SUMMARY: As waterbender in incognito, Percy has been raised in secret by his mother. After questing and covertly practicing bloodbending, Percy is sent to the Fire Nation as a Water Tribe delegate. However, he is there for another reason entirely: on the night of the full moon, Percy plans to use bloodbending to assassinate the heir to the throne, Azula. She has other plans. Percy/Azula

A/N: This story is mainly adventure and drama, even if the romance does play a role. I just don't want anyone to start reading, anticipating a quick romance, because it's not exactly that. This chapter details Percy's childhood. Enjoy.

VII

A tiny palm reached out for the sky, pointing at the peculiar event unfolding in front of the owner's eyes. Sea-green eyes widened in surprise and curiosity, and the boy jumped up and down, tugging at his mother's shawl for attention. "Mama!" he shouted. "Mama!" He stared above, as if the weird sky held the secrets of the universe. Though—to the seven-year-old child—it seemingly did.

The boy had never seen anything like it before, and he needed his mother's answers. Sally could unravel the mysteries of the world so effortlessly, and Percy loved to sit on her knee, watching as she peeled back the complex layers and fished out simple truths.

He also felt something...stirring in his chest. He wondered if she could feel it, too.

Sally laughed softly, as her son blinked up at her.

She was a beautiful woman, sun-kissed and radiant as a goddess. When his mother smiled, foreign universes lit up. Her eyes shone a turquoise-blue color, a trademark of the Water Tribe. Percy had never seen anyone with such eyes, and even at his young age, he realized his mother had not been native to the Earth Kingdom. He tried not to question her obvious Water Tribe heritage; whenever he talked about it, she always got a sad, regretful look in her eyes. And Percy didn't like seeing his mother sad.

"What is it, Percy?" she said, a wistful smile playing on her lips. She lifted Percy up, cradling the young boy in an embrace. Percy straightened his back from where he sat, reaching up to the sky above. He had seen nothing like this before. "Is it the sky?" said Sally, her tone soft and…sad.

"Don't be sad, Mama!" Percy said. His eyes were wide and innocent. "I don't like it when you're sad!"

She smiled reassuringly. "I'm not, Percy. But you better not look at it for too long, okay? It'll hurt your eyes, baby."

He stared up at it. The sky was bleeding in darkness. Where the usually bright, merry sun was, a colored-in-black circle rested, bits of light sprawling out. It was almost pitch-black, and Percy blinked up at the pretty circle. He assessed it curiously, with the innocence only a child could possess.

Sally covered his eyes. "That's enough, Percy," she said softly. "Why don't you rest your eyes, hm?"

"But I…wanna look!" Percy eagerly shouted, trying to wiggle out of Sally's grasp.

"You know," said Sally in a conspiratorial tone, "what happens to little boys who stare too long at eclipses…?" Her hands met Percy's ribs, and she whispered, "Well...their eyeballs drop out...and turn to mush!" She began to tickle him, sending Percy into a fistful of senseless giggles.

"N-no," he gasped, then laughed again. "Hahahaha, n-no!" Percy wormed out of her grip, sprawling on the dirty floor; he didn't even mind the sand and soil, as long as he could escape Sally's relentless fingers. "Mama, really!" he pressed, trying to make himself sound mature and dignified. He brought his finger back to the dark circle. "What is that?"

"An eclipse," she stated, the word funny on her tongue. "It's when the moon covers the sun."

"The moon isn't black!" said Percy smartly.

"Aren't you clever?" Sally laughed, her sparkling blue eyes crinkling.

"And, Mama," said Percy, sitting up from the floor; dark smudges from the ground painted a dirty picture on his face, "I have a question." Sally nodded at him calmly, waiting. "Why do I...why do I feel like this?"

"Like what?" Sally booped Percy's nose. "Like a boy who better get to his chores?"

"Like..." Percy began, his voice coming out a bit forced. He thought she felt it. Percy and Sally were always outcasts in this tiny Earth Kingdom village, but they always went through everything together: they were the ones with the blue-green eyes, the ones with darker skin, the ones with the foreign accents. Surely...they could share this, too. "Mama, I feel...water."

"Water?" Sally's eyes dimmed a little. A lot, actually. "That's silly, Percy. Water isn't an emotion. You can't feel water."

Percy's eyes were wide. "Oh. I know it isn't a feeling I just... It's everywhere."

Sally flinched slightly, a tiny movement that Percy's eyes caught. He could read his mother like no one ever could, even her tiniest movements, her smallest lip-curls, the way her eyes could smile and frown all at once. At the moment, Percy recognized Sally's expression as fearful.

"In me," he said, putting one of Sally's hands to his heart. "In you." His fingers tightened around her sun-spotted hand. "Everywhere," he breathed, almost worshipful.

Her hand snapped away from his. Percy stared, his lower lip trembling.

"Percy," Sally said, and her tone was stricter than Percy had ever remembered. Her eyes were thick and heady with sorrow and fear. "Promise me you won't tell anyone about this. Not your friends, not your teacher, not a stranger down the street, not anyone. You will forget this. You will not mention this 'feeling water' thing to anyone." The stream of words escaped her, and she breathed in, watching as Percy nodded frantically, her little boy not completely comprehending. "Promise me, Percy."

"I..." Percy tried, reaching for words.

"Promise me, Percy!"

"I...I promise!"

"Okay...okay," Sally said, trying to calm her breaths. "Thank you, Percy." His mother's eyes shone with faint tears.

Percy pulled himself closer to her, wrapping his small arms around her back. He put his head on her shoulder, his cheek pressed upon it. His green eyes sadly stared down at the dirt, and the warmth of the hug surrounded him. Percy was still confused, so stupidly, horribly confused, but this was his mother. If she thought Percy feeling water was bad, then it was bad, no questions asked.

