Blue eyes scanned the horizon as they flew by, not a single word being said between the duo who rode on the giant sky bison towards the Earth Kingdom capital. It wasn't even a minute later when Sokka felt he needed to break the silence and he turned around to look at the bald teen guiding the furry beast.
"So, what kind of trouble is Katara in?"
Dawn was about to break when Appa landed at the Southern Water Tribe camp at the Chameleon Bay, and Sokka immediately noticed the look on his best friend's face. If the usually jovial and carefree Aang was to look this solemn, then it can't be good.
"It's Katara."
The unspoken 'she's in trouble' rang loud in Sokka's ears, and it didn't take long for him to convince his father, Hakoda, he was needed elsewhere. In fact, the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe must have understood the silent conversation too, for he was adamant that the teens make haste in ensuring the safety of his daughter.
The young Water Tribesman was almost torn for a split second – between choosing to be with his father whom he hadn't seen for three long years and making sure Katara was out of danger's way. His care for his sister won. As much as she's been a pain to him, he couldn't find himself to sit back and watch her get hurt. He exchanged a quick embrace with his father before getting on Appa and taking off.
That was over an hour ago, the only two words exchanged between the noisy pair had been when Aang landed. Now, Sokka needed at least some form of answers to settle his growing curiosity.
"I don't know," the airbender replied with honesty. The only information he had was from a dream when he was unlocking his seventh and last chakra. "In my vision, I just knew she needed help."
Sokka let out a sigh at that and rested his head on his arms on the large saddle he was occupying. "You know, it would be nice if your Avatar powers could be more specific from time to time."
Aang didn't formulate a reply, instead choosing to tighten his grip on the reins while silently agreeing with his best friend. The airbender decided he would not tell Sokka that he saw Katara struggling to free herself from chains that kept her locked up in his vision. The Water Tribesman would worry even more, despite his many heatedly claims otherwise.
"What's that?!" Sokka's question brought Aang out of his musing, and charcoal grey eyes followed the older teen's finger to see a huge cloud of dust tearing its way towards Ba Sing Se.
Curious at the strange sight, and worried that there is another Fire Nation Drill, Aang guided Appa towards the front of the clouds. As they got closer, two pairs of eyes widened upon seeing the diminutive girl in green and yellow getup being the source of the dust cloud.
Toph was... surfing on a wave made of earth.
Appa flew even closer to Toph, the distance between them enough for Sokka to lean forward and yell in an attempt to grab the earthbender's attention.
"Need a ride?!"
Instead of replying as Sokka expected her to, Toph instead lost concentration on the earth wave beneath her feet from shock. The sudden halting flung the girl forward and she yelped in surprise.
Both boys grimaced as they watched their friend land face-first onto the ground, eliciting a string of rather unfriendly phrases that would definitely send the girl's parents into denial about their 'baby' losing her 'innocence'.
Right, how did Sokka forget that Toph's hearing was more sensitive and more reliant on them than the usual person again?
oOo
Azula stood on top of the stone stage, the elevated platform giving the Fire Nation Princess the necessary height for her gold eyes to scan each and every eighty or so Dai Li agents standing at attention as they awaited her orders. The firebender's meeting with Long Feng the previous night had gone exceptionally well, both parties coming to some agreement.
While both appear to have different interests at heart, it would be easier for them to work together given they both share a common enemy and obstacle: the Avatar. Thus, the currently-imprisoned Grand Secretariat had agreed to hand Azula temporary control over the Dai Li, while the Fire Nation Princess eliminates both the Avatar and the Earth King in return.
Neither side spoke of what's to happen if – when their plan succeeds. They didn't need to. From her short talk with Long Feng, Azula knew that the man had plans to double-cross her. Not that the prospect of it worries her.
No.
She was ready for it.
But that will have to wait. Right now, her priority is making sure the men standing in front of her would not hesitate when the coup is in motion.
"The Earth King and the Council of Five do not trust the Dai Li. They imprisoned your leader, Long Feng," she addressed the agents, not missing how some of them tensed at the mention of their leader's current fate. "Soon they will turn on all of you and eliminate you. Seizing power today is a matter of life and death." A few at the back looked nervous and refused to look her in the eye, the ground looking very interesting to them all of a sudden while Azula descended from the stage before walking to the side of the assembled men. "This coup must be swift and decisive. The Earth King and each of the five generals must be taken out simultaneously. Long Feng has placed you in my command while we overthrow the government."
"If I sense any disloyalty, any hesitation, any weakness at all," she stopped as she reached the end of the line, her golden eyes staring sideways at the agent in front of her. He had a vertical scar on his right cheek. "I will snuff it out."
The firebending prodigy noticed how graphite grey eyes widened slightly at the threat.
Good. He fears her.
Silently basking in the fact that her tactics worked, Azula dismissed the Dai Li agents and they left promptly without breaking formation while she returned to the stage to join her friends who were still in their Kyoshi Warrior disguises.
"Nice speech Azula," Ty Lee praised while handing the Fire Nation Princess a cup of freshly brewed tea. "It was pretty and poetic, but also scary in a good way."
"Yeah," Mai agreed, her lips curling upwards amusedly in a rare show of emotion. "I thought you were going to make that one guy pee his pants."
"There are still a few loose ends," Azula said, not wanting to lose focus on the bigger picture at hand. "The Avatar, and my brother and uncle."
Mai narrowed her tawny eyes when she noticed the cup of tea in her friend's hand started to boil as Azula's face twisted into a scowl, the next words dripping out of her mouth with venom.
"And Percy."
oOo
"So how did it go with the guru? Did you master the Avatar State?" Toph asked Aang while she held onto Sokka's arm. The trio was close to Ba Sing Se now after Aang decided to drop Appa's saddle for the sky bison to fly faster. His earthbending master wasn't enthusiastic with the idea, but relented after Sokka suggested that she should hold onto him while they flew.
The airbender in question gave an unintelligent 'uh...' and turned his head away from his friends as he pondered on how he should tell them that he abandoned his meditation training in his haste. Guru Pathik had tried to stop him, and the nomadic man's words still rang in the teen's ears.
"If you leave now, you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all!"
"Aang, are you okay?"
Aang heard Sokka's question and was pulled from his musings. Then, he decided that he would not let his friends know that he did not master the Avatar State at all. He couldn't afford to have them lose hope. Not right now.
"I'm great! It went great with the guru. I completely mastered the Avatar State." He tried for a laugh, but it came out less confident than he hoped. Internally, the teen wondered if Toph could still tell if he was lying with all the fur under her feet. "Yeah."
oOo
"What's taking so long?" Zuko grumbled under his breath while his uncle filled a cup with tea. The empty throne was placed in front of them, as if taunting them for even showing up to meet the absent monarch they were supposed to meet as royal guests
"Maybe the Earth King overslept?" Iroh answered as he moved to fill another cup, though the reply sounded more like a question.
Amber eyes rolled at that suggestion. "Yeah, right. His Majesty was exhausted from all the official work he needed to do last night. More like he got lost in this big ass palace."
"Careful, nephew," the older man softly chastised. There was a glint in his eyes. "You should watch your language, or you'll start to sound like our friend."
Had Percy joined the uncle and nephew pair to meet the Earth King, he would probably make some snarkier remark about Royalty and punctuality. But given that the man had impressively failed to learn the proper etiquettes of serving and drinking after weeks of training, it would be impossible to teach the demigod the proper manners one should adopt when in the presence of royalty
Thus, Iroh decided that it was best that the demigod not show up at the meeting, lest he risks getting everyone in trouble for 'accidentally' insulting the Earth King. Based on how Percy possessed total disregard for social hierarchy and instead had his own method of deciding who to show respect to (not that Iroh was complaining), that risk will most likely – definitely happen.
Zuko opened his mouth to protest but closed it when five men in dark green robes marched in and stood in between them and the empty throne. Amber eyes darted to the side and noticed that there were several more standing next to the table they were seated at. The teen didn't need to turn around to know that he and his uncle were surrounded.
