DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN PJatO OR HoO! ANY CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE/PLOTS YOU RECOGNIZE BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN. I AM A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL PLAYING WITH FANFICTION.

Title: The Labyrinth of Fate

Author: Lazuli Quetzal

Summary: A twelve-year-old Leo Valdez on the run takes a wrong turn and ends up in the Labyrinth. Will he be able to navigate the deadly maze, and most importantly, will he make it out alive?

Canon Pairings!

A/N: Just me messing with my thoughts.

If there was one thing Leo was sure of, it was that his life sucked.

See, normal people have normal problems - like, stressing out over the next math test. Or maybe some lame drama between a friend's girlfriend's enemy or something like that.

Leo's problems involve climbing down into a sewer in the middle of the night in order to not get caught by the authorities.

It's not like he committed any crimes. It was that he had ran away from another foster home. If he got caught, they'd just stick him in with another family. And he'd be 'the new freak' all over again.

Leo was shaken out of his thoughts. He had to keep moving.

Leo grunted as he lifted the manhole cover. Though he'd had a lot of practice, he still struggled to move the cover. Finally he shoved it out of the way and stared down into the darkness.

The sticky scent of the underground wafted up and Leo reached into his pocket to grab the flashlight he had... Borrowed.

He climbed into the hole and dragged the manhole cover back over the hole. Then he switched on the flashlight and started his journey.

For the next two hours, Leo heard nothing but the footsteps he'd made and the sound of his own breathing. He occasionally checked his homemade compass to make sure he was headed in the right direction. He'd decided to head west - if he could make it far enough, maybe he could be some sort of entertainer in Vegas, although he doubted that would ever happen.

Suddenly, Leo tensed. Something in the air had changed, though he wasn't sure what. He shut off the flashlight and glanced around.

Something's watching me, he thought.

"Hello?" He whispered. "Anyone there?"

His whisper was loud to his ears. Leo thought he heard the distinct sound of breathing, although he was holding his breath.

He shrugged off the feeling and walked down the tunnel. It wasn't long before he reached a fork in the road.

Leo turned on the flashlight again, so he could check his compass, but froze when he realized he wasn't alone.

In front of him was the weirdest sight ever. Three ladies dressed in old style cotton dress were sitting in a semicircle. The looked impossibly old - ancient, like an Egyptian mummy or something, and the strangest thing of all was that they were knitting. The two on the sides were knitting bright orange socks, while the one in the middle was watching the thread.

"Um, hello?" Leo asked tentatively. "Er... Need any help? Directions out of the sewer, perhaps?"

They didn't answer. Leo gulped.

Suddenly, the middle one's heat shot up. Her eyes were eerie - a milky blue film covered her irises, as if she were blind, but Leo got the feeling that she could see perfectly fine.

"Fate," she said. "A new fate - new path." Her voice was like nails.

Leo wanted to run, but his feet were frozen. His legs were like lead.

In the midst of his fear, Leo could see the two ancients on the sides unraveling their work. The top half of the sock disappeared, and then, as quick as lightning, a new pattern took its place. What was once a zig-zag pattern was now a strange, loopy tangle of orange and red.

What did it mean?

"New path," the middle one spoke. "Choose wisely, hero."

Leo blinked, and the old ladies were gone.

"What the heck?" He yelped. "I'm hallucinating. Holy crap -"

Leo's voice was suddenly drowned out by a deafening roar, followed by the sound of pounding - as if a herd of elephants were rampaging through the sewers.

Leo turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw the scariest sight he'd ever seen.

Its body was covered in thick, dark scales. Its mouth was filled with row upon row of razor sharp teeth. Drops of saliva dripped out of its mouth, making a hiss when it hit the ground.

Leo made the mistake of looking into its glowing red eyes, which were so terrifying, he froze.

The monster tensed, as if getting ready to pounce, and Leo could not move. He would die, alone, in a Texan sewer, with no one to hear his final words -

"Choose," the old lady's voice said. "CHOOSE."

Upon hearing the old lady's voice, Leo unfroze and leaped out of the way of the pouncing monster. He stumbled to his feet and looked around for an exit.

There were two paths leading out. Leo made a split second decision and turned right.

He sprinted down the tunnel, with the monster right at his heels. Leo followed the winding path, dodging monster spit and barely leaping out of the way of its terrible claws. Nothing like a monster chase to motivate you to run.

