A/N: Thank you so so so so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm so happy to see that you guys are enjoying the story. I hope you all like this chapter!
Chapter XXVI
I awoke the next morning naked, tangled in the crinkled sheets of Jack's empty bed. I wasn't surprised that he was gone – despite the events of the previous night, I'd arrived at the firm conclusion that Jack was the sort of person to flee from his feelings. Why, I do not know. Perhaps he found it easier to ignore "sentiment," as he put it, than make himself vulnerable to it. It didn't make sense, of course, for it mattered not whether or not he gave into his affections for me. If I were injured in some manner (or worse, killed), he would be hurt regardless. But it seemed that logical thought was not something that could be applied to love.
After getting dressed, I headed out on deck to see that we were already sailing; Jack was at the helm, looking self-assured as ever. His tanned skin glistened in the bright sun and his dark eyes were squinted. He really was very strange looking, but he was undeniably handsome all the same – and he knew it. He had his usual air of pride about him; no one would suspect that anything had changed between us.
At least that was what I thought before Cailido spoke to me.
"What were you doing in the captain's quarters at a time like this?" she demanded with narrowed eyes and a quirked eyebrow.
"I – uh – he asked me to get something for him," I stammered. My lie was obvious.
"Really? Because this is the first time you've been on deck all morning," she pressed skeptically.
"What do you mean to suggest?" I demanded through gritted teeth.
She smirked with infuriating self-satisfaction. " Nothing at all," she replied with a knowing wink. As she sauntered away, I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment. This left me somewhat surprised – embarrassment was something I experienced rarely, and I couldn't understand why I was feeling it now. I had done nothing to be ashamed of (or had I? humans were ever so touchy about such subjects, but pirates did seem a bit more lax…), but the fact that everyone now knew was disconcerting. I supposed it wasn't very ladylike for me to be caught in such a predicament, though I couldn't say I regretted my actions in the least.
I climbed up to the helm. "Hello, Jack," I greeted saucily.
He merely spared me a sidelong glance and his response was brief. "'ello," he replied with a defensive sort of boredom lacing his tone.
I snapped my head towards the stern and saw the other ships following us at a safe distance. Gibbs was on the upper deck as well and I walked over to speak with him.
"We're almost there, are we?" I inquired.
"Aye. We should be reachin' our destination by midday," he answered gruffly. He studied me for a moment, before continuing, "Cap'n Jack, 'e – er – 'e informed me o' the situation."
"Oh?" This was no great shock; Jack confided in Gibbs as much as he confided in anyone (which, granted, wasn't saying much).
"Aye." He eyed me intensely and I started to shrink under his inspection. "'e didn' seem too 'appy 'bout it," he blathered on. "N' fact, I dunno if I've ever seen the Cap'n like that b'fore. 'e wasn't really worried, per say, but 'e wasn't 'appy. I jus' think ye oughtta know, it's a good thing what yer doin'. Dangerous, but good. And the Cap'n does care 'bout ye, if that be any consolation."
I gave him a thin-lipped smile. "Thanks. I presume it's the work of the spell."
Gibbs' expression was almost entirely unreadable, but I detected the faintest trace of doubt deep in his eyes. I pushed the unfamiliar and unwelcome feeling of hope out of my chest and focused instead on the crippling sense of anxiety that was beginning to seep into the pit of my stomach. Judging by the sun's height, we had a matter of three or four hours before we were smack in the center of the Triangle. Which, theoretically, meant I had a matter of three or four hours left to live. That was certainly an unfortunate thought…
After around two and a half hours, Jack finally tore his solid gaze away from the horizon. His compass, which had been rooted in the palm of his hand for nearly the entire journey, suddenly attracted his attention. He stared at the needle as it began circling 'round and 'round arbitrarily.
"Well that's interesting," he murmured to himself. "Lads," he began loudly, "and ladies" he amended in reference to Cailido and myself, "It appears that we've entered the Bermuda Triangle. Signal the others."
