Jack Sparrow 13

Chapter 13: Unrest

"I fear this will bode ill." Elizabeth stated as she eyed the gigantic sea serpent that towered over the deck, water dripping off of its scaly hide. It was staring at Jack who was gazing back at it with dark kohl-rimmed eyes. "The crew won't take it well. They're not used to the supernatural."

"I'm not sure I likes it either…" Ragetti said fearfully as he kept a close eye on the beast, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He knew the sword would do little but it made him feel a tad bit better to be ready.

"That thing could pull us under." Pintel added with a frown. He tore his slightly yellowish eyes off of the beast to look at Elizabeth. "But we don't need them, the crew I mean. We can sail the Black Pearl with seven people and we have more than that amongst us already…"

"Sail?" Alan asked wide eyed and with surprise in his voice. "We don't know how to sail a ship…"

"The crew will take one look at that thing and it'll be mutiny." Pintel said as he leaned closer to the two reapers. "Mark my words; they'll be stealing the longboats before long…"

"In the middle of the night I wager…" Ragetti added.

"Unless Jack puts his foot down and stops it." Elizabeth grimaced at the idea of the crew fleeing in the middle of the night, but it was a thing all too easy to believe. But she knew Jack had been ousted before but that had been by Barbossa. The deck crew was mostly followers but there could be a leader amongst them. That and they were pirates.

"But where would they go?" Alan asked as he thought of the endless open water.

"Tortuga." Pintel replied. "You see how the sun is getting hot? We're close now and they know it. Soon the water will be changing colors. If I was one of them, I'd chance a few days at sea in a longboat to get away from that beast…but I'm not them. I'm loyal to Captain Jack!"

"Ever loyal to Captain Jack!" Ragetti cried with fervor.

"What's going on here?" Ciel asked as he approached the group, William and Ronald following him. The blonde eyed the huge snake-like creature hanging over the deck uneasily and kept as close to William as he could. William's expression was sour as ever but his gripped his death scythe a tad more tightly than normal.

"We fear the crew is going to mutiny due to the sea serpent." Elizabeth explained to the small demon.

"Sebastian." Ciel called to his ever loyal butler. The young Earl stood with one hand on his hip as he favored doing, his walking stick with the skull held in the other.

"Yes, My Lord?" Sebastian was already there as he had been ordered to protect Madame Red but so far that had proven to be unnecessary as the creature was not attacking.

"Can you conceal the sea serpent with magic so the crew will not see it? As they had all ran below deck when the white crabs started to fall, I think none of them have seen it yet."

"Yes, I can use an illusion to hide it once it is tied to the ship." Sebastian smiled at the simple solution to the problem. He had created many illusions in the past for various reasons. Some were just to delight himself on a bit of whimsy as when he had made a very young Ciel and his family appear in the mansion, dog and all. With a wave of his hand they had vanished. Others had meant to terrify as when the 'businessman' had visited to scam money out of Ciel. The man had seen the eyes of the dead watching him and had fallen down the stairs to break a leg. This last thought curled the corners of the demon's lips. It was in a demon's nature to enjoy the misfortune of others.

"Do so. We cannot have a mutiny delay our mission." Ciel was greatly relieved that the creature had not been a threat, but other issues weighed on his mind now. "We must talk to Captain Sparrow later once the ship is underway. It appears he has kept information from us."

"He's been keeping secrets from all of us apparently." Eric complained with a dark expression. "That cave with the coins is underwater!"

"Jack does tend to keep things to himself but he always comes through in the end." Elizabeth reassured them.

Mr. Gibbs appeared then with a stout coil of rope in his arms. He hesitated in the doorway, uncertainty plastered all over his face. That drat sea serpent was still there and he was loath to go out there near it. He swallowed the unpleasant lump in his throat and steeled his courage; he would need it now just like on many other terrifying days of serving with Jack. The fact that Jack still stood there in one piece gave him faint hope that the beast truly meant them no ill. Bravely he hurried forward and held the rope out to the captain.

