Disclaimer: Nobody is mine. Actually, Jack is. But that's it. Jack is all mine. Mine, mine, mine. Unfortunately, I'm being sarcastic. Well, unfortunately for the thirteen-year-old girl in me, but fortunately for my financial status.

I hate money.

Author's Notes: Wow, two chapters in two days. Who would've thought, especially since school started today. Sigh. School. How I wish it be winter break all year 'round. Stupid school…

Ahem. Anyway! I apologize to all of the Jack fans who love it when "love" is spelled "luv" when Jack says it, but Akalei here is opposed the incorrect spelling of "love," so therefore, she has made me spell it normally. Blast…*Mutters incoherently* It hurt me a lot, spelling love properly… hurt me a bloody lot…

As you can see from the chapter title, we will be meeting a character named Dorian Gray. He is not a creation from my whacked-out brain (unfortunately), but he's from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and practically the only good thing in that movie, so I decided to put him in here. It's really too bad that damned vampire lady killed him….he was so cool. *Heart-wrenching sigh* I hope he's in character…

And those of you from the NMS Owls Focus LA Class, look for a very special vocab word which one of our classmates uses often…

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The Wrath of the Gods

Chapter Four: Anamaria's Ship and Mr. Dorian Gray

Written by Courtney

Anamaria is really starting to annoy me.

Jack Sparrow was laying face-down on his stomach in his bed, trying to shut out his first mate Anamaria's shouts from outside his cabin door. It was quite hard, really. Her shouts were very loud, and her banging on the door was nearly as piercing. The fact that Mr. Sparrow had consumed more rum that what he should have last night wasn't helping, either. Inside his head, Jack was saying what Anamaria did to his door when she hit it, such as bang, rattle, and trying-to-knock-me-bloody-door-down. But it was only until Anamaria had said the following that Jack actually started to listen to her.

"JACK SPARROW –" bang "- GET YER LAZY ARSE OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT!" Bang, bang, bang. Bonk. Ooh, that must have been a kick. I bet that hurt. "IF YE DON'T, I SWEAR I'LL RUIN THIS FLAMING SHIP!"

Jack's eyes widened in horror and he pushed himself up off of his bed quickly, which made him dizzy. He paused and closed his kohl-rimmed eyes tightly until the dizziness went away. He opened them again and bounded over clumsily to his beautiful door, but paused before he opened it. Next time I go out for a drink, he thought groggily, I really must remind myself not to have thirteen mugs of rum. Especially before having a confrontation with Anamaria. She's prob'ly going to slap me.  He opened the door. She slapped him.

Ouch.

Regaining his composure after several moments of staring at the floor, Jack muttered with narrowed eyes at the extremely angry woman, "Anamaria, love. Enlighten me. Why was it I deserved that?"

Anamaria glowered at him. "Two reas'ns," she spat. "One, I been standin' here for nearly a half-bloody-hour, tryin' t' get you outta yer bloody bed, when it's ye who should be wakin' me up!"

"An' why's that?" Jack asked with an uncomfortable look on his face. She doesn't look very friendly when she's angry.

 "BECUZ YER THE BLOODY CAP'N OF THIS BLOODY SHIP!" Anamaria roared, and Jack cringed. "IT'S YER BLOODY DUTY T' MAKE SURE THA' EV'RYBODY ELSE IS DOIN' THEIR DUTY!"

"I'm aware of that, love," Jack said blithely, "Now what's your second reason for nearly tearin' me door down?"

Anamaria exhaled vehemently and said, much quieter than before and with authority, "Ye still owe me a ship."

Jack closed his eyes and sighed slowly. He should've known that's what she was going to say. She'd been bugging him about a ship for the past three days. Apparently, she had forgotten about it for three years, and decided to remember about it whenever she felt like it. Crazy woman. He sighed again, this time more acquiescent, and opened his dark eyes to look into Anamaria's even darker ones. "All right, you want a ship, eh?" he asked, completely aware that his question was quite stupid, waving his arms around inventively.

Anamaria nodded slowly, looking at Jack as if he'd gone mad. Too late for that, Jack thought impishly. His sanity had left a long time ago, and he found he was saner without it. Which, to anybody else but himself, made no sense whatsoever.

Jack nodded quickly and started push Anamaria away from his door and out onto the crowded deck of the Pearl. She protested, but Jack silenced her by saying with a bizarrely high voice, "Fine. We'll get you a ship, then!" He turned in the direction of the helm and shouted to the helmsman, a Welshman named Madog, or 'Mad Dog,' Rhys, "Mr. Rhys! Set a course for Port Royal!"