He would keep this secret, hold it behind his back when he talked.

The feeling of water, especially during that eclipse thingy, was...amazing. Thrilling, even. The strength he felt was hard to describe, like an abstract painting, but he felt it anyway.

Percy wrapped his hands around Sally, like she was a lifeline. For his mother, he would not speak of his strange affinity to water.

"It's going to be all right, Percy," his mother said, tears falling in droplets. He kissed her cheek, and he tasted salt and sadness there. "It's going to be all right," she breathed again, as if it were a chant. "It's going to be all right." It'd taken Percy five years to realize the words weren't for him.

They held each other until the early purples of twilight.

XI

The Earth Kingdom town was small, on the edge of the massive continent, close to the sparkling blue waves of the ever-spanning ocean. It was a simple fishing town, and all they paid was the simple tariff of fish and lumber. Other than that, the Earth Kingdom's monarchy hardly touched this small town.

Not that there's anything to touch, thought Percy, staring off at the distance.

It was early morning, and the sun had not yet peeked out, the sky a fading blackish-orange color. He stood by the sapphire-blue shores, feeling the pulse of water lap at his ankles and legs. The moon glowed brightly overhead, and he felt water everywhere.

Tomorrow would be his birthday, and he'd be eleven years old. He knew his mother would hand him a few coins with a smile. He knew she'd give him fragrant tea and maybe some pork dumplings from the shabby restaurant next door. He loved her gifts, but to him, the sight before him was the greatest gift of all.

It had not been the first time he'd snuck out to see the waves.

The blue plains spanned on in the distance, and Percy tilted his head, observing. The ocean felt greater than him and his little town.

He'd come practically any time he could, usually at least twice a week. When his mother inevitably fell into a deep sleep that only exhaustion could bring, Percy always snuck out quietly, barefooted and silent as a whisper. He walked through town, ignoring the small wooden flats, and arrived at the shores of Haiyang village. At nighttime, he felt his connection with the water grow. In the day, he could hide it away and ignore it, but this...

When he slept, his dreams hummed with the whisper of the ocean's breath.

That only brought more questions to Percy's mind.

"Why do I feel..." Percy had begun once, a year ago, and his mother's eyes had narrowed a bit, "...it so much at night?"

Sally's eyes softened just the slightest. "Please, Percy. Can we not talk about it?"

And he stopped asking. He formed his own theories and hypotheses about his power—was that what it was?—though nothing seemed quite right. He imagined his absentee father as a swash-buckling pirate, or a Fire Nation navy general, or even a clownfish. It explained why Sally always had a sad look in her eyes when Percy mentioned his power—the same look she got when Percy wondered about his father. It also explained where Percy had gotten his power from, since Sally clearly felt no ties to the water.

The water ebbed and flowed. His feet dug into the wet sand, and he breathed in salty, fresh air.

His thoughts barged in, loud and obsessive:

What would his mother think of his nightly rendezvous with the ocean? Would she lock him in his room, force him to never go out again? Would she cry and beg him to make another half-hearted promise? Would she force them to move away from Haiyang?

He let the water wash away all his worries. Sally was frightened and demanded Percy hide his connection to the water, but she wasn't cruel. She wanted the best for him, working day in and out in an herbal tea shop.

Percy reached a hand out into the air above the ocean. Percy wanted to dance in the ocean, feel the water smooth over his face, but it'd be harder to explain why he had sand in his hair and skin. If he simply put his feet in, he could always brush away the remnants of his visits away later.

Then Percy stood there, a small shadow across the ocean, and moved his hands and feet. He felt like a village elder, practicing tai chi, perfectly balanced. He moved around, feeling the ocean around him falter and rush, all depending on his movements. He put more passion into his smooth, fluid movements, until the water around him followed his every move, swaying back and forth.

He could feel it responding to him, and a wide grin spilt over his face.

"Yes," he murmured reverently, and he moved his body into another posture, his mind set and determined. "Oh, yes..."

The water bowed to him, but eleven-year-old Percy liked to think they were friends.

XII

"Where's the green tea?" tittered Sally, as she managed containers of herbs and tea plants. "Percy!" she called, craning her neck in hopes of seeing her young son. Percy had been pouring chamomile to a nearby customer, making sure not to spill with concentration.

"Yes, Mother?" he asked, his head flipping backwards. He set the teacup down. When he'd been younger, in his early tweens, Percy had made millions of messes in the tea shop. He'd attempt to pour tea and spilled it in every direction. Now though, his hand was practiced in the art of tea-pouring.

That, he thought to himself, and also his powers with water had grown.

If the tea was going to spill and make a disgusting mess, Percy would only simply flick his wrist. The tea would stay in place, stagnant and waiting under Percy's careful movements. Tea-pouring had unconsciously become one of Percy's practices for controlling his powers over water. It helped, alongside his nighttime visits routinely by the bay.

"The green tea is here," Percy said. He walked over, giving her a large silver teacup, stewing with tea.

Sally nodded thankfully, heading to the back.

There were five to six customers; Percy asked for orders.

The sun had barely cut across the horizon, but old men liked getting tea before their early, painful shifts. They talked about gangsters and criminals, of laws and politics, and Percy only listened with a half an ear, pouring tea silently.

The little tea shop was a bit of a monopoly, the only one in Haiyang village, and that only meant more business for the shop. Percy and Sally didn't own the shop exactly, as it was run by a frail woman Percy had never bothered learning the name of, but it was mainly run by the two of them. Sally handled the tea exports, cleanliness, customer service, and some of the frail tea plants that flourished in a small field outside.

Percy just poured the tea.

His head was downcast, pouring out the remainder of the chamomile. Ink-like strands fell over his eyes.

"Hey, you and your mother look a bit funny," said one of the village elders. He held a teacup to his grey mustache, taking a noisy sip.

