Leo attacked first. He moved so swiftly his agility would have compared to that of Aries but the latter's speed was still unmatched. Leo's movement was expressed in short bursts as his frame quickly closed in on us.

  Now, from the name, this was one of the few Zodiac who registered clearly in my head and not having a twisted or ancient nomenclature to them. Leo was nothing I'd imagined he'd look like; tall and suave, except perhaps being built, which he was. If my astrology lore was correct, Leo's name translated to "lion". Did he have a thick mane of fiery hair? No—he had something that was short and golden blond, fashioned in a millitaryesque crew cut. The only resemblance he shared with the king of the jungle was perhaps his two beady yellow predatory eyes, and a long tail and its sharply pointed end. The rest of him was covered in rich silvery robes, richer than even Skorpius's black and yellow fashion.

  Zak was the first to get hit, having been standing closest to the Zodiac pair. He barely had time to react before Leo's gloved fists had connected to his core. Zak flew backwards and would have crashed into furniture had it not been for Pisces's telekinetic intervention.

  A sound came out of Leo's mouth as his bronze face lit up. The sound was somewhere between a soft growl and a chuckle. His eyes glinted in the lamp light as two black slits settled over the yellow in them, matching a symbol that ran down his forehead, starting in a tiny golden circle then projecting over his left brow as a thin crystalline line and ending over his jaw. It was like a ring with a tail.

  I brought my arms up in an attacking position and was about to thrust out my right until I realized I had lost Despyon's shield. I faltered.

  "What's the matter?" Leo taunted, approaching me. His grin revealed a set of pointy teeth. "Sage's bow not working for you?"

  I did not understand what he had said and would not get the chance to either as the Zodiac twisted his body into a spin. His tail cut across the air like a whiplash and I was knocked out of the way as Skorpius dashed past me, getting there in time to deflect the attack. He grabbed at Leo's tail and twisted it. Leo groaned and his roar came out clearer this time.

  "I see you're still convoluting your mind with pride and greed," Skorpius unleashed his hooked blade.

  "And I see you've finally decided to stop cowering in your own shadow," Leo countered. He shook his tail free from Skorpius's grip and came down on him with his fists.

  Skorpius blocked with his hook and every strike would give off a clanging sound, as if Leo's arms were metal, at which I was no longer surprised. How many metallic arms had I come across so far?

  Beyond Leo, the other Zodiac caught my attention. She had been calmly standing in the background as the mayhem unfolded. She was looking right at me with her ethereal and off-putting white eyes that settled under a symbol similar to the one on Skorpius's core. It was the same letter "M" but unlike Skorpius's the far right side did not have a pointed ending but rather curved out, with an additional line curling around it. Her insignia, like her eyes, gave off a bright white glow.

  What had Pisces called her? That's right—Parthenos. Parthenos's frame matched that of Leo, except brighter as her attire glowed in a mesmerizing white hue, casually shifting between pale and bright. She had a gown similar to that of Pisces, except hers was shorter and did not sweep the ground, with sharp endings and long slits to the sides, revealing thigh high metallic boots.

  I took a mental note at how humanly these last Zodiac were, including Skorpius. Parthenos's bright appearance was further accentuated by the unexpected sight of a large set of wings. She moved past Leo and was heading straight for me, her wings shining with bright white metallic plumage.

  I watched her thrust out one of her arms and a sharp slender blade materialized in her hand. She threw the blade at me and I reacted by trying to duck but only ended up falling on my ass. I looked up to find the blade suspended in the air. It was hovering wildly, trying hard to fight through the invisible force holding it back and I turned to catch Pisces fast approaching.

  She performed a couple of complex movements with her hands and the blade changed its direction. It darted back towards Parthenos who was fast enough to bring her right wing around. The blade bounced off harmlessly with a clanging sound before falling to the floor where I watched it dissolve and vanish into the air.

  There followed the sound of furniture being disturbed and Skorpius had gone down. Leo thrust his tail at him. Skorpius rolled out of the way, narrowly missing the deep hits the pointed tail would make as it struck against the ground. Skorpius grabbed at a stool and, on his way back up, he hurled it at Leo, disrupting his attacks. Leo blasted the stool with his tail but that had been enough time for Skorpius to counter. He whacked Leo across the face with his hook, sending him reeling backwards and almost bumping into Parthenos.

  Pisces and Skorpius prepared their next attack as Zak got back on his feet, knocking furniture aside in annoyance. I tried summoning Sage's power but something was wrong. Perhaps it had to do with Despyon's shield. I was not sure but his insignia was barely giving off a spark of lightning.

  Parthenos and Leo were ready to engage their rivals, the former conjuring up a blade in each hand. This would become another long and endearing battle, which was something that had never been on the agenda that night. There was no telling what would happen. Both teams looked equally dangerous against the other and therefore, I decided to do the only logical thing I could.