"Something's not right," he stage-whispered. Iroh just remained calm in his seat, not a single hint of intimidation at being surrounded by the Dai Li.
A new figure entered the room, placing herself behind the wall that was the Dai Li agents.
"It's tea time."
Despite wearing the green colours of the Earth Kingdom, Zuko recognized that silky voice anywhere. His amber eyes widened as he shot to his feet.
"Azula!"
"Have you met the Dai Li?" she asked, amusement written all over her face as she ignored the outburst. "They're earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that's so firebender. I just love it." She paused and furrowed her brows while golden eyes looked between her brother and uncle like a piece was missing. She hummed.
"I heard you've made a new friend," her brows furrowed. "Where is he? Where's Percy?"
"How'd you know him? What do you want with Percy?" Zuko demanded.
"We've... met," golden eyes narrowed just so slightly. "And what I want with that peasant doesn't concern you."
Zuko didn't miss the slight change in his sister's demeanour and the venom dripping with every word she said from mentioning the demigod.
"The Fire Nation attack," he muttered under his breath, his mind piecing whatever information he was aware of as he remembered Percy mentioning working with the Avatar. He met his sister's even gaze, and fought to keep his lips from curling upwards.
"He beat you."
Azula's eyes narrowed into slits. "I don't know what you're talking about, Zuzu."
Her usually well-trained face said otherwise. Zuko saw his sister's left eye twitch, and he allowed his smirk to show. "But you do. He really beat you. You finally – "
"As entertaining and stressful as this conversation may be," Iroh's voice interrupted the siblings, the grey-bearded man standing up with a cup of tea in his hand. "Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname 'The Dragon of the West'?"
Azula, while thankful that she didn't have to deal with her smug brother, rolled her eyes at the obvious display of an attempt to stall. She answered her uncle nonetheless as she inspected her fingernails.
"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle."
Ignoring the condescending tone his niece used, Iroh pressed on. "It's more of a demonstration, really."
Zuko's smirk widened as he watched his uncle drink his tea and take a deep breath, fully aware of what's to follow. He quickly ducked just when the former general roared, fire spewing out of his mouth like a dragon's breath at the agents surrounding them.
The Dragon of the West.
The Dai Li agents used their arms to shield their faces from the flames, the ones at the back too distracted to realize the young teen charging forward as he made a beeline for the doors. A quick fireblast and a hole formed on the wooden frame, large enough for Zuko and Iroh to fit through as the latter sent another breath of fire towards the group inside to buy more time for their escape.
The duo made a few tight turns while narrowly dodging the projectiles that the Dai Li agents shot from their rock gloves. Reaching what they were certain was the end of the corridor, Iroh blasted a shot of lightning at the wall and jumped off with a yell before landing on and crushing a topiary shaped like a bear which cushioned his fall, though the impact still knocked the wind out of the old man. He recovered fast and lifted his head to look at Zuko, who was still standing near the edge.
"Come on!" the former general called out. "You'll be fine!"
"No!" Zuko shouted back, a determined edge in his voice. "Running won't change anything. It's time I faced Azula!"
Iroh slapped a palm on his forehead as he watched his nephew turn his back and head back in, obviously to face off with his sister. The Dragon of the West got on his feet in hastily and sprinted off. He needed to find help.
Zuko fixed his gaze on his sister and stood his ground as the cluster of dark green gathered behind the Fire Nation Princess.
"You're so dramatic," Azula drawled, clearly amused by the display. "What? Are you going to challenge me to an Agni Kai?"
"Well, I wasn't thinking about that," the former Prince raised his good brow and shrugged. He didn't know what he was planning, actually. "But sure, that sounds like a good idea. So, yes." Maybe he couldn't beat Azula. Maybe he could. But he does know someone who can. Zuko entered his fighting stance. "I challenge you."
"No, thanks," Azula declined. Zuko winced internally. Dam, thought that would work.
He punched the air in front of him, blasting a ball of fire at his sister who seemed entirely unfazed by the attack. Two Dai Li agents hopped to her side and lifted a piece of the floor in front of them with their bending, making a barrier. Immediately after that, they shot rock gloves at him, pinning the firebender by his feet. The shock had Zuko losing his balance and the teen fell to his knees. His right hand touched the ground to steady himself and another glove landed just on top of it, trapping him despite his struggle to wiggle free.
Satisfied that her brother was not going to run anytime soon, Azula spun around with a smile grazing her lips.
The plan has just begun.
oOo
The glimmer from the crystal served as the only source of lighting for Katara as she paced around the catacomb. She's been here since she woke up, and couldn't find an exit after looking at every nook and cranny of the place. The waterbender doubted she could climb up the steep tunnel to dig a hole through with her waterskin.
If she had her waterskin. Her captors must have taken the pouch away, knowing she would be a threat with it by her side.
Katara felt the cave shake, and the telltale sound of the earth rumbling from above could be heard. Blue eyes looked up to see light shining into the tunnel. A gruff voice echoed through the walls of the catacomb.
"You've got company," the voice – most definitely a Dai Li agent – said interestedly and a humanoid figure was unceremoniously tossed inside before the tunnel was closed again.
Katara watched as the figure tumbled downwards like a ragdoll, wincing as she heard the grunts of pain that followed. Eventually the figure landed with their face skidding first onto the ground, right in front of the waterbender.
Worry took over the healer side within Katara in an instant. Is he okay? is he unconscious? That fall looked painful, I hope he did not break anything. Better to check on him...
She was about to approach the figure, who she was certain to be a boy just about her age, to check for injuries but stopped herself when he let out a groan. He sat himself up, allowing the waterbender to clearly see and recognize the red scar in all its glory.
"Zuko!"
The firebender looked taken aback upon seeing Katara, the girl narrowing her eyes in anger. For a few long moments, they remained that way, the waterbender glaring daggers at the enemy while Zuko looked... confused at what he should do next as the hole closed behind them.
Eventually, the former Prince would be the one to break the silence that was getting too awkward for his liking. "Uh," he started helpfully, ignoring the voices at the back of his mind that sounded too much like his uncle and Percy laughing at him as tried for a smile, and raised a hand like he was trying to wave. To Katara, the firebender's smile was the most sheepish and awkward she had ever seen.
"Hello... Zuko here?"
oOo
Sea-green eyes stared at the building in front and the man wondered how he should proceed. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed the large cloth and bamboo support setup surrounding one corner of the house, where a large hole could be seen.
On any other day, the son of Poseidon would have thought that one of the latest models for the 'anti-monster' smartphones that the Hephaestus cabin was working on exploded. Again (long story). Or the Ares cabin 'accidentally' set up several live mines. Again (also long story). Maybe it was both.
Now, that was really one long story.
Percy shook his head out of his wayward thoughts, remembering the reason he was here.
Iroh had decided that it was in everyone's best interest that Percy not show up to serve tea to the Earth King, given his lack of understanding towards the customs here. The demigod tried protesting against it. About skipping the meeting with the king. He wasn't too happy with the state that the Earth Kingdom was in.
He'd seen glimpses of it. When he was tracking Zuko and Iroh the first time, at the Full Moon Bay, and heck, even the Lower Ring in Ba Sing Se, which was supposed to be the capital of the Earth Kingdom. No doubt he would give the King a piece of his mind for bad management.
Hey, if Percy was able to get the Olympian Council to rethink their parental roles, he'd definitely try to convince the leader of a nation to be better.
It wasn't to be, however, as Iroh stood firm and wouldn't give in to the son of Poseidon. Percy even tried to use his 'baby seal eyes' in the morning, but came up short when the man with grey-beard proved to be somewhat resistant to the look and shut the attempt down immediately.
To be fair, given Percy's track record of dealing with beings in power in his own world, the demigod doubted he would act any differently here.
