Eternity and the Sparrow

So, here’s my usual ‘sorry it took me so damn long’ thing… I was working two jobs, against my better judgment, and was still going to full-time college. I’ve now quit one job, so I hope I can do more writing.

I didn’t send this in to beta, so if you see any glaring mistakes, let me know.

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The Dutchman dropped anchor some ways from the spit of land, just in case there were reefs hidden around the island. A reef could sink or strand a ship more quickly than a beastie. William’s crew prepared the few landing craft they had, packing one with empty crates to bring back fresh goods and the other with men to search the island for food.

Jack climbed aboard the first. He paused with one foot on the deck and the other in the ship, “Yer men aren’t going to leave me out there, are they?”

Will raised his eyes from checking the firing mechanism on his gun, asking, “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t exactly have the best record with islands.”

The Dutchman’s Captain shoved his pistol back into its holster and yelled at his men, “No one leaves Jack behind!”

He got a chorus of ‘Aye, sir’ before looking back at his lover, “There, now they have their orders.”

Jack stayed stationary for a moment longer and nodded, stepping into the small craft. When William made to follow after him, he put a hand on the boy’s chest, “What are ye doin’?”

“Coming with… right,” Will recalled his land situation halfway through his sentence. The realization damped his mood like water on a fire. “I forgot again,” he mumbled.

Jack’s obsidian gaze softened. He made sure the crew was still busy lowering the first dinghy and snagged a handful of William’s hair to bring him in for a heated kiss with plenty of tongue. When he separated from the younger man, he gave him a gold-capped grin, “When I get back, we’ll make more of that.”

Will tried to trail after his lips, but couldn’t seem to catch up with them. He opened his eyes when Jack chuckled at him. The boy smiled back at him, but it didn’t quite reach the rest of his features.

“Alright.”

“Good, now- Monkey!” Jack’s transition left William blinking stupidly. The older pirate dashed around him and snagged the furry creature out of the lines, pulling his hat roughly from its tiny hands. “That’s MY hat!” He dropped the simian and tapped the tri-corn back into place atop his crown.

Will couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Your maturity level astounds me.”

Jack ignored the comment.

The Dutchman’s crew shoved off, leaving William alone on his ship. He leaned at the rail until the dinghies landed, glancing over at the undead monkey once his men had disappeared into the trees. The creature returned to the rigging after Jack released him and was now drooping off a bracer line. Monkey Jack sighed. If Will didn’t know any better, he’d say the animal was moping.

“You miss Barbossa, don’t you?”

The small creature peered quizzically at him when he spoke. Will noted, with some amusement, that Jack and his simian counterpart both titled their head when trying to understand something. It was a similarity that he wouldn’t bring up with his companion; it would probably make Jack touchy to be compared to the ‘damn monkey’.

Will offered the animal his hand, “Let’s go see if we can’t find you something to eat.”

Whether it was the words or his gesture, the monkey didn’t hesitate at the offer and leapt onto Will. He curled comfortably on the Captain’s shoulders. Will smiled and gave the animal a quick scratch behind the ears.

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Jack helped unload several of the empty crates before he turned his attention to his tricky compass. It was possible that this spit of an island was home to the Fountain, but it could very well be beyond the islet on some other land mass.

A shadow fell across his shoulder as he flipped the device open, “Do you think you can find what you’re searching for?”

Jack didn’t look up at Bootstrap, instead watching the needle swing in sporadic circles. “Maybe… or maybe I’ll find some rum. Either way suits me,” he muttered at William’s father.

His response roused a chuckled from Bill and the older man shook his head. “Alright. We’ll send someone out to find you when we’re heading back.”

The needle settled in a solid direction as Jack got his mind set on what he wanted. Without another word, Jack marched off into the dense undergrowth. Large leaves and vines slapped against his body like the jungle was trying to grab hold of him. This island was not a place man was meant to go. There were no animal trails and no calling birds. The air was as quiet as the morning after a drunken party. It made Jack uncomfortable.

“I really hope there aren’t any cannibals,” Jack whispered to himself.

