Lanson Gate and the Spirits of Mischief, Chapter 5

Labors
I would’ve died three times already if the chain hadn’t wrapped itself around my arm.

The first time was when the hellhound jumped over a deep pit and I almost fell down. The second was when we ran into some humongous red ants that spat acid at us, but luckily the hellhound’s hide was resistant. And the third time was when a tree branch nearly decapitated me.

So yeah. I was starting to like the big robot dog of destruction. Until it began to roar and shake violently like it was about to break into a million pieces.

“Lanson!” cried out a familiar voice. I realized it was Marie, and she sounded worried and really close.

“Okay, automaton,” I muttered. “This ride is over.” And then I threw the Belongings Bag onto the ground, unwound the chain, jumped off the hellhound, and planted my feet as I grabbed the trailing chain.

KACHANG! The chain vibrated as if a sledgehammer had hit it, but the hellhound came to a stop. It turned to look at me and I swear it gave me an expression that said, “You are beginning to annoy me.”

I kept a firm grip on the chain. I pushed aside the fact that I had just stopped a fully charging automaton with my bare hands and focused on the task at hand. “I can’t let you go to my camp. There’s people there I rather not have eaten.”

The hellhound growled and tried to pull itself free from my grasp but I continued to hold on. But I was weakening. Soon it was going to escape and I wouldn’t have enough strength to catch up.

Wait, I thought. That’s it!

I grinned at the automaton. “Want to learn how to fly?” And then I started to run around the hellhound at full speed.

It tried to bite me, but I evaded and dodged it without stopping. For what I was about to do I needed to keep a constant speed.

“Here goes nothing!” I muttered, and with a huge grunt I lifted the chain- and the hellhound- into the air and threw it in the direction of camp. I felt one of my shoulders pop, but I couldn’t stop now. I picked up my bag and ran towards camp and soon entered the clearing by the lava wall where all of the campers along with Chiron were regrouping.

“Lanson!” Chiron yelled in astonishment. “Where have you been my boy? And what’s with the bag...?”

“Look out!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs and everyone dispersed just as the hellhound landed with a mighty thump on the ground.

It roared and steamed, streams of oil pouring out of cracks in its hide. I walked up to it, holding my dislocated shoulder and dropped my back. “Oh no you don’t.” I grinned. And I punched it with my good fist. The automaton broke into piles of dust and blew away in the wind.

I turned around and noticed everyone was watching me in astonishment.

“Sup,” I grinned. “I got everyone’s stuff back.”

After I finished telling everyone my story, Chiron sent me immediately to the Infirmary to get cleaned up and my shoulder fixed. I had totally forgot that I was filthy.

Marie came with me. I was lying down in a bed and she sat down on the edge. My Eternal Silver cestuses gleamed on my bedside table.

“Hey, Spiky.” she smiled.

“Hey Jack Frost,” I said. “So, you miss me?”

Marie slid farther up the bed and put her hand in mine, causing my insides to flutter. And then she punched me in the gut.

“Ow!” I groaned. “And what was that for?”

“For running off into the woods without telling me, Lanson Gate.” Marie told me and I realized she had tears in her eyes. She had been really worried.

I smiled faintly. “Well, maybe this will cheer you up.” And I pulled her necklace out of my pocket and gave it to her.

She started crying right then and there as she put it around her neck. Marie looked at me and grinned. “Detective Gate, I don’t know how I can possibly repay you.”

And then she leaned down and kissed me. It felt like my entire brain had slowly been enveloped by an iceberg and just got hit by the Titanic. And then it was over and Marie got up and beamed down at me.

“Come on, slowpoke!” she said as she ran out of the room. “It’s time for dinner. I bet you can’t outrun me!”

I chased her from the Big House all the way down to the Dining Pavilion and I kept looking at her. Were we a couple now? Man, my head was starting to be overwhelmed by this information.

When we reached everyone and were about to take our seats Marie stopped, looked above my head and gasped. Soon everyone else was pointing and gasping at the space above my head.

I looked up and saw a silver hologram of a fist slowly vanish.

Chiron kneeled.

“Behold Lanson Gate, Son of Kratos.”

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