A/N: I am so sorry for all of the errors and mistakes in the previous chapter. Everything just took a wild turn and I improvised with a few things. Hopefully, it'll smooth out and all fall into place, just go along with it and remember, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN! Please, excuse my grammatical errors and my writing flaws.
Jack leaned on the doors to the cabin and stared at the morning sun. He sighed, knowing that there was a new adventure on the horizon. He moved his gaze down to Will, not moving his head so he wouldn't notice he was observing him. He looked worried and bothered by something. This is when he looked down at him, "What?" He asked.
"What, what?" Will asked, confused.
Jack pointed him around randomly, "What is wrong? You have that face." He said, making a face of his own. He really didn't want to care but Will was his friend sort of speak.
Will sighed, "I swore to Elizabeth that I'd go see her every ten years..." He said, looking far into the horizon where the sun began to rise in it's orange glory. Jack stared at him expectantly. Will sighed again, "Now we have her to take care of." He said, jabbing his thumb toward Jack's cabin.
"The girl? What about her?" He asked suspiciously.
"You haven't found out?" Will asked.
"'Bout what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"For years it has been said that in the ocean, a Siren hybrid swam freely. This Siren is the key to many treasures hidden in an underwater cove near Isla de Muerta. Being a hybrid, she is the only one that can swim down to the cove and unlock the chest with a song. A Siren's song will only work when she is in the water. If she attempts to sing out of the water, it's more of a screeching sound that can shatter glass miles away and kill a man." He turned around to face Jack who was listening intently, "I can assume that there is something different about her. Even if she is a hybrid, being half mermaid, she should have to be in water or something of the sort." He said, more likely thinking out loud. "Being half mermaid also means that she can put men into a trance, make them give into the temptation. This one, doesn't seem to have that in mind." He said.
"And that's good..." Jack said, more as a question.
"Yes, that is good." His face became puzzled, "Tell me, Jack. How did your father capture this legendary hybrid from the depths of the ocean and why would he just give it away?" He asked.
Jack pursed his lips, "I would tell you if I knew but I myself don't know so I cannot tell you what I don't know that you wish to know which in fact is what I want to find out." He said.
"It doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense. Only now, we know what those men were after." He said, rubbing his temples. He sighed, "Jack, I can't help you on this one, I have to go see Elizabeth. I don't even know how to get to her." He closed his eyes.
Jack smirked to himself, "I have a deal to offer to you, Will Turner." He wandered off to the main deck.
"What is it that you have in mind?" Will asked suspiciously.
"I can get your precious Elizabeth on board, safe and sound and in return you can help me find this cove and take the treasure for myself without losing the Pearl this time." Jack said, giving him a smirk.
Will gave him a look, "And how exactly do you plan on doing this?" He asked.
"That, my friend, you will find out soon enough." He said just before he started yelling orders at the crew. He walked over to the tiller and swung it around, making the ship turn abruptly. Everyone took hold of something until the ship was steady again. "Gibbs! Has anyone seen me first mate? Gibbs!" He shouted.
Shortly after his calls, Gibbs appeared next to him, "Aye, Captain?" He asked drunkenly, putting his hand on his forehead like a soldier's salute.
Jack jumped away from his voice. He looked over and realized it was Gibbs. He patted his coat off and cleared his throat, "Gibbs! Don't sneak up on me like that." He mumbled to him. "Gibbs, I need you to keep the ship route to Port Royale!" He ordered just before walking off in another direction.
Will walked after him, "Jack, what are you planning?" He asked, anxious to know.
"Well, if you must know," He opened the doors to his cabin and stood in front of Will, "I will not tell you." He said before slamming the doors shut.
He turned around quickly and jumped in surprise. Syren was roaming around the ship. He noticed that she wasn't wearing the same thing as earlier. She was now wearing one of his ruffled shirts with a black vest on top. She wore some beige trousers, also his. Her hair was tied into a long messy braid that went down to her thighs. She had a red bandana tied around her head, much like his. She wore the same boots though.
She turned and spotted him standing there. She stopped moving, "Oh, I-I hope you don't mind..." She said, pulling on the shirt.
"Not at all, love." He smiled, "I need a favor from you."