So, the son of Poseidon found himself with pretty much nothing to do at their new apartment. The Jasmine Dragon was closed for the day for Iroh and Zuko to meet the King. Iroh wasn't going to trust Percy to run the tea shop without any issues arising. Not that the young man would complain. Business management wasn't really his strongest suit.
Five minutes into absolute boredom, the man remembered the encounter he had with a waterbender just outside the tea shop, and decided that he needed to clear things up with Katara. He couldn't get the images of the girl's face – which turned from horror-stricken into one of pure loathing – directed at him from his mind, prompting the demigod to get off his feet and find her.
It took him a while to find the address but he was able to find the Avatar's residence thanks to the crumpled leaflet and asking around for directions (Percy pointedly ignored the judgemental looks he received when he explained that he 'wasn't from around town').
The house looked too big for four teenagers to live in, but Percy wasn't going to criticize. He took a deep breath before walking upstairs into the tiled porch. He knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open up.
No one did.
Furrowing his eyebrows together, he knocked again.
Again, no response.
Maybe Katara had everyone packing up and they left yesterday?
Shrugging while feeling slightly peeved that he didn't get the opportunity to explain himself, Percy spun around and made his way down the stairs. Only to stop at the last step when a large shadow loomed over him.
His vision shot up to the sky, and he saw the underbelly of a large six-legged creature descending from the sky. The bald kid in yellow and red garb sitting at the sky bison's crown blinked twice when charcoal-grey eyes met sea-green.
"Percy?"
"No, it's Pierre Jorgensen, though I'm not related to a Snotlout Jorgensen by any means," came Percy's automatic reply.
"What are you doing here?" Aang asked, ignoring Percy's response. The young boy slid down from Appa's head, his friends following suit. The sky bison's beady eyes bore into Percy's like it was contemplating whether it should start licking him until the man was finally drenched in saliva.
Percy's eyes darted back towards the house before returning his attention to the airbender. "I'm looking for Katara," he scanned the teenagers present and counted that the one he was searching for was missing. "She isn't with you?"
Aang shared a look with Sokka, the former's face a grave knowing look while the latter wore that hinted to worry. A silent conversation must have happened between them because Percy suddenly felt out of the loop. The young Avatar turned back at the man. "No, she isn't." There was a hard edge in the young teen's voice, and Percy was certain that he was definitely missing something important.
"But I just saw her yesterday," he replied while carefully choosing not to mention any details about the encounter the day before.
The change in the other two boys was instantaneous, both dashing into the house at lightning speed while Toph played catch up. Percy followed the trio into the house, but not before giving Appa a pet on the nose. The sky bison looked rather pleased to be on the receiving end of it.
The moment Percy stepped foot into the building, he noted the living room was far too spacious. How do the bedrooms and bathrooms even fit?! But he kept his attention on the three teenagers who, apart from him, were the only ones in the house.
"Katara is in trouble! I knew it!" Aang hissed, his face twisting into a snarl while Momo the large-eared flying lemur was perched on his shoulder. Wasn't it with Katara yesterday?
"Oh, no!" Sokka gasped, and Toph interjected before Percy could ask any further questions.
"Wait! Someone's at the door!"
True enough, there was a knock on the door a second later, causing everyone to freeze in their spots. All except Toph, who wore a small smile on her face. "Actually, I know who it is." She made her way towards the double doors before quickly adding. "It's an old friend of mine."
The earthbender opened one of the doors slightly, speaking to the person behind it. "Glad to see you're okay."
"I need your help."
Percy recognized the voice. He whirled his head towards the doors and swung it wide open to see Iroh standing there looking distressed. The demigod didn't notice the mixture of shock and anger in Aang and Sokka's faces, nor did he notice the latter entering a fighting stance upon seeing the elderly man.
"Iroh?" Percy furrowed his brows together. "The Hades you doing here?"
The teamaker snapped his head towards Percy, as if just noticing his presence. "I could be asking the same question. Where were you? I couldn't find you at the apartment?"
Percy opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when Sokka literally jumped in between them.
"Wait just a moment!" the Southern Water Tribesman declared, drawing everyone's attention. His blue eyes darted between Toph and Iroh. "You two know each other?"
Toph beamed at her friends. "I met him in the woods once and knocked him down." Iroh smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Then he gave me some tea and some very good advice."
Percy raised an eyebrow at the grey-bearded man. On a normal day, he'd be laughing on the ground at Iroh's expense by now.
Aang decided it was his turn to ask questions. He pointed at both the men in the house. "And you two know each other?"
"Yeah, we do," Percy replied. "He's the friend I told you guys about. The one who makes great tea."
Both Aang and Sokka dropped their jaws, but Percy ignored the comical display and focused on Iroh. He noticed that the older man was panting slightly.
"What happened, Iroh?" Percy questioned. "I thought you and Zuko were supposed to meet the Earth King."
He pointedly ignored the loud squeak that most likely came from Sokka, and instead watched as Iroh's face turned grim.
"It's Princess Azula. She's in Ba Sing Se," the former general answered, and nodded slightly upon seeing Percy's apprehensive look. "I've heard you two have met. She seemed very keen to see you again."
"That sounds so weird on so many levels," Percy remarked offhandedly just as he noticed that the usually gloomy and awkward teen was nowhere to be seen. "I'm guessing if you're here and Zuko's not, with your niece in town then that means..."
Iroh nodded gravely at the unspoken 'Azula has captured Zuko'. Percy started cursing under his breath.
"If Azula is here, she must have Katara too," Aang deduced. He looked at both Percy and Iroh in their eyes. "Then we'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara and Zuko."
"Woah there!" Sokka interrupted as he approached the Avatar. "You lost me at 'Zuko'."
"I know how you must feel about my nephew," Iroh said earnestly before he placed a hand on the older teen's shoulder while wearing a reassuring smile. "But believe me when I tell you that there is good inside him."
Sokka pushed Iroh's hand away. "'Good inside him' isn't enough! Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, okay?"
"Sure. Should I go out and bring Appa in?"
Three pairs of eyes darted towards Percy, who wore a serious expression on his face. Sokka looked inquisitively at the man.
"What are you –"
"Who the Hades did you think got Appa out?" the son of Poseidon answered, effectively cutting off the Southern Water Tribesman. He smiled smugly when Sokka and Aang once again dropped their jaws.
"Zuko released Appa?" Sokka repeated.
"He did."
"Alone?"
"Does it matter?"
"It does if –"
"Sokka," Aang placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and the teen stopped his rapid-fire query. "Katara's in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance."
Sokka deflated, remembering the urgency of the situation they were in, and nodded. Percy gave a thankful nod to the airbender, who responded in kind. The demigod was starting to lose his patience if he was to continue playing 21 questions. Iroh turned around to open the door.
"I brought someone along who might help us."
Everyone followed the former general out to the porch, where a Dai Li agent was chained up and his mouth gagged. Toph got to work without hesitation, stomping her feet on the ground to bend a couple of earth pillars to force the man onto his feet. Percy walked towards the restrained agent and leant forward. He took note of the scar on the agent's right cheek who was thrashing around as if trying to break free.
"Look," he began, steadfast sea-green eyes meeting scared graphite grey. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. It's your choice. We good?"
The agent froze at both the threat and Percy's gaze before nodding quickly. Satisfied, the demigod removed the gag of the agent's mouth.
"So, let's start with something easy. How about your name? Calling you Mr Dai Li Agent sounds too generic and evilly. So no. And I'm not calling you Scarface. You aren't badass enough for that."
Behind him, Iroh watched on silently while Sokka and Aang shared a look of confusion, and Toph listened on with amusement. Neither of the four tried to interrupt despite how weird the interrogation began.
"So, what should I call you, Mr ...?"
The agent gulped, then he answered, his voice high-pitched.
"Yu."
Percy blinked once. Then he blinked again before shaking his head. "No, not me. You."
"Yes, I'm Yu."
