The Pact

Chapter 40: Roughhousing With The Dumpster Truck Dog

Equus POV:

I shifted in my sleep, moving against something furry. Confused, I moved my right hand around where I was lying. Sure enough, soft fur was surrounding me. My hand touched something cold and wet. My eyes snapped open, and I took in my surroundings.

My heartbeat calmed down when I noticed that I was lying on Mrs. O'Leary, and my hand was on her nose. I slowly took my hand off her massive snout and petted her side comfortingly as she slept. I strained my neck to see if Nico was still here. Not seeing a familiar dark clothed kid of Hades, I slowly squeezed myself out of my hellhound's paws.

Mrs. O'Leary shifted, clutching me tighter to her stomach. I winced as I felt my ribs crack from the added pressure; that was going to bruise later. I calmly pet her paws, easing them into letting me go. Over the course of ten minutes or so, I managed to get out of Mrs. O'Leary's ironclad grasp. I was going to attempt to sneak out, but just as I passed by her face, her eyes snapped open.

My hellhound barked loudly, excited to see me up and awake, greeting me with enthusiasm. An insanely long tongue attacked me as I stood there. After a few minutes of a dog-style bath, Mrs. O'Leary calmed down enough to let me talk to her.

"Hey girl, I've got to go see Blackjack, and then I have to go to campfire" I patted her muzzle, and she whimpered. I felt guilt clutch at me. I didn't really want to leave her here; I'm sure a few more hours would be ok. "But first, want to give me a ride?" I ask, and she visibly perked up. She barks excitedly and scrambles to her feet, hopping around me, making me hope the old warehouse doesn't come down on us from her voice or actions.

Mrs. O'Leary continues to hop around, acting like a playful puppy, rolling and wagging her tail in the air.

"I wish I could play with you, Mrs. O'Leary, but I'm not-" I pause. Wait, I was in contact with Mrs. O'Leary earlier; surely, I can turn into a hellhound. Grinning, I focus on the new form in my mind. A snout grew from my face as midnight black fur sprouted from my body. Muscles grew, and my legs shifted, so I was unable to hold myself upright. I fell onto my hands and felt my body completely turning into a hellhound. Once my transformation was done, I felt myself grow to the size of Mrs. O'Leary.

She yipped in excitement, and I growled playfully. I crouched down, tail wagging in the air as I challenged Mrs. O'Leary. She obliged and tackled me. We wrestled and nipped at each other. I kicked her off, and she sprinted out of the warehouse, running at full speed. Howling and grinning a doggie grin with my tongue hanging out, I raced after her, snapping at her heels.

I strived to dodge pedestrians as Mrs. O'Leary led us to Central Park. At some points, I had to take a short detour because the streets were too crowded. Once she was quite a ways in, the hellhound stopped abruptly and crouched down, challenging me. Grinning at the dumpster truck-sized dog, I ran at her attempting to catch her off guard. Mrs. O'Leary simply stepped to the side, tail wagging. She snapped at my legs, and I came to a stop where she once was.

I whipped around and rose to my hind legs, trying to push her to the floor. Unfortunately, Mrs. O'Leary saw this coming and barrelled into my stomach, causing me to fall onto my back. She jumped on top of me and licked my doggy face. Sighing in defeat, I shifted back to my human form.

Mrs. O'Leary barked in happiness as she nuzzled her insanely massive nose into my chest. I petted her snout accordingly and sat down criss-cross applesauce. Mrs. O'Leary slumped down to the floor, causing a mini earthquake. Resting her head on my lap, I pet her soothingly.

"Hey girl, I have something to tell you," I spoke sadly after a few minutes. She whined, probably sensing my melancholy tone.

"I'm leaving again. It's for real; I wasn't joking last night." Mrs. O'Leary simply moved more of her head onto my lap, holding me down. I chuckled. "I'm really sorry girl. I wish I could stay; I love being here with you." I choked out. Mrs. O'Leary rose her massive head from across my knees and looked me into the eyes with her ruby red ones. I didn't flinch or look away as she watched me.

