Jack was tired of brigs.

He seemed to find himself in them far too often, for whatever reason. This time he'd sold his soul to the devil. He almost laughed, it was such a bizarre crime.

He was bored, too. There was nothing to do in a brig. He'd counted the bars, walked a few laps, checked his compass, and even hummed a bit of Adeena's favorite sea chantey, but was out of amusement.

"Congratulations! You've successfully arrived aboard the Dutchman as per the original scheme." He heard himself say.

Jack whirled around, his eyes darting along the perimeter. Just as he thought, another one of his clones was sitting the on the bench. Jack groaned inwardly.

"Oh, yes, chapeau, mate. Except for this little sojourn in the brig, everything's like clockwork." Jack #2 grinned, leaning on the bars behind Jack. Jack, the real one, took a step back, and held out his hands.

"Go away!" He said with exasperation.

Jack #1 spoke, furrowing his brow. There was teasing in his eyes. "Back to the locker?"

"But without you, Jackie?" The second Jack asked.

"Stab the heart."

All three turned, and low and behold, yet another Jack spoke to them. Jack had to do a double take. This Jack was a bit different than his previous hallucinations. It was obviously similar to those of Davy Jones' crew; barnacles and slime and coral. Jack tried to keep his disgust to himself, bit failed, his lip curled unintentionally.

"And live forever," It continued, pulling its brain from its head and inspecting it. "As captain of the Flying Dutchman. Then again, if you're in the brig, who's to stab the heart?"

Jack #2 spoke. "Does put immortality a bit out of reach."

Jack couldn't stop staring at the thing in the wall.

***

"We'll use the Black Pearl as a flagship to lead the attack." I said calmly, to William. Elizabeth stood at my side, and Barboussa was coming up behind her. "I'll make the decisions while Jack is missing. Barboussa..." I turned, and frowned. He had that look in his eyes again.

"Will we, now?" He asked, his dark eyes gleaming. He held the bowl containing the Nine Pieces of Eight.

Tia, bound in ropes, was being dragged onto the the deck. My anger flared at the thought.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, closing my hand around my Piece of Eight protectively. My hand brushed the locket. "You're releasing her?"

William's eyes widened. "Barboussa, you can't release her."

"We have to give Jack a chance!" Elizabeth protested. Her hand was wound tightly in William's.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not worried about Jack. He can take care of himself." She blinked at me, as if what I had said was odd. I ignored it. "Calypso's imprisonment was wrong and unjust. I'm undoing it."

Turning to Barboussa, I ripped the jade necklace from my neck. "I don't know the ritual." I said, commandment in my voice. "You should do it, I suppose." I tossed my Piece in the bowl.

Gibbs furrowed his brow, seeing the Nine Pieces of Eight -- stolen, might I add -- in the wooden bowl. "Be there some rite or incantation?"

"Aye." Barboussa's eyes gleamed. "Items collected...done." He gestured over the bowl with his blackened nails. "Items to be burned. Done." As he spoke, Pintel reluctantly dumped his flask over the assorted pieces of junk. "And someone must speak the words, 'Calyspo, I release you from yer human bonds'."

I had the odd urge to beg to have that job. It sounded heroic.

Pintel raised his eyebrows. "That's it?"

Barboussa smirked. "It was said that it must be spoken to as if to a lover."

"On second thought..." I looked away. That was cruel, whoever out the chains on Tia. That was plainly cruel.

To make things worse, there were laughs from the crews. One glare from me silenced them. Sometimes my Siren blood could be an advantage. Other times, it was a ridiculous burden.

"Get on with it, Hector." I said dryly. "Let's not keep her waiting." I spared Tia Dalma a glance. Her luminescent eyes were hard. The warmth that she usually faced me with had disappeared. It stung a bit, and I quickly turned away.

"Calypso," He boomed, "I release you from yer human bonds!"

I groaned aloud. Tia had closed her eyes in anticipation, but now she glared at Barboussa.

"You are terrible." I said, shaking my head. "There's a reason I prefer..." I cut myself off, crossing my arms. Why must the guilt hit me in the chest now, of all times?

"'Deena's right!"

We all turned to look at Ragetti. The rat-faced man flushed red from our stares, stuttering a bit. "You have to say it right!"

Barboussa stepped back, gesturing sarcastically. You think you can beat that? He seemed to be asking.

Men. I rolled my eyes. Although, I was guilty.

Ragetti gulped, stepping forward as the crowd cleared. His hands trembled, meeting Tia's -- no, Calypso's -- icy stare.

"Calypso?" He asked, his voice trembling. His hands brushed her shoulder, pushing her dreadlocks aside. "I...I release you from your human bonds."

Tia Dalma was no longer.

I knew that immediately. Calypso moaned, and the ropes holding her captive tightened.

She's growing, I realized. Shit... Along with that, the bowl was levitating. Calypso drank up the purple steam the Pieces of Eight emitted, a blissful expression replacing the cold hate she had worn before.

"Tia Dalma!"

William was shouting, straining at the two men holding him in place. "Tia Dalma!"

I felt Calypso's aura strengthening. A headache formed behind my eyes. I placed a finger to my temple; it was suspiciously hot.

"Oh no..." I whispered. My skin suddenly felt tight. "William, that's not Tia, you idiot -- Calypso!" I squeaked as pain filled my chest. It was getting harder to breathe...don't panic, don't...

