Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or the ATLA universe because I'm a broke-ass college student. Sue me, you won't get anything.

Also please reread Chp 5, 6, & 11. I decided to change Percy and Ty Lee's relationship to more brother/sister because it will help in some of Season 3 planned arcs with Azula's 17th birthday and The Beach. 4 new short scenes and tweaks to dialogue in them. If not you'll read this chapter and be like where tf did his bond with Ty Lee come from.

Previously:

"Well… I'm not going to Ba Sing Se either. You're welcome to travel with me for a bit. It's the least I can do to repay you for saving my life," she offered him.

"Thanks but no thanks. I think I've spent enough time-" Percy was interrupted by his stomach growling loudly again. He knew he shouldn't have doubled down on his rations, he was starving.

Suki raised one eyebrow in amusement, "I have food," she remarked offhandedly.

Percy's green eyes focused on her with new appreciation, "I don't suppose you have any Komodo chicken?" he questioned hopefully.

She smiled, "Nope. Just some military-grade rations."

"It's a deal," Percy remarked. Because after all, who would journey without food.

( - )

The morning air was exactly how you would expect it to be; chilly, but bright with the hope of a new day's events. Noises from birds and small animals seem to flow through the trees like a brook after the thawing of a winter's snow.

Unfortunately, the surroundings had little impact on the tension between the group of girls and the male camping under the cover of the woods.

Percy was kneeling silently, thinking to himself while he packed up his belongings that he'd used the evening before, in the routine that he'd developed over the 3 days of camping that had occurred since he'd started this journey with Suki.

Suki, on a similar note, was quietly surveying the area, as her belongings had been prepared since the beginning of her turn on watch the previous night. Percy had been quiet since meeting up with the rest of the Kyoshi warriors. His laid-back and easy personality had become cold and silent, easily slipping back into the role of a warrior at arms. His stony facade giving away nothing of what he was thinking, nor did he talk much. Simple answers to her questions but he made no move to talk to her in return. The contrast from the expressive young man who saved her on the Serpent's Pass was stark. It saddened her how war could divide people, just because they were on different sides.

Percy finished rolling the mat he'd slept on, and neatly fit it into his pack. He worried about Azula. He hadn't been away from her this long since he'd first become her bodyguard, and he couldn't help but miss her, their training sessions, their playful banter, heck, even her sharp tongue. Even Mai's dry personality was beginning to grow on him.

"Are you ready, Percy?"

He was shaken from his thoughts as glanced up at Suki. He liked her, but he couldn't help the fact that with her warriors around, he had been cold to her. He needed to remember that she was his enemy, he needed to be ready to take on her and her posse at any moment, especially when he rejoined Azula. He finished packing and strapped his bag tightly before standing up.

"I'm all set, Suki," he replied.

Soon enough he fell into the usual dull monotone of walking on foot. Hours of walking passed, but the scenery stayed much the same as it always was. There were trees everywhere, very similar in appearance, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The sound of a small stream came and went throughout the day, which aided the sounds of the birds in making the walking less monotonous. Percy tensed as a low groan sounded out from nearby. Whatever animal it was, it was large. Likewise, the Kyoshi warriors shifted, hands unconsciously drifting to their fans.

"Suki," he called out softly.

She glanced over at him as he pointed to the group's 10 o'clock position. The trees had been damaged, branches bent and snapped off as some animal had made its way through. He crept closer moving off the trail as the Kyoshi warriors trailed behind him. He stopped and dropped to a knee as he noticed the blood trail on the ground.

He stood upright, letting Suki get a look at the blood trail for a moment. She stood up meeting his gaze.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking, right?" she asked him.

Percy raised his right eyebrow in surprise, he highly doubted they were thinking the same thing. "You're thinking we should just keep going because trying to help a large, wounded animal is a crazy idea?"

Suki rolled her eyes at him, "That's exactly what I'm thinking."

