She felt the waves hitting her boots, wetting the heels and then the soles as she was backed into the water. The Lost Boys had weapons coated in Dreamshade. In the years since her return and alliance with Tiger Lily, Dreamshade had been their only hope at hurting her. Unfortunately, Calliope had come to realize they could really hurt her.

The more Lost Boys Pan recruited, the more the island slipped from her grasp. And now, as she stood surrounded by a dozen at the edge of the water, she found it difficult to breathe. She hadn't meant to end up there. But Tiger had called her for aid, and though she'd managed to draw the boys away, Calliope now found herself trapped. She didn't want to kill them. She hated Pan and the Shadow, not these orphans.

She threw her hand forward. The archer on her right had pulled back his arrow. In a split second of light, the bow turned to dust in his hands. "Leave me alone, this is your final warning."

"Pan wants your head."

Rufio. Calliope saw him come forward from the back, his dark hair slicked back and blue eyes locked on her. With him there, she'd never convince them to leave her be. Not that she'd had much luck before.

She didn't want to kill these boys, but she would.

"Last warning, Rufio."

He drew a sword from his belt. He was one of the few boys to have a real blade, not one crafted from wood and stone. Calliope shook her head. Fine. In a single movement forward, she threw half the boys back into a rock wall, knocking them out or killing them, she didn't know. Her island would take care of it.

An arrow flew past her. She ducked to the side, splashing in the shallows of the water to face the remaining six boys. She needed to deal with the archers first. Two remained. Her lightning made quick work of them. Soon it was just her and Rufio.

"Too scared to cross blades with me?" he asked.

Calliope paused. The weight of her cutlass against her thigh reminded her of Killian, and for a moment, she forgot about the Lost Boys. She remembered training on the beach, the first time she'd kissed him. Under the bright sun, her thoughts turned to storms.

She drew her sword. Clouds covered the sun, casting shadows around them. "Alright, Rufio. Let's finish this."

The clash of their swords reverberated around them. As the wind picked up, causing the waves to crash against the beach with more fury, she circled around him. He knew how to fight. She had to be careful. She could see the Dreamshade on his blade. One nick of her skin and she'd be out for days, or worse. She didn't think it could kill her, not yet. But she'd be vulnerable.

Rufio parried her blows. He moved back through the pebble beach, closer to the treeline. His movements didn't have the fluidity that Killian had taught her. But he had brute strength. She tried to stay light on her feet.

Thunder roared above them. Clouds obscured the midday sun. She felt the familiar sensation like electricity in her body that always heralded rain. As the droplets hit her skin, she smiled.

Rufio dodged her swing, hurrying back down towards the water. As the rain hit his face, he tried to wipe his eyes. He tried to get some distance. Calliope just stalked towards him. The thunder inspired her. This was her island. She would end this, now.

Until she saw the ship. As she looked at Rufio against the waves, beyond him, she saw it. His ship. Killian's. The Jolly Roger. What was it doing in Neverland? She stopped in her tracks.

Pain shot through her. Rufio's blade caught her right arm, and she dropped the sword. She couldn't breathe. As the rain pounded down around them like music against the crashing waves, she looked up at Rufio. He raised his sword.

Then he collapsed. As a cold chill crept up her arm, Calliope turned around. Relief flooded her whole body and she collapsed from her knees to sit on the beach. "Tiger!" As blood trickled down her arm, she blinked back tears.

Tiger Lily skidded to her side. "I had to find more darts." She ripped a strip of Calliope's shirt and used it to wrap the bleeding wound to her arm in silence. Then she turned to follow her gaze to at sea. "A ship?"

"His ship."

"Jones?" Tiger Lily grabbed hold of her other arm and helped her up. As Calliope hissed out a curse in pain, she just shook her head. "What is he doing here?"

Calliope shook her head. She felt a bit dizzy, the world spinning. But she forced herself to focus. Bodies of unconscious or dead Lost Boys littered the ground around them. They had to move. They had to get out of there before they awoke. With the Dreamshade in her body she had hours before her magic became powerless. It had happened a few times since her return and never ended well. She had almost been killed by the Shadow. They had to get back to the wellspring so she could hide.

Tiger knew all that. She hoisted her up, bracing her body. "The poison's working faster, Calliope."

She nodded. It was. It had been months since last she'd been poisoned. She hadn't expected the symptoms so early. "Can you get me back?"

"I don't know."

Calliope looked at her. She looked into the former fairy's brown eyes, ones that should've been full of hope but now were full of fear. Calliope had to heal of the poison on her own, or she'd never know if she could leave the island without dying. But that meant hiding. And it meant risking death, too. If Calliope died, the island would belong to Pan. They both knew that. It hung over their heads every day.

Calliope looked back from the edge of the trees. The ship headed closer to shore with every passing moment, cutting through the waves. She turned to Tiger Lily. "We need his help. His crew knows me, Killian knows me. They can help get us back."

