Hello there! Hi, my name is April. Thank you for deciding that this fic was interesting enough to read. I appreciate it very much. I hope I don't disappoint you.
Anyway, I've been quarantined for the past several weeks and my school year was basically cancelled, so I've had a lot of time to myself. (Aka, I got obsessed over ATLA all over again and its all I can think about. Yay productivity.)
So, I got the idea: "Hey, what if the Fire Nation and Air Nomads were switched?" And THEN I realized that this could be an amazing PJO fic. So here I am. Here this is. The Last Firelancer. My brainchild. My baby.
If you don't know what ATLA stands for, it's the acronym for the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.
This fic will follow the plot of the show (more or less), but I added my own elements cuz the PJO universe is different (obviously).
I've made A LOT of changes to fit my vision, like with ages, physical descriptions, and family set up. Ex.: Piper and Percy are siblings, Thalia and Jason are twins, Leo's eyes are gold, Jason has Luke's scar instead of the mouth one, etc. So watch out for that. Hopefully, that won't be a problem.
Updates will be erratic because my beta reader has been MIA for aWHILE, so I'm pretty much on my own with this. And I'm a perfectionist so I rewrite everything like a million times before publishing. Heh heh.
And to my readers from Meticulous: No, I have not forgotten about you guys, but I need my beta reader for that fic to make sure that everything is perfect. So I'm not gonna butcher it by updating it without a second pair of eyes to scrutinize everything.
OKAY! I think that's it. Enjoy!
Oh, and I don't own anything you recognize. K bye
[Water]
Volume I / Chapter I
Present Time
Piper huffs as she scans the horizon for the land marker she had placed before they left. Nothing meets her eyes, only the all too familiar sight of smooth sheets of cold water and ice floes. She grips her binoculars. A part of her knows that they're lost, but she doesn't want to admit. Not out loud.
Behind her, Percy groans loudly. The sound echoes across the vast landscape. He shifts, most likely slinking in his seat. "Face it, Pipes." His tone is exasperated and tired. "We're lost."
She scowls, rubbing her hands together to provide more friction despite the fact that her thick mittens are soggy. Piper doesn't even have to turn around to know that her older brother is burning a hole into the back of her head.
"Well, you're the navigator." She gives in, spinning around and placing her hands on her hips. "What did you call it, again?" Piper bends her fingers as her tone gives way to a heavy dosage of sarcasm. "Perfect bearings at sea." She rolls her eyes and sits back down, placing her binoculars beside her spear. "Some perfection."
Percy gives her a disgruntled look but doesn't respond. They both know she's right. His sea blue-green eyes disappear behind his eyelids as they flutter shut. He draws his legs up beneath him, sitting cross-legged, and halts his movement. Only his fingers twitch just barely, his expression slate save for eyebrows that pinch in concentration.
Piper can't help but watch with admiration. Between the two of them, Percy is the better waterlancer, the only (publicly) practicing waterlancer in their village. Excluding Piper, he's the only one left. And the reason behind that is due to the fact that Percy had been too young when the others went off to aid the Earth Enclave fight in the war.
Their small canoe bobs up and down as a squarish patch of ice flows past, taunting them almost. Percy doesn't break concentration, his expression as calm and serene as ever. Little by little, their boat begins to change direction. Piper can feel it.
She bites down the jealousy that rises within her at the element's compliance. The tips of her fingers begin to ache, every atom in her body telling her to help her brother. She wishes that her own waterlancing was as effortless as her brother's, but women aren't allowed to practice waterlancing. Neither of the Water Clans, both Northern and Southern, permit it. As such, she can only ever work on her skills in private with Percy, and even then, he's almost impossible to work with.
Not only that, but he rarely ever has time for her anyway. Their father, Chief Poseidon, had told Percy to look after the others when he left. And her older brother had taken it literally, acting as the Chief in their father's place. No one questions his leadership though. There aren't many left to question it to begin with.