Percy scoffed loudly, "Suki, I think you've been spending too much time with Sokka. I could've sworn you just said you wanted to go trekking after an unknown animal that is likely to attack us since it's injured."

Suki ignored him and addressed her warriors, "We're gonna check it out."

"Woah, it's almost like you just said the opposite of what I want to do. I'm not going, I'll wait for you to come back right here, on the path without a blood trail."

"You're coming to Percy, you've been eating our food for the last 3 days, so you owe us," Suki called over her shoulder as she began following the trail.

The Kyoshi warriors laughed at him as his stomach chose the perfect moment to growl aloud. "I'm still growing," he defended weakly as he fell in line after Suki.

"So, what's your plan when we run into an angry and hurt Saber-Tooth Moose-Lion that chases us down with the intent to kill?" Percy questioned her slowly.

Suki didn't even spare him a glance as she continued forward, "If that does happen, we'll climb a tree. Besides, you never know what's hurt, it could be the Avatar's bison."

Percy snorted, "No way that it's going to be his bison," as the animal path began to open up as the stream came into view. The animal that had made the path to the stream that they'd been following come into view. The animal in question was easy to see, huddled underneath a tree. A 10-ton white fluffy buffalo that'd he'd help personally chase across the Earth Kingdom.

Suki raised an eyebrow, "What were you saying?"

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me, this has to be the most convenient plotline ever," Percy groaned aloud.

( - )

After bringing him tons of apples, healing him with the spring water, and nearly being trampled, it seemed the Avatar's bison didn't want to impale Percy on his ginormous swords that were his horns. For the moment anyway, he could do without the licks of thanks. The bison's saliva was a pain to get out of his armor. He sighed as he rolled up his mat and put away his camping equipment. Today would be his last day with Suki and the Kyoshi warriors. Suki was determined to reunite Appa with Aang and Percy was just fine with that. Azula should be closing in on the city by now after going around the desert.

Percy walked over to Suki as the other Kyoshi Warriors prepped for the trip to Ba Sing Se. "So, how long do you think until we get to Ba Sing Se?" he asked her as she stared down at the map.

"Well, we're on the outskirts of the Tai Drin forest right now. If we get to this trail here," she tapped on the map, "We should be able to see the walls of Ba Sing Se in a few hours. If we keep a good pace, we can easily make it to Ba Sing Se before nightfall. As long as Appa doesn't reaggravate any of the spots where the quills penetrated, we should be fine."

Percy hummed in agreement as she rolled up the map. It was too bad that the Avatar's bison couldn't just fly them there, but he was just happy that it no longer wanted to kill him for chasing it for days on end.

The trek towards Ba Sing Se remained just as boring as before. He walked in the back with Appa behind the Kyoshi warriors. Percy had concluded that the bison was just a giant dog. It constantly wanted his attention and loved getting scratched under the chin. He had to admit, getting his own sky bison sounded like a fantastic idea.

The trees eventually gave way to clear open ground as the group made their way out of the forest. Percy could see the walls of Ba Sing Se looming in the distance, but what brought a smirk to his face was the giant drill moving closer to the city. Azula had a better time than he expected.

The Kyoshi warriors had different reactions, hands unconsciously drifting to their fans like the giant drill was going to turn their way any moment. Suki glanced back and Percy quickly schooled his expression. He very much wanted to start booking it towards the drill, but he had come a long way to get back to Azula. It was her turn to come to him. He smiled to himself at the thought.

( - )

"Princess Azula," a voice called out.

Azula looked down from her seat in the control room as a scout made his way to her waving his hand. She watched as he bowed deeply before waiting for her response.

"Yes, scout?"

"I bring news, a group of warriors was sighted—"

"I don't care for the earthbenders you see in front of the walls from your perch. Bring me the news when it is important, not before."

The scout swallowed as he began shaking but remained standing in front of Azula. She raised an eyebrow as the man didn't flee from her dismissal.

