A/N: university started again so I'm going to be very busy until the end of this semester. I'll try to update at least once a week (sometimes a bit slower), but I'm under a lot of stress right now. I will update more frequently after I get used to all my new courses and stuff.
Also, this chapter was meant to be one long chapter instead of part 1 and part 2, I decided to publish the first half because I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long for the next update

***

"COME ON CHEETO! JUST CROSS THE FINISH LINE!"

"CHAESEUNG YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"

Scorpio and Ares sat in the hallway, seeing which cat would cross the finish line first, which was basically the end of the hallway.

The cats, however, were playing with each other and occasionally glancing back at their owners.

Scorpio sighed and picked Cheeto up. "This is useless."

"Chae doesn't need to prove herself anyway." Ares brought his cat to the living room where she slept on his lap as he gently stroked her fur.

Scorpio hated Ares, but she liked how much he loved his cat. She sat down on the opposite couch. Cheeto looked up at Scorpio and softly meowed.

"I'll give you a treat later," promised Scorpio.

"Cheeto!" Ares pulled a cat treat out of his pocket and broke it in half, tossing the second half towards Scorpio's lap. Cheeto ate the treat and jumped off Scorpio's couch to sit by Ares instead.

"Don't steal my cat!"

"She just wants the other half of the treat. This is for Chae when she wakes up."

After minutes of being unable to snatch the treat from Ares, Cheeto sat back in Scorpio's lap.

Scorpio petted her cat until she received a text.

Pisces: wake up fuckers

Pie: shut the fuck up its 6:30 am

Pisces: thats not early

Aquari: what do you want

Pisces: let's all hide from Ophi

Scorpio: why

Pisces: it'll piss her off

Leon: I also discovered that our bank cards are still able to access money in Ophiuchus' account. She didn't lock us out yet

Saggi: wait I actually want to stay for this conversation

Ares: alright. Let's all hide from Ophiuchus and become classless

Leon: she can't just make us all classless

Taurus: does that mean more shopping?

Leon: YES

Cancer: shopping?

Taurus: yeah. Remember all the new clothes I sent you pictures of yesterday?

Cancer: those were really nice clothes

Taurus: 😊

Lee: I'm not playing a child's game of hide and seek

Capri: okay...

Lee: do you want to play with them?

Capri: I want to spend time with you

Lee: I guess we can play. But I'm only doing this for you

Capri: I really don't deserve you! 😁

Gem: you really don't

Lee: what?

Gem: I'm just agreeing with Capri haha

Scorpio: 🤔

Capri: what's with that emoji

Scorpio: I'm just scratching chin hairs

Scorpio: Scratchy scratch

Ares: weirdo

Scorpio: idiot!

Ares: how do people tolerate you?

Ares: oops Chae typed that

Scorpio: I watched you type it yourself

Taur: let's make a punishment for the first one to get caught

Pisces: they have to get locked in a closet for the night

Gemini: that sucks

Gem: the loser has to but everyone cheesecake

Gem: cheesecake has grown on me because of the fire signs and Scorpio

Pisces: deal

Pie: it would be more fun if the loser told everyone a secret

Sagittarius: let's start with you then

Pie: I didn't lose so I don't have to say anything

Aries: how will Ophiuchus know we're gone?

Vinn: there's a meeting scheduled for 7. Its Ophiuchus' birthday and she has nobody else to celebrate with

Cancer: somehow I don't feel bad at all

Leo: let's text each other to keep updated on Ophiuchus' location

Aquari: I'll follow her and report back to you guys

Saggi: you'll get caught

Aquari: what

Saggi: I almost forgot that you're a spy

Aquari: yeah

Saggi: I'll come along with you then

Aquari: you're my best friend. You have no choice

Saggi: I never do

Capricorn: their friendship reminds me of something

Aquarius: of what

Capricorn: of a certain pair of best friends

Sagittarius: doesn't seem familiar

Capricorn: you guys know what I mean you're just playing dumb

Libra: I'm making a new rule that you can't wake everyone up this early in the morning

Pisces: you're not the leader

Libra: Aries

Aries: I actually like early morning group chats because they annoy you guys

Virgo: do we have to lock you in a cage

Vinn: you guys have cages too?

Libra: we lock up everyone when they don't behave

Pie: we lock up the annoying people

Taur: you lock me up every time

Pie: so?

Taur: what do I do wrong

Scor: Pie just locks everyone up except Cancy, Leon, Vinn, Capri and Aquari

Leo: what if we plan a birthday surprise for the demon?

Gem: I HAVE AN IDEA

Gemini: and for once it's actually useful!

