Rhoma Grace is a Cancrian Acolyte who is chosen to be the new Guardian of Cancer after a disaster kills Mother Origene. She is the protagonist of the Zodiac series.
About[]
Early Life[]
Before going to study at the Cancrian Academy on Elara, the largest moon of Cancer's constellation, Rho used to live with her parents, Kassandra and Marko Grace, and her brother, Stanton, on Cancer in the region of Kalymnos.[1]
From a young age, Rho's mother taught her as much as she could about the Zodiac and all of its Houses. She also trained Rho from as young as 4 years old to Center herself, and perform Yarrot, as she believed one was more receptive to Psynergy at a young age. Although Kassandra's training was later helpful to Rho, her mother's controlling and manic nature left Rho feeling distaste toward her mother for many years, especially since she had to watch Kassandra dote and care for Stanton like a normal child while she was treated strictly and like a student.
On Stanton's 10th birthday, when Rhoma was 7, their father decided to take them nar-clamming (fishing nar-clams) on his Strider. Rho always loved leaning her head over the side ad stare down at the tiny whirlpools that occasionally formed, swirling in various hues of blue.[2]
Since she was only 7 at the time, which is under the legal deep-diving age, she stayed on the topside with her Mom, while her Dad and Stanton dove down for nar-clams. She described her mother that day like a siren, perched on the peak of the diving board as they waited for the guys to surface with their spoils.
As Marko and Stanton resurfaced, Rho noticed more bubbles forming in the water behind them, but said nothing. It turned out to be a Maw, which then attacked Stanton and bit him deeply on the shoulder, poisoning him. Marko pulled him on board and sucked the venom out of his shoulder, while Kassandra valiantly led the Maw away from the boat underwater before slicing it in half, Rho watching through her navigational glasses.
A week later after returning home, Rho awoke one morning to find that her mother hadn't used her black seashell whistle to wake her up like usual. Instead, Rho found Stanton peering in on Kassandra and Marko through a crack in the wall; they were arguing about something out of earshot. After Kassandra exited the room, she took Stanton to their crystal room, and Kassandra instructed Stanton carefully on how to maintain her and Rho's training routine, as if she were preparing to leave. Stanton's classmate, Jewel, came by to visit, and Marko lied to her claiming Stanton was sick and unable to attend school. Rho later revealed to her that Stanton was fine, but that their parents had just fought. Jewel remarked that Stanton's involvement in his parents' arguments was "making him old". Marko took Rho to school late that day, neither of them knowing that Kassandra would disappear into the Cancrian ocean while they were gone, never to be seen again.[3]
After Kassandra's disappearance, Rho was plagued by nightmares about it, and Stanton came by to comfort her, as he always did. He told Rho a story about a little girl named Rho who is swept off of her homeworld by a terrible storm, and ends up on a smaller world with feathers for grass. The grass tickled Rho's feet, but every time she smiled, she forced herself to frown; she felt as if she couldn't be happy when her homeworld was gone. But later, she met a giant, talking bird, who told her that she shouldn't mourn the past; even if her homeworld was gone, everyone had to leave their nest eventually. After the story, Stanton told Rho "don't fear what you can't touch." [4]
Acolyte Life[]
After being accepted into the Cancrian Academy on Elara at age 12, Rho caught sight of another Cancrian boy about to board the shuttle. His family was distraught about his departure, but he cracked jokes and put on a happy face to lighten their mood. After his family had left, though, the boy broke down in tears. Rho came by to comfort him, and he introduced himself as Deke Moreten. Rho and Deke had both left siblings behind- Rho her brother, and Deke his sisters. They vowed to be substitute siblings for each other while at the Academy.[5]
Later on, while Rho was exploring the Zodai University connected to the Cancrian academy, she found herself in its massive solarium, and saw a boy practicing Yarrot. It turned out to be Mathias Thais, and although they never introduced themselves to one another, they were aware of each other's presence. Rho found comfort in Mathias's familiar routine, visiting the solarium every morning alongside him.[6] Mathias would later remark that he enjoyed seeing her ever day as well, though he seldom spoke with her.[7][8]