What was Percy supposed to say to that? It obviously wasn't a compliment, wasn't an insult, wasn't anything. Percy only nodded sharply, trying to focus on serving tea to the other man parallel to him.

"A big, strapping young man, such as yourself, should be out cutting lumber!" The other man laughed, as if this was a very humorous joke. "Not pouring tea. You could use that brawn of yours for something useful!"

Percy stared down at his arms. He was a very skinny boy, mainly due to his childhood being ration after ration. His physical strength was severely limited, and he'd never handled an axe before. Percy liked working with his mother...he didn't want to work long hours of the day, coming back late at night, sweat on his brow, face parched in exhaustion.

"I'll think about it," Percy said neutrally. He set the teapot down. "Enjoy."

The old men laughed, pointing jeering fingers at the anomaly of a boy. The boy who was so obviously Water Tribe. The boy who worked in a modest tea shop, with his very attractive mother ("I would love to come back home to that pretty sight. I'd never complain again!" an elder said). Percy ignored it, even though his hands bunched up in anger. They didn't have a lick of decency, or if they did, it was buried behind double chins and loud snorting.

"You a Water Tribe bastard?" a voice called after him, breaking Percy's train of thought.

Percy tensed up. At both parts: "Water Tribe" and "bastard." Percy was young—twelve-years-old—but his vulgar friend, Xiang Zhen, had listed off plenty of insults. The gremlin of a boy introduced him to the terms "bastard" and "love child." But Percy knew his mother had married his father! Once, when Percy had been playing around in their tiny flat, he'd found a cabinet where a beautiful, engraved choker laid there. It was obviously a Water Tribe betrothal necklace, which meant his parents had been married!

He was not a bastard. He...couldn't be.

"No," Percy said. "I'm not."

"Huh," the man said with an odd, too-high laugh. He handed ten bronze coins to the man next to him. He told the scruffy-bearded man, "You were right after all. Here's your reward."

"What?" Percy spat, his bright green eyes wide. Though he supposed he knew the answer to that question.

"Me and Chang Bao here made a bet. I was sure your mother and a Fire Nation scumbag hooked up." The man laughed, and the young boy's ears roared with static, but he was frozen. "Chang Bao's always been more perceptive than me, anyway. But...are you sure about your bastard status? Listen, I'm tryna to make some money here, so I need the full truth." He winked.

Percy felt so cold.

The tea in the cup swirled around almost violently, as Percy's finger spasmed on his sides. The men didn't so much as glance at the tea, and they laughed at Percy's expression, talking more about Percy, making inappropriate guesses and innuendos.

Percy closed his eyes and left to find his mother. Sally would know how to handle such things, even if she was a very passive, pacifistic person. She would never seek revenge, not for the most heinous of crimes. The most disgusting of insults. She simply took the punches, never throwing any of her own; Percy both respected and hated her way of life.

When he told her of the rude men, hours later when the tea shop had emptied out, she only offered a tiny, overworked smile, reassuring him, "Not everyone is going to be kind to you, Percy, but revenge has never made anyone feel better."

Too little, too late, Percy thought to himself secretively. A vivid memory flashed in his mind: of what he'd done to them, as he'd left to find her.

Thanks to his power, Percy had felt much better. The scalding tea had splattered over their chins, burning upon impact.

Xiang Zhen was playing pai-sho with himself again. It'd become his trademark, a common occurrence, and Percy rolled his eyes.

His shift at the store was over, so Percy ran over to his best friend's patio. Sally had been very adamant about his safety, but Percy just threw her a sad look, and she melted. She told him he must be watched, he must scream if any trouble occurred, he must be home before sun-down. She'd also hugged him and whispered, You will not use your power, Percy. He'd nodded, and she'd allowed it.

Now Percy was standing a few feet away from his friend's odd arrangement.

There were two seats bordering a table set with pai-sho tiles: lotuses and dragons and different flowers. Percy watched in embarrassment as Xiang Zhen moved between the seats, moving pieces this way and that. When Xiang Zhen met Percy's eyes, he waved him over.

"You know," said Percy plainly, staring at his depressing game, "that if you need an extra player, you can simply ask."

Xiang Zhen laughed loudly, much like a screeching dodo. "I'm using my sheer genius, Percy. Playing against you would only dull my abilities."

Percy arched a brow and watched Xiang Zhen pluck pieces off the pai-sho board. Percy had heard of masters playing the board-game all by themselves, attempting to outmaneuver and outmatch their inner consciences (or something like that), but Xiang Zhen was clearly not meant for self-played pai-sho. Zhen-Zhen didn't even look like he was playing it right.

Percy plopped down on the empty seat. He gave his friend a cocky smile. "And how are you?"

"Could be better," he said, staring at Percy dully.

"It's okay to be lonely sometimes," said Percy wisely, and he grabbed a random lotus tile, moving it onto a dark brown line.

"That...that was my piece."

Percy shrugged. "That's besides the point. Anyway, how's the fishing business?"

Xiang Zhen's eyes were dull, and he rolled his eyes dramatically. "Trust the water boy to care about smelly old fish."

"Water boy?" asked Percy.

Xiang Zhen leaned in and pointed at Percy's blue-green eyes. Percy stared at his hands. "Water Tribe. Duh."

"Whatever," Percy said, but his tone was sharp. He'd dealt with enough comments about his nationality, and he was getting sick of it already. "I've never been there, and I don't know anyone Water Tribe except for my mom. It's like I'm one by name only."

"Well, I'm a genius by name only," said Xiang Zhen, "but that doesn't make it any less impressive." A dry eyebrow from Percy rose up questioningly.

Quiet laughter sounded from both of the boys, and in that peaceful moment, Percy allowed himself a half-smile.

