Rise of the Zodiac

Everything will change whether it's welcomed or not. It is all thrown at us like a constant blur. Last year I was just this young super hero who lived on an Island. I had just loss my brother, and was burying myself deeply into my work to distract myself. I didn't know what I was asking for when I told myself I needed a distraction.

After nearly giving my life to save the Island back when it was being taken over my Vampires I was in this white void for a few weeks. I still have like no clue where the hell I could have possibly been. With the Island sinking the minute I return, and having to move here I haven't had the chance to figure any of that out. Soon though.

Now I have six kids to look after. Yes only one of them is biologically mine, however he is from the future. Just like my clones he is the same age as me. Technically they are more than capable to take care of themselves, yet none of us are sure what any of them are capable of yet. If I'm able to wipe away a whole legion of vampires in seconds it scares me to know what the six of them would be able to do all together.

I just wish Eclipse was alive to see all of this. Maybe minus me being possibly dead for a bit, because I would never want him to feel constantly worried about me. He would get to meet his Nieces and Nephew. Coming from the future Christopher must have known all about the tales I told him growing up about the two of us rising to the top of the super hero chain together. He would get to be there for him when I finally did give birth to him.

It does make me happier than Feral Nova in a cookie factory to see Moonglow come back again. We haven't really seen much of each other since she joined CoP, however I'm willing to make that change. Her death tore all of the Vine Titans up when it happened. She gets a second chance to live again. I must spend as much time as I can with her before anything happens to the two of us. I want her to be in my children's lives.

Children. I can't believe I'm really saying that. I joined this team watching Mistress Redhead multitask being a world famous hero yet manage to have a family with powers. I always will admire her for that. I'm following into her footsteps so fast that I can't even notice it.

All of the squads have changed up a bit. A lot of my teammates have gone up to the other squads. Umbra Sorcerer stayed, however he had been promoted to be my second in command. Being on the squad for a while he could aid me a lot. I watch all of them as the practice in our training room.

My son is standing next to me as he points out a lot of mistakes they are making. I raise him. Of course he'll have an eye for this type of stuff.

I hear a faint noise. Hailing from the distance it gets closer. The only ones in this room are supposed to be the only ones on Avalon really, except for my girls who are watching over Gwen's daughter in this playroom we made for her. Clearly she is way too young for it, but before we know it she'll be able to walk.

"Christopher, can you do me a favor and stay with the girls?" His eyes widened when noting the hint of worry in my tone. "I'll be fine."

I know that while he is away from the fight he'll be telepathically checking to see if we are all alive. He knows me too well to just suddenly send him away like that.

Pressing a button the session quickly ends. Hitting another I speak on the intercom. "Everyone get up here now, and prepare yourselv-"

Before I could even finish an explosion knocks me off of my foot. Opening my eyes I see dust scattered everywhere around the room.

As the smoke clears away I see figures of a large group of people. "We are the Zodiac." A tall man dressed all in blood Red called out. "We are here to kill the Champions of Peace."

So I'm in space right now. That's pretty cool, I guess. But things aren't exactly that good. I mean I was in the big guns at one point! At least I think I was. Was I? But then I get knocked down to the kids division! I hate kids! All they ever say is 'I beat you fair & square! What are you doing! Mummy he broke my DS!'. Where are they gonna be without me? I'm the star of this team. How will anyone recognise the team without the real leader charging the front?

My new costume makes my chest cold and that's bad. But ladies love the view and that's good. Plus I have a cape now, capes are badarse. That's good. And the entire world looks orange, that's good too. Y'know what this costume kicks arse! Except for the cold chest part, I reeeeally don't like that. Not. One. Bit.

I wonder if I should've went training with the team, it's not like I need it or anything. I mean come on, all I do is smash stuff with rocks, or set it on fire, or do something with water & air. I don't use those enough. They're kinda dumb. Well I should probably go annoy someone before I get bored enough that I blow something up. I'm responsible like that. In fact while I'm at it.

HEY SMARTPHONE BOY I KNOW YOU'RE READING MY MIND!