"Apologies, princess, but the Avatar's bison has been sighted with this group. They're not in front of Ba Sing Se but on Fontem trail leading into the Tai Drin forest. He is with a group of girls and a male warrior in blue armor and—"

Azula cut him off again for the second time in a minute, "Blue armor, you said?"

"Yes, princess," the man quickly replied.

Azula smirked as she looked to Mai and Ty Lee, "It looks like Percy has finally made his way out of the desert girls. Let's go get him."

( - )

Suki stared as the metal monstrosity that had been creeping towards Ba Sing Se came to a stop. It didn't make any sense to her why the Fire Nation would stop the drill now. Were they going to wait until nightfall? If that was the case, it was only mid-morning. They could've gotten much closer before stopping.

The Kyoshi warriors stirred uneasily as the drill which has been constantly moving since they left the Tai Drin forest came to a halt. Percy smiled inwardly, he knew the Fire Nation protocols. The back spotter would have seen them as they left the shelter of the forest. Suki should've taken another trail further around if she wanted to avoid detection. With any luck, Azula would come and get him soon.

He didn't have to wait long. After about another 20 minutes of walking, the trail of dust coming their way was noticeable. The Kyoshi warriors all shifted into a battle formation, with Suki at their tip, forming an arrowhead around Appa and himself, the problem being that they were so focused on what was coming towards them, that nobody was even worried about him. That would be a mistake.

He watched amusedly as the dust cloud cleared, showing the cause of it; Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee astride mongoose lizards. Percy sent a crooked smirk at Azula atop her mount. Her royal facade slipped for a moment as she smiled at him before quickly composing herself again.

"What do you want with us?" Suki asked as the Kyoshi warriors deployed their shields.

"Who are you? The Avatar's fan girls?" Azula replied shrewdly.

Percy smirked at Azula's joke, which was honestly not too bad. Ty Lee smiled as she got the meaning behind it. "Oh, good one, Azula!" she laughed.

"If you're looking for the Avatar, you're out of luck," Suki growled at the girls.

"The Avatar? Oh no, I'm here for someone far more important," Azula replied smiling.

"What? Who?" Suki questioned uneasily.

"Ah, that would be me," Percy replied easily as the girls turned in surprise, torn between turning their backs on the Fire Nation girls, and facing him.

Ty Lee laughed at the girl's obvious discomfort with how the situation was going, "Aw, Percy, are we not enough for you?" she gestured to herself, Azula and Mai.

Percy laughed, "Ty Lee, every guy dreams to be with one of you," he glanced at Mai, "Even if some of you prefer hot-headed idiots," he jabbed jokingly.

Azula allowed a smile to stretch across her face as Ty Lee laughed and Mai's glared turned murderous towards him, he'd pay for that later he was sure, but for the moment he couldn't care.

The battle was much more of a warm-up stretch than anything. Azula leaped off her mount, kicking an arc of blue flame at a Kyoshi warrior, knocking her down. She noted the Avatar's bison flinching at the sight of her flame but ignored it, choosing to focus on the Kyoshi warrior attacking her. Percy followed Azula's lead, quickly taking out his water from his pack and dispatching two more warriors easily.

Meanwhile, Mai pinned one of the girls against a tree with her blades as Ty Lee toyed with her opponent, dancing around her before hitting with quick strikes, immobilizing her.

Percy watched in the corner of his eye as Appa seemed to want to help, but had no clear target as each remaining Kyoshi warrior was engaged in their own battle. Percy disarmed his opponent before knocking her out with a clean left to the temple. It mattered not that she was a girl, on the battlefield he was an equal opportunity ass-kicker.

He turned to see Appa let out a below as he charged Ty Lee who had taken down another two girls, but Ty Lee was way too fast to be hit by Appa's charging bulk. She gracefully cartwheeled out of the way as Appa let out a groan of pain as he rammed a tree, knocking it to the ground.

