Page 8 of Pisces Rising

The Cerulean Tear. That’s what Sag called the vessel that held her life. She was aware of the feeling that a vital part of her essence had been torn away. At least now she knew the source of that emptiness. The missing piece was the Cerulean Tear, the source of her power and connection to the stars.

She examined Sag. The air about him radiated kindness with an undercurrent of fiery passion. “Have you been down here long?” she asked, trying to glean even a shred of knowledge about her old friend.

Sag smiled, clearly pleased with her interest. "For centuries, I’ve roamed the mortal realm." His eyes were alight with a hint of adventure. "Living among the forests and scaling the mountains, I’ve become intimately acquainted with the wonders of this world." He paused, a fond smile playing on his lips as he recalled past exploits. "It was in Peru that Gem found me after she heard you fell from the stars," he continued. “You may not remember it now, but we are old friends. Despite the two of us being as different as fire and water, we’ve spent eras exploring the stars and discussing the complexities of our existence. So when I heard you were in trouble, of course, I agreed to help.”

Pisces listened intently, a sense of gratitude swelling within her for Sagittarius's steadfast loyalty. She hoped his warm nature would apply to the rest of the Zodiacs and prove invaluable in their quest to reclaim her Cerulean Tear.

Gemini shifted in her seat to face Pisces. “Obviously, we’re old friends too. How could you not love me?” She grinned impishly. “I mean, sure, sometimes I get on your nerves, and sometimes you get too sappy, but we make it work.”

In the wake of Aries’ harsh disdain, the kindness of these two made Pisces’ heart swell. Her arms flung out, pulling Gemini into a hug.

Gemini stiffened and said, “See, this is what I mean. You’re ruining it.”

Pisces released her with a smile. “Thank you for finding me.”

“No problem,” Gemini said, straightening her green jacket.

Sag exhaled and stood. “All right, we need to get to work.” With a flick of his hand, he conjured a glowing map that hung in the air, its surface adorned with twinkling points of light. "Each star represents a Zodiac and their location within the Universe," he explained, gesturing toward the shimmering spots. "Aries is on the move. Scorpio lingers on the beach."

Pisces’ curiosity was piqued. “Don’t the Zodiacs have constellations? Where are the rest of them?” She noticed the three twinkling stars that represented her, Gemini, and Sag.

Sagittarius adjusted the map and pointed to three separate points of light above the Earth. “We return to our constellations from time to time.”

Gemini nodded in agreement. “It gets boring up there century after century.”

Sag zoomed in on the map and said, Taurus is here.” He pointed to the light farthest from the other two. “Stays in his constellation the most. He likes to build things. He used to spend most of his time down here, but lately, he’s become obsessed with building a new compound in the stars.”

Pisces nodded, trying to imagine what grand structures a celestial architect would create.

Sag scanned the map again. “Capricorn is coming down to this realm, and it looks like Leo and Libra are still at Star Castle.” He glanced back at Pisces. “That’s where we all come from. It’s where we all began.” Pisces wished she could recall it, but her memory remained stubbornly blank.

Gemini laughed. “Wonder how that’s going. They’re either playing house or burning it to the ground.”

Pisces looked at Gemini questioningly.

Gemini tilted her head back and forth. “They have a love-hate relationship. For the last century, they’re either fucking or fighting.”

Sag smirked. “At least he’s over Capricorn. That wasn’t fun to live with.”

“Definitely not,” Gemini agreed.

This information caused a slew of new questions to form in Pisces’ mind. She bit her lip, embarrassed to ask. “So...do all the Zodiacs?—”

“Fuck?” Gemini said with a smirk. “Not so much anymore. But yes. For eons, we stayed in the stars, and we’ve all had our liaisons with each other. Some for longer than others. But now we’re more spread out. Sometimes even humans catch our attention.”

“I see,” Pisces said, too shy to dig any deeper into her own intimate history. But there was one thing she had to know. “And Aries?” The name left her lips in a whisper, masking the complex blend of fear, anger, and attraction she felt for the fiery horned traitor.

Sag didn’t appear eager to enter the conversation and continued looking at the map.

“That’s complicated,” Gemini said, checking to see if Sagittarius was paying attention. Then she whispered conspiratorially, “He’s been obsessed with you for ages.”

Pisces leaned closer. “Do you think he took the Tear?”

An ethereal light gleamed in Gemini’s eyes, and Pisces sensed there was a world of secrets she was itching to tell. “Well, actually, he’s the one who?—”

“Gem!” Sag barked, his tone a clear warning as he cast a hazel look at Gemini. “We don’t need any trouble with Aries.”

Gemini held out her arms in an exaggerated gesture as if presenting Pisces. “You don’t think this is going to piss him off?” When Sag didn’t respond, Gemini waved her hand and blew an irritated breath, but it was clear her bottle of secrets had been corked for now. “Anyway,” Gemini said. “With Aries, he could be driven by love or a desire for power. You can never tell with that flaming douchebag. The fire signs are usually a pain in the ass.”

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