"Well, don't just stand there! Tie a loop to go around the beast!" Jack huffed at him, annoyed that he had to spell it out.

"Aye, Captain!" Mr. Gibbs set about to tying the proper knots; knots that would not tighten to choke the animal. Any decent sailor knew many types of knots and Mr. Gibbs was not any different. Once the coil of rope was ready, he stood there nervously as he eyed the snake-like face.

"Put it on the sea serpent, Mr. Gibbs." Jack ordered.

"Captain, I really don't think…" Mr. Gibbs hesitated as fear filled his eyes. He really didn't want to get that close to it.

Jack frowned as his loyal first mate. "First ye burn me magical map and now yer refusing an order?"

"I wouldn't go as far as to say refusing, Captain, it's just that the beastie has many sharp teeth in its mouth and it be looking rather hungry…" Truth be told, Mr. Gibbs had no idea if it was hungry or not, but he was rather attached to his limbs, especially his arms and head.

"And how exactly do you know it's hungry?" Jack demanded to know.

"I… well, I…" Mr. Gibbs stalled. "The truth be told, Captain, I don't know the beastie as well as you do…"

"Know it? I don't know this sea serpent at all! I just met it!" Jack exclaimed loudly but it was clear that he too didn't want to put the coil of rope about it.

"What are you two doing?" Ciel asked from where he stood near the side rail with the others. It was rapidly becoming clear that the two were just as bad as Scotland Yard when it came to getting things done.

Unfortunately, Jack and Mr. Gibbs had not heard him as they were too busy arguing over the sea serpent.

"Calypso gave it to you, Captain. I wouldn't want to get between you and the goddess…" Mr. Gibbs was quick to add to his defense as he tried to shove the coil of rope into Jack's arms.

"I said what are you two doing over there?" Ciel voice grew louder, his exposed eye glowing demon red.

"What?" Jack turned at the voice, his dark kohl-rimmed eyes falling on the group of other people standing there watching him. His eyes shifted about as his mind clicked rapidly, the coil of rope in his arms. Eagerly he hurried towards them. "I say we have the Pirate King do it!"

"Aye!" Mr. Gibbs shouted happily.

"What?" Elizabeth cried as the rough rope was shoved into her arms without warning. Then Jack dashed behind her, shoving her forward towards the sea serpent. She tried to dig her heels into the deck but then risked falling on her face and so she went forward. She turned to regard Jack and Mr. Gibbs, the hefty first mate having been quick to go hide behind the captain's back. "You cowards!"

"Pirate." Jack replied with a steady gaze. "Now if you will please do the honors, Miss Swann…"

Elizabeth sighed but steadily walked forward. She stopped before the sea serpent and studied it for a moment. It gazed back at her with large black eyes that reminded her of smooth pearls. When it made no threatening moves, she reached up and pushed the coil of rope over its head and down around its neck. Turning, she grabbed the free end of the rope and walked back to Jack with it.

"And that is why I voted her King!" Jack declared as he accepted the bit of rope and then handed it to Mr. Gibbs. "Go tie it to the bow."

Mr. Gibbs was all too happy to run off.

"You're just a coward." Elizabeth told him sadly.

"I am not! The last one ate me!" Jack reminded her but then he recalled she had had her hand in that too. "Besides, it is just the oldest and noblest of pirate traditions…"

"Dare I even ask what that is?" Spears asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Running away to live another day!" Jack happily replied with a grin of golden teeth.

"When we get back to London, Mr. Sparrow, you are going to clean up your act and be a proper grim reaper. You will follow the rules and collect souls of the dying. Is that clear?" William T. Spears waited for a reply, fearing what it would be but he waited just the same.

"Just as long as we're clear on one thing, mate." Jack said as he waved one of the silver chalices in Spears' direction, the priceless cup just inches from the grim man's face. "I will follow yer rules and all but I refuse to take a life. Savvy?"

"Are you saying you're a grim reaper that refuses to collect souls?" In all of his hundred years, William had never run into such a case before and now he was clearly confused. "Collecting souls is the heart of our job."