"A favor? What favor?" She asked nervously, fearing he knew about the cove.
"You see, there is a woman that we need on board and none of us can approach let alone be on the land she resides in. That is why we need you to go in, give her a letter and lead her back here. No questions asked." He explained.
Syren wanted to refuse. Jack stared into her eyes intently, his pupils flicking around as they roamed over her face. Her voice caught in her throat.
"Will you do it?" He asked.
"Wh... I..."
"Of course you will!" He said happily, clapping his hands together.
In a matter of minutes, Will was engraving the way to Elizabeth's home into her memory. He told her where it was safe and where she should avoid at all cost. He explained to her not to be suspicious but to also be discreet as to not let them now her purpose on being there and who she was. Syren listened carefully to every instruction up until they finally reached their destination.
"Here," Will handed her a letter, "give this to her. Don't say a word, just lead her back here." He instructed.
She nodded, "Why can't I speak to her?" She asked in her quiet, angelic voice.
"Because, she will start to ask question and get anxious. She will blow your cover, just ignore her every word no matter what she says, alright?"
She nodded. Will stared into her watery eyes for a moment. He felt the need to touch her, if only to show reassurance. He fought the urge knowing that it was her mystical abilities to enchant a man with her beauty and charm. She stared back at him, feeling strange over something. Something made her stomach twist. She hid her pained expression as he reached out and ran the back of his fingers against her smooth pale cheek. His hand felt like a dagger to her.
"Good luck." He whispered to her.
She was about to move along with the plan when someone pulled her back by the shoulder. She looked back and it was Gibbs. He looked worried about something.
"What is it, Gibbs?" She asked, genuinely concerned. She had taken a liking to Gibbs over the past few hours when they had talked about small anythings.
"I have a terrible feelin' that somethin' terrible is going to happen soon. I fear it be ye that's in trouble here..." He said for only her to hear.
"What? What can I do?" She asked, her voice cracking.
"I don't know..." He said sadly. "Just try to make it back, girl." He said, patting her shoulder.
She took a heavy breath. Jack had already threatened her about what could happen if she were to decide to escape. Of course it had only been a threat but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt him. She closed her eyes, as she climbed onto the railing of the ship. Everyone watched silently as she took deep breaths, as if she feared to get off the ship.
Ragetti leaned over toward Will, "What's wrong with the girl, eh?" He asked.
"I don't know..." Will answered, not taking his eyes off of her.
She whispered a prayer into the wind before taking a step forward and then falling down into the depths of the ocean. Once the freezing water hit her body, she felt that familiar surge of pain course through her. She opened her eyes and watched as her legs and feet morphed into a tail. Being a hybrid, it was natural for her to fear taking a breath. She swam to the surface and poked her head out of the water, glancing up at the ship. Everyone was peering over the side to look down at her.
She avoided eye contact with any of them and dove back down into the water. She knew it was about six miles until Port Royale. She swam forward, not looking at anything else but the bubbles that came from her nose every once in a while. She feared the emptiness of the ocean. One wrong turn and you're lost forever. She explored the ocean out of Isla de Muerte's area before and she knew the ocean very well but it had been so long she had been hiding in the cove. She came up to breath every now and then considering she could hold her breath for an incredibly long time.
She finally saw the wooden poles that held the dock to Port Royale. She swam up to the shore and climbed out onto the beach. She lay on the sand for a few moments so her tail could once again become legs and feet. She held back her cries of pain as this happened and tried to stand as soon as possible. She pulled out the trousers from inside her dripping wet shirt and pulled them on. She secured the note back into her pocket and headed onto the dock, hiding her face with the hat one of the crew members gave her. Well, Jack ordered him to.
She tried to keep her eyes on the ground as best she could without running into someone. Luck wasn't on her side today. She ran into someone. That person grabbed her shoulders firmly and shook her, "Watch where you're going, girl!" He said sternly.
She looked straight at the man and immediately recognized him as one of Port Royale's guards. The man looked into her eyes and hesitantly let go of her.
"Who are you?" He asked, slightly curious.
"I- I am a cousin of Elizabeth Swann. My name is Emily. I am here to visit her. May I be on my way now?" She asked shyly. The man seemed to be mentally arguing with himself and slightly puzzled but he stood aside all the same. "Thank you, young man." She said before continuing her way through.
