Birds of a Feather

The Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Flock Together

"I just can't believe it," Mallot grumbled as he and Grapple stalked along the deck of the Black Pearl looking for the intruders. "All this time and The Mermaid can actually walk and be all womanlike."

"The worst part is she's shacked up with the prisoners and turned against the Captain," Grapple grunted, eyes stalking along the shadows to see where the two women were hiding. "I tell you what, I'd like to put her in her place once this curse has broken. Show her the real difference between a man and a woman. But you know Twigg and Koehler are going to get to her first and leave nothing behind."

"Personally I don't think she's much attractive. Sure, pretty and whatnot but not the deadly beauties you hear infest Whitecap Bay. Barbossa's pet couldn't even charm a drunk with a barrel of rum."

"You're right. There's nothing that little tart could do to get me under her spell."

That was the moment the most beautiful song they had ever heard came to them.

Upon one summer's morning

I carefully did stray

Down by the Walls of Wapping

Where I met a sailor gay

Their heads turned all about, searching for the source of that most glorious voice. They could not believe their eyes when they turned and saw Syrena seated on one of the cannons, coy smile and something both mischievous and utterly seductive twinkling in her eyes.

They had never heard Syrena sing before, and indeed she did not sing often, but there was a reason a mermaid's singing was called a Siren song. There was magic laced in those heavenly voices that would grip the heart of any man around and draw them to the mermaid whether they wanted her or not. So when Syrena leaned forward on that cannon, beckoning them with a sly smile and an irresistible song, Grapple and Mallot felt their minds go blank and their feet move forward not of their own volition.

Conversing with a young lass

Who seem'd to be in pain

As the pirates neared, Syrena's eyes couldn't help but flick to Elizabeth hiding of Jack's crew in the shadows. The plan was simple: Syrena distract them and get them into position, and then the crew would smash a longboat into them, sending their bones flying in all separate directions.

When Syrena first pitched the plan, Elizabeth questioned her that they had done basically the same thing before with Syrena pulling them into the water, so why do the same thing again? To which Syrena pointed out that she had just pulled them into the water before and not scattered their bones, which the pirates could never reassemble themselves afterward.

The crew agreed mainly on the basis none of them could be bothered to think of a better plan.

Saying, William, when you go

I fear you'll ne'er return again

As Syrena sung those words, she watched Elizabeth. It was clear in her eyes the words made Elizabeth think of her own William who she feared she couldn't save. How could Elizabeth live with herself if this adventure ended with Will Turner's death for her. He would be happy to die for her, didn't mean anyone had to be happy he had indeed died.

Syrena couldn't help think of if she and Philip were in the situation of Will and Elizabeth.

If Elizabeth felt for Will what Syrena felt for Philip, then Syrena would make sure no harm would ever come to him.

And she didn't vow that for Philip's sake.

Grapple and Mallot were within reach now. It was time to put the plan into action.

"Hello, Boys," Syrena smiled seductively. "Do you like my song?"

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," Grapple stepped in front of Mallot to be closer to Syrena than his friend was. "I never knew you had such a beautiful voice."

"All mermaids do," Syrena casually pushed her hair over her shoulder. "It is so we may attract a good, strong, handsome mate."

"I didn't know mermaids chose mates," Mallot pushed in front of Grapple to be even closer to Syrena than Grapple. "At least not those who they spend more than one night with."

"Oh, but we do," Syrena lightly touched his chest, her powers working in overdrive to maintain her hold on him. "See that is the true secret of mermaids. We are not the ruthless killing machines scorned and angry men claim we are. We are shy, delicate creatures who only wish to find a handsome sailor to call their own."

She then turned her attention to the other man.

"Tell me, Grapple," she said, "do you know the legend of a mermaid's kiss?"

Grapple shook his head, utterly transfixed by The Mermaid, wanting nothing more than to listen to her voice for days.

