Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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The mechanical spider was about halfway across , swinging from bar to bar by shooting out metal web fiber . “ Monkey bars ,” Annabeth said . “ I ’ m great at these .” She leaped onto the first rung and started swinging her way across . She was scared of tiny spiders , but not of plummeting to her death from a set of monkey bars . Go figure .
Annabeth got to the opposite side and ran after the spider . I followed . When I got across , I looked back and saw Tyson giving Grover a piggyback ride ( or was it a goatyback ride ?). the big guy made it across in three swings , which was a good thing since , just as he landed , the last iron bar ripped free under his weight .
We kept moving and passed a skeleton crumpled in the tunnel . It work the remains of a dress shirt , slacks , and a tie . The spider didn ’ t slow down . I slipped on a pile of wood scraps , but when I shined a light on them I realized they were pencils — hundreds of them , all broken in half .
The tunnel opened up onto a large room . A blazing light hit us . Once my eyes adjusted , the first thing I noticed were the skeletons . Dozens littered the floor around us . Some were old and bleached white . Others were more recent and a lot grosser . They didn ’ t smell quite as bad as Geryon ’ s stables , but almost .
Then I saw the monster . She stood on a glittery dais on the opposite side of the room . She had the body of a huge lion and the head of a woman . She would ’ ve been pretty , but her hair was tied back in a tight bun and she wore too much makeup , so she kind of reminded me of my thirdgrade choir teacher . She had a blue ribbon badge pinned to her chest that took me a moment to read : THIS MONSTER HAS BEEN RATED EXEMPLARY ! Tyson whimpered . “ Sphinx .” I knew exactly why he was scared . When he was small , Tyson had been attacked by a
Sphinx ’ s paws and disappeared . Annabeth started forward , but the Sphinx roared , showing fangs in her otherwise human face . Bars came down on both tunnel exits , behind us and in front . Immediately the monster ’ s snarl turned into a brilliant smile . “ Welcome , lucky contestants !” she announced . “ Get ready to play … ANSWER THAT
RIDDLE !”
Canned applause blasted from the ceiling , as if there were invisible loudspeakers . Spotlights swept across the room and reflected off the dais , throwing disco glitter over the skeletons on the floor .
“ Fabulous prizes !” the Sphinx said . “ Pass the test , and you get to advance ! Fail , and I get to eat you ! Who will be our contestant ?” Annabeth grabbed my arm . “ I ’ ve got this ,” she whispered . “ I know what she ’ s going to ask .” I didn ’ t argue too hard . I didn ’ t want Annabeth getting devoured by a monster , but I figured if the Sphinx was going to ask riddles , Annabeth was the best one of us to try . She stepped forward to the contestant ’ s podium , which had a skeleton in a school uniform hunched over it . She pushed the skeleton out of the way , and it clattered to the floor . “ Sorry ,” Annabeth told it . “ Welcome , Annabeth Chase !” the monster cried , though Annabeth hadn ’ t said her name .
“ Are you ready for your test ?” “ Yes ,” she said . “ Ask your riddle .” “ Twenty riddles , actually !” the Sphinx said gleefully . “ What ? But back in the old days —” “ Oh , we ’ ve raised our standards ! To pass , you must show proficiency in all twenty . Isn ’ t that great ?” Applause switched on and off like somebody turning a faucet . Annabeth glanced at me nervously . I gave her an encouraging nod . “ Okay ,” she told the Sphinx . “ I ’ m ready .” A drumroll sounded from above . The Sphinx ’ s eyes glittered with excitement . “ What … is the capital of Bulgaria ?” Annabeth frowned . For a terrible moment , I thought she was stumped . “ Sofia ,” she said , “ but —” “ Correct !” More canned applause . The Sphinx smiled so widely her fangs showed . “ Please