Apollo sat on his divine throne with the other Olympians.
Many lesser gods would covet his position, but right now, he shrunk back, wishing he could be any other place. But if he tried to secretly send his mind somewhere else, he knew he'd get a swift kick in the rear.
Of the divine sort.
"And the next two teams are getting ready to depart from camp within the day." Athena finished her report.
"Thank you, daughter." Zeus replied as she took the hint to go back to her seat. He glanced at Hera, who nodded curtly.
There was still a very distinct tension in the air, even more so than when all those other gods came and kicked their asses. At least with that, everyone knew that it wasn't going to be a real 'fight,' and they were just venting or taking the chance to throw a few punches because they had the excuse.
Apollo would freely admit that they would have jumped on the same opportunity had it been another Pantheon that screwed the pooch like they did.
But with Hera, he was genuinely afraid. Not in a comical 'Oh no, don't beat me up!' way, but afraid of what she could do.
The first few times Hera raged, it was…funny. Apollo shared a few laughs, privately, with Dionysus. But…well, it quickly went from kind of funny to kind of bad.
She already hated all the kids down in the camp. What if she really just throws her hands up after this 'failed' quest and decides to start smiting? He knew their dad wouldn't 'punish' her in any meaningful way.
Despite all the fighting they do about his cheating, she is undeniably his soft spot. Even when she schemed with their uncle and Athena to chain him up and force him to be a better ruler, her punishments were significantly less in comparison. Of course, no one would call him out on it.
It was no secret that their dad would humor Hera until he was directly affected. At what point that's reached was anyone's guess, and that scared Apollo.
"Moving on to the next point, the amount of times everyone is allowed to interfere during this large quest." Zeus's voice carried with his signature booming.
Quests were, ironically, one of the few times that the gods could both interfere andalso not interfere in the world without consequences.
There were obviously rules, but they could also be much more blunt about their divine intervention.
But the rules were…loosened a bit. It was the nature of a divine quest, a movement of fate even beyond what the Fates can control altogether, as even they are just custodians under the universal concept that governs the Greek cosmology.
A quest in the Greek parts of the world was always accompanied by a 'prophecy,' a string of fate that dictated the outcome of the quest in question. Even if they didn't know the prophecy, it didn't mean there wasn't one.
There were certain points that were unchangeable. A to B to C in the quest that the prophecy and fate dictated. However, this also meant that regardless of what the gods did in between, the prophecy still was fulfilled as it should be, thus rendering their 'interference' moot.
World laws straightened out any curveballs the gods threw out to make sure the story ended the same, with the major plot points not changing even if the details did.
It's why great quests were always a big deal; it gave the gods a chance to maneuver and do things they normally couldn't get away with.
He briefly took a look at some of his kids heading across the country.
One of his daughters just shot a harpy out of the sky; it was a good shot.
Another of his sons, who preferred a sword, had just stabbed it into a giant rat creature that he was fairly sure wasn't part of their cosmology. But that was neither here nor there; monsters come and go everywhere, especially when it is their kids traveling so far from 'home.'
Otherwise, most of his kids out and about were still just…driving or making headway west.
He felt guilty that it was his fault that this was happening.
He really did try his best to get a prophecy after he accidentally broke his oracle. He was still confused why his Oracle was trying to bang Thanatos. She was…a zombie, right? Is Thanatos into that sort of thing? He even asked his uncle down below, and he just shrugged in confusion too.
Was Thanatos really trying to court his Oracle!?
"Apollo!" Zeus's voice boomed.
Apollo perked up. "Sorry, I was…..trying to see if I could glean any new prophecy." He quickly lied as to why he wasn't paying attention.
Zeus seemed to appreciate that response and didn't press it. "Did you find out anything new?"
Hera also stared at him.
"Give me a second; I was halfway through." Now he really had to try and see if he could glean anything.
Contrary to what many think, he doesn't just 'see the future' without any consequences. Hell, he doesn't even get to control what he sees most of the time. It was bitter about it, but his domain of prophecy was almost entirely out of his hands.
That is to say, he only saw what the Fates wanted him to see.
He could glimpse at the strings of fate with their permission. Quests? Those were more or less derived from the Fates themselves, and he, and by extension his Oracle, was just a mouthpiece.
He closed his eyes and focused; he looked towards where the Strings of Fate were and…
Why were the Fates screaming?
It started with a bloodcurdling scream, then it switched to an angry and furious scream.
"How did he do that!?"
"I don't know!?"
"That's impossible; he's a mortal!?"
"He cut my hand!"
"He got my finger too!"
"He almost got my face!"
"This is impossible!"
"Anomaly!"
"He must be removed!"
Then the sound of a bird cawing—almost mockingly.
"Go away, you damn bastard!"
"You're breaking the rules; begone!"
"Get out of here!"
They roared furiously, and Apollo felt the backlash through his prophecy domain. Apollo opened his eyes with a strange expression. "The future is…muddled."
[Line Break]
The next few hours for Ocean Song had been quiet and peaceful.
But he knew that wouldn't last.
He played enough games in his past life to know that escort quests never relented after the first enemy attack!