Xiang Zhen flicked a rose tile deliberately, checkmating Percy. The smile that'd graced Percy's lips fled like a coward; Percy's mouth dropped open, and he said, "Xiang Zhen, you damn cheat!"

"Don't let your mother here you say that," Xiang Zhen said. "What if she found out her dear, sweet son was actually a profane...vulgar...little—?"

"Oh, stop it!" he said. "You're the one who's purposefully arranged those pieces, just so I could lose!"

"Have I now?" Xiang Zhen pretended to think about it, then a slow, smug smile spread on his face. "Well, I suppose I did."

Percy sank into the wooden chair. It was rough and irritating on his skin, and he wished he was in the water, practicing his skill in the daytime. He wanted to watch the sun gleam off perfectly blue waves, as he swayed along to the rhythm.

He wished it wasn't a secret. He wished he could perform his powerful tricks, garnering attention and praise for his talent! However, as he stared back at Xiang Zhen's blinking black eyes, he brought himself back to earth.

"Anything new?" Percy asked, not quite meeting Xiang Zhen's eyes.

"Aside from the old hag that's my mother, the bastard that's my father, and fishing out shit and sand?" Xiang Zhen asked sardonically, his voice skimming over the topics smoothly. Percy winced slightly at the word bastard. "Well...not much."

"That's not what I meant! I meant, news! Anything new with..." Percy's voice dropped because the village elders didn't like talking about it, "...the war."

Zhen-Zhen's brow propped up. "You really are into this war shit, aren't ya?"

"Stop cussing, and answer the question," said Percy.

"What a prude you are. You'd make a great elder, you know. Now that I think about it, you've got the wrinkles too."

Percy's hands instinctively reached for his face; he felt smoothness all throughout, as old age had yet to touch him, and he scowled at Zhen-Zhen for making him doubt his youthfulness. He was only twelve years old; he wasn't old, and he certainly didn't have wrinkles. Xiang Zhen snickered at Percy, before the mischievous boy said, "Fine, fine, I apologize. Your face is spotless, like a newly-born babe."

Percy shook his head and tutted. "Xiang Zhen, you're an idiot."

"Genius," the boy corrected. He started resetting the pai-sho board, and Percy hoped this time, he'd let them play a fair match. He helped out, though. Xiang Zhen smiled brightly, and he said, "The war's not going great, I think."

"You think?"

"Yeah, my dad's been talking about how the Fire Nation has conquered more Earth Kingdom cities and land. We might be next, you know, since we're so close to the water."

"But we can defend ourselves, right?" said Percy, his chin lifted, his face almost brave. "We have earthbenders! They'll kick the Fire Nation's ass!"

"Really shouldn't have taught you all those naughty words," laughed Zhen-Zhen, but his tone wasn't quite right. "One day, your mother will hear you say one accidentally, and she'll kill me!"

Percy winced. He hated talking about Sally finding out about anything. It reminded him too much about his ties with water.

Sometimes, he hated this magnetic compulsion to anything fluid, moving. He'd really be better off as a Fire Nation bastard; then at least, his...bending wouldn't lean towards something his mother hated. Hated? Did Sally hate his...waterbending?

"But, Percy, let's play out a hypothetical battle, mm-kay?" Zhen-Zhen stopped setting up the board. "Pretend you have the powers of fire, both short and long flicks and bursts of flames and explosions. Destruction. Sheer red that destroys anything in its path, that burns and corrupts and tortures. Pretend I have the power of dirt. Who's going to win?"

Percy's lips were in a firm line. "That's really simplifying things, you know."

"We're going to lose to the Fire Nation," Xiang Zhen admitted. "Whether that be in a month or in twenty years, it'll happen. Just start praying it won't happen in your century, and don't have any kids."

Percy's eyes flicked downward. "But the Avatar will save us!"

"A myth," said Xiang Zhen flippantly.

Percy looked at his hands, fisting them together. He looked over at his cynical friend.

"We should kill the royal family," said Percy, and his face was neither light or dark, just simply blank. "It'll stop the war. It'll force the rest of the Fire Nation to reconsider their propaganda. The military will disband, and our nations can live in peace."

"I wish you the best of luck on your assassination attempt," his friend said tartly.

Percy's brows furrowed in anger. There had to be a way out of this long impasse, this inevitable Fire Nation takeover that awaited the Earth Kingdom. Percy wondered if his powers of water truly correlated with being a waterbender. He'd seen water extinguish fire when wild lightning struck trees across the mountains. Water put out fire. But even if Percy was a rare waterbender, Percy was only a child, and his swaying water and tea tricks would do little good against a well-equipped Fire Nation military.

"But..." Percy trailed off. This time, Xiang Zhen didn't try to contradict him with his pessimism, and Percy stopped talking, all by himself. He couldn't think of a single way to defeat the Fire Nation; the elders couldn't either. Hell, maybe he shared more in common with those old men than he'd originally thought.

The rest of the pai-sho game was spent in silence; it ended in a draw.

XIII

Percy's thirteenth birthday came with very little fanfare. Xiang Zhen offered him a big pat on the back. A Haiyang elder rang the bell twice, reading his name and age off to a group of workers. The workers, of course, ignored it and focused on their tasks, while Percy only smiled nervously when he'd been brought up for the birthday ritual. After the ritual, his mother closed the tea shop for the day and walked around the small village with Percy, giving Percy five coins to spend on whatever he liked.

The soles on Percy's feet ached from his well-worn sandals, so he and Sally walked to a shop specialized in clothing. Percy ended up buying a pair of leather, comfortable shoes for three coins. Sally smiled at him broadly, and she hugged him in front of the town-square.

