Chapter 9

New threats

Jake and the Never Land Pirates stood on the beach at Pirate Island. The sky was cloudier than usual, orange horizon clashing with the forevermore blue, or until the day the seas themselves dried up, then it would be orange on orange. The kids had decided to get up early on that morning, a few shells washing up on the beach the previous night before was a tell-tale sign that the shore would be full of them the next morning. They weren't wrong.

They searched the sands, scanning the collections of seashells washed ashore. Another wave lapped, shuffling the shells and carrying others off. Their peepers were also fine-tuned in the search for anything that didn't resemble a crustacean's exoskeleton.

Izzy found a pretty shell with orange, purple, and white stripes in that order. "Yay hey, this one looks good." She reached for it with the hopes of adding it to her collection, only for the elaborate work of nature to sprout legs, pincers and two, googly eyes. The creature looked at her and garbled its nautical language. She withdrew her hand. "Oh, sorry, Mister Hermit Crab, I didn't know you lived in there."

Garbling some more, the crab scuttled down the shore until the tide swept it away. It floated momentarily on the surface before submerging. Izzy gave it a little wave goodbye.

Meanwhile, Jake caught sight of a flat pebble, moulded into the soggy sand. The purple skin shined like a doubloon, urging the young pirate to take it.

"Oh, sweet." Jake remarked as he reached down.

The size cupped perfectly around his thumb and index finger as if it had been sculpted just for him. Whatever mountain or boulder it stemmed from, the rough waters had eaten away all evidence, leaving a smooth, immaculate, untraceable penny of stone.

Jake looked over the sea and waited for the brief moment between waves, when the shore is at its calmest. At that instant, he tossed the pebble out, spinning it low and straight. It hit the surface and skipped. Jake watched as his throw spanned ten dots before coming to a stop and sinking into the blue.

He pumped his fist and cheered. "New record!" Although, he would have been more thrilled had his throw never stopped, and continued forever on the Never Seas.

"Mateys, check it out!" Cubby hollered while sifting through a clump of seaweed. "I think I've found something!"

Sweeping the blades of green away, Cubby found himself baffled by what he discovered: a tiny, wooden box with a circular button on top. The quality was rough and makeshift, carved from the wood of miscellaneous trees – whatever lumber the manufacturer could scrounge up. The surface appeared old and worn from more than just sea salt. Who knows how long this button has spent floating on the endless seas.

He picked it up, it was light and grainy in his fleshy palm. "Wow… weird…" He whispered. Passing the box to the other hand, he went to rub away what he thought was sand on his palm, only to find it clean. The feeling was coming from the box itself.

The remaining team members reached him, huddling around the discovery. "What is it, Cubby?" Jake asked, peering over Cubby's shoulder.

"I'm not sure." Cubby replied, presenting the box for all to see. "It looks like a button of some sort."

"Is there a message on it? Any clue as to who it's from?"

Cubby checked the sides and the underbelly. There was nothing; no writings, no note attached, not even a symbol, just the inconsistent grains and the lone, cylinder switch. "Nope. Nothing."

Skully perched himself on Cubby's head. He found himself fixated to the box as if a small part of him wished it were full of savoury biscuits. They all stared at it for a while, waiting for something to happen. Thoughts ran with questions as to who was instrumental for the construction and delivery of this odd, little contraption. Could it be a gift from Peter Pan? Might the fairies have lost a trinket? Or could it even be that sneaky snook playing another one of his tricks?

Jake glanced over to the hidden entrance, checking for the off chance that Hook was activating the switch on the totem pole while they were huddled around the box like idiots. The metal-handed villain popped in his vision before he realised it was a figment of his imagination, a part of the brain that tried to predict what existed beyond his sight.

"What's up, Jake?" Izzy asked, noticing his suspicious glance.

Jake turned back. "It's nothing, I just thought I saw something for a second."

Izzy's thoughts turned back to the discovery. "Well, it looks like some kind of button." She commented, pointing at the circular knob. "Maybe we should try pushing it."

"What do you think might happen?" Cubby asked.

"Beats me. And there's only one way to find out."

"I don't know, mateys… What if it does something bad?"