Leo could feel his body heating up. It happened anytime he was scared or excited - but he stomped it down and tried to keep control.

Leo took another sharp turn and managed to sprint a good distance away from the monster. He kept running forward and - BAM.

Leo slammed into a wall. He looked up - somewhere along the way, he had taken a wrong turn, and now it was a dead end.

He turned and saw the monster stalking towards him, and in his panic, started to bang his fists against the wall. His sleeves were smoking and his shirt singed, but he didn't care.

"SOMEBODY SAVE ME!" He screamed. "I'M ABOUT TO GET EATEN! HELP!"

His fist hit a small scratch, and to his astonishment, the tiny scratch turned into a glowing triangle. There was a grinding noise, and a small opening appeared out of nowhere - too small for the monster, but just large enough that Leo could crawl through.

Not one to question his good luck, Leo scrambled through the door and sprinted down the new tunnel, the monster's roars growing quieter and quieter as Leo ran farther away.

It wasn't long before Leo had to take a break. He'd been sprinting non-stop for a long while, and soon, he was sitting down, leaning against a wall. His eyes were closed as he took deep breaths to calm his breathing.

After two or three minutes, Leo opened his eyes - and blinked again.

Where was he? Fifteen minutes ago, he'd been in a sewer. Now, the walls were ancient mosaics. Leo stood up and examined the mosaics.

"Roman, maybe Greek," he muttered. "Where am I?"

Leo pulled out his compass and checked the direction. The needle was spinning rapidly.

Leo tucked it back into his pocket. He was officially lost. He kicked a pebble and continued walking, glancing at the walls to see if they would change again.

"Hey, old ladies," he said out loud. "Um, I dunno if y'all are real... But maybe you can, y'know, gimme directions?"

There was silence.

"No? Okay, then..."

Leo trailed off. He could hear hissing noises up ahead.

He brightened. Maybe it was a gas leak. Which meant someone was up ahead, who could give directions.

Or maybe it's another monster, a different part of his brain said. Maybe if you head over there, you'll get eaten.

Leo headed over there anyways. He poked his head around the corner, then pulled it back.

In the quick glance he'd had, he'd recognized two semi-humanoid creatures - covered in scales and dressed in this weird, ancient armor. The scariest thing? Instead of legs, they had two snake trunks.

Leo began to creep away, hoping he wouldn't make a sound, but froze when their started talking.

"Wait, ssisssster," a voice hissed. "I ssssmell ssssssomething." Leo could hear her sniffing the air.

"Half-blood," another voice hissed.

The two monsters slithered around the corner, and Leo could feel his arms heat up.

"Well, well, another presssssent for the hossst."

"I'm not a present," Leo grinned. "I'm the greatest entertainment there ever is!" He waved his hands a little, in a 'ta-da' gesture.

The monster's eyes narrowed.

Okay, Plan A failed. Time for Plan B.

Leo turned and ran down the tunnel, but he was blocked by another snake lady.

He gulped. How did she get there so fast?

Leo glanced down at his hands. There was a Plan C, but Leo was reluctant to use it.

He glanced up again. The snake lady's spear was pointed at his chest.

"Handsssss where I can ssssee them, demigod," She hissed, spitting out the last word. She tilted her head and gave a cold smile. "You sssay you are good entertainment. That'sss exactly what we need."

The first thing Leo noticed was the the skulls. He'd been forced into this Colosseum-style arena. The floor was dirt, and in the center, Leo could make out a fight happening between a massive... Thing, and another humanoid snake woman. All around were stone benches, each packed with monsters, and the occasional human face.

Leo wondered what human would associate with these things.

But on top of all of that, there were skulls - lining the railing, piled up at the benches, hanging on the hooks dangling from the ceiling. Some were bleached white. Others looked a little fresher. The smell was way worse than the sewer he'd been in a few hours ago.

Off to the side, a sea-green banner with a shimmering trident shone, amidst the rotten skulls and creepy monsters. Above that were two people - a normal looking human with an angry red scar running down his face, and a fat giant with a dirty loincloth. The giant was huge - fifteen feet tall at least, and something about him reminded Leo of a sumo wrestler.

What had he gotten himself into?

The snake woman that was keeping him captive whispered something to another monster, which went up to the human and said something to him. The human's eyes landed on Leo.

Definitely not a good sign, Leo thought.

Leo turned his attention to the fight. The snake woman jabbed a spear and cornered the thing. She turned to the giant, who frowned and gave a thumbs down.

