Yes. I know. I had this idea today, and decided to already publish it. Though I have never been formally diagnosed with ADHD, I almost certainly have it. Not that that matters, because I think you'll like this new concept I had. I've been a Percy Jackson fan for about a decade, so here you go!

I intend to finish this one. I know I've said that many times, but this time for real. I will pace myself. And I will keep reminding myself that writing fanfiction helps me focus on other tasks as well. It's paradoxical, but it's true. Enjoy!

Leo's skin burned.

Indeed, that was putting it mildly. It felt as though someone had attached all sorts of tiny objects to his skin - electrodes, perhaps? Yeah, those.

It was like he'd been covered in electrodes, and someone was administering a slow, yet heavy electric shock onto the surfaces of his body. And it wasn't invigorating at all - rather, it felt like he was slowly being lit on fire.

The scorching heat covered his body in sweat, but that didn't alleviate the burning sensation at all. If anything, it only added salt to the wound, making his skin burn even more.

And yet, he could hardly open his mouth to scream. It felt incredibly parched, as though he hadn't had anything to drink in some time.

Nonetheless, he was able to open his eyes after some time. Right away, he wished he hadn't.

Leo found himself in what looked like a furnace. He'd never been inside a furnace, but it couldn't be too dissimilar to this, right? The walls were a bright reddish pink color, with numerous gadgets, gears, and gizmos attached to them.

Did I… die? Is this some industrial sort of heaven? I mean, personally, such a place is where I'd want to spend my afterlife. But heaven isn't supposed to hurt this much, is it?

The heat all around Leo was more reminiscent of the other place people supposedly went when they died. Bad people, frankly - the kind of people most would want no part of in the hereafter.

There was something about the presence of so many machines, however, that made Leo relax. Just a little, mind you, but the distinction between "measured caution" and "full-on panic" is greater than many people realize.

Okay, so where am I?

That wasn't an easy question to answer. The rust-colored walls suggested a factory of sorts, which should have been alarming. After all, nobody wants to be stuck inside a factory. But something about this room was different. Very different.

Leo shook his head. It had taken all the strength in his possession just to awaken and look around. His head had already begun to throb, and he knew that without something to eat or drink, he wouldn't have much more energy to do anything about his current situation.

"Let's see", he said aloud, trying to take inventory of everything. "My name is Leo Valdez. That much, I am sure of."

He wasn't sure how he knew that, but it was almost like someone had opened up his brain and placed that thought inside, just like a silicon chip inside a computer. That silicon chip in his head was now working overtime, determined to figure out the truth.

Leo stood up gingerly, putting a hand against the wall to steady himself. He then chanced a glance around the vicinity, determined to get a better sense of his surroundings.

The hallway was about seven feet wide and a similar height. Pipes ran across the floor, the ceiling, and the wall to his left. There was a noise that vaguely sounded like something huffing and puffing - what was that all about?

It might be the humming of an engine. Maybe this is an engine room of sorts.

Leo stood stock-still as he tried to decide on a course of action. If he made his way down the corridor, he might never find his way back to where he was now. Of course, that could be all he needed to get to salvation. Besides, if he stayed where he was indefinitely, he'd die anyway.

"Okay…I know who I am, but I don't know who I am at the same time. How did I get here? Well, I guess that's a mystery."

The universe, as though silently agreeing with him, didn't send Leo any signals. It was just as well, really, because he didn't need one to know the obvious.

Leo remained in that position until something happened to force him out of it. And what was that "something", you might ask?

The humming noise grew louder and louder, indicating that it was likely proceeding closer to Leo's current location. The boy's first instinct was to reach for his waist…but why was that?

Indeed, nothing was attached to his waist. So why did he think there should have been a tool belt there?

He silently panicked, forcing each breath out with a wheeze. He'd hoped that he could catch the monster off guard with the quick whack of a wrench, but no wrench was forthcoming.

Don't be so delusional, Leo. You must be dreaming. There's no wrench to save you here. And why would you think that such an item, even if it did exist, would help you?

