Johan was out back, shooting bottles off the fence posts with his gunblade when Ivy approached him with a letter. "Hey, JoJo! A Mail-Fly arrived with a message for you! I think he gave a similar one to the Plantars."

The Mail-Fly looked a little annoyed for some reason as he handed Johan his letter. "He doesn't look very happy," said Johan as he flew off.

Ivy chuckled nervously. "I karate kicked him when I answered the door."

Johan exhaled. "Why am I not surprised?" He opened the envelope and read the letter inside. "Hey, it's from Marcy! She says she's on her way. Oh, she even left me a checklist of everything we need: Food, weapons..." Johan patted his gunblade. "Got the weapons thing ready."

"And we got plenty of food," said Ivy.

"All we need left is the music box, which is with Hopediah's contacts at the moment."

Ivy looked sad. "Um, JoJo, is there a way you and your human friends can stay in Amphibia?"

Johan looked at her. "Why would you say that? We have to go home. We have families to get back to."

Tears started to leak down Ivy's face. "But...aren't we your family too? I mean, when you get the music box charged up, we'll never see you again. I...I don't want you to go!" She buried her face in his shirt and began crying. Johan was surprised at first then his face became one of understanding as he hugged her back.

"I get it. I've been her for so long, you consider me your big brother or something. But I promise I'll come back."

"Liar! You don't know if you'll be able to come back!"

Johan pulled her away so she can look at her and wipe her tears. "The box works both ways, I think. If it brought us to Amphibia and it sends us to Earth, then it can be used to send us here again. How about this? If we get a portal to Earth open, you and your family can come visit any time."

Ivy looked at him, shocked. "Really? Can I bring Sprig with me?" He nodded. She hugged him again and whispered, "You better keep your promise or I'll fold your legs into a pretzel."

"Mmm. I promise."

"Yipee! Wait 'til I tell Mom and Grandma!" she said cheerfully as she hopped back into the house.

All alone, Johan watched her go. When he was sure she was gone, he slapped himself. "Stupido, stupido, stupido! Le promesse che non puoi mantenere non sono meglio delle bugie!" He exhaled and looked at the setting sun. "I don't even know if I'll see Anne, Sasha, and Marcy again after we get back. Once he gets over the overwhelming joy of seeing me again, Dad will probably drag my ass back to Napoli for not completing my mission of finding the Stand arrow in California after being gone for so long. Maybe if I explain everything, he might be lenient..."

Later that night, everyone was fast asleep when there was a violent knocking at the door. Felicia was the first to awaken. "Who could that be...?" she muttered as she descended the stairs and opened the door. She gasped when she saw who it was. "Anne?"

"You got room for one more?" she asked forlornly as she walked inside.

Felicia saw the grim and angry look on the girl's face. "Wha...Anne? What's going on?"

"I want to talk to JoJo. ALONE."

"Anne, shouldn't Hopediah..."

"I'M NOT GOING BACK TO HOP POP!"

Felicia just watched silently, too shocked to say anything else.

Johan was surprised to find Anne in his room. "Anne, what's going on? Did something happen at the Plantars?" She didn't respond. She placed her backpack on the ground, took out her sleeping bag and unfolded it. "Anne, I can't help you if you don't talk to me!"

"How can you help me? After what I just found out! After what..." She slammed a fist into the wall. "He lied," she whispered.

"MUDA!" Johan summoned DARE, who gave Anne a good slap in the face. "Are you calm now?" Johan asked. Anne didn't respond. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Anne. What. Happened?"

Anne glared at him with tears in her eyes. "You wanna know what happened? Hop Pop happened! He lost the music box!"

"What?! But his contacts-"

"There were no contacts, JoJo! He lied! He buried the music box under a tree after we got back from the Bizarre Bazaar! I found Hop Pop trying to dig it out and it was gone!" Johan stared into Anne, trying to process what he just heard. "And do you want to know what the worst part was? He said he did it to protect Sprig and Polly after he read somewhere that the music box was dangerous! Just Sprig and Polly! He never really considered me to be a family member, just a house guest!" She released herself from his grip and went over to a corner to silently cry. Johan stared, still trying to comprehend what Anne just said. Then suddenly, acting on pure instinct, he summoned DARE, who violently began punching everything in the room.

"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!"

Anne had to duck under the bed to avoid the debris being flung around. Since she wasn't a Stand user and couldn't see DARE, she wasn't taking any chances. Then, there was silence. She poked her head out to find the room a complete mess. It looked like a hurricane tore its way in: furniture had been dashed to pieces, there were holes in the wall, the window was completely smashed and the mattress had been torn apart. Johan stood in the middle of the destruction, panting heavily. Finally, he controlled his breathing and said softly, "I'm gonna have a word with Hopediah tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I want you to come with me to the shooting range to blow off some steam and teach you how to shoot should it ever come to it. I'm also gonna ask you to refrain from shooting Hopediah with my gunblade. That will be my call."

