BOOK 3: FIRE
CHAPTER 3: THE PAINTED LADY
When one hears the expression: "knee-deep in shit" they instantly think of something like a wading through of a river of filth. On this day Team Avatar was sailing through it while on Appa's back who slogging his way down the course of the sludge-infested Jang Hui river in the Fire Nation. The sky was clear to such a degree that they could not risk flying over terrain that had farm land or towns nearby. Aang and Momo are frolicking in the putrescent water. Why in all the thousand hells does Aang want to frolic in the most contaminated river in the world is beyond the realm of sense. But he seems to like it. "Momo!" Aang dives into the water before Momo to find him. "Oh Momo!" he dives again and Momo flies to Aang. "Hahahahaha! You found me, buddy!" Aang looks down at the water in distaste and airbends up to Appa's saddle, where he stands dripping in sludge. "Hey guys, I think this river's polluted."
"I wonder what gave you that impression?" Mimir said while smelling the horrid odor.
Aang airbends mud off himself, splattering the rest of Team Avatar with mud, which causes them to cry out in disgust.
"Great. GREAT! I got river shit and God-knows-what on my feathers! Just, what the fuck!?" Griffon shook his feathers.
Toph tastes mud on her mouth, and spits it out. "Pah! Plegh!" Aang airbends again, blowing the rest of the mud back into the river and messing up their hair while Mimir's beard is now just an ugly mess.
"Well that explains why I can't catch a fish around here, because normally my fishing skills are off the hook!" Sokka holds up a fishing hook to show what he means. The gang is unamused as Aang sits back down. "Get it? Like a fishing hook?"
"Too bad your skills aren't on the hook."Toph countered.
Everyone laughs as Sokka makes a disgruntled unrolls a long scroll in front of her. "It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food, assuming that'll fit into Sokka's master schedule."
Sokka the master scheduler gives it a look over. "Hmmm ... It's doable. But that means only two potty breaks today."
"Hey, maybe we can get food there!" Aang points at a village in the middle of the river. Aang hides Appa under a mat of grass. "Now you look just like a little hill with horns! Bye, buddy!" Appa groans as Momo briefly reveals himself under some more grass nearby. Team Avatar approaches the Jang Hui River.
"What a quaint little village." Mimir says.
"I don't feel anything. Where is the village?" Toph asked.
"It's in the middle of the river!" Sokka points out.
"Sure is!"
Everyone looks down to see a man standing on a ferry. "My name's Dock. Mind if I ask who you are?"
"We're um ..." Katara began to say until Dante interrupt her.
"We're from the coast." He said.
"Wow ... the beach goes. Hop on, I give you ride in the town." Everyone hopes aboard and Dock paddles the boat across.
"First lesson of lying: do not use the same lie like you used before." Dante said to Katara.
"Right I'll be sure to remember that." Katara said and looked at the village. "Why do you guys live on the river?" she asked.
"Because we're a fishing town. At least that's how it was before the factory moved in." Dock turns his paddle to the right side, pointing at the Fire Nation factory. Army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive."Aang and Katara glance sadly at each other upon hearing it. Valen watched the smoke rise from the smokestacks. "Industry may have its purpose but I hate how it scares the land." He said. Dante could recall the heavy thick air of factory, particularly ones that the demons controlled.
Once they reached the town everyone gets off and Aang waves back in thanks. Once they look at the state of the village, it was hard to look away.
"I assume business was booming before the factory." Atreus commented.
"Look at this place." Katara pointed out sadly.
Two other villagers, an old man and a young boy. "It's so sad. We have to do something to help."
"No, we can't waste our time here. We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own." Sokka said.
Katara chases Sokka and grabs his shoulder. "These people are starving! But you'd turn your back on them? How can you be so cold and heartless?" she puts her hands on her hips to emphasis the point.
"I'm not turning my back, I'm just being realistic. We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord."
Atreus guides Toph toward the arguing siblings. Toph covers Sokka's mouth with her hand. "Hey, loud mouths! Maybe we should be a little quieter when we talk about. "Taking out the Fire Lord"."Toph quietly reminded them.
"Come on, Katara, be reasonable about this. You know our mission has to come first." Sokka said.
Katara sighs, "I guess so." She reluctantly agreed.
"Let's just get what we need and go." Aang smiling to Katara, who smiles back.