The majority of them are too young.
It's been two years since the men in the village galloped off to war. Every day that passes without any news hardens them all. Piper's gaze drops to the bronze sword that lays across her brother's lap.
Percy's voice breaks through her train of thought. "Do you see any sign of the land marker?"
She rises to her feet and grips her binoculars before placing them over her eyes. Piper scans the horizon for several more minutes before grunting. "No. I do see some seals though. They look friendly."
Percy's responding laugh is half-hearted. "You're hilarious." Then he sighs and his expression sobers again. "I'll change direction and you can check again in a few minutes. We've been out for too long and I don't want Hestia to worry."
"This wouldn't have happened if you had just navigated correctly in the first place." She grumbles.
He frowns. "I won't argue with you, Piper. Now be quiet," Percy's shoulder jerks and the canoe lurches forward. He opens his eyes before narrowing them at her. "You're distracting me." Beneath his breath, he mutters, "I know I should've made you stay with Hestia and the others."
She bites her tongue to keep from responding. Piper sucks in a sharp breath as her brother resumes concentration. Her attention falls back to his sword and another flare of justified anger fills her. Little by little, her suppressed emotions begin to rise to the surface and she clenches her fists, her eyebrows knitted together tightly.
One would assume that by now she's more than accustomed to being brushed aside as a nuisance. One would assume that Piper is well aware of what her "duties" entail and what's expected of her. One would assume that.
And they would be horribly, horribly wrong.
The small boat begins to rock back and forth as the pulsing at Piper's fingertips grows stronger. Faintly does she register Percy calling her name. Faintly does she register the current growing in potency as they are pulled further off course. Faintly does she account for the desire that fills her chest at the thought of freely waterlancing without getting in trouble.
And then, as quickly as it seems to have started, Piper is pulled out of her trance. The unmistakable noise of a glacier shaving off in sheets of dangerous ice fills her ears and Piper snaps to attention, her eyes wide. She glances around, her chest rising and falling with heated breaths as she finally takes notice of her surroundings. In the distance, a large cylindrical mass of ice sits menacingly. And they are headed straight for it.
The boat is almost completely out of control. They thrash with reckless abandon, cold water spraying the pair of siblings with what seems to be vengeance. And rather than attempt to get a reign on it at all, Percy is leaning over in the canoe. His eyes are wild.
"Piper!" He screams, his wet gloves grip her chin as he brings her to face him. "Pipes, look at me!" His tone is urgent and concerned.
She swallows thickly, confusion filling her to the brim as she regards her older brother. "W-what happened?" She stutters. A yelp rushes past her lips as the canoe slams against an ice floe before continuing its race downstream. "Did I…" she trails off.
Percy stares at her for a moment, a flash of disappointment appears in his eyes that hurts her more than she wants to admit. Her brother shakes his head and pulls away. "You need to get better control over your lancing." He frowns. "I was trying to get us back on course but you kept interfering. So take off your mittens and help me. We need to get to calmer waters before we hit the iceberg."
Guilt floods through her and Piper nods. She pulls off her mittens, her beige-brown fingers tingling in the bite of the cold. She flexes her knuckles and inhales deeply, trying to follow the instructions that Percy had given her years before when she had first begun practicing.
But before she can do anything, harsh winds begin to blow, pulling them straight towards the mountain of ice that sits in their path. Percy and Piper struggle to work together, screaming above the sounds of chaos as they attempt to communicate. It's no use.
She tries to steer the front of the boat away, but it's as if a force is keeping her from straying. Blasts of cold currents, both air and water, ripple through her dark hair and Piper tugs on her hood. It remains in place for only a few moments before being pushed off. She squints and turns around to face her brother, who looks beyond angry.
"I can't do it!" Piper yells to him, shaking her head. Her eyes well up with tears but she isn't sure if it's a result of her emotional state or the weather. Perhaps both. "My lancing isn't strong enough, Percy, I'm sorry!"
