Virgo looked at herself in the mirror. Everything was normal. Too normal.
The purple eyes starting back at her felt so familiar, she couldn't bring herself to believe this was happening. Her bruised eye was healed completely, as if Aries's mistake had never happened.
She hasn't been home in days. Ever since the light, and her friends' crazy mutations, Virgo thought it was best to stay at her mother's. Even then, Virgo still had this uneasiness inside of her.
Leaving the bathroom, Virgo made her way downstairs. Her mother was in the back, making breakfast. Thoughts that weren't her own pooled into her head, making Virgo gasp. Not wanting to get any closer, Virgo backed away, hoping her mother's voice in her head would subside with distance.
"That won't work, Virgo." Lady Hellta called, not looking up from her tea.Virgo flinched. "I can stretch my Psychic energy for miles. But, there's no reason to be afraid."
"You-" Virgo started, taking another step back.
"Read your mind? Yes, it's one of the many abilities we share." Her mother looked back at her with a calm smile, as if this was just a regular Friday. Maybe for her mother, it was. "Come and sit, you should eat, and we should talk."
Virgo's mind was riddled with questions. She stayed rooted in the doorway. Her mother laughed, placing two bowls of oatmeal on the kitchen table, one full of raisins. Virgo's favorite. "There's nothing to fear, honey. It's still me~"
With a swallow, Virgo sat slowly in her seat. She didn't eat when her mother did. "Virgo..." Lady Hellta sighed. "Tell me, what bothers you. Let it out."
Virgo wasn't a spiller. That was for people who weren't composed, like some of her friends. But now, with all of this confusion and calmness in her mother, she simply couldn't help herself. "Who are you?!"
"I'm your mother." Lady Hellta answered, smiling.
Virgo's eye twitched. "That's not what I mean. Who are you."
"It was like I said on Monday." Lady Hellta continued, her smile not faltering for a second. "I am Hecate, the Goddess of magic and witchcraft. And you are my daughter, and that makes you a Goddess, too."
Virgo was speechless. Lady Hellta - Hecate - her mother, whatever - her eyes changed to match Virgo's. There was no denying it. It was so insane, and yet deep down, she knew it was the truth. "I am." She said, looking down at her breakfast.
Her mother didn't respond for a bit, letting the weight of her words sink in. Then, right before Virgo forced herself to eat, Hecate asked, "Do you remember anything? From... before the recycling?"
Virgo paused, processing the question. She didn't know what a recycling was, but it probably had a lot to do with why her mother looked so solemn so suddenly. "What is a recycling?"
"It's how you and the rest of the Zodiac got here." Hecate answered. She didn't meet Virgo's eyes anymore. "All of you had lives in different Realms. You and I spent our days in the Realm of the Mythical."
Her smile came back, as if fondly remembering something. Virgo focused on her mother's mind, instantly reaching a memory. Virgo saw herself, much smaller in a small cottage. The memory was so vivid, Virgo felt as though she was being teleported there herself.
She watched her younger self pour and mix unfamiliar spices and herbs in a large cauldron. Virgo gasped. I was practicing magic.
"Yes, you were quite the prodigy." Hecate commented, closing her eyes and relishing in the memory. "As soon as I taught you a spell, you could cast it perfectly... those were much simpler times..."
The memory faded from Hecate's mind and Virgo retreated to her own. Virgo couldn't keep her eyes up, either. She would have remembered doing something so surreal as making a potion. Knowing her mother could hear her, Virgo swallowed and moved on. "What happened?"
"You grew up." Hecate's fist clenched, her tone hardening. "As much as I wanted you to stay and be my disciple, you were a Zodiac Sign. The Gods needed you to protect them from the Demons."
Her mother sounded defeated. As if there was nothing she could have done. Virgo reached her hand out, holding her mother's. "I'm here now." She smiled, making her mother smile and nod, too.
"Yes, you are. As much as I hate to admit it, the recycling was the greatest thing that ever happened to me." Hecate moved her hand to hold Virgo's cheek. "You got to experience a normal life, as normal as I could make it... without any worries or danger or resets..." Her hand suddenly dropped. "Now it's all over."
Virgo gulped. All of this Zodiac stuff had gotten her mother deeply stressed out over the years. She didn't even have to read her mind to know that Hecate had completely given up.
She stiffened, grabbing her mother's hand again. "No, Mom." Virgo said, confidence steeling her voice. "It isn't over. We can win against... the bad guys."
Hecate chuckled. It was lifeless. "How? Tell me, Virgo. Do you remember any spell? Or summoning your Sacred Weapon? I doubt you even know your title..."
As much as Virgo wanted to shine some optimism her mother's way, Hecate was right. She couldn't remember a thing related to her being a magic Goddess or a Zodiac sign. None of the things she just brought up rang a bell. Even her mother's memory felt out of place, unfamiliar.
Hecate sighed, trying to smile for her daughter. "It's alright, Virgo. It isn't your fault."