"Just answer the dam question," Percy demanded as he felt a vein throb in his neck. "Who are you?"
"I've told you!"
"Did you bust your eardrums when Iroh caught you? Or are you deaf?"
"I'm not... deaf," the agent answered meekly. "Are you?"
"Buddy, I know you did not just smart-ass me," Percy rubbed his temples. "Imma ask you one more time. What's. Your. Name?"
"I've told you!" the agent tried desperately. "I'm Yu."
"Right," the demigod drawled. "And the next thing you're gonna tell me is that there's another guy who's also me."
"Well," the agent avoided meeting the man's eyes. "Actually there's this guy called Mi." His cheeks turned red. "And he's got the looks even in our boring Dai Li uniforms."
Percy threw his hands in the air. "Oh great! I feel like I'm in a script straight outta that Jackie Chan movie!"
Iroh, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, placed a hand on Percy's shoulder to calm the frustrated man while Sokka and Aang watched the exchange with absolute bewilderment. Toph's lips tugged up slightly.
"How about I try, Percy?"
The demigod huffed but nodded at Iroh's prompting. As the former general stood in front of the agent – who he was certain was named Yu – he tuned out Percy's grumble about a 'third rush hour movie'. That was followed by a long string of words being spoken in a different language, which Iroh came to associate with Percy cursing in his Greek. The old man decided he will need to question Percy's sanity sometime later.
Once they've gotten Zuko out of the mess he's in.
First, he needed to get Mr Yu to answer a few questions.
oOo
"'Hello'? 'Zuko here'?" Katara repeated as she stared disbelievingly at the boy standing in front of her. "That's the first thing you have to say?"
Zuko dropped his hand to his side, and his smile turned into a small frown as he wondered why she was so mad at him.
"Why did they throw you in here, Zuko?" Katara demanded. The firebender opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again when he wasn't sure if 'my sister captured me' was a good answer. If the girl noticed that, she did not show any hint for him to know. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Let me guess, it's a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!"
Oh... Wait...
"That's not it!" Zuko protested, raising both his hands in a placating gesture.
"It's not?!" the waterbender asked hotly, clearly not believing Zuko's claims. "Just how terrible can you get?" Huh? "First, you followed us all over the world just to hunt the Avatar. He's the world's last hope for peace, and you are always trying to capture him. And now you're lying?"
'When did I lie?' Zuko thought to himself, his mind racing as he tried to remember any moment when he tried to deceive the Avatar and his friends with false statements.
He must have asked that out loud, though, as Katara glared incredulously at him. "Are you seriously denying it right now? You deceived Percy into helping you! Because there's no way a waterbender would even work with anyone from the Fire Nation!"
Katara took the time she was trapped alone in the crystal catacombs to reflect on the day, and she felt bad for her outburst at the dualbender. She recalled the hurt look Percy had when she called him a 'monster' in her haze of anger. The girl made a mental note to apologize to him when she gets the chance, since a waterbender in their right mind would never help the enemy, especially not the likes of the Prince of the Fire Nation. The only way Percy would willingly help Zuko and Iroh is if the duo lied to him about their identity. It wouldn't be surprising if the dualbender decided to help out of the kindness of his heart.
"I didn't lie to Percy..." Zuko muttered softly, and somehow that served to only make the girl angrier.
"No?" Katara's mind drifted towards the worst-case scenarios. "So you threatened him into serving you?"
"Threatened? No! That's not wha –"
"You brainwashed him then, didn't you?" the waterbender shuddered at the memory of Jet and Jo Dee.
Zuko's good eyebrow shot up to his hairline. "Why are the terrible things you're accusing me of getting worse every time?"
"Don't act like it matters to you!" she snapped, causing Zuko to flinch. "You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood!"
Zuko's face turned to shock, before morphing into anger as he growled at Katara and being the bitter, angry and evil Prince of the Fire Nation that she'd come to know. "You don't know what you're talking about."
The word caught the girl by surprise, but she reeled her shock as the anger within her returned in droves and got in the face of the former Prince. "I don't? How dare you?! You have no idea what this war put me through!" She yelled before taking a step back. For a moment Zuko thought he saw the corner of Katara's eyes glistening, but thought none of it when Katara spun around.
"Me personally," she added, her voice soft as if it wasn't meant for others to hear. A sob echoed off the cave walls, and it took Zuko a moment to notice the irrhythmic shaking of Katara's shoulder to realize that she was crying.
"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."
Hearing that froze Zuko in his spot, allowing newfound silence to take over the catacombs to only be broken by the occasional sniffle that came from the girl whose back was still facing him. He took a deep breath before he spoke.
"I'm sorry. That's..." the words almost caught themselves in his throat. "That's something we have in common."
Katara barely registered the words, but she did. Her eyes snapped open, and she whirled around to see sombre amber orbs staring at the ground forlornly.
oOo
"Well, what'd you know? There is an ancient city down there," the petite girl chirped up before her expression turned serious. "But it's deep."
"We should split up," Sokka suggested as Toph began bending a large hole in the floor, most definitely leading to the ancient city below. He turned to the only airbender in the group "Aang, you go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk." The Water Tribesman's face turned apologetic as he glanced at the two people who were close with said 'angry jerk'. "No offence."
"None taken," Iroh gave a reassuring smile while Percy shrugged eloquently with an equally well-phrased "Eh".
"Toph, Percy and I will go warn the Earth King about Azula's coup," Sokka finished his plan. The Dai Li agent, Yu, had quickly spilt Azula's plot and the location of both Katara and Zuko who were in the Crystal Catacombs located underground when Iroh approached him. Obviously, he was very scared of the Dragon of the West.
Agreeing with the plan, the quintet split off. Aang and Iroh began their descent underground, with the latter lighting a small fire in his palm. The pair walked in silence as the Avatar bent earth out of their path before Aang spoke up.
"So, Toph thinks you give pretty good advice, and great tea!"
Iroh blushed from the praise, still unused to people complimenting his teamaking despite being on the receiving end for quite a while now. "The key to both is proper aging. What's on your mind?"
More earth was shifted to make way for their tunnel.
"Well," Aang started, his mind quickly putting the words together for him to speak with the wise old man beside him. "I met with this guru who was supposed to help me master the Avatar State and control this great power, but to do it, I had to let go of someone I love." He stopped in his tracks, and Iroh did the same. "And I just couldn't."
"Perfection and power are overrated." the firebender answered. "I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love."
Though glad to have heard that some agree with his choice, guilt and doubt crept into Aang as Guru Pathik's words rang in his ear. "What happens if we can't save anyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I'm not powerful enough"
"I don't know the answer," The grey-bearded man offered truthfully. He then gestured around the walls of the tunnel with his free hand. "Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving," the grey-bearded man's lips tugged up in a smile as the fire in his hand blew out "you will come to a better place."
Aang returned the smile in kind as he considered the man by his side. The boy had expected Iroh to convince him that obtaining the height of his power would be of great importance, though a small part of him had hoped the firebender would agree with his actions. With just a few wise words, the firebender had been able to give the youngsters some sense of reassurance while washing any lingering doubts since ditching his chakra meditation.
Maybe he wasn't so bad, after all.
oOo
The three figures rushed up the stairs, with the man staying just behind the two teenagers as they were the ones who were familiar with the layout of the Royal Palace. They were about to make a left turn when the older teen in blue Water Tribe getup skidded to a stop and he pointed in the opposite direction.
"There's General How."
Percy turned to see a man in armour identical to General Sung marching confidently down the corridors towards them, though the demigod was certain General How hadn't realized their presence yet. There was a slight movement near the pillars ahead of him, and Percy dove to the side, hiding behind the nearest pillar he could find. Sokka must have noticed it too, for the Water Tribesman had dragged Toph to hide behind another column. Green eyes peeked from the cover of the pillar to see several Dai Li agents hiding from the general's view as they hung above the gold and white support beams like Spider-man.
