Sphinxes and Astrea Portas

Disclaimer: STARGATE belongs to Gekko and GARGOYLES to Disney and Greg Weisman. In addition, many characters from the online Gargoyles Saga (TGS) are going to be mentioned here. I just want to say thanks to the TGS staff for creating these magnificent characters and allowing me and other writers to use them in our own fics! THANK YOU!!!!!

Summary: Searching for the Sangraal, SG-1 travels to a world from the Ancient database. Surprises abound and once more Daniel's perspective on world history is tipped on its head.

Timing: Stargate season 10 pre The Quest

Author's notes: Sorry it's taken so long for me to update been busy in RL. Anyway on to the story!

Chapter 2

Daniel and the others stared in surprise at this unusual alien, this Sphinx.

"Uh hi," Daniel managed to say sheepishly after a few moments. He turned to Cameron, "Didn't see this coming did you?"

Cameron didn't even take his eyes off of Hypatia as he answered, "Nope."

"Okay then," Daniel swallowed and turned back to Hypatia, "I'm Dr Daniel Jackson of Earth."

Hypatia nodded and extended her hand to him in greeting.

Daniel paused for an infinitesimal moment before slowly reached out his hand. He was surprised when instead of shaking his hand she grasped his forearm in much the same way that Jaffa greeted each other.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Dr Jackson," Hypatia replied with another toothy smile. "My Lady Ayria tells me we have much to discuss…"

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A while later SG-1 had split up with Carter and Teal'c being shown around the village by some of Ayria's people while Daniel, Vala and Mitchell went to the Lord Thoth's Library with Hypatia, were all Stone Haven's records were kept.

As the walked through the castle Daniel marvelled at the transformations, he saw before him. When they had first walked through the castle he had seen the merry people going about their tasks efficiently in preparation for the Solstice celebration and now the people were still going about their business but now Sphinxes joined them. Wherever he looked, he could see Sphinxes and humans going about nightly choirs side by side as if it was the most normal thing in the galaxy.

Which for them he supposed it was. That aside these Sphinxes seemed to come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Blue, red, brown, grey…in all shades from the dull hues to bright primary colours. The colours passing them seem to be a veritable rainbow. Moreover, each Sphinx seemed to different from the other-sure most of them had a humanoid look to them, but some of them had beaks! And scales!

One that passed them made Daniel and Cameron do double takes because the Sphinx looked like a walking green humanoid dragon. And even among the humanoid ones, each seemed to have readily apparent differences like smaller brow ridges or horns or horn buds.

A small portion of Daniel's mind that was not suffering from overload quietly wondered what sort of evolutionary stimuli could cause so many physical differences in a single species?

They continued walking until they came to a massive wooden door. Hypatia firmly pushed the doors open and entered beckoning them in with her.

The room they entered, Thoth's library was massive with many bookshelves filled to capacity with books and scrolls. Daniel's eyes lit up excitement as he contemplated all that was possibly recorded here. Considering that, these people still remembered and used terms in their original Ancient, it was safe to say there would be some remarkable things recorded in this library.

"Welcome to Lord Thoth's pride and joy-his library!" Hypatia expressed enthusiastically to the three members of SG-1 that were with her, "Over the millennia Lord Thoth has collected here all he knew of our old world and all the history of Stone Haven and this world." She finished with a flourish expouting this library's supremacy over all others.

"Well Daniel is going to be very very happy here I can tell you," remarked Vala saucily as she and the others continued to gaze around taking in the full expanse of the Library.

"For once I have to agree with Vala," admitted Daniel.

Hypatia smiled happily at him, giving him another smile. She opened her mouth to speak and stopped, she closed her mouth and gently sniffed the air gazing about her for a second before speaking to Daniel again, "I'm glad to hear that, but please sit down at the main table I believe there is something I have to deal with before we continue speaking." She gestured to a table further into the room.

Daniel and the others exchanged looks over this as they slowly made there way to the table, as Hypatia quickly disappeared between the bookcases, a frustrated look on her face.

As they took a seat at the table, Hypatia had indicated they were surprised to hear the sound of something fleshy hitting something equally fleshy. That sound was quickly followed by two yelps, one female and one male, of pain and surprise one after the other. This was followed a few moments later by the sight of half-naked man rushing rapidly out from between the book stacks, who disappeared just as rapidly as he had appeared out the door.

"Heh, now there's a sight I always like to see," Vala commented idly.

Cameron and Daniel gave her annoyed looks before sharing a confused look, both wondering what the hell was going on.

The sound of angry albeit muffled voices reached the ears of SG-1 next. They went silent and then Hypatia reappeared carrying a large book.

She reached the table and quietly set the book in front of Daniel, "Sorry for the delay, here perhaps you'd like to start with this? It details the earliest chapter of Stone Haven's history." She took the seat next to Daniel.

Daniel took the old book revenantly from Hypatia's claws, "Thank you."

Cameron cut in, "Uh…what was that about?" he asked pointedly.

Hypatia's mouth crinkled as she answered in an unamused tone, "It was the latest chapter in a long running disagreement about what should and should not be done in the sanctity of Lord Thoth's library."

"Really? Like what?" Vala asked pointedly while raising an eyebrow provocatively.

"Nothing you need concern yourself with," Hypatia answered diplomatically.

Vala wordlessly gave her a long calculating look before slowly lifting up something she had found hanging on the chair she was sitting on.

Hypatia stared at the object for a second before closing her eyes and raising her hand to her brow, feeling the beginning of a headache starting.

Daniel and Cameron stared at the offending object that Vala was holding.

It was a black low-cut halter-top.

"Kristiana!" called out Hypatia, "I believe one of our guests has something that belongs to you!"

