TAMING APOLLO | completed

21. riddle me this

"Oh, she found us, alright." Hercules mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. I don't miss the deadly warning glare Thalia shoots him for a second as he rolls his eyes.

"What did she want?" I ask curiously while Thalia's eyes dart to the ground, she bites her lip harder and shakes her head.

"We don't have any time for all this nonsense." Thalia growls authoritatively. "What matters is that we're all here, and I have the backpack." She lifts the small purple bag up into the air so that we can all see it.

Something isn't right, but I push that thought aside and nod. "Yeah... yeah, I guess you're right."

Thalia smiles, though it doesn't quite reach her doe brown eyes.

"Let's get going, we're almost at the Gates of Ivory and Horn." She says as we all head off deeper into nowhere.

It's some hours later that two large connecting gates come into view as we tread forward. The sigh of relief that flutters past my lips is more evidence of my fatigue and hunger.

If the gate had been even a meter further away, I would have given up and started shoving wheat down my throat in fits of hunger.

Nobody told me that quests were this exhausting, and a seed of annoyance is starting to grow deep within the pits of my stomach.

But finally seeing these gates come into view is like adding sugar to the bitter stew I've been brewing in my stomach, salvaging the last bit of hope I had left.

The gates are large, and they stretch for miles, as far as the eye can see. They serve as a barrier from here into the world of the gods.

All four of us exchange glances as we all stop before the gate.

The gate is ivory, with intricate golden framework and words in greek that I would never be able to understand sprawled on them. There's a bunch of different horns on the edges, and it stretches on.

"Get back." Apollo said, brows furrowed with determination as he steps in front of all of us.

I'm confused for a second, but feel a gasp whir past my lips when a figure begins to appear in front of the gates.

This time I don't hesitate in stepping back, but apparently I'm the only one afraid of this thing.

Thalia and Hercules maintain their positions behind Apollo, who waits expectantly for the figure to fully develop.

It has the face of a human being and the body of a lion, sharp teeth growl as its soulless eyes dart to me first, and it grins.

"I am the Sphinx. Guardian of the Gates of Ivory and Horn. If you can not answer my riddle correctly, I will devour you all." He roared colossally, sending white shivers down my spine and having the hair on my arms raise on end.

His sharp pointy teeth are showing. I imagine myself between them being 'devoured' and it's not a pretty thought.

Obviously my basic instinct is to make a run for it and never look back, but I run that thought out of my head by reminding myself that I'm the one who wanted to be here.

The Sphinx is about three times as tall as I am, and I'm pretty tall so that doesn't help soothe my nerves.

"You're shivering. Are you scared?" My gaze falls on Hercules, who has a teasing grin sprawled across his face.