Rho also met Nishiko Sai during her time at the Academy. Although Nishi's Sagittarian attitude got under Rho's skin at first, she grew to love and admire it, and Nishi soon became her best friend. Rho, Nishi, and Deke eventually formed a band together called the Drowning Diamonds. Nishi performed the vocals, Deke the guitar, and Rho the drums. Although the band was originally formed as a way for the three to practice Centering, Nishi thought the band was good enough to be part of the Academy's musical showcase, though she remarked that they would need a bassist. Rho was irked by the idea of performing for a crowd, and became upset with Nishi for signing them up without discussing it.[9] After an argument, Rho decided to go on a moonwalk alone, 15 minutes before curfew, when the base would lock down for the night. She left behind her Wave, removing any means of communication from her compression suit. She ventured to the Moonstone Maze, an art project made by the Academy's students. Rho became lost in the maze, and with only 5 minutes left until the base lockdown and extremely low oxygen reserves, she rushed back to the Academy entrance. She managed to make it back safely with only moments to spare, remembering Stanton's old advice regarding diving. Afterwards, she reunited with Nishi and agreed to take part in the showcase. Assumedly, the bassist they later added to the band was Kai.[10]
During her life on Elara, Rho proved to be skilled in Centering and using an Ephemeris thanks to the training from her mother at a young age. However, she seldom used an Astralator, leading her to be untrained in its usage and thus her star readings being disregarded by her teachers and even herself. She failed her school's test due to not using an Astralator and was forced to retake it the night of the Lunar Quadract. During the test, Rho once again saw a vision she'd been having of Cancer's moon Thebe flickering and going dark, but her instructors disregarded it and demanded she use an Astralator. Without a device of her own, Dean Lylle called on Lodestar Mathias Thais and requested he lend her his mother-of-pearl Astralator, a family heirloom. He obliged, warning her not to drop it. When Rho performed the reading again with the Astralator, it seemingly proved her wrong, and showed there was no opposition in the stars.[11] During the test, Rho also caught a glimpse of a 13th constellation.[12]
During the Lunar Quadract celebration, Rho's band, the Drowning Diamonds, were scheduled to perform in Elara's crystal dome. Deke also procured 4 vials of Abyssthe for the group, which when used outside of an Ephemeris, has a mood-altering effect.[13] Nishi remarks that he probably stole it from the Zodai University's labs. The group takes it before the rest of the students arrive at the dome. As the band is performing for the celebration, a fireball crashes into Thebe, and the debris strikes the Academy compoud, destroying it. Rho and the rest of the band manage to put their suit's helmets on in time before Elara's crystal dome shatters, exposing the Acolytes to the vacuum of space. Many of them didn't have time to don their helmets and died shortly after, along with many of the students inside of the Academy compound during the attack. The survivors made their way to a nearby space port, operated by Mathias.[14]
Zodiac[]
Click "expand" to view.
Guardian of Cancer[]
After arriving at the space station Oceon 6 to reconvene with other survivors, the group learned that Cancer's Guardian, Mother Origene, was killed due to the attack on Cancer's moons, and the state of Rho's father and brother was still unknown. After arriving, Admiral Crius summoned the party and requested to speak with Rho and Mathias. The two were brought before Agatha Cleiss and Dr. Emory Eusta, who informed Rho that her mother was being charged with treason.[15] They offered her a job on Aries, but Rho immediately refused, stating her home was on Cancer.[16] As it turned out, however, this was a test; the story of Rho's mother being a traitor was a lie.[16] Next, the council offered Rho Mother Origene's Ephemeris, and Rho quickly unlocked its key and activated it.[17] By the council's request, Rho read the Ephemeris, trying to uncover the truth of what happened to Cancer's moons. Rho realized that all along, the 'flickering' of the moons she had seen wasn't that at all- she was observing the moons get consumed by Dark Matter.[18] She also witnessed Dark Matter around House Leo and Taurus, both of which had recently experienced disasters, with Leo being struck by fires and Taurus by mudslides.[19] Dr. Eusta and Admiral Crius doubted Rho's affirmations, but Agatha cautioned that only Dark Matter was powerful enough to suck a planet's energy force; this could only be done by a powerful Zodai wielding Psynergy.[20]
All of this combined proved to the council that the stars were right: Rho was meant to be the new Guardian of Cancer. Before she could react, she was escorted through Oceon 6 and greeted by her Lady of Robes, Lola, and her younger sister, Leyla. Shortly after, Rho chose Mathias to be her Guide, and he trained her in the week leading up to her swearing-in ceremony, including how to use a Ring. During their training, Mathias also revealed that his mother-of-pearl Astralator once belonged to his sister, who had died on Cancer's moon, Galene.[21][22] Nishi, Deke, Kai, and many of the other surviving students also received Zodai training.[23] After meeting with her friends again, Rho told Nishi about the 13th constellation she'd witnessed during her test, and asked Nishi to investigate the legend of the 13th House.[24]
