BALAM
I reclined in the plush deck chair, enjoying the sun's warmth on my skin as the boat swayed beneath me. The boundless expanse of the sea stretched before my eyes. The azure waters merged seamlessly with the vibrant blue skies. Cradled in my hand was a crystal flute filled with bubbling champagne.
Primordial Thought had forced me onto an odyssey filled with many obstacles and daunting trials. Each test had been more complicated than the last, shaping me into someone I never expected to become. Despite attaining everything I had ever yearned for: my masculine physique, family, and memories, I was not where I needed to be.
Memories of my weakness in Atlantis haunted me, my mind returning to confinement in the demon blood-tainted water bubble; Triton had trapped Kai and me, who was once known as Taurus. We were sitting ducks; my purification magic was the only thing I could summon to keep us alive. A skill I loathed, for fear it would unravel everything I had fought hard to become, was all I had to defend myself. I was humbled, realizing I had overestimated my strength compared to Jalen, the Zodiac Pisces. When he approached me in the woods, I doubted his ability to step up to the occasion and feared that I would have to take the lead in the journey. Fortunately, Jalen had proven to be an adaptive learner of his old powers.
I took a sip from the flute and let the carbonation burn my throat. Dwelling on the past would do me no good, so I wouldn't allow myself to. I had dedicated myself to rigorously honing my abilities since we embarked. I had few plants to work with, so I focused on the deck's wood and what I could create from the depths. The Atlantean crew, all with pastel-shaded skin, helped me train. Their strength and speed were better than humans, making them great sparring partners.
With my mind, I reached for the potted monstera that sat several feet behind me and stirred the essence within it. My magic-focused style of conjuring plants only took a thought to work. Manipulation was complex; it required negotiation and coaxing, for which I needed more patience. Unlike Kai, who could manipulate the earth as he saw fit, and Jalen, who had dominion over water.
We had been sailing for three straight days, heading towards Kuwait, where the video of Aries had been produced. It wasn't guaranteed to be Aries since his face was covered in the video, but I had a good feeling about it. The sword was the unmistakable gleam of our milky white weapons coated in eerie black blood.
Based on what I could decipher from my restored memories, it made sense that he was in the desert. Most had been of him in the desert when he was not engaging in battles. From what I could pull from the jumbled mess of memories, Aries had held a special place in my heart. I recalled pieces of his face, gleaming eyes, and mouth tucked into a straight, tight line. From the general location of the video, he had chosen a place where he would fit in, around people who looked like him. We all had. Living a thousand lives taught you how weary humans could be?
I rose from the deck chair, the taste of champagne lingering on my tongue, and paced the ship's deck. As I walked, I pondered what life had been like for my fellow Zodiac Aries. None of our existences had been uncomplicated. Mine had been uniquely complex because I presented as a woman for most of it. Society had relegated me to an unequal status compared to men. I had been compelled to defend myself more than I would have preferred and confronted with dangers I doubted any other Zodiacs had to face.
When I was alone, all I had was my purity and animal commanding abilities, which weren't the strongest of offensively. I lived in the rainforest, communicating with animals, and I missed that now more than ever. I really missed my pet Ginko, whom I had to send away at the beginning of our travels. Bringing him along would only endanger him, which would not have been fair.
I was meant to be pure and motherly, while Aries was the opposite. He embodied the essence of a warrior. I daydreamed of our fights and how skillfully Aries moved through the chaos of combat, cutting down demons or whatever we had to face. I felt a sense of envy. I wanted to be like Aries.
In my early life, I did everything possible to mold myself into someone resembling him. I had fought chiefs, kings, and conquistadors throughout South America. I won many fights but was always left with an empty feeling. It took me quite a bit to admit to myself why that was.
I looked to my side and saw that one of the Atlantean crew members was growing anxious, seeing me pace back and forth, so I walked over to a railing and observed the water parting as our ship cut through it at a speed no human vessel could. The captain had taken us through a circumnavigation of Africa to reach the Gulf. The last report we received in the morning was that we were just past Madagascar.
The last time I had been on a boat this long was when I left Europe for Brazil. I had found a man to marry me who wanted to travel. Halfway through the journey, he had taken to drinking. Things went wrong, and I ended up tossing him into the Atlantic. I wish he had waited to turn on me because I barely survived a sudden storm without his help.
As I thought about my fear, I raked my fingers through my hair, which had grown longer than I typically allowed. The zodiacs didn't die like humans; only demon blood could protect us from mortality, but we still could suffer. I feared drowning, being stuck under the water, constantly expelling seawater, and then suffocating again for however long I remained under.