He glances at her, his gaze hardened and determined. Above the roar of rushing water, she can somehow hear him loud and clear. "I can't do this by myself, Pipes. I can't." His expression grows more earnest. "Try harder." And then Percy's eyes widen and he surges forward. "Piper!"
A sudden force knocks the breath out of her lungs and Piper flies forward. Her brother catches her in his embrace as the deafening sound of ice splitting in two fills her ears. Somewhere above her, Percy grits his teeth and grunts as the canoe sways back and forth, freezing water sloshing over the sides and hitting the bottom until they're sitting in a puddle.
Piper turns around, teeth chattering and fingers shaking. Her skin tingles as she attempts to aid Percy in getting them out of harm's way. And they almost succeed. Side by side, the pair of waterlancers manage to keep any more water from getting into their canoe. But what pauses their efforts is a sudden blast.
The iceberg that they had hit splits apart entirely, the sound as chilling and foreboding as one can imagine. Spewing from the cracks are powerful gusts of hot air that dries them up almost fully. Piper cringes as her skin heats, the smoldering winds pushing her against Percy's chest. She grips the sides of the boat as her brother struggles to nudge her forward. She can't see anything. What's happening?
Soon following the hot air is a powerful column of golden light that pierces the sky, the glacier melting into the sea. Their boat is washed backwards from the force but all Piper can do is gape as she tilts her head upwards. Fear and confusion ripple through her. Out of reflex, she grabs her spear.
Behind her, Percy mutters with disbelief beneath his breath. "What… what is that?"
ℱℱℱℱ/ℱℱℱℱ/ℱℱℱℱ
Elsewhere
Jason smirks as he watches the burst of aurulent light on the horizon begin to dissipate. He stands at the helm of his airship, an emotion that resembles satisfaction filling his chest. "Finally," he murmurs to himself. His eyebrows pinch and he spins, his long, white-blond hair trailing behind him. "Uncle, do you realize what this means?"
His father's brother grunts, his attention still planted firmly upon the card game that sits before him. He doesn't have an opponent, but Uncle rarely ever does. "It means you're interrupting my game."
"No…" Jason leans over the silver railings, his pale eyes hardened with greed. "It means that my search is almost over. My purpose is nearly fulfilled." Cool winds whisper through his hair, victory dancing on the edge of his tongue.
His uncle groans in annoyance beneath his breath as he places another card on the surface of the table.
Jason scowls and he turns fully. "Don't mock me," his tone is gruff. He points behind him, waving vaguely in the direction from which the light had emerged. "That light came from an incredibly powerful source. It's him, I'm sure of it."
Hermes conjures up a small bout of wind, spinning the air between his fingertips. "Or," he draws the syllable out before continuing. "It's just a celestial light. This is Water territory, you know how they love their Spirits down here."
Jason turns around to watch the horizon some more.
His uncle presses on. "We've been over this many times, Prince Jason. I don't want you to over excite yourself." He then inhales his burning incense, the aroma crisp and cool. "You're tired from the journey. Rest, my boy. Take a seat and enjoy a nice cup of mint tea."
"I don't need a cup of tea or rest!" The sudden urge to shatter his uncle's cup with a gust of wind consumes Jason, but he forces himself to not act on his desires. Instead, he turns in a manner of abruptness that does nothing to shield his evident anger, his silver-blue eyes sparking with what feels like electricity. His fist clenches. "It's the Paladin, Uncle. I know it." The prince's scowl deepens as he angles his head upwards, addressing his helmsman. "Set course for the light."
Victory will be his, no matter who he has to plow down to achieve it.
ℱℱℱℱ/ℱℱℱℱ/ℱℱℱℱ
Currently
Piper and Percy huddle together as they reach the shoreline. The pillar of auric light has died down some, but in its wake are rippling golden rays that scratch at the sky. They remind her of the yearly Equinox when the Spirits are active. Somehow, she and her brother manage to withstand the continuous heated tempests that blast over them, threatening to push them into the sea.
