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Description
The whoosh of air in their hair and the general feeling of freedom doesn’t slow the horror that mounts in her throat. Wings stretched outwards, beating against the wind and staying aloft despite the odds. Her companions shouts into the wind, but her voice is swallowed.

“What?”

Her brunette friend tugs on the feathers of the griffin’s crest and suddenly, unexpectedly, its wings straighten out and they glide on the wind, slowly descending but not quite at an alarming rate just yet.

“I said, do you see the sphinx?” she repeats herself, brown hair pulled in a ponytail whipping out backwards. She doesn’t spare a glance over her shoulder, instead remaining looking forward.

“No,” the blonde responds, tightening her grip in the griffin’s feathers. The fading sun lights its feathers, making it look like it was lit on fire. Figures. The champion animal of Apollo looks like it’s on fire, she thinks. The blue-eyed girl looks over over at the older, frowning. “Do you think we’ll find her?”

“Maybe. That’s kind of the whole point of this quest, isn’t it?” Penny’s voice sounds almost sarcastic, and Andy shuts up right quick, ducking her head and instead watches forward, gaze flitting around. Her sword feels heavy by her waist; she doesn’t know how Peproméno the griffin seems to carry their combined weight and weapons. Granted, they didn’t bring too many provisions, and no matter how young Pepro was, or small, it seemed to be doing just fine. Penny says something to Pepro then, and sharply they descend towards the ground, the griffin’s wings collapsing on themselves.

A horrified yelp rips itself from her lips and the landing on the cliff overlooking the harsh lapping of the sea was painful, and she rolls over herself, inhaling dust and coughing violently. Her golden sword and bag gets tossed, discarded across the ground. She splutters, trying to exhale the thick dust from her lungs. Penny seems to have settled better than her, although she seems to be nursing a bruise along her knee. Andy struggles to her feet and shoots the daughter of Apollo an incredulous look.

“We’ll set up camp here,” the brunette says, trying to smile slightly.

“You’re the boss.”

***

The fire crackling was barely enough for her to focus on; the cool press of the night against their bodies was barely noticeable. Their sleeping bags provided little cover, and she had nearly fallen asleep, when a shift in the air presented itself. It wasn’t even noticeable at first, but a soft beat of wings made her reconsider and crack open her eyes and wipe at the grit in her eyes. “Wha’ssit?” Andy grinds out, throat feeling like sandpaper when she tried to swallow.

“Mh?” comes a sleep-muddled murmur from beside her. A quick rustle of the blanket and from the sound, Penny stood up. A soft sound of mocking laughter rouses the blonder companion, and she startles, jerking upright.

“Demigod children,” a rumble greets them. The fire reflects off of the fine textures of fur and feathers and hair. It takes a few moments of eyes adjusting to the darkness, but it’s identifiable as the shinx they’re looking for.

Her eyes are golden moons, no white sclera visible, just a dark amber hue and a black slitted pupil. Her hair is a molten river of an ebony abyss fashioned in ancient greek braids, her skin a dark golden hue, her nose flattened with a distinct feline feature, her lips quirked in a intimidating grin. The rest of her is a black panther, with broad raven wings and sharp silver glinting talons adorning her paws. Her voice is thick, raspy in a way that’s distinct like an old cat’s purr. “You are the ones sent to summon the sphinx?” Her black-tipped tail curls, her thick and massive paws leaving impressions in the dirt as she moves towards them, kicking up dust and watching them grapple for their weapons, despite knowing that she won’t attack them unless provoked. She tilts her head, pupils blown and watching their every move. “Put down your weapons, children,” she instructs, and the charmspeak floods over them, leaving them dumbfounded and so very eager to just leave their weapons be, even when their training instructs them otherwise. “What is it that you seek?”

Licking her lips, the brunette leans forward. “I - the gods, through the prophet, sent us to find you.” Her eyes are wide and round in the glow of the fire, which is sputtering and burning out.
“We need the riddle,” the younger begins.

The sphinx rounds on her, eyes glowing with a mystic power that couldn’t have been a reflection of the burning embers. “A riddle? Now, what would a child of Rome need a Greek riddle for?” She blinks over at Penny, her eyes calculating. In that moment, she looked like a predator knowing it’s cornered it’s prey. “As it is, a demigod is a demigod. You seek the riddle, demigods?” She reveals her razor teeth, before turning her eyes to the sky, which is almost as dark as her hair. No stars mapped the sky, and no moon lighted their path. “Round she is, yet flat as a board. / Altar of the lupine lords / Pearl on black velvet, jewel in the sea, / Unchanged but e’re changing, eternally. / What am I?” She opens her raven wings and lopes towards them at an alarming speed. A cry of a hippogriff in the distance alerts them that Peproméno was approaching; it had likely scented the sphinx.