She managed to reach Elizabeth's home without anymore encounters. She knocked on the large doors and waited. Soon enough, she heard footsteps coming toward the door. The door cracked open and someone peeked out. She knew it was a woman because of the factions.
"Elizabeth Swann?" She asked, peeking from underneath the hat.
"Who wants to know?" She asked rather rudely.
Syren remembered what Will had told her and just handed her the letter. Elizabeth eyed it suspiciously for a moment before snatching it from her through the small space she opened the door to. Syren watched silently as she read the letter, her eyes widening then watering. She looked up at Syren.
"Who are you?" She asked, still shocked from the news she had received.
"Please, just follow me." Syren mumbled, slightly in a hurry.
"Give me one moment." Elizabeth said, holding up a finger.
"Elizabeth, there isn't any time." Syren pressed on.
Either way, she went back into the house, leaving her outside with nothing to do. In a matter of seconds, she was out and locking up the house. Syren didn't bother in making a question and just started to walk quickly toward the dock. Once they got there, she slapped her forehead.
"What? What's the matter?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.
"We didn't think this through very well. Now how am I going to get you to the ship?" She asked herself.
"Wait, how did you get here?" She asked.
Syren looked over at her, "Can you swim?" She asked, ignoring her previous question.
"Yes. Now why don't you try answering some of my questions for a change?" She asked, sounding offended.
"I'm sorry, he told me not to." She said.
"He? Who's he?" She asked.
"I can't be talking to you, Mrs. Turner." She whispered as she looked around the dock. The previous guard seemed to be missing. She walked over to a docked boat and began to untie it from the dock as Elizabeth followed.
"What are you doing? And who are you? I am not leaving this spot until you answer my questions." Elizabeth said, stomping her foot on the dock.
Syren rolled her eyes to herself, "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for him. He asked me to do this now will you please cooperate with me?" She pleaded in annoyance.
Elizabeth growled under her breath and helped her free the boat. They hopped in and Elizabeth grabbed the rows before Syren could. Syren ignored that and looked back at Port Royale as they made their departure, making sure that no one spotted them.
"I need to rows, Elizabeth. I'm the one who knows the way to the ship." She said, holding her hands out to her.
Elizabeth rowed angrily, keeping a glare on her.
Syren sighed, "My name is Syren. Other then that, I'm as clueless as you are as to what is going on." She said sympathetically.
Elizabeth's expression softened but her jaw remained clenched as she placed the rows into her hands. She stared at her for a while until she decided to speak up, "You are very beautiful." She said. She said it as a statement, not a compliment. She couldn't help but feel jealous that this woman knows Will, her husband and she is so mysterious.
"So are you." Syren said, smiling at the blonde woman before her.
"Thank you." Was all she said until they reached the ship.
Ropes came down from the side of the ship and they climbed up. Syren was very careful as to not get wet on her way up. As soon as Elizabeth stepped foot on the ship, Will scooped her up in his arms and gave her a long passionate yet sweet kiss.
Syren watched as everyone said hello. They all seemed to know her. Clearly she was Will's lover or maybe even his wife. But, pirates didn't have wives that she knew of. Then again, something screamed out to her that Will Turner wasn't your usual pirate. It showed in the way he spoke, acted, dressed, looked. It was obvious.
"Will, I've missed you so much!" She breath as they shared another kiss.
"And I you, my love." He said, smiling brightly at her.
"No one ever misses the Captain, eh?" Jack said, opening his arms for what seemed to be asking for a hug.
Syren smiled at the happiness of them all. She sighed to herself and wandered off to leave them to their happy reunion. She walked down to the quarterdeck of the ship and leaned on the rail. She watched as the water splashed around the rudder freely.
"If only I could be free too..." She mumbled to herself.
"Aye, freedom is something to be appreciated." Someone said from besides her.
She jumped and looked over. She recognized Gibbs as he leaned over on the rail beside her. "Gibbs, you scared me." She said, putting her hand against her chest.
"Sorry about that." He chuckled.