The snake woman stabbed the spear down and the crowd erupted into cheers as the thing disintegrated into dust.

Something told Leo that was going to be his fate.

"We have a new demigod," the human announced, his eyes focused on Leo "A challenger! An unknown. If he wants to join the Titan's army, he must compete in a fight to the death."

What the heck? Leo thought. These people are crazy!

The snake woman pushed him forwards, and Leo was roughly shoved into the arena.

"Wait!" He yelped. "I didn't sign up for this! I want a lawyer!"

The crowed laughed. A strange creature tossed a bronze knife into Leo's hands and he was alone, in the center of the arena.

"A fight to the death?" Leo asked, his knees shaking.

The snake woman who had beaten the previous contestant slithered into the arena.

"Ohh, thisss will be easssy," She hissed and smiled a cold smile.

"Begin!" The giant shouted.

Leo dove to the side to avoid the monster's strike. The crowd was cheering for their champion.

Leo barely blocked another strike from the snake lady. He leaped out of her way, but tripped on her snake legs.

The snake lady threw a net onto him, and Leo frantically cut the ropes with the dagger.

She raised her spear to stab him, but Leo managed to wriggle out of the way. He stumbled to his feet, the net still tangled around his legs.

The snake lady lunged again, this time giving Leo a good sized cut on his left arm. His arm exploded in pain.

Leo clenched his dagger and breathed deeply. He could feel his body temperature heating up again. When he glanced down at his torn jeans, he could see the edges smoking.

Maybe its time for Plan C, he thought. But maybe I should keep it hidden, hide my strengths until I need them...

He willed the fire to to the palm that was holding the knife. The feeling was strange, as if his hand was numb and just waking up again. Then the small flames appeared. Leo could see them flickering in between his knuckles. The snake woman didn't notice.

Leo continued dodging and rolling out of the way of her attacks. He needed the knife to heat up. Bronze was an okay conductor of heat, so Leo hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long.

The crowd began to boo. It had been nearly five minutes, and only a small cut had occurred.

"STAND AND FIGHT, COWARD!" The giant yelled. Leo got the feeling he wasn't talking to the snake.

Before long, the metal knife was starting to glow. The snake lady didn't notice. Her only goal was to take Leo out.

Leo glanced at the red-hot knife in his hand. It was time.

The snake lady lunged again. Leo leaped to the left and scrambled to his feet. Before she could turn around, Leo tackled her from behind, ignoring the snakes' tails whipping his back.

He held the knife under her throat, and he could smell the scent of burning flesh as the knife dug into her throat.

Out of the corner of his eye, Leo could see the giant give a thumbs down. Leo closed his eyes and cut.

The snake lady disintegrated. Leo's arms were shaking, and it took all his concentration to not drop the knife.

Leo tried to calm his breathing.

How did he do that? Where did he find the strength to tackle a snake woman? He was never the strongest kid.

And why did it feel so normal?

The giant lifted his arms, and the crowd quieted down.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," He spoke. "What else do you have, Luke, Son of Hermes?"

Son of Hermes? Leo thought. What the heck?

"Lord Antaeus," the Luke guy said, his voice loud enough for the crowd to hear. "You have been an excellent host! We would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favor of passing through your territory."

"A favor I have not yet granted," the Antaeus guy growled. "I want entertainment!"

Luke bowed to the giant. "I believe I have something better than dracaenae and centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have a brother of yours." Luke pointed to this other guy in the midst of other normal-looking people, being held captive by the snake women. "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

Leo glanced between the Percy kid, who looked no older than fourteen, and Antaeus. He couldn't see the family resemblance.

"A son of Poseidon? Then he should fight well! Or die well!"

"If his death pleases you, will you let our armies cross your territory?"

"Perhaps!"

The Luke guy looked pretty annoyed at the perhaps. Leo began to run through what he knew of the situation in his head.

a) Luke wanted to go somewhere.

b) This Antaeus dude demanded entertainment to let him pass.

c) Leo was probably going to die in this arena.

All in all, it was the worst situation Leo could be in. Did he mention his life sucked?

"Luke!" A blonde girl yelled. "Stop this! Let us go!"

Luke seemed stunned. "Annabeth?"

Perhaps they're related? Leo thought.

"Enough time for the females to fight afterward. Percy Jackson, what weapon will you choose?"

"How can you be a son of Poseidon?" He asked, defiantly.