"Just push it already." Skully said while jumping from Cubby's cranium and hovering above. "What's the worst that can happen? It might do something cool, like show us treasure." A smile grew on his beak. "It might even be filled with crackers."

"Skully, is that all you ever think about?" Jake asked, folding his arms.

The parrot nodded his head. "Yes sir, from Monday to Sunday. That's me."

"Nevertheless, you're right." Jake agreed. "Go on, Cubby. Push it."

"Okay…" Cubby raised his stubby finger over the box, prepping it ready to launch on a journey where no man has gone before. This was inevitable the second they gazed upon it. Even if they weren't to press the button today, sweet, sweet temptation would overcome their hearts sooner or later. "Here goes."

Imaginations swam, although not very wildly, as the digit closed in on the corner switch. None of them could think of anything precarious or breath-taking coming from such a tiny thing, unless the box was property to anyone of the mystical forces in Never Land. However, on the off chance that forces of unimaginable magic is unleashed, they just wished it was of the good, friendly kind, and not the kind that can make Never Land disappear into a cloud of smoke.

Cubby's finger pressed against the circle's surface, surprised by how smooth it was. He pushed it dow but nothngin seemd 2 hapen.

Tehy stare at % thebox oddly "what wuz that/?" Jak says. "di sumtin happen?"

"Boxes dos notithing"? Cuby saisd.

"It di nthing!1!" Skulty shouted angirlym. "I reaktj wanted teh crakerz!"

"Yay haty eno way :(" Issi sad..

"Aw,, cicinusyt!" Cyubny says

Jke and fiends llokedd at he box and thet\ wree sad tht it jdid nt do anythgin. (A/N: I alzo is realy sad tat box no work )-: )

Jke sez. "Push it againt cinny."

CUUBY PREZZED the button again, but still nothing happened. If nothing occurred the first time, then what were the odds of something happening on the next push? They began to wonder whether the device had any meaning or whether it was busted. Jake's eyes once more redirected themselves to the entrance, found it barren, then turned back. If the box were magical then they expected it to do something… well, magical. Jingle; sparkle; glisten; float; talk. If there was one thing that was tried and true about Never Land, it was that there was hardly anything dull.

Izzy frowned, disappointed. "I don't think it does anything."

Cubby pressed teh butoosn agin, ansd again, and aginzn, anf again, but it was pointless.

"Yeah, this thing isn't working." Cubby said.

"Still, we should keep a hold of it in our treasure room." Jake said. "Maybe we'll find out who it belongs to and return it to them."

"Good thinking, Jake. Maybe Misty knows something about it."

All of a sudden, Skully squawked. "Uh oh. Heads up, me hearties!" He stared off into the horizon. "There's a ship heading this way!"

The children looked across the sea, and there was a meagre dot advancing on them. Dull, faint, and colourless, it seemed to blend into the blue, and dart side to side on the orange like an optical illusion.

"Oh, great…" Jake muttered. He reached into his vest pocket and retrieved his spyglass. "Is that sneaky snook wanting to take our hideout again?" He brought the lens to his eye and focused on the dot. To his surprise, he found that it wasn't what he was expecting. "Wait… that isn't the Jolly Roger…"

"It's not?" Cubby said, sounding rather uncomfortable with that fact.

"No. It's…" He focused on the grey blur. "The Grey Raven." The spyglass dropped from his eye. Jake stared blankly into space. "Captain Cronus…"

"The new captain?" Izzy said.

Cubby instantly shuddered upon hearing his name, and instantly remembering his eyes. His tubby body quaked from head to toe, his blood turned to ice. Those eyes. "That scary captain is coming here? What do you think he wants?"

Jake clapped up the spyglass and placed in back in his pocket. "I don't know, Cubby."

"Do you think we can trust him?" Izzy asked.

Jake closed his eyes and sighed, irritated. "I don't know."

The unexpected event struggled to process in the leader's head. Had that been the Jolly Roger sailing towards them, he would have no doubts in locking up the hideout and preparing for the inevitable mishaps the cranky crook's luck always brought. If a friendly acquaintance were visiting, they would be there to greet them with open arms. However, Cronus and his crew were neither friends nor enemies, at least as far as they were aware of. They were a grey spot – just like their ship – on their black and white morality spectrum.

