It is nearly sunset as Sokka and Percy run back to the tribe after seeing the shot in the sky. They look down the ice road out of the village to see Aang and Katara in the distance walking toward them. As they approach, the children run forward to greet them "Yay! Aang's back!" The children gather around Aang as Sokka comes forward angrily.

Pointing at Aang Sokka shouts "I knew it! You signalled the Fire Navy with that flare! You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?" Percy close behind him holds his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Aang didn't do anything. It was an accident." Katara explains. "Yeh, we were on the ship and there was this booby trap and well... we "boobied" right into it." Percy would laugh at Aang if he wasn't angry.

Gran Gran shakes her head at Katara "you shouldn't have gone on that ship. Now we could all be in danger!" but Aang stands up for her "don't blame Katara! I brought her there." he says looking downcast "It's my fault." Percy sighs "you need to be more careful Aang." But sokka wasn't taking it so lightly "Aha! The traitor confesses! The foreigner is banned from our village!" he declares. This makes Katara angry "Sokka, you're making a mistake."

But Sokka stands strong on the statement "No! I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you from threats like him!"

"Aang is not our enemy! Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time. Fun." Katara cried.

"Fun? We can't fight firebenders with fun!" Sokka spat. Aang smiles earnestly "you should try it sometime" of course just angering Sokka more "Get out of our village. Now!" Percy finally stepped in "Sokka, he just a kid" but he shoot his head "im sorry Percy but hes put us in danger, he has to go"

"Grandmother, please, don't let Sokka do this" Katara begs but Gran Gran just shakes her head "Katara, you knew going on that ship was forbidden. Sokka is right. I think it best if the airbender leaves."
"Then I'm banished too!" Katara declares and she turns, taking Aang by the shoulder, and begins to walk off "C'mon, Aang, let's go!" Sokka points to Katara "where do you think you're going?" "To find a waterbender! Aang is taking me to the North Pole!" she snaps
Aang seems confused for a moment before his face brightens "I am? Great!"

But percy catches Katara on the shoulder so she turns to him. He just shakes his head "you can't leave them" he says gesturing to the people in the village. Sokka backs up that claim "Katara! Would you really choose him over your tribe? Your own family?" She pauses, doubt and indecision on her face until Aang comes up next to her. "Katara, I don't want to come between you and your family." She just nods sadly.

"So, you're leaving the South Pole? This is goodbye?" Katara asks. "Thanks for penguin sledding with me." Aang smiles.
"Where will you go?" Katara ventured.
Aang pats Appa "Guess I'll go back home and look for the airbenders. Wow, I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years. Not looking forward to that." he laughs. Percy walks towards him "im coming with you" he declares.

"you are?" Aang asked "you are!?" Sokka stuttered. "you bearly know Aang why would you go with him, stay here with us" Sokka says secretly wanting him to stay finally having a friend and big brother figure to look up to. Percy just shrugs his shoulders "i don't know, it's just my instincts are telling me to I need to go with him and they've never been wrong before". Sokka doesn't look happy about it but nods.

Aang airbends on Appa . He looks back at Percy "are you sure you want to come with me?" he asks carefully. "why don't you want me to come?" Percy jokes back "No! of course i want you to come but.." Percy cuts him off "sorry, your stuck with me kid". "My names Aang" he deadpans and Percy smirks "yeh i know, but it annoys you when i call you kid". Aang just smiles before looking at the tribe "It was nice meeting everyone."

Just as Percy is about to get on Appa Crystal runs to him and hugs around his waist tightly "don't go Percy! I'll miss you!" she cries, her eyes shining with tears. He looks at her sadly before kneeling in front of her wiping a stray tear "hey, it's okay. I'll miss you too but you know what?" "what?" she asks rubbing her eye. "My instincts also tell me i'll see you again real soon so don't be sad okay" he rubs her head. She nods and hugs him tightly before letting him go and going back to the group. The other tribe members look hear warmed and saddened by the exchange.

"Come on, Appa, you can do it! Yip! Yip!" Aang says just after Percy jumps on his saddle with ease. "Come on, boy." Aang says sparing a last glance at Katara as they walk out of sight.

Gran Gran lay a hand on Kataras shoulder "Katara, you'll feel better after you –"
Katara cuts her off angrily "You happy now? There goes my one chance of becoming a waterbender!"