Leo flinched. He'd recognized that tone - every time he had a stupid teacher, he would talk back in that same way. But this wasn't a teacher. This was a monster.

"I am his favorite son! Behold, my temple to the Earthshaker, built from the skulls of all those I've killed in his name! Your skull shall join them!" Antaeus boomed.

"Percy!" The girl yelled. "His mother is Gaea! Gae-" A scary looking monster clamped her mouth shut.

At the name Gaea, Leo froze. That name sent a chill down his spine, giving him bad vibes. Gaea, the embodiement of the earth... A face of dirt, like one night long ago...

Leo threw the thought out of his mind. He needed to focus on staying alive. He could angst later.

"You're crazy, Antaeus," the Percy guy said. "If you think this is a good tribute, you know nothing about Poseidon."

Leo couldn't help but admire his bravery, but he also thought the Percy guy would get himself killed.

"Weapons," Antaeus said. "And then we will see how you die. Axes? Shields? Nets? Flamethrowers?"

Leo looked up at the word flamethrowers. That would definitely be useful.

"Just my sword," Percy said. Leo thought he was crazy for refusing the flamethrower, but the monsters looked nervous when his bronze sword appeared. Maybe he had killed a lot of them with that sword.

Great. Leo was fighting with a professional.

Percy was unceremoniously shoved up to the arena. He lifted an eyebrow, and Leo was a little offended that he didn't seem like decent competition.

However, Leo felt a strange wave of déjà vu, as if he'd met Percy before. Without warning, the old lady's voice flashed into his head. A new fate - new path.

Leo shook that thought out of his head. He'd never met this guy, not in this lifetime.

"Who are you?" Percy asked.

"Um, Leo Valdez?" Leo replied, his sentence turning into a nervous question.

"Why are you doing this?" Percy demanded.

"I don't know, dude!" Leo said. "I was running away from home when this monster thing started chasing me, and then those snake things kidnapped me and forced me to fight to the death!"

Percy's eyes narrowed. "You mean, you don't know? About any of this?"

"No!" Leo felt like yelling. "What the heck is a demigod? They keep calling me that. And why in the world are all these monsters just living underground? You'd think someone would notice!"

Percy's eyes widened. He glanced back to where his friends were being held. "I think I can get both of us here out alive," he said. "But you'll have to trust me. Okay, Leo?"

Leo looked around at the monsters who'd ruined his day, and the creepy Luke guy who was willing to let Leo die just so he could go somewhere.

Percy was the first person who was sort of nice. And that redhead he was with was pretty cute.

"Alright. Better than the monsters. What do I do?"

"Put up a fight, but let me win. I promise I won't kill you." Percy said.

Leo shrugged. He had nothing to lose.

Percy lunged at him, and Leo sidestepped. This kid was fast.

"I thought you wouldn't kill me!" Leo hissed.

"We gotta make it look convincing," Percy replied.

They had a fake fight, Leo blocking the strikes and occasionally lashing out with his own. One time, he accidentally gave Percy a small slice on his leg.

"Sorry, dude!" Leo said.

Percy replied by tripping him and knocking the dagger away from Leo.

Percy's expression was disturbing. It was fierce. Leo could see how this kid scared the monsters. It wasn't hard to imagine him disemboweling a row of monsters with nothing but his sword.

But then Percy gave him a little smile, so Leo knew he was safe. For now.

Antaeus game a thumbs down, but Percy put his sword away. He held out his hand and helped Leo up.

"No one dishonors the games!" Antaeus bellowed. "Your heads shall both be tributes to Poseidon!"

Percy muttered, "When you see your chance, run." Leo nodded.

"Why don't you fight me yourself? If you've got Dad's favor, come down here and prove it!"

Leo gave Percy a horrified look. He was challenging the giant dude?

"I know what I'm doing," Percy tried to reassure him.

"I'm surprised you haven't been killed yet," Leo muttered.

"I am the greatest wrestler in the world, boy," Antaeus growled. "I have been wrestling since the first pankration!"

Leo had no idea what that was, but he assumed it meant some sort of fight.

Leo saw Percy look to his friends. The redhead's eyes were wide with panic. The blonde was shaking her head, her mouth still covered by the monster guarding them.

"Winner takes all! I win, we all go free. You win, we die. Swear upon the River Styx."

It was official. This kid was definitely crazy.

"This shouldn't take long," Antaeus said with a chuckle. "I swear to your terms!"

