Child Of Calypso

Return to the Isla De Muerte

Mina was once more dragged by Barbossa down the dreary tunnels of the isla. Will is escouted by Pintel a few feet behind her. 

"No reason to fret. It's just a prick of the finger and a few drops of blood." Pintel says reasurringly. 

"Turner blood doesn't flow pure in his veins. Best play it safe and spill it all." Barbossa grins once more. Mina decided that he had been grinning far to much as of late. 

"I guess there is a reason to fret."

"Careful, now. You could fall in and still be wonder'n when you'll hit dirt." Barbossa warns as he notices Will looking at a large crack that runs between the floor and the wall of the cave. 

Will stumbles, grabs the pirate in front of him, swings him into the wall, catches the torch, and uses it to ward off the others. 

"You deserve to be cursed-and remain cursed!" Will says as he steps to one side and drops into the ravine. 

"Blast him! A pox on him, and his father, and the whole damnable line! Fan out! Find him! Barbossa shouts as he continues to the chest of Cortez with Mina in tow. 

"You knew something like this would happen." He accuses when he sees her knowing smirk. 

"I know a lot of things that may or may not happen. Such as the fact that you would not return to me my traveling bag and Katana. It is the individual that causes the outcome." Mina says in a way that gives no knowledge of what she may have foreseen. 

"And a pox on you and your line!" Barbossa yells as his rage grows. 

Much better, at least he is no longer smiling, Mina thought as the Captain's face grew red with rage. 

"Speak straight for once!" 

"No. Was that "straight" enough for you?" The look he sent her made Mina assume he was debating whether it would be worth throwing her into one of the dark pits. 

"Don't forget if you kill or bring any kind of foul harm to me, my family will be under obligation to revenge my soul." Mina reminds him just in case he had forgotten. 

Barbossa lets go of her arm as they enter the cavern with the Aztec gold. 

They were not kept waiting long before Jack appears with Will in tow. 

"Thank you, Jack Sparrow." Barbossa says as his horrible grin returns. 

"You couldn't have led him back more directly if you knew exactly where you were going."

"You did know where you were going! You did lead us directly to them! Why?" Will questions as he faces Jack. Will is forced to where Barbossa stands and the pirate places the medallion around his neck. 

"What was begun by blood, let blood now end!" Barbossa chants as he raises the knife to Will's throat. 

"You don't want to be doing that." Jack says and Barbossa pretends to think about his words.

"No, I really think I do."

"All right then." That makes Barbossa pause and step out  of the moonlight.

"Why don't I want to do this?"

"Because, right about now, the H.M.S. Dauntless is lying in wait in the harbor."

"Jack!"

"...and its guns and crew will cut you and your men to pieces the moment you step outside these caves."

The pirates look at each other as they realize that without the curse they will become, very much mortal.

"Do you believe him?" Pintel questions. 

"No, but him I believe. He is genuinely angry." Barbossa replies as he gestures to Will.

"You've no hope of surviving Norrington's attack. That is, if you're mortal."

"What're you suggesting?"

"Simple. Don't kill the boy...yet. Wait for a more opportune moment. Like after you've killed...every...last...one...of Norrington's men."

"I can't help wondering, Jack, why you're being so helpful and all? Last time you did that, it didn't end so well for you."

"The situation has changed."

"That so?"

"Aye, see, after you're done with the Royal Navy, you'll have a bit of a problem: the H.M.S. Dauntless. There you'll be, with two lovely ships on your hands, and what to do? Of course you'll decide you deserve the bigger one, and who's to argue? The Dauntless a first rate ship of line, and with it, you can rule the seas. But if you're captain of the Dauntless, who's left for the Black Pearl? I sail for you as part of your fleet, I give you fifteen percent of my plunder, and you get to introduce yourself at tea parties and brothels as 'Commodore Barbossa' Do we have an accord?"

Mina looses focus of the conversation as she becomes absorbed in her duty to keep the moonlight off of Jack. She barely heard the shouting of the men or saw them as they left to kill the Royal Navy men.

"And just what are you so focused on, miss mouse?" Barbossa questions as he breaks her concentration but luckily Jack was not standing in a lite area.

"The look on your face when I shoot you." Comes her quick reply and, to her shock, Barbossa's laugh.

"Blood thirsty, little wench. I have a proposal for you, little mouse."

 Mina refused to take the bait and after a moment Barbossa grew impatient. 

"I want you to sail with me, never know when someone with the sight might come in handy." Barbossa leaned closer to her. 

"Or when a captain might get lonesome on the sea." 

"As soon as Calypso is released I am going to return home, but before I do I am going to shoot you." Mina promises as Will is suddenly tossed a sword and the fighting around them begins. With Barbossa so close to her, Mina takes his sword and keeps it level to his throat. 

"Have you forgotten, little mouse? I can't die." He bats the blade away and lunges for her but he gets only air. 

Mina scrambled up one of the mountains of gold and blocked an attack from a different pirate. She slid away only to face a newly armed Barbossa.

"Why don't we test our skills, miss mouse?" He lunges and Mina brings the heavy cutlets up to block. The blade was much heavier than her nimble Katana, but she was not a stranger to different blades. 

The two attempt to strike the other, even though it will do no good on Mina's part. 

Suddenly Barbossa darts past her defense and nicks her neck before reclaiming his sword. This time it is Barbossa keeping the blade level with her throat. 

"Be glad, little mouse, that you have more lives than a cats." Barbossa states as he dashes off to fight Jack and Mina returns to the duty of keeping the moonlight from Jack. 

Mina spots Will sneaking towards the chest and with a grin she readies the small pistol she had hidden in...a more personal area. Barbossa wouldn't have risked fully searching her, a matter he will not live to regret. 

Mina felt the tentative shift in the air that alerted her the curse was lifted and with a grin she took aim. 

Both she and Jack fired at the same time.

"You've wasted your shots, the both of you." 

"They didn't waste anything." Will states from where he stood over the chest of Aztec gold. Barbossa's eyes widen as they take in the medallion with blood covering it. 

"It feels...cold." Barbossa says before he falls to the ground dead. 

"Best of luck you lot." Mina says as she regards Will and Elizabeth. 

"Oh, and Jack? If you happen to find my traveling back and Katana aboard the Black Pearl I want them back." With that being said both the girl and the body of the dead captain disappear into the mist. 

After all she is cursed to forget...and remember. 

And Calypso still needs to be released.