While she did, Percy stared off at the horizon. The ocean glittered so beautifully, and the waves made crescendos as they hit the shore's dark rocks. It was a beautiful day, and fishermen had already begun their journey outward. He really wished he were Xiang Zhen, a son of a fisherman, who always complained about the tediousness of his job. He laughed at his fourteen-year-old friend; Percy would love to be close to the ocean for hours, feeling warmth beat down on him as he waterbended sloppy fish onto the boat...

His mother stopped hugging him, and Percy blinked out of his trace.

"Is there anything else you want to do? Anything at all?" Sally asked, smiling.

A day at the ocean, Percy thought hopefully to himself. The ability to run and play around a sun-soaked sandy shore.

He laughed nervously, and the smile on his face was forced. "No, it's okay, Mom."

Her smile lost a bit of its sheen. "Percy, if you want something, tell me. It's your big day, and I want to make it special for you. Thirteen is a big number!"

"Um..." he began, staring off at the distance. "I'd like to..."

Sally's head swung in the direction Percy was facing. Her eyes met the coastline, and she seemed to shiver a bit. How did Sally manage to get to Haiyang from the Water Tribe, if she flinched every time she saw the ocean?

"Please, Mom," said Percy, holding out his hands in a praying position. "It's a...a...part of me."

It had only been three years since Percy had brought the conversation up, and it'd already felt too long.

Silence elapsed between them, and Sally just kept staring out at the horizon: where the ocean met the sky and beyond. The water churned back and forth on the shoreline, sweet nothings being whispered away.

"It is a part of you," said Sally, and wind rippled through her grey-streaked dark hair. Her eyes were solemn and wistful. "It is...but I can't let you. You don't know what some people would do if they found out about it. They already gossip enough, just from your appearance alone."

"Mom—"

"Percy, imagine what they'll think if they see a Water Tribe boy in the ocean. They'll think you're a waterbender, and they'll take you away."

"No one will take me away!" said Percy determinedly. "Haiyang doesn't work for the Fire Nation!"

She closed her eyes tightly. "The Fire Nation is not the only nation that's done harm. I don't want you to become a soldier at the age of twelve."

"I can fight!" Percy's eyes were furious with dark determination. "I can...I can use it. I've used it before. It works."

Sally's eyes didn't seem surprised. Perhaps she'd known about him using his waterbending, even if he'd tried keeping precautions. He wondered when he'd slipped, and when the truth had been revealed. Perhaps it was when his tea-pouring had been fully perfected

"All right," Sally said, her voice firm. "Stop the tides, then."

"What?" Percy asked in bewilderment.

"I said what I said," she stated monotonously. "If you stop the ocean from ebbing and flowing—for a second, even—I'll let you fight against the Fire Nation."

The ocean spanned across the beaches of Haiyang, long and never-ending. It wasn't like Percy could simply control a small spot of it; his mother's eyes told him he needed to control all of it.

"What if someone sees?"

"Sees what, Percy? The ocean's second-long falter?"

"I've never practiced on such a large-scale," Percy admitted, and his eyes were downcast. "I couldn't do it if I tried."

Her lips parted knowingly. "Then you are not ready for war, Percy."

I am ready, he told himself. Percy had heard many tales of heroes from old: of important figures that'd fought battles with iron-forged swords. Of heroes like Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Roku, who'd brought victories galore for the common-people.

He worshipped such figures, and he himself wanted to become a hero, too. To become powerful.

Perhaps this was his first road-bump in a great, long, heroic journey.

His first step until he could fight in the Fire Nation conflict.

He parted his legs and bent down. They were at the corner of town, and only a few beggars looked at him curiously. His dark hair rustled in the salty breeze, and he closed his eyes tighter, visualizing the mass the ocean was. It was huge, never-ending, infinite. It was nothing like tiny cups of tea. He moved his body fluidly, his hands moving upward and his legs smoothly making motions on the floor. He was like liquid, like blood itself, churning through his body. He felt Sally's gaze on him, and he felt pity leak out of her. He could control it. Surely.

It pained him to know his mother was so unconvinced of his power. He focused on liquid, fluid, water. He continued to move, feeling the beat of the ocean, visualizing blueness and white foam. Minutes passed before Percy was fully in conjunction with the ocean's movements.

I can stop it, Percy thought to himself, his eyes closing more tightly together. It would work.

It had to.

Finally, as his movements shuddered to a halt, he ended his dance in a punishing freeze. He expected the water, his friend, to stop with him.

It rushed back and forth, equally as untamed as when Percy had started. Percy stared off, visibly shaking.

Sally's expression was sympathetic. "It's okay, Percy."

Percy looked down at his hands in childish horror. "It's not okay," he squeaked out, his fingers curling. His body felt weak—he felt weak. He wondered if his waterbending was a fluke. What if he'd tricked himself into thinking he was powerful, was special?

"It's okay," she said again, her tone far more convinced. "Percy, you're thirteen. You shouldn't be worrying about controlling oceans and fighting military men; you should be..."

"What?" snapped Percy, tears leaking out of his eyes. (He had never snapped at her before.) "Buying shoes and making tea?! Playing pai-sho, while wondering when the Fire Nation will kill us all?!"

Sally stood there, watching her son cry. She couldn't move, rooted to the ground.

Percy was still looking at his hands, still looking at his weakness. Tears flooded down his ruddy cheeks, dripping over his chin and clean tunic.

"Let's go home, Percy," said Sally. In her warm blue eyes, the fight had fled, and she was left as the perfect image of a loving, caring mother.

"What home?" Percy let out. His voice was weaker, softer, cracking. "There is no home. The Fire Nation will take everything anyway."

"Let's go home," she said again.

Percy allowed his hand to be encased in her own. The gales of the ocean whipped past them both, but Percy only looked down on the ground, his birthday feeling more dismal than it'd ever been before. They walked quietly in silence to their flat, and when they got there, Percy sat down on the wooden floor, his knees smarting on impact. His face creased and crinkled, his eyes closing in frustration.

