Red was in a foul mood. Splitting up was a terrible idea, and she hated how Merlin had brushed her off. She didn't care what he had gone through; nobody was rude to her and got away with it. Nobody. Not even a former Guardian and sorcerer. "Le nerf de lui!" she complained, walking with her arms crossed.

Theseus looked at her, confused. She didn't bother to translate for him. He tried to take her mind off her anger by asking, "Is your name truly Red?"

"Do you think I was lying?" she returned irritably.

"It is a strange thing, to be named after a hood," Theseus commented, apparently not noticing that he had annoyed her. "Is it usual in other Stories?"

"Non," Red said.

Theseus was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Your name really isn't Red, then."

"Non."

"Would you be so kind as to tell me what it is?" Theseus asked. He used his sword to cut through the foliage, cleaving them a relatively simple path through the forest.

"I am not kind," Red replied.

"I beg to differ," Theseus said, smiling. Red couldn't decide if the Greek was taunting her or was simply too stupid to realize how irritating he was being. "Please?"

Red focused her eyes forward, deciding it would be simpler to just tell Theseus and get him to close his mouth. "Scarlett."

She expected Theseus to laugh or have a sarcastic remark. Instead, he said simply, "A pretty name for a beautiful girl. I see no reason for you to be so secretive about it, but if you wish it, I will breathe a word of it to no one. Scarlett." He smiled at the name, but not in a mocking way. He genuinely seemed to like it.

"It is not a pretty name," Red said quietly. "It is a reminder, a punishment. I use it no longer. The name my grandmother left me is what I am called now by all."

"I apologize for bringing back bitter memories, my lady," Theseus said remorsefully. "Forgive me."

She shrugged. "A day does not go by that I do not think of them anyhow," she said in an off-handed tone she didn't feel. "Think nothing of it."

Theseus raised his sword to cut at some foliage and something came hurtling out of the bushes, slamming into his chest and sending them both flying back. Another object flew out at Red, but she clubbed it in the head. "OW!" The boy crouched on the ground, grabbing his head. "What was that for?"

"Descendez!" Red growled at the other boy, currently hitting the startled Theseus in the face with a big stick. She raised her own club, and the boy on Theseus yelped like a startled puppy and scrambled off of him.

Theseus rubbed the blood off his bloody nose, frowning. "Beaten by a child," he muttered. He accepted Red's hand and she helped him to his feet.

"Pirates!" the boys yelled in unison and tried to run. Red grabbed one by the collar, and the other stopped when he saw his friend was caught. "Let him go, you big bully!"

"I'll let him go if you promise not to run," she said. "And apologize for hitting my friend in the face with a stick."

"Sorry!" the boys squealed. "But you're pirates!"

"We are not pirates," Red disagreed, shaking her head. In an effort to gain the boys' trust, she released the one she was holding. To her surprise they didn't run away. "My name is—" She stopped and made a face at Theseus—"Red Riding Hood. This is Theseus."

"Tootles," one of the boys said.

"Curly," said the other.

Theseus frowned at Red, as if asking her what sort of names those were. She scowled at him to keep quiet. "You know Peter Pan, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Curly said, rubbing his hand through his curly brown hair. He was the plumper of the two. "What do you want from him? You're a girl."

"I'm glad you noticed," Red said, struggling to keep her patience with the boys. She wasn't fond of children. "We simply want to talk to him. Could you take us to him?"

"That depends," Tootles said. "What can you give us?"

"Our undying gratitude?" Theseus said. Judging from his irritated tone, he didn't like children any more than Red did. He had a little frown on his face, though it may have been because one of the boys had smacked him in the nose with a stick.

"Nah," Curly said. "What about food?"

"We have no food," Red said. She massaged her forehead with her fingers, longing to throttle the boys with her club.

"Here." Theseus reached under his arm and produced a large dagger. "The hilt is pure silver." He handed it to Tootles, who looked a little younger than Curly. The boy examined the knife, an appraising look on his face.