"I'm not a murderer." Jack replied as he waved one of the cups upwards towards the sky high overhead. "That's a mark against You Know Who and I'd rather not…"

Spears sighed heavily. "We are not murderers. We collect souls of those already dying or those that are dead."

"That's splitting hairs, mate."

Sebastian snickered behind Spears' back, a white gloved hand over his mouth. It seemed as if nothing was going right for the dour supervisor on this trip. It was very entertaining.

"We are divine beings, not murderers." Spears tried to explain. "I see I have much work to do on you during this journey. Your lack of personal hygiene is just the tip of the problems…"

Jack sniffed at his sleeve. "I don't smell anything…and there's nothing divine about sticking some bloody weapon into some poor sap's body. I have standards, high standards!"

"Your nose is used to the stench!" Spears accused as he glared darkly at the pirate. He hadn't thought that a pirate would have such issues or was it just an excuse to get out of doing the work? He noted that Jack seemed to lounge about in his cabin a lot, relaxing no doubt.

Mr. Gibbs returned then. "The beastie is secured to the ship as ordered, Captain!"

"Very good, Mr. Gibbs." Jack sauntered forward up to the sea serpent, pondering on how he was to communicate with the creature. Did it know English? How had Davey Jones communicated with the kraken anyway? He waved an arm at it, the silver chalice flashing in the bright sunlight. "Start pulling us!"

To his delight, the creature slid back off the ship and soon after that it was out in front and pulling. The elder demon cast his spell then and the beast vanished from sight, the illusion of sea and sky taking hold. Those that knew of it could see through the illusion but others would not and the ship would be safe from frightened crew.

Jack started to saunter off towards his cabin, the enchanted chalices in his hands. He could feel a gentle breeze against his skin and a grin spread across his face. His ship was moving once again and he knew Mr. Gibbs would order the crew back to work. He needed to go look at the ship's roster. For some reason Calypso's words were preying on his mind and he didn't like it.

"Captain, wait!" Ciel cried as he hurried after the famous pirate. The boy ran across the deck with ease, as becoming a demon had erased his frailties. "About the Fountain!"

Almost everyone ran after Jack then, each with their own pressing questions about his recent dishonesty. They piled into his cabin after the dreadlocked pirate and crowded around the front of his table. Charts were spread out on the wooden surface, the rare Sao Feng map having a prominent place on the top. Jack ignored them for the moment as he went to where he kept the ship's roster and grabbed it. Unrolling the parchment, he studied it with a critical eye while being totally silent. He balanced easily as the ship rock gently to the sea beast's movements.

"Captain Sparrow…" Ciel called in his regal but firm voice.

"Hmmm…?" Jack turned to regard the young boy turned demon.

"Is the Fountain of Youth broken?" Ciel demanded to know once he saw the pirate was looking at him. Sebastian was standing right behind him and his aunt next to his side.

"Maybe a tad bit…" Jack admitted with a careless shrug as he turned his dark eyes back to the roster, frowning. He wasn't sure he liked what he saw there and unanswered questions rolled about his mind.

"Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Ciel asked.

"You didn't ask." The pirate replied without looking at him. "Besides, being a demon I assumed you didn't want to use it anyway…"

Spears rolled his eyes. "Must we ask you everything to get a straight answer?"

"I like keeping things to meself. Last time I was generous with information my first mate Barbossa led a mutiny against me. I was left on an island with my sword and a pistol with a single shot. Information is valuable and I'm not handed it out free. Besides, you need a bloody mermaid to use the Fountain and I'm not catching one of those."

"A mermaid?" Ciel gasped in surprise. He had heard the captain mention mermaids before but he didn't realize that using the Fountain required one.

"Aye, a mermaid. They'll happily eat the meat from yer bones. And without a mermaid the Fountain is useless." Jack moved over to his table and sat down in the chair, the roster still in his hands. His eyes flickered from it to the crowd gathered before his desk. They were all there; the demons, the reapers, that female doctor that was related to the young lord and Elizabeth.

"Sebastian can repair it." Ciel said with confidence.

