"So you have other skills than killing and plundering", Will stated as he stood over Benj's shoulder. The cheerful tune stopped as Benj took the whistle from his mouth. He tilted his head back and looked at Will upside down. Will looked confused.

"We've all got hobbies William", Benj replied as he righted himself again. He gazed out over the blue waves from his chair. The sea calm and smooth today. With these weather conditions, they should reach Tortoga by the evening. But they still have several hours to go and Will seemed to have gotten bored of the silence. Jack was above them, hands on the wheel. The older man quiet for once. Benj suspected that Jack was basking in the fact that he had a proper ship under his command again.

"Where did you learn to play?" Will grabbed a wooden stool and sat down next to Benj, watching him eagerly. Benj met his gaze and inwardly sighed. Jack was right. Will did look just like his father.

"I was taught as a child by a passing merchant". Knowing that this would turn into a long conversation, Benj tucked the wooden whistle back into his coat pocket. He pulled his feet up, bracing his toes on the edge of a barrel so that his knees were pulled to his chest. William's gaze dropped to his bare feet and his face changed. It hardened and his eyes sparked with curiosity. Benj could also see slight fear.

"What are you? I've heard myths but I've never seen anyone like you".

"What myths have you heard?" Benj smiled, teasing slightly.

Will opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Stories of mermaids. Women who are half fish, who lure men into the deep to feast on them. The sailors talk. Monsters of the deep who would drown the ships and suck the souls from the living". His gaze was steady as he met Benj's eyes. "They are true aren't they? The pirates of the black pearl would not die. They're undead. And you"- he took a breath. Face edging closer to Benj's until they were a breath away. "You are something else".

Benj smiled, eyes flickering down to Will's lips. They were pink and for a minute, he considered just going for it. The memory of Will's lady friend had him jerking back. Benj was many things. A pirate, a flirt, a scoundrel, but he did not like unfaithfulness. Loyalty meant a lot to him, wether that be in a relationship or on the sea. He stood up abruptly, the sudden movement sending Will reeling backwards. He bounced to his feet and skipped over to the wooden railing. Leaning back against it, he turned and smiled at Will. The wind pulling at his clothes and tugging on his hair. Eyes black and enchanting.

"There are two types of creatures in the sea which you may mistake for mermaids", he held up a finger. "One are the sirens. More fish than women. Skin a deep blue or green, with needle teeth and fish eyes. They are the ones with magic voices. Whose songs enchant men to jump off their boats to be feasted on. They live in the deep and are known to feast on anything humanoid, including mermaids". Benj mimicked needle point teeth and grinned at Will's expression. He should be scared. Sirens were devious creatures with thick dark skin and hair more like tentacles than strands. They were predators, hunting in shoals. One pod of them could destroy a navel ship until it was nothing but wrecks in the water. 

"Mermaids", he continued, satisfied that Will was suitably scared. "Mermaids are more human. With fish tails and the torso of a human. What they lack in magic, they make up for beauty. They are able to change to human on dry land and can mix easily with humans. Now those girls do also eat humans, but they can survive easily on fish and other foods. They may not use magic as much a sirens, but their bodies are magic. Their tears are rumoured to have healing properties". He thought of his mother and the other mermaids he had met. Each had different coloured tails. Their scale colour patterns as unique as their facial features. His mother had scales of shimmery gold and green, mixing with rare tones of purple and blue. Not for the first time, he wished he had scales as pretty as hers. But his were few and only covered his limbs in patches. They were a mix of metallic blue and green. Boring and dull.

Benj paused for a moment to allow the information to sink in. Will was visibly contemplating it, turning it over in his mind. "So you're a mermaid? Merman?"

"Half", Benj corrected. "Mermaids are always female. They were created by the goddesss of the sea and are immortal. They never die but they can be killed. My father was a unlucky man, or a very lucky man if that's your view". He waved a hand jauntily. "My mother said that he got annoying. Was trying to steal her tears to sell. So she ate him".

Will blinked, taken back the statement and the obvious ease at which Benj discussed it. "She ate him?"

"It was a good cause. The guy was going to betray my mother. A mermaid, or even a half mermaid is a very expensive thing, dead or alive", Benj's eyes darkened. Thoughts straying to dark places as he talked. Will wondered if he had ever been attacked for his magic. By the expression on the man's face, William guessed that it was a yes.

Benj laughed suddenly. He leaned back so far over the railing that Will was afraid that he was going to fall over. His shirt moved and the ink on his collar bones was visible. Blue and black scales mixed in with a swirling pattern of waves over pale skin. Benj hung there for a moment. Long dark hair dancing around the blue of the water, before he righted himself. "I grew up on the sea". He spoke as if to the air, not looking at Will for a second. "I would have never been accepted into a my mother's pod. So she left me on a merchant ship. Guess what they did? Upon finding a infant on their ship in the middle of the sea. They promptly considered me a monster and threw me overboard. Luckily my mother had been keeping an eye out. She tried again and the next ship was a pirate ship. I lived with them until I was six. Then they were robbed by Captain Jack and the crew of the black pearl. I was raised by them. Someone who can breath underwater is very useful for a pirate".

"So you knew my father too", Will muttered. Benj nodded.

"Bootstrap was nice. He taught me how to shoot a gun", Benj's face was wistful, nostalgic even. Then it hardened and closed off. "Then the mutiny happened. Barbosa and the crew wanted the treasure. They had gotten sick of jack and his rule. So they marooned him and went to steal the treasure themselves. I couldn't do anything. Barbosa never let me have any treasure for myself. So unlike them, I was never cursed. I had to watch as your father, one of my last true friends on that ship, was killed. That was why I saved you". He faced Will with anger contorting his features. Lips pulled back over sharp teeth in a snarl.

Will jumped to his feet as Benj stalked across deck towards him, jabbing his finger at his face. The claws coming anxiously close to skin. "You may say that pirates are despicable. But your father was a good man, and a good pirate. That was why I saved you all those years ago. To repay my debt to him", he stated firmly. His voice dropped to a hiss. "You can hate us and judge us all you want Will. But there are worst things out there than pirates".

With that hissed comment, Benj turned with a flap of his coat and stalked below deck. Will was left standing froze, mouth open as he stared after him. From above them, Jack chuckled loudly. Will whirled around to see the man smirk. "Shut your trap lad. You'll catch flies".

Will's teeth crunched harshly. He shook his head for a second, still reeling, before opening his mouth again. "Is that true? What he said about my father?"

Jack eyed him with a unreadable expression. "Aye", he replied slowly. "None of use were good role models to the boy. Especially not as he got older. We were blinded by the treasure by the time the mutiny happened. Benj never bothered for treasure. What he looks for is family and friends. Your father was probably the closest he ever got to a father figure. And, as much as the prospect daunts me, I am probably as close as he can get to a friend". Jack sighed and the sudden honesty of the words were gone. He waved a hand jauntily.

"But when you're half fish, it's hard to find people who don't want to kill and eat you. Everyone wants magic and treasure lad. As soon as you learn that, the world is a lot easier to navigate".

Unedited