Artemis stood against the railing for a few good minutes, Will was officially on top of the shipwrecked ship. She took a few steps back and noticed how Jack gave the order to close every single lamp on the ship, allowing it to blend in with the darkness around them. It was worrying and made the whole moment scary, unsettling and dangerous. She didn't know what game Jack was playing or what plan he had in his mind but she grew worried with each minute.
She kept walking backwards, trying her best to calm down her breathing and focus on the current moment. Her senses seemed to be sharpened and her body felt as if it was on guard as if it was alive and knew that something bad would happen. She stopped when she felt the temperature dropping and goosebumps covering her skin.
Something was off, she knew it. She took a step back subconsciously as if whatever darkness she was sensing would come from the side of the ship was looking at. As she stepped back, she felt a body behind her; wet, cold, stinky and slimy body. Before she could move, a sword was placed against her throat. A quick look around she could see that everyone was in the same position. Only that, instead of being held by mere men, they were held by hybrids between man and fish. She blinked twice but before she could make a move, she froze as she spotted the black shadow in front of Jack. As the light of the moon shone, she could see the tall Captain with the face of a squid.
Davy Jones, she thought and swallowed the lump in her throat.
That was the man Jack had made a deal with. The Devil of the 7 Seas whom she had heard so many stories about since she was a mere child. Every sailor, wise sailor, feared him and had every right to.
"You have a debt to pay," The feared Captain said as he started to walk towards Jack while he backed away. "You've been Captain of the Black Pearl for thirteen years. That was our agreement.
"Technically, I was only Captain for two years, then I was viciously mutinied upon"
"Then you were a poor Captain, but a Captain, nonetheless. Have you not introduced yourself all these years as 'Captain Jack Sparrow'?"
The cursed crew laughed, causing everyone a big uneasiness.
"Yeah, I gave you payment. One soul to serve on your ship is already over there"
"You bastard!" Artemis' voice echoed throughout the silent ship once she realised his plan and all her fellow mates knew that tone, she was pissed.
The fish man behind her tried to hold her still but she elbowed him in the sensitive place and with a quick sharp turn, she grabbed her blade and decapitated him. The head rolled to the side but the body kept standing, the fish crew member was still alive but she paid it, no mind. She ignored the gasps of the others and placed the sword back in its sheath while also making her way towards her target; towards the man who betrayed her trust and sentenced her friend to death to save his pathetic skin.
"Lassie wait-"
Jack's words were cut short as the fierce redhead punched him on the nose, sending him on his back with both hands holding the now bloody nose.
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. There was never a way to save Liz, was it? You sent Will there, to his doom while you ran away like the coward you were" she accused, pointing a finger and towering over the man. She panted, taking deep breaths while her anger got the best of her.
She could always control it but there were times she couldn't and that was when her loved ones were in danger and when she was played like a fool. She hated the second part, getting angrier just by thinking about it again. In her fuss, in her anger; she forgot the situation they were in and didn't care much about the deadly Captain behind her.
His crew snickered at the scene, enjoying seeing Jack being hit and commanded by a woman. A woman who had kept quiet, her naïve side hoping and thinking that Jack had a plan. She had her suspicions; something was fishy from the start, but she stayed quiet. Well, not anymore. She had lost too many people in her life; she wouldn't accept losing anyone else.
Especially if she could do something about it.
"Well, well... what do we have here boys?" The haunted voice of Davy Jones spoke from behind her. Artemis turned but before she could make any other move, the red claw of a crayfish grabbed her throat and lifted her, blocking the air that went into her lungs while crushing her windpipe slightly. Her hands subconsciously went to the strong fish limb and tried to ease the pressure on her neck while her blue eye came face to face with the cursed Captain. "I didn't have you for someone to bring women on board, Jack" he continued as the crew laughed while the said man stood on his feet.
"Well, technically-"
"Silence" he ordered and turned his attention to her. "Tell me, girl. Do you fear death?"
"Death... yes... You... No" was her answer through struggles for breath.
Before Davy Jones could react, she had grabbed a knife from her boot and pierced it on the sensitive spot of the claw.