He continued. "We should play it safe."

"Play it safe how?" Cubby asked.

"We'll hide our hideout and keep an eye on them in secret." Jake began to walk towards the entrance. "If they're just exploring, we'll wait until they leave."

"What if they want to talk to us?" Izzy asked, following the leader's lead.

"Then we'll just have to catch up to them later. We can't risk our hideout on chance."

"That sounds like a plan." Skully said. "All hands to the hideout."

The crew ran down the beach. Jake reached the totem pole and pushed the tongue down. A gathering of palm trees against the mountain foot swept aside, giving way to a hidden entrance. They scrambled past the threshold and up the stairs; the door slammed shut and concealed itself behind them.

Inside the hideout, the crew jumped into action. Jake detracted the lookout point back down the tree hollow. Izzy and Cubby went to Water cannon Hill and pulled the lever, placing the roof down and disguising it as an ordinary hill. Learning from their past mistakes with Captain Hook, the crew ran to every hatch and window, and locked them tight, leaving no stone unturned. In their search they found one open hatch that, if left unchecked, would have granted anyone unlimited access to the inside.

The crew met up at the main hall, below the renovated cabin.

"Is everything all locked up, mateys?" Jake queried.

Izzy and Cubby saluted. "Aye aye, Jake."

Skully flew in from above. "We got everything. Nobody will be finding us anytime soon."

"Good work, crew. Now let's get to the window and keep an eye on them."

The Grey Raven dropped anchor as close to land as they could get without beaching themselves on it.

"So, this is where the hideout is." Cronus whispered to himself. "Subtle." He scanned the scene, and identified nothing but Mother Nature. They weren't called hideouts for no reason, as if the name – hide-out – wasn't obvious enough. The stories of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys would have been quite anticlimactic had they painted large, colourful signs above their hidey-holes.

Still, these weren't fully grown adults he was dealing with here, but children whose ages had yet to reach double digits. Except these kids that more stories to tell than any seasoned veteran of the high tides had had hot meals.

The crew got the rowboat sorted – take a while guess as to what colour it was – and sailed out. Animal stayed back on the ship to keep it guarded; Gloom, Trig, and Flint accompanied their captain, armed with shovels for the inevitable scooping of beach. The journey was short, barely lasting half a minute and requiring a good, few paddles. They reached the shore, disembarked, and tied the boat to a nearby rock.

Flint grimaced. "How is that even possible?" He was referring to the frigate exoskeleton impaled on the large knife of a rock. The wreck was cold, still and half eaten, like some titan had skewered it, took a few bites, left, meant to go back and finish what was started, forgot.

Trig huffed. "How many times do we have to tell you," He said. "This is Never Land. A lot of things are possible here."

Ever since they arrived, Flint's uneasy questions had been the bane of their existences. Every strange and unordinary detail within these lands, famed for containing things of the strange and unordinary variation, just could not settle of his mind.

Gloom stepped around them, deciding to play no part in this dilemma. Although with his lack of speech, he wouldn't have become a target that easily.

"Easy, you two. Remember our task here." Captain Cronus said.

From above the secret door, the pirate kids looked out from a hatch. The four men were dots on the yellow sand, wandering aimlessly as if they were blind. They never would have imagined that they would be hiding from an entity other than Captain Codfish. Times change, they guessed.

They kept the opening low and peeped out. Had anyone been gazing inwards they would notice a quartet of multi-coloured eyes staring out.

None of them had anything to say, they just watched and waited for the captain and his crew to make their move, whatever that was.

"Keep your eyes open, men." Cronus ordered while kicking up shells.

"For a buried chest?" Flint retorted. "With all due respect, Captain, It could be anywhere."

For once, he may have had a point. They were searching for buried treasure with no map and guided by word of a cranky has-been. The sand developed a dull hue like aged paper as if they were treading on the face of a giant map, only this one wouldn't simply indicate the treasure's location with an x. Maybe he had underestimated those children to think that their treasure would be so easy to find.

Gloom, at the other end of the seaside, waved over to his crew, trying to get their attention. Any other person would have just shouted, but not this man.