Team Avatar walks up to an outdoor market stall. They notice a man who looks like Dock, but wearing a different hat, bowed behind the counter.
"Hey, Dock. You work here too?" Sokka said.
"I'm not Dock. I'm Xu! Dock's my brother." the named "Xu" said.
Team Avatar looks confused. "But we just saw you. You're even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat." Aang said on closer inspection.
"Dock works on the docks. That's why we call him, "Dock", and I work in the shop, that's why they call me, "Xu"!" man that looks like Dock but is named Xu who isn't Dock said.
"I don't get it." Aang said.
"Me neither." Xu said.
"You get use to that, kid." Dante said as pick something out of his teeth with a toothpick.
Xu Jumps down behind the counter and pulls out a crate filled with rancid gray seafood. "What I can getcha?" Katara, Aang, and Sokka look disgusted. Dante's left eye begins to twitch. "Hey, I'll give you a special deal. If you buy three fish, I'll give you a clam for free." Sokka pushes a clam, and mucus splashes out from it, and Atreus almost gags at the sight of it.
Sokka carefully picks up three fish to examine them while Aang and Katara both recoil, muttering in disgust. "We'll just take the fish." Xu takes the fish. "Mind telling your brother we need a ride back to shore?" Xu jumps down behind the counter and jumps up wearing Dock's hat.
Hey, folks! My brother says you need a lift. Jumps over the counter, and walks to the dock.
Team Avatar follows Dock to the dock. A little boy stops Katara and Atreus. "Can you spare some food?" the little one said.
"I'm sorry, but I have none to give. I did I would."Katara was very touched. "I wish I could help more. She gives the boy a fish, and the boy bows to her and leaves to give the fish to his sick mother. Atreus and Katara looked at each other wondering what could be done for these people.
Fade to nighttime, as the camera shows an aerial view of Team Avatar's camp. Shot changes to show a barrel of polluted water. Aang lifts the water with waterbending and Toph separates the pollutants from the water with earthbending. Aang passes the water to Katara, who boils it in a crock. Dante and Atreus were skinning a rabbits that they hunted.
"Our detour into town today has completely thrown off our schedule. It's gonna take some serious finagling to get us back on track." Sokka stated.
"Finagle away, oh schedule master." Toph commented sarcastically.
"Well, for starters, it looks like we'll need to wake up forty-three minutes earlier every day." He said.
Katara looked at her brother, confused. "Forty-three minutes?"
Sokka pointing to various spots on his schedule. "Look, we only have a few weeks to get to the Fire Lord in time for the invasion and the eclipse, which, by the way, only lasts for eight minutes. And we just lost a whole day. So if we want to make up the time and stay on schedule, we have to wake up early!"
Toph turns her head to the side to spit. "Well I'm not waking up early."
Sokka then gets an idea that makes every object. "Or we could just cut out all of our eating breaks."
"What?"
"No way!"
"Forget it!"
Sokka then gets a sly look on his face. "I got it, how's this from now on, we'll take food breaks and potty breaks at the same time."
Katara, Toph, and Aang express their disgust at this idea with Aang doing a spit take.
"I never thought I live to see the day we eat and shit at the same time." Griffon comments.
"Hey, it might be gross, but it's efficient. Either way, we have to leave here first thing tomorrow morning." Sokka concludes.
Dante begins sharpening his hunting knife, very slowly. He only does this when he is irritated by someone, like he's considering the manner to kill them. He has been considering it in the case of Sokka for a long time, but for some reason he always put it off.
The following morning Appa lies on his side, groaning, while Katara ministers to him.
"What's the matter Katara?" Aang asked.
"I think Appa's sick." She replied in a serious tone.
Sokka panics. "What? Appa's sick? That's awful!"
"Wow, Sokka, I didn't realize you cared so much."Toph replied sarcastically.
"Of course I care. I might as well just throw our schedule away now." Sokka pulls out his schedule to analyze. He stops and looks at the group who are giving him the evil eye, and he quickly changes his tone, rushing solicitously to Appa's side." And I'm concerned because my big, furry friend doesn't feel well."
"Uh-huh." Dante hummed.
"He must have gotten sick from being in the polluted water." Toph said.
"He doesn't look sick. You okay, buddy?" Aang asked. Appa groans and Aang pulls out Appa's purple tongue. "His tongue is purple! That can't be good. Katara, can you heal him?"
"It looks like he needs some medicine. Maybe we can find the right herbs in town." Katara said.
