Odessea
(The Odyssey)

Chapter 3: Virgil

"Wind and water... was it not a perfect match?"

Norrington was momentarily at a loss for words, as he quickly surveyed his new guide. Sao Feng had not changed since he died by cannon-fire; the scars and tattoo on his head still prominent in all its horrific glory. He was dressed in the finest Chinese silk, clothed in a mixture of gold and black.

"As always, admiral, your practicality sheds great light on my circumstances." Sao Feng said, breaking the silence, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well then," he continued, waving a hand to gesture towards the long caves behind him, "welcome."

Norrington looked around in confusion, studying the lesser architecture of his surroundings. It was now a long tunnel, and looked very much like a cave. The air was cold and eerie, although in Norrington's dead state, he felt little affected by the chill. Sao Feng turned to walk down the long tunnel, and Norrington obligingly followed.

"I will guide you to my mistress, the wind goddess," Sao Feng continued. "She was the one who mercifully plucked me from Calypso's grasp, after my sin on her."

Norrington's ears registered nothing of this, and merely sputtered "Calypso?" in response. He never believed in the mythical legends of the sea, although after his brief run-in with Davy Jones's heart, he found himself rather open to the workings of the supernatural world. Sao Feng instantly stopped, and so did Norrington, the warnings of Governor Swann still freshly etched in his mind. Sao Feng turned to face him.

"Have you never met the sea goddess, Calypso?" Sao Feng asked.

Norrington shook his head, and Sao Feng burst into a hearty laugh. "You are the first man that I have met that has yet to see the sea goddess. She is a magnificent and beautiful being. Her face is delicate, her hair like the color of the sun. Her beauty cannot be paralleled by anything in this world."

Norrington thoughts instantly turned towards Elizabeth. Yes, it can.

The lack of an answer provided ample explanation for Sao Feng, and he smiled knowingly at Norrington. "Ah, you were in love, I see."

"The relationship was... one sided."

"And so was mine." Sao Feng's voice was tinged with a mixture of bitterness and regret. He turned and continued down the tunnel, and Norrington dutily followed.

The air was punctuated with the sound of silence. It was an odd sound, especially for Norrington, who had not been used to the workings of the underworld yet. He had half expected to hear the screeching of bats as they sought for food, or perhaps the occasional drip of water, but he heard nothing, almost as if he had been wrought deaf. The silence unnerved Norrington; and perhaps in ensuring his ears were still with him, he attempted to make conversation.

"May I enquire as to what sin you undertook that left a goddess angered?"

Sao Feng turned his head away. "The worst kind. And I received just punishment for it. I died."

"I am sorry," Norrington's response was almost automatic, which disgusted himself. No, he was not sorry. It was right for him to have been punished if he sinned greatly. All those years being educated in the realm of the upper class seemed to have manifested in him a figure which he no longer liked.

"I am not," Sao Feng responded. "Ah, we have arrived."

Norrington found himself confronted with four passageways, blocked by four doors. Two were broken, and two intact. The doors seemed to be made of oak, and intricate designs carved into it. There were many words and incantations that Norrington could not decipher... perhaps they were seals, only to be broken by Cerberus himself. There was not a single noise except the occasional drip of water from some undetectable crevice, and the air grew warmer. Sao Feng walked down the left passage with the broken door.

"What are these?" Norrington asked, his head arching to find where the doors ended.

"Four heathen gods, four passageways. We could never tame Calypso," he noted, gesturing to the broken door on the right. "All the powers of the underworld could not seal her. She is the most powerful, and all the gods are under her control."

"And I would imagine you're leading me to the wind goddess, but the door is broken as well." Norrington observed.

Sao Feng merely smiled in response. "It was not an easy task, trying to capture the wind herself. It is said that there was a battle of wind and water of epic proportions a long time ago... and Calypso won the struggle for power. But someone snuck under the watchful eye of Calypso and freed the wind goddess. Venti has eluded her grasp ever since."

"And who might this person be?"

