Hey folks :)

Time for Chapter 12, hope you are excited! :D

Chapter Dedication to AphroditeMatch Maker, for her advice and relationship ideas, much of the plot has come from her!

Enjoy,

-Silverhand9028

Summer's POV

Pegasi are hard to fly.

The girl in charge, a daughter of Hermes, I think, made it look easy. Leapt delicately on and fluttered like a butterfly. Easy.

The fact that my huge pegasi kicked me off didn't help, I must admit. Or when he buffeted me in the face with his wings. Or got bored mid-flight and set me down in the woods.

In a tree.

Grr...

Veronica, who seemed to adapt to the ride quite well, trotted down beside me.

"Okay Summer?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Blame this stupid pegasus. He decided to dump me here."

Veronica laughed.

"Yeah, it's harder than it lo-"

A laugh came from a little area to the right. We peered through the branches to see Lilly and Leon, sitting by the creek.

They were looking at each other, smiling.

I noticed Leon had a smear of lipstick on his cheek, and they were both blushing.

Veronica noticed it first: "My gods they've been kissing!" she whispered.

I gasped.

"Leon," Lilly said to her companion, "the Fourth of July Fireworks are in a few weeks. I was wondering, do you want to go with me?"

Leon's face lit up, bless him.

"I would like nothing more."

"Aaaw," I grinned.

Veronica looked at me: "Who are you asking?"

"Don't know."

"Are you asking Tom?"

I arched an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, it'd blatantly obvious he fancies you!"

"What?"

"Duh, it's so blatant!"

I faltered.

"Do you like him?" she asked.

"I..." I pondered. "I don't know. I like him, as a friend for sure. He's like my best friend. MY brother. My family. But..."

A bloodthirsty screech pierced through the air.

Leon and Lilly broke away, Lilly grabbing her knife and Leon unsheathing his huge sword.

Veronica and I got our weapons too.

"What was that?" I murmured, nocking an arrow.

I saw the figure in the brush scampering away.

Veronica lunged bravely through the clearing.

"Veronica?" Leon gasped.

I followed her, chasing the little shadow.

"Summer?" Lilly gaped.

Veronica crashed through the undergrowth.

She skidded to the left, spraying mud up the bark of a lime.

"Hey!" a dryad called, but we had already left it in the dust.

Leaves crunched beneath my honey-coloured Converse, as I heard the blow of pipes.

Veronica stopped.

"Gone," she murmured.

"Gone where?" I asked.

"I dunno, I heard a noise, then they just vanished."

I nodded. "Yeah, same here."

All of a sudden, three figures swooped down. They were women, with long greasy hair and hungry snarls. Oh, and wings. Yes, they were all harpies. Again!

The first had bright yellow hair, not blonde, too bright for that. A stark, bold yellow, which, despite yellow being my favourite colour, looked pretty gross.

The second had scraggly brown hair, but with tinges of green. The kind of green I recognised in bogies (A/N do Americans say boogers? You know, those things that come out of your nose?) and cabbage. Urgh, cabbage!

The third, leading the trio, was all too familiar. Black, shoulder-length hair and a beaky nose.

"Miss Avia!" gasped Veronica.

"Wait, aren't you dead?" I asked.

Miss Avia smiled.

"Ah, little ignorant half-bloods. The answer is not for me to say, you see. You'll have to wait for our little friend to tell you that!"

"Friend?" Veronica put her brave face on, her sword pointed at Miss Avia's throat.

"Oh, little Veronica, if only you knew..." her smirking face became deadly serious. "Our spy has kept us informed, and let us in. When the time is right, we shall all come."

The three harpies spoke in unison: "And he shall rise!"

"He?" I drew my arrow back to my cheek. "Who's he?"

The mucus-haired one giggled with glee: "That doesn't matter. All that matters is that we've been sent to dispose of as many of the six as possible!"

They flew at us, snarling with menace and determination.

I let my arrow fly, but they dodged it. Veronica charged with her sword as I nocked a second arrow.

Bronze clashed with claws as the yellow-haired one slashed at Veronica. Her wings buffeted her but she stood strong. Meanwhile, I hatched a plan. I ran behind a tree to my right. I ducked down, just as mucus-hair swooped towards me. I let go of the arrow at the perfect moment.

It caught her wing and she flew at an angle, I ran to my left, and she fell for it. Flew straight into the tree and crumpled to the ground.

Veronica, meanwhile, had almost beaten her enemy. She slashed and hacked as the harpy snarled. Suddenly, the harpy stopped. It flew back into the woods.

I shot mucus-hair in the chest, feeling a pang of guilt as she screeched in pain. I then bolted over to Veronica.

"Where did they go?" I noted both Miss Avia and yellow-hair had flown off.

They appeared over our heads, soaring down. I didn't have time to notch and arrow, but Veronica dropped to the floor and reached into her Veronica Frye boot, which was a light caramel brown colour.

"What are you doing?" I shrieked, drawing back the bowstring and steadying my aim. Yellow-hair descended hungrily.

Veronica stood up so quickly with a glint of silver in her hand. She threw it and it caught yellow-hair in the chest.

"You keep throwing knives up your boots?" I gasped, as Miss Avia snarled to safety.

Veronica grinned: "Yep – a trick I learned from a daughter of Aphrodite. Now, come on!"

Miss Avia was eyeing us hungrily. I aimed the arrow tip at her.

"He's coming demigods," she grinned.

"Who?" I lowered my bow in frustration. A big mistake.

Miss Avia swooped down from the tree, her claws out and her eyes wild and ablaze.

Veronica grabbed her sword.

But she never had to use it.

The second Miss Avia touched the ground, a huge sword sliced from behind. She screeched in anger and fell to the ground.

Leon, his sword bathed in blood, stood behind her.

Lilly ran up behind him, her high heels affecting her running speed.

"Girls, how are you?" he shouted.

"Fine," Veronica informed him, "but it's not us you should be worrying about."

"What do you mean?" queried Lilly.

"There's a spy in camp. And they let the harpies in."

"And..."

"And what?"

Lilly's eyes narrowed. "You're not telling me something..."

"They're trying to resurrect a god."

Lilly's heavily made-up eyes widened. "You don't think..."

Veronica nodded: "It could be."

"Chronos."

What do you think?

Leave any comments, criticisms or ideas in the reviews, thanks again for reading. I'll try and put the first picture up for Sunday.

-Silverhand9028