Chapter Twelve

As the sun prepared to rise, casting a faint orange glow on Pirate Island, Jake's crew remained sound asleep, blissfully unaware that their leader had been missing…well, most of the crew at least.

"Izzy! Izzy! Wake up, wake up!" Cubby's panicked voice broke the stillness as he stood on Izzy's bed, violently shaking her in his little striped red-and-white pajamas. The tired girl moaned and groggily rolled over, pulling her blanket over her head.

"What's the matter…." she moaned, muffled by the blanket.

"Jake's gone!" Cubby continued, his voice high with worry.

Skully, nestled in his own little nest, gave a weak squawk, half awake.

"Crackers….what's all the ruckus about?"

Cubby pointed across the room to Jake's empty bed, eyes wide.

"He's missing! He's not in his bed!"

Just then, the soft tinkling of pixie dust filled the air, and Jake quickly descended through the hole in the rocky roof, landing in front of them with a confident thud. A fading trail of glowing pixie dust sparkled behind him as he touched the ground, fully dressed and alert.

Izzy, finally forcing her heavy eyelids open, took one look at Jake standing there and gave Cubby a sleepy, unamused glare.

"That's missing if I ever saw it." she mumbled before flopping back onto her pillow.

Cubby frantically tried to explain,

"But he wasn't here a minute ago…."

Jake, cutting him off, gave his crew a serious look.

"No time for that, you guys. Get dressed. We've got an important mission."

Izzy groaned, rubbing her eyes and sitting up slowly.

"What's…going on?" she yawned.

Jake paced the floor, a hint of urgency in his tone.

"Me and Peter were about to get the Talsteins' key back from Hook, but things got mixed up... now nobody knows where it is. All we know is that it's somewhere on Neverland."

Cubby's face fell, his hands clutching his striped pajamas nervously.

"But Jake, Neverland's huge! The key could be anywhere!"

"I know," Jake said, his tone steady, "That's why we need to get out there and find it before the Talstein Pirates do."

Skully, feathers ruffled and still half-asleep, groaned from his nest.

"It's too early for this… The sun's not even up yet, Jake, and we're all beat. Can't we just look for it tomorrow?"

Jake shot Skully a look, one eyebrow raised.

"There might not be a tomorrow if the Talstein Pirates get their hands on that key, Skully. We have to move now."

Izzy finished rubbing the last bit of sleep from her eyes. She looked over at Jake, seeing the determination written all over his face. There was no point arguing; he was right, and they all knew it.

Stretching her arms over her head, she let out a sigh before speaking.

"Jake's right. If the Talsteins get that key, it's over. Neverland's counting on us."

Cubby, who had just pulled on his oversized shirt and was still shivering from the thought of going out so early, quivered as he spoke.

"Well... at least... at least everybody that's left in Neverland is."

They arrived in Neverland just before the sun peeked over the horizon. As soon as the daylight broke, so did their search. They combed through every familiar place — Shipwreck Beach, the thick jungle, even Never Peak and Belch Mountain. No key. The Tiki Forest and Crocodile Creek were just as fruitless. Mermaid Lagoon, strangely, was also silent.

That was the eeriest part. Everywhere they went, there were no signs of life. No movement. No voices. It was as if the entire island had gone into hiding.

Hours passed. As the group trudged through Big Tree Forest, the towering trees made the fading sunlight almost invisible. The mushrooms scattered across the ground stood as tall as Cubby, and each tree looked like it scraped the clouds. Their trunks were enormous, some wider than Hook's ship.

Cubby, taking a breath, peered through two trees to catch a glimpse of the orange sky.

"The sun is setting." he said, his face bent in worry.

"Aye," Skully agreed, flapping his wings lazily. "But you can hardly tell thanks to these big trees."

Jake clenched his fists.

"We're running out of time. If we don't find that key soon, it's gonna be impossible to find in the dark."