"The man who you left because his heart had grown too dark?" Tiger looked at her, frowning. The skepticism dripped from her tone. "Calliope-"

"No. We need his help. There could be dozens of Lost Boys between us and Dead Man's Peak." She felt the world spin again. Stumbling, she grabbed onto a tree trunk for dear life. "We need them."

Tiger hesitated. With a brief nod, she helped Calliope down to the ground against the tree trunk, handing her a waterskin. "Drink this, stay here. I'm going to check the boys."

Calliope didn't protest. She let the water soothe her parched throat. The rain had subsided, though winds and dark clouds kept the sun away. Chills spread through her. She looked at the blood-stained makeshift bandage on her arm. Tears pricked at her eyes, stinging from dirt and grime. Killian had to help, or she would be an easy target for the next troop of boys, or Pan and the Shadow themselves.

She closed her eyes. Extending all her thought to Killian, she tried to reach him. She forced away the pain. Through her tears, she tried to find him. She tried to talk to him. But she couldn't. The poison working its way through her bloodstream cut her off from the island.

"There are two rowboats coming."

Calliope opened her eyes. Tiger Lily crouched next to her at the treeline, her quiver of arrows refilled from the boys' own. Both of them looked at where the pair of boats came closer to the shore. It didn't take long for her to see him. She knew his profile, even against the waves, even with the poison freezing her veins.

"Help me up." Calliope took Tiger's arm, the world spinning as the woman did so. She couldn't collapse, not now. Not when she needed to be sure Killian wouldn't just attack them on sight. It had been years. She had no idea how he would react to seeing her again.

But then, he'd come to Neverland. He knew she was there. Unless he'd hoped she'd been killed by Pan, he had to know she'd be there. She tried to walk forward, but she tripped.

"Alright. I'm changing the plan," Tiger Lily told her. She eased Calliope to the ground against the last tree near the beach. "Stay here."

Tiger drew her bow. With an arrow drawn back on string, she headed down the beach. Calliope focused on her, and on her own breathing. The boats hit the shore.

Tiger Lily raised her voice. "Killian Jones?"

All the men spun towards her, several swords unsheathing, the sounds of steel loud in the quieting air. Calliope tried to stand, but she couldn't. The poison was working faster than it ever had before. For a brief moment, she couldn't breathe. What if this was it?

"How do you know my name?" Killian's sword was out as he moved closer to Tiger Lily. He pointed it at her chest, still several meters away. He hadn't lost any of his bravado; Tiger could've shot him ages before he reached her with his sword. "Who are you?"

"My name is Tiger Lily, and I'm a friend of Calliope." She moved a bit closer, bow still drawn. "She said you knew her."

Calliope huffed out a laugh against the pain at the understatement. She'd known him, alright. Quite well. Killian didn't respond to her, standing stock still in silence, weapon still out. His men glanced between each other.

"I did," he said. "Where is she?"

"Answer me this first, Captain. Why are you here?"

Killian gritted his teeth. He pointed with his sword back out to see. "I'm here for my own reasons. None of which are yours." He sheathed his blade. "Now where the bloody hell is she?"

Tiger Lily didn't move. Her bow stayed drawn as she stared at Killian on the beach, neither speaking and neither moving. The other pirates began to spread out. Calliope shook her head. She grabbed the lowest branch of the tree, hauling herself up.

"Tiger, stop," she said. She raised her voice, bracing herself against the pain that filled her head as she did so. "Tiger!"

The woman lowered her bow at the same time that the pirates turned her way. She winced back as Killian locked eyes with her. His eyes were the same blue she remembered. Like the sea itself. If it hadn't been for the pain coursing through her entire body, she might've walked over to him. But she couldn't. She just leaned against the tree.

The first thing she noticed was his missing hand. Her eyes widened at the hook he'd replaced it with. He dressed all in black, reminiscent of the shadow she remembered comparing him to the night she'd left. For a moment, she couldn't breathe. But as he walked towards her, Tiger not leaving his side and her hand on a knife, she just tried to relax. The more she fought the poison, the more it would hurt.

Some of the men went to look at the bodies of the Lost Boys. Killian ignored them, two of his men coming behind as they hurried over. The left one was short and stout, red knit hat draped over the back of his head like an oversized sock. The other she knew. Marco, tall and blonde and still as imposing as she remembered him years before.

"Dreamshade?" Killian asked. He didn't say anything else, mouth slightly open as he looked her up and down.

Calliope nodded, stumbling at the action. Tiger grabbed her. She guessed the poison was visible on her face. She just took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and looked at the three pirates. "We..." she paused. "I need your help."

"I thought it couldn't harm you," Killian said.

Tiger answered for her. "Much has changed on this island, Captain."

He looked at Tiger Lily. Then he turned back to his crew. He shouted for them to man the boats. With the crew jumping into action, he looked at the women again. "If we help you, I want assurances."

Calliope sighed. She nodded. "Help me get back to our hideout and I'll tell you about Pan."

That satisfied him. He gave a sharp nod, then turned to his pirates. The ones by the beach he had return to the ship, taking only Marco and the man with the red hat, plus two others. As Tiger Lily shifted Calliope onto her feet, they got ready to go.