Then she huffed and settled back down on my lap, giving a small boof in affirmation. I was glad she understood, but that didn't make it any less painful. Smiling sadly, I looked at the sky. I'm no good at telling time like this, but if I were to guess, I'd say it's around eleven in the morning. I stroked behind Mrs. O'Leary's ears and steeled myself.

I quickly shifted into a bluebird and then into my human form, escaping her large head. Mrs. O'Leary's head landed on the ground, and she let out a yelp in surprise. Jumping to her feet, the hellhound looked at me straight on. I almost thought she was going to pounce on me again when she pushed her snout into my chest for a second time.

I felt tears prick my eyes but kept them there. I gave Mrs.O'Leary my trademark lop-sided grin and scratched her nose. "Wanna give me a ride to camp?" I asked, and Mrs. O'Leary howled. Taking that as a yes, I vaulted onto her back and settled down. She boofed in excitement and ran out of Central Park, through Manhattan.

I noticed how she didn't shadow-travel, merely running through the mortal filled streets to Long Island. I didn't mind; feeling the wind in my hair and on my skin with Mrs. O'Leary was good enough for me.

Every so often, Mrs.O'Leary would turn, and I would have to hold on for dear life as she leaned into the turn, like a motorcycle. I felt her limbs slow, and the wind stopped pulling at my hair. We were still around fifty yards from camp, but Mrs.O'Leary had slowed to a walk. I smiled sadly; she was prolonging the inevitable.

I stood up and leaned on her neck, draping my arms over the top of her head, petting her. "You don't have to worry girl. I'll be ok. I'm more worried about you, but you have Nico and now Kyon. Oh, I don't think I told you this, you know Kyon from back when your old master was still alive. Be nice to him, ok? I'm sure you'll like him; he's changed a lot." I continued rambling to Mrs. O'Leary as she slowed and got closer to camp.

When I arrived at the border, I was relieved to see Peleus and no Rachel. I slid off her back and patted her leg. Walking towards camp, I felt a bump on my back, making me trip forward a bit. I looked behind me to see Mrs. O'Leary, head hanging low, ears down, and eyes cast towards the floor. She was whimpering, and if dogs could cry, I feel like she would be doing just that.

I smiled at her. "I'll let you in girl, that way, you don't have to say goodbye just yet," I crumbled to her sad posture, and she immediately perked up. I laughed and spoke the words to allow Mrs. O'Leary into camp. She grabbed my collar in her mouth and bounded down the hill. I laughed as she jumped the last few feet and soared in the air. She landed roughly and continued running, happy to have me with her.

Campers started streaming towards us, and I called for her to stop. Reluctantly, Mrs. O'Leary let me go, and I stood upon my own two feet. The camp made a circle around us, and a few campers came forward. I noticed none were veterans; if they were, they would have recognized the hellhound.

"Why did you let a hellhound in here?" a camper shouted, holding his sword upright. Sighing, I stood by Mrs. O'Leary's head and patted her shoulder.

"I let her in because she's my dog. Her name is Mrs. O'Leary. If any veteran campers were here around the time of the Battle of the Labyrinth, you'd recognize her," I stated, but the campers didn't move. "What do I need to do to get you guys to trust her?" I asked under my breath.

"Just take her back out," a smaller camper shivered, his dagger shaking in his hand.

"But she missed me. I can't say no to her puppy eyes," I whined. Then I got an idea, whispering in my hellhounds ear, "When I say go, run into the forest." I saw her nod, and I quickly scrambled onto her back. "Go!" I yelled, and the campers jumped from the sudden noise. Mrs. O'Leary jumped over the crowd of campers with a mighty woof and ran straight into the woods.

I heard the yelling of campers in the distance and laughed to myself. When the trees rushed by me, I grinned, knowing that the campers would never find Mrs.O'Leary here. The trees grew thicker, and I told Mrs. O'Leary to stop. Sliding off her back, I gave her a pat on the snout.

"Alright, I've got to go see Blackjack. You stay in the forest, but if you need to, go hide in the Poseidon or Hades cabin, ok?" I asked, and she gave a nod. Smiling, I shifted into my eight-legged horse form and sprinted off towards camp.