The night of her swearing-in ceremony, Rho's attire was prepared by Lola and Leyla, but they were later interrupted when Nishiko came to deliver news of the 13th House to Rho. Every House had a tale, poem, or fable about a mysterious 13th sign, a figure whose name differed across each tale. Nishi proposed that all of the stories were talking about the same thing, and revealed that the 13th House even had a name: Ophiuchus.[25] Later that night, Rho is declared Guardian, and she swore in her council of Advisors. The rest of the Houses met with her to inform her of their plans to assist Cancer, which was impacted heavily by the debris of its moons. Afterward, she was approached by envoy Hysan Dax, to inform her Libra had delivered a tanker of fuel to Cancer.[26] After the ceremony, Rho was informed that her brother had been visiting their father on Kalymnos and thus had been safe from the strike on Thebe; both were rescued at sea, but were unable to be contacted.[27]
The council advised that Rho consult her Ephemeris, and when she did, she told them of a vision of Dark Matter in the 13th House. Her vision was doubted immediately, as the 13th House was merely a myth at the time.[28] Nishi informed Rho that Ophiuchus's old glyph was a man wielding a caduceus, a staff entwined with two snakes. According to a Capricorn myth, an alchemist named Caduceus was banished by Lord Helios for discovering a way to evade death- hinting that the Ophiuchus behind the attacks on Cancer might not be a group of people at all, but an immortal man.[29]
Desperate for more answers, Rho turned to the Collective Consciousness for help. With its help, she learned that Ophiuchus was likely the name of the 13th House's Original Guardian, since each House was named after its first Guardian as well. One tale painted Ophiuchus as a villain who, when the rest of the Original Guardians gave up their immortality, decided to find a way to restore his. Another told the story of Ophiuchus being a kind, dedicated healer who wanted to share his immortality with everyone. While she was consulting the Psy, Rho saw House Virgo and Gemini being swallowed by Dark Matter, and realized they were the targets of the next Psy attack,[30] but also heard a whispering in her head when she pulled out of the astral plane. Activating her Ephemeris again, she followed the sound to Helios, and was pulled into a passage through space- where she came face to face with Ochus himself. Ochus warned Rho that if she tried to warn the other Houses of his plans, he would kill her.[31]
Journey to the Houses[]
Without the support of her advisors, she took off with Mathias to warn the other Houses, meanwhile Rho asked Nishi to stay behind and spread the word of Ophichus across the Zodiac.[32] In their haste, they commandeered a bullet-ship- the Equinox- whose owner was still on board. Diplomatic envoy Hysan Dax of House Libra joined their adventure and proved to be an invaluable resource- only the more time they spent with him, the more Rho and Mathias realized Hysan's smile hid much more than it revealed.
Rho, Mathias, and Hysan first traveled to Gemini together, to warn the Twins of the oncoming attack. As they approached planet Argyr, however, Rho and Hysan heard a wail coming from Rho's black opal. Before anyone could react, the Equinox was struck by a Psy attack, and Rho's Ephemeris opened on its own, revealing Ophiuchus. Despite being in the astral plane, Ophiuchus was able to attack Rho physically, strangling her until Hysan activated Equinoxs shields, shutting down the attack. No one else was able to witness Ophiuchus, and Rho decided not to use the opal again, letting Hysan lock it in his strongbox.[33]Rho and Mathias were both curious about Equinoxs mysterious Psy shield, but Hysan refused to reveal anything about it.[34]
After reaching Gemini, Hysan supplied them with Veil collars so they could make their way to Gemini's Guardians unseen, although Rho and Mathias were both wary toward the deception.[35] Neither Twin believed Rho's warning, but Twin Caaseum decided to join the trio on their journey to Libra and Virgo.[36] On their way, he warned Rho that she was being deceived, and seemed to take special interest in her black opal. He wanted to try using it, but Rho refused, since Ophiuchus could use it to track them.[37]
By Hysan's request, the trio made a stop at House Libra. To get there, they performed a gravity slingshot around Helios. Hysan also locked Mathias out of Equinox's controls on their way to Libra, only furthering the rift between them.[38]However, Mathias discovered how to access Equinox's teaching crown, a program for ships outfitted for long-distance travel. The crown stores important knowledge so that Libran pilots never leave home without their most precious information.[39] Equinox's is activated by speaking the word tome, and Rho and Mathias tried to ask it questions about Hysan and his Psy shield, to no avail.[40]