"Fine with me," said Anne. "I don't want to see him anyway."

As the two humans left, they had no idea the Sundews heard everything, having listened in through the walls with cups pressed to their ears. Ivy wanted to go cheer them up, but Felicia shook her head. This was a private matter. Sylvia groaned in sadness, "Oh, Hopediah. What were you thinking?"

Johan set up a bottle on one of the fence posts then returned to Anne's side. "Now, Anne, I know you never used one of these..." He showed her the gunblade. "...so I'm gonna teach you. First things first, take it." Anne looked at it nervously. "It's okay. It's just a thing. It's not even loaded. Take it, but know where your finger is all the time, and don't put it on the trigger unless you want to hurt somebody," he said as he pulled back the hammer.

Anne hesitated, then gathered the courage to take it. "It's heavy."

"You'll get stronger. To aim, you look down the top, through that notch." He guided her hands, pointing the barrel at the bottle. "Line up the sight of the aim with your target."

Anne looked at it then asked, "Anything else I should know?"

"Yeah. Don't shake when your finger is on the trigger. You might set it off by accident."

"Okay."

"You ready?"

"I think so." Anne held up the gunblade with both hands.

"Don't lock your elbows," said Johan as he corrected her position before putting his hands over her ears. "Now, let's take your first shot. Squeeze the trigger smoothly and I'll cover your ears. Nice and easy..."

"Nice and easy..." Anne inhaled, activating her Ripple by accident. It flowed into the gun and when she fired, it flew at lightning speed and missed the bottle, making her go "Eek!"

"What the- Did you channel your Ripple into that bullet?"

"S-Sorry! You gotta admit, it's pretty cool."

Johan shook his head. "Maybe we should stop."

"No!" insisted Anne. "I want to keep practicing. I want to get my mind off of what happened."

He exhaled. "Okay. Don't use your Ripple this time." Once again, Anne aimed and Johan covered her ears. "Aim to the left. Keep it steady." BANG! Anne missed again. "A bit to the right. A little higher."

BANG!

Anne made a smile. "I got it!"

"Mmm," Johan made an approving hum. He set up another bottle and Anne took aim again. BANG! "A little more to the left. Aim higher." BANG! "There you go! Nice!" Johan set up a third bottle. This time, Anne didn't need his instruction. BANG!

"I did it!"

"Yeah, you did. Good job! How do you feel?"

Anne looked at her palms. "My hands hurt and my ears are ringing."

"You get used to it. Heh," Johan chuckled. "Wait 'til you see the axe version."

"Whoo, that sounds like a nightmare."

"From what I hear, they're more practical than the sword version, but..." He took the gunblade from Anne. "I kinda like the sword more."

Anne chuckled then frowned. "This is a crappy day, hasn't it?"

Johan nodded. "The crappiest."

"I was gonna go back to the cave I used to stay in before I came to Wartwood, but then I remembered you living here with the Sundews. I didn't want to be in the cold while you were warm in your bed."

Johan gave her a hug. "I would have come to find you and get you to stay in the guest room anyway. You're more than welcome to stay."

Anne smiled and hugged him back. "Thanks, JoJo."

The next morning, Johan awoke to find Anne next to what was left of his bed, cocooned in her sleeping bag. Dark circles were under her eyes and he could see tear stains on her cheeks. She must have been crying in her sleep. Quietly, he got bathed, changed into his clothes and descended the stairs, only to find Felicia waiting for him with an apologetic look. "You all heard everything last night?" he asked emotionlessly.

"JoJo, whatever you say to Hop Pop, please don't be so hard on him. If you know what he'd been through," Felicia said sympathetically before she stopped. "You should hear it from him."

Johan walked past her and left the tea shoppe. He arrived in Wartwood, intent on heading for the Plantar farm house, only to stop when he arrived in the town square and found it in chaos. The ground was littered with holes, as if something had dug their way in. "What the heck? Did gophers attack?"

"Looks more like a mole invasion," said Sprig with Polly nodding.

Johan frowned at them. "What are you two doing here?"

Sprig and Polly looked at each other, then the latter said, "We're looking for the music box so Anne come back home."

"Tch. Why would she want to after what your grandfather did? As a matter of fact, even I don't feel like apologizing to him. He betrayed the gang by lying and keeping such an important secret from us!"

