madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-nah, he's gonna do his own thing-

get your snacks and get comfy everyone, 3k words

<3

⋆˖⁺‧₊🧋🛠️🕯️🍂🥠₊‧⁺˖⋆

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Leo paused at the creaky metal doors and took a deep breath. The voice of the earthen woman still rang in his ears, going on and on about his mama's death and how it was his fault. Like some lady made of sticks and mud got to know about all his shit. The last thing he wanted to do was plunge into another dark warehouse.

He felt eight years old again, alone and helpless as someone he cared about was trapped and in trouble.

Stop it, he told himself sharply. That's how she wanted him to feel. It didn't make him any less scared, but he figured time was running out, so he peered inside. Nothing looked different, just your average monster filled warehouse.

Gray morning light filtered through the crumbling holes in the roof. A few lightbulbs flickered, but most of the factory floor was still lost in shadows. He could make out the catwalk above, but no movement.

No sign of his friends.

He almost called out for them, not that Teqi would even hear him, but something stopped him—a sense he couldn't identify. Then he realized it was smell. Something smelled wrong—like burning motor oil and sour breath. He was used to burning oil, but no one he knew had breath that bad. Not even his roommate from Wilderness.

Something not human was inside the factory, Leo was certain. His body shifted into high gear, all his nerves tingling. Like he was connected to a power socket. But that was Jason's job.

Somewhere on the factory floor, Piper's voice cried out: "Leo, help!"

But Leo held his tongue, for the first time. How could Piper have gotten off the catwalk with her messed up ankle? And where was Power Sockets and Teqi? They wouldn't have left Teqi behind... would they?

He slipped inside, wedging the creaky door in place with a stone so it didn't slam behind him, and ducked behind a cargo container. Slowly, gripping his hammer, he worked his way toward the centre of the room. He crept behind a truck chassis. Finally, he reached the assembly line.

He crouched behind the nearest piece of machinery—a crane with a robotic arm. A little red light flashed next to his face.

"Leo?" Piper called again, sounding less sure. The monsters must forcing her to draw him out.

Leo peeked around the machinery. Hanging directly above the assembly line, suspended by a chain on the opposite side, was a massive truck engine—just dangling thirty feet up, as if it had been left there when the factory was abandoned. Clustered beneath it, around the fire, were three dark shapes the size of forklifts.

Nearby, two smaller shapes dangled from chains. One wriggled around. Something that looked like an extension cord hung. Piper's plait.

Then one of the forklift shapes rose, and Leo sunk into himself.

"Told you it was nothing," the thing rumbled. Its voice was too deep and feral to be human.

One of the other forklift-sized lumps shifted, and called out in Piper's voice: "Leo, help me! Help—" Then the voice changed, becoming a snarl. "Bah, there's nobody out there. No demigod could be that quiet, eh?"