Syrena stroked his cheek, "A mermaid's kiss gives a human the ability to breathe underwater… and that human will be able to breathe underwater as long as the mermaid loves them. You know, a good thing about the Aztec curse is that you can breathe underwater. Once the curse is broken, wouldn't you like to retain that ability?"

Mallot nodded enthusiastically, trying to shove Grapple out of the way, but Grapple was quicker and blocked him. That didn't make Mallot stop trying, and the two men were quickly engaged in a shoving match.

Syrena just chuckled.

"Now boys," Syrena grabbed both their arms, and they immediately stopped fighting as to not want to make her unimpressed. She just chuckled in a way that made a chill run through their bodies. "There is no need to fight. Perhaps we could find a way where we could all be satisfied?"

Mallot and Grapple exchanged an anxious look.

"What do you mean?" Grapple asked.

Syrena gave that chuckle again, "I do not know if you noticed all these years, but I have been watching you both. As I waited for the day the curse would break, I dreams of taking one of you strong, handsome, fearless men into my arms and make our flesh become one… but through all these years I could never decide which of you I wanted more. But now I see the truth, perhaps I don't have to choose… perhaps I could have both."

Neither man looked particularly happy at the idea of sharing, but as their eyes roamed over The Mermaid's body, her magic drawing them in, neither wanted to lose their chance at having that mysterious beauty as their own.

"And perhaps," she took each man by the hand and drew them close. Syrena would be much more uncomfortable with the way their eyes hungered after her if Philip's shirt was not covering her body, "when I have mated with you both, I may decide that one of you has impressed and enchanted me enough to be my mate for life. After all, all mermaids truly want is to find their Jolly Sailor Bold."

And as Syrena caressed Mallot's face, she once more began to sing.

My heart is pierced by Cupid

He drew forward like a magnet to her voice wanting nothing more to touch his silky skin and taste the saltwater on her lips.

I disdain all glittering gold

She turned her attention to Grapple, hand on the side of his face drawing him closer and closer with every word.

There is nothing can console me

They were at the edge of the ship now, utterly transfixed by the mermaid, minds completely blank of what they were doing before. Syrena caressed both of their faces, drawing their lips to hers. Her breath danced on their lips as she turned her head from side to side as if she could not decide which man she wanted to taste first.

But my jolly sailor-

"NOW!" Syrena roared.

She dropped to the deck and rolled away just as the longboat came swinging forward. Grapple and Mallot could barely turn around in time before the boat smashed into them.

Their bodies went flying, dozens of bones sent scattered into the sea.

Jack Sparrow's crew cheered as Elizabeth led them forward in victory. Syrena cried out with them as she rose to her feet only to be caught off guard when Elizabeth hugged her. She startled, but hesitantly slipped into the hug. When they pulled away it was harder to tell who looked more surprised at the hug, both neither girl decided to press the issue. Their friendship was fragile enough. They didn't need to push their luck, even if it left things slightly awkward.

Then Elizabeth nudged Syrena and pointed over to the pirates. Syrena had to stifle a giggle when she saw Anamaria have to roughly shake Marty by the shoulder as the pirate had been staring at Syrena with stars in her eyes. Sometimes her seduction magic worked a little too well. Syrena made sure to drop her powers, but she and Elizabeth continued to laugh as Marty regained his right mind.

"All of you with me!" Elizabeth ordered among the celebration. She rushed forward and began preparing the longboat. They would need more than the one from the Dauntless to transport the entire crew to the caves. "Will and Philip are in that cave and we must save them."

"I do not know, Elizabeth," Syrena said, coming to her side to assist. "I find Philip to be most resourceful at escaping things… although that's usually because he convinces his captors to let him go. But then again, if it works, it works."

Elizabeth felt herself unwillingly smiling at the mermaid as she grabbed the rope attached to the longboat, "Ready, and... heave!"

The boat was significantly harder to heave than Elizabeth expected. Confused, she turned around and found that not one of the pirates had joined her and Syrena in hauling the boat.

