Chapter Three

The sun blazed high in the sky as Jake and Peter reached the familiar shores of Neverland. Jake glanced at Peter, noticing an unusual fatigue in his friend's eyes. Peter Pan never got tired! Catching Jake's curious look, Peter quickly masked his weariness with his typical cocky grin.

"Er….what are you waiting for, slowpoke?" Peter jeered, picking up the pace. "Don't you want to get back to Pirate Island and surprise your mates?"

"Oh, you know I do—" Jake began, but he was cut off by a determined voice in the distance.

"Yay hey! Outta the way!" shouted a fiesty feminine voice.

"Aw c-c-coconuts!" cried a little boy in panic.

Jake's face lit up with recognition.

"I'd know that 'Yay hey' and 'coconuts!' anywhere! It's my mateys!" he exclaimed. Peter nodded and after another yawn said,

"Then let's follow those voices!"

They hurried towards the source of the commotion and soon found Jake's ship, Bucky, racing around the Neverseas at an alarming speed. Izzy was clinging to a rope tied to Bucky, being dragged along with Cubby hanging onto her, eyes tightly shut. Above them, Skully flapped helplessly, unable to do much.

"What in the world are they doing?" Jake asked, bewildered.

Peter scratched his chin, equally puzzled.

"I think they're….water skiing?"

"Yaaaay heeeeey!" Izzy shouted, waving her bandana before gripping the rope with both hands again as Bucky continued to drag them around. Cubby yelled something inaudible, prompting Izzy to put her bandana back on and tighten her grip.

Jake's eyes widened as he spotted a massive wave ahead, that was far too big for Bucky to sail over.

"Uh oh! They're headed straight for that giant wave! Why aren't they turning around?"

Peter didn't respond. His eyes were fully closed, his face displaying sheer exhaustion. Panic rose in Jake's chest.

"Peter!" he shouted. "Peter!"

Peter snapped awake at the second call, blinking rapidly.

"Huh? What's happening?" he asked, glancing down.

"They're about to crash into that wave!" Jake pointed frantically.

Peter's eyes widened as he took in the scene below.e on! We need to go see if they're alright!" he suggested, but it was too late. The wave crashed onto Bucky, engulfing the ship and its crew in a frothy mess of white bubbles.

Jake's heart pounded in his chest, but relief washed over him as he saw his friends' pink and blue bandana-covered heads emerge from the foam, seemingly okay. His relief was short-lived, however, as an even bigger wave loomed on the horizon. The monstrous wave crashed down, pushing Bucky and his crew (who was hopefully still holding on), towards the shores of Neverland.

Jake and Peter landed on the shores of Shipwreck Beach, where Bucky, ironically, had shipwrecked. The boat lay on its side, stuck in the sand but still in one piece, albeit a bit scuffed up. Jake sprinted to his ship, his excitement palpable.

"Ahoy there Bucky! It's good to see you again!" he the sound of Jake's voice, Bucky's bell rang as loudly as possible, mirroring the ship's excitement. "I missed you too, buddy," Jake said with a grin. "Guess who else is here?"

Peter approached, walking instead of flying, his fatigue evident.

"Hey there Buccaneer, you took quite a spill there, didn't you?" he quipped, earning another excited ring from Bucky. Jake's eyes scanned the ship and noticed the pesky barnacles clinging to Bucky's wood. It suddenly hit him.

"I'll bet these barnacles are what made you go out of control, racing around the Neversea like that, huh?" he asked. Bucky gave a timid ring in response. "Why didn't Izzy and Cubby get you cleaned up?" the black haired leader asked as he walked around the little ship, inspecting the barnacle-covered areas. When he reached the back of the ship, he saw the snapped rope that Izzy and Cubby had been holding onto, tied just above the rudder. Panic surged through him. "Wait a minute, where are Izzy and Cubby!?"

"Uh ...weren't they hanging on?" Peter asks, trying to cover another yawn.

"The rope snapped!" Jake exclaims. "What if they—"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh."

A moaning sound came from the sea, drawing Jake and Peter's attention. Izzy emerged, looking as shipwrecked and roughed up as Bucky. Her clothes were soaked and ripped, bits of seaweed clung to her hair, and her feet dragged as she slowly made her way out of the water, pulling the other half of the snapped rope with her.

"All that just to be shipwrecked…" she moaned before collapsing face-first into the sand, oblivious to Jake and Peter's presence.