General How took another five steps, and the Dai Li sprang into action. Two of them dropped to the ground graciously and sprung metal cuffs from their sleeves, grabbing the man by his wrists before pulling him down to his knees. Another agent landed right in front of Genera Howl. Percy could hear the loud demand coming from the outraged general. "What's going on here?!"
"The coup is happening right now," Sokka whispered worriedly. "We've got to warn the Earth King!"
Percy spared another glance in General How's direction, where the Dai Li agents were dragging him back to where he had just left, before turning back to Sokka for sea-green eyes to meet blue.
"You guys go ahead," he ordered. "I'll get General How out."
Sokka opened his mouth to protest, but closed it when he saw the blue pen in Percy's hand. Hesitantly, he nodded, and Percy uncapped Riptide, allowing xiphos to spring to life. The demigod shot a smug smile at the shocked look on Sokka's face, no doubt the teen was trying to comprehend the mechanics behind hiding a three-foot sword inside such a small instrument, before he leapt into action. Sokka, to his credit, shook himself out of his stupor quickly and pulled Toph away, despite her complaints that 'she could run on her own two feet'.
Both the teens found the Throne Room easily, and dashed in to see King Kuei at his throne, while two Kyoshi Warriors were just nearby. Bosco the Bear was lounging lazily by the King's side.
"Thank goodness we're in time!" Sokka announced as relief washed over him. At least the Dai Li hadn't gotten to the Earth King. Now they could warn King Kuei and protect him, or retreat if they must.
"In time for what?" the young King inquired, confusing marring his features.
One of the Kyoshi Warriors seemed to light up as her eyes landed on Sokka. "Yeah, what are you in time for?" She somersaulted forward and landed just in front of the Water Tribesman, causing Momo to fly away in shock. There was an unreadable smile on her face as she regarded him with a satisfying hum. "Cutie..."
"Uh..." Sokka sweatdropped and avoided her hungry gaze as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I'm kinda involved with Suki."
His lips tingled and blood rushed to his cheeks at the reminder of the kiss he shared with the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.
"Who?"
Before Sokka could process the response, the earth underneath the girl's feet sprung upwards, launching her into the air. To his surprise, she landed perfectly on top of the large badgermole statue behind the throne.
"They're not the real Kyoshi Warriors!" Toph revealed, prompting a gasp from King Kuei as he realized he had once again been played for a fool.
The other 'Kyoshi Warrior' let out a sigh before smirking at them. "Sorry to disappoint you," she remarked lazily before throwing three stilettos at Toph, who created a small wall of earth to halt the attack.
Sokka watched the fight going on, his mind racing as Toph seemed to have the upper hand. Girl who sighs and throws stilettos. He wanted to slap a palm on his head for being an idiot. That's Princess Azula's friend. 'Ma-something-what's-her-name'. So that means the other girl is...
Ty Lee appeared next to him, causing Sokka to yelp despite the wide smile on her face. The chi-blocker attempted to jab him in the head, but he ducked, having learnt the annoyance of having his limbs hanging uselessly. She then went for his outstretched arm, which he pulled back before her fingers could grace his skin. They continued in this motion, with the girl attempting to land a jab to block the boy's chi, while he evaded all of them.
"Oooh, it's like we're dancing together!"
Sokka wanted to shoot her an incredulous look. Was she seriously flirting at this moment? Before he could ask that, his mind supplied that one of the three girls was missing. As if on cue, Azula's voice rang out in the Throne Room.
"This fight is over," she declared, and Sokka snapped his head around to see the firebender holding the Earth King at flame-point.
Unwilling to bring harm to King Kuei, both Sokka and Toph raised their arms above their heads in a show of surrender. Ty Lee immediately hopped between them and jabbed them in their torsos, causing them to fall limply to the ground. Momo landed unceremoniously next to the chi blocker after the flying lemur was wrapped in rock gloves by the Dai Li. The job done, Azula shoved the bespectacled King down the steps leading to his throne.
"Get them all out of my sight," disgust laced Azula's every word. Mai and Ty Lee got to carrying Toph as a Dai Li agent dragging Sokka like he was dead weight. King Kuei followed the agent who guided him along while trying to placate Bosco who was groaning sadly. Golden eyes snapped back to the large double doors to see Long Feng marching in. She noted the grim look on his face as the Grand Secretariat stopped just a few steps away from the throne.
"Now comes the part where I double-cross you," Long Feng announced confidently and he issued his orders to his men. "Dai Li, arrest the Fire Nation princess!"
Nobody moved, not even Azula who watched on with a bored expression on her face. Long Feng whirled around to meet the agents in their eyes. "I said arrest her!" He repeated his order, punctuating it by pointing at the firebender standing near the Earth Kingdom Throne. Again, nobody moved. "What is wrong with you?!"
"It's because they haven't made up their minds." Long Feng turned his attention back to the girl who drawled lazily. "They're waiting to see how this is going to end."
The Grand Secretariat narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
The ends of Azula's lips curled up into an amused smile as the Fire Nation Princess chose not to directly answer the question directed at her, as she wanted to piece apart the scheming man beneath her. "I can see your whole history in your eyes. You were born with nothing, so you've had to struggle, and connive, and claw your way to power. But true power, the divine right to rule, is something you're born with." She pointed at the ornamental seat, "The fact is, they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on that throne, and which one is going to be bowing down."
Long Feng's eyes shot to the ground, and Azula knew she had won. She spun around and strode towards the throne before sitting comfortably and crossing her legs. "Well?"
Cool, collected golden orb bore into wide shocked emerald ones. Long Feng's face displayed a conflict of emotions. Fear. Worry. Anger. But eventually, it conveyed acceptance. He took two steps forward, and got on his knees. For all his life he was the mastermind, the one who has all the pieces in his hand. But now...
"You've beaten me at my own game," he confessed.
"Don't flatter yourself," Azula dismissed amusedly, and she narrowed her eyes "you were never even a player."
Sokka, who had heard parts of the confrontation as he was still being dragged from the large room, hoped that Percy was doing better.
oOo
Things could go a tad bit better for Percy.
Who's kidding? Things could go much, much better for Percy Jackson.
The demigod cursed under his breath as he was forced to dodge another rain of rock pellets shot his way by standing ramrod still behind a pillar as the beam shook while taking damage. His left arm wasn't feeling so right, but he couldn't care less as two agents appeared by his side and bent large chunks of earth and hurled them at him.
Percy rolled forward, missing the falling debris by a hair's length while gritting his teeth when he felt his ribs ache from the exertion. It was probably more than bruised. Who knew taking a few direct hits from earth would hurt so much?
Honestly, he cursed his overconfidence. He really didn't account for the fact he was slightly fire-resistant, not earth resistant or earth-proof like his arrogant and bloodthirsty half-brother Antaeus.
He rushed into battle, sword-swinging as he tried to free General How from his chains. It had been easy when he and Zuko picked out the agents one by one when they infiltrated the underground base. But the Dai Li were a different being altogether when they worked together as a unit.
It didn't take long for the agents to find out that the blade of his sword could cut their earth constructs, but couldn't cause bodily harm. They pounced on the advantage immediately, sending large chunks of earth at him from afar, not giving him a chance to get near as they worked cohesively.
On a side note, the son of Poseidon really wanted to curse whoever came up with the Dai Li.
Jumping away just as the ground beneath him shot up into a makeshift pillar and broke a hole through the ceiling, Percy's eyes darted towards General How, who continued to struggle against his restraints but made eye contact nonetheless. How's eyes looked like they were pleading for this stranger with a glowing sword to leave and save himself, but Percy was having none of it. He charged at the enemy once again, rolling forward and slashing an arc through a smaller piece of earth flying his way. He covered his eyes as he ran through the dust, and it was the distraction the Dai Li needed.