"See, I told you," Syrena said matter of factly, though Elizabeth just wished the mermaid could at least be smug about it if she was going to rub it in Elizabeth's face. "They are pirates."

Elizabeth huffed and looked desperately at the pirates, "Please, I need your help. Come on!"

The pirates just looked at each other.

"Any port in a storm," Cotton's parrot squawked.

Gibbs nodded, "Cotton's right. We've got the Pearl."

Elizabeth refused to look over at Syrena and see the I told you so expression on her face.

"I told you so."

She also could do without Syrena outright saying it.

"And what about Jack? Are you gonna leave him?" Elizabeth retorted.

"Jack owes us a ship," Marty said.

Syrena frowned, "Philip and I only discussed his adventure briefly, but did Jack not only promise a ship to the female one?"

"Calling me the female one is not endearing me to your side," Anamaria glared at Syrena. "And who do you think will Captain this vessel?"

There was a loud muttering at the thought of the pirates sailing under a woman, but Anamaria silenced them all with a look.

"So you will abandon your Captain then?" Syrena asked. "I know we are pirates, but even that is dishonourable to us."

"But it's because we're pirates that we must leave him," Gibbs said. "There's the Code to consider."

Elizabeth was surprised her jaw didn't drop, "The Code?"

Syrena glanced nervously at Elizabeth and took a step away before the fury broke.

"You're pirates." Elizabeth looked around at them in disbelief. Then, after weeks of kidnapping, monsters, curses, rum, pirate songs, bonfires, the men she loved risking their lives for her, having to break Will's heart to save his life, and her chaste missionary cousin falling in love with a bloody mermaid and not even having the decency of doing it in a venue where Elizabeth could make fun of him for it, Elizabeth Swann finally snapped. "Hang the Code and hang the rules! They're more like guidelines anyway."

And she looked around, ready for the effect of her speech to set in on the pirates and rally them like the great adventurers they were…

"Bloody pirates!" Elizabeth grumbled as she rowed the boat alone towards the cave.

Syrena swam in front of her looking as smug as a cat, "Told you so."

"Oh, shut up."

Pintel was busying doing what he did… well not best (he honestly did not know what skill of his was his best) but decently enough, sword fighting with the navy soldiers when Ragetti suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"Is it supposed to be doing that?" Ragetti asked.

Pintel scowled and looked where his friend was pointing. To his absolute horror, the Black Pearl was sailing off into the night.

His jaw dropped, "They're stealing our ship."

An absolute rage filled the heart of Ragetti as he cried out, "Bloody pirates!"

But his cries did nothing, and there the ship they had been sailing on for nearly three decades disappeared into the night.

Anger quickly gave to sorrow, and Ragetti turned to Pintel, looking absolutely helpless, "But… But we spent so much time making Fins' cabin all nice like for her."

Pintel sighed, knowing there was no use in pointing out that their plan for Syrena and Philip to run away to freedom and safety involved her not using the cabin anymore anyway.

Besides… he had just put in the new flooring she wanted.

"So what is our plan now?" Syrena asked as the longboat slipped into the darkness of the caves. They weren't quite at the treasure horde yet, roughly about a minute's row from the skeleton with a sword in his back. "After all, I promised Philip I would keep you safe. I find it hard to imagine he would mean bringing you to where there's most likely some swordfight going on."

"With all due respect to Philip," Elizabeth said, "but who do you honestly think would hold up better in a fight? Him or I?"

Syrena blinked, "You… you do realize I have seen Philip fight Twigg and Koehler no less than three times so far – absolutely not an easy feat – and the most I've seen you do is fire salad forks from a cannon?"

"…Okay, fair point. What I'm trying to say is don't worry about me, I can hold my own quite well."

"But Philip will worry."

"Philip worries about everything… Admittedly he's often right, but we're not just going to let Will and Philip fight off those pirates alone."

"Assuming Turner has not already been killed."