"It should be a simple matter." The demon butler agreed. "I have heard stories of the Fountain from various humans but those were little more than rumors. What exactly does it do?"

"It makes you immortal, doesn't it?" Ronald guessed. The blonde reaper was in a bright mood now that the ship was once again moving.

"Nay, it doesn't make you immortal." Jack said glumly as he set the two silver chalices on the table before them. "You need two people to use the Fountain. One is the victim, the sacrifice if ye will. Ye put water from the Fountain in these cups, add the mermaid's tear to one cup and then ye drink. Whoever drinks the water with the tear gets all of the years of life of the other person. So if the victim is young, say twenty and was scheduled to live until seventy, then the victor just gained fifty years of life."

"And you know this for fact?" Sebastian inquired, interested.

"Aye. I saw the Fountain in use. It wasn't a pretty sight." Jack thought of how the swirling water had torn the flesh off of Blackbeard, the water running red for a time. He had been glad that he could help save Angelica, but now his good deed had come back to bite him. She was still clearly angry over her father's death and was hexing him. Blackbeard had been pure evil and had deserved to die, but Angelica didn't see it that way. She had been blind to his evil ways or had been willing to overlook it. There was no possibility to save him. The pirate had shown no remorse and had enjoyed torturing in the most heinous ways.

"I heard the cave with the Aztec coins is under water." Eric placed his hands on the table and leaned forward to glare angrily at Jack. "Is that true?"

"Isla de Muerta is under water, aye. The sea reclaimed it along with the treasure. You can thank Davey Jones for that. He was hunting pirates and enjoyed separating us from the treasure." Jack admitted as he raised a hand into the air to ward off the blonde's hot glare. "But no worries mate. A yardarm, some rope and the capstan can pull it right up…"

Jack was pretty sure that might work, maybe…

The chest was made of carved stone and heavy as can be. There might be suction to deal with as well, the chest being 'glued' to the spot where it was sitting.

"If you're lying…" Eric threatened.

"I swear on pain of death…" Jack replied with a wide grin of golden teeth.

"You're immortal." The blonde reminded him as he straightened again. Threats didn't seem to faze the pirate any or not that he could see anyway. The only thing that seemed to breathe fear into Jack was the kraken.

"Jack will come through. I have confidence in him." Elizabeth said as she placed a comforting hand on Eric's shoulder to calm him. "You plan things out in advance, don't you, Jack?"

"Of course I do. And sometimes I improvise." Jack wished he could predict everything but he couldn't. He laid the roster down on top of the charts, the paper facing the crowd before him. "I see ye have all joined me crew, every one of ye."

"What?" Ciel snatched the scroll and soon found his name near the very bottom. It looked like his signature but he knew it wasn't. "Who put my name on here?"

"Calypso." Jack replied with a grimace. "Ye have a problem mate and one I don't particularly like."

Of course, he wouldn't mind having the demons serving him as they were mighty useful indeed but he wasn't about to admit that to them. No, it was his little secret.

Ciel also found Sebastian's name as well as Madame Red's. Silently he handed the paper over to Spears who studied it.

Spears quickly found his name as well as the names of all of his reapers including the new recruits. After adjusting his glasses, he shifted his gaze onto Jack. "What exactly do you think this means, Mr. Sparrow? I'm afraid I know nothing of Calypso and do not understand how she knew my name."

"She's a goddess, mate, she knows everything and everyone. She brought Barbossa back from the dead after he died. She knew Will Turner was going to become captain of the Dutchman long before it happened. She can see things and predict the future." Jack picked up an open bottle of rum and upended it, drinking. He gurgled loudly as the burning liquid went down his gullet."But it just means we get a share of the treasure, right?" Ronald said as he looked at Jack somewhat uncertainly, a nervous feeling growing in his gut.

"That's what it meant before Calypso got involved…" Jack muttered as he lowered the now empty bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. "She's unpredictable, mate. Her mood changes like the sea."