Azula batted Suki's sword out of her hands as the Kyoshi warrior fell back, not seeing Percy, who usually couldn't be quiet to save his life, as he snuck up behind her and knocked her unconscious with the pommel of Riptide.

Appa snorted as he was surrounded by the girls and Percy. Azula lit a flame in her hand, eyeing the creature for a moment before sending a dark blue jet of flame at the Avatar's bison. It never hit its target.

Percy moved quickly, batting Azula's arm upward sending her blast towards the sky harmlessly. He stepped back quickly between Azula and Appa, arms held out like an officer directing traffic.

Azula looked at Percy in surprise, "Percy, what are you doing?"

"Azula, he's just an animal," he said firmly.

"No, he's the Avatar's bison. The reason we have been unable to catch him across the Earth Kingdom. He's an obstacle to our plans."

"Zula, listen to me. I understand all that, but he's not a person plotting against us. He's just an animal. Animals shouldn't require our permission to live on earth. Animals were given the right to live long before we arrived here."

Azula's stance remained tense, not entirely buying Percy's argument against the rational part of her mind telling her what a blow she could cause the Avatar.

"Ty Lee, back me up here," Percy said looking at her hopefully.

Ty Lee sighed deeply before slowly moving towards Percy, "He's right, Azula. When I look in an animal's eyes I don't see an animal. I see a living, breathing soul. Besides we didn't come here for the bison. We came here for Percy. We have him, just let it go," she pleaded with her friend.

Azula's stance slowly relaxed as she dropped her arms, "Percy, you're not nearly worth all the trouble you cause sometimes," she said, looking at him.

Percy shrugged his shoulders, "Would I be me if I wasn't?"

He turned towards Appa, composing his water into a giant hand, before scratching the bison under the chin. He stopped and stared into Appa's eyes for a long moment. Appa seemed to understand the message in his eyes as he let out a low groan before turning and flying away.

Percy turned back to his friends, "So do I still get my 'We missed you so much Percy' hugs, or what?" he said, smirking.

Azula pinched her nose in annoyance before waving him forward. Percy bounded forward, scooping Azula into a tight embrace. Azula went red-faced as Percy pressed her into him.

"Alright that's enough, let me go, you savage," she choked out.

Percy smiled as he dropped her back to her feet but Azula got back in his face.

"Listen well, because I'm only gonna say this once. If you ever go on some half-baked camping trip again with a bunch of girls on makeup I'll have you cleaning out the palace toilets for a week. Got it?" she said, jabbing him in the chest with her finger.

Percy smiled down at her, "Got it, Azula, I missed you too."

Mai and Ty Lee traded knowing smirks at their interaction as Percy finally turned in their direction. Ty Lee jumped into Percy's arm with a laugh as he wrapped her in a bear hug, though not quite as close as Azula's.

"Missed you, lil' sis," he murmured in her ear.

Ty Lee smiled up at him broadly, "Missed you too, big bro," before stepping back.

Percy turned to Mai with a cheshire grin on his face, arms spread wide, "What, no hug for me?"

Mai rolled her eyes as she turned back to her mount, "He's not riding back with me," she called over her shoulder.

Percy grinned as he looked at Azula and Ty Lee, "She definitely missed me."

( - )

Percy watched amusedly as War Minister Qin droned on about 'raw ingenuity and power' and 'Ba Sing Se was theirs,' from Azula's right. After a hot shower and some food, he felt much better after spending the last week roughing it. He sat on Azula's level to her right in a small, throne-like chair. Ty Lee and Mai were slightly below them, Ty Lee on his right and Mai on Azula's left.

"You can claim Ba Sing Se in the name of your father. Nothing can stop us," Qin turned to address Azula directly.

"Mmm, what about the muscly guys down there?" Ty Lee questioned peering through a periscope.

"The drill's metal shell is impervious to all earthbending attacks!" Qin defended his creation fiercely.

"Oh I'm sure it is, War Minister Qin," Azula said placantly, "But, just to be on the safe side, Mai and Ty Lee, take the earthbenders out," she ordered.