"How can you be sure?" Cailido questioned brashly. Her raven-colored hair shimmered prettily in the sun's rays and flowed behind her in the wind; I couldn't help but notice Wentworth staring at her in a manner that he had once reserved for me. It seemed he had a penchant for women who were far more spirited than he was.
"Have you got a compass?" Jack countered with a question of his own, un-fazed by her audacity.
"Aye."
"Well then, why don't you take a look a it," he suggested as if it was obvious (which, granted, it was).
Begrudgingly, she did as he instructed. "Why's it spinnin' around like that?" she asked.
"Because, as I've just said, we have reached the Triangle. That's what happens," he answered tiredly.
She glared at him in annoyance, but didn't reply. Clearly she was seeking a more scientific explanation, but Jack was far from the right person to give it to her.
"How much longer 'til we reach where we need to be?" Tim yelled from the lower deck.
"Hard to say, probably around an hour or so. Depends on the wind, which is a bit unpredictable in this area," he said. "Hopefully we won't be caught in any flash storms, but such a thing wouldn't be uncommon."
I gulped heavily; this didn't sound at all promising. When the rest of the crew was no longer giving the captain their undivided attention, I started to walk towards him.
"Jack, I – " I started softly.
"You don't need to say it," he ground out, his jaw clenched in emotional discomfort.
"I know, but –"
"Really, I'd rather we don't. I think we've had quite enough of," he paused, looking me up and down and making a strange gesture with his hand. "That," he finished.
I tried not to smile at his peculiar demeanor. "Yes, you made that quite clear this morning," I replied.
His face was betrayed no emotion, so I continued, "Did your compass point to the entrance to Atlantis? Before we entered the Triangle, that is…"
"Since you've asked, in fact it did," he confirmed.
"Then I suppose you've claimed your prize."
"I suppose. Don't you have something you should be doing? Other than pestering me, that is?"
I snorted at this comment; "I think I'll be contributing plenty later today, do you not agree?"
This seemed to stump him. "Perhaps," he began, "But you still ought to at least appear to be engaged in some sort of useful endeavor. Otherwise the crew might grow suspicious, and we wouldn't want that…"
"Fair enough," I conceded. With that, I descended the staircase and began helping Tom swab the deck. It certainly wasn't the most enjoyable task, but it required a minimal amount of brainpower and was a welcome distraction.
It was only a matter of minutes before buckets of water started pouring from the heavens; it was raining so hard that one might have suspected the sky and sea had switched positions. Not a spot of blue was visible, and angry gray clouds wholly concealed the sun at an impossible rate. Lightening began to flash, followed by the clash of thunder overhead. The waves roiled violently, rocking the ship and spraying the deck with such velocity that several of my crewmates were thrown off their feet.
This was not good. The amount of water invading the ship was dangerous for numerous reasons, the primary of which was obvious: I might turn into my true form.
I whipped my head around to see that the Teague, Barbossa, and Jocard's ships were being similarly assailed by the forces of nature.
"Batten down the hatches, lads!" Jack cried over the roar of the tempest. "Let out the canvas! Let 'er lie ahull!" He released the wheel and it spun on its own volition.
"But Cap'n, we'll be completely at the mercy o' the devil 'imself!" Gibbs protested in horror.
"Aye, that's the plan!" he yelled back. "We'll be taken where we're meant to go, mark me words!"
The rest of the crew had no choice but to trust him, and they began securing the barrels on board. I could not help them – I needed to find shelter before I sprouted a tail.
I grabbed Emery, the dog, before rushing into Jack's quarters and slamming the door behind me; everything in his room, excluding the furniture, which was nailed down, slid across the floor as the ship rocked. I, too, was caught off balance. But at least I was dry. Emery looked at me with innocent black eyes and cocked his head to the side. I wondered if his mind was still human – it didn't seem like it. Although, he did seem grateful that I'd saved him from being swept overboard, which would have led to his certain demise.