Leo backed away as Antaeus leaped down into the arena. The groud cracked under his weight.

"Good luck, psycho," Leo said.

Percy clenched his sword.

"Weapons?" Antaeus asked.

"I'll stick with my sword. You?"

Antaeus wriggled his fingers and gave a wicked smile. "I don't need anything else! Master Luke, you will referee this one."

The Luke guy gave a cold smile. "With pleasure."

Leo watched as Antaeus lunged at Percy, who ducked and rolled under the giant's legs and stabbed him in the thigh.

"Argggh!" Antaeus yelled. But instead of blood flowing from the wound, a spout of sand came out. It rolled around his leg, like a bandage. When the dirt fell away, the wound was healed.

Antaeus charged again, but Percy dodged and stabbed him under his arms.

Leo was fairly certain Antaeus would die, but instead, he turned around, Percy's sword being wrenched out of his arms.

"No!" Leo cried out.

Sand spouted out of the wound. Antaeus pulled the sword out and tossed it away, and when the sand spilled away, his wound was gone.

"Now you see why I never lose, demigod!" Antaeus gloated. "Come here and let me crush you. I'll make it quick!"

Leo saw Percy and the blonde girl exchange a glance. Maybe he was saying goodbye.

Percy tried to circle around and retrieve his sword, but Antaeus blocked his path.

Leo's eyes flitted to where the sword lay - wait. The sword was gone. Leo could see Percy pat his pocket, and have a sort of smug look in his eyes.

He must have summoned his sword, or something, Leo thought.

Suddenly, Percy charged the giant. He crouched, as if he would roll underneath Antaeus, but at the last moment, he jumped - scrambling up Antaeus' arm and standing on his head.

"What the heck?" Leo yelped.

Antaeus straightened up and yelled "HEY!"

Percy pushed off and grabbed onto a chain dangling from the ceiling of the arena. He began wrapping the chains around and sawed off another chain with his sword,

Leo was severely confused, but the blonde chick's eyes were shining with triumph.

"Come down here, coward!" Antaeus bellowed. He jumped up, trying to grab Percy, but he failed.

Leo let loose a chuckle. It was the weirdest sight - a giant sumo wrestler leaping up an down like a kid trying to catch a butterfly.

Percy took his sawed-off chain and managed to snag Antaeus' loincloth. He secured the chain and left Antaeus hanging from his choice of clothing.

Percy began to swing around and loop chains around the giant. Slowly, Leo realized what he was doing.

Soon, Antaeus was tangled up in the chains, suspended above the ground.

Percy dropped to the floor, panting and sweaty.

"Get me down!" The giant demanded.

"Free him!" The Luke guy ordered. "He is our host!"

Percy pulled out his sword. "I'll free him," he growled.

Percy stabbed the giant in the stomach, and sand began to pour out like a waterfall. Antaeus flailed about, but he could not reach the ground and soon he had completely dissolved.

Leo cheered and Percy cracked a tired smile.

"Jackson!" Luke growled. "I should have killed you long ago!"

"You tried," Percy said flippantly. "Let us go, Luke, We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."

Luke clenched his fist, "Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly."

Leo's celebrating came to a halt.

Luke pointed at Annabeth. "Spare the girl. I would speak to her before - before our grat triumph."

Leo looked around nervously as every monster in the arena armed themselves.

"I hope you have a plan for this, Percy," Leo muttered.

Percy's eyes widened, as if he just remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a whistle made of ice. He blew.

The whistle made no sound, and the ice shattered.

Luke laughed. "What was that supposed to do?"

Leo's eyes widened as a giant dog, easily as large as a car, smashed the giant holding Percy's friends and tossed a cheerleader into the stands. The monsters were caught by surprise.

"Let's go!" Percy yelled. "Heel, Mrs. O'Leary!"

"The far exit!" Yelled the redhead. "That's the right way!"

Percy and his friends ran off, and Leo ran after them.

Behind, Leo could hear the frustrated roars of an entire monster army ready to follow.

A/N: So what do you think? I realize a lot of the dialogue is from BotL, but hey, it's just me messing with my thoughts and trying to pass the time until House of Hades.

This is all I have so far - I'm just posting it to see if anyone is interested in this story. I do have the general plot laid out in my head, but I definitely don't have the details down, since I'm just sorta playing around with the plot.

If you like it, let me know with a review and I'll see what I can do with the next chapter!

-Lazuli Quetzal