The salty tang of the saltwater permeated the air, filling my lungs and soothing my bones. I wondered what it must be like for Jalen to wield the power of the oceans. The night before, he had commanded the sea to sway and ripple through the air like a ribbon. He had always been great with mysticism; even after years without practice, he wielded magic better than I could ever hope. However, I could have practiced controlling magic delicately. I had studied under witches and shamans, employing their techniques as best as possible.
Deep in the forest, immersed in my studies alongside the shamans, I crossed paths with Xochiquetzal, the Aztec goddess of nature. She was a beautiful woman but dangerous. She had always told me I had already eclipsed her capability. Sadly, I had no memory of my past abilities, so her words were brushed aside. She was the one who told me that my body didn't fit who I thought I was, and one day I would change it. She was right.
After finishing the rest of the drink, I placed my glass on the ground and then squeezed tight on the railing, feeling the metal crunch against the force of my palms and fingers. Thoughts were swirling around my head like a storm. Anger raged as I recollected the harm Ophiuchus caused. I wanted to run my scythe blade through him. I knew we had several more journeys to go through before I could confront him, but he would pay for everything he had put me through when I did.
Admittedly, I didn't have too many memories of him. I could only reminisce about us fighting together in a single battle—the war between the Zodiacs and the Seven Sins. Leading the Seven Sins were the four original horsemen of the apocalypse. I didn't need my memory to know who they were. It was a part of most cultures' tales. Lucifer, Lilith, Beelzebub, and Namtar were united, wanting to shatter the world into pieces and refashion it in their twisted image.
I remembered that war as if it was yesterday. Most of my fellow Zodiacs had split off to fight a sin or horsemen alone, except for me and another Zodiac. He had a kind face and long black hair. His petite figure made him agile even in his brilliant white armor. In both hands was a shimmering battle axe. I knew him to be the Zodiac of Cancer. Like me, he stood in a supportive role in our clashes against evil forces. Therefore, we had been paired together to fight the sin of lust.
Lust was a demon whose figure changed depending on whatever aspects of beauty we admired the most. She struck us with poisons that burned my skin, but Cancer and I had managed to hold her back. I trapped her with my plants while Cancer delivered the final blow with his axes, wedging them into the back of her skull and then sending her head flying off. When we were finished, I watched as Ophiuchus swung his mace to deliver a decisive blow to Lucifer.
I loosened my grip on the railing and did my best to calm down by counting each time waves beat against the hull. I couldn't stay calm for long as I saw bubbles emerging twelve degrees to the left in the water. I wondered where it might be coming from and tried to reach out with my mind. I received nothing in return; my ability to communicate with marine life needed better development. I had lived most of my life in the forest, so there weren't many opportunities to practice that form of animal magic.
I scanned our surroundings and noticed two other outcroppings of bubbles to the right. Slowly, I realized there was a trailing wake behind them. There was an almost elliptical rhythm to the emergence and disappearance of the bubbles, which was strange. I didn't know any animal that moved in that pattern. It seemed as if something was walking. Then, in a moment of realization, it struck me that the only entity I knew that could be of such immense proportions, without the need for constant air, was limited to only one creature.
Just as the name formed in my mouth, an enormous presence erupted from the ocean, revealing itself in all its grotesque glory. A noxious, foul, fishy odor oozed from its slimy, grayish-pink skin. Rolls of flesh cascaded down its immense body, leading to a single evil red eye that seethed with hate. Just below that monstrous orb, two tusks jutted out from its gaping mouth, adding to the nightmarish face.
My heart raced as primal fear gripped me. The sight and stench of the Cyclops sent shivers down my spine, and a feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. It was a creature born from the darkest depths of the sea. This abomination combined the worst aspects of giants, demons, and sea creatures. It was here, rising from the very ocean that surrounded us.
I immediately knew Sebastian was behind it.
I summoned my scythe in its complete polearm form instead of the sickle, giving me some extra range. I didn't have many maneuvers I could make on the rocking ship and would need Jalen's help soon.
I stared into the eye of the Cyclops as two other figures emerged from the water. I recognized them immediately, Sebastian's giant guards now at full height. We had faced the woman and the man at the front of Sebastian's factory. They had to be siblings based on the features they shared. They were also standing in the water like they had a platform beneath them, and a bubble of trapped air around their faces dissolved as they rose to waist height. The filthy one-eyed beasts were experts in forming water into tools. They came from the island of Niflheim, a continent in Jotunheim surrounded by frigid seas. A fact that popped into my head the moment my brain tried to work out how they were doing it.
Just as I was about to shout to Jalen and Kai to come and help, the yacht abruptly tilted upward from the stern, sending me reeling into the chair I had previously been sitting on. The chair didn't hold its place, and I rolled with it into a wall. The cyclops roared, rumbling the ship, and I hoped that was enough to get my friends out of their cabin. I needed Kai and Jalen to win the fight, but I could not wait for them to reach me.