Izzy sighed and sat down on a rock, wiping sweat from her brow.

"What if the Talsteins already found it?" she asked.

"No way those two cracker-brains could find it!" Skully said confidently, shaking his head.

Jake shot Skully a look.

"Call them what you want, but they're just as determined to find that key as we are."

Izzy stood up again, thinking.

"Maybe we should split up."

Cubby's face drained of the slight color it had.

"Split up!?" he exclaimed, looking around wildly. "Are you crazy? We never split up!"

"But think, Cubby. We'll cover more ground that way. And now that it's the four of us again, it'll be even." she explained, gently.

Jake furrowed his brow, unsure. The island felt different now, and the thought of splitting up didn't sit right with him. Not with everyone mysteriously disappearing lately, especially pirates as tough as Red Jessica and Mama Hook. And definitely not with Patrick, Maverick, and whatever amount of other family members of theirs, roaming around.

Before he could voice his doubts, a low rumble vibrated through the ground. The kids froze. Then, the tremor grew stronger, sending shivers through the earth beneath their feet.

"What was that?" Izzy whispered, glancing at Jake with wide eyes.

Jake steadied himself as best he could, arms flailing for balance.

"I have no idea!" he shouted over the noise. His voice barely carried over the sound of the shaking earth.

Cubby, clutching onto Izzy's shirt like a lifeline, asked with wide, panicked eyes,

"Is Belch Mountain erupting or something?"

Jake shook his head, his brow furrowed.

"It can't be! It was completely still when we passed by it. And even if it was, the shaking would never reach this far."

That much was true. Neverland had never experienced anything like what the inhabitants of the mainland would call an "earthquake." But now, it seemed like that was exactly what was happening, oddly enough.

The quaking grew more violent, sending waves of panic through the group. Just then, a sharp crack split the air. It wasn't from the ground—it was coming from above. They all turned their heads in unison, eyes widening as they spotted a massive tree tipping toward them, its trunk splintering from deep within the forest.

"Run!" Jake shouted, and they scattered in every direction. He darted forward, Skully gripping his shoulder for dear life as they sprinted down the path, farther from the crashing tree. Meanwhile, Izzy and Cubby ran the opposite way, retracing their steps in a desperate attempt to avoid being flattened.

With a deafening crash, the tree hit the ground, sending a cloud of dust and leaves into the air. The tremors continued for a few more agonizing minutes before finally subsiding, leaving the forest eerily silent, save for the occasional creak of a fallen branch.

Jake straightened up, brushing dirt from his shirt.

"You ok, Skully?" he asked, glancing at the bird perched on his shoulder.

"Fine." the parrot squawked, shaking off his feathers as if it were no big deal.

Jake cupped his hands around his mouth, calling out,

"Izzy! Cubby! You okay?"

From the other side of the fallen tree, Izzy was already helping Cubby to his feet, fixing his bandana.

"We're fine!" she called back, her voice echoing through the trees. "Just a little…shaken up." she added as she adjusted the blue bandana even more.

Skully let out a sarcastic squawk.

"Well, Izzy, looks like you got your wish. We're completely separated now!"

"Believe me Skully if wishes came that easily we wouldn't be searching for this key in the first place." Izzy replied.

"What was that!?" Cubby shrilled.

"Crackers! In all my years of flyin' over this island, I've never seen anything like that!" Skully let out.

Cubby looked even more rattled.

"W-what are we gonna do now?" he asked, glancing at the fallen tree that separated them from their leader.

Jake didn't answer right away. Instead, he tried climbing over the massive tree, grabbing onto the rough bark. But it was slick with moss, and he barely got a foot off the ground before slipping and landing unceremoniously back on the forest floor. He sat there for a moment, rubbing the back of his head and looking up at the massive trunk.

The circumference of the tree was about thirty feet. If he climbed all the way up there and lost his footing, it would be the last mistake he ever made.