Sokka straightens up "All right! Ready our defences! The Fire Nation could be on our shores any moment now! And no potty breaks!"

A little ways from the tribe in a frozen wasteland Appa, Percy and Aang sit resting in the curves of some ice formations. The formation has two doughnut shaped holes. Appa lies on his back in the lower one, Aang in the smaller higher one. And Percy sat leaning against Appa. "hey Aang?" Percy says. "yeh". "your the avatar aren't you?" Percy asks completely shocking Aang to the point he falls of the ice formation into a pile of snow. "what? H-how did you know?" He asks.

"Well i can tell your pretty powerful, i would mistake you for a demigod if there were any others here. Sokka told me about the avatar and how he was meant to be reborn into the air nomads but didn't. Hes been missing for a century and we've been frozen for a century too, i just kind of put two and two together". Aang looks at him before looking down sadly "I-I was meant to be the avatar but i ran away before they could teach me. I was scared". Aang expected to be yelled at but instead Percy held his shoulder.

"I get it, having the weight of the world on your shoulder is a heavy burden to bear by yourself. I think that is why i was sent here, to take some of that burden from you, to protect you, to help you save the world." Percy admits looking him in the eyes.

"I'm scared Percy" Aang admits. "I know, iv'e held the weight of the world on my shoulders a few times once literally". Percy chuckles. Aang looks at him "how did you do it?" he asks looking for answers. Percy smiles slightly thinking of his friends "I had help, friends, without them i wouldn't bee here now. You don't have to do this alone, i will help you."

"promise?" Aang asks and in that moment he looks more like a child than ever before. Percy nods "I promise" while vowing to himself he would protect Aang as much as he could, he wasn't going to let him live the same kind of life he had. Aang smiles and Percy teaches Aang to fist bump sealing the deal.

Aang looks out to the sea and gets up with a start. He sees a Fire Navy ship steaming toward the village. Percy seeing his face turns and comes to the same conclusion "The village!" They slide down off the ice formation and run towards the village "Appa, wait here!" Aang yells back as they run.

================================================================================

Back in the village

Sokka sits in his tent putting on his war garb. Fingerless gloves, arm wraps, boots and face paint. Once ready Sokka leaves his tent with his weapons, alone, Sokka stands atop the ice wall of the village, scanning the mist for any sign of the enemy. Suddenly, a deep rumbling noise is heard and the ground begins to shake. Parts of the wall on which Sokka stands begins to crumble while the villagers look around in alarm.

Suddenly a massive shadow emerges from the mist, dwarfing Sokka. It is the bow of Prince Zuko's ship. "Ohhh, man!" Sokka yells as Prince Zuko's ship cuts through the ice all the way to the city wall itself. As the ships continue to ice break towards the wall, Katara puts Gran Gran into one of the tents in the rear and then gets a little child out of harm's way as the ice floor of the village begins to crack all over the place.

"Sokka, get out of the way!" Katara yells as she sees the ship coming straight towards him. As the ship reaches the wall, it collapses into a heap of ice and snow which tumbles back into the village, carrying Sokka with it. The villagers emerge from their shelters and stare in amazement and fear at the ship. Katara draws a deep breath in anticipation.

With a noise of metal on metal the ship opens and folds out and down onto the village's floor with a giant walkway. Sokka's falls backwards to avoid being crushed by the walkway. As the steam clears from the top of the bowsprit, Zuko and a host of Fire Nation soldiers are revealed wearing breastplates, shoulder guards and helmets. Zuko walks down the walkway stairs followed by guards looking very intimidating.

Sokka gets up and bravely charges at Zuko with an adolescent war cry. As he runs up the steps to the Prince, Zuko casually and expertly kicks his weapon out of his hand and then kicks him in the face, sending him sprawling on the ice. His head gets stuck in the snow and he struggles to free himself. The villagers draw back in fright and the ease with which their only warrior has been beaten by the invaders. Zuko walks forward to address the village. He looks over the crowd, then walks over to Katara and Gran Gran.

"Where are you hiding him?" Zuko demands. He looks around the crowd and sees no immediate response. He grabs Gran Gran and shows her to the villagers. "He'd be about this age? Master of all elements?" Again no one responds. After a brief pause, he throws Gran Gran roughly back to Katara. With a cry of frustration he launches a gout of flame over the villager's heads making them cower in fear. "I know you're hiding him!" Zuko yells.

