Cancer POV

The airship descended slowly through the clouds. I peered out the window at the glittering mansion, my arm around Taurus.

"I really hope you guys get them out of there," Taurus said, cradling his ankle.

"Don't worry, we will," Aries reassured, poking her head out the window. "I'm gonna go land it real quick." She rushed out of the room and Taurus pouted.

"I can't believe I'm not coming."

"Don't worry," I said. "It'll be fine. You need to get that ankle checked, anyways."

Taurus pouted some more and massaged his ankle. "Don't do that," I said gently, taking away his hand. "It'll only make it hurt more."

He frowned. "Really?"

I shrugged. "I'm not a medical expert, but I have a feeling."

He set his foot down with some difficulty. "Alright."

Just then, the ship started to descent, sliding through the trees easily. It swerved around the mansion until it found the place where the other teams' airships were parked. There were two. The first team had come in on a dragon, apparently.

Aries popped back in the room. "Okay guys, this is where me and Cancer get off. Wish us luck, Taurus?"

"Oh, am I staying in here while you guys get off?" he asked.

I patted him on the head. "Don't worry."

He looked like he was contemplating something, then said," I'll accompany you guys to the entrance. I can walk that far."

Aries shrugged. "Fine by me."

I helped Taurus up to the entrance door of the airship. Aries pushed it open and hopped out, gesturing for me to do the same.

Taurus gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and pushed me out gently. "Be safe," he said, stepping back as the door automatically closed.

I touched my cheek, confused, staring at the porthole window-less door. "What just happened?"

Aries smirked. "Strange that the door needs manual force to open but can automatically close, don't you think?" She turned on her heel and gestured for me to follow. "Come on."

Taurus POV

I stood behind the door blushing furiously. Did I just . . kiss Cancer? What about Zayne? What about him?

I shook my head to clear it and peered at my ankle. Sure, it hurt every time I walked, but I could still do things with it. Treating it would have to wait.

I stumbled to the mini captain's room and opened the door, looking in. Aries and Cancer would probably wait to see the airship take off, so I went over to the GPS panel-thingy and set the route to a small clearing not far from here, in the direction of the Sanctuary, so they would think I was going there.

The airship lifted up and I wobbled, holding onto the panel to steady myself. I saw through the windows it gliding away from the mansion, and I felt safe knowing that Aries and Cancer thought I was going back.

How wrong they were.

I was surprised that they didn't think of me turning the ship around earlier. I wanted to come, and so I would. My ankle would mean nothing.

I reached the clearing and set the path back to the Eversons'.

Cancer POV

I was surprised at how easy it was to get inside the mansion.

"What did Pisces say again?" I whispered to Aries.

She checked her phone. "Well, we have to get to a waiting room? Gemini said that we should be on our way, since we took the third hallway to the right."

"Thank goodness this Realm has free internet," I said in relief as we hid behind a column to hide from a passing guard. "I'm kinda surprised at how easy this is."

"Don't jinx us, dude," Aries hissed, easing us out into the hallway again. We were almost out of it when Aries's phone dinged, and she pushed both of us into a closet.

"What now?" she grumbled, checking her phone. I had a feeling that the reason the two of us were in a closet was so she could check her messages and nothing else, and I was relieved.

She widened her eyes and shoved her phone in my face. "LOOK."

"Not so loud," I said, pushing it away slightly. I read the messages.

Gems: GUYS THEY'VE MOVED US

capricutie: yeah we have no idea where we are

"Well then reply!" I said, my stomach turning in worry.

She did and said, "They have no idea where they are. Pisces said that she thinks the guard moved them to higher ground."

"Well, ask her if she saw anything while she was being moved," I urged. "We can't stay in this closet forever."

She nodded and typed. "Um . . she said that the guards knocked them out but that she woke halfway up and saw . . . stairs? With gargoyles on either side?"

I opened the door of the closet and peeked out. The waiting room was clear at the end of the hallway. I could see a pair of stairs leading away from them, with gargoyles on either side.

I sighed. "This is gonna be a long day."

Taurus POV

The airship had reached the Eversons' mansion, but I did something a little different and led it higher, to the windows. I matched the door up to one of the open windows (it was hard) and found the feature that led it slide open automatically and close after thirty seconds.

As the door slid open, I twisted the over-large sleeve of my hoodie uncertainly. Was this actually a good idea? But I had no choice but to climb out of the door and into the window, gritting my teeth as my ankle sent out tiny pangs of pain the entire way.

I hopped down on the floor, cringing as my ankle sent up another bolt of pain. Where to now?

I looked around the room I was in. It was a bedroom, with a large canopy bed and pink walls. It kinda looked like the dream landscape Pisces conjured the last time we were all in a dream.

I shivered and went to the door, opening it lightly. Luckily I had enough of a pain tolerance that I really didn't mind my aching ankle. I peeked out into the hallway and saw that there were no guards. "Weird," I said, going out into the hallway.