Suddenly, the air started feeling much hotter, prickling his skin and creating numerous miniscule boils. This was saying something, considering just how much his skin had been burning before.

Out of morbid curiosity, Leo turned to face the heat. And he was greeted with a wall of fire, perhaps thirty yards away, advancing rather quickly.

Run!

Leo did just that, swiveling around on his right foot and entering a dash. He sprinted as though he were at an Olympic event where speed was all that mattered, because in this case, the only important thing was getting away from the flames.

He ran for a considerable distance, during which time the hallway twisted and turned a couple times. However, the color of the walls did not change one iota, nor did the fact that there were pipes and gears along them.

Perhaps owing to his scrawny stature, Leo was a fast runner. He was able to keep a pretty good pace through the corridor, but the fire was no joke. It could advance almost as fast as Leo.

Still, the teenager gradually put more distance between himself and the wall of flame. He didn't entertain any thoughts about why the fire was behaving this way; after all, if you see a car speeding towards you, you're not likely to question it. You just jump out of the way!

Just when he thought he'd outrun the wall of flame for good, Leo felt a burning sensation on the back of his left leg. He gasped in pain, but continued his dash nonetheless.

There was a door at the end of the hallway - it was in sight! Leo picked up the pace as he saw the (literal) light at the end of the tunnel.

As he got closer, he was able to make out the symbol on said door: An equilateral triangle with one side thicker than the others. It was metallic and gray, and appeared to be rusted shut.

Oh, shit. I guess that's not an escape hatch after all.

Leo's heart skipped about five beats as he realized that if the door didn't open, he would have no option but to turn back. But turning back meant certain death - no ifs, ands, or buts. If he tried to backtrack, he would end up cremated.

By now Leo had managed to once more get a head start on the wall of flame, or so he thought. When he reached the door, he shoved his body weight at it in a vague hope that it would give way.

It didn't.

Leo hit the door hard, crashing to the ground in a heap. Although the wind was knocked out of the teenager, he didn't have any time to feel pain - he'd be experiencing a lot more of it if he didn't figure something out in the next few seconds.

He stood up and looked at the door again. It was sealed shut, perhaps through decades of neglect, but the damn thing looked brand new! Its metallic surface shone, including the triangular symbol on it.

Wait…the symbol. It's shining!

Sure enough, the triangle with the thicker side was now glowing a light teal. Leo's heart rose as he realized that maybe, just maybe, he could survive this.

If the door was going to open, however, it was certainly taking its sweet time. The teenager stood just outside it, pounding the metal furiously and probably injuring his right knuckle in the process. Had he been standing outside the door of a suburban home, one of the neighbors would have called the cops immediately.

"Let me in, dammit!" Leo bellowed. "Otherwise I'm going to burn and die!"

Just when the wall of flame was about to engulf Leo, the door obeyed his command, allowing him to race through. As soon as he was on the other side, the portal rose again, trapping the inferno in the corridor from which he'd come.

There's a saying…out of the frying pan, into the fire. That's what I think it is. But if you're out of the fire and into a different sticky situation…what's the idiom there?

The room in which Leo found himself now was completely dark. And I'm not saying that just to make a point. Absolutely nothing could be seen, forcing the boy to feel his way around with his hands and feet.

It became like a high-stakes game involving blindfolds. Leo cast about in a land of confusion, seeking anything to use to catch his bearings.

He braced himself for pain in places where one doesn't want to be hit. To prevent this, Leo moved slowly, much like a blind man with a cane (which, for all intents and purposes, he was.)

Well, I'll take blindness over a certain fiery death, but I'd rather figure out what's going on. Man, it would be awesome to have that tool belt right now.

Not for the first time, Leo reflected on how ridiculous it was to be wishing for something that didn't exist. And yet, he felt certain that in some universe, it did exist. Even if that universe wasn't this one.

But why?

There were so many questions he might have asked, and about seventy percent of them began with that one word: Why?

Let's start this again: My name is Leo Valdez, and I have no idea how I got here. But I'd better be a fast learner!