The compass held true, for the most part. Occasionally, it would spin wildly as Jack lost his focus. He would will it back under control and continue his march, keeping a sharp eye out for men with painted skin and filed teeth. One could never be sure how many Caribbean islands had cannibals on them.

Although, they’d gone far enough south to leave Caribbean waters. It was possible they were on an island with a whole different breed of crazy natives. Maybe he’d run into some who wore human skin, or kept human pets.

Jack glanced down to see the needle wavering again. He cursed and gave it a shake. If he didn’t keep his mind from wandering, he’d end up hopelessly lost in more ways than one. It settled again and Jack adjusted his path, pushing a particularly leafy plant out of his way. The flora didn’t bend as willingly as he’d hoped and he whipped out his sword to chop it into submission.

Jack considered saying something spiteful at the bush, but the phrase died when he realized where he was. The dirt had given way to soft sand and the needle was now unwaveringly pointing out to sea… at William’s ship.

Frustrated, the pirate charged back into the jungle. He would not be beaten by his own desires. He shoved his way past every obstacle, watching the needle of his compass resolutely. A few minutes later, he emerged on the same stretch of beach and found himself staring out at the Flying Dutchman.

Jack yelled at the aggravating tool. It didn’t help anything, but it made him feel a little better, “I KNOW I want me whelp! I can’t BE with me whelp if ye don’t show me where this damn fount’n is!”

The needle did an about-face as Jack glared at it. Begrudgingly, he turned to follow it. He really didn’t trust it to lead him far and he wasn’t disappointed. A few steps into the foliage, the needle began to waver and was spinning rapidly several hundred yards from the beach.

Jack sighed and closed the compass, tying it back to his belt. Muttering colorful words under his breath, he dropped onto a rock to give his feet a rest. There wasn’t much he could do about the tool. While he knew that the problem was with him, not the compass, he was still determined to blame it. It was mocking him. If the Fountain was on the island, he wasn’t going to find it with his current tools.

Jack pulled the bamboo map from under his sash and unrolled it. The cryptic circles smiled up at him from their puzzling configuration. The map held more secrets than Jack cared to ponder on, but he wasn’t sure that it would be able to tell him the Fountain’s exact location. He twisted several of the puzzle pieces to reveal his prize.

There was very little information about the legendary object. It was drawn in a little ways from an unfamiliar land mass, labeled in what he thought might be Spanish or French. It was more likely to be Spanish, because the Spaniards had boasted about explored much of the southern waters around the Americas.

The image of the Fountain was similar to an urn or pitcher, but maps didn’t always have the best representation of things. Jack was well aware that it could take almost any shape. It might not even have water in it. The word ‘fountain’ could very well be the best explanation for the object.

While Jack fiddled with the Asian maps, he noticed movement at the edge of his vision. The tiny clearing he’d dropped into was taken up by a small well of water. It wasn’t a stream, because it wasn’t going anywhere, but it couldn’t exactly be called a pond either. Jack put away his map and took a closer look at the spring. It was just a trickle of water bubbling through a grouping of smooth stones. The perfectly clear water came up from its unknown source, ran down the rocks, and sank back into the earth. Jack slipped a hand into the running water. Under the scorching sun, the spring was surprisingly cool to the touch. He suspected it came from a deep source.

The pirate cupped his hand and allowed the liquid to pool in his palm. Water wasn’t always safe to drink, so he gave it a quick sniff and taste test. If there was something wrong with it, Jack couldn’t tell. The Dutchman’s water supply was gone days ago and rum was only good at quenching thirst so long. Jack drank greedily.

The icy liquid was like heaven on Captain Sparrow’s parched throat. It gave his tired muscles a second charge and cleared his head. It was like the first sip of rum after a long dry spell. Jack had never savored the taste of water as he did now.

“Jack, where the hell are ye?” Bootstrap’s voice floated through the dense jungle.

The pirate stood and wiped off his mouth before yelling back, “Here.”

“We’re ready to shove off.”

