Mako's POV:
Through the throng of battle readied benders I ran for the prince's sleeping quarters. When I arrived I found he wasn't there. Typical. I continued running, this time towards the command center of Zao Fu. I was hesitant to leave Leo but I couldn't very well change his mind. He's too stubborn. Plus he found his friends. They know him better than I do. He also might leave with them I suppose. Strangely I felt slightly sad at the thought of the unique mechanic leaving us. Well I guess not me specifically, more like Korra and Asami. It still lowered my mood. Finally I reached the double doors of the command center hall. The guards let me through with a wave. Gathered around a diorama of the city and surrounding area, Korra, Asami, Woo, Bolin, Tensen, Suyin, and a bunch of other benders I didn't know stood planning for the attack.
"Mako!" Asami turned at my entrance. "Where's Leo?"
"With his friends," I answered, a touch of bitterness creeping into my voice.
"Friends?" Korra asked in surprise.
"Yeah," I joined them at the diorama. "They were with Janora and Milo, seven of them. They are people from his past. He recognized them rather quickly. Even I recognized Frank."
"Seriously!" Korra half yelled.
"Definately," I grumble. "What's going on here?"
"Wait," Tensen stopped us. "Leo Valdez is Jason and his friend's missing person?"
"Apparently," I shrugged. "Why?"
"They said their friend was I fire bender," Tensen scrunched his eyebrows together in thought. "Are you sure Leo recognized them?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "He recognized most of them himself."
"But that would mean Leo can bend two elements," Tensen frowned. "At least if Jason and his people were telling the truth."
"That's not possible is it?" Bolin asked.
"It is not," Tensen's frown deepened.
"It is baffling, but we need to focus," Suyin interrupted. "Zao Fu is under attack. Metal Dynasty is arriving now. The air benders are going to take the air and metal benders will take the ground. Try to keep them in the valley between the mountains directly west of the city. We still have a couple days before the Republic City troops arrive so we'd better have something left for them to protect when they arrive."
"We've got Leo and Festus too," I added. "He wouldn't listen to me and rest, but his friends are with him and if their abilities are half as impressive his we are going to be fine."
"Leo is fighting!" Korra yelped.
"Couldn't stop him if I tried," I shrugged helplessly. "You know how he is."
"I sure do," Korra half growled. "Mako are you fighting?"
"I'm staying with Woo," I half grinned. "Instructed to by Leo, he wants us to make sure the hope for the republic survives the battle."
"Good plan," Suyin agreed. "I still need to formally meet this metal bender. he is quite impressive even from a distance."
"Agreed but he's still stubborn and foolish for going out to fight so soon after the ordeal with that damn highway in the sky!" Korra stormed towards the door, her girlfriend right behind her.
"We must be going as well," Tensen agreed. "Keep the prince safe, Mako, Bolin."
"Count on us," I nodded my goodbye.
"We will, sir!" Bolin agreed with a salute.
Once they left, Bolin and I shepherded Woo deeper into the city and further underground. The echoes of the battle could be heard from above as we took our charge to safety. I silently prayed for the safety of my friends as we went, hurried and silent. Wordlessly we found sleeping quarters below ground with the help of a Zao Fu guard. Booms and crashes seemed to ring through the walls as we waited. We'd know soon enough if the battle was won or lost.
Piper's POV:
I sat behind Leo on Festus as we ascended into the sky. A sense of nostalgia cut into my heart as the domes of Zao Fu became smaller behind us. Leo had been a bit surprised when Frank had transformed into a dragon, but soon laughed saying "Korra had a few screws loose" whatever that meant. The air benders who'd been with us were very surprised at Frank's ability as well, they now had started whispering to each other about discrepancies in our story surrounding our friend from earlier which we'd told them. It hardly mattered. As long as my arms were wrapped around Leo's waist, I was not going to loose him. Not this time, not again.
"What's the plan Leo?" Jason yelled as he flew beside us.
"We need to take out the blimps!" Leo yelled back. "I'm still a little weak from earlier, but I'll knock as many as I can from the sky!"
"Don't bother!" Percy yelled over my shoulder. "We can do it! You focus on keeping your passengers in the air!"
"Seriously, I can help!" Leo yelled back. "I'm just a bit weak, not dying!"
"Leo," I tightened my grip. "We just don't want to loose you."
"Again,"Annabeth added.