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" Rhys barked back, and he began turning the helm without difficulty. "If we drop full canvas, we should be there aft nigh'fall!"

Jack gave the order to drop canvas and his men yelled, "Aye, Cap'n, aye!" He looked around for a moment, watching his crew get to work, and then his eyes shifted back to Anamaria, and he realized he was still holding her shoulder. He let go rapidly at her malicious glare and muttered, "Apologies. Forgot you were there."

Anamaria sniggered, her heated appearance gone, and replied gleefully, "'Pology accepted, cap'n, since yer getting' me a ship." Jack grinned cockily. "What ship were ya plannin' on gettin', anyway?"

"Well," Jack called over his shoulder as he began walking across the deck to the side of the ship, "I heard that there's been a ship named after Commodore Norrington, entitled the HMS James. I figure that'll be a mighty fine ship to commandeer." He grinned crazily out at the horizon.

"Cap'n," Anamaria whispered worriedly and she shook her head, "yer daft to think ye can steal a brand new ship right in fronna th' Commodore's eyes. He'll have that ship guarded by ev'ry officer he's got!"

Jack looked at her slyly. "My dear Anamaria. We are not going to commandeer it in front of his eyes, oh no. We're going to commandeer it right out from under his nose."

Anamaria stared at him. "Wha's th' diff'rence?"

He said nothing out loud, but in his mind, he said, A whole lot, my dear Anamaria. A whole bloody lot.

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They reached Port Royal a little earlier than Mad Dog supposed they would. The wind had been with them, and it had pushed them along as fast as it could. Jack ordered the Pearl to be anchored in a cove not far from the city, but far away enough to conceal his precious ship. He informed the crew that only he, Anamaria, Cotton and Gibbs would be going to shore, and no one else. The crew had started to complain with that, but he told them that they would be bound for Tortuga right after this escapade, so they could have their fun then. After all, Anamaria wasn't going to find a very good crew in Port Royal. What with Norrington and all.

Jack, Anamaria, Cotton and Gibbs took a rowboat to the harbor. It was fairly busy for this time of day; it was a few minutes before the sun would set and the city of Port Royal would plunge into darkness. There was one merchant, ordering the men unloading goods from his ships, but that was all. No soldiers whatsoever. As soon as night fell, the shouts of the merchant and his sailors faded away, and Jack could only hear the sound of the waves lapping up against the docks and the harsh breathing of Gibbs. "Quit breathing so vociferously, Gibbs," Jack whispered casually. "The citizens can most likely hear it from their humble abodes." Jack was fully aware that Gibbs probably didn't know what vociferously meant, but he didn't care. Jack liked big words.

"Sorry, Cap'n," muttered Gibss. "Can't 'elp it, me."

The rest of the shipmates chuckled quietly, and Jack shushed them, too. They waited a few more minutes in silence, listening to the sounds of the far off taverns, when Gibbs groaned. "Oh, what I wouldn' do fer a nice cuppa grog righ' abou' now," he whined.

Jack rolled his eyes, reminding himself of his old friend Elizabeth Swann. "Please be quiet, Gibbs!" Jack whispered anxiously.

"Wha' for?" asked Anamaria indignantly. "There's no one on th' dock, so wha's all this waitin' for?"

Jack sucked in his breath and spun around as fast as he could at the front of the small boat to face her stubborn self. "Jus' trust me," he said in a strained voice. "Jus' be patient till I say to go to the James. Savvy?"

His crewmates mumbled that they savvied, and Jack saw Cotton give him a small nod. Cotton had left his parrot on board so it wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. Nice man, thought Jack, and he grinned at the two pirates sitting grudgingly behind him. "And now, we wait…"

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They lingered for nearly an hour before Jack mumbled to Anamaria, "All right, let's get you a ship!" The four pirates hopped stealthily onto the dock, trying not to make a thud. They made their way as silently as they could to the dock that Jack remembered the Interceptor being at. He smirked as he thought of those two stupid guards who had fought over whether or not the Black Pearl was real. Stupid blighters, the both of them. Jack thought, and his grin widened. Then he realized something. There were no guards protecting the ship. "No guards," he said giddily, his eyes lighting up with what some would call madness. "No guards whatsoever."

Gibbs and Anamaria looked around to see if what he said was true, and they began to laugh when they saw that is was. "No guards!" cackled Gibbs. "Norrington must've gotten real daft in th' 'ead if he thinks 'e can leave this ship unguarded!"