Mathias also decided to give Rho his mother-of-pearl Astralator, telling her that his sister had given it to him after he graduated the academy and became a Zodai.[41] The two attempted to ask Tome one final question, about the Guardian of Libra, before Hysan caught them and informed them they would arrive at Libra shortly.[42]
After arriving on the planet of Kythera, the three convened with Libra's Guardian, Lord Neith, to warn him of the ongoing attacks. Lord Neith disregarded the warning but invited them to a grand feast, which Caaseum insisted on attending.[43] However, after Mathias noticed something strange about Neith, he and Rho snuck back into his meeting room instead of attending the feast, where they discovered Neith was really an android invented by Hysan- who is also the true Guardian of Libra.[44]
On their way to Virgo, the group received the first report of the still unnamed Marad, when a group of armed pirates hijacked a fleet of Taurian frigates and took the entire crew hostage.[45] Rho also watched a broadcast of Nishi performing a reprise of their song "Across the Zodiac", with new lyrics written in support of Rho.[46]
After arriving on Virgo, Rho spotted a newsfeed of immigrant Scorp workers on Sagittarius starting a revolt.[47] The trio then rushed to warn Empress Moira of an imminent Psy attack on her House. While Mathias and Hysan waited outside, Rho spoke with Moira in private. Moira didn't believe her claims, and activated her Ephemeris to show Rho that her omen was incorrect. Rho tried to warn Moira not to use her Ephemeris, but it was too late, as Ochus appeared and attacked Moira and Rho both viciously, and launched his Psy attack on Virgo.[48] Before Moira fell unconscious, she ordered Rho to travel to Aries for the Plenum and warn the other Houses about Ochus and the 13th House. Rho stayed with Moira until a medic arrived to treat her, then fled with Mathias and an injured Hysan back to the Equinox. As Virgo burned around them, Caaseum escaped the ship in a life pod, taking Rho's black opal with him.[49] Mathias and Rho attempted to rescue Virgos from the ongoing destruction as Equinox departed, but the destruction was too severe to pick up any survivors.[50]
On their way there, Mathias went through Hysan's weapons cache while the Libran recovered in the ship's healing pod. Along with a plethora of different weapons, they find a variety of spy gear.[51] After Rho revealed that Caasy had stolen her black opal, Hysan grew alert, and requested to speak with Rho alone- both Mathias and Rho refused. Hysan was forced to reveal a secret only Guardians were meant to know in front of Mathias, being that each House possessed a Talisman containing the power and essence of each House. The Talisman was passed on to each new Guardian, and not even the Guardian's closest Advisors could know about it. As it turned out, the black opal Caaseum stole was House Cancer's Talisman.[52]
Later on their way to Aries, Rho caught Hysan going through Mathias's cabin, but agreed not to alert the Zodai for the sake of keeping the peace between the two guys.[53]
The Plenum[]
After arriving on Phaetonis, Aries' inhabited planet, the trio snuck into the city of Marson to request an audience in the hippodrome with the representatives of the other 11 Houses. While there, Mathias and Rho stayed in Cancer's embassy of the International Village with Mathias's parents, while Hysan stayed in the Libran embassy.[54] Cancer's Ambassador, Sirna, arrived not long after to help organize the meeting, though she was extremely critical of Rho and her decision to travel across the Zodiac to warn the other houses of Ochus. She helped Rho regardless, as she was required to as her Ambassador. Sirna filled Rho in on the devastation Cancer was enduring, and that her father and brother had gone missing.[55] After making Rho swear not to tell anyone, Sirna also revealed that she oversees a group of agents in the Cancrian Secret Service, and that her agents had discovered a clandestine army gathering on the Ariean planet of Phobos, which would later become the Marad.[56]
Before the first Plenum began, Rho was approached by a holographic Dr. Eusta, sent by Admiral Crius, who warned her diligently not to go through with the meeting. However, Rho later realized that not only had Dr. Eusta passed away, but his hologram had no time lag, and thus would've had to be broadcasted from near by.[57][58] The Plenum began as planned, and Rho gave a speech warning the other Houses about the 13th House. During the Plenum, a group of Rho's admirers ran in to cheer her on.[59] However, Charon from Scorpio challenged Rho's statements, mocking her and presenting evidence that the disasters caused on Cancer's moons as well as on Virgo were really caused by the failure of quantum reactors, not Psynergy attacks.[60] As Moira was in a vegetative state at the time, she could not be present to back up Rho's claims. Although it seemed there was no chance for Rho to prove herself, Libra's Ambassador Frey requested that the Plenum continue tomorrow by Hysan's orders.
