CHAPTER 3
Grayson shivered one minute, sweated the next. Whatever plagued him affected his entire body; every nerve ending and cell boiled with agitation. In the midst of all that turmoil, he also dreamed.
He imagined his final hockey game interrupted by monsters that exploded from the ice.
Insane creatures that he fought and lost to as they overwhelmed and tore at his flesh.
On the cusp of death, he heard a voice asking if he’d like to be a hero.
Saying yes had him transported to a room straight out of The Mummy movie.
Stone block walls with intricate carved patterns.
A recessed niche displaying clear jars filled with sparkly dust, a powder liberally sprinkled all over his body.
Oddest of all, the strangers in his dream claiming he’d become some kind of warrior.
Ha.
While he might not remember how he actually got injured or sick—Monsters my ass!
—Grayson recognized he must be on some epic kind of drugs.
How else to explain the vivid hallucinations?
Had he even skated onto the ice before his illness took him down?
Didn’t matter. He obviously never made it to the end of the game, a bummer way to end his career.
As the war within his body eased, he fell into a deep sleep, the kind that turned off even the brain. When he woke, he lay still for a moment, assessing how he felt. Great. Nothing hurt. Whatever ailed him must have passed.
He opened his eyes, expecting to find himself either in his hotel room or a hospital. Wrong on both counts. He stared at a stone block ceiling. The same as in his dream. Kind of fucked. Had he not truly woken?
“New guy’s regained consciousness,” someone stated, which led to him being surrounded by several men, big, hardened, and filthy, as if they’d been dipped in mud. Kind of daunting, to be honest.
“Welcome back,” stated the fellow he recognized as being the one who’d been shooting monsters in his dream. “And before you ask again, you’re not in Hell or Heaven. You haven’t died but have instead been granted a second chance at life.”
“Geezus Christ. I’m obviously either still sleeping or hallucinating.”
One of the dudes flicked his earlobe, causing Grayson to yelp. “Ow, what the fuck?”
“Proving you’re awake,” said the fellow with a brutish mien.
Grayson sat up and glanced around, utterly confused. “If that’s true, then where am I, and who the fuck are you?”
“We are the Zodiac Warriors, and you’re currently in our base of operation, the Tower of Babel.”
The claim had Grayson snorting. “Yeah, right I am.”
The fellow from the arena pursed his lips. “Let me ask you a question. When those creatures grievously injured you, did you happen to hear a voice in your head asking if you wanted to serve humanity or something along those lines?”
The reminder knitted his brow. “How did you know?”
“Because that’s what happens to everyone who is chosen to be a Zodiac Warrior. We do something usually quite heroic, but instead of dying for our good deed, an Astraeus, who is a type of celestial deity, offers us a chance to live, so long as we promise to defend Earth from threats.”
The guy spewed that bullshit so seriously Grayson almost believed him. Then the ridiculousness hit him, and he laughed. “Holy fuck, buddy, you almost had me. But come on, a celestial deity? Why not just claim God saved me?”
“Because God didn’t, although I’m sure some would liken the Astraeus to gods, given their incredible power.”
“Power to do what?”
“Ensure you didn’t die, for one,” the fellow’s dry reply. “You will discover increased stamina, strength—”
Grayson interrupted. “Already pretty strong and, for a guy my age, ain’t lacking for energy.”
“You’ll find yourself with even more endurance now, as well as being more or less impervious to temperature, more tolerant of pain, and, with your new tattoo linking you to your constellation, able to remove yourself from any situation with a simple thought.”
“What tattoo?” Grayson barked. He’d been one of the few who never showed an interest in getting inked.
“You’ll see.”
“Like fuck. I never agreed to no tattoo, and I’m gonna sue your asses if you marked me up while I was unconscious.”
“Good luck with that,” stated the man who’d flicked him.
“I realize this is a lot to take in. Once you’ve had a chance to bathe and get some food in you, we can discuss this further.”
“Discuss what? The fact you’re nuts?”
“At times like these, I wish the Astraeus did a better job of educating new recruits instead of leaving it to us. I’ve got better things to do than argue,” groused the man from the arena.
“Well, excuse me for not swallowing your bullshit. You’re asking me to believe some space god saved my life. Let me guess, you’re all space fighters too?” Grayson’s glance bounced around, noting the several men all slathered in the same muddy shit covering his body.
“Everyone in this room is a Zodiac Warrior. For centuries, we’ve been defending our planet against threats both homegrown and galactic.”
“Zodiac, as in the horoscope?” This conversation kept getting wilder and wilder.
A guy walking past snorted. “Those things are never fucking right. Take me, for example. Pisces, supposed to be artistic and shit, but best I can do is draw stick people.”
“Pisces, that’s the fish,” Grayson stated.
The arena fellow nodded. “That is correct. I am Aries, symbolized by the Ram. Over there we have Leo, Gemini, Virgo, and Cancer.”
“So if I’m one of you, who does that make me?” Grayson struggled believing any of this while, at the same time, recognizing everything felt too real for it to be a dream. A prank perhaps?
“You will henceforth be known as Libra.”
“The scales? Fuck that. I want one of the cool names, like Taurus or Scorpio.”