"The gods are nothing but trouble." Sebastian stated as he had earlier. "Still I do not see what our names on a piece of paper have to do with anything…"

Elizabeth's mind was busy with thoughts and old memories. Things started to fall in place and she wasn't sure if she liked it either. But still, it was just a crazy thought and couldn't possibly be true, could it? Her grip on Eric's shoulder tightened as she leaned against him to better see Jack. "Does this have to do with the Dutchman?"

"What do all of you know of the Flying Dutchman?" Jack asked as his dark eyes swept from person to person.

"I read the files. It's a ship of grim reapers that collects the souls lost out at sea." William T. Spears replied as he steadily stared at the dreadlocked pirate. "I do not see what that has to do with the roster or why my name is on it."

"Calypso said that we would all serve her…" Elizabeth stated as she recalled the goddess's words.

"But surely she doesn't have any authority over us!" Ciel exclaimed with outrage. "We're demons…"

"That doesn't mean anything. I know for a fact she used demons in the past." Jack thought of the long years he had been close to the goddess. They had been nigh inseparable. He had enjoyed it at the time but now he knew to be more wary. "Davey Jones used to ask people he had caught dying out at sea 'will ye serve' and if they answered in the positive, they joined his immortal crew to serve one hundred years…"

"I didn't agree to serve on this ship for a hundred years!" Ciel pointed out as shock rolled through him. He had known Sebastian had said that gods loved to mettle in people's lives but he had never expected anything like this!

"But you came on board willingly. Calypso apparently took that as consent." Jack secretly loved the idea of sailing the seas forever. It was what he had always wanted really and getting the coins to save Alan had been the perfect excuse to get back out to sea again. It had worked like a charm, too. The trip to the Fountain just extended his sea journey and perhaps other things would come along to delay them, too. If he was very clever, he knew he could really stretch the trip out for a very long length of time. There were never any certainties when one took to the sea and he could use that to his advantage. He loved the Caribbean and loathed the idea of going back to dreary old London Town. But he feared Calypso had just tossed a monkey wrench into his clever scheme. Still, it wasn't all bad, not from his viewpoint that is.

"You do not know this for a certainty." Sebastian pointed out as his clever mind thought of the issue. "Your guess is nothing but wild speculation."

"There's that backlog in the Locker." Jack reminded them. "I was there. I saw it. There's no way Will can handle all of that by himself. The lad is a hard worker but there's decades worth of backlog to get through."

And that was the bad side of it. He disliked work and collecting all of those souls seemed like work to him. He preferred to go pirating. And the very idea of spending a hundred years with that sour cur yapping at him like a mongrel was enough to drive him mad if he weren't mad already.

"The very idea of having vermin bound to a ship that is charged with collecting souls is idiocy!" William T. Spears glared at the two demons. It was bad enough they had to share a room on the ship temporarily and now they may be roommates for years upon years? Back in London he had had his own apartment and a real office! "How do you expect us to live like this? You have us crammed into a room like animals. We have no privacy and worst there are females sharing the room."

"We are not vermin!" Ciel glared at Spears with detest. "I resent that you keep calling us that term. And we're not thieves. Sebastian only eats the souls he has gained through a contract. We have more honor and manners than you do."

"People who can't stand close quarters with others, prudes if ye will, don't go to sea. Ye'll get used to it. And the crew is like a family. And I don't dare put the women below decks with the common crew." If he did, Jack knew it wouldn't be pretty. Elizabeth had made it through unscathed but then she had that rare ability on her side. Any man that kissed her ended up dead. Pintel, Ragetti and Mr. Gibbs had looked after her, too. With their fierce protection and the captain's friendship the other pirates didn't dare try anything.

William sighed and thought of their first night on the Black Pearl. It had been a great shock to learn they had to share a room with the demons but then they found out women were in it as well! The two groups had stared uncertainly at each other, each feeling uneasy with the situation. The women being there just made it awkward. He realized that Grell was married to the older demon but he still worried that sharing such close quarters with the foul creatures would influence his employees. Some were still young and very easy to sway, like Ronald and Alan. If the demons spoke nicely to them, he feared they would be taken in by the glib lies. And if that happened, what would he do? But Jack was right about one thing. "I do agree the women must be protected…but it is awkward to say the least."