As such I will now picture your mother in this way. Still here? Okay, how about *this section has been removed, the reason being a mixture of elephants, gundams, orphans, pyrotechnics and a musical number among other dark, dark things*. Wow that was freaky even for me. Well mentally annoying people is fun but time to do it physically. Wait was that an explosion? OH GOD I'M TOO LATE!

So now I decide that checking out the cause of destruction is a good idea as per usual so blah blah blah walking and fancy description of said walking. When I finally check out the explosion room who do I see? The Village People in villain form. And what does one of them say 'We are the Zodiac. We are here to kill the Champions of Peace.'. Because being in space doesn't mean s#it all we still get attacked endlessly. Isn't this the reason why we have the black ops team? To stop things like these.

*After this brief insight into the mind of Tellumo, first person will never be used again.*

Midnight

It’s the same dream again the one he’s been having for weeks and yet still can’t even begin to understand it. Always the same repeated over and over each night. He realised a few weeks ago it was more that a reoccurring nightmare it was too specific, too vivid and there was no psychological meaning behind it. It was not a flying dream meaning he wasn’t over confident nor did it involve his teeth falling out so his appearance was fine. Still it persisted.

There is are always three in this dream, the number appears everywhere, in every scene but never anything more to explain the number. That’s only the beginning though, the scene switches, a normal room familiar, on Avalon? Still its wants inside that counts, figures people? again unknown but familiar. The scene fades, the people and place drop into nothingness below his feet, its not floating though he’s just stuck there unable to move, it’s cold there and gets colder every second but it’s strangely peaceful in a way, secure and a feeling of conclusion. It’s not that easy though it’s pulled away quickly and searing pain travels through his body from his chest, unbearable pain really, hellish, Images of fire engulfing all, no one’s hurt though impossible, no improbable though. The pain’s gone and the cold and the uncertainties back.

In a cold sweat the witch wakes from his slumber. Pushing his raven hair from his eyes he exclaims angrily “That’s it!” It might be late but he get’s out of his bed and begins to collect seemingly random objects around his room. Drawers open and white candle’s are collected placed intricately in a circle on his apartment floor, each is quickly lit as they are set on the ground due to the pyrokinetic enchantment placed upon them. Opening a chest the frantic young man pulls out a book, leather not very big but clearly heavy on appearance however he carries’s it in one hand with ease.

Standing in the centre of the circle the books has been telekinetically levitated in front of him, it’s pages seemingly turning themselves, telekinesis again but it’s done for more effect and for the thrill it brings him. The room itself seems to become darker, shadows come out from hiding, the air crackles with power.

“Hecate, spiritus mundi, Regine Venéficus. Please answer my pray, your child seeks guidance, answer my call Goddess or Witchcraft, Goddess of Crossroads.”

The ground beneath his feet changes, an illuminated sign appears, a torch. Within seconds he has vanished. The ground beneath him has changed no longer cold hard metal but soft grass with the warm sun beaming down upon him. Opening his eyes he’s met with a beautiful view of a perfect haven but something more significant meets him eye to eye, a beautiful women in her mid twenties, Hecate the goddess, bowing before her she speaks “No my child, do not bow” rising again to meet her he speaks politely “Hecate something’s been happening to me and I don’t understand.”, “Of course you don’t my child, you see what other’s can not but like them you yourself can’t understand. It is understandable, you are not a natural seer, your abilities in that particular branch of magic are…very basic.”

He nodded to the Goddess, still not understanding how this helped him understand his dream or as it appeared his premonition. “But, Hecate I can’t deal….I can’t do this. I’ve become so tired all I want to do is be more like…me and less magic.” “Do not worry my young witch, you will understand it in time, But I must warn you…” as she spoke those words animals mainly dogs of various breeds appeared around her and the seemed to crawl from every place in this beautiful garden “You will fail at the end like all other heroes and be brought here.” Extending her arms she indicated at the garden and he finally understood “ELYSIUM, we’re in Elysium, wait a minute If I’m sent here that’s means I die..I don..’t understand how do I die…I mean..Im..me!” he said the panic in his voice clear. “Don’t not worry my child.” She said calmly and reassuringly “If you simply leave and avoid the battle ahead you will be safe. Fate can always be changed.”

