The Astro-Zodiacs 2

Chapter 16: The Gamma Virginis star

        Later, the Zodiacs returned the Zeta Piscium star to the sky after finding it in Aldebaran. "Back to the sky, into the constellation." said Shanda, proudly. "We can't give up on our friend Zerlina and her mother Lariah."

"If they have balance scales, I hope so." said Ted.

"That's right, Ted! Let's go to Beta Librae!"

"Beta who?" Tasha was confused.

The group went to Beta Librae where the inhabitants lived with balance scales. As a result, they end up getting shrunk after they get inside the star. When they got up, the rest of the Zodiacs gasped in shock and realized that they are small due to the effect.

"Oh my gosh! We're pint-sized!" Claribel was shocked. "Why you took us to Beta Librae, Shanda?"

"I watched every episodes of Doctor Who focusing on size change!" said Candy.

"No need to panic, everyone. Let's get out of this thing." Shanda calmed them down as she led them to follow her in order to escape from the balance scales before landing in the floor. "This is the place where we'll find; Gamma Virginis."

"Gamma Virginis?"

"In history, they said that the star was hidden in the middle of a balance scale. It can only be open with a weight when is weighed against an useful item." said Mike.

"What kind of weight we'll find?" Tasha put her hands in her jacket pocket.

"A piece of rock can help, I guess." said Argus.

"Or else, an anvil to crush your foot painfully." Claribel joked as she taunted Helene.

"Claribel! Cut it out!" She stopped her.

"Guys, let's find the balance scale. I think the scale will help."

Moments later, the Zodiacs are standing close to a statue of virgo holding scales. They stared at it as they looked something from inside the statue. "Look at that woman. She's carrying the scales and there's no one here to stop us." said Shanda.

"Especially foes." Lina claimed.

"The Gamma Virginis star is shining like the other stars." said Gina.

"But, where we'll find something?" Helene asked as she saw a pebble and picked it up, much to Shanda and her friends' confusion. "It's a pebble, guys. Let's test it." She said as she put the pebble in the scale and awaited for an answer. "Come on, make it work, make it work!" Helene chanted as she realized that the pebble didn't work with the scales. "Awww...."

"It didn't work, Helene." Shanda picked up a piece of rock and placed it in the scale. Due to its weight, the scales weighed and awaited for an answer. However, the statue and the scales began shaking magically and the Gamma Virginis star popped out of the middle of the balance scales, surprising them. "Woah..."

"The Gamma Virginis star!" Abby caught the star with her hand. "It was hidden in the statue!"

"No way!" Tasha was surprised.

"This is amazing!" Candy exclaimed in excitement.

"Let's put this star back to the sky!" Argus exclaimed as Emalia showed up after being defeated. With a deranged smile in her face and her hair unkempt, she is ready to steal the Gamma Virginis star for herself. "Uh-oh."

"Hello, Zodiacs." She greeted them before pulling out her stick to hit the group, only to realize that they are gone. "What?! Where are they?!" She asked as she saw the Zodiacs rushing to escape. "The Gamma Virginis star is mine!!!!"

"Emalia was defeated in Delta Capricorni and she wants to steal the star!" said Mort.

"How she found us here?!" Gina asked.

"I don't know! Let's keep going!" said Lina.

"Dacia is the one who sent her! But she's not her henchwoman anymore!" Shanda stated as she shoved a man. "Outta my way! There's a street rat chasing us!"

The Zodiacs kept running as they reached the same balance scale before launching themselves to the sky. Along the way, Emalia bumped to the man, making him to drop the balance scales. "Get out of the way, you silly! There's a group of kids stealing the Gamma Virginis star!"

"Do you think they're stealing?" The man stared at her menacingly, forcing her to run away with fear.

Back to the floating planet, after escaping from Emalia, the Zodiacs returned the Gamma Virginis star to the sky. "There we go. There's nothing to worry about." said Shanda as she put her fist in the air joyfully. "Looks like we got this!"

"Yeah! So, where we'll go now? We got the Gamma Virginis star!" said Ted.

"Let's see...Regulus is the place where we encountered many lions." Lina explained. "We were there when that lion appeared and tried to eat us."

"Well, what are we weaiting for?! Let's go to Regulus!" Helene exclaimed happily.

The Astro-Zodiacs launched themselves to the sky in order to go to Regulus. Meanwhile, in Zodiaci Tenebris, Dacia is watching them through a crystal ball and noticed that they are going to find one of the stars in the constellation of Capricornus: Gamma Capricorni. "They're on their way to find the Gamma Capricorni star. The kids...must be killed!" She said to herself as she snapped her fingers to disappear magically with darkness. In her cell, Zerlina is dreaming of herself being reunited with her mother and remembering the days that she used to spend time with her.

"I used to watch the stars with my mom. I used to live in the Zodiac World, I used to interact with the residents." She said to herself as she remembered the year where she was a little girl.

"Wow...She Did?" said Young Zerlina.

"Of course, sweetheart. This one right there is the Sheratan, the second brightest star in the constellation." said Lariah.

However, her life was changed where she saw herself being placed by her mother as she prepared to confront Dacia. "Mother! What are you gonna do?! Don't leave me!" Young Zerlina begged as she watched her mother closing her eyes. Then, Zerlina was transformed into a petal and floated away. Back to the present, Zerlina remembered that Lariah is the one who sacrificed herself to send her daughter away from being kidnapped.

"I was a little girl..." She said to herself.