I felt awful, leaving them all like that, but I would be of no use to them. My penance would come later, I assured myself as I listened to the harsh pounding of raindrops. Later…
The storm lasted no longer than twenty minutes.
There was an eerie cease in activity, and I ventured back on deck.
It was Cailido who confronted me first (again). "Coward," she accused.
I winced. It did indeed seem that way, didn't it? "It's not what it looks like," I tried earnestly.
Understandably, she was far from convinced. I looked to the rest of the crew, and saw that they too were eyeing me in disappointment – Tim and Tom looked positively crestfallen, and I felt my chest restrict. If only they knew… But they would know, soon enough.
Jack called their attention away from me. "Now is hardly the time," he boomed commandingly. "All hands, ready your weapons. Marty, Cotton, load the guns."
"Ready them for what?" Wentworth demanded, his features panic-stricken. It dawned on me then that no one else knew what we were going to be up against. They all still thought that we were searching for treasure, didn't they? At least Cailido, the Spritelies, and Wentworth did. Oh dear, they were certainly in for a rude awakening.
Jack didn't even need to reply. Instead, the ship began to quake ominously and the floorboards groaned. Several crewmembers yelled in surprise, and I knew that my time had come. I crept towards the stern and began to undress as quickly and surreptitiously as I could. Before I leapt into the water, however, an enormous, scaly tail surfaced from the deep. It was nearly as thick as the width of the ship, and decidedly longer.
It was undoubtedly the Leviathan.
A sort of metallic armored plating, which appeared to be man-made, protected its grayish flesh. This did not bode well for Marty and Cotton, who had already begun firing the cannons.
And then I dove. Only I could save the ship, as it appeared that Barbossa, Teague, and Jocard had no intention of coming to our aid. Bloody pirates, I thought to myself.
After the cool water accepted me into its sanctuary, I witnessed the extent of the problem. My crewmates were only seeing a third of the beast; the rest of it was submerged beneath them. I turned my gaze to the seafloor – what I saw was intensely disturbing.
There were ruined ships everywhere. The expanse of destruction was large enough to be the city of Atlantis itself. It extended as far as I could see, even beneath the Revenge, Troubadour, and Ranger. It was a veritable graveyard.
And then came the monster. I do not know what I had expected, to be entirely honest. But what I saw was worse than anything I could have conjured even in my wildest nightmares.
It was not exactly a sea serpent, as I had anticipated, because it possessed two sharp pectoral fins. Along its back lay a continuous row of spines that were akin to dorsal fins, but were made of a bone-like material. Its large head was the most ghastly part of all; its eyes were yellow and miniscule, almost fully masked by the unusual armor it was outfitted with. Its pebbled skin was visible from between the plates, but only just. From what I could tell, the beast itself was a sickly purple-gray color. It had a snout almost like that of a shark, but not quite so pointed. And its teeth – its teeth were the coup-de-grâce. They were like a crocodile's, but ten times the size in every dimension.
Needless to say, I was terrified – almost to the point of being immobilized.
Luckily, however, it had yet to notice my presence.
Unluckily, it seemed intent on demolishing the Jewel.
And it was succeeding – splintered wood was beginning to snow down upon the surface of the sea, while heavier items, such as barrels and cannons, sunk slowly around me. The Leviathan was obscured by a murky cloud of bubbles due to all its thrashing. We were the only living creatures in the water – everything else was dead.
It was then that I started to sing. My voice sounded uncharacteristically sepulchral as it echoed through the abandoned battlefield.
"T'was Friday morn when we set sail,
And we were not far from the land
When our Captain he spied a mermaid so fair
With a comb and a glass in her hand.
And the ocean waves do roll
And the stormy winds do blow
And we poor sailors go skipping at the top
While the landlubbers lie down below"
It wasn't working – it couldn't hear me. I needed to get closer.