But Killian stopped her. "I don't know this island. You need to lead," he told her. "Give her to me."

Only when Calliope nodded her permission did Tiger Lily shift her over to the pirate. She collapsed against Killian's side, the dizziness intensifying. After a moment of trying to get her to walk, he sighed. He picked her up. "Let's get moving. I have no intention of being the next victim of this bloody island."

She passed out.

When Calliope woke up next, she was laying in her bed, no one around. She could hear voices, though. They were muffled, distant. Agony tore through her as she moved her right arm. The fight with Rufio came rushing back. Dreamshade.

She struggled to sit up. Her arm felt like it was frozen, heavy dead weight against her chest where she cradled it. The bloody bandaged had been replaced, though, a pristine white cloth now wrapped around the cut in its place. The stark contrast between her uninjured bare arm and the one covered with tendrils of black poison made her breath hitch.

Calliope hobbled across the patchwork rug she'd placed on her stone loft. It felt comfortable against her bare feet. She came to the edge, peering down past the falls onto ground level. She could see Tiger Lily sitting at a table with Killian and the man with the red hat. Those were the voices.

After a brief hesitation, Calliope tried her magic. Nothing happened. She gripped her palm closed again. She didn't know how long it would last. With a sigh, she started down the winding stone stairs. Her legs felt weak, but the dizziness had subsided.

Tiger spotted her first. "Calliope. You shouldn't be up."

"How long was I out?"

"Six hours," Killian said. He looked her over.

She nodded. Moving over towards the table, she looked at the man she still hadn't been introduced to. "Who are you?"

"Smee. William Smee," he said.

Calliope nodded again. She took the chair next to Tiger, easing herself into it and hoping the pain wasn't too readable on her face. Her eyes fell on the rum bottle in front of Killian and she frowned. Then she glanced at Tiger. "How much have you told them?"

"Enough," Tiger said. "They know about the Lost Boys, and Pan's reach across the island." She glanced at Killian. "They know about Dark Hollow, too."

Dark Hollow. That part of the island had only continued to grow. Calliope frowned. She accepted the water Tiger handed her and turned to Killian. "Why are you back?" Her eyes fell on the hook on his hand, but she didn't comment.

"I've come to find a way to kill the unkillable," he said. He took a drink of his rum and Calliope didn't miss the shake of his hand as his grip tightened. "The Dark One."

Calliope's eyes widened and Tiger Lily stopped drinking the water in her cup. The Dark One. She'd met a Dark One once, and had no desire to repeat it.

"Why?" Calliope demanded.

Killian's jaw tightened. He raised the hook that had replaced his hand. "He took everything from me. I intend to do the same."

Vengeance. Of course. Calliope sat back in the chair, frowning. She knew better than to try to talk Killian out of anything, though. And she wasn't one to judge, having tried to kill Pan on more than one occasion. But the anger in his voice and his eyes scared her.

"I'm not here to beg for assistance, dear Muse," he bit back, seeing the displeasure on her face. "But I hold no love for that bastard Pan or his Lost Boys."

Calliope nodded. She straightened up and shared a quick look with Tiger Lily. She'd gone quiet, watching them. Calliope sighed. "I'm not your enemy, Killian."

"Good."

She nodded. "You two can spend the night, if you wish it. We've made maps of the island and you can transcribe them for yourselves." Calliope glanced at Tiger Lily. "Are you staying?"

"Do you need me to?" She eyed the pirates suspiciously.

Calliope shook her head. "No."

Tiger nodded. She'd been planning to go see the mermaids at Mermaid Lagoon and do reconnaissance around Skull Rock before Calliope had had to rescue her. She stood from the table and got her weapons.

"I should be going, then. The longer I wait the easier it will be for Pan's forces to regroup." She offered Calliope a small smile. "Stay safe."

"You too." As Tiger Lily disappeared out of the hideout, Calliope turned back to Killian and Smee. She frowned. "I have no magic right now, not while the poison is in my body. I can't offer you any protection outside of this place."

Smee nodded. "Thank you, for what you can offer."

Calliope smiled at him. "You're welcome." She stood from the table. "Now, let me get those maps."

She heard Killian following her up the stairs before she ever saw him. When they reached the third floor, she waited for him. He watched her. Neither spoke at first.

"Who did you lose?" she asked.

He startled at the question. But Calliope had known Killian enough to recognize his mannerisms. He had the same glassy look in his eyes that he'd had after Liam had died. When he didn't respond, she sighed.

"What was her name, Killian?"

"Milah."

Calliope nodded. "I'm sorry."

"The Dark One will be sorry, too," he snapped.

"I don't doubt it."

It hurt a bit, that he had moved on. But so had she. She'd moved on to realizing her only happiness would come from retaking her island. It hurt more to know that would probably happen than it did knowing that Killian had chosen someone else. Or she thought it did, until she saw the tattoo on his arm commemorating the woman he'd fallen for. The pain that ripped through her chest then didn't come from poison. It came from memories.