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Percy was very tempted to just turn around, leave this creepy section, and never look back. He was just about to, but when he turned around, he found that the pathway he had come from was completely gone. Percy cursed again.
The hedges were moving; it was like they were alive, which meant he did not really have a choice but to go forward... or...
"Incendio!" Percy yelled again, sending a powerful blaze of flames directly at the hedges on his right, hoping to burn a new path through the thick grass.
The hedges quickly began to grow back almost instantly, the magical plants regenerating in mere seconds.
The fiery hole he had just created was sealed up the very moment he stopped his spell.
Percy groaned in frustration. There was clearly a powerful spell on the hedges to make the fauna regrow. But no matter. "Incendio Maxima!" he roared.
This time, the flames that spewed out of his wand were like the fire from a military-grade flamethrower, hot and intense. It burnt a huge portion of the hedge away in seconds.
Percy cut the spell off and quickly leaped right through the wall of flames, just barely making it through as the magical flames behind him cut off and the hedge wall slammed shut once more.
Percy landed in a neat roll on the other side and looked up, seeing the now-closed hedge wall. He grinned, feeling a rush of satisfaction.
'Take that, you overgrown, magic plant!' He got up and turned to face the new, open field he had broken into, only to stop dead in his tracks.
He noticed Harry Potter just turning a corner at the far end of the same row. Percy was about to call out to him when, suddenly...
BAM!
It was the heavy, thudding sound of something massive landing on the ground right in front of him.
A creature with the powerful body of a lion, the majestic wings of a giant eagle, and the beautiful but unsettling face of a woman stood before him, blocking his path.
She smiled, a slow, predatory smile, as her long, forked tongue came out and licked her lips.
"A demigod," she purred, her voice ancient and melodic. "Well, well, well, is not this day just full of wonderful little surprises."
Percy's eyes narrowed, his hand tightening on his wand. "A Sphinx? You have got to be kidding me. These wizards are fucking crazy!"
The monster just shrugged her powerful, feathered shoulders. "It is all a matter of perspective, little demigod," she said, her intelligent eyes looking down at Percy's hand, spotting his wand. "Ah, I see. You are disguising yourself as one of these wizards. How very... interesting."
Percy immediately became cautious. Sphinxes were known to be incredibly clever and cunning. They had to be.
She had figured out who, and what, he was with just a single glance, and had also understood he was posing as a wizard. Percy quickly looked around.
The Sphinx was so large that she completely blocked the path. He could not go around her. The only way was through her. Or maybe...
"So," Percy asked, slowly lowering his wand to show he was not an immediate threat, "are you here to give me a riddle then?"
The monster nodded, her expression amused. "Yes, I am. That is, of course, my purpose here in this little game."
Percy nodded back. "Right... well? What is it then? Let us hear it."
The Sphinx smiled, her cat-like eyes glinting. "What flies when it is born, lies down when it is alive, and runs when it is dead?"
Percy blinked, surprised. "Huh. That is totally not what I was expecting you to ask."
"Did you really expect me to ask that same old, boring riddle about man?" the Sphinx snorted, looking almost offended. "Please. That idiot Oedipus completely ruined that classic riddle for all of us for all time. Stupid mother-fucker," she grumbled under her breath.
Percy groaned, trying to ignore her commentary. "Okay... so, it flies when it is born... it lies down when it is alive... and... it runs when it is dead?"
The Sphinx nodded again, looking pleased. "That is correct. So, little demigod, do you give up?" she asked, licking her lips again, a hungry look in her eyes. "Because if you do, you will make a very, very tasty meal for me. It has been a very long time since I last tasted the flesh of a demigod."
Percy blocked out her taunting words and focused on the task at hand. He thought, and he thought, and he thought. And then, suddenly, a wide smile spread across his face. "It is snow."
The Sphinx blinked, her own smile faltering. Then, she let out a low, frustrated growl. "You are a child of Athena, are you not? One of those clever ones."
Percy just smirked, feeling a surge of confidence. "No. I am a child of Poseidon."
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If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016