He thought about it for a moment, pondered just leaving to hid but he quickly dispelled the idea from his mind, he couldn’t leave his friends or any innocent people he just couldn’t “No!” he said defiantly “I’m not leaving those people to die for me”. The Goddess herself seemed genuinely shocked “Dear boy, you will die If you go into battle this day, you have seen it…” cutting her off “So what, like you said Fate can always be changed, and you know what I may end up failing but at least I tried, I won’t leave my friends to die.” He braced himself for impact, angering a Goddess was never a wise thing to do but instead she smiled “You are so strong one I am proud to call you a true child of mine, I created Witches and you are a leader among them, Go!.” Holding his wrist “take my blessing and protect those whom you hold dear” His body began to drift further and further away, the immortal and beautiful sight before his eyes turned to sand and dissolved. With a familiar rocking sensation he was returned to his body on the physical world.

It was always an experience travelling beyond the physical plane. This time it was stranger though he was more disorientated that usual so much so that he didn’t notice Hecate’s symbol as well as various other sigils had been burned into the ground inside the circle of candles or the fact that a pentagram had also been burned into his left wrist.

Training

He’s groggy this morning, the events of last night still replaying in his head the constant number three he now realised this morning was Hecate and her triple forms well at least that was one part of his prophetic dream solved, still much remained a mystery, he had hoped nobody would notice the scorch and symbols on his floor or the pentagram burned into his arms which he had tried everything to fix, every healing spell ,every ritual and elixir he knew off none worked and what was worse though was that it was spreading farther as he understood more of his dream, the triple form of Hecate was now burned on his arm and the pain along with it was almost unbearable.

Still he tried his best to hide it and it was going fine, his training session with the rest of the team was terrible, his mind elsewhere still he fought on and trained as best he could. Suddenly the system was shut off and Blair’s voice rang out over the intercom. Before he could move very far from the training room an explosion could be heard above them in the observation deck. Rushing up with the rest of the team he made it inside and noticed the odd group of people threateningly hovering above them. His mind flashed back to his dream, the place familiar Avalon..the observation deck..inside the people familiar..the team…the unknown…the Zodiac’s.

With a blood curdling scream he pulled back his wrist to see the burning images extending up his arm, searing the flesh, a band with twelve symbols, he can’t see them through the pain though. He looked up knowing that one of these idiotically, tactfully dressed threats was destined to kill him. No he snapped himself out of it, he can’t die he won’t die. Ignoring the pain in his arm he ran to Blair’s side and created a telekinetic shield to stop the attacks he could just feel we’re about to start flying.

*Okay we talked to the lawyers, no charges have been pressed and everyone's first-person-ing so we'll carry the chain mail on.*

"Hey members of the menage a trois that we call a team. There's trois of us and le twelve of them, I'll take the four consisting of Klaw ripoff, Robo, that guy who keeps rolling his fingers with a non-existant coin inbetween them, the guy with the red and blue gloves who probably has magnetism as a power aaaaand a diet coke. M'kay? Sweet."

I'd be awesome on catchprase, all I ever do is say what I see, and what I don't see, like that ghost, wait I made that up as an excuse for something, what was that for? Oh I drifted off again didn't I? Why do I do that? No! Not drifting off, so where am I? Oh, it appears I'm now in the middle of air blast-er-ising-ing people into a wall, oh right these walls aren't bricks. S#it we're in space! There's no rocks from Earth in space, that's why it's not Earth. Okay so what can I do, I've picked four big, big, big, baddies aaaand I've got nothing to use as a weapon. Think, think, thi- teleporter. Okay I just guide them into the room then we can get Earthbound so I can chuck rocks at them and blow 'em up. Okay fearsome four keep following me. Wow, that was surprisingly easy they just followed me into a room that could've been filled with traps for all they know. Argh I hate teleporting, my hair always goes all Einstein after. I think I picked our location fairly well.