Momo arrives and attempts to lick Appa's tongue before being pulled off by Aang. When Team Avatar returns to the village they find it bustling and lively. One villager pole vaults from one house to another in quick fluid grace.
"Is it just me, or does this place seem different?" Toph asked.
"Well this certainly a nice change of mood." Mimir commented.
"They must have drunken coffee." Dante added.
"Yeah, are the people ... happier?" Aang asked.
The little boy from the previous day runs by, bouncing a ball, and Katara smiles to herself. The kids walk up to Xu/Dock's market.
"Hey, Xu, what's going on with everyone today?" Sokka asked.
Xu Drinks from a ladle before answering Sokka's question. "Ah, something amazing happened last night. Food was delivered to our village by a mysterious and wonderful person ... the Painted Lady."
"The Painted who now?" Katara asked.
"The Painted Lady." Xu places a miniature statuette of the spirit down on the counter. "She's part of our town's lore. They say she's a river spirit who watches over our town in times of need. I always thought she was just a legend. Until now."
"See, we don't need to help these people, they already have someone to help them." Sokka says to Katara before turning back to Xu. "All we need is medicine for our sick friend."
"Medicine? Sorry, all the medicine we have goes to the factory. That's why there's so many sick people in our village."
"Looks like we need to stay another night so Appa can rest." Katara states.
Sokka sighs, reluctantly agreeing. "I guess you're right. You got any more food to sell?"
Xu goes under the counter and emerges holding a fish in each hand. "Would you like the one-headed fish, or the two-headed fish?" He turns the fish on the left sideways to show the second head.
Sokka ponders. "Two-headed!" he picks causing the rest of the group lowers their heads and small sweat drops appear." What? You get more for your money that way!"
Sokka holds up the polluted fish.
The rest of the group get even bigger exaggerated sweat drops as they express their disgust and run away from Sokka who follows behind with the polluted fish.
"And I can have sloppier runs that way, too!" Atreus says.
Late that night a figure with a shade hat glides over the water on a carpet of fog and enters the village. She steps into a hut where several people are sleeping on the floor, and bends over each of them in turn, healing them with a blue glow. Her last patient is the mother of the little boy seen earlier, her son sleeping at her side. He wakes to see it was none other than the Painted Lady herself. She turns to go and the boy silently follows her out the door.
"Thank you, Painted Lady."
The lady stops and nods her head before disappearing into the darkness of the water. The next day in the village Dock polishes his figurine with a rag as Sokka steps up to the counter.
"Hi, Dock. Is Xu around?" Sokka asked.
"Let me check ... Dock runs around the shop and ducks beneath the counter to switch hats. "Hey there! Back again, are ya?"
Toph pushes Sokka away. "We need more food. She says, slamming the money on the counter. "Our friend is still sick and we can't leave until he's better."
Xu obligingly presents them with a platter of polluted clams. The camera pans in on the clams. Sokka comically slides in behind them and gives silent chuckle along with a comical annoyed symbol on his forehead. It appears he has an idea brewing. "Oh, well, that's too bad. Maybe if you guys are lucky, the Painted Lady will visit you in the night, and heal your friend." he suggests.
Sokka picks up the clams. "And maybe she'll cook us a midnight snack, and we'll all have a sing-along." He replies sarcastically.
"Yeah, maybe! You know, last night she visited us again. Healed most of our sick folks." Xu says after not getting the sarcasm. Sokka just is annoyed now.
"And I thought Sokka had a blind spot for sarcasm at times." Dante muttered to V.
A villagers raises a large statue of the Painted Lady in the town square, everyone cheers and applause.
"Is that why this place seems so festive?" Aang asked.
Xu nodded. "Yep, it's all because of the Painted Lady."
"Can you believe how much an entire village can be affected by one lady I mean ... spirit?" Katara commented.
"It was certain helpful." Atreus added.
"Well, I hope she returns every night. Otherwise this place would go right back to the way it was." Sokka adds.
Atreus said in an annoyed tone. "Why would you say that? Look how much better off these people are."
"Yeah, now, but without her they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves. If she really wanted to help, she would use her spirit magic to blow up that factory." Sokka then makes mocking gestures to indicate explosive spirit magic. Katara gets even more annoyed. Aang who has his arms crossed not impressed.
