"Don't fight the fear, little man!" Pitch yelled, pain flashing through his body as he felt the darkness engulfing him. Then everything changed and all there was, as far as he could see, was darkness. It was all there was and all there ever would be. Then there was pain again, horrible agony like nothing he'd ever felt, agony more intense than when he'd been shot by Pitch's arrow, and laughter. The echoing, mocking, haunting laughter. He tried to cover his ears but it did nothing to stifle the sound, tried to scream but nothing came out, he closed his eyes and hoped against hope that it would all end. The laughing grew louder and louder, rising until it was deafeningly loud, and then there was suddenly silence and the pain stopped. Tentative eyes opened and before him flashed from the darkness a pair of glowing golden eyes accompanied by a soft "boo" echoing through the silence. Then it was over.
Jolting awake from one of his many daily naps, Sandy looked around wildly, waiting to see the eyes that had just haunted his dream peering at him from some dark corner or crevice but there was nothing. The absence scared him almost more than if there had been a presence and as Sandy tried to calm his frazzled nerves, a haunting realization dawned on him. He, the Sandman, bringer of dreams, had just had a nightmare. A nightmare full of darkness, of fear, of pain. Shaking his head vigorously, Sandy created for himself a manta ray and began the journey to the North Pole. He hoped that the presence of a sea creature, even one that he'd conjured up, would calm him as it so often did, for fear, just as it was for every Guardian, was his enemy.
The journey to the North Pole was uneventful, peaceful even, and Sandy found it easier to relax the closer he got to North's workshop. He wouldn't let his guard down completely, not for a second, but the relaxation of the flight was good for him after such a nightmare. As some of the yetis saw Sandy approaching, they opened a window for him to fly through, and he gave them a thumbs up in thanks. Upon landing and allowing his manta ray to dissipate, Sandy located North. The large Russian was in his office creating a new toy concept out of ice as he often did and Sandy had to put himself directly in North's line of site before he was noticed.
"Oh, Sandy! Why didn't you say something, old friend?" North greeted, smiling in amusement at the long-running joke of asking Sandy why he hadn't said something. Sandy never complained and North thought the jokes were funny so they'd been going on for quite some time. As he stood to give his friend a proper greeting, North noticed that Sandy didn't look very good. The Sandman always looked sleepy, whether from the fact that his job almost never ended or from the effects of his sleep-sand, North was unsure, but this time, he looked extra run-down. "You don't look very good, Sandy." North said, concern lacing his voice as he stepped up to the shorter Guardian.
Slowly, Sandy began to tell North about his nightmare. He could communicate well enough with his pictures, especially with the other Guardians who had all learned to decipher what the images meant, but if he rushed, his pictures became jumbled and it was harder for them to understand. As he "spoke", North's expression only turned more grim and when he finished, he threw in some question marks, hoping North would have some insight to share with him.
"I think we should call the others." North replied grimly, patting Sandy on the shoulder before turning to leave his office. "If this really was Pitch's doing, we may have another war on our hands." He pulled the switch to turn on the beacon that would call the other Guardians to him. Luckily they were further from any major holidays than they had been the last time so it was unlikely he and Bunny would get distracted by arguing again.
Once the other Guardians had gathered in North's workshop, Sandy told his story again, Tooth translating for Jack when necessary as he still had trouble with Sandy's pictures at times. The expressions all around the room were grim and worried as Sandy finished, meekly putting up a few question marks again. He could already tell the others had come to the same conclusion that he and North had: Pitch Black was back and much sooner than he'd reappeared the last time to boot.
"If Pitch is back, that means the entrance to his hideout will be open again." Jack said slowly, almost not wanting to break the silence. "Why don't I go and check it out?" The others were hesitant but they knew that, aside from Sandy, Jack was the most equipped to deal with Pitch if he really was battle-ready. That considered along with the fact that they certainly weren't sending Sandy since he appeared to be Pitch's target, they agreed reluctantly and Jack was off, riding the wind to where he knew the entrance to Pitch's liar to be.