Feeling pretty good, considering he couldn’t find what he came after; Jack cut a path back to the boats. William’s crew was just loading up the rest of the goods when he got there. Jack picked up one of the remaining barrels and set it the dinghy he came in on. They’d carefully split up the produce between the two ships to keep the weight equal and did the same with the returning men. Coming back with a heavier load than they came with, one of the more experienced pirates determined that one or two of the men would have to swim back to avoid sinking. Maccus, the biggest among them, was chosen to do just that. He grumbled about it, but didn’t put up much of a fight.

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In his quarters, William put down his book when he heard his men climb aboard. They were being rather boisterous which meant they’d had a good haul. It would all be fresh, so it wouldn’t last long unless preserved, but it would be nice to have a meal that wasn’t weeks old.

Jack’s voice broke through the rest, “Where’s the damn monkey?” He sounded furious. Something went wrong.

Will glanced at the monkey perched on his shoulder. The animal seemed perfectly content considering him his new master and had yet to leave Will’s presence. He might have to tell Jack to leave the monkey be.

The Dutchman’s Captain pulled his boots off his desk, but didn’t get the chance to rise. The doors to his quarters flew open and Jack Sparrow marched in with gun drawn. Before Will could speak or move, Jack cracked off a shot in his direction. The bullet hit its target with a sickening crunch and the monkey flew off Will’s shoulder.

The boy sat in shock for a moment until his tongue found words to spit at him, “A bit close wasn’t it?! I’m glad you’re sure of your aim, because I don’t think I’d be pleased if you’d hit me in the head!”

The monkey scampered off, unfazed by the bullet that passed through it. Jack turned the gun to shoot him again, but got nothing more than a click from the empty pistol. He curled his lip when the animal vanished through an open window.

“Did you hear me?” William asked sharply.

Jack shoved his gun back in its holster. “I heard ye.”

The tension slowly leaked out of Will’s frame and he slumped back into his chair, changing subjects, “What went wrong? I know my crew didn’t try to leave you there.”

Jack left the open port the monkey escaped through and crossed the cabin to his lover. “No, they didn’t. I couldn’t find the fount’n and me damn compass doesn’t seem interested in workin’ and I really just want to bugger ye into tomorrow,” he leaned in to admit against Will’s ear.

There was something to be said about unorthodox attempts to cool William’s tempter… they always seemed to work. Bootstrap’s son quickly forgot the incident with the monkey and turned his attentions to the truly evil things Jack’s hands were doing beneath his shirt. He barely managed to keep his mind on topic, “Why did you think it was on this island?”

“Pirate’s instinct?” Jack offered softly.

Will made an affirming noise that melted into a purr as Jack’s lips began exploring chest. It took several minutes of mind-numbing pleasure before Will realized something, he couldn’t feel Jack’s beard. There was the occasional brush of his nose and the constant sensation of his lips, but no facial hair. William almost let it slip, since it was probably his imagination, but a quick look at Jack’s face told him it was anything but.

The younger man pushed his partner to arm’s length to get a good look at him. Jack complained about being interrupted, but his words went unheeded. The man’s whole face looked younger. He had fewer wrinkles around his eyes and his beard and mustache were nowhere to be seen. In a confused panic, Will started examining the rest of him. Jack’s clothes were loose, like he’d gotten smaller, and his bandanna was slipping down over his eyes.

Jack stopped complaining about Will pushing him off when he caught the look on the boy’s face. “What?”

William’s eyes grew impossibly wide.

Even Jack’s voice had changed. It had gotten higher, more childlike. There was definitely something wrong. Will vaulted out of the chair, knocking his lover back in the process. He looked around frantically while Jack continued to question him. Without another idea, Will pulled Jack’s sword out of its sheath and presented the flat blade to him. In the tiny reflection, Captain Sparrow saw what Will was worked up about.

“I’m turnin’ into a whelp, whelp!”

“I’ve noticed…”

Jack tilted the blade to get a better look, but it didn’t seem to change anything. To add insult to injury, his pants began slipping off, bluntly reinforcing the fact that he was getting smaller. Jack grabbed at his belt to keep them up. He put the blade away and looked back at William, realizing that he was now several inches shorter than the other man.

“I think we have a problem mate,” Jack stated in a voice that was no longer his.