Cubby stumbled out a few seconds later, a red starfish sucked onto his forehead, and collapsed beside Izzy.

"Coconuts, that takes care of my baths for the next six months."

Finally, Skully flapped over, his feathers wet and dripping.

"Whew! I feel like a soggy cracker! I'm beat!" the bird exclaimed, before dropping into the sand as well.

"You three you look like you just went ten rounds with a sea beast." Peter quipped, his hands on his hips and a cheeky smile.

"Feels like it," Izzy moaned, not lifting her head. But then realization dawned on her. "Who said that?" she asked, quickly lifting her head from the sand to see the famous boy who never grew up and her very leader standing at his side.

"I did." Peter says, pointing to himself.

"Jake!? Peter!?" Izzy exclaimed, full of energy now as she scrambled to her feet and ran toward them. "Cubby, look!" she shouted.

"Awesome coconuts! You're back!" Cubby exclaimed, running after Izzy, now fully energized as well.

"Blow me down!" Skully squawked as he flew over. "It's about time!"

Before Jake knew it, his friends were embracing him in a tight hug, their soggy and dripping bodies soaking his clothes, but he didn't care and he tightly hugged them back. Peter sat down on a nearby rock, still not quite over his sudden questionable tiredness, smiling as he watched the crew embrace each other after being apart for so lon g.

"Oh I missed you guys!" Jake said, hugging them tightly. "I'm glad you're alright." Reluctantly, he pulled back as they broke the hug. "But it's good to know that while I was out there worrying about you every day, you two were over here water skiing and messing around like little monkeys!"

"Messing around!?" Cubby exclaimed. "We weren't messing around!"

Izzy, planted her hands on her hips.

"Yeah. Matter of fact, we were just busy with some very serious pirate work." She dusted her hands off from imaginary dust bunnies.

"Huh?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you see, Jake, Bucky here has developed another bad case of Buccaneer Barnacles." Izzy explained, nodding sagely.

"Yeah, and we…" Cubby paused as Izzy raised an eyebrow at him, making him stammer. "Um, I mean, Izzy was just about to scrape them all off when Bucky lost his coconuts and took off!"

Jake looked thoughtful.

"Why didn't you mates go look for another zebra rose from Crimson Isle? It worked like a miracle last time."

"Oh, we did," Izzy said, peeling the red starfish off Cubby's forehead and tossing it back into the sea. "Only problem was….we couldn't find one."

"You couldn't?" Jake asked, puzzled.

"Nope. We searched the entire island for hours….notta."Cubby said, crossing his arms.

Peter, trying to stifle a yawn, chimed in,

"Well, you know, I'm sure you could've asked Red Jessica to help you grow one."

Izzy, Cubby, and Skully's eyes all widened in realization.

"I knew that," Izzy squeaked, though her tone betrayed her words. Her hands froze on her hips. "We, uh, just decided to get rid of the barnacles manually." she said with a shrug.

"Y-yeah." Cubby agreed, forcing a smile.

"Totally." Skully added, nodding emphatically. Jake giggled, shaking his head.

"Oh, don't worry, we'll all help Bucky together. But real quick, I brought a few things for you guys." Jake said, and their faces lit up.

Peter, leaning against a rock and fighting to keep his eyes open, added,

"Y-yeah, we couldn't come back empty-handed now, could we?" He gave a weak but mischievous grin, trying to mask his exhaustion.

Jake's grin widened as he reached into his vest and pulled out a small, circular object made of pure gold. It was slightly heavy and no bigger than a closed fist, its surface gleaming in the sunlight. The intricate engravings on its surface caught the light, making the golden compass shimmer in a captivating way.

"This is for you Cubby." Jake said, his tone warm and teasing as he handed the object to his friend. Cubby took it, his brows furrowed in confusion as he turned it over in his hands.

"What is it?" the pudgy boy asked, tilting his head.

Jake's smile grew wider.

"Lift the lid, mate."

Cubby's eyes lit up with realization as he carefully hinged the little golden lid open, revealing the pristine compass inside. The needle swung smoothly, pointing north, and the inner workings glistened with the same gold sheen. His blue eyes twinkled in awe.

"It's a compass!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.

Jake nodded, clapping a hand on Cubby's shoulder.

"Traded several gold doubloons for it. Figured the best navigator ever deserved the best compass."

Cubby beamed, hugging the compass close.

"Thanks, Jake! This is amazing!"

Next, Jake turned to Izzy, pulling out a beautiful string necklace decked out with seashells and blue and pink gemstones that sparkled like captured bits of the sea.

