jack told him. If only more navy men were like this, perhaps more of them would survive when they met with pirates.

"So, Sparrow, tell me about the Isla Sirena," Atkinson said, "I have heard stories that it moves with the ocean itself."

"Aye, it does, the Sirens move i' from the Locker ter the surface. It's guarded by sea beasts and Mermaids. When I was younger I was in charge o' a little fishin' boat, 'The Barnacle'...me crew fell under th' song an' somethin' lead me ter the Isle."

"What was it?"

"The 'chairwomen', or 'least that's wha' they called 'emselves. Morveren, Aquala an' Aquila, at th' time they was in charge of th' mermaids. The Siren's agents, they were," Jack replied, he saw no harm in telling this to Atkinson, as long as no specific details were told, "They're clever things, y'know, tried to trick me outta me freedom," he said.

By now, Gibbs, Anamaria, Elizabeth and her son were standing round the helm, they had come to enquire about the distance to their destination but this was far more interesting.

"We'd gone lookin' fer the sword o' Cortés an' in exchange for the safety o' me crew I gave 'em the' Eye o' Stone-Eyed Sam. Wha' I assumed was the thing I 'valued most.' I didn' realise till later tha' they meant me freedom, instead," Jack continued.

"Then what happened?" young Will asked eatery and Jack stared round to see that he had an audience of more than the one man he'd been speaking to originally.

"Well, I showed 'em who's boss," Jack told him, "Captain Jack Sparrow don't lose ter a buch o' glorified fish!"

"How?" the boy asked, jumping up and down eagerly.

Jack smirked at the boy's inquisitiveness and decided to answer him, otherwise he'd never have a minutes peace. "Well, we foun' Cortés an' his magic sword, an' we turned the 'Barnacle' in ter the 'Great Barncle'." he gestured with his bejewelled hands to indicate the magical expansion of the ship. "We sailed back ter the Isle Sirena an' single handedly I fough' their biggest, baddest sea monsters!" he made swooshing motions with his right arm as though holding a blade and Will laughed. "An' they swam off!" he finished.

Jack glanced at his two first mates who were regarding him with their usual look, caught between disbelief and wonder as it was Jack's habit to exaggerate. He continued telling the boy further details about the coloured scales on the tails of the mermaids, and the beautiful voices of the tailed women that beckoned men to their deaths.

The rest of the day had passed uneventfully; now it was late in the afternoon and Jack was balancing on the end of the bowsprit staring out at the darkening sky ahead of them. Not for the first time he was wondering if he was doing the right...or even the smart thing. Many people thought that what he did was mad at best, most of the time. But what he did was to further his own ends or to survive...not many people understood true survival.

Jack clutched the ropes tightly in his right hand as he leaned his left side further over the edge and felt the spray of the sea gently caress his face. He hoped that the mermaids were in the other world, that way he wouldn't be able to find them. But the compass hadn't lead him wrong before...so it probably wouldn't this time.

As he had told young Will, he had settled his deal with the mermaids, but they wouldn't stop trying to trick him into giving them his freedom. He was the only one their song couldn't affect, and he still didn't know why...maybe it was because he was already nuts and didn't need the help of a song to make him that way.

He could hear the crew of the 'Conquerer' on the deck behind him talking and shouting to each other. Most of them sounded worse than Gibbs. They were a typically superstitious lot, but this time they were justified, as Jack well knew.

"We're all doomed, the cap'n's followin' a pirate...a mad pirate. To a mermaid island!" one sailor said and Jack chuckled to himself.

"Once yer 'ear 'em sing they drag yer down ter see old hob!" another said.

"We shouldn't be goin', s'crazy!" a third said sternly.

"Cap'n'll 'ave a mutiny on his 'ands if this keeps up," the first man added and a quiet murmur of agreement followed.

Jack squinted down at the ocean and decided to keep that little piece of information to himself. It could prove to be useful. Atkinson's crew were not happy about being lead by Jack, to Isla Sirena. How interesting.

The man himself seemed not to care for the stories and powers of the mermaids, sirens and beasts that lived on the island. But his men did, enough to mention..and possibly even threaten mutiny.

"Jack," he heard a woman say and he turned to look for the source of the familiar voice. It was Elizabeth. She was standing on the edge of the forecastle leaning against the railing wearing her dark oriental dress/coat thingy with her long hair billowing over her shoulders in the gentle breeze.

"'Ello, luv," he replied quietly.

"Why are we doing this, Jack?" she asked him.

"Curiosity," he answered, smiling slightly at their little inside joke and he heard her laugh quietly as well.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Maybe no'," Jack muttered to himself.

"Then what else?" she asked, but got no answer.

Jack thought for a moment; he wondered what had happened to the sword of Cortés after it had been given to Tia Dalma for safekeeping. But perhaps she had given it back to the mermaids before she was freed. She was the sea goddess, so perhaps she had struck a bargain with them. The mermaids and sirens had wanted the blade when he had last seen them...they were persistent creatures so perhaps they got it.

It was a powerful weapon that was useless against creatures from Davy Jones Locker...meaning it was useless against the mermaids themselves, but it could be used against their enemies. If he could find it...and get it back...or even...but he would need to be wary in dealing with them. They were truly cantankerous beings.

"Let me guess; you have your reasons?" Elizabeth answered sarcastically and he simply nodded to her.

It would be foolish of him to deny that this was a dangerous adventure, but the best adventures were always dangerous, that was what made them worth having. "Well, can you just assure me that your reasons won't bring any harm to my son?" she asked.

"I'll try me best, luv," he replied and she nodded in appreciation leaving him alone on the bowsprit.

From his vantage point Jack stared out at his beloved 'Black Pearl', with Cotton at the helm and his crew sitting on deck drinking as usual. In the 'Troubadour' his father was still at his own helm and the man stared back at his son as though he knew he was being watched. The two shared a look of quiet understanding as their eyes met.

