A/N: Hello, my beautiful readers! I hope you are all having a relaxing and safe weekend. Chapter 2 is finally here! I tried to make it a little bit longer even though it ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. We still haven't seen what has happened to the other Keepers, but I promise that they are coming up in future chapters. What will happen to Finn? Keep reading to find out!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I just love the Kingdom Keepers books!

Chapter 2

Kingdom of Darkness, Present Day

Hades had planned for everything, of course. And the boy did not disappoint him.

The god of the Underworld had been keeping a close eye on his young prisoner over the past 6 months, watching his every move. He had seen every escape attempt from the beginning, and last night's was no different.

After all, it was Hades himself who had laid the foundation for the boy's escapade.

The plan had been simple enough. First, the guards keeping watch at the fort prison would casually discuss the location of the Beacon of Darkness. One would say something about the curse being broken with but a single touch from the Kingdom Keeper. The boy would have his powers restored immediately, and the world would return to normal. All that was left was for the "accidental" drop of a prison key outside the cell door, and the boy took care of the rest.

Finn had wasted no time in escaping from his cell and evading the guards. He quietly made his way in the darkness, cloaked and keeping to the shadows as much as possible. A small rowboat had been placed near the shore, which he quickly made use of to return to the mainland. The guards watched him from afar, only setting off the alarms once their prisoner had made it to Main Street.

Hades had to admit that it had almost been too easy. He had expected the boy to put up more of a fight when he realized that he had walked into another trap. Despite his sarcastic wit and strong attitude, Finn barely flinched when he was taken back into custody. It appeared that after months of trying to break the curse, the teen was finally nearing his limits.

Hades stared at the scene as it played out on the eye of the Fates and grinned.

"The boy and I need to have a little chat," he said to Doctor Facilier. "Bring him to me, immediately."

"It would be my pleasure," replied the Shadow Man.

The witch doctor had only been gone a moment when she entered the room.

"I heard the boy tried to escape again," Maleficent said quietly.

"My Love, you should be resting! The Red Moon is nearly upon us. You will need your strength for the ritual."

Maleficent smiled at him. It had been her magic combined with the boy's DHI powers that had led them to victory. Unfortunately, the spell had taken its toll on her body, greatly reducing her abilities. She had been slowly recovering her health over the past few months, though it would be a while before she had returned to full strength.

"I have enough strength for this," she replied. "I want to watch the brat squirm! I will have the revenge that is owed to me."

"We need him alive. The curse only remains intact as long as he still breathes. Don't forget that nothing is permanent, yet. The boy's efforts have been in vain, yes. But his determination and stubbornness continues. He is the key to our eternal victory."

"As you wish."

At that moment, the Sherrif of Nottingham entered the throne room.

"Your Grace, the prisoner has arrived."

"Bring him in."

A dozen of Maleficent's goons entered the throne room. They were pulling massive, heavy chains that bound Finn from neck to ankles. His wrists were securely shackled behind his back and a gag was in his mouth. The Overtakers were taking no chances after his recent escape attempt.

Finn wasn't making it easy on them, however. He continued to thrash around wildly in his chains in an effort to free himself. But it was no use. Before long, the Goons were dropping him directly at the feet of Hades and Maleficent. He lay there helpless until Hades motioned for the minions to bring him to eye level.

"Finn, Finn, Finn," the god tsked in disappointment. "You just never learn, do you? I mean, come on! Don't you know a trap when you see one? I thought you were more intelligent than that! Maybe someone else should have been leader. Personally, my money has always been on Philby! He would have had the brains to stay in his cell!"

At the mention of his friends, Finn began to struggle in his chains again. He yelled an insult at his enemy, but as he was still gagged, whatever he was saying came out muffled.

This just made the Overtakers in the room burst with laughter. Hades was the last to recover.