"Gibbs," She said after a few minutes of silence. He looked over at her, indicating that he was listening before looking back out to the sea. "Who is she?" She asked.
"Ah, Elizabeth Swann... or should I say Turner?" He chuckled. "The Captain kidnapped her years ago. She came a long way with us. She's a pirate too, ya know." He said.
"Her? A pirate?" She asked disbelievingly.
"Doesn't look it, does she? But it be true, she be one of the most ruthless female pirates out there." He said. "She is the Pirate Captain of the Empress and Pirate Lord of the South China Sea. She be the wife of Will Turner as you can see." He explained.
"Amazing." She breathed.
"Now, why don't ye tell me a little about yerself?" He asked.
"What is there to know?" She asked with a scoff.
"Well, what's your history?" He said as if it were obvious.
"My history?" She sighed, "It still hasn't been written." She said.
Gibbs knew that she didn't want to talk about it so he changed the subject, "What are your plans?" He asked.
"My plans?" She asked in confusion.
"Aye, your plans. What do ye plan to do?" He asked.
"He knows?" It was more of a statement.
"He does, Will knows, I know and I'm sure Elizabeth know by now. Soon enough ye be hoppin' on and off ships like a cannonball. By the end of the day, you'll be lucky to be alive." He said.
Syren understood what he was talking about. "I have been hunted for years. Captured and thrown around like an object that was no longer worthless after I served my purpose. I longed to have that all end. Just give a man all the riches he wants, it's not like I want it but as the only person to be able to enter and the guardian of the riches that lay hidden in the cove, I can never bring myself to do it. I can't give it to anyone. Why? Because like every other treasure in the Caribbean, it is cursed. But why do I care whatever happens to them? Because if a certain piece of those riches were to be removed, not only would a curse plague him but I would be cursed to remain there for the rest of my life as punishment for not protecting the riches..." She had said aloud without noticing.
Gibbs remained silent as his brain registered all of the information that was given to him. Little did they know that someone had been listening to her very intently.
Will leaned back against the wall he had been hiding behind. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop on them but her words caught his attention and he couldn't help but listen as she spoke in the voice of hers that was like silk. Now he was beginning to see this from another side. She wasn't just an object, a key. She was a living, breathing creature that felt and hurt things just like anyone else did. Now she was being hunted once more and the one holding her captive was Jack and himself. He couldn't possibly make her go through all of that suffering. He knew what it was like to be stuck in a place for all of eternity, doing something you really didn't want to be doing when you could be doing something you did want to do. Freedom was something to be appreciated. He couldn't take her life away from her. He needed to find a way to help her escape. But if he sets her free, she could- no, she will be captured by someone with no mercy and he will make her go down to the cove, bring him the treasure and thus, take her very own life away.
'But how? I only have a day and it's ending. A day I should have been spending with my wife before I left for the next ten years!' He groaned silently. 'What am I going to do?'
"Will, is everything alright?" Elizabeth asked as she walked up to him. Her face held concern.
"Nothing, my love. Everything is fine." He said, chuckling just to reassure her.
"Please, please, do not lie to me." She breathed.
He sighed, "I don't know, Elizabeth. I truly don't know..."
Elizabeth leaned over and hugged Will in effort to make him feel better. It really made no difference and that angered Will. He loved her hugs but now, he barely even returned it. He was fixated on his thoughts on what to do.
"I hate to break this up but there is a cave full of treasure waiting for me." Jack grinned, "Shall we?"
Will grimaced, "Elizabeth, may you leave us for a moment?" He whispered to her as he tried to follow after Jack.
"What? Will, anything you need to say, you can say it in front of me, I'm your wife!" She said sternly.
"I know and I love you very much. I promise you'll know as soon as I speak with Jack, I promise." He said as he walked away from her and after Jack.
Elizabeth stood there in disbelief. Will grabbed Jack's shoulder and spun him around, "We need to talk." He said as he dragged him down to the brig.
"What? What can be more important than mountains of gold just waiting to be discovered, William Turner?" He asked desperately.
"We can't do this." He said quickly.
"What? Sure we can! We've got the girl, I know the way to Isla de Muerta-"
"No, Jack! We can't do this because-"
"No, Will! We can do this! And you know why? Because you have me, Captain Jack Sparrow. Sailing none other than the beautiful Black Pearl." He said, grinning.