Will nodded, “That… that we do…”

Jack tried to look on the bright side of things. At least he wasn’t getting older quickly. Once he stopped aging, he would have time to catch back up, since Will wouldn’t change. Unless he didn’t stop going backwards… What if he turned into a baby and then ceased to be? He’d never heard of anything like that happening before, but stranger things had occurred.

“It could be worse, I guess. I could start looking like Davy Jones,” Jack jested as lightly as he could.

Will didn’t find it amusing. “What do you mean ‘it could be worse’? You’re turning into a child! How are we going to get you back to normal?”

Jack’s hat fell into his face and he pushed it back up with his free hand. He was now at least foot shorter than his lover. “We ask someone who knows a lot about a lot of things.”

“Do you know such a person?” Will questioned, getting the distinct impression that Jack looked like a child playing in his father’s clothes.

“I do, but I can’t say she’ll be willin’ to help.”

“Wait! You’re talking about Calypso, aren’t you? Isn’t that a bad idea? Aren’t you one of the ones who imprisoned her?” Will started pacing, his agitation rising into panic. Jack was shrinking before his eyes and Calypso was his idea of a solution? The goddess wasn’t trustworthy. After all, she’d practically made a pact to destroy all pirates.

Jack quirked a grin, “Well, I always was one of her favorites.”

Will felt a major headache coming on, but he resisted the urge to rub his temples; he didn’t think it would help. “Alright… how to we find her?” he sighed in defeat. There really didn’t seem to be a better option and Will knew Jack wouldn’t last long if he kept shrinking at his current rate.

“There’s a way to request her presence, but that’s really the only thing I know to do.”

“Let’s do it.”

Jack raised his eyebrows, “Right now? I mean, I think I’m a little young to do that. I don’t think the snake’ll rise.”

William rolled his eyes skyward at the comment, “Jack! That’s not what I meant! How do we call her?” It did just go to show that the Pirate King really did have sex on the brain during any situation.

“Oh,” Jack grabbed Will’s arm and dragged him out onto the main deck, the boots that were far too big clunking against the wood. Every eye turned to the small child in Jack’s clothes that darted out of the Captain’s Quarters. Whispers and comments flew as the boy ran across the deck to lean over the rail. “Your dagger.”

“What?”

Jack didn’t ask a second time, but took the knife off Will’s belt, “To request Calypso’s presence, you must bleed for her.” The child pirate ran the blade across his palm and made a fist. A stream of red fell into the waves.

They waited, but nothing happened. While they waited, Jack lost a few more inches and Will became skeptical. He crouched to wrap up Jack’s hand and sighed, “I don’t think she’s coming.”

Bootstrap set down the barrel he was moving into the lower decks and approached the bizarre scene, “William, who’s the lad?”

Captain Turner looked up at his father, “It’s Jack.”

The older Turner gaped, open-mouthed and Jack griped at him, “You had a starfish on yer face once, so shut up.”

All of the pirates snapped to attention as loud, disembodied laughter filled the ship. A sharp voice followed as it faded, “Witty Jack, ‘as de trouble caught up wit ye again?”

Near the base of the ship, the ocean churned and frothed. Many wary eyes peered over the edge, looking for any sign of the goddess in the angry waters. Just as the turbulence began to dissipate, lines of crabs exploded from the deep, sending a faint mist into the air.

The army of crustaceans stormed up the sides of the ship, washing over cannons and crewmen alike, and gathered in the center of the deck. A mass of shelled creatures grew as they piled on top of each other and out of the mass came a grinning face that mocked them without words. The rest of Calypso melted and merged and formed in the chaos of crustaceans. As her dark skin formed and smoothed into being, the unneeded crabs scurried off the edges of the deck. A deep green material climbed up through the departing crabs, worming its way across the deck like a snake. Jack and Will staring in awe as the seaweed draped delicately across her naked body, the only ones on the deck having never witnessed Calypso’s grand entrance before.

“Nice of ye not to be gigantic today,” Jack chirped sarcastically, determined not to be terribly impressed by the show of power.

Gracefully ignoring the comment, Calypso smiled at the shrinking Captain, showing a mouthful of teeth that were black with rot. “Ye ‘ad an encounter wit ancient majic Jack Sparrow, an’ ye’ll not come clean of it wit’out ‘elp.”