"An' at'is folly, now it be mine," Anamaria whispered greedily, and she jumped onto the ship. Jack said nothing as she began examined every foot of it. It was a beautiful ship, almost as beautiful as his Pearl, but newer. And bigger. It had more deck space than his ship, and more guns, too. The wood was polished, and if the moon had not been hiding behind the clouds, it would have shined. Gibbs and Cotton jumped onto the ship and few minutes after Anamaria, but Jack stayed on the dock and decided to just touch the side of the ship for the time being. It was smooth, so new that there were no splinters sticking out rebelliously from the wood.

While admiring his former first mate's new ship, Jack heard the wood creak behind him. He whirled around and unsheathed his sword in one quick movement. There, standing behind him, was a very handsome man leaning against a pole holding up the upper dock. His dark hair flowed freely around his face, and it ended near his chin. In the dark of the night, Jack couldn't decipher the color of the man's eyes, but his face was pale. He had a small moustache and a small beard, and a smile played about his lips. "I think I'm right to assume you are a pirate, am I not?" he drawled smoothly

"It really depends on who you're talking to," Jack answered, waving his hands.

"Hmm," said the man, "well, I consider you a pirate, and in this town, pirates are hanged for even coming ashore, and the men who find them are justly rewarded." The man smiled slyly, and fingered the cane he was holding. How did I not notice that? Jack thought vaguely. It was black and straight, and the top had two silver bands around it, while the tip had one.

"And I suppose you want to turn me an' me comrades in so you can have a bit of gold in your pocket, is that right?" Jack asked casually.

The man began walking toward him. "Actually, quite the opposite, in fact," he said. "I have no love for the military forces of Port Royal, or for England. Especially for England. The whole country is stupid. For a few years now, I've wondered what it would be like to be a pirate and to defy the laws of England, and since tonight is the party for Commodore Norrington, I assumed that there would be no one to protect the James from brigands. I guess I assumed right." He stopped a few feet in front of Jack, and glimpsed quickly at the pirates aboard the ship.

"That you did," Jack said, "but I'm not entirely sure I understand why you're telling me this."

The man rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" he sighed exasperatedly. "I wish to be a pirate."

Jack stared at the man with narrowed eyes. He seemed very casual about the whole thing, not looking very excited about meeting a pirate and talking about becoming one, like the boys Jack usually met acted. Of course, this wasn't a boy; he looked as if he was at least in his late twenties, yet now that he was closer, Jack could see that his brown eyes looked older than the rest of him, which was odd and made Jack wonder. "What's your name?" Jack asked seriously. Silently he hoped that the man's answer wouldn't include the last name of Turner. Jack really didn't want to deal with another one of those stubborn mules.

"Dorian. Gray," the man said nonchalantly. "Why?"

"No reason, Mr. Dorian Gray," Jack answered optimistically, waving his hands about. Dorian stared at them with raised eyebrows. "Just wondering."

"Well, considering I gave you my name, I would like to hear yours."

Jack grinned wildly and gave Dorian one of his small oriental bows. "Captain Jack Sparrow. Me ship's the Black Pearl. Ever heard of it?"

Dorian chuckled once quietly and muttered, "Who hasn't heard of the infamous Black Pearl, especially around here?"

Nodding, Jack muttered smugly, "True, very true indeed."

Dorian gave a small smile to no one in particular and looked aboard the James. "You spoke of comrades earlier. What are their names?"

Jack turned his head toward the James along with Dorian. "Joshamee Gibbs, second mate. Mr. Cotton, quartermaster. And Anamaria, me first mate. Except she won't be me first mate anymore, since the James is for her."

"Oh, really?" said Dorian, raising his eyebrow in surprise, still looking at the James. "It's amusing how you now need a first mate, and I know the location of some very famous treasure." Jack's head snapped back at Dorian, who was smirking. Dorian was looking straight into Jack's eyes. "Name me first mate, and I'll tell you the location of the treasure."

Jack considered it for a moment. Normally I would make Gibbs first mate, he thought, but this…this is an enticing offer.

You hardly know this man!  He could be exactly like Barbossa, said the second, more sensible voice in his head.

Oh shut up. Why shouldn't I make him first mate? He seems nice enough. The second voice didn't respond, so Jack said airily, "Well, why not? It'll make me richer, and you'll be getting what you want. Welcome to the Black Pearl." Jack paused. "Or, the James, for the moment."

