Miss Quinn

120 ~ First Kill

Emma drew her daggers. Helena grinned, an evil glimmer in her eyes.

"Pity you aren't allowed to use magic outside school," she said, shaking her head.

"Pity your only weapon is magic," Emma countered.

Helena tsked. "That's where you're wrong, Emmaline." She drew a broadsword seemingly out of nowhere. Emma clutched her daggers tightly, staying aware of her surroundings. New York was unfamiliar to her, but she knew she had many escape options, should she need them. Helena wasn't the best fighter, but Emma hadn't fought her in months. She could have improved.

Helena struck first. She slammed her sword down on Emma. The daughter of Apollo side stepped, blocking her blow with both daggers. Helena sent a ball of sparkling purple fire at her. Emma dodged, but it grazed her arm. The skin it touched erupted into pain, as if it had burned her. Emma sent healing magic toward it while parrying Helena's next blow. The black-haired girl had definitely improved. But so had Emma.

They fought hard. The upper hand switched so constantly that Emma received as many wounds as she delivered. Helena was growing weaker, though. Her supply of magic soon started to run low, and she was losing endurance. Emma knocked Helena's sword out of her hand. It clattered to the pavement, and Helena seethed. She sent another purple fireball toward Emma, so fast that Emma didn't have time to react. It hit her square in the chest, knocking her back onto the sidewalk. If it weren't for the armor she was wearing, the ball of fire would have burned right through her. Nevertheless, the armor was melted and useless now.

Emma got to her feet, angry now. She could hear Helena's army running towards them, and knew she had to defeat Helena before they were on her. She couldn't let herself be outnumbered.

Helena walked slowly toward her. She was bruised, scratched, and out of breath, but she still had her air of confidence. Emma pressed the stone on her ring. Her bow and arrows appeared. She drew one arrow, touched the tip, and loaded the arrow into her bow. Helena didn't look worried. Emma wondered if she knew about the sickness. Helena charged, and Emma fired. The arrow sunk into the flesh of Helena's arm, and she doubled over in pain.

The daughter of Hecate pulled the arrow from her arm and threw it on the ground. Her eyes were angry, but her skin grew pale and green. Siliva foamed at her mouth. Emma had poisoned her, and now Helena was dying. The girl sunk to her knees, then collapsed, choking on the poison flooding her bloodstream.

"An eye for an eye," Emma said, kicking Helena's sword away from her body. Helena's eyes found Emma's, and for the first time showed a plea... to save Helena's life.

"I'm sorry, Helena. Truly. I can't heal poison."

And then the monster and demigod army entered the intersection. Emma took one last look at Helena Clair, the first human Emma had killed, and took off towards the Empire State Building.

As dawn crept over the horizon, the monster army drew back. The demigods and so-called "Party Ponies" -- Chiron's centaur friends -- set up a two-block perimeter around the Empire State Building. Will, Sadie, Connor, and Fawn had all made it back alive. Emma hugged each of them, healing them as she did so. There was something comforting about the fact that her healing magic transferred through touch.

Having been healed, the members of the Apollo Cabin spread out amongst the demigod army, healing as they went. The sounds of Emma's siblings singing filled the air. Emma didn't sing. She only touched, comforted, soothed. Healing cuts and bruises didn't drain her, but she definitely felt the exhaust of fighting sweep down on her as adrenaline stopped pumping through her. She healed one other boy and excused herself to go lie down for a while. She'd barely slept, and her muscles needed rest as well as her eyes.