I swung my scythe into the wooden deck, where it became lodged. I pulled myself up and climbed, using my scythe as a pickaxe to scale the deck until I reached the edge of the upturned ship. Once I was on my feet, I steadied myself and looked at the giant figures, preparing to attack whatever came my way. If Sebastian wanted me, he would have to send more than three idiots.
I stared down at them with killer intent. My gaze locked with the male giant who sneered at me. I willed my scythe to shrink into its sickle form and threw it at the giant, who easily dodged it. With a wave of my hand, the weapon returned to my grasp in its elongated shape. The ship was still inclining upward at a dangerous rate. If we didn't knock it back down, we would capsize.
As I prepared to attack again, Jalen and Kai appeared from their quarters and stood by my side with their weapons ready, their eyes scanning the scene. Jalen, nearly as agile as myself, slammed the butt of his trident to the yacht, and I felt the density of his magic. The scent of seawater grew in intensity, and water sloshed even more violently below us. Jalen conjured a surging torrent of water, which manifested like sinuous tentacles, wrapping around the deck and forcibly returning us to the ocean's surface from where our vessel had been pitched. The boat began yawing in the tumultuous waters.
I was airborne for a few seconds as the ship fell to the surface and used the momentum to throw my scythe to hit a giant. Still, they moved through the water with little resistance and ducked out of the way. My weapon returned, once again not hitting a target. When my feet hit the deck, I scrambled to regain my bearings. Kai, the pillar of ease under fire, had his shield ready. He blocked a swell from hitting me as I tried to catch my balance as something at the rear fought against Jalen's bindings. Our weapons acted as prisms, casting rainbows under the sun's glare.
Once I had a foothold, my gaze first fell upon the Cyclops, then shifted to the two looming giants. There had to be one of either species at our rear. Either way, the odds were unfavorable. The aqueous tentacles surged and splashed, enveloping me in a gentle seawater mist as whatever was behind us tried to pull us under.
"What brings you here? I'm assuming Sebastian sent you. He hasn't called in his debt yet, so one could consider this bad business, I shouted.
The female giant's voice rumbled in response, "Sebastian has invoked the debt early. The price of this bounty are your dismembered heads."
I had always known that dealing with Sebastian was a gamble. The only real surprise was how fast his betrayal came. The giants didn't look like they were capable of reasoning. Sebastian, from what was rumored, didn't allow disobedience.
My friends and I moved into action, sensing there was no reason to keep debating. With his trident poised, Jalen extended his hand and unleashed torrents of water, propelling them toward the she-giant. She was engulfed and sent sprawling backward, creating a colossal splash that surpassed the majesty of the humpback whales breaching, which I had glimpsed when we circumnavigated South Africa.
Not esteemed for having long-range combat capabilities, Kai opted for a different approach. He hurled his large, gleaming metal shield through the air with tremendous force. The male giant narrowly evaded the projectile, avoiding having his head severed by the sharp edges of the shield.
My focus narrowed to the water surrounding the Cyclops. The one-eyed monster was the only reason the giants were a threat this far from the shores. I focused on the long blades of kelp that had adorned the streets of Atlantis. With a surge of my magic, I created a clump of the yellow-gold plant that sprouted around the cyclops's waist.
Manipulating existing nature was difficult, but creations of my mind molded to my will with ease. In seconds, the plants weaved into intricate patterns around the one-eyed monster. Its colossal arms were restricted, and I squeezed the kelp around its torso, sensing the struggling rise of its chest. It roared again and writhed against the bindings, which didn't budge. The roots of my plants gave me an additional sense. I could feel the roots building around platforms of hardened water several meters below.
I observed the other two adversaries falter, realizing their maneuverability was threatened. The two siblings had to be mountain giants. I had lived among them in the distant past. Unlike the fire and frost giants, they appeared like regular humans without any elemental abilities. What they did possess were far superior heights and monstrous strength.
Despite my setting, my mind drifted to the past. The memory of a mountain peak being obliterated by a punch caused fear to spark through me. Luckily, it seemed like the two giants were half-bloods. There was a name for them in their home world, but it escaped me. If they were full-blooded mountain giants, they would have had little issues crushing us.
To my right, Kai conceded, "I can't make any big moves from this distance." I nodded, wishing I had a few boulders for him to launch. Kai had been nauseous since waking up yesterday, so it was a miracle for him to be standing upright.
He placed a hand on me as his constellation tattoo ignited, casting a warm metallic sparkle that matched the amber shade his eyes had morphed into. Around Kai, a bright green aura pulsed rhythmically—a manifestation of his defensive magic that rolled over me through his touch. I felt like I could punch through a wall of iron.