I went through several of them and found that there were no guards in any of them. Well, this isn't a castle, I reminded myself. Only a mansion that looks like one.

Suddenly, I heard extreme cursing. I gasped and rushed down the hallway I was in, running down several floors (honestly how I did that with my ankle I had no idea) and stopped when it stopped.

"Owwww," I moaned, bending down to massage my ankle. I knew that Cancer said that it was bad, but I didn't care. It was hurting enough.

"I don't care! We've seen how many staircases now?"

I widened my eyes and quickly hid behind the staircase, waiting as more footsteps came closer. That was definitely Aries's voice.

"Calm down, we can't get caught. You know that Taurus can't rescue us with his ankle."

I furrowed my brow. It hurt to hear Cancer talking about me like that when I was right there.

My ankle sent another pang through my leg and I rubbed it, hoping to make it go away. I knew that the best option was rest, but I didn't feel like resting when my friends were trapped.

Aries and Cancer's voices quieted down, and their footsteps led away. I let out a breath of relief and checked my phone. Apparently, my friends' dungeon had moved.

Do they know? I wondered. They probably did, considering they're up . . I looked out one of the windows on the other side of the hall and gaped at it. This high.

I could see mountains out of the window, and I was certain that I was only halfway up the mansion.

What??? I couldn't find Aries or Cancer, because they'd send me back to the airship and get mad at me.

So my only option is to find my friends.

Suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth and something struck me in the back of my head. I barely had time to scream before I blacked out.

*time skip*

"Ah, so the little cretin is awake." A honey-sweet voice slid into my ears and I winced, opening eye eye slowly. I had a headache; my wrists and ankles were tied, making my ankle throb.

There was a woman in front of me. She had shiny blonde hair and a perfect, fake smile. I tried to speak, but then I realized I had a gag over my face.

"Oh, I can take it out," she said, noticing my struggles. "But first I need to know what a little boy is doing in my mansion."

You're not very bright, aren't you? I wanted to spit. Both my head and my ankle were throbbing.

She reached out and pulled out my gag. That was when I realized that I was tied to a column in another room. It had couches and a fireplace. It looked like any other expensive living room.

"Now tell me," the woman said, crouching down to my level. "What. Is. Your. Name?"

She talked to me like I was four.

"Felix," I spat. It was the first name that came to my mind. I had a feeling that this was Mrs. Everson, and so I shouldn't tell her that I was one of the Zodiacs.

She narrowed her eyes. "Your full name."

"A 'please' would be nice," I grumbled.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, please tell me your full name."

"Felix Aarden."

I knew that the last name meant earth, but I hoped Mrs. Everson wouldn't make the connection.

"So . . Felix." Mrs. Everson squinted at me. "I don't see why you have any reason to be here."

"My friends," I said. "You've captured them." I then suddenly widened my eyes in pretend shock, like I wasn't supposed to say that. Capricorn and Virgo weren't the only ones who could make a plan in three seconds.

Mrs. Everson smirked. "You're a friend of the Zodiacs?"

" . . yes." I made it sound hesitant, but what I really wanted to say was And looks like you're besties with Barbie.

She laughed. "Not that you could save them. You're just a little boy."

I tensed up. She was making the same mistake with me that Dauntless made with Tris. I wasn't little. "That's mean. How many people are in your little dungeon?"

Mrs. Everson smiled evilly. "Twelve."

So she really is dumb. I mocked fake surprise. "You have all of them?"

She nodded. "My husband is downstairs counting, but after we caught the last two, that fierce girl and the calm boy . . . we have them all!" She laughed again.

I felt my stomach drop. Aries and Cancer. "How did they get caught?"

She tapped me on the nose playfully. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

I sighed. "That's why I asked, Lady Gisella."

She paused. "Lady who?"

I made a face at her. "You don't know anyways. What are you gonna do with them?"

"Well." Mrs. Everson inspected her perfectly polished nails. "We were going to hand them over to the darkness --"

"What is the darkness exactly anyways?" I asked, interrupting her. She made a face back at me.

"Human discord. Pandora's box. Whatever you want to call it. Something created out of malice and shadows that lurks in the corner of the universe. Slowly spreading over. It can curl into physical forms when it needs. It's present in every Realm, even your galaxy. It resides in the same place, same time. It's hard to describe it."

The feeling in my stomach became even colder and tried to focus on what she said before. "You were going to hand them over?"

She shrugged. "We'll gain more favor my sucking the power out of their bodies and handing it to them."

"Them." I tried to make sure I heard correctly. They're going to suck the power out of my friends.

She grinned, showing off her white teeth. "Of course, them. Who do you think are prepping and want to be the new Zodiacs?"

A/N personally I think that was a pretty good cliffhanger :D there will be a part 3 don't worry how'd u like the chapter? in my opinion I could've done better but I am planning some very interesting things for the story so YAY