"Hey, Mom." Scorpio held the bouquet of peonies in his hand.
The peonies around her tombstone were wilted and dried. Scorpio clicked his tongue, cursing himself for not visiting her more often.
He read her tombstone, even though he already had it memorized.
Here lies Cecilia Reyes.
October 30, 1960 - May 8, 1984
May her troubled soul find peace in the afterlife.
The words made Scorpio smile. If there was anything he believed his mother deserved, it was peace.
Putting the peonies in front of the tombstone, Scorpio sat and crossed his legs. "I haven't visited in a while," He continued. "I'm sorry."
He didn't wait for a response. "Life's getting busy. I have practice and work and classes... it's a lot. But that's just how you adult, I guess."
Scorpio opened his mouth and then quickly closed it again. He didn't want to bring up the Zodiac Cycle. No one else was around the cemetery, so if it were supposed to be a secret, Scorpio would keep it. He clutched his flowers harder as his eyes burned.
He knew he wasn't ready today. His reawakening, Scorpio didn't know what to make of it. Cancer was keeping him updated on what was happening with others. Libra had apparently grown wings yesterday. Now it was his turn.
It was cloudy, but Scorpio knew the sun was starting to set. His mother's tombstone's shadow grew longer. He couldn't read the comforting words anymore. It was almost time to leave. The last time he tried to spend the night, the watcher kicked him out.
"Mom." He started to scatter the peonies around her grave, leaving most of them at the front. "There's things happening, and... I'm gonna do the best I can. For you. And, no, I haven't forgotten about Dad."
Scorpio made a promise to take care of his dad. It's been two years since he's even thought about keeping it. But, today was a special day.
"I'll tell him goodbye." Scorpio said, looking up. The sky was filled with merging purple and orange. He smiled, his hair covering his eyes. "Just like I'm telling you goodbye, Mom. I don't think I have much more time to talk to you, especially after today. So..." Scorpio took a deep breath, getting back up again. "Bye, Mom."
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Scorpio walked his way to the entrance, leaving the peonies and his mother behind. He was proud of himself. The last three times he visited his mother, he couldn't stop crying like a bitch. Now, he was nothing more than a shell. Good. She doesn't need to see me cry.
Starting up his car, he pulled off, off to Damien Reyes.
Now for the hard part.
The route from the graveyard to his old home was a simple one. Scorpio memorized it in days. It was a little funny to him. When he was a child, he'd run away from his father. Now he's heading straight into the inferno. Mom would be proud.
Scorpio wasn't surprise when he pulled into the driveway. The house looked exactly the same from two years ago. Unkept yard. Dirty porch. Beer bottles scattered everywhere. Scorpio clicked his tongue, making sure to slam his car door loud enough.
This'll be the last day he sees me as a normal person. Scorpio knew this was a mistake. Going home was always a mistake. Still, he could never keep himself away from the old house on the outskirts of town. It was home, full of memories of sweet, sweet Cecelia.
"I can go with you." Cancer had said. She always offered. Scorpio always declined. If his dad even thought about laying a drunk hand on her, Scorpio would end his life. He didn't want to put that on Cancer's conscience. Sorry, sweetheart. This is my fight.
The door was never locked, and Scorpio didn't even knock. He went inside, and it was exactly the same as it was two years ago: creaky floors, messy living room, and a father who never left his chair. Scorpio bit his tongue.
Damien was asleep, snoring loudly with a half-empty beer bottle dangling in his hands. Just like I remember, drunk off his ass.
Scorpio dropped his bag loudly. Damien didn't wake up. "Dad." Scorpio called. Snores. "Dad." Scorpio called again, revealing all of the irritation he had. Still, only snores returned. "Dad!" He nearly screamed.
Scorpio's dad shot up, blinking. "What..." he said to himself, rubbing his head. Scorpio knew he either had a migraine, a hangover, or both. Finally, he registered his son standing in the room. He squinted at Scorpio. "What the hell are you doing here?" He wobbled to his feet, glaring at his son.
