Foreigner's God

Chapter 1: Face to Sphinx

"I have been there before the day of creation, I have no face, I'm reborn everyday. What. Am. I.", the thing hissed. I looked up into the Sphinx's cold green, murky eyes. Her huge leathery wings flapped, showing she was edgy. It probably meant she wanted to rip my head from my body. I looked at her massive body again. At first if you looked at the lower half of her body you'll think a lion was standing in front of you, but as you guided your eyes up to the upper half you'll find the fur faded into skin. A woman's skin at that, she only wore a robe which stopped abruptly at her waist. She had a sword at her hip and a shield in hand. Her hair was a dirty dark orange and held dust in it.

"Answer the riddle mortal", she snarled gripping her sword in hunger. Sorry beast, I'm no quick snack.

"You're tommorow. That's the answer,... tomorrow", I retorted in a annoyed voice. Her beastly looking face fell in disappointment. She stepped aside and the rest of the labyrinth greeted me. I didn't move forward yet, but looked at the sphinx. She looked at me expectantly.

"When you say mortal", I said fixing my leather suit's jacket sleeve, "I don't think of a man going to die soon. I think of someone is able to die. And every mortal, even a god, can die. Although given that gods only can die from each other, but their lesser beings humans, demigods, or whatever you can you to them is able to die", I spoke and my right hand edged to the inside the folds of my robes. The sphinx hissed,

"Leave before I forget you got the question right", she growled. I smiled kindly.

"The rule you sphinxs have is boring really, get the question wrong, you win and I die. But I won. Don't you get the idea", I gestured to her head and then mines. Her face was a mask of confusion till she realized what I meant. For beasts who come up with hard riddles, they don't use their brains much. I ripped the sword from my robe and swung quickly. I didn't even look to know that she or it was dead. I heard it's head hit the floor and the soft moan of breath, before I wiped my blade with my sleeve and sheathed it back inside the folds of my robes. I pulled my hood up and continued to walk, a soft whistle on my lips.

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The labyrinth got darker and darker. The usual light from the lamps lined against the walls were getting few in numbers and I had to grab one and carry it with me. I started to get uncertain about the words that flowed from the Greek's mouth. He told me that he saw several minotaurs go inside. Those minotaurs are the ones I happen to ease drop on at their camp, a safe distance from Crete. Minotaurs weren't know for being veggans.

I wasn't so sure that he saw them come in here. He probably wanted me dead for being different. I was a foreign baby when I was first arrived here. My skin showed some light native bronze color. And I had thick, black, curly hair. With brown eyes and a firm chin. I was bored an mistake so I was an orphan and raised on the streets to steal. How cliche. I became one of the best and decided what better to do then make people mad by having artifacts from gods, the beggining of time, or priceless treasures. It was always easy money from those pocket bulging men.

I heard a roar not to far from me down the tunnel. But the jagged turned and darkness made me blind to what it was. Curse Daedalus and his maze. Why did he have to create this. I snuffed out the flame of the lamp and peeked around the corner.

I was surprised to find the two minotaurs fighting and bucking at each other. The tunnel rumbled and tiny bits of the ceiling fell all around us. This tunnel wasn't going to last long, or course it was old enough to collapse. I looked at the two engaged bull like men and saw something wrapped in a dark black cloth between the two. Their thundering roaring made the tunnels ache even more as well as my ears. I snuck along the wall when one of the minotaurs slammed the other in the direction of another dark tunnel. The thing wrapped in cloth must be really important if they were fighting. Minotaurs are scarce in numbers. I prayed for them to keep each other distracted while I picked up the item.