Percy Jackson and the Olympians 4 by The Battle of the Labyrinth (Rick Riordan)

Author:The Battle of the Labyrinth (Rick Riordan) [Labyrinth, The Battle of the]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-10-24T23:48:53.831000+00:00

The Battle of the Labyrinth - 04

be sure to mark your answer clearly on your test sheet with a number 2 pencil.”

“What?” Annabeth looked mystified. Then a test booklet appeared on the podium in front of

her, along with a sharpened pencil.

“Make sure you bubble each answer clearly and stay inside the circle,” the Sphinx said. “If

you have to erase, erase completely or the machine will not be able to read your answers.”

“What machine?” Annabeth asked.

The Sphinx pointed with her paw. Over by the spotlight was a bronze box with a bunch of

gears and levers and a big Greek letter Ȇta on the side, the mark of Hephaestus.

66

“Now,” said the Sphinx, “next question—”

“Wait a second,” Annabeth protested. “What about ‘What walks on four legs in the morning’?”

“I beg your pardon?” the Sphinx said, clearly annoyed now.

“The riddle about the man. He walks on four legs in the morning, like a baby, two legs in the

afternoon, like an adult, and three legs in the evening, as an old man with a cane. That’s the riddle

you used to ask.”

“Exactly why we changed the test!” the Sphinx exclaimed. “You already knew the answer.

Now second question, what is the square root of sixteen?”

“Four,” Annabeth said, “but—”

“Correct! Which U.S. president signed the Emancipation Proclamation?”

“Abraham Lincoln, but—”

“Correct! Riddle number four. How much—”

“Hold up!” Annabeth shouted.

I wanted to tell her to stop complaining. She was doing great! She should just answer the

questions so we could leave.

“These aren’t riddles,” Annabeth said.

“What do you mean?” the sphinx snapped. “Of course they are. This test material is specially

designed—”

“It’s just a bunch of dumb, random facts,” Annabeth insisted. “Riddles are supposed to make

you think.”

“Think?” The Sphinx frowned. “How am I supposed to test whether you can think? That’s

ridiculous! Now, how much force is required—”

“Stop!” Annabeth insisted. “This is a stupid test.”

“Um, Annabeth,” Grover cut in nervously. “Maybe you should just, you know, finish first and

complain later?”

“I’m a child of Athena,” she insisted. “And this is an insult to my intelligence. I won’t answer

these questions.”

Part of me wsa impressed with her for standing up like that. But part of me thought her pride

was going to get us all killed.

The spotlights glared. The Sphinx’s eyes glittered pure black.

“Why then, my dear,” the monster said calmly. “If you won’t pass, you fail. And since we can’t

allow any children to be held back, you’ll be EATEN!”

The Sphinx bared her claws, which gleamed like stainless steel. She pounced at the podium.

“No!” Tyson charged. He hates it when people threaten Annabeth, but I couldn’t believe he

was being so brave, especially since he’d had such a bad experience with a Sphinx before.

He tackled the Sphinx in midair and they crashed sideways into a pile of bones. This gave

Annabeth just enough time to gather her wits and draw her knife. Tyson got up, his shirt clawed to

shreds. The Sphinx growled, looking for an opening.

I drew Riptide and stepped in front of Annabeth.

“Turn invisible,” I told her.

“I can fight!”

“No!” I yelled. “The Sphinx is after you! Let us get it.”

As if to prove my point, the Sphinx knocked Tyson aside and tried to charge past me.

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