"But you can help, Mom!" Virgo gave one last attempt. "You clearly remember things the rest of us don't, and with your power-"
"I can't." Hecate nearly raised her voice. Virgo snapped her mouth shut. "It's against the Divine Law. If the Gods knew... if he knew... you and the rest of your friends would be done for. It's already bad enough you were born-"
Virgo flinched. Her mother quickly corrected herself. "I didn't mean it like that. You being born broke a Law, too."
"What was the law?" Virgo narrowed her eyes, not having the heart to keep holding Hecate or the optimism.
"Under no circumstances are you allowed to be affiliated with the Zodiac at any time." Hecate recited it monotonously, as if it was burned into her memory. "I was connected to you by birth. I tried to keep it a secret... but they found out." Tears were in Hecate's eyes now, her memory forcing its way into Virgo's mind.
A Hecate that looks just like her mother, brown-skinned and dark, coily hair, was holding a baby in her arms. She was pleading before two thrones - a man and a woman sitting in each.
The man was big and tall, almost like Taurus. He was pale and had a head of neatly combed gray hair. The woman was tall too, and blond. Both of them had matching purple eyes, just like Virgo.
They looked undeniably beautiful. Still, there was a menacing aura to them, even though this was just in Hecate's head.
Hecate begged, the baby - Virgo knew it was her - not crying. "Please... please don't make me abandon her..."
"You know the Law, Hecate." The woman sneered. She sounded happy that Hecate was about to be punished. Virgo clenched her fist, reminding herself that this was nothing more than a memory. "We already were letting you stay out of Tartarus. Now you go and whore around, slandering the Divine name."
"Virgo wasn't conceived." Hecate snapped. "I... made her."
The woman was going to make another snide comment, before the man spoke up. His voice was deep, condescending. "It doesn't matter how she got here. You made a Zodiac. Now you need to make a choice."
The man stepped down from his throne, standing over Hecate. Virgo wanted to shrink, retreat from her mother's mind, but Hecate's grip was too strong on her mind. She shivered and squirmed in her seat. "Either keep the Sign or stay in the Divine Realm."
"I'll leave." Hecate answered simply. The man glared at her and snapped his fingers, the world swirling around her. Suddenly, Hecate was in the middle of a forest, still holding baby Virgo. Losing what little composure she had left, Hecate dropped to her knees and sobbed to the forest sky.
Finally, Hecate's mental grip softened and Virgo shot herself back to her own mind instantly. The heaviness of the memory left her with a headache, rubbing her temples in an attempt to ease the pain. "I'm sorry..." Hecate started, swallowing to keep herself from breaking down. "I didn't mean to pull you in like that.."
"It's okay, Mom." Virgo smiled, the headache not going away just yet. "That... must have been hard for you..."
"It was, at first, but I adjusted quickly." Hecate smiled again, small memories flooding her thoughts. Virgo was relieved that she wasn't drawn in, and enjoyed quick images of her as a child. "And so did you..."
"If I can do it once, I can do it again." Now, Virgo was at a crossroads. She didn't want to help the Gods, not after what they did to her mother. But the Demons... "What will happen if we don't stop the demons?"
"They'll slowly try to take over each of the five Realms, including this one." Hecate answered, swallowing. "Virgo, you can't let it get to that."
"Why not?" Virgo asked, glaring at her breakfast. "The Gods already rule over everything, don't they? Maybe they need to be taken down-"
"Virgo..." Hecate interrupted gently. "I know what I showed you doesn't put the Gods in the best light, but they bring order. All the Demons will bring is anarchy and chaos."
Virgo didn't respond. Hecate smiled, continuing. "You are so noble... but I'm fine. No God wants to stay in the Divine Realm anyway."
"Mom, they kicked you out for having a baby."
"Such is the Law."
Virgo bit the inside of her cheek. If it were up to her, she would have just let the Gods and Demons to fight each other. But she doubted that was an option she and her friends had. She had to fight.
With a sigh, she gave a hard look at her mother. "Well, if you already broke a Divine Law, what's the harm in breaking more?" Normally, being rebellious towards a God would sound insane to Virgo, but she couldn't care less about them. "We need your help, Mom. No one is going to take over the Realms, or reset us."
Hecate's head snapped up. "You can't stop the reset-"
"We can try. And I'm not letting you talk me out of it."
Hecate couldn't help but let out a hopeless chuckle. "Okay. I won't. And you're right, I'm already known as a Law Breaker, so might as well go down swinging. I will help you all." That made Virgo smile. "But The Cycle has to complete before we do anything."
"How long will that be?"
"You are the Sixth. A little less than a week and everyone should be back to their original forms."
"Good." Virgo didn't want to admit it, but the idea of getting - or, regaining - powers sounded exciting. Sure, it was new and uncertain, with the looming threat of death, but with her friends and family, maybe with couldn't be so sad.
"Yes," Hecate smiled, agreeing with her child. Virgo still had to get used to the whole telepath thing. "It was exciting the first time. And if we're lucky... this will be the final Cycle."
•••
Halfway done with the reawakenings! Six down, six to go! What do you think will happen to the last six signs? Only time will tell~
Stay Starry! 💫