Percy drops to a squat and cradles her against him, his jaw clenched tightly. "Hold on," he whispers into her hair.
Her ears ring as a buzzing sound fills the air. What's happening? Is this a divine intervention? Piper's internal questions go unanswered for several more minutes as the winds continue to blow. She grips her spear tightly as Percy drapes a protective arm across her shoulders.
And then the winds finally die down. Cautiously, they unfurl from their curled stances. Piper's eyes meet Percy's at the same moment, a shared expression of uneasiness spreading over their faces. He quickly glances her over for any injuries and she does the same. When they are both satisfied with their findings, they rise slowly and stare at the remaining ridge of ice that stands before them.
Piper aims her spear, preparing herself for anything that may roll over the cliff's edge. Percy frowns, not saying a word, but his sword is in position as he gets into his practiced battle stance.
She feels her eyes widen as a head slowly pops over the ridge. A pair of glowing eyes that pulse with a light the same shade as the one skittering across the sky stare blankly into the distance. Piper registers vaguely curved lines that curl over its forehead, also glowing gold. Her grip on her spear loosens in curiosity.
But her brother's train of thought is evidently different as he grunts, advancing a pace or two. "Stop," he orders. He thrusts his sword forward menacingly. If the situation weren't so dire, Piper would've laughed.
Finally, the lights die down, vanishing as if they had never occurred. The figure continues to rise, pulling itself over the edge, ignoring Percy's warning. When the golden pulsing in its visual cavities disappear the same moment that the ripples in the sky do, the figure begins to sway back and forth, as if it's dizzy.
Percy advances another step, but Piper's reflexes kick her into action. She grips her brothers arm and tugs him backward. "Wait." She says. She rushes forward just as the figure tumbles over the edge. Piper grunts as she catches it right before its head hits the ground, her fingers clutching onto its dark mass of curls. She sets it carefully on the snow.
Percy sidles up beside her, his gaze suspicious. His sword is still drawn. Together, they study it. Upon survey, the figure is actually a boy. He appears to be young, fourteen at oldest, with brown skin. His hair is thick and dark, darker than the average water clansman. His chest is bare, his lower-half dressed in a thin pair of burgundy pants that bundle up at the knee. He's barefoot as well.
Percy pokes the boy's head with the flat expanse of his bronze blade. He whacks it repeatedly.
Piper gives her brother a look over her shoulder, registering the distrustful tint in his blue-green eyes and the frown on his face. "Stop it," she pushes his sword away while shaking her head. Percy listens, but his expression doesn't change.
She turns back to the boy in front of her, feeling nothing but concern for him. Piper settles him gently against the base of the glacier, surprised to find that his skin is still warm to the touch. She wonders how he's still alive.
Just as Piper leans away to give him space, the boy begins to stir slightly. He makes a low groaning sound at the back of his throat as his limbs move. He slowly rises to consciousness, and as he does so, the ice around him melts, thick heat emanating from his body.
He opens his eyes, and both waterlancers gasp as a pair of golden irises stare at them. The boy keeps his gaze on Piper, his eyes slowly widening as he registers her face and blue, fur-lined clothing.
"Is this the North or South Pole?" He murmurs. The boy sits up, eyes fluttering shut as he presses a hand to his forehead.
Piper's attention is pulled to the gold arm bands that encircle his biceps as well as the golden chest plate that curves around his collar bone. His attire is foreign, something that she's never seen before.
Percy answers. "You're in the South." His hand falls to the hilt of his sword, his eyes narrowing with more suspicion. "And who are you?"
The boy doesn't respond right away, instead opening his eyes and leaning forward. There's an excitement crossing over his features that appears to have come from nowhere. "Wait, that means there's penguins and seals here!" He turns to Piper with a warm yet wild grin. "Wanna go sledding?"