Dorian smirked even more and climbed onto the James, and Jack followed him. Anamaria looked up at Dorian and Jack from one of the ropes she was knotting and frowned. "Who be he?" she demanded, and at the sound of her troubled voice, Gibbs and Cotton looked down from one of the sails they were unfurling.

Jack grinned and introduced them. "Gibbs, Cotton, Anamaria, this is Mr. Dorian Gray. Apparently, he knows the location to some renowned treasure, so he's now replacing Anamaria's position and becoming me first mate."

Gibbs, Cotton and Anamaria's gazes shifted from Jack to Dorian, and they stared and looked him over. "Hello," Dorian said plainly.  Gibbs was the first one to stop looking at Dorian, and he climbed down the rigging and walked over to talk to Jack, who spoke before Gibbs could say anything.

"Yes, I know, Gibbs, you are wond'ring why I made this man my first mate instead of you," Jack began to clarify in tones so only Gibbs could hear. "After all, I don't even know him! The reason is because I want you to be Anamaria's first mate instead of mine. To look out for her like, and make sure she doesn't do anything…stupid. Which is entirely possible. For her."

Gibbs chortled. "That it is, Cap'n. Acshully, I was jus' goin' t' ask ye that meself. I was thinkin' abou' it, and I figgered I be much more 'elp t' her than t' ye."
          "Great minds think alike, Gibbs," said Jack with a grin, "that's all I can say to that." Gibbs laughed loudly, slapped Jack on the back hard (but for some odd reason, Jack barely felt it), and went back to rigging to drop the sails. Jack fixed his gaze onto Dorian, who was standing awkwardly a few feet away, watching the three other pirates work. Jack walked over to him and said, "Now, Dorian. Do you have any experience with ships?"

Dorian took a deep breath and said, "Some. It's been an extremely long time since I've sailed a ship."

Jack stared at him. A long time? He doesn't look a day over 25, and yet he's talking about it being an extemely long time since he's been on a ship. Maybe he sailed as a child with his father. Oh well. Each to his own. Jack shook his head as if to get rid of these irritating thoughts, and nodded over to Anamaria. "Ask Anamaria to get you started. She'll show you the basics, an' when we get back to the Pearl, I'll help you some more."

Dorian nodded a thank you and headed over to Anamaria, who was unknotting some tangled ropes. Dorian knelt down next to her and Jack barely heard him ask Anamaria for help. He saw Anamaria smile and nod at him, and she began showing him how to tie a basic knot. Jack got bored of them after awhile, and he decided to watch the sea. He stared at the rolling waves for quite sometime, and didn't notice when Anamaria ordered for them to set sail to the Pearl. Jack turned around and looked at his companions. It looked as if they had forgotten about him, which was a first. Who could forget Captain Jack Sparrow? Jack thought arrogantly.

Suddenly the ship's deck got brighter. Jack looked up into the sky, and saw a full moon up in the sky, lightening both the ship and the ocean with her soft glow. Bella Luna, the Italians called her. Beautiful Moon. And she was, indeed, beautiful, even with the grayish pockmarks dotting her skin. She was truly a sight to behold. Jack turned away from the small crew and put his hands on the ship's side, still looking at the moon. After a moment, he looked down at his hands, as if he couldn't bear to look at her anymore, and his heart nearly stopped at what he saw.

Bones. Those are bones. Not fingers. Bones.

Jack raised his shaking hands of the deck, horrified. He turned them over and saw the same thing as what was on top; skin-less, muscle-less bone, tattered clothes on his arm, no feeling anywhere on his body. He remembered how those fingers had looked three years ago, and he remembered how he had lifted the curse off of him with the help of Will Turner. "How could this have happened?" Jack whispered incredulously. Then he remembered: he had company aboard this ship.

Jack whirled around, and sighed thankfully when he saw that none of his companions had perceived his transformation into a skeleton. He sighed in relief, then ran into the shadow by the Captain's cabin. "Anamaria, love!" Jack called shakily to his female friend.

"Aye?" she shouted back from the bow of the ship, not noticing Jack's shaky demeanor.

"D'you mind if I explore your cabin?"

"Not at all, Cap'n!"

"Good," Jack muttered to himself, and he was about to disappear into the cabin where he could think, when he heard an unmistakable voice shriek from the city, "Oh, my God, Will!" Jack froze, his hand on the door handle, and he shut his eyes painfully. There was no doubt who's voice that belonged to, or who it was talking about.

Jack guessed by Elizabeth Swann's tone of voice and the fear he heard in it that Will Turner was cursed, too.