"We saw those pirates still in skeleton form," Elizabeth pointed out.

"The fact we saw Mallot and Grapple in skeletal form simply means the blood has not been returned to the chest," Syrena replied. "Sparrow very well could have stolen the medallion after Barbossa killed Turner."

"Well, then I'll kill Barbossa."

Syrena stopped… which unfortunately meant the longboat jerked to a stop and set Elizabeth flying backwards.

"You have to stop doing that," Elizabeth groaned, rubbing her back as she sat up again from the floor.

"You'll kill Barbossa?" Syrena's tone suggested she didn't even take in Elizabeth's compliant.

"Uh… Yeah, I guess," Elizabeth scowled.

"But you cannot."

"Honestly, I don't think it's ultimately going to be up to me to do it. This probably will end as a showdown between Jack and Barbossa, or at the very least Wil-"

"He cannot die," Syrena cut off. Her voice was strong, but her eyes were helpless, "I do not wish for him to die. I will not let it happen."

Elizabeth stared at Syrena, a little confused. She knew bits and pieces at best about the strange relationship between Syrena and Barbossa, but certainly the mermaid could tell how this was going to end?

"Well, I mean you can try your best," Elizabeth didn't know if she was trying to comfort Syrena. They had moved into awkward acquaintance, I'll hang around you if you're with people I like but otherwise I'd rather not spend any time alone with you territory at best. "However, I think it's a bit of foregone conclusion that Barbossa's not walking out of this one on top. Especially after Gibbs and his lot stole the Pearl."

"But why die?" Syrena simply could not understand, though Elizabeth couldn't tell if it was out of denial or her naivety of the world. "Yes, he must be thwarted from killing your people, but can we not just break the curse and let him go free? Why must he die?"

"I mean he took me hostage, he took Philip hostage, he took Will hostage, his crew is fighting the Navy, and Jack's been carrying around a pistol for ten years to kill him," Elizabeth had been told that last part by Will while he wrapped her hand. "I'm not much of a betting woman – at least I'm not if my father asks – but I'd put money that Barbossa will not live to see the sunrise."

Syrena said nothing to that, she just stared at Elizabeth blankly, her eyes looking glassy.

…Or wait, not glassy.

"Are you- Are you crying?" Elizabeth's jaw dropped.

It was true, the watery element to Syrena's eyes was out of sorrow, but as a mermaid of Whitecap Bay there was no threat of a tear actually slipping out.

There was quite some time where the girls just floated there, staring at each other as Syrena processed the thought that yes, Barbossa could very well die that night.

And he had just started calling her daughter.

"Was that your father we encountered when we stole this boat?" Syrena suddenly asked.

Elizabeth was a little surprised by the abrupt topic, "Uh, yes… I mean, I'm pretty sure I called him Father in front of you-"

"He raised Philip, yes?"

"…Yes?"

"What happened to Philip's father? Nathaniel, I think?"

"Uh, Uncle Nathaniel died when Philip was eleven," Elizabeth said. "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand why-"

"His mother is gone too," Syrena's query was not one. "Your mother – his aunt – as well?"

"Yeah, we lost the three of them in the span of three years. Why are you asking about all of this?"

"How would you feel if you lost that father we just encountered?"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, "If you think you can threaten-"

"No threat," Syrena held up her hands innocently. "No threat. Just a question, a hypothetical to understand you better. How would you feel if you lost your father?"

"Well… absolutely devastated and furious with whoever took him from me. I mean, sure we don't always get along, but I love him dearly, as does Philip. Father… has always been there, through the good and the bad. Through Mother's death, Uncle Nathaniel's death, Aunt Rebecca's. He's been there to love me and teach me and have my back. Sure, he's no Will Turner type, but he protects me in his own special way. There have been times where we didn't get along, we've fought, disagreed, and he's hurt me. He's done thoughtless things, things I disagreed with, maybe even some things I find cruel – you have no idea actually how painful corsets are, and yet he still insists I wear them… but at the end of the day, he is my father and I would do anything to save him. I love him and he loves me. The world may not always understand why, but it's not for them to understand. He's my father."