As Mathias, his parents, and Rho made their way back to Cancer's embassy after the Plenum, they were attacked by a hidden sniper in the streets. They managed to take cover in an alleyway, protecting Rho as Mathias and his mother worked together to defeat the sniper. The sniper escaped and was pursued by Cancer's secret service, but Mathias was injured in the process. The group retreated to Sirna's safe house.[61]
That night, Sirna revealed that her agents had infiltrated the clandestine army's base and discovered that they called themselves the Marad, and that they were also behind the revolt on Sagittarius. Sirna stated that they were being funded by someone with deep pockets. The army consisted primarily of marginalized groups, especially Risers.[62]
The next day, the Plenum reconvened to continue the discussion of Ophiuchus. Before it began, Hysan pulled Rho away to tell her he was planning on revealing his true identity to the public, and give his testimony about the Psy attack on the Equinox, to get Libra on Rho's side. He also revealed that the night prior, four of Libra's floating cities were attacked by Psynergy, and only survived because of Rho's warning for them to prepare.[63] Just before the Plenum began, Twin Rubidum also arrived and returned Rho's black opal. Meanwhile, Mathias had been tricked into leaving the Plenum with a fake call from Agatha.[64] When Rho realized how many of the Zodiac's Guardians were at the Plenum, she feared it was an ambush by Ophiuchus, and warned that they should disband. The Plenum continued, however, and Charon continued to question and scrutinize Rho, noting first how she had left Cancer without informing her Matriarchs. After bringing up that Rho had supposedly stolen the Equinox, Hysan attempted to interject and defend her, but he was Tasered and taken out of the arenasphere.[65] Charon then pointed out that Rho hadn't raised any money for her House's disaster relief fund, and that she had snuck onto Gemini with a Veil collar.[66] Lord Neith was then asked whether Rho had used the Veil on Libra as well, but without Hysan's directions, the android malfunctioned and responded with "insufficient data.".[67] Finally, Charon brought up that Rho had left Virgo without stopping to bring any survivors on board. After the Plenum settled, Rho was dismissed.
After leaving the arenasphere, Rho was attacked by a group of Scorps. Mathias and Hysan fended them off, but Sirna felt their safehouse was no longer secure. Hysan offered Rho and the group a place at the Libran embassy. Alone together, the romantic tension between Hysan and Rho grew, leading to them kissing briefly, but quickly breaking apart after Mathias started to enter; he remained oblivious to the interaction.[68] Without the Plenum, Mathias advised they return home, but Rho decided she would keep trying to convince the Plenum, even if that meant traveling to the 13th House to get proof of Ophiuchus's existence. Mathias vehemently warned her not to, but she remained determined, and Hysan offered to fly her personally.[69]
Sirna arrived later that night, with news that Stanton had been found injured but alive. She'd also found undeniable proof that Charon's evidence of cosmic rays being the culprit of the disasters across the Zodiac was fabricated, and that he'd been bribed into presenting it at the Plenum by an unknown funder. The evidence proved that it was a Psy weapon that caused the destruction, but not that it was Ophiuchus behind it, further solidifying Rho's need to travel to the 13th House.[70] They gathered in the reading room that night and went over the legend of Ophiuchus, hoping to find answers. Sirna recounted the story of Hebitsukai-Za, the Serpent Bearer, discovered by a scholar named Yosme after Mother Crae Saw an omen in the Sulfianic Clouds. The stories of Za and Ophiuchus were too similar to be a coincidence, and Mother Crae had ordered the report be buried in the deep archive because of its alarming details surrounding Time.[71]
After the group disbanded for the night, Rho pulled Sirna aside to ask about her father. Sirna knew what she was going to ask before she even spoke, and revealed to Rho that her father had been presumed dead. She gifted Rho a pink pearl necklace, requesting that she never take it off. Consumed by grief, she sought comfort in Hysan that night, breaking the Taboo.[72] The next morning, on Rho's birthday, Hysan gifted her a crab shaped personal Psy shield made from turquoise cristobalite beads.[73]
Unfortunately, there was no tiem for celebration, as the news reached that Gemini's capital had been razed to the ground. Armed with the horror of the disaster and their new found evidence of Charon's conspiring, the trio snuck into the Plenum, discovering Charon was now the subject of mockery and disdain after Lord Neith broadcasted all of Sirna's findings on him across the Zodiac. Rubidum, the only surviving Twin, was now convinced of Rho's story and rallied the Houses to strike back against Ophiuchus. The Plenum begged for Rho to show up, and the trio obliged and uncloaked themselves in front of the crowd. Rho quickly realized that by uniting the Houses with their raw fear and vitriol, she'd made a grave mistake, but reluctantly agreed when the Plenum vowed to launch an attack on the 13th House and elected Rho to be their armada leader.[74]
The Assault on the 13th House[]