Using all the strength she could master, she managed to weaken his grip, only for a second later to let her go. Grabbing and rubbing her neck while coughing, she mentally thanked the servants who had shown her how to clean and open a lobster back in Port Royal. Davy Jones' face showed pure rage and she quickly jumped on her feet, not showing any fear or regret.
Her hand went to her blade, ready to draw it and fight if she had to.
Jack stood a few feet beside her and watched as the tension between the two of them grew. However, Davy Jones ended up laughing. A sickening and dark laugh came from him and his crew joined right after.
"You would do good upon the Flying Dutchman... if we accepted women"
The crew laughed once again but their leader stayed quiet as his wise eyes spotted something...interesting. There was something different about her, he could sense it but he could not directly pinpoint what was. He studied her for a moment too long, noticing how fearlessly she stared back at him with a look he had not seen in a lot of years...too many for him to count.
Everything, though, was interrupted by Jack.
"Yes... well, coming back to our... agreement... I believe the deal is done. A soul for a soul" he said as he moved to stand next to Artemis, afraid the stubbornness of the redhead would get her killed in the next minute.
Davy Jones did not seem to agree. "One soul is not equal to another,"
"Aha! So we've established my proposal is sound in principle, now we're just haggling over price"
"Price?"
"Just how many souls, do you think, my soul is worth?"
Davy Jones was about to answer but stopped and his attention landed on Artemis who kept glaring at him; smirking as the idea came to his mind. "Hers alone and your debt is paid"
"Mine alone, meaning Will is sent back?" she asked.
"Yes," the cursed captain confirmed.
"Then it is a deal," she said without a moment of hesitation.
"No deal!" Jack argued in a little louder tone, earning everyone's attention. "No deal. How many souls, other souls do mine worth?"
"One hundred souls"
Artemis just stared for a moment too long. "This is madness. It is a deal. My soul for his"
"It is not a deal," he said and stood between Artemis and Jones, trying to hide her presence from the intimidating monster. "You're a darling, mate. Send me back the boy, I'll get started right off"
"I keep the boy, a good, faith payment. That leaves you only ninety-nine to go. 3 days. Haha, haha!"
Jack did not like that and decided to try one last thing, using whatever new knowledge had obtained about him. "Have you not met Will Turner? He's noble, heroic, and a terrific soprano. Worth at least four, maybe three and a half. And did I happen to mention... he's in love... With a girl. Due to being married... Betrothed. Dividing him from her and her from him would only be half as cruel as actually allowing them to be joined in holy matrimony. Aye?"
Jones stayed quiet for a minute longer than anyone anticipated, and Artemis looked at him suspiciously. Whatever Jack was meaning behind his words seemed to affect him but he quickly regained his composure. "I keep the boy. Ninety-nine souls-ah. But I wonder, Sparrow... can you live with this? Can you condemn an innocent man – a friend – to a lifetime of servitude in your name while you roam free? When you couldn't even condemn a mere woman?"
"Yep. I'm good with it" Jack said after he thought of it for a second. "Shall we seal it in blood, I mean, uh, ink?"
Immediately, Jones grabbed Jack's left hand with his tentacled one and 'shook' it. "Three days-ah"
The words echoed from his crewmen as they slowly disappeared until the crew of the Pearl and our heroes were once again left alone.
"Uh, Mr Gibbs?" Jack called his first mate, noticing how the black spot had left his palm but the faintest of slime had remained.
"Aye"
"I feel sullied and unusual," The Captain said, not sure how to express what he truly felt at that moment.
"And how do we intend to harvest these ninety-nine souls in three days?"
"Fortunately, he was mum as the condition in which these souls need to be"
His first mate immediately understood. "Ah, Tortuga"
Jack wiped his slimy hand on Gibbs' vest. "Tortuga"
"Are you serious now?" Artemis voiced out as everyone scattered, not wanting to be any close to the short-tempered woman; especially after such a scene.
"Lassie listen to me," Jack said as he placed his one hand over her mouth and the other grabbed her wrist before pulling her into the cabin. He closed the door behind him and then let her go.