Syrena just gave a coy smile.

"…Oh," Elizabeth understood. "Okay, I get what you're going for."

"It's like you said, Elizabeth," Syrena rested her arms on the ridge of the boat, watching Elizabeth the same way as Syrena had done the first night they met, "the world may not always understand Barbossa and I, but it's not for them to understand. I am Syrena Barbossa and I bear both names proudly. I do not ask you to like him or even sympathize with our bond – there are many times I don't understand it myself – I simply ask you this: if you get in a situation where it is you who are the one to decide life or death for my father, just take a moment to consider me. I do not ask you to spare him, just to think of what you would wish if our situations were reversed. What if it were me to decide for someone you love? Your father? Your mother? Your Nathaniel? Your Rebecca? If I stood there with the power of life or death over them… what would you want me to choose?"

Her words left Elizabeth grave and silent. Syrena felt something warm in her heart when she saw in Elizabeth's eyes that the girl was seriously reflecting on Syrena's words.

"Besides," Syrena smiled mischievously. She beat her tail hard, swimming a little bit back from the boat, still within arms' reach but not resting upon it anymore. "You do owe me one after your betrayal."

Elizabeth scoffed, "I thought we were even after you mauled me?"

"Philip called me off and then you continued to antagonise me afterward. We are not even."

"I did not antagonise you afterward!"

"You literally just tried to hit me in the face with an oar forty minutes ago."

"Ok, you know what, this is ridiculous!" Elizabeth threw up her hands. "We can't keep going after each other's throats and trying to one up each other. You're right, I hurt you. You showed kindness and mercy to me and I betrayed that trust. But now something's happened between you and my cousin who I was convinced didn't have a sexual bone in his body. So if you're going to be around we need to wipe the slate clean. I'm not saying we have to be friends or anything like that but truce?"

Syrena made a show of thinking about it, "Alright, I can agree to a truce. But you have to apologize to me for your betrayal. I think we can agree that there is absolutely nothing I did to you before your betrayal that warranted your treatment of me."

Elizabeth huffed, "Fine… Syrena I am sorry that I hurt you. You're right, you had done nothing to me personally to me up to that point and had tried to help me in the ways you could. You unshackled me, gave me what information about the situation you were allowed to, entertained and distracted me on our trip to Isla de Muerta, and you kept my secrets without my asking you to. I took you for granted, lumping you in with men that I now see have severely mistreated you, and I apologize. I truly am sorry for that. Can we now call us even?"

"Not quite. There's just one more thing I need."

"And what's that?"

Syrena flipped over the boat.

She roared with laughter, mischief consuming her smile and glittering eyes as Elizabeth sputtered and splashed in the water.

"Okay, now we are even."

"You- That wasn't even- Oh, I swear-" But Elizabeth found she couldn't even finish her threats, a part of her accepting that maybe she deserved it a little bit.

Mischief proving contagious, Elizabeth smirked and splashed Syrena. The Mermaid sputtered and coughed, taken by surprise, but ready to playfully return the blow with one of her own. Elizabeth didn't know why there was a smile on her face, but as the girls splashed and laughed, she didn't feel inclined to make it leave.

Then a voice echoed through the cave, cutting the scene right short.

"What now, Jack Sparrow?" Barbossa's voice boomed, reminding the girls there were lives on the line while they had a splash fight. "Are we to be two immortals, locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day?"

"Or you could surrender," Jack Sparrow replied.

And then the caves were filled with the clanging of metal again.

"Oh right," Elizabeth helped Syrena turn the longboat upright. "Duel to the death and whatnot."

"What do you suppose Barbossa meant by both of them being immortal?" Syrena asked, Elizabeth smiling greatly as Syrena steadied Elizabeth's body while she climbed back in the boat.

