Hi all!

Thanks for the reviews and stuff :D

Question answers:

AphroditeMatch Maker: Sam sounds familiar? Well, I based her on ChildOfWisdom's character Sam, who based her on her friend Sam. A bit like how I based Veronica on ChildOfWisdom's character Veronica, who based it on herself!

Hope that's all cleared up, new picture up soon, who will I be drawing?

-Silverhand9028

Veronica's POV (the next morning)

I couldn't believe my eyes.

We'd barely been away for a day but she'd changed so much.

Her light blonde hair was still tipped with the jet-black highlights. Her intense, ever-changing kaleidoscope eyes still radiated mystery and illusion. Her made-up lips still curled up at the edges with a wry smirk when she saw us. Her knife still hung in her belt, but a silver bow and quiver of arrows were strapped to her bag. Her ripped Camp shirt had been replaced by a black u-neck tee with a silver parka on top. Her tattered jeans were gone: in their place, grey skinny ones with sparkles of glitter.

Magenta Mirage put a hand on her hip and walked towards us.

"Hello guys," she sprawled, strolling around the six of us in a circle, "what are you doing here, eh?"

"Magenta." Lilly snarled, in a very un-Child-of-Aphrodite-like way.

"Hello Lilly, how's things?"

"Fine," Lilly was going bright red: Leon put a strong hand on her shoulder to both comfort and restrain her. "I've been good ever since a certain daughter of Morpheus threw a knife into my leg!" she spat, "How about you?"

"Good, good," Magenta's easygoing smile disappeared from her face, "just coping after my ambition to bring back a god were flushed down a certain daughter of Aphrodite!"

"An evil, murderous, ancient, primal god!"
"He's neither of those things! Well, apart from ancient, but... wait, what evidence do you have for Chronos being evil?"

"Did you just seriously ask that question? The one who appeared in a dream of mine involving Leon dying? Then he appeared in Tom's dream and-"

She turned to Tom.

"Tom, was there anybody dying in you dream?"

"Erm... no! No!" He said quickly, glancing at Summer, who wasn't really listening. She was giggling distractedly at a butterfly which had landed on her nose.

Lilly and Magenta launched a full-scale argument, as Leon and Toby backed up Lilly and another Hunter came to check on why there was a huge volleyball game of abuse going on.

I wasn't listening: I turned to see Tom and Summer. Summer was dressed in blue skinny jeans, gold flip-flops and bangles and a long, sky blue button-down shirt opened, revealing a lemon tee. The sun was in the zenith of it's journey through the sky, and her tanned skin and bright blonde hair glowed like gold in the sun. She looked like an angel.

My mahogany-coloured eyes opened wide and my lip curled up at the edge. This face meant I had worked something out – for I had realised Tom was in love with Summer! I had teased them about how they were cute together for years, but I only really meant as friends. Now, I wondered if someone had been in Tom's dream. Tom always smiled to see her: he had often absent-mindedly touched her delicate shoulders or stroked her long blonde hair. He lit up whenever she did her wind-chime giggle...

Ooooh, Tom and Summer!

My two best friends, that was so cute!

But wait... where did that leave me?

"You manipulative, sly, ruthless liar!"

"You stupid, judgmental, offensive idiot!"

Lilly and Magenta where still at it. Lilly was getting less and less like a daughter of Aphrodite every day. They had been told to split it up by Samantha earlier, but a chance meeting as the Hunters put away their tents had sparked another feud. Summer was chatting to some other Hunters, a few of whom were here also daughters of Apollo. Toby was trying to chat up Sam – not working at all – whilst Tom was sitting beside me as we ate sandwiches from freshly-hunted rabbits. Lilly had refused the meat as she couldn't imagine eating a cute little bunny, and as she and Leon went looking for someone to chat quietly, (or so she said: I knew she meant make out with him), they bumped into Magenta. World War Three promptly ensued.

"You could have killed me!" Lilly hollered, displaying a gash on her arm.

"You may have already killed us all!" Magenta snarled, glaring at Lilly from black-rimmed eyes.

"What?" Leon was gripping Lilly's shoulders with both hands.

Magenta glowered at the two lovers, like their romance made her want to vomit. "The chance to raise Chronos was on of the final opportunities!"

"Opportunities to do what?"

Magenta snarled, "Chronos is needed. You don't understand. I can't tell you, I'm afraid. You'll have to work that one out yourself. But without the God of Time, you can't fight your enemy!"
"Chronos is our enemy: he sent those horrible dreams!"
"You don't understand!"

Leon stepped in: "Magenta, you picked the wrong side. Stop trying to raise your evil, ancient old god."
Magenta glared round at all of us. "I'm immortal now. So say bye to Samantha and get out of my sight!"

Magenta turned on her heel and marched out.

"Someone's got beef..." muttered Leon. (A/N in case Americans don't use that phrase, it's a British slang term for holding a grudge with someone)

Samantha was waiting for us when we were ready.

"I'm sorry you didn't find the bow of moonlight. But the crevice Artemis vanished from is over there." Samantha pointed towards the north-west, in a little forest. "I will accompany you that far. Beware though: Gods know what is in there."
"Do they?" joked Summer, brushing back a golden strand.

Samantha shrugged, then laughed as she realised it was a joke.

"We left our bags!" exclaimed Lilly all of a sudden, tossing back a scarlet bang.

"I'll get them," I volunteered.

"They're down by the brook," Leon added.

"I know," I told her. "mine's there too. So is Summer's, that's where we pitched our girls tent."

I jogged past a chestnut-haired daughter of Apollo who had made friends with Summer. She waved as I approached the brook.

Lilly's bags were beside a bored-looking hunter sharpening a knife. There were loads: Gucci, River Island, Banana Republic, Abercrombie and many more. I hauled them up and found my bag. It was a smart-but-stylish brown leather satchel that I slung over my shoulder. Summer's bag was beside it. An overnight bag, bright yellow with a pastel blue sleeping bag sticking lopsidedly out. I approached but the weight of Lilly's many bags meant I knocked the bag with my toe accidentally. The sleeping bag spilled out, as did a few other items. A pair of faded yellow Converse, a spare quiver of arrows and her favourite jacket. Inside the pocket I saw something.

"I bet it's a picture of Tom!" I thought to myself, remembering the cute couple. But what I found was a huge shock. I remembered how Summer had spent a long time chatting to her half-sister hunter. But inside the pocket, sleek and silver, was a small rectangle of folded card.

I gasped.

It was a leaflet to join the Hunters of Artemis.

Another cliffhanger! How could I resist?

A few of you know the next cliffhanger as many of you suggested it, and I am willing to take your suggestions!

I have a big GCSE Drama exam a week from now, it's really hard and I am finding time to update hard within the mass of homework, revision and practising. Sorry!

But I will try for you, amazing readers! :D

-Silverhand9028