"Well we can't climb over it," he said as he got back to his feet, brushing dirt from his knees. "That's way too dangerous."

He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, Izzy! This sure does look like an emergency!" he called.

There was a pause on the other side, and then Izzy's voice floated back, hesitant.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of tha–uh oh…." she cut herself off.

Jake's shoulders slumped, his face falling. He knew exactly what that "uh oh" meant.

"You aren't…" he started, dread filling his voice.

"I'm afraid I am," Izzy finished, sounding embarrassed. "I'm all out of pixie dust. I was going to ask Peter for more, but when I saw he was sick, I didn't want to bother him."

Cubby's face drained of color.

"We have no pixie dust now? What are we gonna do?"

Izzy looked up at the massive tree, her face thoughtful.

"Well, we can't go through it, and we can't go over it… so we'll have to go around it," She turned to Cubby and gave him a confident smile, though her eyes were still uncertain. "We'll find a way around and meet up with you on the other side. Then we can keep moving forward and looking for the key."

Jake hesitated, chewing on his lip as he weighed the risks. The idea of splitting up even more didn't sit right with him, but he trusted his friends.

"Alright," he said, his tone reluctant. "Just… be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry!" Izzy called back, determination hardening her voice.

"Yeah!" Cubby added. "We'll find you soon!" the lad quickly paused to gulp. "Er…I hope."

Night fell on Neverland once again, and the Talsteins' ship, the Delta, floated serenely on the Neverseas. A few more crew members had joined on deck, adding a livelier presence to the otherwise silent vessel.

Patrick and Maverick stood side by side, their hands clasped behind their backs and postures straight as their mother, Amber, observed them with a cool, assessing gaze. Jack leaned casually against the wall nearby, arms crossed, his usual smug smile lingering as he watched the unfolding scene.

Amber's voice was soft, almost playful, as she addressed her second born son.

"So, my dear, why have you and Maverick returned at such an unusual hour?"

Patrick, shifting slightly under her gaze, managed a grin.

"You know us, Mother. We're pirates—keeping strange hours is just in our nature."

Amber's smile hinted at amusement, though her eyes were sharp. She knew her green eyed, brunette son well enough to see through his bluff, but she played along. Patrick tried to appear calm, but Maverick looked as though he was one wrong move away from falling apart. The very idea of his mother finding out he'd lost the key left him feeling like this could be his last night aboard the Delta.

The redheaded lady broke the tension with casual small talk, her gaze still fixed on Patrick.

"Jack mentioned that your little mission together went quite alright."

Though Jack hadn't let up on him for even a second during their expedition, Patrick forced a smooth reply.

"Oh, yes, Mother. It went well. We got the job done."

Amber raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk appearing.

"Really? In that case, perhaps I'll send you and Jack on missions together more often."

Patrick did his best to hide his grimace of th every thought.

"Ah…that would be…nice," he replied reluctantly. Then, throwing an arm around Maverick's shoulders, he forced a grin. "But I think I'd rather stick with good ol' Mav here."

Maverick let out a nervous giggle, forcing a smile as well, though the thought of Patrick strangling him right then was not far from either of their minds. Amber watched them for a moment longer, clearly entertained by their poor attempt at playing innocent.

Finally, Amber turned her attention to Maverick. Her tone remained casual, but there was a sharp glint in her eye.

"Speaking of my son with hair of gold…do you still have the key to the captain's treasure, Maverick dear?"

Maverick swallowed nervously, about to confess they'd lost it, when Patrick cleared his throat loudly, clearly trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. But Jack's sharp eyes caught on, and he folded his arms, making it clear they weren't moving past this so easily. The questioning circled back to Maverick and the missing key.

Under the pressure, Maverick's voice wavered.

"I... uh, Patrick and I might've—OW" Just as he mentioned his brother's name, Patrick swiftly kicked him in the shin. Maverick winced but continued, though now more cautiously. "I mean...I might've... misplaced the key," he managed, though Patrick interrupted smoothly.