"Syrena, I know I have spent much more time with Jack Sparrow than you have, but are you honestly telling me you cannot figure out he would steal a piece of the Aztec treasure to become immortal and buy Will some time for Barbossa not to kill him?"

"You and Philip should really go on the road with that show. Your abilities to accurately guess swathes of exposition are astounding."

"Surprisingly, that is not the first time someone has suggested that." Elizabeth stopped Syrena before she started forward again, "Syrena, wait."

She waited.

"Look," Elizabeth sighed, "I want to trust you, I do, but this whole mess is something I'm still trying to sort out. A month ago I didn't believe mermaids existed and now not only is one in front of me but she's in love with my cousin, Philip's in love with her enough to give her his father's cross – you genuinely don't understand how big a deal that is – but said mermaid is also the weird hostage daughter of a pirate who kidnapped me and wants to murder Will for a pagan blood ritual. It's all just… confusing."

"Well imagine how I feel."

Elizabeth blinked.

"…Okay, yeah, other than falling in love with basically the first non-pirate man I've met, my life hasn't gotten that confusing," Syrena admitted. "Complicated, sure, but not that confusing otherwise. The truth is what's happened with Philip is complicated and confusing and I don't know what's going to happen next. I mean, I'm a mermaid. I like to think we can find a way to be together, but after this… is there a way I can go live a life with him? I don't know what's going to happen after this night, and I'm scared and nervous and don't understand all that love means in your world. Human standards of love and sex and marriage and romance and mates are just a swirling swarm of nonsense to me. But… but I know that I want to be with him for now, and perhaps forever. I don't know what's going to happen to us next, but I love him and trust him. So if he loves you and trusts you… I will find a way to do the same to you."

"Maybe I can too," Elizabeth nodded. She thought her mess with Will and Norrington was complicated, but she couldn't imagine how terrifying it must be to be so in the dark like Syrena. It concerned Elizabeth that Philip was basically the first man Syrena had ever met who wasn't a pirate and perhaps that was colouring the relationship, but Philip was no fool. "It doesn't take Philip much to love someone unconditionally – that whole Man of God makes him give it up to anyone who even glances in his direction – but romantic love, he's never felt that before. You're special, Syrena. I hope you know that."

"He makes me feel different," Syrena said. "Mermaids are not supposed to fall in love. A proper mermaid would have ravished and consumed him by now but- but I don't want that… The consuming at least. The ravishment on the other hand… Well, the man has been walking around with no shirt, and I am not blind, and you've seen what he looks-"

"That's my cousin, Syrena. My cousin. Hell, he's basically my brother."

"Right. Sorry."

Elizabeth sighed, "What I was saying is that it's hard for me to wrap my head around Philip being in love, but for the level of trust he's placed in you… He's never given that cross to anyone else, Syrena. The last thing Nathaniel Swift did on this earth was kiss his wife, praise God, and give that cross to Aunt Rebecca to give to Philip. Philip's carried it with him always since then. To pass it to you is a symbol of trust grander than can be put into words-"

"Well, I mean… I think I'm supposed to give it back afterwards."

"He gave it to you to show me how much he trusts you," Elizabeth said. "And I understand. So, no, I don't love you like he loves you or loves me, but I can give you the chance to develop that relationship with me. And as for trust… I trust you, Syrena. For now, and forever. I promise."

Syrena smiled, "And I will trust you. Barbossa may be my father, but Philip is my family… and as are you."

"Well, it's like they say," Elizabeth smiled warmly, "birds of a feather flock together. Welcome to the flock, Syrena. Now… let's go save the boys."

"Aye aye, Captain." And Syrena gave a mighty splash as she swam briskly toward the sound of swords clashing.

But as they sped towards the fight that would bring an end to this vile curse one way or another, there was one last point Elizabeth found she had to settle with Syrena.

"If you ever hurt Philip, I'll brutally murder you and make it look like an accident."

"Funny, I was going to tell you the same thing."