Together, the Houses all supplied craft to form an armada, and set off to the very edges of the Zodiac to launch an assault on Ophiuchus. The night before the fleet was set to launch, the Houses gathered at the International Village and celebrated the Helios's Halo festival for the first time in years. There, Rho witnessed the residents of the Zodiac interacting with others from outside of their House, sharing their traditions and customs. Rho caught sight of Hysan interacting with a group of girls, and felt jealous until she realized Hysan had turned down one of the girl's offers of a date.[75]
The festival ended, and the next morning, the journey toward Ophiuchus began. Thanks to Hysan, every ship in the armada was outfitted with a Psy shield. Rho was stationed on Leo's cruiser, the Firebird, along with Mathias, who stayed on the hangar deck teaching others how to pilot the skiff vessels, Hysan being one of his students. The plan to defeat Ophiuchus involved first zigzagging through the Kyros belt, a ring of ice around the edge of House Pisces, and refueling at a Piscene space station orbiting Pisces's planet of Ichthys. The armada would then pass through Ochus's wall of Dark Matter, then lower the Psy shields for the Zodai to use an Ephemeris and find the location of Ochus's base. Rho was meant to be a feint by waiting until Ochus's base was found, then flying away in a Wasp spacecraft and opening her Ephemeris to lead Ochus away from the fleet. While he was distracted, the armada would destroy Ochus's base. The original plan also involved Mathias piloting Rho's ship. As the armada pressed forward, Rho began to have doubts about the plan, and wanted to learn more, but the ship's captain, Admiral Ignus, disregarded her concerns. Rho became concerned that because the Zodiac had gone so long without war, they no longer had the knowledge and tools necessary to pull off the heist.[76]
In order to fulfill the plan, Rho needed to find a way to fight back against Ochus in the Psy, and asked Chronicler Yuu of Capricorn, Disciple Psamathe of Pisces, and Talein of Virgo, for their help. While she waited for them to arrive, she helped out some of the Leonine engineers and mechanics on Firebird.[77] Hysan and Rho then left for the chartroom, meeting with the three seers to discuss how Rho could enhance her Centering and level the playing field between her and Ochus. After some discussion, Rho realized she could use Abyssthe to enhance her abilities in the astral plane. Hysan set out to retrieve the Abyssthe from one of the fleet's ships.[78]
While in the observatory, Mathias admitted his feelings for Rho and kissed her. Before she could admit her feelings for him as well and reveal the truth about her and Hysan's relationship, the Firebird was sabotaged and attacked from within.[79] As its condition worsened and it plummeted towards planet Ichthys, Rho realized she had to draw the attack away now. Her and Mathias raced to her Wasp ship, but Rho locked him out before he could join her to pilot the ship. When the Wasp deployed, the damage to Firebird was revealed to be extensive and beyond repair. Rho flew away to open her Ephemeris, but needed to encryption key to activate it. Only Admiral Ignus had the encryption key, and he couldn't be contacted. Rho asked Hysan for it, but when he had no answer, she requested it from Mathias, only to realize he hadn't escaped the Firebird on one of the skiffs. He attempted to contact Rho from the Psy, but couldn't as she'd left her Ring behind. Sirna relayed his last words to Rho, and then his voice fell silent in the Psy. There was no time to mourn him, as the Xitium was already being targeted next. Rho activated her tutorial Ephemeris out of desperation, and successfully called Ochus to her. After futilely fighting against him, she realized she needed to draw Psynergy from the entire Zodiac, not just Cancer. In doing this, she managed to weaken Ochus and defeat him in the Psy, but he revealed he was a mere servant of a much greater evil, and that the 13th House planned to return. Hysan then rescued her from her damaged ship, and returned her to the Xitium.[80][81][82][83]
Aftermath of the Assault[]
With the armada's failure, Rho was summoned back to Phaetonis. On their way back, the truth of the attack is revealed- that Ochus knew it was coming, and while the fleet was launching its attack, the Marad rebels had used the opportunity to prepare their uprising. Rho also confessed to Hysan she still had feelings for Mathias and broke off their relationship. At the Plenum, the now pardoned Charon interrogated Rho, accusing her of cowardice. The embarrassing failure of their assault had turned every House against her, and finally, she was stripped of her title as Guardian, the only alternative to sentencing her to prison.[84]
Hysan picked up Rho and the homeless Rubidum in the Equinox, and they returned to Cancer. There, Rho attempted to reach its residents in the Psy, but received no response. They Waved the refugee camp on Gemini's planet, Hydragyr, contacting Nishiko, Deke, and Kai. Nishiko revealed that Stanton wasn't with them, and they believed he'd perished at sea. But moments later, Stanton managed to contact Rho through her Wave, and Rho and Hysan set off to find him.[85][86]Appearance[]
Like many Cancrians, Rho has long, curly hair, which is a light shade of blonde. Naturally, Rho's skin is sunkissed and tan, however she was pale and pasty during book 1 due to her time on Elara. After settling on Capricorn's planet of Tierre, she became tan again. Lastly, Rho has pale green eyes, like Stanton . After the events of Wandering Star, Rho was left with a set of scars in the shape of the Zodiac House symbols along the underside of her left arm.