Scorpio lied through his teeth. "I wanted to visit you." He sucked in his cheeks, fighting back a smile. "Can't a son visit his father without being questioned?"
Damien spat on the floor, staggering to his feet. Scorpio was taller than him now, it made the fight against his smile harder. He knew a fight was coming. "You... just want some fucking money... you always want fucking money!"
"No, Dad." Scorpio kept his tone even. He would have raised his fist if he raised his voice. "You want money from me. You know, the teenage son with student loans? The teenage son that you left behind in bars when he was eight?"
Damien laughed. Scorpio gritted his teeth. "You needed to toughen up, I did you a favor!" He couldn't even stand properly, swaying side to side. "Now look at you, winning state championships!"
Scorpio couldn't stop a harsh laugh leaving his throat. "You never came to a single meet. Probably too piss drunk to even think straight. Or fucking some whore-"
It was Damien's turn to scoff. "Like you have any room to talk, that bitch you call a mother was sluttier than any other-"
Scorpio didn't let him finish. He grabbed his father by the neck, slamming him to the nearest wall. Scorpio squeezed, savoring the choking sounds spewing from Damien's mouth. "You don't have the right." Scorpio seethed, snarling. "You'll never have the right to talk about her that way."
Maybe it was the irony, but Scorpio might have been enjoying this too much. It felt so good to finally be the one sending him pain.
Wait... Before he could get another squeeze in, Scorpio had his senses return to him. As fun as it was to finally be the monster, he didn't want to be like his father. I'm better than this.
Scorpio dropped his father. Damien coughed and gasped, the shit-eating smirk not leaving Scorpio's face as he watched. The drunk man tried to get on his feet to swing at his son, but Scorpio easily moved out the way. As he went up the familiar stairs, his father shouted slurs and curses at Scorpio, telling him that he looked like the bitch that gave birth to him.
Good. I look more like her and less like you.
First door on the right. Scorpio's room. It was still the same, except drawers were pulled open. Scorpio wasn't surprised; Damien always thought his lying son of a bitch of a son had a hidden stash of cash or condoms somewhere.
Other than drawers, everything else was the same as he left it. His sheets, his desk with pictures, several cracks in the walls and the eternally damned closet. Walking inside, he took a deep breath, inhaling the memories.
The bed was too small for him. Scorpio never remembered getting bigger ones as he got older. Still, Scorpio curled his knees and laid down on it, his eyes fixated on the corner of his room. She used to rock me to sleep...
"And now she's dead." Scorpio mumbled.
Scorpio would never forget that day. He had to walk himself home from school. Mom was in an alley, kissing another man, taking money from him. The man pulled out a knife, stabbed her, stabbed her, stabbed her until blood was coming up from her mouth. There was so much blood. She fell to the ground and the man ran, not seeing Scorpio. He was too late. He couldn't save her.
Scorpio forced himself back to reality. Relax... that was 14 years ago. It's over now. There's nothing you can do. His vision blurred and his hands felt sweaty. It was beyond difficult to focus as he was seconds from sobbing into his pillow.
That's when the pain set in.
It was like a burning in his lower back. Pain. That meant he was reawakening. He bit into his tongue so hard he could taste his blood. Maybe the crazy was finally starting to set in, but Scorpio enjoyed the taste.
Before the pain seared down his back, Scorpio grabbed his pillow and bit into it, cushioning his screams. Just like old times... It was agonizing, a lot more agonizing than he would have imagined.
He wanted to pass out. Maybe it would be too much and he'd die and see Mommy again. That would be nice. Tears were streaming down his face and Scorpio couldn't tell if it was from the pain or from missing his mother.
Digging his nails into the mattress, Scorpio made himself hold onto his conscience. Passing out, dying, that was the easy way out. So his reawakening wants to be a bitch? Fine. Scorpio was a master at being a bitch right back.