"There it is! There's that fighting spirit! I knew you still had it in you somewhere!" Hades wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

When he had regained his composure and the Goons had been holding their prisoner tightly, Hades began to pace back and forth. Maleficent continued to stare down at Finn with an almost hungry look in her eyes. Finn resisted the urge to shudder. He avoided her gaze.

"Seven times, kid," sighed Hades. "Seven escape attempts in six months! Each time, you just succeed in raising my blood pressure. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Finn mumbled something through his gag that could have been interpreted as, "You don't have a heart!"

"You really should be thanking me, you know?" Hades continued, ignoring his captive. "I mean, I could have easily just killed you and your friends a long time ago! But, hey! It turns out that you, my young friend, are the key to everything! So, without us, you have no purpose! You really are the key to the kingdom. The Red Moon is just weeks away, and then, you will see just how powerful evil can be!"

Just the thought of the Red Moon made Finn's heart skip a beat. The first time he had heard of it had been in this very room, just before the curse had been cast.

That was the night when his life became a living nightmare…

Disney's Magic Kingdom, 6 months earlier

Finn's head felt foggy, like the feeling you get after a bad case of the flu. His eyelids were heavy, his limbs were like lead, and his entire body shivered with cold.

What happened to me? The last thing I remember is running from the hyenas! Did the others get away in time? And where am I? I feel like there's an emptiness inside of me…

With a jolt, his eyes snapped open, and he quickly sat up straight. Too quickly, as he was overwhelmed with dizziness and nausea from the events of the night.

A cup was being pressed against his lips. Someone held his head in place and gently tilted a sweet liquid into his mouth.

"Drink. You were given a very powerful sedative. This will help clear your head. Slowly, now. You'll need to drink some water, too."

Finn was in no position to argue with the mysterious stranger. The room he was in was dark, and his eyes had still not adjusted to his new surroundings. The potion bottle was soon empty and taken away. It was almost immediately replaced with a glass of cold water, which felt soothing to his dry throat.

Little by little, his senses returned. He soon realized that he was in a tiny dungeon cell, sitting on a thin mattress. His arms were chained behind his back.

Mr. Smee made sure that Finn drank every drop of the water before releasing his head and removing the glass.

Finn leaned against the cold brick wall and took large gulps of stale air.

"Where am I? Why have I have been brought here?

The small man hesitated before answering.

"You are in the dungeons beneath Cinderella Castle. I'm afraid I can't tell you more than that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both. My orders are to see to your recovery and to keep watch while you were unconscious. As I have now done that, I must now go. Guards!"

Two pirates unlocked the cell door and Smee exited quickly.

"Bring the prisoner upstairs. The ritual will be starting soon."

Finn didn't like the sound of that.

As soon as the guards entered the cell, he leapt to his feet and charged directly at the bewildered men. Even with his hands in shackles, Finn was determined to fight back in any way he could. He headbutted the closest pirate directly in the chest and aimed a kick in the other one's groin. Before they had time to realize what had happened, Finn was running down the dungeon corridor.

"PRISONER ESCAPE! GET THE BOY!"

More guards had joined the chase down the endless hallway. Desperately, Finn searched for the exit.

Finally, he came to a large wooden door.

Please be unlocked!

Finn almost cried with relief when the door swung open from his kick.

His happiness didn't last long.

"Going somewhere, Finn?"

Finn skidded to a halt at the sight of what awaited him on the other side of the door.

Maleficent and her Goons were now blocking his way out.

He was once again, trapped.

Without another word, the guards grabbed their prisoner tightly by the arms and followed Maleficent to the throne room.

A/N: And, that is Chapter 2! We're starting to get more of the back story of the curse and what the Red Moon ritual is. Finn is running out of time to think of a plan! Will the Overtakers rule for all eternity? Can Finn find the Beacon of Darkness and restore his DHI? And, what will his fate be during the Red Moon? I'll never tell! I will have the next chapter ready as soon as possible. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review and follow for more updates.

Until we meet again, Happy Reading!

Love, Mickeygirl20 :)