"Harmony?" I called, running down one of the long corridors. "Where are you?"
I heard someone crying from within one of the guest rooms. Poking my head in, I saw Harmony sitting near the window.
"What are you doing in here? And what's wrong?" I asked.
"Oh, Ellie! It's terrible!"
"What?"
"Alex," she sniffed. "He's been taken to the dungeons and he's no longer going to be Alpha!"
"Yeah. I know. I was there."
"Why didn't you stop them?"
"Huh?" I asked. "Why would I?"
"Because!" she sobbed. "Now I won't be L-luna."
Her shoulders shuddered as she sobbed into her hands.
"Harmony, he's not fit to be in any position of power. He's insane. Not to mention, he's awful to you!"
"But I was actually going to be able to do something with my life. I could have done some really good things."
I sat down beside her and sighed heavily. "Harmony, you can still do good things. You don't need to be Luna to be a good person."
She sniffed and looked up at me.
"There are plenty of people who do good things and aren't in a position of power." I stood and grabbed her hand. "Listen, we need your help now. You can do good things now. You're still coming with us, right?"
She nodded her head as she followed me out of the room.
"Good. We need to find the sphynx and a few other things before weeks end. So let's go."
We made our way outside, finding Edmond, Zephyr, Titan, and surprisingly Blaze waiting.
"Um, Ellie?" Harmony asked.
"Yeah?"
"Where exactly are we going?"
"Yeah, so we're leaving the kingdom."
"Right. Are we riding on them?"
I nodded my head as Edmond walked to me. He kissed my forehead and smiled at Harmony.
"Yes, we are," he said. "We're going to find the Sphynx."
"And to Glyki," I said, looking around at everyone.
"To where?" Titan asked.
"Glyki. It's a place in Greece where..."
"Where Acheron River is," Zephyr said, staring at me.
"Right. Where the Acheron River is."
"Is there another mythic there?" Titan questioned.
"Not exactly. But there is something there that I need to get."
"What?" Harmony asked.
"A very rare flower. It only grows in chasms that are entrances to the underworld."
"That's some flower," she said.
"It is. So let's get going and see what we can get done." I climbed onto the back of Zephyr while Edmond climbed onto Titan.
Harmony stood beside Blaze staring at him for a long moment before he motioned for her to climb on.
"I've never done this," she whispered.
"It's okay. I promise I won't let you fall."
She nodded her head and mounted him, clutching the feathers at his neck.
"Off to Egypt first," Zephyr shouted as he ran across the meadow.
He spread his mighty wings, flapping a few hard times before taking off into the air. Harmony let out a loud scream as Blaze flapped his wings, quickly soaring above the tree line. I turned my head to look at her and chuckled as she clung to the Griffin.
"Harmony, you're okay. You can sit up and look around."
"Nope. I'm fine like this," she said.
We flew for what felt like hours before the trees vanished and sand stretched out as far as you could see.
"Welcome to the middle east," Zephyr shouted. "We're no longer under the protection of any of our Gods or Goddesses."
"We're in the human world?" I asked.
"Yes. We have to be careful from here on out so we're not seen. When we get close to Egypt we'll land, but we can't go with you. Blaze, Titan, and I have to remain hidden. You, Edmond, and Harmony will be able to blend in easily."
"Right. Easy."
"Do you know where to even find the Sphynx?"
I shook my head. "Not even a little."
"Let's try the Great Sphynx of Giza," Zephyr suggested.
"Okay. I mean a giant statue of her is a good place to start."
"We can land near there. You guys go about and find information."
"Okay."
In the distance, I could see pyramids rising from the sand. A few trees stood out like sore thumbs amongst all of the sand.
"There!" I shouted, pointing toward a giant cat-looking object. "That's the Great Sphynx of Giza."
Zephyr nodded his head and turned toward the statue. He landed a distance away, ducking between a few trees. Edmond, Harmony, and I climbed from the mythics and made our way to the shops that were near the pyramids.
"So how do we do this?" Edmond asked.
"I guess we just look around. Maybe ask questions?" I suggested.
"Hello, ladies and gentleman! Welcome to Topaz Bazaar. Would you like to come in and peruse what we have?" a tall, smiling man asked.
"Sure. Let's look." I followed him into the store and stared in amazement at the beautiful products. "Do you have anything about the Sphynx?"
"Ah, the Sphynx. She is popular around here."
"I imagine."
"Do you know the story of the Sphynx?" he asked.
We all shook our heads.
"Oh! Wonderful. Let me tell you!"
"Great. We would love that."
"The sphinxes were considered spiritual guardians, protectors of passageways. They had a threatening majesty and were thus often placed at the entrances of tombs and temples. After all, who would dare try to sneak past such a terrifying beast? The Egyptian sphinx often wore the pharaonic headdress, the nemes, leaving no doubt as to its godly associations since the pharaohs were the closest link between man and the gods."
"If we wanted to find the Sphynx, where would we go?" Edmond asked.
"She's right out there," the man said, motioning toward the great Sphynx.
"No, not that one. An actual sphynx."
The man let out a hearty laugh. "Those are just stories, child. There is no such thing as a real sphynx."
"Let's say there was a real sphynx. Where do you think she would be?"
The man stroked his beard and looked to really be thinking about my question.
"There is the story out of Thebes."
"Thebes?" Harmony asked.
"It's in Greece," I said.
"She is correct. The Sphinx is said to have guarded the entrance to the Greek city of Thebes, asking a riddle to travelers to allow them passage."
"A riddle? What kind of riddle?" Harmony asked.
"Nobody knows. The Sphynx isn't real though."
"Thanks," I said, picking up a lamp. "I'll take this. It's beautiful."
"Wonderful. That is a wonderful piece. Found it in the desert myself."
"Great. Thanks," I said, taking the box he put the lamp in from him.
"Now what?" Harmony asked.
"I guess we're going right to Greece."
"Do you think the Sphynx is actually there?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "I have no idea, but I do remember hearing about the riddle and her guarding Thebes."
Edmond nodded his head and looked so determined. "Let's get back to Prince Zephyr, Titan, and Blaze."