As he had anticipated, the Sphinx was hardly giving any useful, productive insight towards their goal. What had any of them expected from a creature who was renowned for speaking only in riddles?

Speaking of riddles, however, the answer to the next was so blatantly obvious (to a man who had grown up hearing this story and whose right of passage into manhood was allegedly written by that same person) that he didn't even bother to say the answer aloud. It was obvious, at any rate, until the last line, when his brow clouded in confusion. "Who does she mean by her? 'Her inspiration'?"

(He had not yet noticed the fate of the obnoxious teenaged girl).