Thus, while he quietly cultivated on top of the bus, he kept his Divine Sense spread out. Not a single chicken or dog escaped his perception.
Mostly because there were no chickens or dogs in the desert.
But that was neither here nor there.
He spent the next several hours slowly recovering from his battle. Physically, he was getting close to being fully healed, but it would take a bit longer to fully recover.
Not to mention, he had many new insights to digest from his recent battle.
He got up and stretched because the bus started to slow down. They were coming up to a pit stop that had several other buses and trucks parked around. It seemed to be a normal stop, but Ocean Song was not oblivious to the rather strange scene taking place.
That is to say, the staff were all Sphinxes.
The mascot was also a sphinx.
Sphinx Station, the name of the rest stop, said.
They weren't…particularly powerful. Though one presence above all stood among them. There was one massive Sphinx that towered over the buildings; it sat there motionless, simply observing everything.
He didn't feel any hostility from it, but knowing what happened to his junior brother, he didn't have a good impression of their kind.
They noticed him, but they didn't go immediately hostile. In fact, he was almost certain they could smell Lyra as well, as her demigod scent was hard to miss for his fellow monsters. But, they just kept working like normal—or what goes for normal around here.
He saw a Sphinx with a mist illusion over her as she walked a food order to a parked car, as a portion of the building was a dedicated restaurant.
There was another Sphinx that was sweeping by the gas pumps.
And near the back, there were a couple more that were unloading a truck, presumably to restock the shelves inside.
It was rather fascinating in a way.
"You got an hour; if you're late, we're leaving without you!" "The bus driver," he declared as he got off the bus with many of the people following behind him.
Ocean Song hopped off the top and landed at the doors, holding his hand out as Lyra stepped down the steps, grabbing it happily.
"Mr. Ocean, I need to use the bathroom." She said quietly. "But…" She looked at the Sphinx.
"No need to worry, I'll take you there." Ocean Song smiled.
He eyed the Sphinxes, who didn't stop him, barely even giving him a look as he led her inside.
"Welcome to Sphinx's Station. Our special today is—" The Sphinx inside that greeted them paused and looked at him.
Ocean Song and Lyra looked back.
"...Greek or Egyptian?" Ocean Song asked.
"...Egyptian." The Sphinx answered back.
Ocean Song relaxed a little bit. He recalled a tidbit that the Egyptian Sphinxes were much more…reasonable.
It was a Greek Sphinx that attacked his brother.
"Bathroom?" Ocean Song asked.
The Sphinx held up its front paw, pointing to the sign that led to the bathrooms.
He nodded to it and went on his way with Lyra.
Strangely, there was no trap, which confused Ocean Song even more. He stood guard outside the little girl's room as Lyra did his private business, waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, but…it never did.
Beyond some of the 'staff' shooting him looks from time to time, they didn't show any overt hostility.
"I'm done, Mr. Ocean!" Lyra grabbed his hand again with a big smile.
"Do you want to get some more snacks?" Ocean Song offered. "We still have a long drive."
"Can I get some candy!?" Her eyes widened in barely contained excitement.
"Sure, whatever you want." His heart softened seeing her nearly bounce around with excitement.
It was her turn to lead him around as she danced between the aisles. He realized that he hadn't ever been in a store like this ever since he had begun his pursuit of the Dao in this life. It was nostalgic in a way to see things so similar but different.
There were, of course, many oddities to his eyes.
Aphrodite's Delight, a type of chocolate bar.
Zeus Bolts, which looked like a rip-off of a different colorful rainbow candy that took the form of little spheres, but these had little lightning bolts on them rather than a certain 'S.'.
This seemed to be the norm around here.
He even found a brand of bubble gum with his father's name on it!
Poseidon brand Ocean Mint bubble gum!
He, of course, intended to buy one pack.
Lyra hid behind him as they approached the counter to pay. A Sphinx sitting behind the register gives them a strange look.
It was…comical, in a way, to watch a giant cat-creature shuffle through their stack of snacks, ringing up each purchase.
"Twenty-seven dollars and forty-three cents."
Ocean Song wordlessly set some cash on the counter, and the Sphinx took it, counted it, and then began to count out individual coins for his change with its large paws.
"Here's your change. Thank you, have a good day." It said casually to him.
Admittedly, he was still waiting for something to happen, but once more, nothing did. He was beginning to wonder if he was actually in a drunken stupor and passed out on the bus still.
However, once they walked outside, his cultivator senses tingled, and he was ready to spring into action.
There were a dozen Sphinxes surrounding them, and the massive Sphinx towering above them looked down with its ancient eyes.
"Halt, mortal, still your stride! Though it may be crass, you may not pass. Until you play our ancient game and answer right, or leave in shame!" One of the Sphinxes spoke up.
"...what?" Ocean Song cocked his head.
"Not by sword, nor coin, nor plea, but by the riddles shall you be free!" "Pass our questions, one by one—fail, and your journey is undone." Another one spoke.
"Pardon?"
"First we ask a riddle, and then you try. Get it wrong, and say goodbye!"
"....."
They waited for his response with anticipation.