Percy didn't visit the ocean that day.

His mother did.

XIV

He'd tried a million, billion, trillion times after that to control the tide, but it was impossible.

Without a proper waterbending teacher, Percy was left in the dark, and his mother was still very frank about what she thought of Percy's bending ability. Things went on in Haiyang village, whether or not Percy's waterbending strength grew; while life went on, Percy did, too. Percy played, worked, ate, slept, and practiced. At nighttime, he dreamed of becoming a soldier.

He still bended smaller expanses of liquid. Tea and water molecules and droplets of sweat.

It just reminded Percy of his weakness, but he couldn't stop. Bending was a part of him—a second skin, a third eye. He was addicted to waterbending. The feeling of it, the pounding in his bones and skin; he only wished he were better. However, it was hard for Percy, who didn't have a waterbending instructor, And also, he was forced to practice in the silence. The dead of night, away from the villagers' prying gazes.

A year and a half went by...

Eventually, his mother seemed to be nonchalant about his silent practices. She knew if she pushed the teenager too far, he'd rebel out of sheer will, so she only quietly offered words of concern and warning, but she did not interject when Percy wanted to practice at night. She was still incredibly strict about his usage, and unhelpfully silent about waterbending techniques, but Percy...appreciated her smallest gesture of trust... It meant a lot to Percy.

After a long night of weak waterbending, Percy slept dreamlessly on the floor's mat.

He woke up a few hours later, stretching his arms. A full moon hung lazily in the sky, decorated with glittery stars. He peered blearily at his mother, who was still peacefully asleep with her eyes shut. When Percy made a move to get up, Sally instinctively woke up. He wondered why her ears were so keen when it came to nearby noises. Perhaps it related to something buried in her past, something Sally would not tell him about.

Sally rubbed easing circles around her forehead, and she breathed in deeply... "Percy," she said softly. "Go back to sleep..."

Then a loud clang sounded from the door.

Voices, a gaggle of men, began chittering and chatting around, just outside the sleeping quarters.

Percy felt his heart pound in his chest.

Sally got up quickly to her feet, and she tiptoed across the room to the drawers. She picked up a metal pan, gesturing for Percy to get behind her. Percy felt like this was all very backwards, considering he was the waterbender, but he didn't argue against their positions. Fear was one hell of a motivator into cowardice, and he hated he was a victim to it.

She silently mouthed, "Hide behind the cabinet."

A distant-sounding, gruff voice said, "Anything valuable, take it. See anyone alive, kill it. Got it?"

A chorus of "yessir"s broke out.

Percy swallowed down thick, heavy bile. He'd heard rumors of gangs and cults, barging into homes, stealing and killing, but he'd never expected this. It was a story, a myth to keep children well-behaved, and it couldn't be this obvious! He tightly closed his eyes, his legs crouched uncomfortably behind the wooden cabinet. He'd never been more thankful for the cheap thing, bought from a greedy banker. It was shielding him from the intruders.

Then he thought of Sally. His brave, beautiful mother, who took the punches, was brave enough to protect him.

Meanwhile, here Percy was. What a soldier Percy was. Maybe that was the proof Sally needed against his dream; it wasn't his weak waterbending, but instead his freakishly faint-hearted timidity.

He squeezed his nose with his fingers, avoiding making any noise. His heart beat so hard in his chest, he was sure the people outside could hear it. He was sure the Fire Nation and Water Tribe could hear the beating of Percy's heart, hard and loud and aching.

"Go to the bedroom. Yeah, yeah, take the knife," said one of the men.

"Poorest street down the block? Better have something in here worth taking," another said.

Percy crouched, bringing his arms and legs close together like he was a ball. This wasn't a dream; this wasn't fake. It was real, and there were robbers in their home. Move, Percy, move, his mind told him, but he was frozen to the floor.

He visualized his mother carrying a metal pan, going against big, bulky men with knives and bending. He didn't want to imagine the result. He didn't want to imagine her leaking blood. He didn't want to imagine what they'd do to her.

"I would love to come back home to that pretty sight" rang in his head like a siren.

Percy got up on his knees, his whole body shaking. He was only fourteen and a half, a weak waterbender, and a people-pleaser. Percy wouldn't be able to handle himself facing off a gang of strong, tall men. Then he remembered his mother, and he put on a brave face, tiptoeing down the sleeping quarters, to that of the living quarters. The place was very small and horribly dark.

Percy bumped into a table or mat once or twice, sounds rustling and pounding, but for the most part, nothing happened.

There was a long, cruel silence awaiting Percy, as the voices stopped entirely. He scoured the dark room for signs of his mother or her glinting pan, but Sally wasn't anywhere. A small, stupid part of him wondered if she'd snuck out without him, but there were no windows or openings in the flat. They were stuck here together, and Percy imagined the size and bulk of the men, shivering and quaking despite himself.

He'd never wanted to be strong and muscled so badly in his life. He couldn't even protect himself; how could he protect Sally? How could he protect a squadron of soldiers? How could he protect anything?

So Percy moved onward, trying to quiet his steps. His breath hitched a few times. The darkness was deafening.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a match was flicked...

In hands that were beefy and large, hands covered in scars and tattoos. The flicker of light casted the room in orange and yellow shadows.

Percy finally saw his mother in the corner, the pan drawn out like a weapon. She met his eyes, and she faltered a bit, staring.

An intruder used her brief, momentary pause to his advantage. He grabbed her hands. Sally struggled. She kicked and screamed and bit, and Percy rushed towards her direction. The pan flew out of her hands, landing helplessly on the floor. Percy grabbed it, and he faced the men.