Gem: shut up less important twin

Gemini: I'm older than you. You will address me with respect! I'm thinking... superior twin Gemini. You are only allowed to call me superior twin Gemini for now on

Gem: ...

Gemini was kicked from the chat

Taurus: haha

Gem: Taurus can be my new twin brother

Cancer: WAIT

Taurus: lol sure

Cancer: but if I'm Gemini's sister, and your Gem's brother, and Gemini and Gem are twins, does this make us all quadruplets?

Gem: Cancer why did you have to ruin it with logic

Virgo: you guys need more logic anyway

Pisces: Cancer ruins everything

Vinn: it is a pretty terrible disease

Cancer: all in favour of kicking Pisces say I!

Pisces: I speak on behalf of everyone else when I say Cancer

Cancer was kicked from the chat

Sagittarius: poor Cancer

Pisces: wait why poor Cancer

Sagittarius: he got kicked

Pisces: anyone can get kicked. In fact I'm kicking myself right now. OH NO POOR PISCES

Sagittarius: ...

Pisces: I am an idiot

Pisces left the chat

Libra: these idiots...

Virgo: unfortunately they're still our idiots

Aries: he can't get out that easily

Pisces was added to the chat

Scor: so are we going to hide or just text

Taur: why can't we do both? Learn to multitask

Capricorn: does Ophiuchus have powers

Cancy: yes but she won't tell us what

Leo: probably the ability to possess people and eat their souls

Capri: she probably doesn't have powers so she pretends she has something powerful when she's probably weaker than us

Saggi: I feel like she's from an alternate universe where she's an evil twin or something. There's no other explanation for why someone could be so heartless and mean

Cancy: guys it's almost 7

Gem: my prank is almost ready

Taurus: she always has pranks prepared

Pisces: I'm helping with the prank. Ophiuchus is going to want to take a shower and wash her hair, so that'll buy you guys more time to get away

Sagittarius: I love that

Pisces: I love you too!

Pisces: ...

Pisces: FUCK

Pisces: I WAS JOKING LOL. I only just realized how that sounded. Lol good thing I'm joking that would have been awkward

Pisces: haha

Sagittarius: ...

Pisces: WHAT DO THOSE DOTS MEAN

Sagittarius: they're just dots

Cancy: everyone should stop texting now

Pisces: GOOD IDEA CANCY

***

  Ophiuchus stood on the first floor as the alarm sounded. It was activated five minutes ago, but nobody was here yet. Ophiuchus decided to see what was going on, so she stepped into the elevator to visit their rooms.

She was surprised to find a birthday cake in the middle of the elevator.

They're surprising me with a cake? They must think I'll be easier on them if they bribe me with cake on my birthday. It probably tastes like shit.

As soon as Ophiuchus picked the cake up, it exploded, green slime spraying everywhere.

In retrospect, she should have known better.

***

Taur and Cancy hid in a small coffee shop. Taur sketched in his sketch book, while Cancy read.

Taur and Cancy weren't best friends or anything, but sometimes they'd spend time with each other, reading and drawing. Sometimes they'd talk, sometimes they just wanted to be in the company of someone else while being left alone to do their own thing.

Cancy looked up from her book to see what Taur was sketching. Half of the picture was the silhouettes if a woman and a man, holding hands in front of a sunset. The yellow sun glowed around the couple, with beautiful soft green grass beneath their feet. The other half was darkness and shadows. One lonely man on the ground, reaching towards the girl, knowing he would never reach her. All around him was the same scenery, except black and grey contrasting the bright colours around the couple.

Taur noticed Cancy's gaze. "What?"

"Is that y-you, Vinn and, and Scor?"

"No."

"The girl has p-purple hair."

Taur held the drawing protectively against his chest. "So?"

"I get it."

Taur's eyes softened. Taur and Cancy knew about each other's secret crushes, and they both knew they never stood a chance.

"Sometimes I wish they'd get together," admitted Taur. "Just so that I'd be forced to move on."

Cancy nodded. "I want them t-to be happy."

"Somehow, I feel like I'd never stand a chance. Even if Vinn and Scor never start dating, I feel like Vinn still wouldn't date me."

"Like you'll always be, be friends, no matter how m-much you want her to like you?"

"I guess you feel the same way with Scor."

"Yeah."

Taurus continued his drawing, erasing some of the black charcoal. "I don't know why it has to be so hard. Why can't our crushes like us back and not like anyone else?"

"Life would b-be too easy."

"Well it certainly can't get any harder."

"Everyone knows they, they will get together. I just h-hope I find someone else." Cancy continued reading her book.