"And this, Iz, is for the best first mate ever."

Izzy's face glowed as she took the necklace into her hands, her eyes wide with admiration. The gemstones and seashells created a delicate yet vibrant pattern, each piece meticulously placed. She looked up at Jake, not wanting to put it on her wet and dripping neck just yet.

"Oh it's beautiful matey!" she said, her voice soft with appreciation. "Thank's Jake!" the lass exclaimed, ruffling his raven black hair, emitting a small giggle from him.

Jake nodded towards Peter.

"Well, Peter was the one who had to pull a few strings to get it specially made from an island beyond the Neversea."

Peter, leaning against a rock and trying to hide a yawn, shrugged with a grin.

"It was nothing, really."

Jake then pulled out a little bag and waved Skully over.

"Oh Skully, come here! I got something special for you too."

Skully flapped over, his eyes bright with curiosity.

"Are there any crackers in that bag?" he asked, peering at it eagerly.

Jake chuckled, shaking his head.

"Even better." He opened the bag, allowing Skully to stick his beak in. The parrot immediately started munching on the tasty berries inside, his feathers fluffing up with delight.

"These berries are a very special type that only grow on a certain island," Jake explained. "They're for the best parrot pal ever."

Skully looked up, his beak stained with berry juice, and squawked happily.

"Yum! Thanks, Jake! These are delicious!"

Throughout this exchange, Peter tried to stifle another yawn, his eyes heavy. He kept up his cocky grin, though, making a wisecrack here and there to mask his fatigue. Despite his attempts, the signs of exhaustion were evident.

Cubby, noticing Peter's weariness, shot him a concerned glance.

"Um…you alright Peter?" the boy in the red shorts asked.

Peter straightened up, forcing a bright smile.

"Of course! Just... tired. Even legends like me get a little tired every now and then." declared, taking a proud pose, emitting a giggle from the little pirate crew which he secretly sighed in relief at.

"Well, after we get Bucky ship-shape, we wanna hear all about your adventures!" Izzy said, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she, Jake, and Cubby began to walk over to their helpless little ship.

"Yeah!" Cubby echoed. "And—"

WACK!

Before the blonde boy could finish, he was struck in the stomach by what appeared to be a wooden rod and fell to the ground, clutching his belly. Jake and Izzy had been so caught up that they didn't even notice the two strangers standing right in front of them.

The intruders were two young lads, both older than Peter. They had very thin physiques that were similarly built, though one was taller than the other. The taller of the two, and also the more menacing-looking, had brown hair, hazel eyes similar to Jake's. He looked to be around seventeen years old, wearing a black shirt with a flimsy green vest on top, dirty dark green pants that were almost black, a dirty green bandana around his forehead, and thick knee-high black boots that were damaged and dirty.

The shorter of the two had a cocky smirk on his face, but not in the same way Peter smiled. This was more of an evil cockiness, and rightfully so, as he held the wooden rod that he had just struck Cubby with. He appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen, about Peter's age. He was short and scrawny, with slightly tanned skin. His hair was bright gold and grown to collar length, and his eyes were bright ocean blue. His attire was very similar to the other lad's, but everything that was green and black on the other was white as well as a dirty shade of yellow on him, and he wore a light yellow bandana around his forehead.

After taking in the sight of the two strangers, Jake snapped back to reality and quickly went to comfort Cubby, who was on the sand, moaning in agony.

"Cubby, are you okay—" he began, only to be cut off by the younger blonde stranger in yellow, who cackled like a maniac.

"I'd say that'd be a home run swing if the baseball wasn't so heavy!" he joked, pointing at Cubby. "Eh, Patrick?" he asked the pirate in green next to him.

The dark-haired pirate ignored him and quickly approached Izzy.

"There you are, you little vandalizer!" he shouted, stomping over to her. "You think you're so very clever, do ya!? First, gratifyin' my family's ship and then almost runnin' into it with whatever the heck that is!" he exclaimed, pointing at Bucky. Jake just watched in confusion as he comforted Cubby. His mateys knew these two strange pirates?

Izzy stumbled backward nervously as the tall teen continued to approach her.

"U-u-uh w-w-w didn't know it was your ship ha ha, w-we thought it was the Jolly Roger."

"It is an offense that you would even compare our grand ship to Hooks ugly old vessel!"

"Oh you wanna see ugly, Talstein? Take a look." she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a piece of a broken mirror to show him his reflection.