She took a few steps back. "This looks familiar," she said sarcastically as she folded her hands in front of her chest. "Why didn't you let me finish the deal, Jack?"
"Because dear I have a plan and for that plan, I cannot have you on top of the Flying Dutchman, save?" he asked but he already expected her answer, based on the look she gave him, alone.
She narrowed her eyes and kept her arms folded in front of her chest. "No. Now talk. You planned to send Will and pray that Jones would accept him in your place. Then let Liz be hanged for helping you in the first place"
"Not precise" Jack corrected her, making her lift a single eyebrow at his vague words. "You see Lassie..." he started to explain while walking towards her. "On top of that haunted ship is Will's dear old goody daddy. I sent him there on purpose because we still need that key and that chest... Your dear friend Will... will have a touching reunion, find the key and then come to us... We find the chest and those 99 souls and then we force Jones to agree to our terms... Once done, I give Will the compass and he goes to save his bonnie lass"
"And you couldn't have told me all that because...?" she asked, waiting for his answer with her eyebrow still arched.
"Because I didn't think that you would make such a scene " he explained as he now stood in front of her. "Although I must admit, it was quite... a... fiery one" Jack whispered in her ear and pushed a strand out of her face.
His fingers gently brushed against her cheek, leaving a trail of goosebumps on her skin.
There were rare moments he would be too close to her, those rare moments which seemed to affect her in a way no one else could. His breath had reached her lips and she found herself having trouble controlling her mind and thoughts. They were too close and everything seemed too tempting for a moment, making her struggle with logic and control.
"This plan of yours better work Jack," she said as she tried to ignore the feeling or the fact of how close their faces were.
"It will lassie. It will"
He said, looking into that beautiful blue eye of hers with which he had fallen in love. Then, his attention went to her face, which glowed under the light of the lamp in his office and the light of the moon that came from the window in his cabin. The scene replayed in his mind, enjoying each moment the woman in front of him showed a wild side which was yet to be tamed.
He liked that, he liked how that sounded and found his face coming slightly closer. Their noses touched and their lips barely had a gap of a single inch between them. Just a tad closer and they would touch. For a moment, Jack was simply too tempted and he fought hard not to claim her lips once and for all; something he had been thinking of it rather fondly the past few months.
However, he took notice of how her eyes cast downwards in an attempt to avoid looking at him. She hesitated or she simply did not wish for them to continue, even though he could see and somehow feel that she also wanted this.
He did not pressure her, realizing she was not ready for that yet. Instead, he pulled his face back and allowed her some much-needed space.
"I should go. They will need...need help with the sails" she explained, her throat feeling dry and her mind screaming for her to kiss him.
She couldn't do that, not at the moment and she shouldn't. The feelings she had about it were complicated, barely making any sense to her. She wouldn't risk everything for them, especially knowing how Jack was with women. Giving in would hold the risk of her getting hurt and maybe rumours spread out.
Something she was not ready for.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unknown Tavern, Tortuga - Nightfall - Days Later
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the famous port with name, Tortuga, the population was as disorderly and loud as it has been every single day. Inside the most famous tavern, Gibbs could be found sitting with Artemis at a table. In front of them, some ink and a scroll while a small line of men is in front of them. This was Jack's plan how to find 99 souls however their luck seemed to have run out.
"And what makes you think you're worthy to crew the Black Pearl?" he asked the hopeful sailor in front of him while Artemis was sharpening her sword.
"Truth be told, I never sailed a day in my life. I figure I should get out and see the world while I'm still young"
"You'll do. Make your mark," he said and indicated the roster sheet. "Next!"
"My wife runs off with my dog, and I'm drunk for a month, and I don't give an ass rat's if I live or die," the next sailor said, and Gibbs grinned.
"Perfect! Next!"
In the meanwhile, Jack was leaning against a wooden wall not too far away and had his full attention on the compass. "I know what I want, I know what I want, I know what I want" he muttered to himself and opened the compass which still wouldn't show him his bearing.