"But Hop Pop said he was sorry," said Sprig. "You didn't see him this morning! He stayed up all night waiting for Anne to come back!"

"Sorry, Sprig, but's gonna take more than some pathetic display of emotion to keep me from punishing him," said Johan.

"Punish?" exclaimed Polly.

"You heard me! As of right now, until I decide otherwise, Hopediah is out of the gang! He won't be getting anymore money or assets from Passione!"

Sprig and Polly gasped. Sprig got down on his knees and begged, "No, please! Don't kick him out!"

Johan exhaled. "I'll tell Hop Pop about his expulsion when I meet him, right now I want to know about all these holes." He and the two Plantar kids approached Maddie, who was also investigating the holes. "Hey, Maddie, do you know who could have done this?"

"No. What's worse is whoever dug these holes took a lot of things in town. I even lost a talisman that, if it fell into the wrong hands, would bring an end to all...living-I've said too much."

"Who would dig a bunch of holes in the ground?" asked Polly.

Suddenly, Soggy Joe popped out of the bushes, startling the kids and causing Johan to hit him in the face. "Ow! Ha, ha! I deserved that! Holes in the ground, eh? And missing valuables too? Sounds like the work of the Magpie beetle," he said with a snap of his fingers.

"Never heard of it," said Sprig.

"You gotta stop popping out of bushes, Soggy Joe," said Polly.

"What's a Magpie beetle," Johan asked the hunter frog.

"The Magpie beetle is a rare breed of insect that lives underground. Every 20 years it burrows to the surface and steals junk to make its shell. It presents that shell to prospective mates in a ritual called the 'love-nado dance.'"

Johan made a disturbed face. "A beetle orgy?"

"Ew," said Polly.

"A spectacle much too dangerous to observe-" Sprig and Polly took off before Soggy Joe could finish his sentence. "You really should hear the rest of this!"

"On a mission!"

"Thanks, Joe!"

Johan shouted, "Hey, get back here, you kids!" And he chased after them.

The rain started to pour by the time Sprig and Polly returned to the farm house and went to the tree out front. They found the hole Hop Pop put the box in. "Sprig, look! Soggy Joe was right. There's a burrow off to the side. Come on!"

The two kids hopped into the hole. "Think this'll lead us to the box?" asked Sprig.

"There's only one way to find out."

"STOP!" Johan grabbed them before they could go into the tunnel. "What do you think you're doing?" Polly slapped him in the face with her tail, making him let go of them.

"If this is what it takes to help you, Anne, and Hop Pop reconcile, so be it!" shouted Sprig.

"Wait!" Before Johan could stop them, they crawled into the hole and unfortunately, it was too small for him to crawl through. "Damn it!" He got out of the hole and quickly ran to the tea shoppe.

In the tea shoppe, Anne was fuming and ranting as she sat at a table in the tea room. "I thought I knew him, you know? But he was lying to me the whole time." Sylvia poured her some darjeeling. "Thanks, Sylvia."

The old frog woman sighed. "Of all the stupid... I swear if I ever see him, I'm gonna whack him in the head with a frying pan until he gets a concussion!"

Felicia came into the tea room nervously. "Uh, Mom, Anne. Look who's here."

Hop Pop entered the room looking ashamed and soaking wet. Sylvia frowned at him. "You've got a lot of nerve, Hopediah Plantar! You've done a lot of foolish decisions, but this...!"

"Sylvia, I know you're angry and I will endure your wrath, but I really need to speak with Anne," said Hop Pop. "Please! I want to mend this bridge."

The old frog woman thought it over, then said, "You get one chance."

Hop Pop approached Anne carefully, but the girl turned her back on him. "Go away."

"Please, Anne. Just let me explain," the old frog pleaded.

"I am not talking to you right now, Hop Pop. If that's even your real name. Oh, wait. Hop Pop's a nickname."

"I need you to know why I hid the music box. It's dangerous. I was just trying to protect the family."

"Then why did you lie?"

"Well, because...there's something I've never told you. Something hard to talk about."

Sylvia and Felicia gasped softly. They both knew what the old frog was talking about. "Hopediah..."

"No, Sylvia. It's high time she learned." Hop Pop sighed. "The truth is..."

Suddenly, Johan burst into the room and shouted, "Anne! We've got a problem!" He immediately stopped when he saw Hop Pop. Everyone suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere. They felt a chill in their hearts, almost as if Death himself was in the room with them. For a moment, Anne swore she thought she saw not Johan before her, but DIO. It was only when he exhaled and seemingly calmed down did the chill go away. "I'll deal with you later, Hopediah," he said softly. "Anne, it's Sprig and Polly. They think they found the music box, but I think they got caught in a magpie beetle orgy."