"That's it!" the pirate growled before he grabbed Izzy by the shirt, hoisting her several feet off the ground.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Izzy pleaded.

"Maverick!" Patrick called. "Give me that rod! And then send a messenger dove up to Pirate Paradise and tell them they're about to have some company because this one is about to get it!" he shouted, shaking Izzy violently.

"Oh why don't you bring your own weapon next time, Pat?" the blonde whined.

"Just hand me the rod." the lad in the green vest repeats with a roll of his eyes. The blonde pirate, now known as Maverick, reluctantly handed over the wooden rod.

Jake quickly sprang into action.

"Hey! Put her down!" he shouted, his voice filled with authority.

Peter, despite his exhaustion, mustered his strength and stepped forward, trying to hide his fatigue with a grin.

"Yeah, why don't you pick on someone your own size!?"

Patrick hesitated for a moment, eyeing the determined looks on Jake and Peter's faces. He crossed his arms, Izzy now squished in the hinge of his left arm and eyed Jake and Peter with a challenging glare.

"And why should I put her down?" he demanded, his tone dripping with menace.

The little pirate leader stepped forward.

"Because she hasn't done anything wrong to you!" he retorted, his voice steady.

"Oh really?" Patrick sneered, glancing down at the brown-haired girl in his grip. Izzy's cheeks flushed red, her eyes wide with a mix of anger and embarrassment. Patrick then launched into his accusation. "This little troublemaker, along with that boy and that parrot, has been nothing but a nuisance to us. Do you have any idea what they've done?"

Peter scoffed.

"Enlighten us, will you?" the redhead asked.

Maverick with his wannabe tough demeanor, jumped in eagerly.

"A couple of nights ago, they painted 'Smell-ta' on the side of our ship, The Delta, in all caps! And now we're getting back at them for it!"

Jake's eyes widened in shock as he turned to his friends.

"You did what!?" he exclaimed.

Cubby, looked down at his feet and mumbled,

"Well…it was supposed to be a joke."

Peter, ever the quick thinker despite his fatigue, stepped in.

"Look…Patrick is it? Don't hurt them. They were just messing around."

Patrick glared at Peter, his grip on Izzy tightening for a moment before he unceremoniously dropped her into the sand. She scurried behind Peter, her heart racing. The older of the two strangers then put his hands on his hips, eyeing Peter with disdain. He towered over the redhead, but Peter didn't seem too afraid, just annoyed and tired.

"And who do you think you are to be giving orders around here?"

Peter straightened up, doing his best to look imposing despite his obvious weariness.

"I am Peter Pan, the guardian of Neverland!" he declared.

Patrick burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

"AhA HA! You're Peter Pan!? You look like a gust of wind could knock you over any second!"

Maverick quickly joined in.

"Yeah, aren't you supposed to, I dunno…..fly?" the blonde pirate asked with a shrug, confused.

"Watch me!" Peter said. Determined to prove them wrong, he attempted to demonstrate. He managed to lift off the ground, but only for a few feet before his tiredness overtook him, and he stumbled back down, barely managing to stay on his feet.

"Peter?" Jake squeaked in shock.

"Well like he said. Even legends need a nap sometimes. Not that you guys would know." Izzy quipped, pointing at the two pirates, earning a glare from Patrick.

Jake, ever the brave leader, stepped up beside Peter.

"Doesn't matter if he's tired. He's still Peter Pan, and we're still a team. So back off!"

"Oh I will back off shortstop," the darker haired pirate says with a glare. "But only if—."

"My name is Jake." he cut him off, his voice steady and defiant.

"Jake? Hey, that's kinda like our brother's name, Jack." Maverick noted naively.

"Ugh, don't remind me of the scum while I'm in such a jolly mood right now," Patrick grumbled, crossing his arms. He turned his attention to Peter, scrutinizing the redhead. "So, you're really the Guardian of Neverland huh? Gotta say, I thought you'd look a lot more legendary-like."

Peter stood up, dusting himself off and then said,

"Well, sorry to disappoint. I left my legendary look in my other pants."

"No, what I meant was I thought you'd be…bigger. Stronger. More heroic. Looking like a little kitten couldn't snap you in half, you might say."

Skully, always ready to defend his friends, flapped his wings.

"Hey! How big you are has nothing to do with how brave you are!"

"Yeah! You tell him, Skull—" Izzy began, but Patrick cut her off, his finger pointing menacingly at her.