Another female sphinx appeared from the book stacks, this one was a deep midnight blue colour with snow-white hair. She had long horns that curved back into her hair looking from afar almost like blue highlights in her white hair. Her wings were caped around her as she walked towards were they were all sitting.

As she approached, she smiled coyly at the group before reaching out to Vala and taking her top, "Thank you, I was wondering were that went," she commented idly while Hypatia stared daggers at her.

"This is my Rookery sister, Kristiana, who now that she has finished embarrassing me was just on her way," she stressed the last word pointedly.

Kristiana gave her Rookery sister a look before turning back to the others, "Nice meeting you all," she said warmly before turning away from them and walking away, giving them an excellent view of her bare back.

Vala looked at retreating Sphinx before commenting in a whisper to Daniel, "I think I'm going to like this world."

Daniel just sighed in response.

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An hour later Daniel looked up from his book unbelievingly, "This is incredible…"

"What is?" asked Cameron.

Daniel turned to Hypatia, who was staring with interest at him, "I men the sheer detail in this book, everything is so precise. Most ancient writers of these kinds of texts usually leave out what they consider to be mundane and everyday tasks or things that the reader should know from living in this society…but this one explains everything down to the simplest detail." He said excitedly, "I mean it takes a person with extreme foresight to write in such a manner! This is nigh on unheard!"

"Why thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying my writings," came a strong male voice from near the doorway.

The book fell from Daniel's nerveless hands onto the tabletop as he gazed at the speaker, who was without a doubt the Lord Thoth.

The speaker who steadily approached them. He was a well-muscled man with a bare chest. His attire was straight out of the history books of Ancient Egypt, his long hair braided with coloured beads and a white skirt similar to the one Hypatia was wearing.

But most socking of all was that he had the head of an Ibis-and as he approached Daniel sae that it was not a mask or helmet like the Goa'uld and Jaffa used…it really appeared to be his head.

As Daniel tried to recover from his shock, Hypatia greeted the Lord Thoth, "Welcome my Lord, I hope your trip was fruitful?"

"As much as can be expected my child," Thoth admitted eyeing the newcomers. "So these are our guests from afar…perhaps you could introduce us?" he asked quickly.

Hypatia ducked her head in embarrassment, "I'm sorry how foolish of me, my Lord, this Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Vala Mal Doran and Dr Daniel Jackson," she named them to the Lord Thoth. "They say they are from planet called Earth."

Thoth's eyes widened in surprise, "Earth you say?"

Cameron getting over his shock said, "You've heard of us?"

Thoth snorted in response, "Heard of you? Of course I've heard of you, I called Earth my home once long ago, and it's very likely the rest of my race still exist there," he commented in amusement.

Daniel finally came out of his shock at this comment, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there are no more of well…whatever you are."

Thoth gave them an amused smile, "I assume you're saying this because you have never seen anything like me before?" Daniel and Cameron nodded, "Then I say to you, if my race wishes to remain hidden among you then they can-and will. With ease, I might add. The majority of my kind are shapeshifter and many naturally assume more human like faces than I."

"You're a shapeshifter?!" demanded Vala intrigued, "That does include control over the size of certain parts?" she asked lewdly.

"VALA!" Daniel exclaimed glaring daggers at her, he quickly turned back to face Thoth, "You'll have to excuse her, she can't control what comes out of her mouth," he apologised mortified at her choice of words.

"What? It's a legitimate question!" Vala retorted innocently.

As Daniel prepared to rip into her at her brazen behaviour, Thoth cut in. You did not as ask such questions of a person who was the centre of so many mysteries as Daniel could see. This person could tell him why the original god Thoth was depicted as having an Ibis head, among other things.

"It's alright, I'm finding her behaviour quite refreshing, it's been some time since any female has come onto me in such a brazen manner. Its…most refreshing. Most females here are far too intimidated by me for such things," Thoth explained simply.

"Oh…" said Daniel, unsure of how to react. He shared a look with Cameron who just shrugged in response.

"Anyway, let us move on to more important matters, I would not want you to miss this evening's festivities, and such talk can so much of a person's time without them realising it. I have been expecting visitors from Earth for some time now, I'm guessing that you have managed to remove the false Ra from power, yes?" asked Thoth with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, Ra's dead," answered Daniel.

"So's Apophis, Cronus, Yu, Horus, and Hathor, just to name few others as well," Boasted Cameron.

"Impressive…I always knew the children of the Alterans would be powerful," Thoth said with a smile offhandedly.

The three members of SG-1 sat up ramrod straight in their chairs in surprise, no one remembered the name of the Ancients, hell even the Asgard their once allies called them the Ancients. For them this was yet one more in the ever-growing list of surprises this world had provided them with.

"You about the Alterans?" Daniel asked in surprise, his voice trembling.

Thoth frowned at them, "I thought you already knew that?" he turned to Hypatia, "Didn't Ayria tell them about Myrrdin?"

Daniel cut in before she could answer, "Yes she did, I just didn't know you knew that they were called the Alterans…even we didn't know that was their name until recently," he explained to Thoth and Hypatia.

"Hmm…much has been lost to hasn't it?" Thoth mumbled to himself more than asked.

Daniel could only nod sagely in response.

"This was evident even before I left Earth, but I'm glad you've started to recover your heritage," Thoth remarked. "Well before we say anything more there is a question that I wish to ask you, it has been burning me for the past eight thousand years." He said quickly.

Again, the team was stunned, though the sheer number of surprises that were being laid at their feet was causing them to become numb, "Eight thousand years? Wait never mind, ask the question first tan then we'll talk!" Cameron exclaimed."

Thoth gave a small smile at the byplay before asking I all seriousness, "Since you're from Earth do you know what a Harley Davidson is? And what does it have to do with hogs?"

Author's notes: Hope you enjoyed this! Do not forget to Review!