“You know what’s happening then?” Will asked her.

The primeval goddess turned her dark eyes to the young pirate. “Ye be de boy dat be fillin’ Davy’s shoes.”

William nodded curtly, slightly nervous now that he was the sole occupant of her attention. She looked very much like she did as a human, but Will could feel her power in her stare. It was like her eyes were pulling him into pieces, dissecting him for her amusement. The feeling made his skin crawl.

“I hope ye be keepin’ up wit yer work or ye’ll be doin’ more dan fillin’ ‘im shoes.” She warned cryptically, a smirk playing on her black lips. If she knew his fate, which she did, it couldn’t be read in her features. Calypso shifted her gaze from curly-haired man to the child standing just behind him. Will placed himself in front of Jack in a protective gesture that made the goddess chuckle, “Den ye found who yer ‘eart really belongs te.”

“Yes,” Jack and Will said in unison, not knowing who the question was directed at.

She cackled at the response. “I see dat. Even in de box, ‘im ‘eart don’t lie. It get confused, but it don’t lie.”

Will wondered if he should be concerned that Calypso’s words made so much sense. Jack and Calypso almost had a language all their own, but he was slowly getting used to it.

“Now, we best be slowin’ ye down witty Jack or ye’ll be not but a speck ‘fore we be done.” The goddess wound both hands around Jack’s head, pressing her fingers hard against his skin, and leaned down to spit on the very top of his crown.

“Ew,” Jack whined. “That’s disgustin’. Ye couldn’t slow things down without spittin’ on me?”

“What now? How do we get him back to normal?” Will pressed, concerned that they’d lost too much time already.

“Now,” Calypso straitened up. “Ye find de serpent dat guard ‘im fountain. Jack must drink de blood of de guardian to return ta ‘imself.”

Jack and Will traded looks.

“Serpent?”

“Aye. De world be a perfect balance. De fountain be a great power dat gives life-”

“The fount’n was not exactly helpful,” Jack muttered.

Calypso glared at him for the interruption, but plowed through his statement, “An de serpent takes dat life away. Ye must ‘ave both before ye be immortal.”

“Serpent,” Will mused and rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “Jack, did you see a snake near the fountain?”

Jack tried to give him an annoyed look, but it failed miserably as his hat fell across his eyes. He groaned and pushed it back, his arms flailing in his frustration. “I didn’t even know it was the bloody fount’n! It looked like a pile of rocks with a spring comin’ out of it!”

“But did you see-”

“No,” he griped, trying to wrestle his sleeves off of his hands and up around his elbows. The more he fooled with them, the more tangled he seemed to get until Will took pity on him and rolled them up.

Calypso chuckled. “Ye be thinkin’ much too small Captain.”

It struck the young Captain much like a lighting bolt might. His eyes widened and his mouth opened several times before he managed to speak, reminding Jack of a beached fish. “Serpent, like sea serpent?!”

The maritime goddess nodded slowly, her heavy dreadlocks sliding rhythmically across her shoulders.

Their argument had drawn quite a crowd, but the Dutchman’s crew didn’t interrupt until the insane idea of hunting down a sea serpent came into the conversation. Every man hollered his disapproval.

Will yelled into the clamor to get their attention, “If it’s the only way to fix Jack, then that’s what we’re going to do!”

Jack spoke in the silence following William’s words, “We can NOT go after it and avoid be snacked on by a beastie. Either way I’m going to die.”

“We’re not going to die.” Someone snorted his disagreement and Will glared at him. “We aren’t! We fought it before and we can do it again. How do we find it?”

Ogilvy snapped a sarcastic idea, “Why don’t we just float around for a while. I’m sure it’ll attack us again.”

“No, Jack doesn’t have that kind of time.”

Calypso raised her voice above the others, the power of a crashing wave behind it, “I will summon ‘im, but der be a price for dat.”

“Price,” Will echoed. “What kind of price?”

Her lips curled up slowly, “I’ll not tell ye ‘till da deed be done.”