The bowl clattered to the floor. The noise was deafening, I held my head in my hands and squinted. There was suddenly two of everything.

"Calypso," I hissed. "Who told the Brethren Court? Who was it who," I hugged my midsection as a sharp tingling feeling began spreading from my abdomen. "Who betrayed you?"

She was trembling; with anger, and the amount of her strength she was using to change me. "Name 'im!"

I coughed, tasting blood. She's killing me, I'm not a Siren, I can't be what I'm not... "Davy Jones!" I managed.

Calypso's face contorted into absolute pain, and the wounds she was inflicting upon me lost momentum. Letting out a strangled sob, she raised her head to the Heavens, and Calypso grew.

"This is it! This is it!" Pintel was yelling.

I gasped with relief, falling to my knees. "Adeena!" That was William. Elizabeth was at his side, worry causing her brows to knit together.

I spat blood, then wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. "I'm not..." I whispered. "I'm not like you..."

"What?" Will questioned, looking confused.

I raised my eyes. Calypso was staring at me.

The cold gaze from earlier had disappeared. She was looking at me with...kindness. Understanding.

Ha, I thought. You selfish bitch, you... I smiled weakly.

"Calypso!" Barboussa bellowed, kneeling. The other pirates followed example, and I tugged Elizabeth and William down with me. "I come before ye as but a servant!"

I smiled at that.

"Humble and contrite..." The greed in his eyes said otherwise. "I have fulfilled me vow, and now I ask for but a favor."

She considered him with an impish smirk, fire burning in her dark eyes.

"Spare meself, me ship, me crew," He said, "But release yer fury upon those who dare call you your masters..." He looked up, grinning. "Or mine."

Wrong move, you bloody wanker.

Calypso grinned wildly, and Barboussa, for the first time since I'd met him, looked frightened.

She drew a great breath, and roared in a language very familiar to me. Siren. There was so much hate and scorn in her words that I don't dare repeat them, even considering my own terrible mouth. The plain fury she delivered scared me.

Along with the fact that as she spoke, her skin began to crack and crinkle. A surge of power so strong I nearly passed out pulsed across the Caribbean, and Calypso dissolved into thousands upon thousands of crabs, similar to the ones I had seen crawl into her skirt in the Locker.

She's orchestrated the entire thing, I realized. We've been played by the Sea Goddess.

The amount of white crabs that fell nearly tipped the boat. I was screaming, hanging on to something, cursing in Arabic. I heard William yelling for Elizabeth, and her answering cries.

Jack. I thought.

The assault of sea creatures ended abruptly, and the men and few women around me were picking the crabs off of our extremities. One was hanging onto my ear; I squeaked and swatted at it.

William hopped up, darting to the railing. I followed, limping slightly. My entire body ached, and I was utterly exhausted.

"Was that it?" He asked dubiously. I glared at him. I'd been through quite enough, thank you.

Pintel peered into the water, Ragetti over his shoulder. "Why, she's no help at all. What now?" Both of the crews were gathered behind us, all with worn out faces. I felt a surge of helplessness.

"Nothing." Barboussa said quietly. I gave him a surprised glance. "Our final 'ope has failed us."

Elizabeth protested. "It's not over!" Her proper English was pleasant to hear. Might as well enjoy what we have before we...

Jack. The burning behind my eyes was there again. I'm so sick of betrayal, Jack. Are you thinking of me? Remembering three years ago, before you entered that Turkish prison? How simple and wonderful it was, stealing and ransacking?

"There's still a fight to be had." Will put in, turning to face us.

Gibbs was speaking. He seemed to just pop up, sometimes. "We've an armada against us, and with the Dutchman, there's no chance." Even Joshamee Gibbs was down.

Jack, where are you now?

"Only a fool's chance." Elizabeth said softly. There was something in her voice.

Barboussa's voice was hard when he addressed Elizabeth again. "Revenge won't bring your father back, Miss Swann, nor is it something I'm intending to die for."

"Revenge can't bring the dead back, nor will it make them happy." I said aloud. "But we aren't dead, are we?"

I received some incredulous looks.

"If we don't die for the dead," I said, my voice growing in volume, "Then what will we die for?" Hope flooded me. If I could rally these guys...

"Listen to me, listen!" I shouted, turning and pulling myself onto the railing. I hung onto the ratlines, glaring at the assembled pirates. "The Brethren are looking at us to lead, you frightened bakas! What will they see? Not scared little kittens, no, they will see freedom!" I felt the fierceness flood off of me in waves. "And the enemy will see the flash of our cannons, they will taste the gunpowder, they will hear the song of our swords, and they will burn! By the sweat of our brows, the strength of our backs, and the courage of our hearts!" I locked eyes with Barboussa. Was that pride in his eyes? "Gentlemen, ladies!" I pumped a fist, angry at nothing in particular. "Hoist the colors!"

"Hoist the colors." William repeated, a smile spreading across his face.

Ragetti and Pintel grinned at one another. "Hoist the colors!"

Gibbs was grinning. "The wind's on our side, boys!" He said, "That's all we need!"

The previously down sailors were reanimated, hooting and hollering and stomping. I resisted the urge to join in, turning and facing the fleet. "Hoist the colors!" I screamed, whirling back around and smiling at the assembled criminals.

I'd never felt more at home.

Jack, where are you now? They don't realize they're fighting for you, but they are...