"BUT, we know where it is!" the brother in green said quickly. Maverick turned to him, brow furrowed in confusion. Patrick shot him a sharp look, silently urging him to follow along.

Amber's eyes narrowed as she glared between the two brothers, her lips thinning with mounting frustration. Jack, meanwhile, looked more entertained than anything, watching his brothers' clumsy cover-up with an arched brow and a slight smirk. Amber, however, was not so amused. She crossed her arms.

"Where is it, then?"

Patrick hesitated, racking his mind for an excuse before finally blurting,

"That little brat Jake took it!"

Maverick nodded eagerly, scrambling to keep up with the story.

"Y-yeah, he just swiped it right from me—caught me off guard."

Amber's eyes flashed as she strode up to Maverick, her anger boiling over. Patrick wisely edged out of her way. Grabbing Maverick by the collar, she pulled him closer, spitting out his full name, first, middle, and last.

"Maverick Ingomar Talstein!" she barked. "How could you, the most nimble and pugnacious of my sons, let some elementary aged, ragtag pirate kid pickpocket you?"

Patrick quickly jumped in to soften the blow.

"Mom, he was trained by Pan himself! But if we go together, all four of us, we can grab the key back easily."

Amber finally released Maverick, but her expression stayed cold.

"That won't be necessary." she said, holding up a finger.

"Why not?"

"Because Patrick, I already have an important task assigned for you and Jack."

Patrick looked at Jack, his expression caught between disbelief and a smirk.

"Joy." he muttered.

Jack shot him a sidelong glance, picking up on the tone instantly.

"What's with the long face? You might actually learn something this time. I mean, not everyone gets the privilege to team up with a pirate who's easily a solid ten in ruggedness."

"A ten on a scale of what? A billion?" Patrick spat, rolling his eyes.

Jack's face flushed with irritation. In a flash, his hand went to the hilt of his sword, drawing it with a steely hiss.

"Care to find out?" the redheaded son whispered menacingly.

Patrick didn't flinch. He stepped over to a nearby barrel and snatched up a worn, slightly rusted blade, meeting Jack's glare with an equally determined one.

"Bring it on." he replied in a low voice, making a beckoning gesture with his other hand.

Their swords clashed, sparks flying as Patrick threw everything he had into each swing. Jack, however, parried effortlessly, his expression one of mild amusement as if the bout barely challenged him. But then their blades locked, and just as the tension reached its peak, Amber stormed in, eyes blazing.

"Talsteins!" She moved swiftly, her boot connecting with Patrick's side to break them apart. He staggered back, his face a mix of pain and frustration. "Can you two handle this one task without acting like animals?" she snapped.

Jack straightened, casting an exasperated look at Patrick.

"With all due respect mother, I'm sad to say that you may have raised one by accident." he said, jabbing his thumb in Patrick's direction.

"Enough!" Amber's voice sliced through the air, silencing them both. From the folds of her skirt, she pulled out a letter, thrusting it into Jack's hand. "Your directions. Follow them. Patrick."

Jack muttered a grudging acknowledgement, while Patrick, still rubbing his ribs, gave a silent nod, glancing sideways at his brother with a reluctant respect.

Amber turned her gaze to Maverick, who had been hovering at the edge of the deck, watching the clash unfold with wide eyes.

"Maverick." she said coolly.

"Gah! Uh yes ma'am?" the blonde pirate trembled, regaining full posture.

"You and I are going to hunt down those little brats and get the captain's key back." Her voice held a finality that made Maverick swallow hard, and he exchanged a brief, worried look with Patrick.

Patrick, still rubbing his ribs, frowned, his mind racing. He didn't know if Jake and his crew even had the key, for the last time he saw it was when it was being shot out of a cannon, towards the endless hills of Neverland, but even so, he did not dare correct his mother.