"Finally, something to do," Mai exclaimed standing up from her seat.

"Wait, what? Azula, what about me?" Percy turned to her as Mai and Ty Lee left the control room.

"Percy, do you think those earthbenders can beat Mai and Ty Lee?" Azula questioned amused.

"Well, no but—"

"Well there you go, besides, who else is gonna distract me from our very own War Minister Qin's speeches?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Wow, here I thought it was because you didn't want me to leave your side after getting me back," Percy teased good naturally. If he was more observant, he would've seen the blush Azula quickly hid before changing the subject.

"Tell me about your trip, did you find what you were looking for?" she asked.

Percy's playful expression changed as he leaned closer to whisper to her, "Azula, do you remember the very first question you ever asked me?"

She narrowed her eyes as she racked her brain in thought, "What in Agni's name are you?" she questioned him.

He nodded seriously at her, "You know that I can do things that are impossible for normal waterbenders like talking to sea-life and ostrich horses. Well, I went to the library to find out about me. What I am exactly, not just what I've been told."

Azula leaned closer in anticipation, "And, did you?" she asked in genuine curiosity and seriousness.

"Yes," Percy whispered, "That's what I want to tell you about. Not now, but sometime after Ba Sing Se is all over. Nobody knows, not even Piandao," he told her, looking into her golden eyes.

"Not even your father?" Azula asked, surprised.

"Not even Piandao," Percy replied seriously.

"Percy I know I said that we shouldn't have any secrets between us but are you sure you want to tell me before him?" she questioned.

"... Yes."

"Why?"

"Because well… I don't know, I just do," Percy shifted uncomfortably as a blush rose on his face.

Azula noted his face closely, watching him blush as she fought to control the flames of hope inside herself. She looked into his sea-green eyes closely before looking away abruptly, "Actually, there's something I need to tell you too after this is all over. I had this dream and well… it's complicated. You'd know I'd never hurt you right?" she pleaded with him.

"What? Of course, you wouldn't, Azula," Percy said confidently looking at her in surprise.

Azula let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, "We'll talk after this is all over then," she confirmed, "Now tell me about your journey."

She watched as Percy's eyes lit up as he began telling his story. Percy was a unique storyteller, he never had any clear direction with it. He rambled, jumping from point to point as it popped into his head. Did it sound weird that she'd missed his voice? Agni, she was becoming soft if she was thinking that. She watched his sea-green eyes sparkle as he told her about a giant spirit owl. She unconsciously tucked her hair behind her ear as she took him in. His hair was such a mess she wanted to run her hands through it and—

"Azula?" Percy called playfully.

She blinked as she shook herself out of her traitorous thoughts. "Yeah?" she asked, as casually as she could manage.

Percy's crooked smile was a welcome sight, "You were staring," he mock-whispered.

She blushed madly before swatting his shoulder, "I was not!" she flusteredly defended.

"Oh, really," Percy raised an eyebrow at her, "Then what was I saying?"

"Um, you were talking about a library and then a giant owl who wanted to eat you?" she questioned.

Percy's smile said all it needed to. He knew she wasn't listening, but he humored her anyway. "Wow, you're right on, Azula" he jumped back into his story as Azula tried to control the butterflies trapped inside her stomach.

( - )

Ty Lee and Mai returned just as Percy got done telling Azula the main parts of his journey. He left out some key things but he promised to go into more detail with her later when they weren't surrounded by engineers eavesdropping on their conversation.

He smirked as Ty Lee and Mai returned after just about 10 minutes. "Are you still bored, Mai?" he questioned teasingly.

She rolled her eyes at him, "You'd think they'd be more of a challenge. We are trying to drill a hole in their city after all."

Ty Lee bobbed her head in agreement, "They're strong, but they're not quick or fast. We need to chase the Avatar again, he's much more fun."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll come to us once we invade Ba Sing Se and take over," Azula said confidently.