"What?!" exclaimed Hop Pop.

"A what? Ah, you know what, I don't have time for this," said Anne. She ran out of the tea shoppe with Hop Pop chasing after her.

Johan was about to follow them, but Sylvia grabbed him by the arm, stopping him. "JoJo, this contradicts what I said to Anne before, but...don't get mad with Hopediah. He's been through more than you know. Why not make amends before you leave for Earth, huh? It's the least you can do." He didn't say anything and instead freed himself from her grip and walked out of the tea shoppe.

Felicia sat her mother down at the sofa and handed her some tea. "I still remember what happened," she said. "Like it was yesterday."

"I know," said Felicia. "They were two of my closest friends."

Anne, Johan, and Hop Pop ran into the forest, following the sound of Sprig and Polly's screams until they came across a deep pit, filled with the squirming, writhing bodies of beetles wearing junk on their shells and caught in a mating dance.

"What the heck is this?!" exclaimed Anne.

"It's some kind of love monsoon," replied Hop Pop.

"Nope, this is definitely a beetle orgy," said Johan.

"Please, stop saying orgy," said Anne, who made a disgusted face.

Then they saw Sprig and Polly in the middle of the love pile. "Anne, JoJo, we have to work together," said Hop Pop.

"You've done enough," snapped Johan.

"Yeah," said Anne. "Work with you? Not gonna happen. We'll save them without you! Whoa. Whoa!" And with that, both she and Johan jumped into the pit. Anne and Johan tried to hop their way across the mass of beetles, but they slipped and almost fell in, only to grab onto a statue of Loggle.

Hop Pop jumped onto a book shelf and pleaded, "Please, Anne, JoJo! I know I lied to you, but trust me. At least long enough to save the kids."

Johan was about to tell the old frog off, but the sound of Sprig and Polly screaming made him exhale. "Until Sprig and Polly are saved."

"Deal!"

The two humans climbed on top of the book shelf and Johan used DARE to punch the beetles, sending them flying in the air and clearing a path for Hop Pop and Anne. Hop Pop wrapped his tongue around Anne's wrist and flung her to Sprig and Polly. "Sprig! Grab on!" Sprig grabbed Anne's hand while Polly grabbed Sprig's hand, while grabbing onto the music box with her free hand. "Yoink."

Hop Pop pulled them in, then gestured to Johan to come to him. He did so and the old frog wrapped his arms around everyone. "Alright, Anne, we'll use our Ripple to launch us out of here!"

She nodded and the two of them inhaled, charging up their Ripple and sending it into their feet. Then they stomped on the bookshelf and the energy launched them into the sky before they crashed in a bush. Anne and Johan panted before she saw the music box next to her and held it close. Sprig and Polly cheered.

"That was amazing!"

"I can't believe we did it!"

"Yeah, we did," said Anne sadly before she put the music box into her backpack. "And now..." Johan helped her up. "...we're through here."

"Hopediah Plantar," said Johan to the old frog. "You broke my trust and lied to me. You lied to the gang. So until I decide otherwise, your membership of Passione is terminated and your privileges, rank, and assets are hereby revoked!" Hop Pop made a hurt look. "Let's go, Anne."

"Gladly," she said as she and Johan started to leave.

"Anne, no!" shouted Sprig desperately.

"Where will you go?" asked Polly, who was on the verge of tears.

"I'll be staying with JoJo at the Sundews'. At least there's no liars in that family."

"Anne, JoJo, wait," said Hop Pop, walking up to them. "Let me at least explain. What I did wasn't right. But I didn't do it to trick ya." The two humans kept walking. The old frog exhaled. "Sprig and Polly's parents." They stopped.

Without looking back, Johan said, "We already know they died." This surprised Hop Pop. "Sprig told us back in Newtopia." Sprig made a guilty look. "And if you think some sob story about your family's deaths is going to get your privileges back..."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!" shouted Hop Pop. He exhaled and said calmly, "Did he tell you how they died?" Johan didn't respond.

Sprig and Polly knew what he was going to say.

"Hop Pop..."

"That wasn't your fault."

Hop Pop held up his hand, silencing them. "It was a few years ago. I was on a journey when herons attacked Wartwood. Sprig and Polly survived. But their parents... weren't so lucky." Anne and Johan turned to face him, shocked. "If I just had been there... I know things would've been different!"

"So that explains it," said Johan, stunned by what he heard. "Why you're so overprotective and paranoid."

"Ever since then, I swore I'd never let my family down again. That I'd do anything to protect them. So when I found out the box was dangerous, I lied to you and hid it away. I thought I was protecting my family. But now I realize how foolish it was. You're my family too, Anne. And I've let you down. I let us all down." He dropped to his hands and knees and sobbed, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm just so sorry!"