Trig noticed him. "Looks like Gloom has found something." They bolted to his location. "Would you look at that…?" He pointed. "We just dig up the x."

They glanced down, and there, etched into the sand, was the third-off-last letter of the alphabet. X marks to spot. Maybe those kids were just kids after all.

"Well… ain't that convenient." Flint smarmed. He treaded over to a shovel sticking up a few meters away in a sand dune. "And those scamps were kind enough to leave an extra shovel."

He leaned on the tool, only for it to shift under his elbow. He slipped, fell, and landed on an oyster shell, but the shovel stopped and clicked into place. Suddenly, from below the crude letter, something unearthed, startling the crew. A chest, painted red with edges of gold, rose from the sand. The inanimate sand demon spun three revolutions before coming to a halt.

The treasure chest was treasure in its own right. Decorated with a golden sword on the belly, pouches on the sides, the lock looked like a compass, and little stars flecked around the edges; it was a work of art. The engraving of a doubloon on the top was a clear indication of the insides.

"I think we found it." Trig said, stating the obvious.

"Aw, coconuts." Cubby said. "They've found our team treasure chest!"

"We can't let them take it." Izzy announced. "We worked too hard to collect all those doubloons to let them be swiped."

"That's right, Izzy." Jake pushed away from the hatch. "All hands on beach."

With that, the popinjays bolted down the hall, towards the hideout entrance.

"Get it open." Cronus ordered.

Flint knelt down and pulled on the lid, but it refused to part with the body. "It's locked, sir."

"Then unlock it."

Flint jammed the head of his shovel into the gap and pushed down. He stood up and drove his foot down on the handle. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, the chest would give way and not the tool. This instance was the one percent. The shovel snapped, the spade and handle separating.

"That didn't work…" Flint said. "Waste of a good shovel…"

Trig shoved him aside. "Let me try."

Trig got closer to the lock and got his knife. He inserted the sharp tip into the keyhole. He pressed his ear to the wood while rotating the blade in circles. His tongue seeped from his mouth, a side product of concentration. His eye squinted and closed in unpredictable fashion.

The silence was broken by the soft pitter-patter of incoming footsteps. Jake, his crew, and their parrot were heading straight towards them, having emerged from whatever hole they hid in.

"Ahoy, Captain Cronus." Jake shouted while bolting towards them.

"Hello, Jake, glad you could make it." Cronus gestured towards the chest, which his first mate was still in the process of picking. "I take it this is yours?"

"It sure is," Jake answered, having come to a halt before them. "And we'd like to ask you to leave it alone, please."

Please? How polite. "So Captain Hook was telling the truth..."

"You mean Old Feather Hat told you about this?" Skully inquired.

"Yes. I almost didn't suspect he'd do so."

While they talked, the strenuous expression of Trig's face gradually turned sour. He twisted the turned the blade faster and rougher, rendering the mechanism inside into nothing but dust. Despite all his efforts, the lid remained unmoving and defiant.

Trig pulled away, "No good." Stood up. "There must be something else keeping this chest shut. I can't pick it."

Cronus studied the expressions on the kids' faces. Until now, all treasure chests have been opened with one of the two methods used. The defiance of this current customers made his suspicious. Knowing these kids, and their connections to Peter Pan, fairies, mermaids, and several magical individuals, there was a chance that some of that mumbo-jumbo influenced the red and gold container. The sea lapped once more as if nature itself was mocking him.

Jake smiled. "Yeah. Good luck getting that open."

Cronus frowned, then turned to his crewmate. "Gloom, see what you can do."

Gloom stepped forward and knelt down before the red and gold container. He placed the tome on the sandy ground, open where he needed it. He hovered his hand before the lock and began to hiss.

"Lokzut iom keyfum…" A wisp of black smoke seeped from his palm and into the keyhole.

"Whoa…" Cubby whispered, enthralled by the stream. "Is that magic…?"

"…iwe opezun yulu."

The lid opened up like a jack-in-the-box, like an oyster shell more-so, revealing the pearl inside. The contents were more numerous and more valuable than any pearl they had ever seen. Captain Hook had, indeed, told the truth, all right. Hundreds of doubloons, not to mention the tiaras, necklaces and goblets entrenched amongst them, collected by mere children – people who were more likely to use them in coin games and bets as to how many they can jam into their nostrils as opposed to keeping them as prized possessions.