"Spirit magic doesn't work that way, Sokka. It's more like ..." He waves his body with arms in the air making similar gestures to indicate spirit magic. Katara storms away from the two as Dante watch her go. Something was just off. He doesn't know how or why but he intends to find out.
That night Dante stayed awake to see what goes on. He waited and sure enough something did happen he sawKatara slipping out of her sleeping bag and stuffs dried grass into it to disguise her absence. She dons a makeshift Painted Lady costume, wrapping a ragged gown around her. Katara bends the water to make a mirror so she can apply the markings. She puts on a wide conical hat similar to the Painted Lady's, but with a diaphanous white veil covering her face. She glides away toward the village, but not quietly enough; she wakes Momo, and he wakes Aang by jumping on him.
"What's the matter, buddy?" Katara leaves Team Avatar. "It's her!" Excited, waves his hand to Katara and puts on his headband. "Hello, Painted Lady Spirit!"
Katara becomes shocked and quickly flees from Aang. Meanwhile, Aang uses his airbending to accelerate his run. Katara climbs up and continues on as Aang easily keeps up. Dante sprinted after them to keep up.
Aang jumps up the hill. "Excuse me," He calls after the Painted Lady, "I don't mean to bother you, but my friend's sick and we're on kind of a tight schedule." He continues to follow her down the hill as she crosses the river. "Wait! But I'm a great bridge between your world and mine!" Aang freezes some water to form stepping stones to cross the river. "I know Hei Bai! We're close personal friends!" Katara moves faster, and Aang jumps on a wooden bridge. Katara runs out of the river onto the docks and notices Aang's reflection in the water. She looks up and sees Aang running across a roof. "Heeey!" He suddenly hits a pole, Katara flinches and feels sorry for him but continues on across the river to the other side. She stops to look out at the village thinking she is safe but Aang drops in front of her. "My name's Aang. I'm the Avatar." He lifts his headband and points at his arrow.
Dante silently land on a roof some ways off as he watches them from the shadows.
Katara quickly "Well, hello Avatar. I wish I could talk, but I am very busy."
"Uh-huh." Dante muttered.
"Yeah, me too. I hate that." Aang Looks at Katara's face from behind the veil. "You know, you're really pretty, for a spirit. I don't meet too many spirits, but the ones I do meet, not very attractive." Aang looks at Katara suspiciously tries to look under the hat.
"Uh-huh." Dante muttered again as he watched.
Katara giggles nervously. "Thank you, but-"
"You seem familiar too." Aang said.
"A lot of people say that." Katara said
"Uh-huh." Dante muttered again.
Aang becomes more suspicious. "No, you really seem familiar."
"Uh . . . huh." Dante muttered
"Look, I really should get going." Katara covers her face and runs, but Aang uses his airbending and blasts her hat up into the air, exposing her.
Dante only laughed under his breath. "Ah-ha."
"Katara?" Aang asked to be sure.
"Hi, Aang." She said guilty.
Aang was shocked. "You're the Painted Lady? But how?"
"I wasn't her at first, I was just trying to help the village." Katara takes her hat off drops her hat on the ground. "But since everyone thought that's who I was anyway, I guess I just kinda became her."
"So you've been sneaking out at night? Wait, is Appa even sick?" Aang asked.
"He might be sick of the purple berries I've been feeding him, but other than that he's fine!" Katara admitted.
Dante facepalms upon hearing that. "Berries figures."
"I can't believe you lied to everyone, so you could help these people." Aang said.
"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have ..."
"No, I think it's great! You're like a secret hero!" Aang said happily.
Katara was surprise at his answer. The two suddenly heard a sound of someone snapping their fingers; they saw it was Atreus hanging on the edge of the roof out of sight. "Well, since he thinks its great can I come out of hiding?"
Katara nodded and flips up to the roof. Aang is more shocked to see the newcomer helping her. "You're helping Katara; you're the Painted Lady also?"
"Um, no. I wanted to help the people too so I watched her back as she went out. I even stole some things from the factory and gave to the people."
"The lad has a history of helping people in times of need." Mimir said while being strapped to Atreus hip.
"Well I want to help out." Aang said.
Atreus looks at Katara who just shrugs with a sigh. "Well, if you wanna help, there's one more thing I have to do." She said.
Aang, Atreus and Katara run along the river's edge toward the factory. Aang looks at the polluted water.
"You wanna destroy this factory?" Aang guessed.
