how we saved the world •a zodiac story•

seattle superheroes

Vega, the Spirit of North Star, was not happy. He grumbled as he trudged the damp, crowded walkways of Seattle. The Keeper had some nerve giving him this task. Back in the day, Vega would be out guiding sailors, nomads, and even wise men to see the messiah. Not teenagers to seek some world reviving plasma orb.

Now, he was expected to search for and babysit twelve celestial kids from the Zodiac. Outrageous, that's how he saw it. Nevertheless, despite his disdain and loathing of having to find these kids, he reached deep down in the depths of his bag to find the list of the names he needed and where these kids are located.

First on the list- Libra. Vega's eyes scanned the rows and columns, fixating on the location which read: Seattle, WA Pike Place Market. Vega shrugged, it surely wasn't his favorite attraction Seattle had to offer, but it at least a great stop.

Pike Place Market was crowded and as the spirit of a star, he was used to being lightyears away from anything. Including Earth. In fact, he preferred to be lightyears away. Unfortunately, fate saw different.

Vega sneered at the mob of vividly joyful folks that swarmed the market. He knew he had gotten the right place when enormous red lettering spelled out "PUBLIC MARKET" with a steel frame.

"For the love of- where the hell is Libra!" his head jerked in each direction in search of a sickly cheerful girl with bouncy brown coils.

As if a blessing from the Keeper herself, his eyes narrowed in on exactly what he was looking for... a sickly cheerful girl. He grimaced at the hearty chuckles that escaped her mouth. She wasn't particularly hard to spot. The girl was essentially a spotlight- no, a beacon of light. She had a glowing tanned complexion, wide gingerbread eyes, and a laugh that could be played in symphonies. She wore a beige apron, a radiant smile and sold what Vega assumed were abnormally large bananas.

The man swam through the mob, trying, with everything left in him not to blast them with a force field. He could feel himself closing in on the freakishly large banana stand that Libra stood at. She waved sincerely at a customer and thanked them for shopping.

Vega's face lit up at finally reaching his destination until- like the flap of a fly's wing, one of his feet did not go in front of the other, leaving him suspended in mid-air. Until he felt a terrible thud, losing his sight to the trampling of passersby feet.

He groaned as feet from above mercilessly pandered sensitive regions of his body. He almost didn't hear the kind, gentle voice from above, asking the crowd to please stop what they were doing.

"Oh, my," her eyebrows clashed together on her forehead, "I know you, you're Vega!"

She extended a welcoming hand to Vega. Who, in return, declined with a glare. He struggled his way up, groaning.

"Yeah- that's me. You Libra?" he squinted at her.

"Yes sir," she beamed.

"Fantastic," he rubbed his hands together, "you're exactly who I've been lookin' for."

Libra looked around in disbelief. "Me?"

"Yeah, kid. Now listen, are ya' alone?"

"It's just me and my friend, Pisces." The gears turned in her head at this strange man. It was Seattle after all, she had to be diligent.

He internally fist-bumped. Two birds with one stone, "Perfect, I need both 'o ya. Ya' think you could spare a few minutes?"

"Sure thing!" She promptly flipped her stand sign so it read "CLOSED"

"Would you like a plantain?" she offered, "it's on the house!"

Vega mumbled the word she said, "That's these big bananas?"

"Yes sir, they're from my parents' home in Dominicá."

"That's nice, but I'll hafta pass." he declined, "I needa speak with you and your friend, Pisces."

"I completely understand," she smiled humbly, "I'll go get Pisces and you can have a seat, anywhere in the living room," she guided him into a small living quarter with an orange beat-up leather sofa and old eggshell throw pillows.

In no time, Libra appeared around the corner with another girl who looked like her. The most perceivable differences are first, Pisces had braided hair and didn't have a soft gaze. Instead, she kept a stone facade. Her lips bent downward, her mouth pressed in a straight line. Pisces, while intimidating on the outside, was just as soft and caring as her friend, Libra.

"Hello, I'm Pisces and this is Libra, neither of us is combatively useful- please fin-"

"No- no," he interrupted, "I'm not the messenger beings, I'm Vega. I'm here on behalf-" he rolled his eyes, hoping the girls would believe him, "I'm here on behalf of the Keeper."

Pisces' eyes softened, "The goddess? Wait- you're Vega?"

"The goddess sent me- to find you and the other Zodiacs."

Libra and Pisces exchanged glances. They haven't seen the other Zodiacs in years. Pisces thought of the last time she'd seen Capricorn's face.

"The Keeper is gettin' weaker, and so is the balance of the universe. To prevent the universe from dying, we need to find the Heart of Reality."

Libra nodded, "Okay- we'll go."

Pisces gave an exasperated scowl, "Are you crazy?"

"Pisces?!"

"What if you get hurt?"

"Pisces, the goddess needs us," she sighed, "and... and I'm tired of living like a human... I don't belong here and I know you want something more, too."

"You will be safe here," she insisted.

"I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees!" She recited the quote from some old white colonizer.

"Look, ladies, we don't gotta choice, nobody will be safe if we don't restore the Heart of Reality."

Libra pleaded with wistful eyes. Pisces admitted she would like to live a celestial life. An adventure didn't sound too bad.

"Okay," she nodded, "Where are we headed?"

Vega exhaled, "North. Leo, Gemini, Capricorn, and Aries are there."

"I mean to find the Heart of Reality?"

"That's... not going to be easy to access."

Pisces gave Libra an uneasy look, which Libra ignored.

"Cool! Lead the way!"

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Author's Note
Woo! The first chapter is completed! This was a really fun chapter! I love experimenting with Vega's character. Anyway, have a good day everyone, and don't forget I love feedback!!!