"I have one arm and a bum leg"
"It's the crow's nest for you"
On those words, Artemis stopped what she was doing and eyed Gibbs carefully. However, a second later she let out a 'hn' sound and returned to her sword. She had to remind herself that it was only temporary and planned for Jack, but she still didn't want to give away her spot.
"I know what I want" Jack muttered once again and opened the compass but had no change. It either spun around without wishing to stop or if it did stop, it always pointed at Artemis; which only frustrated him more.
Artemis looked at him with the tip of her eye before continuing to sharpen and take care of her sword. "Next!" she ordered.
"Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to sail the seas. Forever" the sailor said.
"Sooner than you think. Sign the roster" Gibbs said with a fake smile, motioning for the paper.
"Thanks very much"
"How are we going to?" Jack asked as he kept his eyes on the compass.
"Including those four? That gives us... four" She informed, her eyes on her blade as the Captain decided to shake the compass vigorously, hoping somehow this would help.
A few seconds later another man approached them. The smell of rum hit Artemis' nose strongly and from her position managed to see dirty clothes that stroke a familiarity but paid no further attention.
"And what is your story?" Gibbs asked him.
"My story?" he asked and earned a nod from Gibbs. "It's the same as your story, just one chapter behind. I chased a man across the seven seas. " he started. jack closed his compass upon recognising the voice and looked around, searching for a spot to hide. At the same time, Artemis dared to look up with slight shock and even fear. "The pursuit cost me my Crew, my commission, and my life," the man said as he grabbed a rum bottle off the table and took a swig.
No way, she thought as she observed the person from her not-so-distant past. She took a better look at him, seeing him missing his fancy white wig and looking scruffy, dirty, and very much unlike himself.
"Commodore? /James?" Gibbs and she exclaimed at the same time, equally shocked.
"No, not anymore, weren't you listening?"Norrington snapped back, making Gibbs look uncomfortable. "I nearly had you all off Tripoli. I would've, if not for the hurricane" he replied as Jack took a leafy plant and tried to hide behind it.
"Lord. You didn't try to sail through it?" Gibbs asked him.
He didn't reply which confirmed their suspicion. Instead, he decided to do some digging himself on their mysterious recruitment.
"So, do I make your Crew or not? You haven't said where you're going. Somewhere nice!" he accused and with one single move, he managed to upturn the table. The sudden move shocked Gibbs, who fell off his stool. Artemis had reacted on time and had managed to jump back, escaping a fall. She immediately placed her hand on the handle of her sword while James was busy strutting around the tavern. "So am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?" he asked and spotted Jack, trying to inconspicuously walk away with the plant clutched in front. James, however, simply pointed his pistol at him. "Or should I just kill you now?"
"You're hired," Jack told him as Artemis placed her pistol on his temple.
The former Commodore did not seem to be affected by the cold metal against his left temple. "Sorry. Old habits and all that. Artemis you can shoot me, but I am taking this man with me" he said and was ready to shoot when two pirates rose and pushed his pistol to face the ceiling.
"Easy Sailor!" One shouted at him as the pistol fired, the bullet ricocheting off the lights and breaking someone's bottle.
Right after, a brawl broke out.
"Time to go" Jack suggested.
"Aye," The first mate and quartermaster agreed at the same time as the three of them carefully made their way upstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While trying to escape, Jack kept trying on different hats from men they passed by; but none seemed to suit him well enough. His original hat was simply too good for him and it was not easy to find a replacement.
"Thanks, mate," he said to one pirate as he took his hat and touched his shoulder, only to cause the man to fall off his perch on the railing. "Ooh." he put the hat that he took off him onto another being carried off to be thrown off the second floor and then stepped to the side. "Carry on." The man was thrown over.
"Come on Jack!" Artemis said and grabbed his wrist before dragging him with her, Gibbs leading the way as the fight became worse and more people got injured.
She had learnt by now that when a fight started in the pub, you had a few minutes before hell broke loose. Then, it didn't matter which side you were on, you would get hit or tossed aside liking it or not. It was a fight of all against all where crewmates, alliances and names paid no importance to the drunk men and women.
EDITED: 05/03/2024