Automedon hardly even glanced down. He batted Juan out of the way as an afterthought, and sent his tiny body soaring limply over the crowd. Orion turned into a blur at her side, but Helen stayed rooted to the ground in shock. Zach’s face froze into a mask of fear, and he dove for cover as a bolt of ice-white lighting arced out of Helen’s chest and connected with Automedon.
She didn’t think. She didn’t consider whether or not people were watching, or if she wanted to spare the insect for strategic purposes. In her mind’s eye, Helen could see nothing but the image of Juan in his darling little bear costume, floating limply through air. She raised her left hand, focused the stream of pure energy, and turned Automedon into a flaming, vaguely man-shaped torch as she strode toward him.
Automedon writhed in agony like a half-crushed bug. As his skin went from fiery orange to dull red, he fell to his knees, and then onto his side, and then—charred to black—he finally went still.
“Helen, stop!” Orion yelled at her. “He’s dead!”
Cutting off the stream with a crisp, snapping sound, Helen retracted her left hand and looked down on the charcoal husk that used to be Automedon. Zach scrambled to his feet and took off. Helen let him go, turning instead to face Orion.
He was holding Juan. In such large arms the little boy looked like a toy teddy bear. Helen covered her mouth with a hand, unwilling to ask out loud how bad it was.
“It’s okay, I caught him before he hit the ground,” Orion said comfortingly as he strode toward her. “But we should get these kids out of the street.”
They looked down at Marivi. She was staring up at Helen, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in awe.
“Do you remember me?” Helen asked. Marivi nodded, her expression frozen in shock. “Will you come with us?” Marivi nodded again, her eyes still wide.
Helen held out an arm to the little girl and she jumped up, clinging to Helen’s neck and wrapping her legs around Helen’s waist as tight as a barnacle. Orion balanced Juan carefully on Helen’s other hip and then he bent down to study Luis, who still seemed to be breathing.
“He’s out, but he’ll be all right,” Orion said, picking him up without delay. “Is there a safe place near here? The hospitals will be overflowing tonight.”
“Ah . . . the News Store?” Helen said, at a loss. “There’s a first aid kit, and maybe my family will be there.”
“Perfect,” Orion replied, motioning for Helen to lead on.
As they headed off, Automedon’s blackened body moved. They heard a brittle, cracking noise, and a large rent opened up down his back, exposing damp pink skin underneath. It breathed. Marivi buried her face in Helen’s neck, hiding her eyes.
Orion and Helen exchanged shocked looks. Suddenly, the shell around Automedon split in half, and he climbed out of his own burnt skin like a crab shedding its outer casing. Covered in mucus, and crouching next to his castoff remains, Automedon looked up at Helen with milky, film-covered eyes and smiled.
“That hurt,” he told her in a detached, nearly robotic way as he drooled stringy spit. He looked at Orion and then down at the gold cuff on Orion’s wrist, narrowing his oozing eyes. “The Third Heir. Nice to see you again, General Aeneas.”
A long, sticky tube uncurled from underneath Automedon’s human tongue and seemed to throb in Orion’s direction. Then it rolled back up and retracted in a swallowing motion into Automedon’s mouth. For a moment, Helen thought she was going to be sick.
“Come on! Before it’s strong enough to stand,” Orion growled in her ear, and the two of them ran away as fast as they dared while carrying injured passengers.
Before the News Store even came into view, Helen knew something was terribly wrong. She could feel the ground trembling, and glanced over at Orion.
“It’s not me!” he said. “Those are impact tremors.”
Turning the final corner, they were enclosed in a dark pall.
“Shadowmaster!” Helen yelled at Orion. “The Hundred must be here somewhere. They have a new one. I saw it at my track meet. . . .”
Helen’s feet slowed as the darkness began to dissipate ever so slightly. She knew this darkness; she had seen it more than once. Through the clinging shadows that reached like smoky hands, she saw Hector slamming someone—the source of the darkness, Helen realized—against the sidewalk repeatedly. It was Lucas. In a flash, Lucas changed positions, got the upper hand, and tackled Hector, punching him savagely. Snapping herself out of her stunned daze, Helen screamed something unintelligible, and ran the rest of the way with Orion close behind.
“Helen!” Kate yelled, and Helen pulled up short.
Following the sound of Kate’s voice, Helen looked and saw her crouched down over Jerry, who was unconscious and bleeding badly. Next to them, Claire and Matt had Jason and Ariadne wrapped up so they couldn’t see or hear. Helen gave the kids to Kate while Orion put Luis down next to Jerry. Helen spared her father one worried look, and then threw herself at Lucas.
As she knocked Lucas off Hector, she saw Orion dart in behind them to wrap an arm around Hector’s throat in a chokehold. Helen used her superior strength to shove Lucas to the ground. She tried to pin him under her, but he had always been better at grappling and easily slipped out from under her, reversing their positions. He secured her hands over her head, and even though she was stronger, she knew she was trapped. Helen considered shocking him, but she was dehydrated from frying Automedon and knew she couldn’t fully control her bolts.
“Please, Lucas, don’t do this!” Helen pleaded as a last resort. At the sound of her voice, he paused and seemed to wake from his trance. A confused look flashed across his face and he jumped off her.
“I’ll get Hector out of here,” Orion shouted as he struggled to keep Hector from pulling free. “Come on, big guy. Time for a swim!”
In a blur of speed, Orion managed to break Hector’s stance and carry him off toward the ocean. As soon as the Outcast was too far away to affect the Delos family, their demeanors changed from anger to painful regret. Claire and Matt released Jason and Ariadne, and Lucas dropped his head into his bloody hands, covering his eyes. Helen wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she knew she shouldn’t touch him. Instead, she just stared at Lucas with her heart in her throat.
“I always knew there was more in you. Something hidden, but I never . . . What is going on?” Kate asked, her voice a hoarse whisper. Helen turned to look at her, and saw that she was barely keeping it together. “Does your father know?”