Up in the sky above the forest, Jack could see the decrepit bedframe through the trees. His blood ran colder than usual and he landed on the ground beside the entrance, readying his staff. The bedframe was about as fitting of a marker to the entrance of the lair of the incarnation of childhood fear could have and it made Jack uncomfortable to have to touch it, but he couldn't exactly get into the hole under the frame without shifting some of the broken boards aside. Once inside, Jack looked around. He was careful to be as quiet as he could be even as he knew that Pitch could be anywhere. The shadows were his domain and the underground lair was his realm and if he didn't want to be found, Jack would never find him.
Making his way slowly to the biggest part of Pitch's lair, the area with the globe, Jack glanced around quickly. The globe was damaged and unlit and the cages that were hanging from the ceiling that had once held Tooth's fairies were rusted and falling apart. It didn't look like Pitch was back, but if he wasn't, the entrance to his lair wouldn't have reappeared. If he was back, he was weak, but if he was weak, he couldn't have given Sandy that nightmare. Annoyed at having more questions than answers, Jack grew bolder and stepped further into the large room. As he got closer to the globe, a flash of movement in his peripheral vision made him spin around and ready his staff for battle.
"Jack Frost. The newest member of the Guardians of Childhood." The voice was undoubtedly female, fairly deep, and so sultry it was practically a seductive purr. The woman who spoke bore such a striking resemblance to Pitch that Jack wasn't entirely sure it wasn't him. "What an egotistical title. As though fear isn't a cornerstone of life let alone childhood." Her skin was grey and her clothes were black and Jack struggled to keep her in his sights as she phased in and out of the shadows. "Not that you and your little group care anything for balance. I mean, four guys and only one chick? Awkward." She chuckled and vanished, causing Jack to panic.
"Who are you!?" He shouted, turning slowly and trying to catch a glimpse of the woman.
"My name is Zeta Rose." The woman was now behind Jack, perched with one leg crossed over the other on top of Pitch's crumbling globe. "That's not what you were hoping to hear though, was it? You were hoping I'd say Pitch Black."
Whipping around, Jack aimed his staff at the woman, ready to fire if she tried anything. "What do you know about Pitch?"
"More than you." Zeta sneered, motioning around at the decaying room. "Enough to know that this is but a sad sliver of the powers he should rightfully be wielding." Calming as quickly as she'd become angry, Zeta smiled and opened her arms. With a dramatic sigh, she began to fall backwards and disappeared into a puff of black smoke before her black bat wings could even touch the globe.
Startled by her sudden action, Jack fired at the where Zeta had been, his ice shattering the globe she had been perched on. He began to spin again, eyes darting around vigilantly. "No one has the right to hold the power Pitch once did." Jack said quietly, fairly certain that Zeta was still around to hear him.
"No one but Manny." The voice came from behind him and Jack spun around, firing at nothing. "No one but Sandy." Again Jack spun around to fire at nothing. "No one but North." Another miss. "No one but Tooth." Another. "No one but Bunny." Jack was becoming extremely frustrated at that point and was determined to hit Zeta the next time she spoke. "No one but you." As Zeta spoke, she wrapped her arms around Jack from behind, gripping his staff and using it to keep him pinned against her.
Eyes widening, Jack began to struggle madly, desperately trying to get away from the shadow woman. "Let me go!" He yelled, trying to get his staff free so he could finally shoot Zeta.
Humming softly, Zeta leaned forward to whisper into Jack's ear. "You're cute, Jack. How old are you?" Her breath was cold on Jack's neck which startled him greatly considering his skin was always chilly to anyone else. He was so startled that he stopped struggling, frozen in place by Zeta. "So long as it's over a few hundred, I think we can overlook actual numbers." Zeta purred, feeling Jack shiver and grinning broadly. "Disgusted or afraid?" She asked softly, knowing it had to be one or the other.
"Cold." It was the first thing that came to Jack's mind. It was the first time since he'd died that he'd ever felt cold. He'd felt warm a few times in the past and it had made him nauseous, since then he'd learned to keep the air around himself comfortable. Comfortable to him often meant cold for others, but Zeta was different. Once he'd stopped moving, he'd noticed it; she was absolutely devoid of any warmth at all. She was like being pressed up against ice. Cold, lifeless ice. It was the most disturbing feeling Jack had ever felt.