  "Stop!" I cried out, hoisting my arms, and, much to my amazement, all four Zodiac gave me their attention. "Wow, that worked better than I expected. . ." I muttered additionally.

  "Look," I continued, shaking myself out of my stupor. "we didn't come here to fight. Hell, we didn't even know you'd be here."

  "You can't reason with them," Skorpius said curtly, his hooded eyes shifting towards Leo who let out a low growl.

  "It's like Pisces said," I ignored Skorpius, "we need your help. Aries is coming and he'll kill everyone in this room if we don't find common ground."

  "He's not in my way now, is he?" Leo retorted arrogantly, "I couldn't give a mortal's ass what he does."

  "That was uncalled for," I said, mostly to myself, then, "but he is. He will be in all of our ways and he's even killed some of your people already."

  "What are you talking about?" Parthenos spoke, her voice icy, calm and very articulate.

  "It's true," Pisces chimed in, "Capricus and Karkinos. They died by his hand."

  "And what of the others?" Parthenos narrowed her eyes.

  Pisces was hesitant and I found myself rushing to her aid. "They all met the same ending in working with Aries. He's only been using them. All of you."

  To my relief, Parthenos did not seem to want further details of how the other Zodiac had died, because I was not sure how I would've explained killing Tauros or the Abinor soldiers doing the same to Pollux and wearing her skin as a trophy. But then again, these two Zodiac seemed way detached from the rest, almost as much as Skorpius and Pisces were. We just had to play our cards right.

  "We don't have time for this," Skorpius frowned, his hooked arm still at the ready. "Either you're with us or you're not."

  "Where is Aries now?" Parthenos asked, turning her attention to Pisces.

  "He's been after us all night, now that he knows we're the only ones in his way."

  "Then let's make it easier for him and finish off all of you," Leo growled with delight and Skorpius hissed at him through his cast.

  "Come on, you guys," I sighed, getting impatient. "Do you really think Aries is gonna let you walk away like that if you kill us? From half the stories I've heard, he doesn't sound like a very standup guy. I mean, he literally murdered Capricus and Karkinos without giving it a second thought."

  They still remained unconvinced, especially Leo who was eager to have another go at Skorpius. Parthenos, on the other hand, had a more troubled expression. It was as if she was silently sorting out the facts, trying to decipher if we were telling the truth or not.

  Pisces must have read her mind as she stepped forth.

  "What are you doing?" Skorpius asked cautiously.

  I watched Pisces close her eyes, pausing for a brief moment before reaching out to both Parthenos and Leo. The color of their eyes suddenly shifted and took on a sapphire glow, matching Pisces's eyes. They were held in a trance-like state for more than thirty seconds before Pisces finally let them go and their eyes returned to normal.

  "What did you do to them?" I asked.

  "I showed them the truth."

  "How do we know you're not lying?" Parthenos prompted and I had to commend her level of skepticism. "You could've easily planted false images into our minds."

  "Believe it or not," Skorpius levelled, "it's the truth and I don't know how much more proof you need as to how serious this is. Look at me. When's the last time I've ever conversed this directly to any of you?"

  "Not since Orion gave your face a makeover," Leo retorted and I wasn't sure whether he was being playful or serious.

  "On the other hand," Skorpius flexed his hooked arm, "I might as well take you on that offer of finishing you off."

  "Enough!" Parthenos ordered, making her look like a big sister putting an end to the squabbles of her two little brothers. "If you've come this far, I assume you have a plan?"

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Ah, come now!" Leo lamented, "I thought there was going to be a fight."

  "As if you would have stood a chance what with your boundless hunger for human souls," Parthenos snapped as I swallowed at this. She caught my attention. "Don't worry. I won't let him feast on you. Neither of us have taken any souls for a while now."

  "It doesn't feel right, does it?" Pisces muttered but Parthenos did not give a verbal response. Her expression was more than enough to reveal she'd opted out of human soul cuisine.

  "So, what is the plan?" Parthenos reiterated.

  "Well. . ." Pisces faltered and I could sense how embarrassed she felt.

  "I always have to be the perfectionist around here," Parthenos added perfectly, her short silvery white hair coming into view.

  "Where did you last see Aries?" she asked, assuming an impressive amount of authority, one that I'd only seen with Aries himself.

  "We lost him in the village through shadow travel," Skorpius offered.

  "Meaning he's not far but we still have a little more time thanks to you," she commended Pisces and I could not believe the different waves of emotion being expressed on her face. I had to wonder the last time Pisces had been this close to her people and, you know, not having to fight for her life or something. If anything, they looked more and more like an actual family, despite Pisces's earlier justification that they did not have any direct blood relation with each other.