"Yes. Sokka was just kidding, but he was right. Getting rid of this factory is the only way to help these people permanently." Katara points out.
Sounds like a plan. The group went off to destroy the factory and Dante decided the head back, they were doing the right thing and that was enough for him.
Atreus sneaks in to knockout the guards on duty. When he gives the signal Aang and Katara enter and move to different sides of the factory. Katara uses waterbending to cut the metal hooks that hang barrels of a magma. Aang, with protective gloves on, overturns bigger hanging barrels, smiling at his work. Aang uses earthbending to break apart the pipe system in the factory. Katara bends a huge wave of water through the windows and floods the factory. The factory explodes from within and muck stops flowing from the pipes. Aang Atreus and Katara walking back to their campsite. Aang laughs and makes explosion noises.
"Shhh! We don't wanna wake Sokka." She turns and sees that Sokka, Toph, Valen and Dante are awake. "Hi, Sokka, we were just out on a morning walk!"
Sokka was as angry and disappointed as one could be in this situation. "Oh, really? A morning walk?" Dumps the hay out of Katara's sleeping bag. "I know you're the Painted Lady, I know you've been sneaking out at night, and I know you've been lying about Appa and been feeding him purpleising tongue berries!" Sokka sticks out his own tongue to show. Dante, Valen, Toph sticks out her tongue and shows that it is purple and holds up a bag of berries which Momo starts eating.
"Katara, what you did put our whole mission in jeopardy. We're leaving right now!" Sokka stated.
Katara walks past Sokka sadly. Sokka confronts Aang as he follows. "And how long did you two know about this?" he asked.
"Hey, I just found out this morning!" Aang admits defensively before he sprints away with airbending.
"I was helping her." Atreus said.
Sokka turned to Atreus. "You HELPED her? You and Mimir, the new guys? I'm am disappointed in both of you. Ya' know I expected this from Dante. But at least in this case he knew enough to stay out of it."
Team Avatar began packing, but they pause when they hear buzzing. They go to the edge to see a down in the river the factory workers are shown headed for the town on jet skis.
Approaching and kneeling down with the others. "What's going on?"
"Fire Nation soldiers are heading toward the village!" Aang exclaimed.
"The price of defiance." V said.
Sokka turned to Katara "What did you do?"
"I kind of destroyed their factory." She admitted.
"You what?" Sokka asked in shock.
"It was your idea!" Katara said in her defense.
"I was joking! I also said to use spirit magic and made funny noises!"
"You? You who is sarcasm guy, who also has a blind spot for sarcasm, was joking about blowing up a factory that could spot these people from suffering? Wow." Dante replied with sarcasm of his own. Sokka laps his forehead. "Why do I have to inspirational? Did you even think this through? The army is gonna blame the villagers! They're headed there right now to get revenge!"
"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Katara asked her brother who seem to know the answers to the situation.
"Leave! Do nothing!" Sokka stated.
Katara became angry upon hearing that. "NO, I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me! She gets up, determined to do what must be down. "I'm going down to that village, and I am gonna do whatever I can."
As Katara walks away, Sokka stops her by putting his hand on her shoulder. "Wait! I'm coming, too."
"I thought you didn't want to help."
"You need me, and I will never turn my back on you."
"Sokka, you really do have a heart." Katara embraces Sokka and the two hug.
Aang wiping away tears. "He really does have a heart, doesn't he?"
Aang turns to Toph for confirmation that Toph, however, elbows him and he falls to the ground with a *thump*. Or maybe a *thud*
"Well, this is all fine and dandy. But if you don't mind I would like to go down there and stick to the Man. Toph your with me" Dante gestures for Toph to follow.
"Right." Toph agreed and cracked his knuckles.
Katara steps in front of them. "Wait we don't have to confront them with violence. I have an idea."
"Really?" Dante asked.
Atreus walked up to Katara with her Painted Lady hat and offers it to her. she puts it on and Dante finally sees what she means.
"Eh . . . works for me." Dante shrugged.
Fire Nation soldiers on jet skis. Team Avatar looking at the village. Mung the leader with his soldiers standing on the dock.
"I thought we could live as neighbors, in peace. But I guess I was wrong. You steal our food, our medicine ... and then you destroy our factory."
Xu pops out of the crowd wearing Docks hat. "We didn't do any of that." Then Dock pops out in a different place wearing his Xu's hat. "Yeah, the Painted Lady brought us food. She's the one that healed our sick, not your medicine."