"You're Jack Frost, how are you cold?" Zeta asked, her tone amused and her face further from Jack's ear, much to his temporary relief.
"You're cold." Jack clarified, slowly coming out of his trance and resuming his struggling. "You're frigid! What are you!?"
Releasing Jack mid-struggle so he fell forward, Zeta hummed. "I'm many things. It's sort of hard to explain." Before Jack could actually hit the ground, Zeta removed it, causing him to start floating in nothingness. "I'm nothing." Suddenly Jack felt as though he were drowning and being crushed all at once. "But I'm also everything." The feeling faded quickly and Jack managed to turn himself to face Zeta, his eyes wide. "I destroy and I create and I guess most people would call me a goddess." Zeta was floating in front of him, her wings flapping slowly to hold her up, her expression thoughtful. "But I think that's archaic. I prefer master."
"I think monster seems more appropriate." Jack uttered, not bothering to aim his staff at Zeta and instead focusing on staying upright in the nothingness. It was almost like riding wind but without an actual breeze to read, it was an adjustment.
"How rude." Zeta quipped, putting the ground back and smirking as Jack fell on his ass. "Appropriate though, I suppose. I am here to destroy everything you know and love after all." Zeta was sitting with one leg crossed over the other again but this time she was perched on nothing. "Maybe I'll start with Jamie, being a monster and all."
Eyes widening in horror, Jack shot to his feet and immediately began to fire off blasts of ice at Zeta, who simply vanished before they could hit her. "You leave Jamie out of this!" He bellowed, continuing to fire at Zeta whenever she appeared in a new spot despite none of his blasts hitting their mark.
"Maybe you're right." Zeta mused, seamlessly appearing, disappearing, and reappearing as though she were one with the shadows as much as Pitch was. "Sophie would probably be the better bet. She's still so young, isn't she? After all, what's it been, two, three years since your little group defeated Pitch? She must still have so many childish notions about how the world works."
Letting out a wordless cry of rage, Jack slammed the bottom of his staff onto the ground, causing a shockwave to blast outwards. He was sure he'd managed to hit Zeta that time, but as he spun around, eyes searching every dark corner and shadow, he didn't see her. "Show yourself, you coward!" Jack screamed, feeling more anger than he'd ever felt in his life. When there was still no answer, Jack began to calm down but then every part of his mind went into panic mode. "Jamie!"
Flying out of the lair with speed he didn't know he possessed, Jack harnessed the strongest gust he could and shot like a rocket to Jamie's home. He slowed on arrival, feeling only very mild relief upon seeing that it looked untouched and peaceful. Perhaps Zeta had been bluffing? Peering in through the window to Jamie's room, Jack frowned when he didn't see Jamie. He tried the window to Sophie's room but didn't see her either. Back in panic mode, Jack checked every window and saw that the house was void of life. Maybe they were just out? Torn from his hopeful thought by a dark chuckle, Jack looked up and saw Zeta floating above him.
"Looking for someone?" She asked in mock innocence. "I think I saw the family that lives here leave a few minutes ago." Zeta placed her finger to chin in mock thought, tapping a few times while Jack's fury built. "They left a message for you though. Oh, what was it?" Snapping her fingers as a look of mock realization dawned on her face, Zeta produced a purple orb from nowhere and tossed it to Jack. He flew back several feet but the orb floated in front of him, going foggy with black smoke before it cleared to reveal the Bennett family huddled together in a small, dark room. They appeared unharmed but frightened, their mother hugging Jamie and Sophie, who was crying quietly. "Now I remember! They said they won't be back anytime soon."
Rage draining from him so suddenly it caused Jack to land on the roof of the Bennett house, the winter spirit looked up at Zeta. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?" Jack asked softly, his voice defeated and his face solemn. He couldn't fight Zeta and yelling had only caused Jamie and his family to suffer; Jack was finally ready to shut up and listen, maybe even to negotiate if he could.