The orange of the light made the men look both clown-ish and beastly. There were three in total: a skinny man, an incredibly muscled man, and a squat man. Percy looked around frantically, lifting the steel pan in the air. He felt foolish there, as he looked at the men's knives and knuckle rings, but Percy knew he couldn't defeat the men with waterbending. What was he going to do? Use sweat on them?

"Woah, woah, woah," said the man, and he gripped Sally's hands together. She struggled and fought, but he simply kneed her in the stomach, and she sprawled gracelessly on the floor. Percy, watching this happen with furious eyes, charged on forward. Percy had been a coward, but watching this happen...he could not stop this surge of bravery.

He ran forward, the pan above him, ready to be swung.

One of the men shoved him down. Being about half the man's weight, Percy went flying down, thudding on the floor and hitting his head. He felt something drip down his side, and he wasn't sure if it was blood or a hallucination. His head pounded warningly.

The pan was nowhere to be found.

Percy stood him quickly, putting himself in between Sally and the intruders.

"What do you want?" Percy yelled. His hands were out, defensive and unflinching.

The men laughed loudly at Percy, nodding their heads and pointing fingers at him. Percy was oddly reminded of the elders at the tea shop, all those years ago. His green eyes glowed golden, furious and seething.

"If you want riches and money, we'll give you that," Percy swore angrily, his voice cracking from its range. "Just leave us alone, and put the knife down!"

Maybe Percy was being foolish. He knew it was a bad idea to scream and yell commands at people who wanted to rob you, but Percy didn't care. His adrenaline was working overtime, making him say foolish, fatal things.

"Little boy's got guts," one laughed. "What're you, eight? Get outta the way."

Another said, "Bring us your valuables. If we like it enough, we'll leave you and your mommy alone."

Percy felt doubt worm its way into his brain, but he didn't care. He grabbed Sally's hand, and they paced backward, never once turning their back on the criminals in their home. Sally whispered something to Percy, but he couldn't hear; the blood rushing in his ears didn't allow him to.

He went to the drawer, scanning around. They had very little money, enough for paying the farmer for milk, eggs, and rice, but not enough to appease angry criminals. Percy felt sick to his stomach. Pound, pound, pound. He continued scanning around, his hands racing around. They didn't so much as keep a weapon in the house; knives and swords had always been too costly, and the elders always frowned upon weaponry. Pound, pound, pound.

They were defenseless. The men were only yards away.

Percy looked around. There was nothing there, except letters and his mom's supposed betrothal necklace.

Finally, someone—a man—grabbed his shoulder, pulling him out of the way. The match was close enough to sting, and Percy felt his wrist practically burn from the heat. The man greedily took in the drawer, hands digging through his mom's letters, destroying perfect penmanship and pretty pictures with his disgusting, filthy hands. Percy made a noise in the back of his throat, as he watched the man reach for his mother's betrothal necklace.

Percy clawed at the man, trying to get the choker. It meant something to Sally, and Percy couldn't let him take it.

The man cussed aggressively, taking the match and pressing it to Percy's arm.

It burned, it seared, it scorched...

Then it didn't. Numbness followed, and Percy rolled off of his knees, reaching upward. He attempted to punch the man, but the man only clumsily shoved him down.

"One more move, you fucking brat," he said gravely, and the other men narrowed in on Percy and his mom, "and I'll fucking kill you."

The man looked at the match, and that told Percy all he needed to know. He looked at his mom for answers, but Sally looked horrified, sickened, furious. She attempted to fight as well, but she was getting knocked on the floor. Percy watched the men laugh, and he realized they got off on his and his mom's suffering and weakness. It made Percy sick to his stomach, and he furrowed his brow.

He couldn't move. If he moved, they would burn him. The fire would then spread to Sally.

He...couldn't...let...that...happen.

The men looked at the traditional necklace appraisingly. "Water Tribe bitch got good taste," one said. "But that's all they got? Poorer than I thought."

"No one calls my mom that!" Percy screamed, but he was stuck to the floor, immobilized.

A man poked his head behind Percy, and he said, "Nothing's of value here."

They looked at Sally, and Percy's heart dropped.

"You are pretty," said the fat one, assessing.

Percy didn't even look at his mother's reaction; all he saw was fire, an anger that drowned everything out. He could not let these intruders talk about his mom like this. He could not let them leer and touch and take, when he had the power to stop them.

Even if Percy had to choke them with their own sweat, so be it.

Percy moved his body slightly, like a worm attempting to get from the ground. One man laughed and planted his foot on Percy's spine (he heard a crack of pain, but he ignored it), and Percy inched up.

"I have gold," Percy bluffed. "It's in the other room. Just get your foot off, and I'll take you there."

"Hah. Nice try, brat," one said with a disgusting laugh. "Just tell us where your 'gold' is, all right? We'll take it ourselves."

Percy's plan had been put to death faster than his mind could think. "You won't know where it is. Let me take you there," he said, and he packed his voice with as much convincing as he could.

He was surprised they agreed so quickly. He had never been so glad in his life that Haiyang had never afforded any proper education for its masses.

They grabbed Sally by the neck, and a knife was put across her throat. A line of blood was drawn. It looked almost like the sun across a horizon, in the fire's light. "One move, and your mommy's gonna go bye-bye."

Percy swallowed, and he walked forward. They didn't tie his hands or feet together, or immobilize him in any way. He had waterbending under his control, but there was no ocean, there was no river, there was no tea. There was nothing, except for sweat and Percy's tears. It was in too small of an amount to do any damage, except mild inconvenience. If he hurt the men slightly, and they recovered, they would both face grave consequences. Percy could not afford that.

He thought and thought, as he walked. He hated how small the flat was, how quickly he reached his destination. He went to the corner of the mat. The darkness was searing, and the men squinted. Percy finally reached out, flicking his wrist, trying to reach for any water.

None, none, none.

Then he touched the place where the fire had hit his skin. Drops of blood leaked out.