"Even if they do have the key, how are we supposed to get it from them? Pan probably told them what it does. And if he has, they wouldn't give it up in a million years."

Amber paused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"You make a fair point," she murmured, her eyes narrowing. After a long moment, a slow, cunning smile spread across her face. "Then we'll just have to make sure one of those little pirates delivers the key to us... and delivers it to us willingly."

Jack stepped forward, his brow furrowed.

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that?"

Amber's grin widened as she sauntered across the deck, her boots echoing against the wooden planks.

"Jack," she began, casting a look over her shoulder. "In all your nearly two decades of existence, have you not learned that our captain isn't just one of the greatest maritime navigators to sail the Atlantic and even what everybody told him to be the 'mythical' Neverseas, but he's also a genius alchemist."

She reached the forecastle, kneeling beside a small, weathered chest. Hoisting it onto the table, she produced a delicate silver key from a chain around her neck and inserted it into the chest's lock. With a satisfying click, the lid opened to reveal an assortment of glass vials, tubes, and potions, each containing a shimmering liquid in every hue imaginable, glowing softly as though lit from within. Maverick and Patrick both leaned forward, watching with fascination as she rifled through the contents.

"These experiments," Amber continued, her fingers sifting through the bright, colorful vials, "Can do more than turn an apple into an orange." She reached for a small glass tube that held a shimmering dust, a brilliant turquoise on the greener side, eerily reminiscent of pixie dust. Holding it up, she turned back to her sons, her eyes glinting with malice.

She dangled the vial in front of their faces.

"Our captain's experiments…..," she finished, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Have the ability to control minds."

Deep Dark Valley loomed overhead, the moonlight casting a sliver of light over the narrow path where Captain Hook and his crew stumbled forward. Thick vines and twisted roots tangled underfoot, but Hook kept slashing his way through, muttering angrily as he dragged his fearful crew along. Mr. Smee clung to the end of Hook's red coat, while Sharky and Bones huddled together, jumping at every rustle or distant howl that broke the silence.

"C-c-c-cap'n sir…," Smee ventured, his voice shaky. "W-what do ya think Mama Hook could be doin' here, in… D-d-deep D-d-dark Valley? I know I didn't give her th-th-the wrong m-map this time…"

Hook whipped around, silencing Smee with an annoyed glare.

"Because, you blithering barnacle, this is the only place we haven't searched yet!" he growled.

"Yeah, and for a good reason too…" Bones murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

Sharky nodded, eyes darting around the shadows.

"Agreed Cap'n. This place be way too scary for any pirate…"

"Almost any pirate," a sly voice cut in, smoothly emerging from the dense shrubbery. Smee, Sharky, and Bones jumped back, nearly tripping over each other as the voice drifted closer. Hook rolled his eyes, recognizing that smug tone immediately—a tone he despised even more than the voice of his longtime rival, leBeak.

Hook turned with a snarl, confirming his suspicion as Jack Talstein stepped out from the shadows, a sly grin illuminating his face in the dim moonlight. Patrick flanked him, though with an expression far less pleased, standing stiffly as he cast an uncertain glance around the haunted terrain. But behind them, lurking even further back, Hook caught a glimpse of a figure in the darkness—a figure taller than Patrick, broader than Jack. It faded back into the shadows, leaving him to wonder if it had merely been his mind playing tricks.

Smee, Sharky, and Bones shrank behind Hook, trembling at the sight of Jack and Patrick. Though the Talstein boys were young, one of them still a child by law, their presence seemed to make the shadows creep closer. Hook cast an irritated glance at his cowering crew and then glared at Patrick.

"I thought I told you and your other beanpole brother that I was done with you!" Hook snarled.

The brown haired, green eyed pirate scoffed.

"Try telling that to my mother." Patrick retorted, placing his hands on his hips and completing the gesture with an eye roll.