Her eyebrows lift as her concern quickly fades into shock. "Um… sure? I guess?" Piper rises to her feet.
The boy nods and flashes her another grin before standing. More heat emanates from his body. When the light rolls over him, dark red flames appear to be tattooed on his skin, lining his body in all directions.
Percy scoffs beneath his breath and draws his sword. "Who are you?"
Again, the boy doesn't respond as he looks around. His thick eyebrows knit together and he scratches his head in apparent confusion. "What's going on?" He brushes his hair from his golden eyes.
"We would love to know that too." Percy mumbles sarcastically as he finally puts away his weapon, deciding that the stranger isn't much of a threat. He folds his arms over his chest, his muscles flexing beneath his thick clothing. "How are you not dead?"
Piper doesn't say anything, unable to remove her gaze from the young boy's tattoos. There's a part of her that knows the answer to everything, a part of her conscience that holds the fact that is the key to understanding. But she doesn't want to admit it. It's impossible.
The boy cocks his head and begins to stretch, his bones cracking with every movement of his thin body. "I'm not…" He frowns as he tries to answer Percy's question. "I'm not sure, actually." He turns to stare up at the icy ridge, tilting his head backward.
A low growl shakes the ice that they stand on. It comes from right over the ridge. Both Piper and Percy ready their weapons as they take several steps backward, eyebrows tightening with alertness.
But rather than join them in their fear, the boy begins to clamber up the side of the cliff, his destination appearing to be the source of the rumbling noise. Piper watches, too many emotions flooding through her to be able to pick them apart, as the boy climbs over the edge and disappears from sight.
Her brother decides to comment, voicing his thoughts to no specific audience. "Does he have a death wish? As if being frozen for Spirits know how long isn't enough for him."
Piper chews on her lip to hide her laughter. Now isn't the time.
"Festus!" The boy's voice rises into the air from the other side of the ridge. "Are you okay, buddy?" The sound of clanging metal soon follows afterwards. "C'mon, you gotta wake up."
"I wonder if there's another side to it," Percy wonders to himself, his tone low. He glances at Piper for a moment.
She shrugs in return and motions for him to lead the way. Her older brother rolls his eyes but he begins to walk to the other side of the ridge nonetheless, and Piper trails behind him. They round the curve of the cliff after a few steps, the metal clanging growing louder and louder.
Shock and even more fear fills Piper's chest as she catches sight of a ridiculously large bronze… thing lying at the bottom of the ridge. It seems to be curled up on itself, fast asleep (or something). At its mouth, the boy is fiddling with its lips, pulling them apart to expose two rows of razor sharp teeth.
And then it wakes up. It's eyes flash open, a low roar splitting the air in two as it rises to its feet. Piper gasps, her knuckles turning white with strain as she registers what stands before her.
Is that… a dragon?
The boy releases an outcry that sounds a lot like laughter as he clings to its jaw, patting the metallic surface with serenity. "There you go, boy!" He grins, his words borderline maniacal. "I knew you were okay." His hair flops over his eyes but he seems to not care.
Percy huffs, drawing his sword while stepping in front of Piper. She can hear the aggravation and suspicion in his tone when he speaks. "What the hell is that?" He points his sword at the mechanical beast.
The boy turns to him, eyebrows furrowed as if he'd asked the stupidest question in the world. He gestures to it while answering. "This is Festus, my friendly, mechanical dragon." His golden irises brighten as he pats Festus. "He's a vegetarian, don't worry."
"Right," Percy drawls, tone dry and sardonic, relaxing enough for his sarcastic nature to shine through. He motions vaguely at Piper. "And this is Piper, my mechanical, carnivorous sister."
Piper scowls at her brother, smacking his shoulder. "Don't be so rude."