"Pipsqueak, you've caused enough trouble already! Just shut up!" Patrick barked.

Izzy crossed her arms, her eyes flashing with defiance.

"Oh it's gonna take a lot more than that to shut us up!" she snapped back. "Right Cubby?"

"Yeah!" the blonde boy agreed, crossing his arms and standing right by Izzy's side. "Just…don't hit me anymore." he said in a weak and timid tone, causing Izzy to slap her forehead.

"Very cute," the young man in green sneered. Before Izzy or Cubby could respond, he threw a mop into the girl's arms and a bucket of sponges. He forced a bottle of soap and several scrub brushes into the boy's chubby hands. He pointed to his left. "Ship's docked that way, now get scrubbin'."

"Are you kidding!?" the lass in pink exclaimed, slamming the mop and the bucket at her feet. "I don't know if you've noticed, your royal highness, but we've got our own ship to take care of!" she tells the tall pirate, before gesturing at Bucky.

"Well you messed our ship up first, so you can fix our ship up first!" Patrick shoots back, bending forward, hands on his hips. "Have Peter Toothpick Pan and your flaky little green eyed leader here deal with it!"

Izzy and Cubby stuck their tongues out at him.

"Alright fine, we'll do it!" the pigtailed girl spat, bending down to pick up the cleaning supplies. "Although I don't know what good it'll do you. We're right on the verge of egging your ship!" Izzy retorted.

Patrick's eyes darkened.

"Actually, you two are on the verge of getting sent to the bottom of the Neversea if your hinds aren't cleaning our family's ship within the next minute. Have fun."

Izzy shrugged, her lips curling into a mocking smile.

"All you had to do was ask, Mr. Mic Drop."

Patrick roared in frustration, swinging the rod at them.

"Get on with it!"

Izzy and Cubby yelped and dodged his swipes.

"Yay hey! Get away!" Izzy exclaimed as they sprinted off with the cleaning supplies.

"Coconuts! We're going! We're going!" Cubby added.

Jake watched as his friends scurried away, now it was just him, Skully, Peter, and the two not-so-friendly teenage pirates. He stood his ground though, his eyes narrowing as he looked up at Patrick.

"What's the big idea here? You think you can just walk in here and push my mates around like that?" he challenged, his voice steady and defiant.

Patrick smirked, crossing his arms.

"Oh yes I do," he replied, his tone dripping with condescension. "And there's nothing you can do about it little boy."

Jake's hand moved to his side, drawing out his wooden sword.

"Try me." he said, holding the sword steady in front of him.

Maverick snickered, nudging Patrick.

"Look, Pat, the kid's even got a toy sword."

Peter stepped forward.

"You can laugh all you want, but that sword is hand-carved from indestructible wood of the Forever Tree," he explained, his voice firm. "It's strong and sturdy, just like the boy I gave it to."

Patrick shrugged, unimpressed.

"So what? It's still just a piece of wood, and you're still just a self proclaimed flying boy." he sneered.

Jake's eyes flashed with anger.

"Take that back or we'll both let you have it!"

"Big words from such a little pirate." Patrick retorted, leaning in menacingly.

Skully flapped over, whispering urgently into Jake's ear.

"Crackers Jake! Trust me, ya really don't want to mess with these two."

Jake hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly put his wooden weapon away, his jaw clenched in frustration.

Patrick straightened, a smug smile on his face.

"Good choice. Now, my brother and I have to make sure your little friends are doing their job right. So we will be heading back to our grand ship of the Delta," He took a step back, his eyes still locked on Jake. "And as for you kid ...you just watch your back!" he warned before turning on his heel.

Maverick threw a last sneering glance at Jake and Peter before following Patrick. They walked away in the same direction Izzy and Cubby had run off, leaving Jake, Peter, and Skully on the beach.

Jake sighed in relief as he watched Patrick and Maverick disappear. Despite the temporary victory, worry gnawed at him. He was reunited with his crew after five months, and now they were gone again. The little pirate leader's shoulders slumped slightly as he turned to his remaining companions.

Peter, for once, didn't look tired. Instead, he seemed deep in thought, his brow furrowed as he stared after the two brothers. Jake, noticing this, tilted his head in curiosity.

"What is it Peter?" Jake asked, stepping closer to the famous boy who never grew up.

Peter snapped out of his reverie and met Jake's gaze.

"I don't know why, but the name of those morons' ship... .Delta… it kinda sounds familiar."

To Be Continued…