"Jack, you don't understand! Listen to what I'-"
"No, you listen! You have obviously gone delusional. Gold+Pirate=Happy Pirate and you know what? I want to be a Happy Pirate, Will. Now come on, we've got a long way to go and you..." He climbed back up and looked into the sky, "don't have much time left." He said before going off to the tiller to put the ship in route to Isla de Muerta.
Will grimaced again. 'Someone might as well stab me in the heart.' He thought slightly sarcastically as he manned the ropes along with the crew.
Syren stared into the waters. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and a sudden urge to leap into the water. She felt like she was in danger. She looked out into the horizon and stifled a gasp with her hand. Following behind them was none other than the Queen Anne's Revenge. She squinted to see a little further and her heart stopped beating for a moment. She recognized the man as the very same man that bought her out of the sea before she was kidnapped from him by Jack's father. She screamed. The entire crew had their attention on her. And by entire crew, I mean both the Pearl's and the Queen Anne's Revenge.
Will rushed to her side, "What is it?" He asked frantically, ignoring the ringing in his ears.
"B-B-B..." She trembled, "Barbossa!" She breathed, pointing at the ship that followed after them. Syren panicked and started to run in the other direction.
For some reason, Will knew she was going to jump. "Stop her!" He yelled.
Syren ran as tears fell from her eyes, falling onto the deck. She wasn't watching where she was going so he managed to catch without too much effort. He hugged her tightly, keeping her arms secured to her sides so she couldn't struggle too much. He pulled her to the ground.
"Are you alright, love? What in the name of rum is wrong?" He asked, slightly worried.
Will knelt down beside them, "Barbossa. He's following after us. I'm sure he's coming to take her with him." He explained to Jack.
Jack's eyes widened, "Already? Hector does not waste any time, does he?" He asked before standing and yelling at his crew to man the gunports and ready for battle.
Will grabbed Syren by the shoulders and shook her, "You know him? How do you know him?" He demanded to know.
"He was the one that t-took me from m-my home before J-J-Jack's father kidnapped me from him. H-He killed a lot o-of Siren's that were around." She cried.
"Alright, follow me." He said as he grabbed her hand and dragged her down to the brig. "Alright, listen." She sobbed, "Stop crying and listen!" He shook her. She settled down and listened, "You're going to swim down to-"
"No!" She shook her head frantically, "No, I can't!"
"Listen!" He growled, "You're going to swim down as far as you can and just keep swimming to the East. That should send you to Rumrunner's Isle, an island Jack knows very well. We'll meet you there and whatever you do, don't stop. Just keep going until you reach the island, we'll meet you there." He said quickly.
"But what about you and the others?" She asked nervously.
"It's Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Will Turner, Captain's of the Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman. I think we'll live." He said, giving her a reassuring smile.
"But it's Barbossa and The Queen Anne's Revenge, Will."
"Shut up and swim!" He said as he shoved her out of a large hole that a cannonball had made previously.
Syren hit the water and her painful transformation began. As soon as she was complete, she swam as fast as she could toward the bottom of ocean or at least as far as she could go. She swam in the direction he had told her to and just kept swimming.
Will ran back up to the deck only to find that the Pearl was already under attack by Barbossa's crew. Will quickly pulled out his sword and started to fight his way toward Jack who was also fighting alongside Elizabeth and Gibbs.
"Where's the girl?" Jack asked as soon as he spotted Will.
Will gave him a look with no answer. Jack nodded and continued to fight up the stairs to the quarterdeck. Will went back to back with Elizabeth to fight off the group of pirates that closed in on them. Ragetti and Pintel yelled orders to the pirates that were manning the gunport. They shot at the Queen Anne's Revenge and managed to get some critical hits. If it weren't for the fact that they had the upper hand right now, Pintel would be giggling in excitement at how well they were handling this.
Gibb's watched as men started to swing in on ropes. One particular man caught his attention though, "Barbossa..." He said under his breath angrily.
Jack noticed the size of the group of men that were fighting from the quarterdeck, "Fight 'til the bitter end, me hardies!" He yelled as he stabbed a man straight through the stomach.