Jack nudged Patrick, muttering for him to keep quiet, then took a casual step forward. His eyes sparkled with mischief as he addressed Hook.

"So, what's got you skulking around such a spooky place, Hook? This doesn't seem like your usual scenery." the redheaded brother noted.

Bones gave a nervous chuckle.

"Actually, we were just leavin'—"

"No, we weren't!" Hook barked, shooting a deadly look at Bones before turning back to Jack. "We're trying to find my mummy, and I know you and your blasted family have something to do with her disappearance. So, out with it! What have you done to her?"

Jack placed a hand over his chest in mock innocence.

"Us? Kidnap dear old Mama Hook?" he said with a smirk, the feigned shock melting into a grin. "Now why would we do a thing like that?"

"Because you Talstein brats can never mind your own business!" Hook shot back. He glanced again at Patrick, who wore a stony expression, seeming unwilling to meet Hook's eyes.

Jack leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

"Maybe it's because we're better at minding everyone else's business than you are."

Hook's eyes narrowed, his eyes twitching as he glared at the young pirate. The captain's patience was fraying, but before he could respond, another low chuckle echoed from behind Jack and Patrick.

Hook's eyes narrowed as he gestured to the shadowy figure lurking just behind Jack and Patrick.

"Looks like you two have brought a visitor along." he drawled, his tone dripping with suspicion.

"I don't know what you're talking abou—." Patrick began, only to be cut off by his brother.

Jack raised his hand, signaling Patrick to stop.

"Ah the charade's over," Jack said, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "But, if you're so eager to meet our special guest, Hook, then so be it."

Jack and Patrick took a deliberate step apart, revealing a massive figure looming in the shadows behind them. Though he remained mostly hidden, his towering, muscular silhouette was unmistakable. The figure's left hand, the only part of him touched by the moonlight, held a strange weapon—not the usual curved cutlass, but a medieval-looking longsword, its broad blade gleaming silver. It looked like something straight from an ancient legend, completely out of place on this island of pirates and adventure.

The figure took a step forward, his presence casting a tense silence over the crew, who continued to tremble and huddle behind Hook. But Hook himself, unfazed by the show, just rolled his eyes at the mysterious man in the shadows.

"So, who might you be?" Hook demanded carelessly.

A deep voice, calm and commanding, resonated from the shadows.

"I am Captain Talstein." he replied, his voice echoing with a strange power.

"Sure you are." Hook said flatly.

"Tonight, my fellow Captain, you and your men will be coming with me."

Hook's crew huddled even closer together, darting nervous glances between Jack and Patrick, who had subtly split up, now circling around Hook and his men with wicked grins and drawn cutlasses. Still, Hook stood his ground, glaring at Captain Talstein.

"What have you and your blasted sons done with me beloved mother, Mr. Captain Talstein!?" Hook shouted, his tone defiant.

"All will be answered soon enough, and this will go rather smoothly if you and your men just follow my orders and obey without questions.

"Oh really? If you hold so much power over the great Captain Hook then why don't you come into the light and show your face?"

Captain Talstein's shadowed figure shifted slightly, the faint outline of a smirk crossing his face.

"I don't want to argue with you, Hook." he said, his voice steady.

"And why not?" Hook chuckled, slightly amused.

Without a word, Captain Talstein raised his longsword high and drove it down into the ground with a force that rattled the earth.

CRASH!

In the instant the blade struck, a blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the entire valley, followed by a thunderclap that shook the ground beneath them. Hook's crew cried out, some dropping their weapons, others covering their faces in terror.

Captain Hook blinked, recovering from the shock, but the confidence had drained from his face. He turned slowly to his crew, who stared back with wide, terrified eyes, then looked back at the towering figure in the darkness. Clearing his throat, Hook forced a weak smile.

"Eh…he he…I… believe the gentleman has made his point," he stammered. Turning to his trembling crew, he added, "er s-step lively men, just as Captain Talstein says."

To Be Continued…