The young captain was not very welcoming to the idea of a pact he didn’t know the terms for, but Calypso’s attempt to slow Jack’s aging seemed to have worn off and they couldn’t have much longer. His crew leaned in, awaiting his answer with bated breath. It wasn’t wise to offer so much to the sea goddess, but no one was willing to tell him so with her standing quite so near. She’d probably turn whoever dared speak into a snack for the sharks.

Jack wailed, “I’m not gettin’ any older whelp! Just agree already!”

“Fine.” Will held out his hand.

Calypso eyed him in a sultry manner and moved around him, whispering as she passed, “Yer word be enough, young captain. We summon de beast like ye summon de Kraken, wit de crank dat sends sound through de ocean. ‘im will come to de sound.”

Will nodded at his crew. A handful of them went to the crank near the back of the main deck. His father stepped forward. “Lad, what do we do once the serpent gets here?”

“I don’t know,” the younger Turner muttered.

They needed the animal’s blood to help Jack. Just killing it wouldn’t solve anything. If they killed it with cannon-fire, it would sink into the sea and take what they needed with it. They needed it to be… cooperative, or they’d lose the beast and Jack.

Will followed after Calypso, “How can I command it, like the Kraken? I know you know how.”

The shaman tilted her head and gave William a disturbing, black grin, “I migh’ know dat, but de price be risin’ if I tell ye.”

Will hesitated. He still didn’t know what her terms were yet and he was already wading into deeper water. A quick look at his shrinking companion made up his mind. Jack appeared to be about two years old and was chasing the immortal monkey across the deck in a toddle. “Alright.” Whatever he was agreeing to, it couldn’t be much worse than his current curse and he had no intention of marching through immortality alone.

“Good, den dere be an easy way to do dis.”

A spire climbed out of the crank and dropped back into the water with a heavy thud. The summoning noise resonated through the ocean much like that of the bell, but harmless souls were not what would come to the Dutchman. Every pirate watched the water with bated breath.

“When de beast comes, de creature must be called to de boat and committed by de ancient ritual of binding. De organ be de way to sooth de beast and bring ‘im close. De ye know ‘ow to play?”

Will shook his head, feeling another price hike rising on her tongue.

“I ken play it, but...”

“I know, I know, there’s a price. I agree.”

Laughter shook Calypso’s frame, “I ‘ave a special task ye ken do for me payment when de beast is dealt wit’. For now, ye be needin’ to know ‘ow to claim ‘im.”

With a terrible scream, the serpent broke the surface just outside of the Dutchman’s cannon reach. Its upper body rose out of the water as it eyed the pirate ship. The hungry gaze made William very nervous, but Calypso completely ignored the creature.

“When me song calls de creature, ye must place yer hand on de creature and say de words ‘I claim ye in me name and bid ye to do as I command,’” she raised her hands before her as she recited the words, her eyes falling shut.

Will leaned forward imperceptibly, waiting for the rest. “And?”

Her hands dropped to her sides, “It be a pirate ritual. Did ye expect more den dat?”

It seemed almost disappointing, just like every other incantation Will had encountered, “No… I guess not. We’re not very creative, are we?”

“De pirate be more simple den de beastie, ‘im cannot remember a ritual more den a few words,” Calypso stated matter of factly.

Will ran the phrase through his head a few times to ensure that he wouldn’t make a foolish mistake and moved to the edge of the ship. He wasn’t a full-blooded pirate, so hopefully he wouldn’t have any trouble… “Alright,” Will nodded at the ancient goddess, “I’m ready.”

While Calypso disappeared into the Captain’s Quarters, Will vaulted up to the highest deck to greet the serpent. The beast vanished beneath the waves and whipped towards the Dutchman. It would only take seconds to reach them. Will turned to his quarters, but still couldn’t hear any music. He gave a backup order to his crew, “I want the cannon’s ready in case this doesn’t work… and somebody find Jack and get him out of the way.”

Will caught the smell of rotting fish and turned to peer into an eye the size of a dinner plate. The pupil dilated slightly and twitched as it examined him. The beast’s thick lips pulled away from teeth as long as William’s forearm and a blast of acrid breath made his nose wrinkle. Water fell off the beast in rivers, pooling on the deck as the serpent arched back to tower over both Will and his ship.