Her lips peel back in a gruesome sneer, white pearls against her dark skin. “That is all you will get from the sphinx.” Do all sphinxes speak about themselves in third person? “Figure it out, demigods. Your time is fleeting. The gods will not wait forever.” Her wings torch the sky and she flies upwards, a sharp yowl ripping from her throat as she ascends. After a moment, Peproméno lights across the ground, talons digging into the soil. It marches over towards Penny, eyes blinking in an owlesque manner. It dips its head towards Penny, wrapping its wings around her and enfolding her in its embrace. Penny murmurs quietly to it.
“Pepro thinks we should get some rest and think about it later,” she says, sounding tired and far braver than her traveling partner.

The blonde rests her head back down and thinks, suddenly, with alarm, She called me a child of Rome. It had been a well-known fact that Greeks and Romans went toe-to-toe with each other and only had got along because the Athena Parthenos was returned, but tension was still tight. I’m Roman. She didn’t consider herself a Roman - she didn’t even like them too much when she read about them in the boxset. She can’t even handle being a Greek, how is it expected for her to handle being a Roman?

“The moon,” Penny suddenly calls up, voice full of wonder. Andy blinks, and surveys the sky. It was a black blanket of darkness, all consuming and throwing the world in shadow. It was a new moon, wasn’t it? Although there wasn’t many stars that lighted the sky, now … “It’s not out.” She sounds muffled with sleep, but she continues. “That’s the answer to the riddle. The moon.” She yawns, “We’ve gotta … we’ve got to find Artemis.”

Diana, she thinks, and suddenly, it relaxes her. The alternative to ‘Artemis’ soothes her faster than should’ve been possible. It is familiar in a way that her own name and blood isn’t. It is right when she is wrong.

“Why must we find her?” she asks, her own voice muddled with sleep.

But as she blinks up sleepily at the night sky, where no moon touched it, and she realizes, that something was very, very wrong. Why wouldn’t have Artemis raised the moon? What happened?

Description
The whoosh of air in their hair and the general feeling of freedom doesn’t slow the horror that mounts in her throat. Wings stretched outwards, beating against the wind and staying aloft despite the odds. Her companions shouts into the wind, but her voice is swallowed.

“What?”

Her brunette friend tugs on the feathers of the griffin’s crest and suddenly, unexpectedly, its wings straighten out and they glide on the wind, slowly descending but not quite at an alarming rate just yet.

“I said, do you see the sphinx?” she repeats herself, brown hair pulled in a ponytail whipping out backwards. She doesn’t spare a glance over her shoulder, instead remaining looking forward.

“No,” the blonde responds, tightening her grip in the griffin’s feathers. The fading sun lights its feathers, making it look like it was lit on fire. Figures. The champion animal of Apollo looks like it’s on fire, she thinks. The blue-eyed girl looks over over at the older, frowning. “Do you think we’ll find her?”

“Maybe. That’s kind of the whole point of this quest, isn’t it?” Penny’s voice sounds almost sarcastic, and Andy shuts up right quick, ducking her head and instead watches forward, gaze flitting around. Her sword feels heavy by her waist; she doesn’t know how Peproméno the griffin seems to carry their combined weight and weapons. Granted, they didn’t bring too many provisions, and no matter how young Pepro was, or small, it seemed to be doing just fine. Penny says something to Pepro then, and sharply they descend towards the ground, the griffin’s wings collapsing on themselves.

A horrified yelp rips itself from her lips and the landing on the cliff overlooking the harsh lapping of the sea was painful, and she rolls over herself, inhaling dust and coughing violently. Her golden sword and bag gets tossed, discarded across the ground. She splutters, trying to exhale the thick dust from her lungs. Penny seems to have settled better than her, although she seems to be nursing a bruise along her knee. Andy struggles to her feet and shoots the daughter of Apollo an incredulous look.

“We’ll set up camp here,” the brunette says, trying to smile slightly.

“You’re the boss.”

***

The fire crackling was barely enough for her to focus on; the cool press of the night against their bodies was barely noticeable. Their sleeping bags provided little cover, and she had nearly fallen asleep, when a shift in the air presented itself. It wasn’t even noticeable at first, but a soft beat of wings made her reconsider and crack open her eyes and wipe at the grit in her eyes. “Wha’ssit?” Andy grinds out, throat feeling like sandpaper when she tried to swallow.