But the boy isn't affected in the slightest. He stares at Percy for a moment with a blank expression before the sound of Festus inhaling draws their collective attention. The dragon lifts its head for a moment before lurching forward. The boy ducks, and a strong gust of smoke and fire exits the dragon's nostrils with a force that pushes Piper back a few inches. Both she and her brother begin to cough erratically as their lungs take in the tainted air.
When the murky fog clears, there are remnants of dark brown liquid splattered all over Percy's clothes and he scowls. The older waterlancer tries to rub it out, moving his gloved hand over his clothing. But his efforts only worsen the stains, driving it deeper into the fabric.
The boy chuckles as he rubs Festus's snout. "Don't worry," he assures Percy with a smile. "It'll wash out." Then he begins to look around again, taking in the vast landscape of ice floes and glaciers that surround them all. "So, I'm guessing you guys are from around here?"
Percy glares at him. "Stop asking questions about us and answer ours for a change." His jaw ticks. "What was up with that golden light? A signal to the Union Flight Corps?"
Piper sighs heavily before she presses a hand to her brother's shoulder. He's always been one to assume the worst. "Calm down," she whispers to him. Percy visibly relaxes, but as usual, his expression doesn't change. Piper places herself between her brother and the stranger, but she isn't sure who she's defending. "Look at him, Perce." She gestures towards the boy, specifically to his easy grin that's yet to fade and his bare feet. "Does he really look like a Sky Union spy to you?
Her brother grunts and crosses his arms, eyes narrowing as he sizes the boy up. "Appearances can be misleading."
Piper has to refrain from rolling her eyes. "Whatever," she sighs, almost fully resigned. She turns to the boy with a warm smile while gesturing to the male figure behind her. "The paranoid one is my brother, Percy." She tilts her head. "You never told us your name."
He opens his mouth to respond, but is cut off by an abrupt sneeze. Piper can't keep the shocked scream from tearing out of her throat as two columns of fire blow out of the boy's nose. Just like the dragon's.
Her brother swears loudly as he tugs her backward, his fingers enclosing over her wrist and yanking her until she's back by his side. The atmosphere takes on an air of disbelief as the pair of siblings stare at the boy in front of them.
The force of the sneeze vaults him into the air, leading him to tuck in on himself until he lands between Festus's horns in a crouch. Where the boy was standing are now two small puddles of steaming water.
Piper shakes her head to herself. It can't be. Her gaze drops to the puddles before lifting to the sight of the tattoos that line his skin. Impossible.
The boy rubs his nose, light irritation crossing his face. Then, with a shrug, he waves slightly. "I'm Leo," he grins. He repositions himself, sitting cross-legged.
Percy points at him. "You sneezed… and fire came out." He shakes his head while cutting Piper several glances for confirmation that he isn't going crazy, that he isn't seeing things. "That… that shouldn't be possible. What in the name of the Spirits is going on?"
Leo frowns. "Why… shouldn't that be possible? I'm a firelancer."
Piper's stomach drops at the admission. She doesn't want to believe it. How can she? Firelancers have been extinct for a little over a century, ever since the Sky Union attacked the Fire Cities and began the Lancer War.
"Leo," she breathes. Piper takes a step forward, her fingers slipping from the clutch they have on her weapon. Her spear clatters against the snow and ice that crunches beneath her boots. "How… how long were you trapped in that ice?"
She knows the answer, but she needs to hear it out loud. She needs to bear witness to it.
For what sits before her, cross-legged and grinning on a bronze mechanical dragon that emerged from an iceberg, is nothing short of a miracle. And the golden pillar of light that had alerted his arrival might as well be a death warrant.
If the Sky Union catches wind of a firelancer's existence… it would mean death for them all.
Author's Note-
Eh? See what I mean? Aang = Leo, Zuko = Jason? Piper and Percy = Katara and Sokka? I'm so excited for this fic. Like, so excited.
Did y'all like it? I hope so.
I'm on a roll, so leave 10 reviews for chapter 2 :)
love, April!