A/N: Chapter two! I know the last one wasn't too long and this one's not very long either, but I'm still building up momentum for this story. Thanks everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this one and the last chapter of Something Quite Peculiar! It makes me happy that you're still sticking with me for another story.

Gonna answer a few questions that came up in the reviews: AkariWolfPrincess, Right now we're around June in the story, I haven't had a chance to really slip that in! So, Jack's been harassing parts of the Southern Hemisphere, mostly. ForeverACharmedOne, Yes, I am smugly smirking, haha. Bloody Rice Ball, the Greek myths don't appear in the books, no. There's a lot of characters that didn't make it to the movie, though, that I'm enjoying so far (Like Mr. Qwerty!). I still haven't finished them because I'm so bad at just sitting and reading something, oops.

Thank you thank you thank you everyone else that reviewed. (My first reviewer for this story, Sofabox12, then burnblebee, LovelyThorn, Babygirlz, PadfootCc, XxKeyOfHeartxX, and Figments of Delusion) I really look forward to reading everyone's thoughts as we go on! As far as finding out Rowan's fate goes, I'm gonna take my time, I want to play with Jack's grieving process and some other things in the meantime.

"Why are you here!?"

"Don't you want me here?"

Chapter Two: Ghosts

Calliope tapped her fingers against her arm impatiently as Tooth directed her fairies. Tooth's back was turned to the Muse and the Sandman, having promised to give them her full attention as soon as her fairies were off to their respective locations.

"Sorry about that," Tooth said, fluttering back to where the others stood. "It's been a busy day! I mean, it's always busy, but more than usual, it feels like."

Sandy offered Tooth a warm smile and a thumbs-up to indicate that it was fine; he understood that she had a lot to do.

"We won't be here long," Calliope said. "I just wanted to let you know, I've finally gotten in touch with Athena about setting up a time to meet with her."

"Oh, when will that be? I'll make sure the fairies are ready to run the operation by themselves for a few hours so I can be there," Tooth said enthusiastically. Athena was, of course, one of their top priorities when it came to collecting new allies.

"Apparently it won't be happening," Calliope said, visibly frustrated as she relayed this news to Tooth, who seemed baffled.

"Why?" asked Tooth.

A sun, a crescent moon, two silhouettes and more appeared above Sandy's head in quick succession as he made wild gestures with his hands.

"Wait, what, she won't talk to us while the Muses are under Apollo's control? Since when?" Tooth said, shocked.

"I don't know! She said she wouldn't meet with us or negotiate anything while we were still associated with him. It's not like we can just… not be associated with him! He brought us back from the dead," Calliope said, teeth clenched.

A war helmet, the sun, and a few other images appeared above Sandy's head, all ending with a question mark.

"No, I don't think he did anything to irritate her recently… Even Apollo would rather be on Athena's good side. Ares is the one that's still angry about Apollo beating him at boxing thousands of years ago," Calliope said.

"So what do we do now?" Tooth asked.

"I sent Urania to give Apollo a message about this and see if he knows what's going on. And Arachne hears a lot of gossip at her studio so she said she'd keep an ear open for us because I'd really like to get this sorted out, we need Athena on our side," Calliope said.

Silhouettes of all the Guardians, as well as representations of their jobs formed in sand above Sandy's head, implying that he meant to say that in the meantime the Guardians should focus on their jobs and keeping the children safe.

"I'll tell my fairies to listen for anything suspicious, they're already keeping an eye out for Pitch," Tooth said.

"Good. I really need to inspire some people soon or I'm going to start getting weak, I've been too focused on all this," Calliope sighed. "But we need to see North, first."

"Is he still trying to talk to Ares?" Tooth asked.

Sandy rolled his eyes and nodded his head.

"It's a fool's errand but yes, he is," Calliope said. "We've got to fill him in on what's going on with Athena and see if he has any ideas about what to do with Jack."

"Oh no, what's he done now?" Tooth said, cringing as though bracing for the impact of whatever dumb thing Jack had been doing.

Jack's silhouette appeared above Sandy's head, walking away from a bed.

"He still hasn't slept?" Tooth said, eyes wide.

"He's actively avoiding the dream sand, too, so there's no subtle knocking him out for his own good," Calliope said. "Thankfully the mortals are blaming the erratic weather on climate change and Mother Nature hasn't gotten mad yet."

"I don't understand, he and North spent a few weeks working on his cabin to take his mind off things, I thought he was doing better," Tooth said. "He has a new bed with new sheets and pillows; I wanted to take a nap when I saw it."

"Well, it doesn't look like he's been by his cabin recently, and this goes way beyond having a place to sleep," Calliope said, pursing her lips. "I understand that he's going through something but this is affecting his health and starting to affect his work. We all need to be on top of our game right now. Pitch hasn't done anything with those bomb plans yet but that could change in an instant."

"Oh, Jack," Tooth said, shaking her head slightly. "Let me know if you need my help."

