Breaking Free: A Zodiac Story

Chapter 9: Rising Together

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading, commenting and voting! Just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate that you guys took the time to read and vote on my story. Thank you so much for being here! And I made a new cover for this story!

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Leo turned back to Cressida - the once beautiful princess was now hissing and spitting like a cat, her eyes a blank slate of blue and a blue mist floated around her.

"You've become far too pesky to become my playthings," Cressida snarled, her voice a serpentine hiss. "What a shame. I had been planning great things for you nine... especially you, blonde boy."

Leo glared back. "I see nothing of the beautiful princess I had fallen in love with." he replied, earning a mental facepalm from Aries and Sagittarius. "All I see is a sadistic demon who tried to torture my friends - and for that, princess, you're going to pay."

Cressida chuckled softly - the same, soprano tinkle that didn't match her current expression. "Hmph. Brave words, little one - but you are merely a child. Nine children, even - but that won't be a match for me."

Leo tensed up slightly, but refused to be deterred by her confidence. "Let's fight." he said softly, conjuring a flame in his hand. Time sped up as he hurtled towards Cressida, fire gushing from his hands.

Cressida spread her wings and shot into the air. With a hawk-like screech, illusions sprung up from the ground. Leo let out a frustrated yell as he rammed into a stone pillar that had appeared from nowhere.

"I thought these were illusions!" he yelled, rejoining one of three groups that had begun to circle around the floating princess. "They are," Gemini replied, still keeping her eyes on the princess. "Unless you really believe them."

"Huh?" Leo asked, confused by her words. Gemini was just about to answer when a tornado appeared in the middle of their circle. "Run!" Cancer shrieked, sprinting away from the column of wind.

Leo made a dash for the stone pillar he had ran into earlier. He glanced up at the princess, who seemed distracted with Aquarius's and Sagittarius's attacks. He had only gotten halfway up the pillar when a large bird-like creature appeared on the top and immediately began to peck at his fingers.

He yelped with pain and lost his grip, only to be caught by Aquarius. "I seem to have a hobby of catching weird boys," she said with a grin. "Hey!" Leo protested, but he couldn't help but smile.

"Don't even think about flirting." Aquarius warned. "Libra!" she yelled, then threw Leo into the air with surprising strength.

A large eagle shot through the air and caught Leo. "Get past her defences!" Libra yelled up at Leo, before throwing up a forcefield of air to protect Leo from a rain of arrows. Leo was just about to give him a thumbs up when the eagle whisked him away.

While Leo attempted to rain fire down on Cressida, Pisces was sprinting across the ground, summoning jets of water to knock away any pieces of debris that would fall towards any of her allies. "Cancer!" she called, hurrying over to her friend.

Cancer looked up, but her mind was still focused on her task - healing Sagittarius. "Thanks," Sagittarius said as her wound closed up. She inhaled deeply and sprinted back into the fray.

"Hey Pisces," Cancer said, her eyes darting across the battlefield. "Are you injured?"

"Me? Um, no, but I think you should help out Scorpio and Aries. They seem to be having a hard time."

Cancer's eyes widened slightly. "Me? But I'm just a healer. I can't... fight -"

Pisces shook her head at her worried-looking friend. "Cancer... we both know that... we want to help. Believe in yourself, Cancer!"