Mung picks up a statuette. "Oh, right, the mysterious Painted Lady did it. And I suppose she drew the army emblem on your containers, too." Mung Throws the statuette at the container, smashing it. The crowd gasps. "This is a town of thieves and liars!" Firebends a blast at a house. "Where's your Painted Lady now? We're going to cure the world of this wretched village." Mung shouted mockingly.
Then an old man wrap on a torn fabric hobble his way through the crowd until he stood in front.
"And just who are you?" Mung asked amusingly.
An old man, who was V in disguise, appeared holding up a chicken in one hand and a dagger in the other, he began to kill the chicken, shocking everyone around. He then spraying the blood all in front of him speaking in a foreign tongue.
Ghurarmushirkush' aghazgushu.
Zantyaapakurizak.
Gûl-n' anakhizak.
Mung was no long amused. "That's it. Destroy everything!"
The soldiers begin demolishing the town. A jet ski, with two soldiers, goes past a dock as a soldier sends a hook and chain toward it. The chain wraps around a log holding up a house and it breaks as the jet ski drives away. The house crumbles into the water. Two soldiers who light a large flammable ball perched on a buoy in the river, but a mysterious gust of wind blows out the fire, twice.
"Light it again!"
They follow Mung's command, and it is blown out again. Eerie flute music begins floating over the water.
"Look at that! Where's it coming from?"a female Fire Nation solider pointed out.
"I don't know. Something strange is going on." a male Fire Nation replied.
Suddenly a heavy fog rapidly pouring in causing everyone to before nervous. A series of fell voices whispered in the ominous growling noise echoes over the river. Something was here.
"It's the Painted Lady." "She's coming." The little boy grins slyly, says in a ominous tone.
"There is no Painted Lady!" Mung shouted, trying to hide his nervousness.
Just then a loud, terrifying, inhuman shriek sound from the water in the fog.A repetitive thudding noise, as of giant footsteps, has begun. But over the river to the further bank the thudding is caused by Toph elevating and dropping a large boulder, while Appa provides the growling. Sokka mans the flute, producing eerie noises. Dante covers his mouth to provide so fiendish screams that he heard before from a group of black riders on horseback and over the years he tried to mimic it until he finally mastered it. Atreus was on the roof top of one of the village houses prepare to used his bow and arrows to do a lightshow for Katara who is about to appear.
"What is that sound?" one of the soldiers said.
"Maybe it is her."
The fog parts dramatically to reveal Katara in full Painted Lady regalia. She pauses a moment and rushes toward the soldiers with a burst of waterbending. She alights on the dock and slowly approaches them. Atreus draws and arrow and whispers a word to give the power of lighting. The arrows sparks and crackles and he fires it into the air. The magic created a bolt of lightning that struck the water behind Katara to add that shock and awe.
"Do something!" Mung pushes his soldiers forward. As they timidly draw near, they are rattled by a blast of airbending. Aang is shown hiding beneath the dock. The two soldiers run off. Mung again turns to the remaining soldiers. "Stand your ground!" Katara waterbends two jet skis into a nearby cliff. As she raises her hand to wreak further damage, the soldiers jump into the remaining jet skis and speed off, leaving Mung alone. "I'll take care of you myself."
He bends an arc of fire at Katara, we see it advance toward her in slow motion. Aang, still concealed beneath the dock, sends Katara flying into the sky on a column of air; the flame passes harmlessly beneath her. Aang rends the dock in two with a blast of wind, sending Mung flying into the river. As he flounders, Katara rises out of the polluted water before him and raises her arms threateningly.
"Leave this village and never come back."
Griffon grabbed the rope around Mimir's head and went into a dive and Mung; the head wailed ominously making Mung panic like crazy. Mung swims desperately away from her. A stray jet ski passes by and he clambers into it; the ski buzzes off. Sokka and Toph row toward the village as the people applaud Katara as she returns to the dock.
"I knew you'd come." The little boy cheered.
"Thank you!"
"Painted Lady, you're the best!"
Dock couldn't help but walk over and that the painted lady. "Me and my brothers really owe you a lot" Dock looked at her and her faded Painted Lady marks. "Hey, wait a minute! I know you! You're not the Painted Lady, you're that coastal girl!"
Katara places a hand on her face and realizes her make-up is smudged. The truth is now laid bare for all to see.