Sandy nodded, indicating that they certainly would let her know before conjuring up a dream cloud for himself to stand on. He pat the area of the cloud directly next to him, smiling at Calliope, who couldn't help but smile back. She took a seat on the cloud where Sandy had gestured.

"We'll talk to you soon, Toothiana!" Calliope said as the cloud began drifting away.

"I know why you are here and I will not be intimidated by you or your master," said the woman standing before Erato and Melpomene. She was much shorter than the pair, with porcelain skin and long, glossy black hair.

A long gown was draped over her curves, the fabric an ominous shade of red, the same pure red of fresh blood. Her lips were painted the same color.

"We're not here to intimidate anyone," Erato said calmly. The woman pursed her lips, unconvinced.

"We're here to warn you, Min," Melpomene said.

The woman laughed. "The Muse of Tragedy and the Muse of Love Poetry here to warn me of something? Are you two not a little late? Are you going to warn the rest of the Nü Gui too?"

The Muses were silent for a moment, knowing all too well that these beings were no strangers to tragedy, and for many of them love went hand-in-hand with that.

Their purpose was seeking revenge on those that had wronged them in their previous lives, after all.

It had been discussed briefly, the possibility of sending other Muses to speak with Min, who seemed to have quite a bit of influence over the others. But Melpomene worked best with these sort of beings, and Erato could charm her way out of just about anything.

So here they were, trying to get through to a spirit that was laughing in their faces.

"Pitch Black may try to make a deal with you," Melpomene said. "It's important you don't take this deal."

"Pitch Black, hm? I heard that you two had a falling out," Min said with a slight roll of the eye.

"What we had wasn't worth mourning. When it came down to it, I had to pick my sisters over him, and the decision was all too simple. Surely you can relate?" Melpomene asked, meeting Min's dark eyes.

A smile pulled at Min's lips. The Nü Gui were rather loyal to each other as well, and Melpomene knew bringing up the similar sisterhoods would work in their favor.

"Men," Min scoffed. "What deal is he looking to make?"

"He may offer you plans for a weapon. He'll tell you that you can take out huge amounts of targets at once, that you can be more powerful than you can imagine. He'll probably offer to team up with you, too. But it's all part of a bigger plan to use you as a pawn to gain his own power," Erato said.

"No good can come from any offer from him. Any deals or alliances are temporary. He will double-cross you as soon as it's beneficial for him," added Melpomene.

"That's what he did to us," Erato nodded.

"I have no use for swift means of execution. We want our victims to suffer for their misdeeds. Quick deaths are too merciful," Min said. "As far as Pitch Black goes? Let him try. I have no use for him, either."

"That's good to hear. Will you let us know if you do see him?" Melpomene asked.

"We will keep in touch. But do not mistake this agreement as a friendship, not while you are still bound to that arrogant beast," Min said, her expression going grim.

"You're going to have to be more specific, we're associated with a lot of Greek and Roman deities, which arrogant beast?" Erato asked, cocking a brow.

"Ri Gong Tai Yang Xing Jun," Min said.

"Oh, Apollo," Erato said. Min nodded.

"He's sure causing us a lot of grief lately with other immortals, any idea why that is?" Melpomene asked.

Min spared only a small smile as she turned to walk away. "I think we are done here."

Erato and Melpomene exchanged glances before the other spirit disappeared from sight entirely.

"Well, that was successful?" Erato said.

"I guess. But that's the third person we've talked to that made some comment about Apollo. Usually it's just us complaining about him. Or, you know, people he's actually done something to," Melpomene said, brow furrowed.

"Between this and Athena refusing to talk to Calliope while we're under his rule… something's going on. Hopefully someone has answers next meeting," Erato said with a slight shrug.

"I have been trying to give Jack space, let him deal with this in his own time," North said, carefully sanding the edges of one of his sculptures as several elves scurried around his feet, chasing a remote control car.

"I understand that he's grieving, and believe me, I empathize," Calliope said. "But refusing to sleep is not helping him, it's not helping anyone."

"We have told him to sleep. You know Jack, he is stubborn, he does not listen," North sighed, brushing bits of ice away from his sculpture.

A heart appeared over Sandy's head as he made a fist and slammed it into his other palm.

"He's right, tough love might be the way to go," Calliope said.

"You want to force him to sleep?" North said.

"You don't like the idea?" Calliope asked.

"It is a fine idea, it just will not be so simple to achieve," North said, chuckling slightly at the notion. Sleep deprivation was making Jack skittish, paranoid. Sneaking up on him might be a bit difficult.

"Your yetis have nabbed him before, haven't they? If they can do that again, hold him down, Sanderson can knock him out no problem," Calliope said with a shrug. Sandy nodded in agreement, more than eager to participate.

"Will have to move quickly, then he can rest in one of the guest rooms. He will not be happy," North said.

"I'm not in the business of making him happy," Calliope said with a slight smile. North nodded.

"There is one more thing," he said, turning his attention back to Sandy. "What dreams do you intend to give him?"

Sandy's face fell and a quizzical expression passed his face before he shrugged.