Percy felt and heard the ground rumble and reopened his eyes in time to see an uplifted rock moving towards his chest, and it was only thanks to his reflexes that he was able to halt his charge and leap backwards, just not fast enough though. The rock slammed into him, sending the demigod flying back and crashing onto the ground with a loud 'oomph' as he felt the wind knocked out of him. His chest was definitely screaming unhappily and he was certain a few ribs were broken.
By the time he got up, the Dai Li were gone. General How, too.
Percy cursed, but got on his feet and dashed towards the exit of the Palace despite his aching body loudly protesting.
oOo
"I'm sorry I yelled at you before," Katara apologized, her head bowing slightly in the direction of the boy with a scar.
Zuko, unsure how to respond, just turned his head away. "It doesn't matter," he tried for a shrug, before hastily adding, "I mean, it's okay, like, I kind of understand why you're mad at me. Not really, but a bit. I think."
Human interactions are just so hard...
The firebender wasn't sure whether the peasant – sorry, waterbender – had heard him ramble, and chose to ignore him, or just didn't hear him at all as she continued contemplating. "It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."
"My face?" Zuko gaped, putting on an excellent impression of a koi fish. Katara must have read his expression as one of hurt as she quickly approached him while stammering to correct her phrasing.
"No, no, that's-that's not what I mea –"
"It's okay," Zuko interrupted. He paused as his hand touched his scar. "I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've learnt that I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."
"Maybe you could be free of it."
"What?" Zuko whirled his head around so fast he was surprised he did not get whiplash.
"I have healing abilities."
"It's a scar," the former Prince deadpanned. He raised his good eyebrow. "What are you going to do? Make it disappear?"
Katara bit back the urge to snap at him, instead she pulled out a conically shaped vial for amber eyes to see. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important." The girl moved in front of Zuko. "I don't know if it would work, but..."
Zuko closed his eyes as Katara placed a hand on his scar. Then he felt the cave shake, forcing him to snap his eyes wide open. Both the boy and girl turned their heads when they heard the sound of crystals shattering and a wall to their side exploded. For a moment, dust filled the place before clearing to reveal a bald child in red and yellow garb with a balding grey-bearded old man entering the catacombs.
"Aang!" Katara called out in relief, and ran over to embrace the airbender. Aang smiled at the gesture, before shifting his attention to glare at Zuko, who was being engulfed by his uncle's arms.
The former Prince smiled – if the slight tugging of the lips upwards was called 'smiling' – upon laying his eyes on the Avatar, completely ignoring the angry look he was receiving as he raised his free arm and waved.
"Hello, Avatar! Zuko here!"
Aang had never been so confused in his life, he didn't even realize Katara had broken away from the hug.
"Aang, I knew you would come," she hugged him again.
"Uncle," Zuko looked at Iroh, who returned the gesture, "What are you doing with the Avatar?"
"We're here to save you, that's what." Aang answered, still baffled by the less hostile attitude the former Avatar 'hunter' exuded.
"Oh..." Zuko replied, then started rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks... I guess..."
Aang, baffled, could only stare at Katara, silently asking if he had seen and heard things. The waterbender merely shrugged, and the airbender took it as she being just as confused as well.
"Go find your other friends," Iroh spoke up, getting the two teens' attention. "We'll catch up with you."
Aang gave a thankful bow and headed for the newly formed tunnel. Katara followed behind, but not before she gave one last look at Zuko, who just smiled.
"You know," Zuko began after he was certain that the Avatar and the waterbender were no longer in earshot. "I could just go after them right now. It'd be an easy chase."
"Zuko, no," Iroh groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, the action perplexing the teen. His uncle only reserved that for whenever a certain demigod did something stupid, or said something outlandish. Sometimes it's both. He never thought he would be on the receiving end of it. Ever.
"What is it, Uncle? Was it something I said?"
"Zuko," Iroh placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I'm proud of you." Seeing the confused look on Zuko's face, Iroh explained. "You're not the man you used to be. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. You told me you wanted to make things right. Here's your chance. It's time you chose good."
Zuko wanted to reply, to say that he was already 'choosing good' by saying hello to the Avatar instead of attacking the boy on sight, but he was cut off by the ground rumbling and crystals shooting upwards, encasing Iroh. He spun around, entering a fighting stance as he prepared to face off whoever was responsible for trapping his uncle.
"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle," Azula stated as she walked towards her brother while being flanked by two Dai Li agents, obviously the ones who bent the crystals. She pointedly ignored the sight of Zuko tensing up and moving to put himself between her and Iroh as she got closer, instead choosing to stare at amber eyes. "But you, Zuko, Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but never a traitor, aren't you?"
"Release him immediately," Zuko ignored the question and growled out his demand.
Again, he was ignored. "It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself."
"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you," Iroh pleaded. "You said you wanted to make things right."
"Exactly, Uncle," Princess Azula spat, conveying her annoyance at being interrupted by her treacherous uncle. She softened her gaze as she turned her attention back to her brother, who had lowered his guard slightly. "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day, this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together." She stepped closer, and Zuko stiffened again. "You said you wanted to make things right, correct? Well here's your chance. At the end of this day, you will have your honour back. You will have Father's love. You will have everything you want."
Zuko was floored by his sister's words. To be offered a chance at redemption. To earn back his father's favour. To be the honourable Fire Nation Prince once again.
His face was a whirlwind of emotions. Longing. Fear. Shock.
"Zuko," Iroh began, and his heart ached when he saw the conflicted look on his nephew's features. "I'm begging you. Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want."
"You are free to choose," Azula offered, and dismissed the Dai Li agents with a wave of her hand. She had just walked past Iroh's encased form when Zuko's voice broke the silence.
"Did... did father ever loved us? Loved me?" The Fire Nation Princess stopped in her tracks and spared a glance at her brother. Zuko remained rooted at where he stood, his back facing her. Azula merely raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, and replied as cooly as she always had.
"He's our father. You of all people should know the answer," Azula dismissed with a vague reply. With that, she entered the other tunnel in pursuit of the child Avatar and his waterbending girl friend.
A few twists and turns later the firebending prodigy found herself standing at the base level of the ancient city of Ba Sing Se, her targets in front of her with their backs turned as they made to flee.
Taking advantage that they were not aware of her presence, Azula sent a long blast of blue fire towards the duo. The Avatar must have heard the sound of raging flames and felt the searing heat, as he turned around in time to bent a wall made of earth to stop the attack. The blast sent him flying back nonetheless.
Katara watched with worry as Aang was sent into the air from the explosion. Her blue eyes darted back to see Azula, obviously the source of the attack with smoke trailing from the tips of her outstretched fingers. Rage filled her being, and her arms stretched out to summon the water to bend to her will in the form of a crashing wave directed at her assailant. A huge wall of flames shot up and vaporized the water, covering the area with mist.
Azula took to the covers provided by the mist and leapt in from a different direction as she blasted two fireballs at her targets. A stream of water formed in front of them, shielding the attack but the sheer heat from the orbs of flame evaporated the water on contact.
Irritated by the lack of vision, Aang sent a gust of wind in a circular motion and cleared the catacombs of the mist. The wind pushed the still mid-air Azula backwards, though it wasn't strong enough to make her roll around like a ragdoll as she landed on a pillar, which the Avatar shattered with his earthbending while Katara launched another torrent of water.
The column rumbled and golden eyes widened at her higher ground advantage crumbling, and Azula leapt off as she was nearly washed away by the waterbender's attack. Just before she landed, the firebender directed a large fireblast at Katara. Aang instinctively leapt in front of his friend and tried for another earthen wall, only to be blasted backwards by the powerful impact and he felt pain shooting up his left shoulder as he landed awkwardly on the side.
Katara immediately placed herself between Aang and Azula, the latter wearing a satisfied smirk having her prey pinned into a corner. The firebender pointed at Katara, ready to strike as the makeshift lake churned as the waterbender called the element to her aid, preparing to attack or defend herself and Aang.
Both Aang and Katara internally wondered how Azula just got that much faster.