I darted towards the monster, hesitantly at first. But my resolve was bolstered the moment I saw a pair of feet hover far above my head. I couldn't quite make out what was going on, but things were looking bleak from my perspective.
"Then up spoke the captain of our gallant ship," I continued, my voice quivering with fear, "And a fine old man was he
This sweet mermaid has warned us of our doom;
We shall sink to the bottom of the sea."
I had certainly chosen an appropriate melody. Still, the Mermaid's Song wasn't having any effect. So, closer I swam. I swam until I was practically perched on its fearsome skull.
"Then spoke the cabin-boy of our gallant ship,
And a brave young lad was he
Said 'I have a sweetheart in Salem by the sea,
And tonight she'll be weeping there for me"
Finally, it heard me.
But, instead of being mollified, it was enraged. Its massive jaws turned to face me and the ship was ignored. But it was too late. The Jewel was obliterated.
I didn't have the opportunity to mourn my beloved home of two months, however, for I had now become the Leviathan's primary interest.
Swimming at a speed I hadn't imagined possible, I slimly avoided its gnashing teeth. Why isn't my song working, was all my mind could process.
But I pressed on, even as I fled.
"Then up spoke the cook of our gallant ship,
And a crazy old butcher was he
Said 'I care much more for my pots and my pans
Than I do for the bottom of the sea"
And then something miraculous happened.
The creature faltered in its pursuit.
It looked at me, and its canary orbs held a flicker of wonderment. I tilted my head towards the sky, still clutching some shred of hope that everyone was all right.
I wasn't disappointed – the Troubadour, Ranger, and Revenge had sailed closer, and, from what I could see, saved my shipwrecked crewmates. A ways apart from the three ships was a longboat in the place where the Jewel had sat. Debris from the dismembered ship floated towards the ghostly seafloor like ashes. The Poseidon's Jewel was now nothing more than a relic, adding mass to the city of ruins beneath the waves.
From the longboat, I saw an arm stretched into the water. It was holding Jack's compass, which caught the sunlight. Immediately, I understood.
"Then three times 'round spun our gallant ship," I sang sorrowfully, the lyrics striking a deep chord,
"And three times 'round spun she;
Three times 'round spun our gallant ship,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea." [1]
By this time, I had led the Leviathan to the surface of the water, where the longboat floated unassumingly.
I had done it, I had tamed the monster.
And now Barbossa, Jocard, and Jack were waiting, waiting to be thrust into the very bowels of the beast.
I swam above the Leviathan's head, and used its helmet-like contraption to guide it out of the water.
It was almost as if I had unlocked something within it – as if it had been programmed to respond to my touch. It soon became docile and slowly opened its mouth, revealing a bulky, slimy, red tongue. It looked far from sanitary. Jocard expertly stepped off of the safety of the boat and into the jaws of death itself. Barbossa was next, and lastly Jack.
The Leviathan closed its mouth and sunk below the waterline. Then, as I still held on to its head, it descended rapidly into the dark maze of shipwrecks at the bottom of the ocean.
[1]: The name of this song is called "The Mermaid" - I don't really know what exact year it's from, but it was apparently popular throughout the 1700's. Haha I thought it was appropriate, given the circumstances.
Also, I didn't really base the Leviathan on anything in particular, but, if anyone has seen the new Avengers movie, I was inspired by that alien thing that attacks the city - I think it was called the Leviathan too... It's not supposed to look like that exactly, but if you'd like a visual just google that and it should help lol.
Anyway, I hope you all liked this! I kind of have trouble writing action scenes like this, so it'd be great to hear your thoughts! There was a lot of Cassie in this chapter, but don't worry, we'll hear from everyone else soon enough. Also, I just wanted to remind you all of the other crewmembers (Wentworth, the Spritelies, etc.), seeing as they haven't gotten a lot of mention recently. :) Thanks so much for reading!