  ". . .Which brings me to you," Parthenos's words snapped me out of my thoughts after I had gone on to picture the number of all white parties she must have been to if the Zodiac ever had parties.

  "What. . .?"

  "The successor of Sage's power." Parthenos scrutinized my arm. "Where's the bow?"

  There it was again. What was this bow?

  "I had a shield—"

  "A shield?" Leo cracked up at this, "since when does Sage use a shield. Are you sure you are his successor? You don't even look anything like him."

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence," I sighed and Pisces threw a furtive glance at Leo.

  "What?" he defended himself, shrugging, "we've been hearing rumors about the mortal throughout the land. You'd think Sage would've picked someone worthy of his name."

  "Leo!" Pisces snapped.

  "Kid doesn't even look like he can pick up a rock let alone handle a shield," Leo added and at that point I knew he was just trying to be hurtful.

  "Leo!" Pisces cast her eyes at him warningly.

  "Stopping Aries is unlikely," Parthenos went on, "but not impossible, especially if he really is planning on harvesting every mortal soul on this world before our time here expires."

  I recalled the seven-day limit of the Zodiac's existence on earth. The period of the Harvest, after which they automatically return to their home world.

  "What if Aries forces himself to extend his stay here, even after his time is over?" I had to ask.

  "It does not work like that," Parthenos replied. "we are a product of the gods. The beings that roamed these mortal worlds before us. They had to craft us with certain standards, otherwise it would lead to situations like these."

  "But it's not impossible," Skorpius added.

  "So, what are you saying," I pressed, "that Aries is trying to become a god?"

  "If he gets all souls of this world, he just might end up having enough power to break through those standards," Parthenos replied grimly.

  "Can't the gods help?" I asked, wrapping my mind around the idea of having an unstoppable fiery monster devouring worlds. I did not like it.

  "I'm afraid they couldn't care less what we do with our lives," Parthenos maintained her grim tone, "not since they put us with the stars. Their own connection to the mortal realm has been waning ever since, growing weaker with time."

  Parthenos regarded me. "You're from a different time. One that extends far beyond when we are at this moment. How many gods have you physically seen manifest before you?"

  "None," I responded, getting what she was suggesting, but another thought formed up, "but if you're saying I'm from the future, doesn't that mean Aries will lose? I mean, I'm still standing here, talking with you."

  "Oh, but you're wrong and right at the same time," Parthenos countered. "ask yourself this. If Aries had really lost, would you even be here to begin with? To carry on whatever course Sage put you on?"

  "And that's what Aries is trying to achieve," Skorpius offered, "he's taking over where the gods have abandoned and using it to his advantage."

  "Looking into the future will not help, even with Sage's vision," Parthenos said, "what matters is what you do now."

  I contemplated all of this, my mind absolutely boggled and I only had one more question left. "You mention Sage to have had a kind of bow? Like a bow and arrow?"

  "A skilled marksman and hunter," Parthenos mused, her voice distant. She then turned to Pisces who averted her gaze for some reason. "Perhaps if he had spent less time using his power to hunt for wisdom and instead more time in hunting down Aries and his endeavors, things would have gone differently.

  Parthenos glanced at my arm, casting her white eyes over the arrow symbol. "Why you still haven't acquired his bow remains a mystery to me. But you do have the vision, yes?"

  I nodded.

  "And the ability to jump through space?"

  I guessed she meant teleportation, so, I nodded again.

  There was a moment of silence and this was disrupted by the one other presence everyone had totally forgotten about. He had shot up from his corner and dashed towards the exit, stumbling into furniture before disappearing into the night.

  "Take care, Tipper," Zak called, though I doubt the bartender had heard him while busy running for his life. "He'll be okay."

  "That was rude," Leo added grumpily in his charismatic fashion that I was gradually coming to understand, "could have at least said goodbye."

  "Weren't you about to feast on his soul?" Skorpius asked shrewdly.

  "I was only going to have a taste and find out if it was still the same," Leo shrugged and I couldn't tell if Parthenos was rolling her eyes at him.

  "Now that we've exchanged pleasantries," came Zak, planting his axe onto a stool, "how exactly do we plan on taking down this Aries maniac?"

  Parthenos paced around the room, commanding an aura of authority once again. "We start with what we know."

  "Aries is planning on harvesting every other human soul left in this world," Pisces offered.

  "Correct," Parthenos affirmed.

  " He has less than two—" Skorpius glanced at a broken window and the skies were gradually lighting up. "—Less than one day left to exact his plan."

  "Correct," Parthenos nodded. "The only thing working for us right now is his attention on us. It is unknown how Aries plans to carry out this fete but we're the only ones standing in his way."

  "So, we'll keep on distracting him," Zak said with little enthusiasm.