The standoff was interrupted by an explosion of orange fire right in the middle, turning everyone's attention to the source of the attack. Zuko stalked up to the trio in his fighting stance, his long-sleeved tunic discarded to fight better in a sleeveless undershirt. He stared at Katara, the waterbender still acting as a shield in front of the Avatar who was getting on his feet, before snapping around to see his sister glaring expectantly at him.
Finally, he shifted his attention towards Aang, making eye contact with charcoal grey orbs that widened in anticipation as the airbender waited for the oldest teen amongst them to make his move.
To the Avatar's shock, he thought he saw a ghost of a smile on Zuko's lips and the firebender's good eye winking at the monk. Then, the catacombs erupted into orange flames as the former Prince of the Fire Nation launched a barrage of attacks at his target, joining the fight.
oOo
"See any Dai Li agents nearby?"
Blue eyes scanned the corridors twice over, making sure there were none of the mean-looking evil men in robes around before Sokka whirled around to look at the petite girl leaning against the wall of the metal cell they were locked up in. "Nope, all clear."
Toph stretched her arms and cracked her joints as she pushed herself off the wall before walking towards the door. Placing her hands on the piece of metal, she wrapped her fingers into fists and the door crumpled and was dislodged from its hinges.
Sokka couldn't help but smirk as he watched the earthbender tossed the now useless scrap away. Metalbending is amazing!
"Let's go!" He made to grab Kuei by an arm and dragged the young bespectacled Earth King along with Toph and Momo leading the escape.
"But I'm not leaving without Bosco!"
Sokka bit back a sigh. They will have to grab the Royal Pet Bear if they were to convince Kuei to leave Ba Sing Se for his safety.
oOo
"Disappointing," Azula commented as she dodged a firewhip with a cartwheel, her gold eyes locked onto Zuko as she countered with a quick blast. After her brother – no, the traitor – joined in the fight by siding with the Avatar against her, the Fire Nation Princess was quick to divide and conquer. It wasn't that difficult to take the Avatar and the waterbender temporarily out of the picture when they tried not to catch each other in their attacks, or hurt their new battle buddy.
"After everything Father did for you, this is how you repay him?"
The traitor didn't even flinch at the sharp remark, his amber eyes filled with steadfast determination that she had never seen before in him when they were kids while he dodged the hot blue stream of flames.
"You're right, father did do a lot to me," he agreed coolly as the two siblings continued sending waves of attacks at each other, lighting up the catacombs in a beautiful mix of orange and blue as streams and balls of flames flew across the ancient city, threatening to burn either if the embers were to ever come in contact with their bodies. "And that's exactly why he's not my father. Not to me. He never was, and he never will be."
He shot another torrent of fireballs at his sister, trying to force her onto the defence. But Azula was quicker, leaping into the air and firing back at him with a precise shot. It was only by the reflex of his muscles that Zuko was able to move away from being torched by the blue flames of death, yet he was still caught by the explosion that sent him tumbling backwards.
Azula landed on her feet nimbly like a cat, and immediately stalked up towards her traitorous brother who was laying on the ground. She heard a soft groan escape his lips, signifying he was still alive. Winded, but alive, nonetheless. A thin, tear-drop shaped flame lit at the tip of her fingers. She raised her hand into the air, ready to put an end to this traitor. Zuko opened his eyes at the sound of the flames flickering to life, amber eyes clearly conveying pain.
Before she could strike, Azula was washed away by a wave of water.
Zuko raised his head to see Aang running over to pull him up with Katara's help. "Thanks," he said gratefully.
"So you really did change," Katara commented with a smile, one which the firebender returned in kind.
"I have."
"As fun as this is," Aang interjected, "we've got company."
Both the older teens turned their gaze to where Aang was pointing to see Azula back on her feet and propelling herself forward with jets of blue flames behind her. Aang immediately summoned the crystals beneath his feet, using them to encase himself in makeshift armour and he charged at the Fire Nation Princess.
She suddenly stopped in her tracks, and redirected her flames towards the crystal armoured Avatar, shattering his protective shell and sending him flying in the air before crashing down into an old building made entirely of earth.
She didn't bask in the small victory, however, and shifted her focus onto the advancing Zuko and Katara. They met her in close combat, orange fire working surprisingly well with water to keep blue flames contained. When Azula fired a blast at Katara, Zuko would dissipate it. When she targeted Zuko, the waterbender would snuff out her flames with a stream of water.
One time, the water peasant almost cut Azula with a sharp wave of water, but the firebending prodigy sidestepped in time to only lose several strands of her hair.
Sensing their advantage, Katara wrapped her arms in water, and shot forth a water tentacle towards Azula, who tried to repel the attack but found her hand encased in water even before fire could escape her fist. Another water tentacle shot out, this time capturing her by the foot, and the Princess found herself hefted into the air. In the corner of her eyes, she saw her treacherous brother ready to finish her off with a fireblast.
But the blast never came. As Zuko punched the air, a small flame left his fist instead of a fireball. She saw Zuko mouth a confused 'what?' and pounced on the window of opportunity, kicking the air with her free foot to send an arc of fire in his direction. The former Prince instinctively crossed his arms to cover his face, but the flaming arc landed in front of him, and the explosion sent him flying back with a surprised yell.
"Zuko!" Katara called out, worried for the firebender. The distraction proved costly, however, as she too was sent flying from an explosion of blue flames that also landed in front of her. She lost her grip on the water encasing her arms as she crashed onto the crystal behind with a groan.
The water fell to the ground with a splash, freeing Azula from the annoying liquid. She got up with a smile. Then the ground rumbled, and golden eyes turned around to see the Avatar launching himself into the air and slamming onto the ground with a yell before forming a wave of earth for him to surf on.
Azula readied herself to face off with the Avatar again, noting the controlled rage under the mask of determination on his face. But as the airbender closed the distance between them, a Dai Li agent jumped in and raised his arms, halting the wave of earth and sending the Avatar into the air again. The young monk crashed onto the ground with a groan.
Within seconds, more Dai Li agents gathered behind Azula, and she took note that the waterbender had rushed over towards Zuko, who tried to get up and fight only to be knocked out when several of the Dai Li's rock gloves struck him square in the face. Pathetic. The Princess's attention returned to the Avatar who was getting up again.
Aang entered his fighting stance again, ready to battle again. But his determination faltered the moment he laid his eyes on the army of Dai Li agents behind Azula. Without Toph around, he doubted he could take them on alone. Grey eyes darted towards Katara who was standing in a ring of water shaped like an octopus defending both her and an unconscious Zuko from the Dai Li agents that surrounded them.
"There's too many," he said dejectedly. He gave one more glance at Katara, taking in the determined look she had as she was ready to fight her way through the army.
The only way is to let her go.
Guru Pathik's words rang loudly in Aang's ears, and the Avatar closed his eyes in defeat as he whispered, "I'm sorry, Katara."
He spun around and summoned a crystal tent, before sitting crossed-leg to begin his meditation to unlock his final chakra point. He felt the cosmic energy within him flowing through every fibre of his muscles and he knew he unlocked the Avatar State.
Then, he felt his whole body stop, his vision covered by blinding white light as his nerves were overloaded with pain... pain... PAIN! Then... nothing...
Katara watched on with horror. Aang had entered the Avatar State willingly, and she felt hope and pride = swelling up inside her. Then all of that came crashing down when Azula fired a lightning bolt at Aang, and the boy was falling headfirst towards the ground, smoke trailing from both his feet. Katara didn't register the tears falling, she didn't realize that she had summoned a large wave to wash everyone away while it carried both her and the unconscious Zuko. She only knew that she had to keep Aang from falling. By the time she came to her senses, Aang was in her arms, his head lulled to the sides. He had one side of his shoes on, while the other was burned to the point only the collar was left.
The waterbender saw Azula and the Dai Li agents moving in, but a blast stopped them in their tracks. She raised her head to see a stout old man with a grey beard landing in front of her.