"Yeah, you're the lady that gave me a fish." the little boy said.
"You've been tricking us. You're a . . . a waterbender!" Dock spat angrily.
The crowd surges forward in anger only to stop Sokka runs forward to intervene. "Maybe she is a waterbender, but she was just trying to help you. Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her!"
"Sokka, it's okay." She steps forward and moves Sokka back; she decided to answer for what she for the villagers. "I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and I shouldn't have tricked you. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not. Because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself."
Dock sighs in understanding. "She's right, but what should we do?"
Toph pops out from behind the little boy's mother and uses a lower voice. "Maybe we can clean the river!"
"Yeah, we can clean the river!" The crowd cheers. "Thank you. You know, you're not so bad for a waterbender." Dock commented.
"You wouldn't mind keeping that a secret, by the way, would you?" Sokka asked.
"No problem. Keeping my mouth shut is a personal specialty. My brother Xu, on the other hand, ohh, he's a blabbermouth." Dock said causing Sokka to facepalms himself.
"So, Dock, are you gonna help us clean?" Katara asked.
"No, ma'am. I'm going to get my other brother, Bushi. He loves cleaning rivers." Dock brazenly switches hats right in front of them. "All right, I'm Bushi! Let's get some river cleaning done!"
"Aha, I knew it! I knew you were the same guy. You're the shop owner and the boat guy." Aang points out.
"Oh, you must be talking about my brothers, Dock and Xu."
Aang becomes annoyed. "No, I just saw you! You switched hats and called yourself a different name!"
Now dock is annoyed. "Oh, you know who does that? My brother, Dock. He's crazy." Dock Conspiratorial whispers before he goes off chuckling.
Aang fumes in annoyance. While Mimir chuckles himself. "Like I said before: 'What a quaint little village'"
The boats on the river went to work as the villagers spread clean out the pollutants. Katara and Dante bends the water into a large vat while Aang and Toph separate the pollutants using earthbending and putting it in a large boat. As the day passes by and the river becomes cleaner. In team Avatar's campsite at night Katara sits on an overlook of the river. She wasn't tired quite yet and decided to watch the water for a bit. She heard a sound behind her and turned her head to see Atreus walking to the shore toward her.
"The moon looks nice." Atreus comments.
"Yeah it does, even off the water." Katara says
Atreus took a seat behind Katara. "Hey, um . . . thanks for watching my back out there when I was help the village."
"No problem." He said. "I too want to help people. My parents did it; Mimir had done it, so . . ."
"It's not easy being a crime fighting vigilante." Mimir said from Atreus' hip. "There are many aspects of your identity need to get right; from your name to your aesthetic to your heroic reason for being."
"I not a hero, I just want to do the right thing." Katara said.
"Most heroes feel the same way. For it is a virtue to reach out to help people in need, do what you can, and expect nothing in return." Mimir concluded.
Suddenly clouds of fog appear and the real Painted Lady emerges shocking Katara and Atreus .
"Thank you." she said before slowly disappears.
Katara is first shocked, but she smiles. Atreus was happy for Katara.
"Well it's not every day you get to see a legend in the flesh."
"I wonder who she is." Atreus asked.
"Whoever she is , lad, she appreciated the help."
Atreus and Katara returned to the camp and went to sleep in their sleeping bags. It was about midnight when Atreus awoke to someone poking his shoulder repeatedly. When he finally woke he turned to see Dante standing over him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Follow me and bring Mimir." Dante said in a monotonously.
Atreus nodded and picked up Mimir, who awoke asking a question until Atreus covers his mouth to shush him. Atreus attached Mimir to his belt again and follows Dante out of the camp quietly. Valen waited for them by a rock and followed Dante further out to a grassy pasture.
"This seems to be far enough." Dante said.
"Dante, what's going on?" Atreus asked.
"Atreus," V said. "Dante wanted to discuss something important. The fact that he didn't call Toph here, who we usually do if we want to keep something secret before a reveal, but he chose not to do so."
"This is about the rest of the Team." Dante admitted.
"It is?" a surprised Atreus asked.
"Yes." Dante nodded. "We haven't been here long and we have attracted the attention of the Fire Nation authorities - twice."
"What can I say, we attract trouble?" Griffon joked.
"To be expected considering our mission." V said.
"Even so we . . . they need to adopted new tactics. Sokka was right about the danger, we are in enemy territory and we need to be watchful."