A few minutes later, she glanced at Taur's drawing. Beside the shadow guy crawling through the colourless side of the canvas, there was a girl crawling next to him. They crawled through the darkness together.

***

"Spiders!"

"Nope."

"Failing!"

"Nope."

"Death?"

"Nope."

"Scorpions."

"You'll never guess my fear."

Scorpio sighed from where she sat beside Ares in a tree, far from the hotel. They hid together to analyze each other's hiding strategy. "Yourself?"

"I'm not edgy."

Scorpio googled a list of the most common phobias. "Water! Heights!"

"You'll never guess it at this rate."

"Me guessing your phobia."

"..."

"Did I get it right?"

Ares sighed and stretched his arms. "Why am I hiding with you again?"

"So I can analyze your behaviour for anything to use against you."

"You seem to follow me around a lot. Maybe you're just in love with me."

Scorpio kicked Ares' leg. "Don't flatter yourself. You're also staying here when you're able to get up and hide somewhere else."

"You'll just follow me if I move."

"Is your phobia being followed?"

"You'll make it a lot easier for yourself if you stop guessing."

"You're just afraid I'll find out your phobia. I WILL figure it out."

"So since we're stuck up here, I might as well interrogate you to find weaknesses."

"Only if I can interrogate you too."

"What's your favourite colour?"

"How will that help you find my weakness?"

"Why would I tell you that?"

Scorpio sighed. "Blue."

"I would have guessed black."

"What's your favourite colour then?"

"I don't really have one."

"Then... what's your favourite animal?"

"The ram."

"..."

"I assume yours isn't the scorpion?"

"Cats. Insects aren't animals, they're satan's pets."

"YOU'RE AFRAID OF BUGS!" Ares grinned excitedly.

"I'm not afraid of them just because I despise them."

"Bugs." Ares pretended to write in a notebook, mimicking Scorpio who wrote all her observations in a small notebook.

"Did I ever mention how much I absolutely despise you?"

"I'm starting to think that that's code for Ares I love you. I am an unworthy rival and I will never be as cool as you."

"I'll kick your ass during the next trial."

"Meanwhile, I have to think of another dare for when you lose."

Scorpio checked her phone. "Ophiuchus just found Capri and Lee."

Ares nodded. "She'll never find us."

"So... your favourite song?"

***

"Shopping is exhausting!" Leon sighed as he sat in the food court with Taurus and Cancer, each of them carrying too many shopping bags.

"My feet are sore." Taurus glanced at the restaurants. "I would die for ice cream."

"Then let's get some Dairy Queen!" suggested Cancer.

Leon nodded. "I'll stay here and watch our bags while you guys get food."

Taurus and Cancer lined up in front of Dairy Queen.

"I'm so jealous of his hair," confessed Taurus. "Leon has perfect golden hair that looks shiny and silky even though it's so long!"

Cancer nodded. "He's a very pretty guy. At first I didn't want to be around any of the alternates, but I like being friends with Leon."

"I feel bad that he has to compete against Leo. I want Leo to win since she's our friend, but I hope Leon will be happy even if he loses."

"He said before that he's not too worried over his country. I think as long as he can live a rich life with all his clothes and friends, he'll be happy."

Taurus and Cancer ordered large blizzards, and bought one for Leon too. Leon smiled with gratitude as Taurus and Cancer returned with the ice cream.

"Wait! I almost forgot!" Leon dug through his white leather bag that matched his white sparkly dress. "I have a gift for everyone. They're friendship bracelets." He pulled out two bracelets made from coloured thread. Little beads were strung throughout the threads which were twisted carefully into different patters. He helped tie one on Taurus and Cancer's wrists.

Cancer twisted the thread bracelet around his wrist. "Thank you Leon! This is really cool."

Leon nodded. "I have one for everyone. I really don't want to give one to Lee, but he's still a zodiac and Capri would get mad if I give one to everyone else. I specifically made sure that his wasn't made with love."

"I'll make sure I take good care of it." Taurus observed the patten on her bracelet.

Cancer smiled at his phone. "Aquari just texted. Ophiuchus is no where near us."

"What do you guys want to do after shopping?" asked Taurus.

"We could go swimming," suggested Cancer.

Leon nodded. "I can't wait to put my feet in cool water."

Taurus gasped. "Or maybe we could go to a spa instead."

"Great idea!" Cancer grinned. "But we should probably bring our shopping bags back to the hotel first."

After relaxing and eating ice cream, they dropped their bags off in the hotel lobby, before heading to Leon's favourite spa.