Jake and the Never Land Pirates gasped out loud. "No way!" They cried. The team treasure chest had been compromised, without the song. They had just accomplished in minutes what Captain Hook couldn't do in years.

The captain smiled, his blue eyes glowing gold in the fortune's midst. "Impressive. Not bad for mere children." Trig shut the lid and he and Flint lifted the chest by the handles and escorted it to the dinghy. "The Grey Raven crew are now the new owners of Never Land. All treasure you find is now our property. We'll take this as your first payment for living in Never Land."

"Rotten berries! You can't so that!" Skully squawked.

"I don't think so!" Jake shouted and charged towards them. "Give that back, now!"

He got close until the captain stuck his hand out in front of his face. Jake ran straight into the waiting palm and was stopped in his tracks. With a little force, Cronus pushed the young buccaneer back, causing him to fall over. In the time it took for his mateys to reach him, the captain and his crew had jumped into the dinghy and were sailing towards the Grey Raven, with the team treasure chest.

"Remember, we'll be back next week to collect more of your treasure as payment." Flint called over.

"Be sure to have it ready." Trig finished.

Izzy and Cubby reached Jake and helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" Izzy asked.

Jake answered. "Yeah, I'm fine." He brushed the back of his trousers.

"We can't let them get away." The green parrot said. "A new order? Who do they think they are?"

Every single doubloon over the course of hundreds of adventures was gone in a matter of minutes, nabbed by a pirate captain who they thought was decent enough. At the point in time, Jake remembered something. It whispered in his imagination the same way the Staff of Prospection did.

One with such greed will force their hand

And cast off their disguise: the clothing of sheep

Jake snapped out of his thoughts, this couldn't be it. He had assumed that the stick had foretold Sneaky Le Beak's rude intrusion last night. "We can't let them get away with it. Everyone to Bucky, we got to catch up with them."

Bucky sailed as fast as he could, trying his best to keep up with the Grey Raven. He had always been hailed by his friends as the fastest ship to sail the Never Seas, but his current performance wasn't living up to those statements. The grey ship was heading away from Never Land, that much they were certain.

The wind, usually cool and hinted with a joy that warmed the hearts of the adventurous, felt drab and rough. Their mentality was not up for the thrill of sailing the seas, not after being robbed.

Izzy glanced back at the mythical island, noticing the direction they were travelling. "Hold on. I know this route; we've sailed it before." She drummed her fingers against her bottom lip.

"Yeah, I remember it too, Iz." Jake agreed. "If I'm not mistaken, we'll be sailing towards…"

Izzy gasped in shock, her eyes widened, pupils shrank. "Pirate Princess Island!"

Jake's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Full speed ahead, Bucky!" He hollered. "Give the sails everything you've got! We gotta catch up to that ship!"

Bucky clanged the bell in acknowledgement, but alas, his attempts were in vain. The Grey Raven disappeared from view. They had to get there fast, and there was nobody more eager to reach the castle than Izzy. The Pirate Princess was her hero, one of the very few people who she looked up to as a role model, even going so far as to dress like her at one point.

From the day they met, the pirates had always lent a helping hand; turning her back from gold; transforming the nasty Sea Witch into a nice one; giving her rainbow wand back. In return, the Pirate Princess has shown her eternal gratitude, and even made Izzy an honorary princess. Unfortunately for them, Captain Cronus was also aware of her gratitude towards the snot-nosed pirates. If it weren't for them, she would still be a golden figurehead on a crippled vessel hidden in a deep, damp, cold cavern.

Minutes later, they finally glimpsed Coral Castle, glistening on a cluster of rocks. Izzy peered at the scene through her spyglass. The first thing she saw made her heart sink. Any visitor to the Pirate Princess Island has to first pass the guard dog in the form of a giant, pink sea serpent named Cecilia. Cronus' ship was docked, and she could do nothing to stop them, seeing as her limbless body had been encased in ice.

The lens started to shake as Izzy saw the pained look on Cecilia's face. "Oh, no. Cecilia… She's been frozen in ice."