"What do you have in mind brother?" Mimir asked.
"Atreus. Your father took you hunting did he?" Dante asked Atreus.
Atreus nodded in response.
"Your father taught you have to survive – every side of it."
Atreus raised his brow a little. "What are you getting at?"
"Dante, Are you suggesting that Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph need to learn how to kill?" Mimir asked.
"To survive. They know how to forage for food, and Sokka and Katara may know a little on hunting animals. But the four of them as a whole haven't learned to take a life in self-defense or offense. They can knock enemies away with bending, or run and hide from sight but they need to learn when the time come they need to make sure an enemy does not get back up."
Everyone was silent as the wind blew against them. Then Mimir finally spoke after thinking on it. "I would hate to seem hurt or killed, brother."
"V?" Dante asked his Nephilim sibling for his answer.
Valen twirled his cane before nodding as his mind seemed to be elsewhere, but he gave his approval.
Dante turned to the half-Jötunn/Half-God for his answer. "Atreus?"
Atreus scratched the back of his head nods his approve. "If they learn how to kill, in taking a life … they may not be the same again."
"I know . . . But sometimes we must do what must be done in difficult times … and at last it is time. And besides, death has visited them at some point." Dante says.
"How do you plan to do this?" Mimir asked.
"I'm working on it. I'll let you all know where and when." Dante concluded.
Their secret meeting ended and they returned to the camp to sleep. They understood that they won't be so lucky where the people may keep their secret about them or the reason for them being in the Fire Nation. Elsewhere back on the Atreus' Island Brook and Sindri were having dinner discussing the issues dwarven smith faces from time to time.
". . . Oh, and another thing, I never like the fact that when you crafted a work of art and sell it to sell it to someone, they mess it up in their battles." Sindri says.
"That's what supposes to happen." Brokk said back to his brother. "If someone using one of my weapons, and it doesn't get all wear 'n' tear from use and time, I would get really pissed off."
"Well yours is made for the rough engagements. But when I make-"
"Shit!" Brokk said.
"No need to be vicious about it, I'm just saying-" Sindri said.
"No, no, LOOK!" Brokk stood up and pointed to the backdoor to the blanket that had Ivar the Boneless wrapped in – it is empty.
"Oh boy! Oh boy!" Sindri started to panic. "Where could he have gone?"
"Come on!" Brokk said as he took Mjolnir for his belt and jumped out the door.
Within the same area of the cabin Ivar crawled upon the ground until he was behind one of the trees of the forest. He sat up dragged his legs over to where he is comfortable as he leaned back on the tree. He turned to peek around the tree at the two people who were come out of the cabin looking for him. He watched them; if they captured him then they were going to either kill them or put him in a cage to be sold. What the case he was looked for something that he could use to kill them before. What he passed earlier seems to be an anvil with what looks like weapons on a table.
Perfect
Ivar made the effort to crawl back to the anvil as quietly as possible. The grass underneath made noise, and when he thought his movement was too loud he froze until the two men turned the other way. Ivar reached the anvil and to take a shortsword carefully to not cause it to clank against the other weapons. With the blade in hand crawled under the table and looked out to see where his targets are. He sees one of them and not the other one, but if he takes this one out it quickly and quietly would be one less foe to worry about. He gets closer and closer until he within range and swings the blade and cuts him down at the shins. The body falls and Ivar get on top of him to slit his throat only to make a shocking discovery: this is a decoy made of straw.
When? How!?
"He took the bait! Let him have it!" Sindri shouts from the doorway.
Ivar hears someone running toward him and he jerks around to see some coming at him with a hammer. Ivar raises his sword to defend himself. Then he throws the hammer which hits Ivar in the chest Ivar goes flying into the side of the cabin where he hits his head hard and tumbles to the ground.
Brokk goes over and picks up Mjolnir. "Lights out, princess."
"Let's hope you didn't kill him." Sindri comes over and puts a finger to Ivar's neck and to check if there was a pulse. It was there, a weak one, but it was there. "He's alive. Good thing you didn't use the lightning." Sindri commented.
Brokk mused at the fun thought for a moment before putting attaching Mjolnir back to his belt. "Welp … let's get 'em to the weirdoes, fast."
Author's notes: Well this is a tuffy but it is fin. The only thing that is the beginning where Mimir well tells stories he knows in the Fire Nation's past and lore. More Than Myth, am I right?