"You've got to get out of here!" Iroh commanded with his general voice. "I'll hold them off as long as I –"
The man felt the words caught in his throat when he saw Zuko lying limply next to Katara. All the fight was drained out of him instantaneously, and the teamaker rushed towards his nephew's side ignoring the Dai Li agents who were advancing again. Cautiously. He placed two fingers on top of the teen's wrist, and breathed out a sigh of relief when he found a faint pulse. A mantra repeated itself in the back of his mind.
Zuko's alive. Zuko's alive!
Steeling himself, the former general met the waterbender's eyes. "I'll hold them off for as long as I can. Get them both out of –"
He was interrupted by the sound of surprised gasps behind him, and Iroh turned around just in time to see a large wall of water shooting up towards the ceiling, forming a protective barrier for him. The girl next to him showed no sign that she was the one responsible for the barrier. that could only mean...
Another figure, one with jet black hair, landed wobbly next to the group, gaining the attention of the two still conscious benders. Sea green eyes landed upon the two unconscious bodies, and Percy sucked up a sharp breath.
"Oh, no!" he whispered loudly and limped towards Zuko and Aang.
Iroh took the opportunity to study Percy, and worry surged up within him. The demigod looked worse for wear. His clothes were tattered. Holes littered over his tunic to reveal bruised skin, and Iroh was certain that there were more damages hidden underneath than Percy was letting on if the limp was anything to go by.
"Get them out," Percy's low voice pulled the grey-bearded man out of his stupor, and old amber eyes landed on the demigod's face. For the first time since knowing him, Iroh felt intimidated. Gone was the young, carefree man who made silly jokes for a stone-cold fighter quivering with barely constrained rage. The wall of water shook, and Iroh thought he felt the earth tremble.
"Percy, please –" Iroh opened his mouth to argue, but choked on his words when he met the green eyes that glowed unnaturally green, suddenly reminding him of the raging seas which sank ships that dared test their wrath. Then he noticed the gold and green glow that was thrumming underneath the younger man's skin.
"I'll hold the line," Percy said with finality, before trying for a smile of reassurance. It came off a little too menacing and unstable for Iroh's liking. "Don't worry, old man, I'll be fine."
Then he turned towards Katara, his eyes softening as he glanced at Aang and Zuko. "Promise me you'll take care of them."
Katara was shaken out of her stupor. It sounded too much like a goodbye. She opened her mouth, ready to protest hotly against the man when she felt her feet getting wet. Looking down, she saw a platform of water large enough to carry four people rising to her ankles. Her eyes shot up in time to see Percy raise his free arm, and she was propelled up and out of the ancient city through the path of a waterfall. Iroh was next to her, and they each held Zuko and Aang arms respectively.
Percy's knuckles were white as he gripped on Riptide tightly. Making sure the others were out of harm's way, he took a deep breath before lowering the towering wall of water to see agents in dark green taking identical fighting stances behind the Fire Nation Princess dressed in the colours of the Earth Kingdom. They kept a sufficient distance between them and their sole enemy to either retreat or engage, the looks in their faces conveyed enough. No one's backing down.
He took a step forward, and immediately his nose caught the familiar scent of ozone and the hair on his skin tingled with the telltale sign of electricity crackling in the air. He raised his sword but felt pain course through him before he could properly defend himself.
Azula watched on as Percy was struck by her lightning bolt, a smug sense of satisfaction rising within her for being able to harm the man who humiliated her in the past. That smug look was wiped away when he didn't fall like the Avatar did.
Instead, he sat on the ground before getting up shakily. His already tattered clothes were singed beyond repair. An irritated look was plastered on his face.
"Nice try," he spat out while trying to mask his heavy panting. "But your lightning bolts are nothing compared to what the Children of Zeus can throw at me! It's gonna take more than that to take me down!"
Percy knew it wasn't true. He was running on fumes, and he didn't fare well against a small coordinated group of Dai Li agents. Now he was facing an army of them.
Alone.
He lifted his sword, forcing his arms not to tremble as he felt his gut calling forth to the water around the Catacombs. Mustering whatever strength he had left, he charged at the army.
oOo
Both Katara and Iroh turned their heads to the back, the last thing they saw was Percy's diminishing figure holding his sword charging the Dai Li with a yell as the ceiling shook while Katara finally took control of the water.
By the time they exited the catacombs, they were greeted by Appa landing in front of them. Sokka was the first to hop off.
"Katara!" Sokka sounded relieved at seeing his sister safe, barely registering Toph following him while King Kuei and Bosco the Bear remained on the sky bison, or Iroh carrying the limp body of Zuko on his back. His sense of relief was quickly replaced by dread when his eyes landed on Aang's unconscious figure. His eyes darted back to Katara and was immediately alerted by the distraught, tear-stricken look on her face. "What happened?!" He counted one missing person. "Where's Percy?"
"It's Azula," her voice was shaky as she tried to steady her hold on Aang, then her eyes shot up to stare at her brother. "We have to go back down there!" Sokka caught the urgency in her voice "Percy needs our –"
She was cut off by the sound of the earth rumbling violently. Everyone turned their heads to the tunnel, only to see it come crashing down.
"Percy!" Katara yelled at the top of her lungs, shock washing over her as she realized what had happened.
Percy had brought down the Crystal Catacombs. He sacrificed himself in a desperate attempt to bury both the Dai Li and Princess Azula with him and keep everyone else safe. He protected them with his life.
Sokka's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground in shock with wide eyes. The only word that came out of his mouth was an inaudible, breathless "No."
Toph stood still, eyes rounded and mouth trembling. She searched with her feet for any signs of the catacombs being up, but there was no way to be sure without going back down and hours of digging.
Iroh closed his eyes and faced the ground. His throat was tight. Too tight to even make a sound. He clenched his fists, ignoring the pain as his nails dug into his skin as he felt his body shake.
Sokka's voice broke the heavy silence. "We have to go." Nobody moved a muscle. "There are still Dai Li agents around. It's our only chance. He did it for us."
They moved as fast as their weak, wobbly legs could carry them, and Appa took off the moment everyone – including Iroh and Zuko – was on board. King Kuei turned around to give one last glance at his city as they disappeared into the night sky.
Ba Sing Se has fallen, and the Earth Kingdom with it.
Iroh hugged Zuko as tightly as he could to his chest like a lifeline. At the corner of his eyes, he registered Katara desperately trying to heal Aang's limp body with water from a conical vial on her necklace. She probably succeeded, judging by the glow on the airbender's tattoo and the hug she gave him that followed. But he was not in a celebratory mood. His fist clenched tighter than ever before and his nails dug deeper than ever thought possible, drawing out blood in the process.
Percy Jackson had wormed his way into everyone's hearts, despite his strange name, witty remarks, incoherent slang and tendency to get on anyone and everyone's nerves. He even brought Zuko to his senses, something Iroh had been trying to do for the past three years but never really succeeding.
For that, Iroh had vowed to himself to help find the young man from a different world a way back home. No matter how difficult the task, he was determined to reunite Percy with the girl in the small portrait that he was clearly so in love with.
Instead, Percy was dragged into his family's mess, and the young man had paid the ultimate price for it.
He closed his eyes once again. For the first time, tears spilt from Iroh's eyes which weren't for Lu Ten.
They were for the loss of another son.
So, that's the end of Chapter 18, which also concludes the Book 2: Earth arc. I'll be taking a few weeks off this fic so i could try my hands on prewriting the upcoming chapters – if there are any new chapters *evil smirk* – before uploading them (learnt that from a very wise writer). Also, the one-shot series will start to upload around this coming Friday or Sunday. Or next week. Gotta finalize a few things first.
Also, I joined discord (somehow), where a bunch of other writers hangout there and discuss... things... Anyway, if you wanna hang with me, or the others and not me (idk how it works really) just copy the link in my profile. yeah, idk what to say other than i'm still figuring out how to work around that dam thing *still crying in corner*