"You're putting a lot of faith in this drill, Azula," Percy commented surprised.

"Well I'm in a good mood, bite me," she smiled at him.

Percy's grin was wolfish as he stage-whispered so nobody else around them would hear, "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Azula turned beet red as Mai choked and Ty Lee stared with wide eyes before smiling widely. Azula was only saved by the intercom going off in the control room.

"War Minister! An engineer was ambushed, and his schematics were stolen!" a soldier reported.

"War Minister! A brace on the starboard side has been cut clean through! It's sabotage!" another voice rang out.

War Minister Qin clenched his teeth as he could feel the princess' gaze boring into his back.

"Let's go, ladies," Azula commanded as she moved out of the room quickly with Mai and Ty Lee behind her. She stopped abruptly as she realized Percy wasn't following them. "You too, Percy!" she yelled.

"What, no 'Percy, stay. Good waterbender?'" he called after her as he hurriedly followed, receiving no response. (B/N: Cookie if you get the reference)

( - )

"Wow, Azula, you were right! It is the Avatar," she said, winking down at Aang as he smiled awkwardly and Katara frowned, "And his friends," she added seeing the Water Tribe girl's expression.

"Azula? Ty Lee? Where'd you go? All these hallways look the same!" Percy's voice carried through the chamber as the Aang, Katara, and Sokka began to flee.

Azula turned and yelled over her shoulder as she began to chase the intruders, "Percy, if you don't help out I'm taking away your dessert privileges for a month!"

"Woah, Azula, there's no need to be hasty," Percy called as he caught sight of the girls and sprinted down the hallway after them, his long strides making up ground fast. He came to a stop to avoid barreling into the girls.

"Mai, Ty Lee, you follow the peasants. Percy, you're with me, the Avatar isn't getting out of our hands this time," she ordered as she took off down the left hallway with Percy on her heels.

They sprinted into a room with lots of engineers, "The Avatar, where did he go?" she demanded panting. They pointed to the long ladder leading up to the topside of the drill. She raced over to the ladder before beginning the climb. The Avatar couldn't run forever, he'd have to fight her and win to stop her drill from taking down Ba Sing Se.

( - )

Author Note - Alright everyone so this is the end of chapter 12 of Percy Jackson & The Sapphire Flame and I hope y'all enjoyed it. Give it a review or follow if you'd like to stay up to date on this story. A few things I'd like to address.

- Guys, I did not plan on the chapter taking this long. I overextended the tendon connecting my bicep and forearm lifting. I had to go to the doctor who put me in a brace. If I tear it won't heal so I'd have to get surgery to fix it which would suck. Obviously, that really slowed my writing since I couldn't type with my right arm. I got out of the brace but it still hurts if I try to straighten my arm completely.

- This chapter is shorter because I wanted to split the drill fight scene into the next chapter. Just because writing 10k chapters are long and I think the fight should be its own chapter too so now that I have the brace off and this chapter finished I can get back to my ideal update schedule.

- Also, I just want to say thanks for the support y'all give. I got a lot of questions when I would be updating and I felt so bad that I couldn't, but if I tear the tendon I'll be screwed so I took the long route with the brace and doing stretches the physical therapist gave me. Anyway, I hope y'all have an amazing New Year!

- I know it's only been like 1 chapter but it's just better to have Azula and Percy together instead of them being apart. I'm not addressing Azula's realization about how she feels for him or Percy's discovery of being a demigod yet.

- Finally, please leave a review, guys! A follow or favorite would mean a lot for me too. I'm always open to advice on being a better writer and I'm looking forward to entirely new chapters from now on.

( - )

B/N: So, if you didn't get the reference, check out Lucifer on Netflix at /lucifernetflix. Hope you liked the chapter. We'll try to speed things up. Also, check out some Jack Whitehall comedy if you get the chance. I'd like that, wouldn't I?

Feel free to PM me at any time.

- TheMeister7

( - )

Duces