When he was young Jack had never exactly been sure that this man was his father, he had used to call Teague the 'man-who-might-be-father' as a child. But he had always been there for him, Teague was there when a young Jack had almost got his hand cut off...and he had been there when a young Jack had almost been sold into slavery, Teague was always there to help him. (*2)

Like many pirates Teague was a good man, and a good pirate. Jack had always respected his father. Even when other people thought Jack was mad the man had always done what he could from the shadows to help his son. And Jack appreciated that. He shot the man his usual confident smirk and turned back to the ocean.

Jack loved the sea, and he loved ships.

The 'Conquerer' was by no means as good as the 'Pearl', for there was no ship to match her for beauty and her speed. Jack had seen to that himself. When he had first laid eyes on the 'Wicked Wench' all those years ago as a young man he had fallen in love, she had been a little battered and worn then but he had fixed her up so that she'd sparkled and gleamed.

And then Beckett just had to go and sink her, didn't he? But the man ws dead now, so Jack supposed that he had paid his debt. He got what he'd deserved, and Jack had got his revenge, for the brand and for his ship. He'd often considered the irony of said brand.

Cutler Beckett had branded him for freeing his cargo of slaves at the mystical island of Kerma. But for all the mans' hatred of pirates and piracy he had created one of the best pirates in the Caribbean, and given him the tools for the job. Now that was irony!

But Jack didn't regret anything he'd done in his life. His adventures, the things and creatures he had discovered were things that some people only dreamed...or read about. Like the enchanting mermaids and sirens of the beautiful Isle Sirena.

Would Jack be welcomed by the mermaids once they reached the island? Or would they kill him? He doubted they would go that far...they were intrigued by his ability to evade their powers, so fortunately for him that curiosity prevented them from killing him in the most barbaric way they could think of. And some of them did indeed want to...some of them would take great pleasure in that no doubt.

And he was good friends with King Tonra, one of few mermen in the world. For some reason there were more mermaids than mermen. It wasn't something Jack had ever understood, but it just was.

"Mr Sparrow!" another vice called and Jack spun round agilely to face a young man of Atkinson's crew.

"Captain Sparrow!" Jack corrected automatically, "Wha' is i'?" he called.

"Cap'n wants ter speak ter yer," he answered.

"Wha's your name, sailor?" Jack asked him as he climbed across the bowsprit and onto the foredeck to stand in front of the young sailor.

"Edwards, sir, Albert Edwards," the youth with pale skin and black hair rallied. Clearly he hadn't been at sea for long, but he was experienced enough to know what he was doing on a ship, perhaps this was his third or fourth voyage.

"Well, young Mr Albert Edwards," Jack said and swaggered over to the man, "Are you afraid o' mermaids?"

"Not sure, sir, I never seen one," he replied truthfully, "But I hear' that they're frightful nasty things."

"Aye, they are," Jack nodded, "So wha're you doin' on this ship?"

"Me job, sir, Cap'n Atkinson hired me fer a years work, I owe 'im 6 more months."

"Is i' th' same wif the rest o' the crew?" Jack asked.

"Aye, sir," the boy nodded.

"Uh-huh...an' wha's say you abou' mutiny?"

"Not right, it ain't, sir," he answered and without another word Jack swaggered off to find the navy captain, "He's in 'is cabin, sir!" the boy called after him.

"Ah, Sparrow," Atkinson said as Jack approached the man's desk in his cabin.

It was a typical cabin of a navy captain, filled with elaborate maps, globes and nautical equipment. It was bright and open, unlike his own which was dark and cluttered, but he preferred his cabin, it was his own retreat and it was more inviting than this. At least it was to Jack.

"Would you be so good as to point out our position for us?" Atkinson asked as he stood over a table with a large paper map unfolded on it.

"Why'd yer need me ter do tha', wha's wrong wif yet naviga'or?" Jack asked.

"You know these waters better than he does, you know where to find this island and he does not...would you like me to continue?" Atkinson answered sharply.

Jack smirked and walked over to the table, he took a chair and slouched down in it and studied the map. It was beautifully drawn, and it was one of the most accurate he had ever seen, Jack had always appreciated the value of maps, unlike many sailors he had taken the time to study them and it had often proven extremely useful to him.

"Well, firs', I don' know where the island is, I told yer, it moves bu' we passed the 'God's Fingers' early this mornin'," he pointed in the map at the jagged rocks known as the 'God's fingers' to pirates. "She's been goin' at...4 maybe 5 knots at best...So I guess we're 'bout 'ere," he pointed again at the map.

The 'Pearl' and 'Troubadour' had been letting down unnecessary sails in order to prevent over taking the navy ships. The 'Conquerer' and the 'Mauritia' wslow more slow and clumsy than the pirate ships which had been added to over the years.

Now Jack took out his compass and hoped that it would lead him wrong, he really owed a lot to Tia Dalma for this little compass. What would he do without it? How did other sailors cope with a regular compass? "An' we shouldn' be too far off...or we could be days away...migh' get lucky an'd i' could come ter us...or we could be unlucky an' i' could still come ter us." he finished and put away his compass.

The three other men in the room; Atkinson, his first mate Rogers, and his navigator Daniels stared at the pirate captain in confusion as Jack walked back onto the deck.

(*1) A privateer was a private person or warship authorised by a government or sovereign to engage in attacks on foreign enemy shipping. Like Barbossa in the fourth film.

(*2) All the background info on Jack and Teague is on the site I posted on my profile.

A.N. Again I say, if you want to know more about the story involving Jack and the mermaids go to my profile and copy the link at the bottom. Personally I haven't actually read the books, but I'd like to, since the stories sound very interesting.