"The whole reason he is refusing to sleep is because he does not want to dream of Rowan and wake with her gone," North said with a frown. "Anything with playing children or Jamie Bennett would likely be a bad idea as well."

"What about a story?" Calliope asked.

"Rowan—" North started.

"She told stories, I know. Stories were her thing, but it's impossible to avoid her completely. You know as well as I that when you lose someone that close to you, suddenly the most mundane things remind you of them," Calliope said. "But stories are an escape."

Sandy nodded, images of castles, swords, ships and more appearing over his head to show all the different stories he could put in Jack's dream. Stories that would not feature Rowan Sawyer or Jamie Bennett. Stories that would hopefully provide that escape.

"Is worth a shot. Either way, he must get some rest. Hopefully he will understand that we are doing this out of a place of love," North said. "I will send some yetis to find him."

The cabin had been upgraded since the first (and last) time he brought her by. The mattress was now on an actual bed, though the base was solid; there was still no room underneath for any Boogey Man to hide. There were sheets and pillows, more shelves, even a dresser with drawers.

The fireplace remained untouched.

Drawings, photos, and newspaper clippings were still pinned to the wall.

She paced the small space, looking around as she went. Her bare feet moved silently, not a single floorboard creaking as she went. She absentmindedly braided three small strands of hair together.

"Are you going to keep ignoring me?" she said, her voice on the deeper side for a girl.

Jack sat on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, clenching his teeth.

"You're not real, you're not real, you're not real," he was mumbling to himself.

This had been going on for several minutes now.

"You can't get rid of me, Jack," she said, turning to face him and leaning back against the dresser. She wore a tight, lacey black slip. "If you sleep, you'll dream of me. If you don't sleep, well…"

"Why are you here!?" he said, looking up at her desperately.

"Don't you want me here?" she asked, looking hurt.

"Not if you're not real, Rowan," he said, feeling his head pounding. "I can't get my hopes up if you're just gonna disappear again. That's why I can't sleep, because when I do, I dream of you, and then I wake up and you're gone."

"Hm, right, being so deprived of sleep that you start talking to hallucinations of your dead girlfriend is a much better alternative," Rowan said sarcastically with a nod. She adjusted the slip she wore and shook her head a bit. "You would hallucinate me in this thing, wouldn't you? I told you, Jack, this isn't a dress."

"If you're gone, I need you to stay gone, don't mess with me like this!" Jack said desperately, ignoring her comment about the slip. Had things been different, he was sure he would have found it amusing, maybe would have smiled over the memory of her in that slip.

But things weren't different.

The girl seemed unfazed, now braiding another section of her hair.

"I'm not messing with you, Jack, I'm here because your mind put me here," she said.

"But why? I need to make a clean break, I can't be getting my hopes up that you might come back or I'm not going to be able to handle it if you don't. So why am I hallucinating you now and just making things worse?" he said, blinking back tears as he rubbed the side of his head.

"Are you really asking a hallucination why nothing makes sense?" Rowan asked, walking to the bed and taking a seat beside him. The mattress, the covers, nothing shifted with her weight. "Go to sleep, Jack."

"No," he said, shaking his head.

"Why?" she asked. "It can't be worse than this, right?"

"It is, okay? Because in dreams I can touch you and it's even harder to wake up," he said. "So, no, I won't go to sleep. And I'm going to stop talking to you."

"Oh, Jack," Rowan said with a frown. "I wish I could help you. I miss you."

Jack turned to look back at her, longingly. She leaned closer to him. He closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly and longing for contact, leaning in as well.

There was no kiss.

When he opened his eyes, there was no Rowan.

He rubbed at his head again, forcing deep breaths. When he had first seen her, his heart nearly stopped and he had rushed forward to meet her. But she had changed locations quickly, disappearing and re-appearing in different parts of the cabin, sometimes shrinking in size to walk across shelves and comment on his knick-knacks.

His tired mind had figured out soon enough that she wasn't real.

Was this how she had felt when she had been sure he wasn't real?

No wonder she had cried so much.

Dreaming about her, hallucinating her, each and every time he saw her again he got his hopes up. He hoped and prayed that maybe he hadn't lost her forever.

And then he would be left alone and that sharp pain in his chest would come back, just as harsh as it had felt the first time.

It had been going on for what had felt like forever, but he still had months to go before the anniversary of her death.

He eyed the photos of her on the wall only briefly before getting up and heading for the door of the cabin. Every time he came here, every time he looked at pictures of her, it just got worse.

He would have to find somewhere else to go. There had to be somewhere he could truly be alone, without hallucinations or memories to taunt him.

Jack had barely stepped outside the cabin when he was jerked to the side, strong hands gripping his arm.

His heart raced and even after he recognized the babbling language of North's yetis, he squirmed and shouted, trying to escape their grasp. Ice shot from the end of his staff erratically, not once hitting any of the yetis, but rather freezing over a few nearby trees.

This continued for a few long seconds before everything was dark and he was left struggling inside one of North's red sacks again.