Personality[]
Rho's nature is truly Cancrian at heart. As demonstrated throughout the series, she is selfless and shamelessly devoted to her own morals and sense of right and wrong, defying any who doubt her. She's extremely ambitous and goal oriented as well. It's clear she cares more for others than she does herself, but most of all, she cares about her friends and family. She's willing to sacrifice herself, her life, and her future to save those she cares about, as well as the entire Zodiac. Rho simultaneously hates feeling belittled or doubted, and strongly dislikes when her Advisors and Guide doubted what she told them simply because she was young. She does not like to lose. She is also a very jealous person, especially with Skarlet and Pandora who have infatuated themselves on both Rho's love interests. Her strong intuition makes her a skilled star reader, but also means she's naturally tuned to the emotions and expressions of others.
Rho however, has a dark side to her. She may be portrayed as a saint, but in the later books is when her darkest colors come out, rightfully so due to all of her trauma. In thirteeth rising, she wakes up from her sumber different from how she was before. Apparently, due to the sumber, she considers herself to no longer have the heart of a Cancerian. She states that she usually cries all the time, basically every day almost, but when she came from the sumber, she never shed one tear because her feelings were gone, until the very end of the series. Think of the Vampire Diaries, and turning off your humanity switch. In this universe, what Rho did was equivalent to that. She turned off her humanity. Rho became very cunning, manipulative, and hypocritical. In thirteeth rising, Rho basically started to become the Villian. She betrayed her friends and ended up joining the Marad for a while. Rho was very sadistic as well, for example when she tourtued Corinthe the same was Corinthe tortured her in Wandering star. Rho craved the pain of others who she thought deserved it, and there was no stopping her, no matter how evil it got. Rho also began to become very power hungry, and her once selfless personality became very selfish. Everyone even her dearest friends meant nothing to her now except for Nishi, her Brother Stanton, and her deceased loved ones. Rho wanted revenge, and when fighting monsters, Rho began to become a monster herself. At the end of the series, however, Hysan managed to turn Rho's humanity back on and she redeemed herself.
Relationships[]
Hysan Dax[]
Rho and Hysan Dax have had a romantic relationship since the start of Zodiac, though it was on and off throughout the series. In Zodiac, Rho and Hysan broke the Taboo by having sex. Though they broke off their relationship briefly at the end of the novel due to Rho's guilt over Mathias, they picked it up again in Wandering Star, only for Hysan to break up with her at the end after Rho kissed Mathias. They reunite in Black Moon, Rho initially apprehensive since Hysan had brought Skarlet Thorne with him as a date. However, Hysan explained that Skarlet was merely a friend, and after Rho finally let go of her feelings for Mathias, she started a relationship with Hysan again that lasts until the end of the series.
Hysan and Rho are shown to be living together on Libra, along with Hysan's android mother Miss Trii, in the epilogue of Thirteen Rising.
Mathias Thais[]
Mathias was Rho's childhood crush, though she represses her feelings for him throughout the first book due to their differences, and the fact that Mathias continues to doubt Rho's intuition throughout their journey. However, when Mathias confesses his feelings for Rho and kisses her at the end of the first book, Rho admits to herself that she still loves him and wishes she could be with him. She also tells Hysan later that she does still have feelings for him. Despite Mathias's doubts about Ophiuchus in the first book, he valiantly guards and protects Rho throughout their journey. He also gifts her his mother-of-pearl Astralator, a family heirloom. Rho appreciates his help, but is still annoyed by his apprehension.
After Mathias returns from being held captive by the Marad, he and Rho begin a romantic relationship at the end of Wandering Star, though it was brief and ended later in Black Moon after Rho realized Mathias was truly in love with Pandora Koft and that she no longer held feelings for him. Although they were no longer romantically involved, Rho and Mathias stayed on good terms and were good friends until the series' completion, with Mathias even remarking that Rho was his best friend.
Kassandra Grace[]
Rho seems to view her mother with a mix of longing and distaste. As a child, Kassandra treated Rho less like a daughter and more like a student, tirelessly working her every day on Yarrot, Centering, and star reading. Kassandra's obsessive mania went unchallenged by Rho's father and brother, who were perhaps too afraid to intervene. Kassandra was very militant, and could be abusive. She was always very cruel and not once would show any affection or hug her, shoving her away cruelly when Rho tried to hug her, acting disgusted with the thought of being affectionate towards Rho who was no daughter to her. Years later, however, Rho began to realize how much she longed for her mother's approval, maintaining habits and pushing herself the same way her mother had, even when she didn't need to. After Kassandra reunites with Rho was an Aquarian Riser and explains why she had to leave her behind, their relationship remains rocky, especially after Rho meets Kassandra's adoptive daughter, Gamba. Rho begins to call her mother Kassandra instead of "mom", since she doesn't even consider Kassandra a mother. Rho begins to not even care if she dies, since she means so little to her after what she did. Rho sees Kassandra as a wicked, manipulative monster. In thirteenth rising, Rho tries to use Gamba and Sacrifice's her to the Marad, saying "Since you love your daughter so much, who isn't even your blood, I thought I'd try getting a little revenge by using her." Kassandra slaps Rho in the face saying, "You were NEVER a daughter of mine, soley just my own DNA, nothing more." However, despite all this, Rho eventually forgave Kassandra before her death.