Sao Feng's face tightened into a scowl. "I do not speak of his name, for fear of Calypso's wrath. My mistress can only protect me to the best of her ability, but we are, ultimately, subservient to the sea goddess."

"I think our journey has been rather fruitless, then, if she has escaped." Norrington was not disappointed at this revelation; finding closure in the afterlife would have been an equally hard process.

Sao Feng's scowl quickly morphed into an ironical smile. "We can find the wind goddess. It's catching her that's the problem."

The wind began to pick up as Norrington traversed through the cave. It was now transformed into a large and massive hallway, surrounded by odd paintings and books. The atmosphere was hardly homely; the walls encrusted in a layer of thick ice and dust, and the room was brightly lit by a large door right at the end of the hall. Sao Feng gestured him towards it.

"Do not stay long when you enter. Venti is just beyond that door."

Norrington tilted his head briefly in response. "Thank you," he said. Pausing for reflection, he wanted to say more than just a mention of thanks. Sao Feng and introduced him to an odd part of the underworld; a part that would have never been known to most people of the dead.

"I hope that you would find some peace, as I would imagine your unrequited love being a rather heavy burden to bear."

Sao Feng merely smiled. "As do you."

He broke into a quick run towards the light. He swiftly passed by rows and rows of paintings, not bothering to look at them, and the light grew ever closer-

A portrait of him and Elizabeth, married. She was clothed in the most lavish satin, and yet, her face twisted in anger and unhappiness.

Norrington's steps instantly slowed, and he stared at the picture. "I- did you-" he began to ask Sao Feng, but the portrait seemed to move, inconspicuously. He knew he was seeing things, but he could not tear away from this painting of what could have been. It did not move, and yet he saw everything.

The painting quickly disintegrated into a massive sea of chaos. It seemed as if the movements were happening in his mind. Davy Jones's heart, and Beckett's face behind the desk. Perpetrating the deaths of others just to regain a worthless title. The disintegration of himself, drinking, hankering for former glory, ruined by the hurricane. Losing the respect of everyone - Jack, Will, even his own men deserted him to serve under Mercer - by his betrayal.

The painting was not of him. It was William Turner and Elizabeth, married, their hands tightly clasped together. Elizabeth's expression was now blissful, content; happy to be with her husband. Norrington had always known his love for Elizabeth would never be reciprocated. He had come to terms with such a realization two years ago, and yet he never quite seemed to forget it. He would only wish for her happiness and nothing more.

How odd, he thought, reaching out to touch the painting, how much their lives had been transformed by Elizabeth. Will Turner, Governor Swann, himself, and even Jack Sparrow. Who knows, perhaps Sao Feng had met her once.

From the corner of his eye, another hand touched his, and he gasped at the figure before him.

Elizabeth.

Even with Norrington's practicality, knowing that Elizabeth could not have possibly existed here, he could not help himself; his breath came in spurts, and within him stirred a mixture of emotions. It was no longer love that drove him, nay, it was guilt. It was pure, unadulterated sorrow, and when Elizabeth placed his hand on her cheek, the pain grew until he could stand no more.

"All I want is your forgiveness." Norrington finally whispered.

All Elizabeth did was look at him reproachfully. "You never needed it."

With her words, a great burden seemingly lifted off Norrington's back, and he gasped with the sudden lightness of foot that he felt beneath him. A calmness washed over him, cleansing himself of the guilt and sorrow he held before. His breath returned to him, and he closed his eyes, finally bathing in the serenity that he had sought ever since he perished on the Flying Dutchman.

"James, come with me."

Elizabeth's voice echoed through the recesses of his mind, and for a moment he felt as if he was on the Flying Dutchman again, during that pivotal moment where he sacrificed his life for hers. He knew not if it was just a figment of his imagination, but he knew what to do.

Opening his eyes, he saw the illusion of Elizabeth standing by the door, her hair made golden by sunlight. She smiled briefly, and she stepped out of the darkness, the white light consuming her figure. Norrington exhaled; the last breath he would ever take in the world of the dead.

He moved towards the light.