The last burst of pain made him shake, swallowing a rugged scream. And, just like that it was over. His vision was spotty, and he was sweaty and breathless, but it was over.
Scorpio had to sit up slowly. He looked at his hands. Nothing was different. Just as clammy as before. Running his tongue over his teeth, he realized they were sharper. That's it?
When he stood, he felt a heaviness on his back. Looking down, he gasped when he saw the giant scorpion tail attached to him, menacingly swaying.
"Holy shit..." He whispered. Swallowing, he tried to move it. It felt like a heavier arm; its reflexes were slow but nothing Scorpio couldn't work on.
He hummed, pretty content with the transformation. Sure, knowing his friends can turn into dragons and wolves made him a little jealous but there was power in simplicity.
Scorpio suddenly gasped again. There was something else festering within him. He still had control of his body - a few small swings of his tail confirmed that - but there was this aggravating emotion, scratching at his soul. What am I feeling?!
"Damn boy!" Damien slurred from downstairs. Scorpio glanced at his door. "I don't feel like cooking so make your ass useful and get me some damn takeout!"
Scorpio's eye twitched as the emotion became clear as day.
Oh. It's bloodlust.
He finally let himself smile, ripping open the door. It nearly broke of ig it's hinges and the knob was dented in coarse ways. Super strength, cool.
Damien was still downstairs, in the kitchen. It was just as dirty as the rest of the house. He was rummaging through the fridge and pulled out another beer. Scorpio openly groaned.
"Got a problem, boy?" Damien growled. Scorpio didn't flinch, letting his swaying tail do the talking. His father stared at it. "The fuck is that?"
"Something new." Scorpio answered simply. "Wanna test it out?" He had been fighting his sadistic grin, but as his father backed away from him in drunk fear, Scorpio couldn't help but let it show. His laugh resonated through the small kitchen before he lunged.
Scorpio had no idea how fast he'd be. He felt like a blur, ramming his father into the wall again. This time, cracks formed. Damien shivered, begged for Scorpio to let him go. This only made him laugh harder.
"Look at you." Scorpio clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "In the face of death itself, you beg for your life as if it matters. I can kill you right now, in any way I want." Suddenly, Damien was dropped on the floor, shaking and sweaty. "But I won't."
Scorpio squatted down in front of his father. He only just realized that there was this strange darkness swirling around his fingers. It didn't hurt, so he paid it no mind. When he poked his father, the darkness burned through his shirt, into his skin. Damien screamed.
"There." Scorpio pulled his finger back. I like this. "Now you'll always remember that I spared your life. This will be the last act of mercy I will ever show you."
Damien had dark skin, just like Scorpio, but he noticed his father was paling. Scorpio stood back up, smirking as he casually walked to the back door. "Oh, and one last thing." Scorpio added, opening the back door and letting the cool October air whip through his curls. "If you tell anyone what you saw tonight, I'll kill you. Bye, Dad."
He slammed the door behind him, walking into the dense woods. Satisfied, his tail happily swayed behind him. Scorpio opened and closed his hand as he walked, observing the strange energy swirling around his chocolate hands. Maybe Hecate could tell him about it later.
For now, he tested out what he knew: his strength. Licking his lips, he bent his legs to shoot twenty feet in the air. Landing effortlessly on his feet in a branch, Scorpio breathed in the night air. The moon wasn't full, but it was bright.
He let himself sit down, take in the scenery. Scorpio wasn't even close to tired, not physically. I almost killed my dad. And I loved every second of it. Something is wrong with me.
There was the quickly dismissed idea of visiting Cancer or Pisces. He didn't want to bother either of them. Besides, it wasn't like he actually murdered his father, his abuser. If anything, Scorpio's actions today made himself proud. I have self-control.
Maybe this monster thing won't be so bad.
•••
Eight down, only the last four to go! I'm so excited to finish these up, that's when the real fun begins.
Anyway, college is starting up for me so updates will be slower!
Stay Starry! 💫