Anne felt tears mixed with rainwater run down her face. She walked over to Hop Pop, got down to his level and gave him a hug, shocking him. "Hop Pop, I forgive you."

Johan approached him and said, "It's going to take a lot to make up for what you did, Hopediah."

"I know. And I'm willing to work extra hard to earn your trust back. I swear it."

"But if Anne's willing to forgive you, I will too...if you don't put yourself before Passione again. We're all a familia. That means family."

"I promise, I won't do something this foolish ever again," said Hop Pop before Johan embraced him.

"Reconciliation!" shouted Sprig happily.

"Frog pile!" shouted Polly as she and Sprig hug tackled everyone. They all laughed, now that the drama was over.

"Can we get out of this rain?" asked Anne.

The rain finally stopped by the time Johan returned to the tea shoppe and found the Sundews waiting for him. "JoJo?" asked Ivy carefully.

He exhaled. "Hopediah is coming over here with his grandkids and Anne to apologize to Sylvia and he's bringing something with him. Something about the music box." He sat down at a table and Felicia quickly poured some tea for him. He took a sip and said, "He told me about Sprig and Polly's parents." Ivy and Sylvia's eyes widened while Felicia dropped the tea pot, but caught it before it could break. "Did you know?"

Felicia put the tea pot away and said, "Yes. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the three of us hiding in the cellar, hearing the herons' rumbling footsteps, the screams of those who weren't lucky enough to get away..." Her hands trembled. "I heard Sprig's mom's screams among them."

"I take it the two of you were close," said Johan.

"She was my best friend," said Felicia with a trembling voice.

"After the herons left," said Sylvia as she comforted her daughter. "We had empty casket funerals. There were too many to count."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," said Johan sympathetically. "I mean, Dad told me about how he lost Zio Buccellati, Zio Abbacchio, and Zio Narancia, but...I can't imagine actually experiencing the loss of a loved one."

Sylvia put a hand on his hand. "I hope you never have to."

The door knocked and when Felicia answered it, she found the Plantars and Anne on the other side. "Hi, folks," said Hop Pop. In his hands he carried a book.

"Sprig!" Ivy ran up to her boyfriend and held him close. "How are you?"

"I've got pinched multiple times and I think one of them tried to wear me as a shell, but I'm okay."

Hop Pop approached Sylvia and said, "Sylvia, what I did was foolish and selfish, and I lied to myself, thinking I was trying to protect the family. But I was wrong. I hope you can forgive me."

She responded, "While I do not approve of what you did, Hopediah, I understand why you did it. However, I don't want you to do something like this ever again, otherwise, I'll shove a rolling pin up your rectum."

Hop Pop shivered. "I understand."

"Hopediah," said Johan. "You said you had something to show me?"

"Yes." The old frog placed the book on a table. "This book has been in our family for as long as I can remember. And look." He opened it and showed everyone the illustration of the music box, as well as its title.

"'Calamity Box'?" asked Anne. "Eesh. That does sound bad."

"Yeah. Not exactly comforting," said Hop Pop.

"Hold on," said Johan. "It says here the box was destroyed, but..." He looked Anne, who took the music box out. "Clearly, it's not."

"Maybe whoever wrote this book lied," said Felicia. "Or they wanted whoever found this book into thinking it was destroyed."

"But why?" asked Ivy. "I think it's kinda cool to travel to other worlds!"

"Maybe," said Johan. "But what if this box got into the wrong hands? They could use it to take over worlds. Maybe that's why they wanted it destroyed in the first place." He thought back to King Andrias and how he seemed so eager to get it when he thought Anne had it.

"I guess all we can do now is wait for Marcy," said Sprig.

"Yeah. Guys, I hate to say it, but this temple quest may be more dangerous than we thought," said Anne.

"Well, Anne, think this gang can handle it?" Hop Pop asked.

Anne smiled. "After today, I'm pretty sure this gang can handle anything."

Everyone embraced.

"You kids sure you don't wanna wear the puffy suits?"

"Hop Pop," Anne and the Plantar kids complained.

"Okay, okay, just had to ask," said Hop Pop.

"What puffy suits?" asked Johan.

"Don't ask," said Polly.

He laughed. Still, he couldn't get what he read in Hop Pop's book out of his mind. Between that, along with the adventure in the crypt with Anne, Marcy, Sprig, and Polly, the discovery of the stone mask in said crypt, and what Diego said to him at the hospital, he was questioning Andrias' true intentions. He had to discuss this with Marcy.

To be continued ➟