Sweat was starting to drip from his brow as Oedipus slowly climbed the final hill. Partially it was because of his long journey through Paranassus in the hot Grecian summer, but also because of what he might find the other side. The closer he got, the more anxiety he felt. It had been a long time since any had come this way, and the warnings of the travelers he had met on his journey here kept replaying in his mind now.
He reached the top and paused to look down the other side, breathing deeply from his exertion. At the bottom, lay the sprawling magnificence of the city of Thebes. The turrets and walls rose high, and her flags fluttered lazily in the summer wind. She was quite picturesque in this mountain setting, and would be a welcome sight normally for the weary traveler, but even from this vantage point, he could tell something was wrong.
He looked around warily. The rocky outcropping that shouldered the path on the way down appeared deserted. The insects were buzzing in the early afternoon sun, the birds sang, and the leaves rustled in the trees. It seemed to be a normal, ordinary, lazy Grecian summer day. But normally this road was full of travelers coming to and from the great gates below, and Oedipus could see they were shut tight today. Indeed, Thebes had been shut tight like this for a good few weeks, and Oedipus could practically feel her despair wafting up on the wind to him. He knew the people inside her walls were suffering from the inability to have goods come and go. And he knew why.
He shifted the walking staff in his hand and tossed his long, golden waves of hair out of his face. He had come a long way for this moment, and his heart was thudding fast his chest. He knew she was out there, somewhere. Probably watching him from the rocks, waiting, hoping he would come forward. He had heard the gruesome tales of the monster descending in a flurry of great wings, terrifying all that beheld her, and taking up residence outside Thebes. A creature so terrible and evil that she played with her victims before causing them to die a slow, agonizing death and devouring them.
The tale had been so fantastic that it intrigued him to the point he wanted to see for himself. But if he continued, he knew that would be it. He couldn't go back. Only a very few had ever survived to tell the country about it, and he figured that it was only because she and the Gods themselves had let them. Allowed them to flee not so much as to warn others about it, but more to spread the word of Thebes' shame.
He wasn't sure what Thebes had done to warrant having such a terrible punishment, but he knew they needed someone to come and save them from their curse soon before the entire city perished. As the Prince of Cornith, he had a duty to protect the weak, and since he had first heard the tale while wandering through the mountains, he had decided he had to come and try. Oedipus sighed heavily. It was not as if he had anything left to lose, after all. He himself was plagued by a chilling prophesy to murder his father and marry his mother, and upon learning it, he had left his beloved family and kingdom in part to spare them from his fate. If he did not survive this, perhaps his death would come as some relief.
He started down the other side of the hill, his deep blue eyes darting back and forth. His hands clutched his staff as he walked slowly. His feet were aching terribly, as they had never fully recovered from the cruel treatment they had received when he was a baby. They were ugly and twisted, and he used his staff for support. He had worked hard growing up to make allowances for this during his military training, and he had become quite skilled with using his staff as a weapon as well as a crutch. Which is why the rude man and his ten slaves had all fallen on the road before him a few days earlier. Even wild beasts knew better than that fool had to approach him, despite his seemingly vulnerable appearance.
But at the moment, he was feeling rather unsure of himself, for he had never killed a monster before, and this one was fabled to be part human, part beast, and endowed with an incredible intellect that embodied the knowledges of both.
As he moved, he became acutely aware of how silent the air had become. The insects had stopped their cacophony, and the birds had ceased to sing. It felt as if all of nature had stopped to watch him, and it unnerved him. He scanned the rocks and listened hard for any sign of inhabitance or an ambush.
"Halt."
Oedipus nearly jumped out of his skin and swung his staff into a ready position. The disembodied voice had drifted over the rocks to his right. "Who commands?" He demanded, "Show yourself!"
The rocks were silent as he waited for an answer. Then he suddenly heard the crack of a few small stones skittering against the slate, and a woman's head appeared not ten feet from him. Then from behind an enormous pair of slate blue wings, and suddenly a golden leonine body as she hopped up on a rock. Oedipus held his breath and stared in disbelief. The human skin was tanned and smooth, paling a bit at the large breasts that heaved bare and full on her broad chest. The skin blended neatly into fur along her shoulders, and the black hair was a thick and flowing mane. The face was inequitably lovely. Her lips were full and red, and her eyes were deep pools of amber, both unnerving and alluring at the same time.
He got into position prepared himself for battle if she came forward. She did not seem interested in attack, but merely lowered her body to the rock and wrapped her tail around her haunches as cats do when they are intent on showing you just how much you unimpress them, and regarded him with lazy curiosity. Oedipus lowered his staff a fraction. "I know you. You are the Sphinx, scourge of Thebes and the devourer of men."
She smiled at him. "That I am, and your flattery is most pleasing, young lord." Her voice was deep and smooth, almost calming to hear, but Oedipus knew it must be part of her unearthly magic to lure victims.
He readied his staff once more "How did you know my status? We have never met, past or present, for I surely would have remembered a creature such as yourself."
"I know more than most, and your meager dress does not disguise your carriage." She said simply, eyeing him.
It was true, Oedipus was wearing little more than a drape around his shoulders to keep the sun off and little else due to the heat. He blinked at the tone of her voice, and was confused by her relaxed manner.
"I do not have the time nor patience to trifle over my clothing, monster." He said, "What business is it we have to discuss?"
"The business of your passage, young lord. Your trespass has been noted and needs to be addressed." She smiled most ferally then, revealing a set of sharp fangs.
"Trespass!" Oedipus said, outraged "Arrogant and unclean creature, it is you who have trespassed upon Thebes! Not only denying her people the right to their road, but to their lives as well! You pollute the ground you stand on and foul the air you fly through!"
"Such noble words of bravery, I am impressed. But still is the matter of your trespass. I am not so heartless as to deny you your chance, however. If you can guess my riddle, I shall set you free. If you do not, you shall join those that came before you."