The immortal Captain slipped his hand over the hilt of his sword, but it seemed like a useless gesture. The creature had lived through numerous hits from cannon-fire, so three feet of sharpened steel probably wouldn’t be much good. He fell back a step and drew his blade anyway.

Fear twisted his insides as a long hiss escaped from the creature’s open jaws. He wanted to run, to order the ship to the other side where this monster could not reach them, but there was a deeper emotion that kept him rooted to the spot. He wanted to call it courage, even though he knew it to be something a good deal more foolish than that.

This beast was the only thing that could save Jack and Will wasn’t going anywhere until he had the creature’s blood, one way or another.

The world fell silent, save for Will’s breathing and the beast’s low growl. There was no music to tame the beast and the hunger in its fierce eyes spoke of vengeance. In the back of his mind, Will could sense his crew scrambling to get a cannon aimed at the creature, but they were miles away.

The eyes of man and beast locked and a challenge fell from William’s mouth in a whisper, “Come and get me.”

As if his words were the trigger, the serpent hissed and hurtled towards him. The young Turner raised his sword to greet the Fountain’s Guardian, not sure how it could possibly save him from being eaten alive. Light vanished as the beast blocked out the sun and its jaws closed around him.

William shut his eyes, breathing a prayer to anyone who would listen. When there was no excruciating pain, he barely dared peek at what had happened. The teeth had stopped a hair’s breadth from him, leaving him mostly enclosed in the creature’s foul mouth. Hot, sticky saliva dripped into Will’s hair and rolled down his shoulder and back, urging him to groan and lower his sword, “Disgusting…” He scraped his fingers through his hair and shook the globs off his hand.

Muffled, but heavily laced with concern, his father’s voice broke through the sounds of the creature’s steady breathing, “William, lad, are you alright?!”

“I’m fine,” his yell was too loud in his own ears. Will glanced down to see that he was still standing on the deck of his ship. At least he wouldn’t have to climb down to get out of the serpent’s mouth. Crouching low, Will slipped out from beneath the long ragged jaws. Before his eyes could even readjust to the bright Caribbean sun, his father grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a hug.

“I thought I’d lost ye.”

Will returned his father’s hug, surprised by the ferocity of his concern, “I’m fine. Besides, didn’t you say that Davy was the sea itself? How could something like that kill me?”

Music softly floated to his ears in the quiet following his statement. The song was peaceful and slow, nothing like the wrenching melody Davy used to play. Will glanced up at the beast. The blind rage from before was gone, replaced by empty contentment.

Bootstrap released his Captain and gave the boy a strong pat on the shoulder, “Now would be the time lad. Claim him.”

The song wouldn’t hold the beast for long; a fire was already fighting to take hold in his eyes. William sheathed his sword and tentatively approached the stagnant creature. He circled around a protruding fin, placing his callused hands in the center of the beast’s head. A low growl rolled out of its open mouth, but it didn’t stir otherwise. Will swallowed and ran the ritual through his head again.

“I claim you in my name and bid you to do as I command,” the Captain stated in a loud voice.

He might have been expecting too much, but the complete lack of reaction made Will look questioningly as his father. The older man shrugged. William stepped back, waiting for something profound to happen. Abruptly, silence filled the air and the beast tore from its trance. It whipped away from the deck and thrashed its head from side to side, bellowing loud enough to make the men cover their ears. To Will’s dismay, the beast crashed back into the waves.

“Wait, come back!”

Will cursed and slammed his hands onto the ship’s railing. Calypso’s ritual hadn’t worked and Jack would age into nothingness within minutes. He’d been close enough to slash the damn thing open and get all the blood he needed, but had gone with Calypso’s plan instead. Now the creature was gone.

Captain Turner stormed across the deck to yell at the ocean goddess, “It didn’t work! Now what? How do you expect us to get that thing back here in time to save Jack?”

Calypso emerged from his cabin with one hand on her hip and an expression that could melt iron. The goddess did not appreciate being screamed at. She would tolerate none of it.

Will’s crew cringed at the very idea of Calypso’s retribution. They knew her work and what she was capable of and it was not something man, nor immortal, wanted to provoke. They made no motion to stop their raging Captain, but regretted his words for him.