  "Until his time runs out," I finished and it was clear to everyone what needed to be done, however futile it sounded.

  With Parthenos in the lead, the plan was set. A plan none of us would have come up with so meticulously if I was being honest. Parthenos was Parthenos for a reason and I would soon begin to grasp the concept as to why. My one wish was if only Pisces and I could've met her sooner.

  The plan was straight up direct and easy to comprehend but the kicker would lie in its execution. It all started at its simplest point; Pisces had to take down the protective hex and allow for Aries to reacquire our scent.

  I watched her undo the hex with a different set of complex hand movements, her eyes and hands glowing. I approached her while everyone else got ready according to the plan.

  "Do you think we'll win?" I asked her and she paused, turning to face me.

  "You can only do so much with thinking about the future," she responded, "it's your actions that will matter. That's what will determine the winner of this battle."

  "Damn," I sighed, "you've got that Parthenos wisdom flowing in you, don't you?"

  Pisces smiled and her eyes flashed. "Well, I am hoping we'll win."

  I smiled back, trying my best to hide my anxiety and Pisces saw right through me. "Hey," she said, "we've come this far, haven't we?"

  Well, I suppose she was right. "We've been through helluva lot," I said, passing a hand through my hair, "and I've done shit I thought was only impossible."

  "And you'll do more, Desmond," Pisces's tone was sincere.

  "You really believe I can do this."

  "I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you," her voice grew softer, "of course I believe." Her voice then took on a lighter tone. "And you'll be back home before you know it."

  "Yeah. . .home. . ." my voice became distant. Even the far I had come, Sacramento still felt thousands of miles away, and so did Carmen, Darcy and. . .my mother. . .

  "What is she like?" Pisces's question had pulled me out of my thoughts. "Your mother, what's she like?"

  From her face, I could already tell Pisces knew everything about my mom.

  "She's proud to have someone like you. Someone to love and to cherish. . ." I caught the tone in Pisces's voice and it dawned on me she never had parents.

  "So, you grew up alone? With no one to watch over you?" I asked.

  "Aphrodite created me."

  "You mean the goddess of love?"

  "The one and only."

  "Wow."

  "It's no fairy tale, though. Turns out I only came into existence because she needed help fleeing from Typhon."

  "Typhon?"

  "Oh, sorry," Pisces chuckled softly, "it was a sea monster that terrorized the goddess and her son, so she created me and I helped them escape. After that, she thanked me and put me high up with the stars. I thought this would bring me even closer to her but. . ."

  "You never saw her again," I finished.

  "But it wasn't all that bad," Pisces waved her arms, undoing the hex some more, "that's where I met Sage and he took me in, taught me everything I know."

  "Your—I wanna say 'childhood' still sounds far cooler than mine," I remarked humorously, "being created by a freaking god. I don't think there's anything that can top that."

  "Having a mother to guide you through the way sounds pretty incredible to me."

  "You know what," I gauged, "my mom would really like you."

  "I think I would freak her out first before we ever got to the liking part," Pisces smiled.

  "Well, duuh. You can move objects with your mind and magically heal wounds! Of course anybody would freak out," I laughed, "but I meant she'd like you, for the person-Zodiac you are."

  "Actually," I added, my mind spiraling, "come to think of it. You're already quite popular back in my world."

  "Really?" Pisces gauged, still smiling.

  "I'm not kidding. There's this music band called Nirvana."

  "Nirvana? Sounds made up."

  "Of course it's made up. That's what every music band does but the story's true. There's a song in one of their albums," I bit my lower lip, "what was the name again. . .damn!" I couldn't remember. It was right there on the tip of my tongue.

  "And what does this song say?" Pisces questioned, inferring she still didn't believe a word I was saying.

  "Well, it's only one line—"

  "Oh, really feeling popular right now."

  We both let out low snorts but not silent enough as Parthenos heard us. "A little less talking and more doing!"

  I was making myself busy when Pisces grabbed my hand. "I want you to have this."

  A small wave of swirling sapphire mist formed over my hand before morphing into a tiny glass vial no bigger than my thumb.

  "What is it?" I asked, observing the vial which felt cold against my palm.

  "A gift," was Pisces's short response.

  "And now I feel stupid for not getting you one," I joked but Pisces did not smile.

  "Keep it close to you," she said.

  "Why? What does it do?"

  "You'll know when the time comes."

  Pisces resumed her hex removal and did not say another word, leaving me to make whatever I would of the mysterious gift. I shoved down the vial in my pants' pocket and busied myself when Parthenos came to check on how Pisces was doing.

  The Drunken Barrel's wooden walls were already letting light through and it would soon be morning, heralding the day that lay ahead. One that would probably be the worst of my entire existence but I found myself going back to Pisces's words—the future didn't matter, not as much as our actions in the present.