Smiling triumphantly, Zeta floated down to land in front of the slumped Jack Frost. "I mostly came here for Pitch Black but then I saw an opportunity to mess with the beloved Guardians." She reached out and cupped Jack's chin in her frigid hand. "I'm going to get revenge on all of them as a present to Pitch but I never planned on including you."
"Why not?" Jack asked, morbidly curious. "I helped them defeat him."
"You practically sealed his fate yourself." Zeta corrected, letting Jack's chin go. "But I like you. Where Pitch had failed, I hoped to succeed in tempting you onto the dark side."
Letting out a mirthless laugh, Jack glared at Zeta. "By kidnapping and threatening my friends? You're not very good at making a case for yourself."
Pleased that Jack still had some spite left, Zeta smiled. "By showing you what I'm capable of. You can't save the Guardians from me, no one can. They're going to suffer and there's no stopping it. The Bennetts, on the other hand, don't have to. And neither do you."
"Why are you telling me all this? What makes you think I won't tell the others?"
Laughing, Zeta put her hands on her hips, looking offended but in a playful way. "Really? Do you think I'm an idiot? I know you're going to tell them, that was the whole point of showing myself to you."
"Then why tell me?" Jack repeated, even more confused.
"So the Guardians can prepare. I want them to fight me at their strongest and lose. The opposition giving all they've got and still losing is excellent at cultivating a feeling of hopelessness."
"And if I don't tell them about you?" Jack asked challengingly, slowly regaining his fight.
"Then you're leading your friends into an ambush. Which is fucked up, but I'm not complaining. I like a good challenge but an easy fight is still a fight won." Zeta replied uncaringly, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "Before you make any decisions though, I'm going to give you some time to think. I'll be monitoring you and the moment you tell them about me, the war begins, but as long as you're quiet, the war is cold. The longer you wait though, the worse the nightmares will get and the more of you they'll affect."
Gritting his teeth, Jack bit back the insult on his tongue, reminding himself that the Bennetts were at the mercy of Zeta's temper. He wanted so badly to shout every swear word he could think of at her and shoot her in the face with the sharpest icicle he could conjure, but he managed to fight the urge down, allowing Zeta to continue to speak uninterrupted. While he managed to keep himself from picking another fight with Zeta, he could not however keep himself from glaring daggers at her. It seemed to amuse Zeta, as she her almost constant grin grew wider when she noticed, and that just fueled Jack's rage and darkened his gaze.
"If you manage to hold out for a month, the nightmares will be at their worst and they'll be affecting everyone. Excluding you, of course." Zeta continued, absently taking the blank purple orb from the sky and toying with it as she spoke. "When you do tell them, I'll assume you're on my side if you can just stay out of the fight."
"Why would I be on your side?" Jack snapped, sickened by the thought.
"Because if you're not, you're on the losing side. If that's not a good enough reason, then maybe we can discuss why you're so against the darkness somewhere more comfortable." The orb in Zeta's hands morphed into a business card that she then held out to Jack. "Feel free to come see me and we can chit chat till your heart's content, but for now, I need to get going."
"What about the Bennetts?" Jack asked, refusing to take the card.
"Right as rain." Zeta replied, hand and card still outstretched. "A sign of good will, if you will."
Tentatively taking the card, Jack looked it over. "How do I know you--" Jack looked up only to notice Zeta was gone and his voice died on his lips. Frowning, he flew down and peeked into the window of Jamie's bedroom, seeing that he was fast asleep. Feeling relief for the first time that day, Jack checked the rest of the house to see the rest of the Bennetts were safe and sound, all of them napping. Hopefully they would think what happened was a bad dream, or better yet, wouldn't remember.
Unable to stick around to find out, Jack began the long trip back to the North Pole. He had alot to think about and the long trip was actually very helpful, even if he felt like someone was watching him for the entire fly. Jack decided he wasn't going to tell the others just yet, not until he got more information about Zeta and her plan. She seemed unstoppable, but he didn't plan on giving up hope. Zeta was strong, but he was certain that together, they would be able to defeat her just as they had Pitch.