"Why are you all rhyming all of a sudden?" Because he clearly saw them talking normally before.
"It's part of our shtick, okay?" The Sphinx in the front said, presumably, their leader? "Just, you can't go past until you answer our riddle, okay?"
"Question."
"What?"
"If you can go 'past,' does that also mean you can go 'future'?" Ocean Song asked.
The Sphinx was about to respond, but its eyes widened, and it seemed to genuinely start contemplating his words. It went silent and seemed utterly stuck on his question.
Then it seemed to panic. "Mother!" It cried out, and the massive Sphinx slowly opened its eyes.
"Fear not, child; let me handle this. This one is beyond your wit to handle." The large Sphinx, despite having a loud voice, carried a strange gentleness to it. "I will be your opponent, young Cyclops."
The other small sphinx began to back away.
"...as in a fight?" He asked, gripping his sword.
The large Sphinx blinked once. "Did you not hear me, my child? You just need to answer a riddle. That is your challenge."
"And what happens if I lose?" He put a protective hand on Lyra, who was a bit scared still. "
It looked down at them with authoritative eyes.
"One – "
"One of us has to give themselves up, is that it?" Ocean Song narrowed his own eyes. "You won't—"
"Thousand dollars."
"...what?"
"One thousand dollars—that's the price if you get the riddle wrong." The Large Sphinx stated firmly. "As the ancient codes dictate, you passed through our lands; thus, you must play the game!"
The Sphinxs all around them lifted up their heads and let out mighty roars.
"You…don't want to eat one of us?"
They stopped, and the big Sphinx returned its gaze to them. "No, why would we?" It asked in confusion.
"Um, yummy Demigod?" Ocean Song pointed to Lyra. Lyra also nodded, seemingly confused too.
The massive Sphinx looked offended. "We are ancient and noble protectors of the Pharaoh's bloodline! We don't eat demigods." She scoffed.
Ocean Song's eyes widened. "I apologize, Fellow Daoist, for offending you." He quickly clasped his hands and performed a respectful bow. "This lowly Cyclops has only met Greek Sphinxs, and my perception was muddled. Clearly, you are of a noble and exalted lineage that does not lose itself in base instincts."
The big Sphinx preened at his praise. "You are forgiven for your ignorance, little Cyclops. Our Greek cousins are…unfortunately of a lesser breed."
Ocean Song nodded. "...May this one ask, why a thousand dollars?"
"Running a business is expensive." She said simply.
Ocean Song nodded in understanding; it made perfect sense to him.
However, there was one problem.
He didn't have a thousand dollars on him!
"Then, I shall ask you a riddle—"
"No!" Ocean Song interrupted her. His robes billowed heroically, and his hair danced in the wind. "I'll ask you a riddle!" He declared.
"...okay." The big Sphinx shrugged. "Ask away. But be warned, young one. I have walked this world for many years, I have searched and gathered all the greatest riddles across the realms. From the great Pyramids of Egypt to the great Oceans. I have spoken to Saints and Sages, the wisest of Humans and Monsters alike. If you dare, then speak your riddle."
Ocean Song didn't expect that to work so easily. But he was prepared, for he was a cultivator, and he knew the vastness of heaven and earth. And he had once consulted the great sage of google and remembered a riddle.
"I have two coins that equal thirty cents; one of them isn't a nickel. What coins do I have?"
"..."
"..."
Ocean Song nodded.
The Sphinx then went deep into thought.
"….."
"..."
The ancient being opened her mouth to relay wisdom. "This is a stupid riddle."
"…..I'm sorry." Ocean Song Apologized.
Several more minutes passed as the silence stretched onwards.
"Are you giving up?" Ocean Song clasped his hands behind his back, probing her lightly.
"Fine, tell me the answer." She harumphed. "And it better not be a lie."
"Of course it's a nickel and a quarter! I only said one of them isn't a nickel; then obviously, the other one is!"
Truly, he was a cultivation genius, rendering the Sphinx speechless.
"My reward?" Ocean Song asked, very pleased with himself.
The great and wise Sphinx that served Pharaohs in past ages, resisted the urge to smack him.
The Sphinx's lips curled up. "When did I say you get a reward for winning? I only said you have to pay if you lost."
Ocean Song's mouth opened and his eyes widened in realization. He had been fooled and could only swallow the bitter pill. Truly, this Sphinx was wise beyond all measure.
He acknowledged his loss there. He could only accept that he had been outwitted even though he won.
"But, I'll give you a warning for playing along when you didn't have to." The Sphinx relaxed, clearly having only treated this whole thing as a game. "Beware the next town you pass through, for an evil presence has taken over the town."
"An Evil Presence?" Ocean Song whispered. "What foul evils await us on our journey forward, Noble Sphinx Mother?"
"It has a name." She leaned down, her face getting serious. "Amazon."
[Line Break]
A/N
For those who don't know, Amazon in PJO is literally run by the Amazons from Greek myths, and they're basically evil. They literally have the goal of world domination. So…kinda like normal Amazon, but more supernatural and kidnapping.
If you want to read 1 chapter ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name