Behind Will, the great serpent rose slowly from the ocean, water sloughing off of it in sheets. It peered down at the yelling man with some curiosity, but William took no notice.

Calypso cut into the boy’s tirade, “Dem beast be awaitin’ ye order, unless ye be too busy wit me.”

Bemused, Will turned and immediately felt like a fool. He would be apologizing to Calypso for the next few decades. “Oh.”

The animal allowed Will to run his hands over its slick skin, making no move to attack or withdraw. In a firm voice, he told the creature he needed its blood and it put up no fight when he slipped his knife into the surface of its flesh. Will gathered the liquid in an empty water sack, before dismissing the obedient animal. It slipped back into the sea without a sound.

“Alright, where’s Jack?” William asked and scanned the deck for the missing face.

The crew searched with him. No one was really sure where the lad had gotten off to. The monkey was perched high in the rigging, but had managed to lose his young pursuer. The crew looked under cannons and inside barrels, but to no avail, Jack was nowhere to be found.

An unthinkable idea crept into Will’s head: Jack was gone. They were too late and now Jack was gone and there was no way to get him back. Panic cropped up as the rest of his mind accepted the thought. He pushed at it in denial.

“Find him!”

Calypso passed through Will’s crew, amused by their blind searching. She clutched a bundle of clothing to her bosom, cooing softy at something within it. Bright, obsidian eyes peered out at her, a toothless smile spreading on the infant’s face. Will noticed that the bundle Calypso was carrying was once Jack’s shirt and it felt as though his heart dropped into his feet. That is, if he had one.

Cautiously, he slid up to Calypso and peered over her shoulder. Upon spotting Will, the baby giggled and reached out for him.

“I tink witty Jack be wantin’ ye.”

Will took the child mechanically, too deep in shock to say anything in response. Jack whined when the Captain held him at arm’s length.

“De blood should not be forgotten,” Calypso reminded him softly.

Will jerked out of his trance and stopped staring at what his lover had become. He pulled Jack close to cradle him in one arm while he wrestled with the water sack with his free hand. He popped the cork off with his thumb and offered it to the squirming child. Jack turned his face away from the putrid liquid.

“You have to drink it Jack,” Will pleaded with him.

The infant made a face.

“Please Jack.”

He maneuvered the opening into Jack’s mouth and felt a small swell of relief when he accepted it. The baby had several swallows of the viscous liquid before spitting the drinking tip out of his mouth. He wailed unhappily about the flavor, but Will managed to force a little more down Jack’s throat.

There was no immediate change. Jack didn’t poof back to normal or start a quick reversal. Will dropped the water sack onto the deck. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, because he said some hasty words last time, but he wasn’t sure there was any effect. He held Jack up to eye level.

“How long will it take for him to change back?”

Calypso smirked, “Days, months. De time is unknown, but he be changin’ as he chooses.”

“Months? What am I going to do with him? I don’t know how to take care of a baby,” Will complained as he tried to keep hold of a squirming armful of Jack.

“Dat not be me problem boy. I be back te collect me debt of ye,” she said and dispersed in a shower of large black crabs.

Will rolled his eyes and adjusted his grip on Jack. He spotted Bootstrap among his rapidly dwindling crew, “Bill, give me a hand would you?”

“I would lad, but…” he looked around quickly, trying to find a good excuse, “But I have to check on our… gunpowder supplies, in case we get in a fight. Its important lad, otherwise I would... really.” He shuffled off and disappeared below deck.

The remains of the crew made various excuses and followed suit, leaving Will alone with the baby. He looked down at Jack with raised eyebrows. “I guess I’ll figure it out then, but its one hell of a time to learn.”

Covered in saliva and aching to have his lover back to normal, Will gave the child a small glare, “You’re going to owe me big for this.”

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Ok, so most of you had theories as to why there wouldn’t be any sex, but what do you think of what really happened? I hope you enjoyed it. There will be some mayhem as Jack gets older and Will is going to get a first hand look at what his mother had to go through.

Let me know what you thought and I’ll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next chapter.