Behind Zuko, Sokka gets up. He retrieves his weapon and charges Zuko again with another cry. Zuko turns to him in annoyance. He dodges Sokka's charges and flips him over his head. Zuko fires a blast of flame at Sokka, but Sokka rolls out of the way, throwing his boomerang at Zuko as he does. Caught by surprise, Zuko barely avoids the boomerang and turns to look back in anger at Sokka over the near miss.

Sokka grabs a spear and charges Zuko, who, as Sokka reaches him, breaks off pieces of the spear shaft with his wrist guards. After the head of the spear has been torn off, Zuko grabs the spear and bonks Sokka on the forehead with it several time until it breaks it in half and drops the pieces on the ground. Sokka, after getting bonked on the head, has also sunk to the ground, rubbing his head. Zuko stands sternly over him. In the sky in the background the boomerang reappears and It slams Zuko in the back of the head, knocking his helmet off. Furious, Zuko begins to spit fire out of his hands as he hovers menacingly over Sokka.

Before Zuko can land a hit on Sokka Percy appears with Rpitide in hand. He blocks the attack and stands tall knocking Zuko backwars before swiping his legs out from under children cheer as Aang also reaches the villagers. "Percy! You came back!" Percy hears Crystal cry from behind him. He smiles warmly at her "of corse i did, i said we'd see eachother again and besides" he says facing the enemy again "i have a few promises to keep".

"Thanks for comin'" Sokka says rubbing the back of his neck, Percy just nods his head slightly in response. Percy looks over at what he assumes are the Firebenders. Zuko gets to his feet and assumes a firebending stance and Percy readies his stance holding his sword higher. Percy is surrounded by Zuko and his men before they begin to close in, but Percy slashes at the men on his right while kicking the one on his right in the face. He swipes for Zuko as well, but he holds his ground, shielding his face with his gauntles.

"Give me the Avatar now!" Zuko yells throwing fire at Percy who rolls to doge it. Percy gets up and sees Aang about to step forward but Percy beats him to it "That would be me" Percy smirks. Aang, Sokka and Katara look at him incredulously, they know he can't be the Avatar, hes not even from their world. Aang is about to protest "but.." Percy cuts him of with a look and shakes his head subtly. Aang now understands that Percy is trying to protect him like he said he would.

Zuko looks at Percy in disbelief "You're the airbender? You're the Avatar?" Percy panics for a moment thinking he isn't going to believe hes the Avatar if he doesn't see any airbending. Then he remembers the blessing he had revived from the gods. Zues blessed him with the air, he said it would work in his favour so Percy in his head asked the air to help him and as if it heard him Zuko and his soldiers are blown of their feet leaving his three friends confused as to how he did it.

Zuko gets up and maneuvers himself opposite Percy as they position against each other in the middle of a village that has become an arena. "I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training. Meditating. Your the same age as me!" Zuko says annoyed at all that time wasted. "Dude you need to get a life" Percy counters smirking. Five of Zukos guards come towards him but Percy takes them out. Striking the first three with his sword and one using the water to push him away and for the last, moving the ice from benieth him making it surround him.

Now even more angry Zuko fires blast after blast at Percy. Percy dissipates each blast as it strikes by pulling water from behind him in front of him like a shield. This doesn't block the fire from reaching the villagers, though, and they cry out. Percy looks behind him seeing Crystal cower in fear and realises he can't protect them all. "If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?" Percy asks lowering Riptide.

After a brief pauses Zuko straightens up and nods stiffly and in moments a soldier's hands takes his sword which just makes Percy laugh since it will just return to his pocket, another leads him to the ship but Aang rushes forward. "No, Percy! Don't do this!"

"Don't worry, Aang, it'll be okay." he says as they push him forward roughly "Take care of Crystal for me until I get back." he waves goodbye before they put heavy cuffs on his wrists. "Head a course to the Fire Nation. I'm going home." Zuko says proudly to the helmsmen.

They board the ship and the walkway rises back up. Crystals eyes water as the prison closes around Percy. His smile drops as he sees her pain. The shadow of the closing Walkway closes over him before he is dragged again into the dark.