"You won't," Leo growled and the blimp we were headed towards crumpled to the ground in a crushed metal mess. "But I can pull my weight."
"Fine," Percy yelled, as a river on the valley bellow erupted and sliced the next blimp in half. "But you don't have to do it alone."
"Alright," Leo relented. "Keep up!"
Leo stood in his seat and raised his hands, the next two blimps wavered, wobbling in time to Leo's outstretched arms. A shadow rose from one of the mountains to grab another blimp, gold nuggets shot from the ground at another, lightning struck the next one, and river water tackled the one after that. In under five minutes we downed seven blimps. It hardly seemed to matter as another few dozen blimps rounded the mountain. I'd give Metal Dynasty points for persistence and preparation.
"LEO!" Yelled an air bender woman in water tribe clothes fast approaching us with a woman in her arms. They both looked upset and worried.
"Hey Korra, Asami," Leo waved as he sat back down. "Shouldn't you be fighting, Avatar?"
"You should be in the city!" The air bender, Korra I think, said worriedly.
"I'm right where I should be," Leo shrugged. "Don't worry I won't exert myself." As he said this the blimp a head of us crashed to the ground, much like the ones before it.
"You call that not exerting yourself?" The woman, Asami I think, who Korra placed on Festus in front of Leo asked.
"You were almost dead not long ago!" Korra added. "You shouldn't even be out of bed. I was in better shape after being poisoned by the red lotus than you are right now!"
"No you weren't," Leo shook his head. "You couldn't even walk or bend." Two blimps smashed into each other. "I can do both just fine. These are titanium, I can tell. I'm the only one who can do anything against them Korra. Take Asami back to the ground, her electric glove won't do us any good up here and they need you, Avatar."
"I get, you've said it twice," Korra picked the woman Asami back up again. "Just don't do anything stupid."
"Me, stupid? Never," Leo grinned.
"Don't die," Asami gripped Leo's arm hard then let go and they flew back down to the ground.
"You've got good friends," I said softly.
"Lucky I guess," Leo gripped my arm to reassure me. "Let's finish this!"
Leo spurred Festus forward and we rejoined the others tearing down blimps.
Asami's POV:
Korra set me back on the ground and we fought back to back the on coming wave of Metal Dynasty troops and tanks. There was so many of them I felt as though we were being over run. We weren't, but there was a constant stream. Soon bodies piled high around us. I felt my stomach twist. This was less than 5% of the Earth Kingdom population, but there was so many of them. It truly spoke to the size of this nation and how dangerous they could be if its power fell into the wrong hands. I fought harder. Soon Kora and I escaped the pile we'd almost buried ourselves in and were sprinting along the field, dropping Metal Dynasty soldiers, as we rushed to help some nomad fighters who were beginning to lose against their opponents. The darkness of night descended and it was almost light again by the time Metal Dynasty retreated back into the mountains. Exhausted we traipsed back inside. The domes did not open once the sun rose, and we entered through a hanger low to the ground and usually covered in earth and metal. Suyin ordered everyone to rest and get ready for them to come back. I could barely face the prospect of having to do this again. My mind felt clouded as a hand gently landed on my shoulder. I grabbed it and almost flipped the person until I realized it was Leo.
"Touchy," He smirked.
"Leo," I wrapped my arms around his neck relieved he made it through the battle.
Behind him stood his assortment of strange friends. They looked pretty battered, but I'd seen them fighting the blimps. They took out near a hundred of them almost single handedly. This bunch was seasoned fighters who were used to impossible odds and doing what others said was impossible. It showed in their every move and in their bending, it was so similar to Leo's. Some of the things I'd seen them do out there I couldn't even describe, much less understand. Looking at him with them I saw how he seemed to be the missing piece of their puzzle. It made me both happy and sad. He'd found his home. I already knew I wasn't a part of that home and I wasn't sure I was okay with that. Where had these people been while Leo was lost and confused, wondering who he was? Had they looked for him, did they care? I knew it wouldn't be my choice whether he left with them or not, but I wanted to be damned sure he would be appreciated with them because it would break all our hearts for him to go. And if they were going to set him aside like an unwanted puppy, I wasn't going to let them have him. I'd follow him to the ends of the earth and I knew Korra would be one step behind me the whole way.
I released my grip on my incredible mechanic friend to look him in the eyes, "Introduce us to your friends?"