The epiphany hit.

He moved his wrist again, and his legs squatted down. Percy had failed to stop tides, had failed to please his mother, had failed in many aspects of his life. But he would save his mother. It would work. It had to work.

Percy reached out, and he moved fluidly. The men's eyes crinkled in gob-smacked surprise, and they laughed at Percy's display. The man holding Sally tightened his grip warningly. They thought Percy was putting on a little show, but he was not. This would be a show they'd never forget; he'd make sure of it.

He danced to the rhythm sizzling in his blood. He felt liquid, water, in all their disgusting, horrible bodies, and he pushed. They did not deserve water, peaceful and tranquil as it was. They did not deserve life, disgusting and inhumane as they were.

Percy pushed, as he danced, putting all his ferocity and desperation into one fluid dance. Percy was not just controlling the water as master and servant. He was not just playing with the water as friend and friend. He was the water; he felt every movement, tapped into his true potential, and realized that water was life. He held blood in his body. Everyone did.

Even the scum of the earth.

Percy pulled and pulled and pushed and pushed, his fingers elegant and long, his movements smooth and wild.

The men stopped laughing. "That's enough of your silly show." The blade reached closer to Sally's throat.

That man was the first to fall, the blood falling down to the floor. Percy smiled, a tiny smile, and blood started to drip out, redness blooming. This man had tried killing his mother, and he would suffer the consequences. The blood in the body moved back and forth, motions jerky. Finally, when Percy had enough of the other men's horrified, shell-shocked expressions, he dropped the sack of a man to the floor. He forced the blood in his body to stop, stop, stop.

The man was dead. Percy was still dancing to a tuneless rhythm.

The next man was easy. He closed his eyes this time, imagining the man's face and expression. He then imagined the rushing red blood in his veins. He didn't bother playing with the skinny man; he only forced the blood to make a sharp jerk at the neck area.

Dead again.

The last one tried begging, but he'd seen Percy's power, his ability. He'd threatened his mother. He had to go.

Percy moved with grace, his stamina high, his spirits soaring. He could smell blood in the air, and though it made him antsy, it also served as a reminder that they could no longer harm Percy. He brought his hands together and moved to lean down smoothly. Percy stopped, and the blood in the man went cold.

It was a silent death.

The match hit the ground with a flick.

Fire hit the floor.

Percy let the veins, running with blood, burst, covering the fire in liquid. It was quickly put out, but smoke and ash was everywhere, so he held his mother close, letting the liquid put out the fire.

He grabbed his mother's necklace, the one that was now sprayed with little flecks of red blood, and his mother's hand, forcing them to the door of the building.

It didn't outright collapse, but the fire did burn a hole in the flooring, leading it to crumble downward.

Sally's eyes were wide as she stared at Percy. She didn't even look angry at Percy's usage of his waterbending. Though that wasn't all that unexpected. Sally had only been scared of someone finding out about his waterbending, and well...dead men told no stories.

He stared at the flat, and they walked forward. He didn't know when the elders would see the smoke, the bloody remains, the wooden catastrophe, but he did know they'd be long gone when they came. He continued walking, his hand tight around the necklace; they walked and walked, bloody and burnt and sunken.

Percy walked to Xiang Zhen's patio. His parents weren't open because of course, they were never home. Percy knocked at the door, holding his mother around his shoulder.

His best friend opened the door with wide eyes.

"Hey," said Percy with a slippery smile.

"I need to tell you something" was whispered two days later.

It was a stormy-grey morning, and they were sitting in a small guest room that the Xiang family owned.

She set a blanket over Percy, and he looked away. His lips were pursed. They hadn't talked about...that day, but it still played in Percy's mind. He still felt an air of sadness around them both, like they'd reached a stalemate and could not proceed onward.

They both sat down, their knees touching the wooden floor.

Sally held her betrothal necklace in her hand.

The blue gemstone was smooth and engraved with a complicated design of waves, and pearls dotted the outside of the gem. It was all different kinds of blue: navy, sky, light, dark. It was beautiful, and Percy reached out to touch it, caressing its beautiful gems and expert craftsmanship.

Sally said, "This was your father's gift to me. We were going to get married."

Were. He realized the past tense.

Perhaps...Percy truly was a bastard.

"He was a waterbender, like you are." Sally handed Percy the beautiful necklace, and Percy held it, fingers clenched tight around the beads and strands. "A strong waterbender—the strongest waterbender. Just like you."

"I can't move the tides."

"That was stupid of me to say, back then," Sally admitted guiltily. "I was trying to get you to stop bending, and all I could stupidly think of was to embarrass you. I've never gotten you an instructor; you've hardly been allowed to practice... Of course you failed, Percy. Even a waterbending prodigy would struggle without any proper practice." She let out a breath of air. "So...I'm sorry."

Percy's eyes were wider than coins, and he felt warmth bloom in his stomach.

"I think you should still practice waterbending conspicuously. I don't want them to find out," Sally said. "But I do believe waterbending is part of you; it's your gift, just as it was your father's. I want you to be able to control your waterbending, especially its more controversial side." Percy thought briefly about his bloodbending, and a peculiar expression popped up on his face. "I've done many things wrong, and I seek to remedy that. And, well, we cannot stay at the Xiang residency forever."

After a few beats, Percy breathed out, "So..."

His mother sighed. "I believe it is time you truly learned waterbending."

A/N: Azula will show up...soon. Percy/Azula is such an underrated pairing, which I've only recently discovered and am intrigued by it. I just wanted to write something with Percy integrated in the ATLA universe already, so I didn't have to worry too much about inconsistencies. This pairing just has too many possibilities. There will be OCs in this story, but I know and respect the role of OCs: as markers to help the actual characters' development out. This one is going to be a long journey, so I hope you enjoy the ride. Please comment your thoughts!