"It doesn't bother me in the slightest." Elizabeth reassured him. She was used to living on ships and the Black Pearl was like her second home. Besides she felt they needed an experienced person to room with them anyway.

William adjusted his glasses. She was like her mother in more than one way clearly. Grell was a man who believed he was a woman and his daughter clearly thought of herself as a man. It was a bizarre mixed up situation to say the least. "It is not proper."

"If you think I'm going to do embroidery and wear a corset…! I can do everything a man can do!" Elizabeth glared at him, daring him to say anything. "And I assure you my honor is intact just fine."

At the mention of women's' undergarments many of the reaper males present blushed shamefully and cast their eyes downward – all except for Grell who fancied wearing them himself. It didn't bother the two demons either, although the word brought up a few bad memories for Ciel. For strange reasons, Sebastian seemed to enjoy forcing that dress and corset on him. Now that he was a demon, he thought he understood it better. Making others uncomfortable was fun for demons and it was one of the best ways Sebastian had of 'playing' with him, the older demon enjoying to see him squirm awkwardly while in the frilly, too-pink dress.

"Trust me, no man would dare try to kiss Lizzy. It's a death sentence!" Jack declared loudly for all to hear. Death scythe or no death scythe, he still believed that very firmly. And as he said before, once was more than enough!

Spears nervously cleared his throat. "That is hardly a proper thing to discuss in polite society. One should not bring up women's under things in mixed company."

"Half of us here are female!" Grell loudly cried as he clung to Sebastian's arm.

Jack stabbed the air with a finger as he counted the number of people present and then looked somewhat confused. There was an even number of people present but unless some of the men were actually women – which in the pirate's eyes were very possible – then the redhead's numbers were off.

"Don't be calling me a girl!" Ciel just knew Grell had included him in the list of females. Would the redhead never forget about that day at Viscount Druitt's party and the dress?

"Oh, but I've always wanted a niece!" Madame Red gushed as she hugged her nephew happily. "And you make such a pretty girl!"

"This isn't some pleasure cruise, Madame." Ciel told his aunt as he broke free of her hug, his voice serious. "Your name is on the ship's roster as well. Would you want to get stuck on this ship for a hundred years?"

But Madame Red dismissed his worries with a wave of her hand. "It's just some silly bit of paper. Are you saying some bit of paper can control our lives?"

Ciel didn't want to think his aunt wouldn't live that long. It was a fact that he had been trying to ignore these last few years. The reapers were immortal, he was immortal now and so was Sebastian, but his aunt was still just a mortal. He didn't want to lose her someday, but he didn't know what to do about it, either. One didn't just become immortal. It had only happened to him because of an accident. His gaze shifted onto Jack who seemed to be gazing at the roster with some strange look in his dark eyes. "Captain Sparrow, what happened to the men who did join Davey Jones' crew? Did they become immortal?"

"As far as I know they did." Jack picked up the roster, biting his bottom lip slightly. Holding it between his two hands, he started to experiment with it. First he tried to tear the far bottom corner. When that didn't work, he grabbed it more firmly and tried to tear it in half. As he did this, his eyes bugged out and weird expressions appeared but the scroll refused to cooperate with his desires. "Darn thing is tear-proof! Where's that lantern?"

Jack leaped up and fetched the lantern that dangled from the ceiling.

"Now what are you doing?" Ciel asked perplexed.

"Yes, what are you doing Mr. Sparrow?" Spears echoed as he watched the pirate's strange actions.

"Fixing things…" Jack rolled the roster up and then opened the lantern. Sticking the rolled scroll within, he waited with held breath to see if it would burn. But alas, it refused. Defeated, he pulled the paper back out and tossed it with disgust back onto his desk and slumped into his chair. "The rum will run out, there will be no wenches and only going onto land once in ten long years…unless those rules only applied to Jones and not me! Calypso did say I have to go to the Fountain and that is on land…why are these things never clear?"

"Jack is just a tad insane." Elizabeth reminded them. "It's why he's so brilliant."

