"Thank you. I hardly know you and you've already opened your home to me."
"Think nothing of it. PSYCHE! Get in here now!"
While Sally flinched from the goddess' change in disposition, she noticed the strange men who had brought her to this place were accustomed to it. Sally watched as a brooding young maiden walked towards them, her curly brown hair falling around her face in a type of mourning. As she passed by the group of men, she hardly looked at them. When Sally saw her face, she saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Have you been weeping this entire time?"
"My husband is missing. I cannot help it."
"Missing? He is standing behind you. If you had any mind in that head of yours, you would have looked up and seen him."
"Cupid?" Psyche asked, drying her tears and looking up wildly, setting her sights on the cloaked god, "Cupid! Oh, you have returned to me!"
"Stay right there!" yelled the god, clutching his mirror, "I would not have you near my love."
"Did I forget to mention he has gone a little mad?" Venus asked a distraught Psyche.
"Oh, you cruel Goddess of Love! Calling me here for nothing."
"Actually, I need you to keep watch over this lady here. While you do that, these gentlemen will assist me in curing my son. Go with her, Sally. She is nothing to fear, believe you me."
Sally nodded and walked to Psyche. Psyche gave one last glare to Venus before giving her attention to Sally. As they walked out of the temple, Psyche began to talk to the rag doll. She soon figured out what all the fuss Venus was making was about.
"So the new archer is your beloved. Do not fret, for the cherubs have been dispatched to find him."
"Cherubs? What are those?"
"Well, they are infants with wings to be honest. They have good eyesight and are advanced in intelligence. Your Love is in good hands."
"Jack did this for me. He wanted me to be happy, to love him more than I ever did."
"Do you?"
"Yes. Only now he's scared me too. That was what he did before stealing Christmas or delivering love. He scares people."
"He scares people?"
"Better than anyone I know. Jack, please be safe," Sally said as she knelt next to a pond by a hill.
Psyche sat down next to her and looked at their reflections. Sally had begun to cry again. As her teardrops hit the water, Psyche could only attempt to comfort her, knowing too well how losing a loved one caused pain. Unbeknownst to either of them, Jack was safe, for now.
Back in Halloween Town, Oogie Boogie was having quite a time with the soldiers. The Greeks and Romans had quite a surprising taste for gambling. Needless to say, Oogie managed to rob them blind by the time Eris returned. When Oogie Boogie noticed whom she had for company, he nearly threw all of his ill-gotten prizes at her.
"How DARE you bring that Bone Head in the same room with me!" Oogie Boogie yelled.
"Were you expecting me to leave him outside to rot?"
"No, but I would've preferred it."
"Jack, show Oogie how useful you can be. And remember, you have no choice."
Jack silently complied as he drew an arrow from his quiver. Eris watched as the white feathers on it turned black from the hate Jack was emitting from his body. The skeleton squared his eye sockets at everyone on the lair until he rested upon a small bug crawling on the wall. In mere seconds, Jack let the arrow fly, and smiled at the sickening crunch of the bug falling victim to it.
"That insect was across the room from him. Good show," said an impressed Bram.
"Can I eat it?"
"The bug is not completely dead, you ignoramus. Just hate-filled."
"Good enough for me," Oogie said as he pulled the bug from the arrow and swallowed it in one gulp, "Mmmmm, tasty, hate-filled goodness."
"Now that we are all gathered, it is time to work. You Puritans can go to the Town Hall. The entire community of blasphemers is located there. Soldiers, do your goddess a favor by accompanying them. Capture anyone who does not wish to be 'saved' and bring them to me. I will handle them."
"As you wish," said Grand Elder Joseph as he, his fellow Puritans, and the armies set out from Oogie Boogie's lair.
"Druids, I need you to keep the night spell in check. You stay here. Jack, you have the most important job of all."
"I don't want it," Jack said, looking down at the floor.
"Idiot. I said you had no choice. Listen to me very carefully. You will go to the Real World. With the ability to turn any arrow into an arrow of Hate, you can spread animosity and chaos all over the world. It will be beautiful."
"I'll run out of arrows."
"What have I told you about defiance!" Eris shrieked as she pushed him back, "That quiver was given to you by Venus. That lousy excuse for a goddess probably gave you one that multiplies the arrows for you."
"Can't I push him around too?" Oogie Boogie asked.
"Oh, go ahead. I guess you have wanted to for the longest time."
"Looks like I have the upper hand this time, Jack. I can't wait until Halloween Town belongs to the real Pumpkin King. As for that queen of yours, well, I can have her, right? Since you can't love anymore? Thanks, Bone Head."
"No, no, no. Use that Hate for something constructive," Eris said as she saw Jack clench his fists.
With a huff, Jack turned around and practically marched out of the lair. As he flew into the night, he looked down at the three trick-or-treaters who were heading inside. The Hate was growing stronger now. Jack felt no remorse for scaring the wits out of them by hovering above them and baring his teeth at them. He even cackled as he took off into the clouds. All the while, Lock, Shock, and Barrel shivered as they went into the lair.
"Was that Jack?" Lock asked Oogie Boogie.
"Sure was. Good job, kids. You can go back to bug collecting for me now."
"He sure seemed scary to me," Barrel said.
"I would not want any of you fretting over Jack Skellington. After all, he is fighting for us," Eris said.
"Can we get some candy first?" Shock asked Oogie Boogie.
"Go ahead. Everything in this town will be ours soon anyway."
"Let's go then," Lock said.
"Yeah, now we can raid the Mayor's house. I bet he has a whole lot of candy!" Shock exclaimed.
"I call dibs on lollypops!" Barrel said.
"Nuh-uh, you always get those!"
With that, the three children went off into Halloween Town. Jack soon became a memory for them as they wandered through the deserted streets. Everything would belong to them soon if things went right. Still, there was one thing that bothered one of them.
"Guys, if we run things in Halloween Town, wouldn't that make us good?" Barrel asked.
"Are you kidding?" Lock asked.
"I'm just saying, without a Mayor or Jack or anyone to bother, we'll be working for Oogie Boogie all the time."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shock asked.
"That if Oogie Boogie is the Pumpkin King, he'll be the good guy. That would make us the good guys too, right?"
"Barrel, stop being so stupid."
"Wait, Shock. He's right. If we win, then we can't be bad kids anymore. We'll have to follow orders and do chores."
"We can't do that! We're Lock, Shock, and Barrel!" Shock exclaimed.
"So now what do we do?" Barrel asked.
"We get Jack back," Lock concluded.
"How are we gonna do that?"
"By getting Sandy Claws to help us. We're going through the Christmas Door."
"But Eris told us not to."
"See? That's following a rule. And we don't do that, do we?"
"No. We don't," Shock and Barrel said together as they chuckled evilly, racing Lock into the forest.
Can it be! Lock, Shock, and Barrel on the good side? Well, I guess so, for their own purposes. What will they find in Christmas Town? Or will they meet up with others on their way? And when is Cupid going to realize that's him in the mirror? Only time and the next chapter will tell. (Re-edit Comment: About time I started putting those three to good use.)