"Ice? Out here? In the warm Never Sea?" Cubby goggled at her. "That's impossible."

She hovered the sights over the entrance. The Grey Raven crew were marching out, dragging behind them a couple of chests and an oversized purse. The top of the bag peaked open, unveiling sparkling diamonds.

"They're stealing her treasure!" Izzy announced, her grip constricting so hard she was in danger of crushing the scope. "We're too late!" She held back every urge to not smash her spyglass on Bucky.

The Pirate Princess herself barged from the alcove, her face red with anger, and her rainbow wand gripped in her hand. She swung the wand above her head before pointing it at the men pilfering her. An arc of light, in the spectrum from red to violet, shot from the crystal tip. Before the ray hit them, Gloom waved his hand and summoned a dark barrier that surrounded the crew. The rainbow clashed against the wall of magic, crackling with sparks of white. With another wave of the hand, the barrier pushed the spectrum back until it hit the Pirate Princess. She was launched back, dropping her wand and skidding on the ground. She came to a halt when her head banged on the first step. Her purple hat bopped off her head and rolled to her side.

The plundering pirates boarded their vessel and rapidly made a swift getaway, having collected their due and were off to collect – steal – more valuables from the locals.

"Captain Cronus!" Izzy screamed as they passed. "What have you done?!"

The Grey Raven passed by, ignoring the call. It was a clear message that they were going to steal what they wanted and nobody, especially a bunch of scrawny nippers, was going to impede them. Jake was in two minds about whether to resume chase on the ship, but acted against it. He commanded Bucky to dock at the castle. As the kids rushed from the walkway, the princess of pirates staggered to her feet, tending to the back of her cranium.

"Pirate Princess? Are you okay?" Izzy asked, lending her a hand.

The Pirate Princess rubbed the back of her head. "I'm… I'm fine." She stumbled to the railing. "But Cecilia isn't. I need to get her thawed, quickly!"

Cecilia had been frozen from the tip of her tail all the way up to his chin, her face barely staying above the water. She groaned a weak wail. Tears forming in her eyes.

"Those fiends!" Izzy said, slamming a fist into the railing. "How did this happen?"

"When they showed up, Cecilia went to greet them, but that bald man with the robe cast an ice spell on her."

"There's got to be someplace where we can melt the ice." Jake said. His attention turned to a certain map reader. "Cubby?"

Cubby reached into his pocket and got his map. "Yeah, there is." He pointed to an oval, water icon on the south section of Never Land. "According to my map, there are hot springs in Never Land that we can use."

Jake then turned to the pirate lass. "Izzy, this is an…"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Izzy interrupted as she reached into her pouch and grabbed a dash of dust. "Pixie dust away!"

She threw the dust onto the frozen sea serpent, and she rose above sea level. This way, they would be able to guide her massive frame back to Never Land in the shortest amount of time. The Pirate Princess got on her golden ship and sailed alongside Bucky. They tied ropes around her lengthy body and began to sail her to Never Land. Two galleons towing a flying sea serpent in an ice cube was a sight that only attracted the attention of the seagulls that drifted overhead.

"Thank you, pirates." The Princess hollered from her ship. "I'm glad you came along when you did."

"You're welcome, Pirate Princess." Jake replied. "What did those men take from you?"

"My diamonds, my ornaments, trinkets and heirlooms, anything of value."

"But they didn't steal your ship?"

"Or your rainbow wand?" Cubby added

"I know." She eyed her wand. "Cronus said they were tools that I would need to find more treasure, but they've already taken everything from me. They even took my jewellery. Most of those were my families, passed down through generations."

"Yay hey, no way!" Izzy cried. "I don't suppose they said some trash about being the new owners of Never Land?"

The Pirate Princess' hazel eyes shot open. "Have they stole from you too?"

"Yeah," Skully said. "Our team treasure chest."

"You have a deepest sympathies." She said in the most sincere fashion she could muster.

"Don't worry about that for now." Izzy comforted. "Our concern is to get Cecilia warmed up. We'll get your diamonds and your jewellery, and our team treasure chest back from those brutes." A brave, determined smile appeared. "We promise."