"A fine prize," the boy said with relish. He stuck it in his ragged pocket. "Come along. You have paid your way to see Peter. Come on, Curly." The two boys scrambled through the forest with surprising nimbleness. Theseus and Red were moments behind them.

The path to Peter Pan was rather treacherous and more overgrown than the way Red and Theseus had been going. Theseus did his best to help Red whenever her hood got caught on briars and hedges, but they didn't want to lose sight of the quick-footed boys. Red ended up tearing her cloak more than a few times.

With each new tear in her precious cloak, Red felt more tempted to whack Tootles and Curly with her club. She decided she didn't just dislike children; she was beginning to hate them. Theseus maintained a stolid silence, but he kept rubbing at his injured nose.

Just when Red found she couldn't hold back from the temptation of hitting Curly and Tootles, they stopped. The boys looked back at Theseus and Red, giggled like little monsters—and disappeared. "I despise children," Red grumbled.

"I don't suppose we have any chance of making it back the other way," Theseus said with a sigh. "Are we as lost as I think we are?"

"Probably more," Red said.

That was when a boy's head suddenly appeared upside down in front of them. "BOO!" he yelled.

Theseus gave a strangled shout and grabbed for his sword. Red was faster; she raised her club to hit him right in the nose. Instead, she felt what seemed like a bee slam into her cheek. "Ow!" she cried, dropping the club.

Theseus finally got his sword out of his sheath, but the boy with the scraggly blond hair floated down to the ground, holding his hands up. "No need for violence!" the boy said, blinking his dark blue eyes. He was probably fourteen or so, Red guessed. "It was just a little joke is all. You were looking for me, Scarlett?"

Red felt her face grow hot. "You do not call me that," she snapped. It brought back too many memories. "You say that name once more and I will kill you."

He had the grace to look ashamed. "My apologies," he said. "I did not intend to rile you up. Theseus, Red, hello. I'm Peter Pan." A glowing light settled on his ragged hair, and he grinned crookedly. "And this is Tinker Bell. Tink, apologize for hitting Red in the cheek."

There was the sound of bells, and Theseus's eyebrows shot up. Red, who knew the Story of Peter Pan relatively well, wasn't surprised. Peter scowled at Tinker Bell. "Sorry," he said. "That wasn't really an apology. You wanted to see me?"

"Oui," Red said, pleased that the conversation was turning in a more favorable direction. "We have questions concerning the Editor."

Peter's eyebrows shot up. "That is not a sentence I hear every day," he commented. "Perhaps a safer place to talk about that'd be in order?"

Both Theseus and Red nodded, and Peter led them to one of the larger trees. He knocked three times on the trunk and a door opened. Grinning, he said, "Better hold on; it's a bit of a wild ride." Then he jumped through the door and Red heard his whoop of joy quickly fade.

"Why do I get the feeling that is going to go down?" Theseus asked timidly.

Red shrugged. "I will do what I have to," she said. "At least it is not more children."

Theseus was turning a faint shade of green, and Red realized the problem; he had a fear of heights. It wasn't unusual, but she didn't have the time for a small phobia. She looked at him, and instantly he paled. "Oh, no. No, you can do this without me—" He moved to back away, but Red grabbed him by the front of his armor. He yelled in protest as she shoved him through Peter's door.

"Pardon!" she called down after him. Then she slid through the door and followed Theseus down the slide.

It was a dizzying and sickening slide, filled with twists and turns. Red, who rarely screamed, found herself hollering the entire way down. Whenever she paused for a breath, she could hear Theseus yelling below her, obviously still terrified.

It felt like forever that they were sliding down, though in reality it was only a minute or two. When Red reached the bottom of the cave-like structure, she slammed right into Theseus, who hadn't had the wisdom to move out of the way. They both fell to the ground in an undignified manner.

When they had sorted themselves, Peter chortled above them. "That was natural," he said. When Red glared at him, he relented his teasing and spread his arms out. "Welcome to the hideout of the Lost Boys. We won't be disturbed here. Now come along; let's talk about the Editor, shall we?"