“I’m afraid those constellations are already taken.”
“Well, that sucks. How do you expect me to be some kind of superhero with such a lame moniker?”
“You’ll get used to it,” Aries’ wry reply.
“Or we could stick to my real name, Grayson.”
“Now that you are one of us, you will be expected to leave behind your old life, which includes forgetting your name and any personal attachments you might have had.”
“I never agreed to that.”
“You accepted the Astraeus’ offer,” Aries countered.
“As I lay dying, a voice in my head asked if I wanted to be a hero. Being kind of out of it at the time, I said yes, but seems to me like these terms and conditions should have been mentioned beforehand.”
Aries sighed. “Agreed, but I’m not the one to argue with. Take it up with your constellation.”
“Maybe I will.” Once Grayson figured out how he was supposed to talk to some star god. Geezus, that sounded dumb even in his head. “Given you are some kind of hotshot warrior, is that why you were at the game? Did you know those monsters were going to attack?”
“No, or I would have been better prepared. You’ve joined us at a most crucial moment, as it appears we’ve been invaded by aliens.”
Grayson wanted to mock, but he couldn’t help remembering those creatures, and the weapon they wielded. “What makes you say aliens? I haven’t heard any reports of hovering spaceships.”
“Remember the asteroid that exploded in space not too long ago?”
“The one that would have cracked our planet like an egg?” While some people went into full-on panic mode, Grayson refused to be distracted from prepping for the playoffs.
“The asteroid was an alien spacecraft, and we thought destroying it eliminated the threat. However, it would seem the fragments that struck earth must have contained some kind of biological matter that resulted in those creatures.”
“And now it’s up to us to kick their asses,” stated a big guy who strode past, his shirtless chest covered in mud, his back covered in a massive tattoo that reminded Grayson of a crab.
“Real life Space Invaders. Can’t wait to awe you all with my high score,” stated a man with almost-feminine features framed by long hair.
“Ha, you wish, Virgo,” scoffed another fellow. “We both know I’m a better shot.”
“This isn’t a competition.” A stern-looking Aries crossed his arms.
“Yeah, it is,” all the guys stated at once before chuckling.
“So I’m supposed to fight these aliens?” Grayson actually wouldn’t mind.
For a brief moment on the ice, when he’d been slicing and dicing, he’d felt alive, invigorated.
He’d been looking for a job so he didn’t fade into obscure retirement.
Why not as a guardian of the planet? Assuming this wasn’t all bullshit and part of an elaborate hoax.
“Sometimes we fight. Sometimes we capture. Mostly we try to ensure humanity is kept safe and, to a certain extent, oblivious to the dark underlayer of our world.”
“Why keep people unaware?”
“Some cannot handle the fact monsters are real. Others? Well, let’s just say the Salem Witch Trials taught us all what happens when fear overrides common sense.”
“When do I start kicking alien ass?”
“Soon. You’ll need some basic training first.”
“I know how to fight.” Grayson’s dry reply.
“With your fists, yes, and you were impressive with those skates, but how are you with a gun or a sword?”
His brows lifted. “A sword?” Okay, the little boy in him might have just done a happy dance.
“Aries!” A petite woman ran into the room. “You have to hurry. You and everyone you can muster.”
“What’s happened?”
“The news out of Toronto isn’t good. Those creatures that emerged in the arena are on a rampage and killing en masse.”
“Oh shit. Brothers—”
“Yeah. Yeah. No time to shower because it’s monster-killing time. Shall we keep score?” Virgo asked as he sauntered out beside the guy who’d teased him earlier.
“Fuck yeah. What’s the prize?”
“Loser has to wrangle the next Wendigo.”
“Ugh, I hate those slimy bastards.”
“We all do, bro. So deal?”
“Deal.”
Everyone left but Aries and the little woman wringing her hands. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand why I wasn’t shown the threat.”
“Not your fault, Sage. The Astraeus couldn’t see it either. Why don’t you check on little bean? I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“What? You’re going too?” Her eyes widened.
“Wouldn’t be much of a leader if I didn’t fight.”
“Hold on, you’re leaving? What about me? What am I supposed to do?” Grayson exclaimed.
Aries glanced at the woman. “Can you handle him?”
She shook her head. “Little bean will be waking from her nap and demanding food.”
“What about asking Rebecca or Ruth to give him a tour and a rundown?”
“And have their respective partners pitch a jealous fit?” Sage replied with an arched brow.
Aries glanced at the ceiling. “Tower, can you spare one of your protegees to give us a hand with our newest warrior?” Despite not seeing anything, Grayson assumed he talked to some kind of security camera.
No reply, but Aries didn’t seem concerned. “I’ll be back soon.” He dipped his head to kiss the woman. “If you do see anything, report it to Aquarius. He’ll be able to get in touch with us.” Aries glanced at Grayson. “As for you, stay here until Tower sends someone. We’ll speak more upon my return.”
With that, Aries and the woman left.
Grayson pursed his lips. Now what?
Waiting sounded boring as fuck. He hopped to his feet. Time to check out the place and see if this was truly happening or an elaborate retirement prank.