Kai tapped his boyfriend on the shoulder, and the green aura bloomed around Jalen. With us all protected, Kai issued orders directing our actions. "I'll divert the giants' attention. Jalen, assist Balam in subduing the Cyclops."
Jalen and I moved in perfect synchrony. I relaxed the hold of my snare as he conjured a formidable wave that sent the Cyclops tilting backward. I pulled the plants toward me, and the cyclops groaned as his back cracked. We worked like a machine repeating the action, forcing roars out of the beast's mouth that shook the sea like thunder. Its roars gradually morphed into cries.
The intensity of our combined assault didn't take long to subdue the creature. Jalen summoned one last wave, his face glowing with his constellation and sweat as he formed a water ball and launched it like a missile. He had grown; I wasn't sure he needed my help to defeat the Cyclops.
Luckily, as his orb of water struck the giant, a loud crack reverberated. The cyclops's eye widened in terror, its massive form going limp within the confines of my binding. Without hesitation, I released the weeds and watched as the cyclops descended into the ocean's abyss, its life extinguished.
Our attention immediately shifted to the two giants, who sank briefly until they grew in size and trodden water. They were much less of a threat now. Kai kept hurtling his shield toward them like a cannonball. They only dodged his attack because they would dip their heads under the water and reemerge to their shoulders. We had gained the upper hand.
However, my fleeting sense of victory was soon replaced as I watched the male giant launch something in our direction. A corroded metal ball hurtled toward Jalen, striking him squarely in the chest and catapulting him into a nearby wall. A concerned crewmate darted out from behind the obstruction, quickly reaching Jalen's side and hauling his unconscious form to safety.
The tendrils Jalen had been controlling dissipated, transforming the deck into a slippery battleground. Abruptly, we were launched skyward once more. I slipped and found myself soaring through the air, my scythe disappearing. I caught a short breath of air before landing atop the upper deck, my eyes scanning the scene below, looking for the enemy that had remained hidden, and tilted the boat upward.
And there, my gaze fell upon a familiar face—Zakhar, the giant who had once flown us to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was the only reason we had made it to Atlantis promptly.
Zakhar was a striking figure, towering and powerfully built, with a few rugged scars. His blonde hair was styled in a manner closely resembling that of a soldier, accentuated by a light dusting of facial hair along his jawline and above his upper lip.
Zakhar's presence sent a shiver of disquiet through me. I didn't think of him as an enemy, but Sebastian had employed him. Zakhar was treading water, but I could still tell he was taller than the other giants. He must have been full-blooded, making him a much more formidable threat. The shadow of his submerged body dwarfed the other two giants at the front of the ship.
Determining to tame my swirling emotions, I summoned my scythe. I spun it using my enhanced speed, creating a sharp whistle as the blade of my weapon severed the air. Zakhar's steely gray eyes briefly locked with mine, but rather than maintaining the connection, he averted his gaze. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in front of me.
I heard Kai growl so loud I flinched. He said something I couldn't decipher over the ocean's roar. I wanted to help, but turning my back on an enemy was a mistake I knew not to make.
My scythe remained poised, ready to strike, as Zakhar unexpectedly released his hold on the ship. Our vessel righted itself again in response. If not for the Atlantean build, we would have capsized. The sudden movement sent me tumbling backward, my back colliding violently with the roof before I regained my footing. I was only conscious because of Kai's magic, but I felt like I had taken more damage than I should have.
With my scythe whirling in a protective circle, I remained vigilant, anticipating Zakhar's next move. To my astonishment, he raised both hands, treading water effortlessly, and gradually retreated. His actions stunned me. Our eyes locked on one another, his gaze softening as he took me in.
Recollections of our brief encounter on the helicopter surfaced in my mind. During that moment, we exchanged playful banter and light-hearted humor. I promised to keep in touch but lost my phone during the fight with Triton. We had texted while I was on the cruise and had never gone past being friendly. We barely knew one another, yet he spared me.
He moved his head to the side as if to tell me to get going. I sensed no deceit from him and heard Kai shouting again, so I acted using my gut. I propelled myself into a flip, only losing sight of Zakhar when I landed next to Kai.
When I spun, I realized I had landed in a dire situation. Kai had been backed into a corner with his formidable shield raised to his nose. The two giants had made it onto our ship. They were a size closer to humans, still over seven feet. I swiped with my scythe, catching the woman with the tip of my blade. She growled as a line of crimson appeared on her forearm.
Anger pumped through my veins hot and fast as I bellowed a fierce battle cry as the giant launched herself at me. Kai stepped between us and knocked the woman back. I followed up with a slash that the male giant quickly came up and blocked. I glanced at Kai, who looked like he was going to explode. I lunged forward with the fierceness of a jaguar, fully committed to defending my comrades and securing our survival. Injuring Jalen was going to cost them their lives.