Stanton Grace[]
Though Rho was slightly jealous of how much Kassandra treated Stanton like a normal child, they were very close as children and teenagers. After the events of Zodiac and at the start of Wandering Star, their relationship became rocky, but was eventually resolved. Stanton was protective of Rho, though he understood that she'd outgrown the need of it. After Rho is trapped in Imogen's Sumber, her biggest fear is facing Stanton's murder at the hands of Aryll.
Marko Grace[]
The relationship between Rho and her father is somewhat unclear. They loved each other, but were not very close. Marko was always quiet, but after the disappearance of Kassandra, he seldom talked at all, especially with Rho. Despite this, Rho appreciated her father and was deeply upset by his death.
Nishiko Sai[]
Nishi and Rho were best friends, Rho even referring to Nishi as her "sister". They met on Elara, and Nishi was perhaps Rho's first friend after arriving at the academy. At first, Rho disliked Nishi's fast, straight-to-point conversation style, and she butted heads found her irritating, but then she grew to love it; they became absolutely inseparable. Their bond was so close that when they were both imprisoned by the Sumber, they managed to find each other and Nishi helped Rho escape the torment. Rho risked everything in order to save Nishi from the Tomorrow Party after she found out the other Zodai hadn't made plans to rescue her. After Nishi's death at the hands of Blaze Jansun, Rho created a shrine for Nishi in her and Hysan's lodgings on Libra.
Deke Moreten[]
Both Cancrians, Rho and Deke met on their way to the academy on Elara. Rho watched as Deke cheerfully said goodbye to his crying family, cracking jokes to keep them happy. However, after boarding the ship to the academy, Deke broke down into tears. Rho came over to comfort him, and they connected over leaving their families behind. Deke and Rho made a pact that they would be each other's brother and sister while at the academy. Deke often teased Rho by singing "Rho Rho Rho your boat" to her.
Pandora Koft[]
Rho at first had distaste and jealousy for Pandora, and during the beginning, was rather unfriendly and nasty to her. Though Rho initially felt jealousy towards Pandora due to her involvement with Mathias, they became friends throughout Black Moon and Thirteen Rising, with Pandora frequently assisting Rho in her journey and offering advice. Pandora also remarks that her and Rho must be 'soul-bound' because of how often their fates cross paths.
Skarlet Thorne[]
Rho and Skarlet had a rocky relationship at first, due to Skarlet being a former lover of Hysan. The two frequently got into disagreements and Rho manipulated Skarlet's position of power to get her way throughout Thirteen Rising, furthering the rift between them. Rho and Skarlet both said snarky comments to each other, and Rho even stooped down to a low level by being prejudice insulting Skarlet's Aries heritage. Rho became a very entitled hypocrite at times. Skarlet also tried several times to break apart Rho's relationship with Hysan, without success. By the end of the series, though, the two had learned to see past and appreciate each others' differences and become friends.
References[]
Click "expand" to view.
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 49
- ↑ Zodiac prologue
- ↑ Wandering Star prologue
- ↑ Thirteen Rising prologue
- ↑ Wandering Star pg. 207 - 210
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 9
- ↑ Black Moon pg. 57
- ↑ Thirteen Rising pg. 292
- ↑ Black Moon prologue
- ↑ Black Moon pg. 47 - 53
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 5 - 11
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 12
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 15
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 21 - 26
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 52
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Zodiac pg. 55
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 57
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 59
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 60
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 61
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 57 - 59
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 78 - 86
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 75
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 76 - 77
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 89 - 92
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 103 - 104
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 106 - 107
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 108 - 110
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 110 - 111
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 111 - 115
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 115 - 119
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 130
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 138 - 142
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 146
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 153
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 17
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 170 - 172
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 176
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 177
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 178
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 179
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 180 - 181
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 19
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 195 - 198
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 204 - 205
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 205 - 207
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 217
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 221 - 229
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 236
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 237 - 238
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 240
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 241 - 244
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 246 - 248
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 256 - 260
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 266 - 270
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 272 - 273
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 275
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 287
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 280 - 281
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 281 - 284
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 286 - 290
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 291 - 293
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 298 - 299
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 308
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 304
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 304
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 305
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 30
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 319 - 321
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 321 - 324
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 325 - 328
- ↑ Zodiac chaper 32
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 342
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 34
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 35
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 36
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 378 - 380
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 383 - 385
- ↑ Zodiac pg. 386 - 389
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 38
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 39
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 40
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 41
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 42
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 43
- ↑ Zodiac chapter 44
|
View images on the wiki related to |