"I did not expect such a problem…" Sebastian stated as he picked up the roster and studied it with his demon powers. Magic was embedded in the parchment, the energy signature matching the heathen goddess that had visited. It was similar to a contract, but one he had not willingly agreed to – although he had agreed to go to the Fountain. "I suspect she just wishes me to fix the Fountain, although why she doesn't do that herself is a mystery. I'm sure she is capable of it."

"The Fountain is a dark place if you ask me. Anything that rips the flesh off of a man's bones is not a sacred location of the light but belonging to the dark." Jack muttered.

Ronald gasped, his mouth dropping open. "Is that what it does?"

"Aye, I saw it with my own eyes." Jack recalled standing there as the rushing waters of the Fountain of Youth ripped past his legs to attack Blackbeard. He had watched the whole dark affair numbly. He had seen many horrible deaths in his life but that had to be near the top for insane and unique ways to die.

William pulled his little black book out of his jacket pocket and opened it. He figured if it were true, if Calypso had the power to command him, then surely there should be names in his To Die List? And to his surprise, he did see names and the weird numbers that they had seen before. He frowned, thinking. Why there were names in his book now but before there had been none he did not know, but a suspicion grew in his mind. Did it have to do with the ship's roster? He recalled Jack's open offer of earlier to join the crew. Had some of his reapers taken up the captain's offer? "Knox, Slingby, Humphries, did you sign the ship's roster on your own?"

Ronald laughed nervously while looking very guilty, his hands tucked behind his back. He backed up a bit, his feet shifting about. "Who me…?"

"You look as guilty as the cat that ate the canary." Jack informed the young reaper sadly. He would be a very poor pirate, as his face was as open as a book.

"William-san, I…" Alan's words trailed off, the hard-working reaper unsure how to explain it. And Eric just stood next to Alan with his usual expression.

"Awww, come on, we just wanted a bit of gold!" Ronald explained. "I have a bar tab to pay and pretty girls to date back in London! What does it matter anyway? We're already on this ship! I didn't think you'd mind."

"You mean you thought he wouldn't find out." Jack corrected for the young blonde with bicolor hair.

"I am just trying to ascertain how the To Die Lists work on this ship. Once you sign the roster or your name is added, it seems you start to get assignments. As Supervisor, it is my job to oversee and understand these things. Now pull out your books and check for assignments."

The reapers pulled out their books and soon saw they all had assignments. And like before there were strange numbers behind the names. The locations were showed to Jack and the Pirate Lord ran his finger across the map to the desired location.

"So many names!" Ronald gushed as he flipped through page after page of souls assigned to him. "Where is this place anyway?"

"It's where we're going, Isla de Muerta." Jack explained to the others. "It's a very dangerous passage with countless sunken ships, the ships' hulls torn open on sharp rocks. Once we get there, you can see the battered rotten hulks just below the surface and hammerheads everywhere."

"What a joyful place." Eric stated sarcastically.

"They're after the gold, mate, or I suspect some of them were; others were just careless or unlucky." Jack explained as he thought of the treacherous passage they'd have to pass through. He realized someone would have to swim down into the water with ropes and truthfully he was unsure of how that could work. He needed to come up with a better plan but what? How had Jones made the sea cover the cave and if he were truly like Jones now, could he reverse it somehow? Right then and there, Jack decided he needed to practice doing Jones-type things and harness his new abilities. That annoying cur Spears meant well but he didn't know half the things Jones could do, did he?

If Jones had been the sea, he would be the sea as well. A slight grin appeared on Jack's face then as he quite fancied the idea. The immortal Captain Jack Sparrow, Lord of the Caribbean!

TBC…

Note: According to the Pirates Wiki, Calypso had used demons in the past although there are no details listed.

My muse also was silent for awhile but listening to the soundtrack from Dead Man's Chest helped a lot and got is flowing again. The wonderful, lively instrumental scores from POTC is very inspiring. Writing this chapter was a lot of fun and I think I'll start on the next one now. Hopefully bits were funny as well.