“Mh?” comes a sleep-muddled murmur from beside her. A quick rustle of the blanket and from the sound, Penny stood up. A soft sound of mocking laughter rouses the blonder companion, and she startles, jerking upright.

“Demigod children,” a rumble greets them. The fire reflects off of the fine textures of fur and feathers and hair. It takes a few moments of eyes adjusting to the darkness, but it’s identifiable as the shinx they’re looking for.

Her eyes are golden moons, no white sclera visible, just a dark amber hue and a black slitted pupil. Her hair is a molten river of an ebony abyss fashioned in ancient greek braids, her skin a dark golden hue, her nose flattened with a distinct feline feature, her lips quirked in a intimidating grin. The rest of her is a black panther, with broad raven wings and sharp silver glinting talons adorning her paws. Her voice is thick, raspy in a way that’s distinct like an old cat’s purr. “You are the ones sent to summon the sphinx?” Her black-tipped tail curls, her thick and massive paws leaving impressions in the dirt as she moves towards them, kicking up dust and watching them grapple for their weapons, despite knowing that she won’t attack them unless provoked. She tilts her head, pupils blown and watching their every move. “Put down your weapons, children,” she instructs, and the charmspeak floods over them, leaving them dumbfounded and so very eager to just leave their weapons be, even when their training instructs them otherwise. “What is it that you seek?”

Licking her lips, the brunette leans forward. “I - the gods, through the prophet, sent us to find you.” Her eyes are wide and round in the glow of the fire, which is sputtering and burning out.
“We need the riddle,” the younger begins.

The sphinx rounds on her, eyes glowing with a mystic power that couldn’t have been a reflection of the burning embers. “A riddle? Now, what would a child of Rome need a Greek riddle for?” She blinks over at Penny, her eyes calculating. In that moment, she looked like a predator knowing it’s cornered it’s prey. “As it is, a demigod is a demigod. You seek the riddle, demigods?” She reveals her razor teeth, before turning her eyes to the sky, which is almost as dark as her hair. No stars mapped the sky, and no moon lighted their path. “Round she is, yet flat as a board. / Altar of the lupine lords / Pearl on black velvet, jewel in the sea, / Unchanged but e’re changing, eternally. / What am I?” She opens her raven wings and lopes towards them at an alarming speed. A cry of a hippogriff in the distance alerts them that Peproméno was approaching; it had likely scented the sphinx.

Her lips peel back in a gruesome sneer, white pearls against her dark skin. “That is all you will get from the sphinx.” Do all sphinxes speak about themselves in third person? “Figure it out, demigods. Your time is fleeting. The gods will not wait forever.” Her wings torch the sky and she flies upwards, a sharp yowl ripping from her throat as she ascends. After a moment, Peproméno lights across the ground, talons digging into the soil. It marches over towards Penny, eyes blinking in an owlesque manner. It dips its head towards Penny, wrapping its wings around her and enfolding her in its embrace. Penny murmurs quietly to it.
“Pepro thinks we should get some rest and think about it later,” she says, sounding tired and far braver than her traveling partner.

The blonde rests her head back down and thinks, suddenly, with alarm, She called me a child of Rome. It had been a well-known fact that Greeks and Romans went toe-to-toe with each other and only had got along because the Athena Parthenos was returned, but tension was still tight. I’m Roman. She didn’t consider herself a Roman - she didn’t even like them too much when she read about them in the boxset. She can’t even handle being a Greek, how is it expected for her to handle being a Roman?

“The moon,” Penny suddenly calls up, voice full of wonder. Andy blinks, and surveys the sky. It was a black blanket of darkness, all consuming and throwing the world in shadow. It was a new moon, wasn’t it? Although there wasn’t many stars that lighted the sky, now … “It’s not out.” She sounds muffled with sleep, but she continues. “That’s the answer to the riddle. The moon.” She yawns, “We’ve gotta … we’ve got to find Artemis.”

Diana, she thinks, and suddenly, it relaxes her. The alternative to ‘Artemis’ soothes her faster than should’ve been possible. It is familiar in a way that her own name and blood isn’t. It is right when she is wrong.

“Why must we find her?” she asks, her own voice muddled with sleep.

But as she blinks up sleepily at the night sky, where no moon touched it, and she realizes, that something was very, very wrong. Why wouldn’t have Artemis raised the moon? What happened?