I do not own PJO or A:TLA
Chapter 21
The last two days of travel hadn't exactly been pleasant. Toph was moody and cleary anxious but refused to talk to anyone about it. Even Katara.
To Percy's knowledge, Toph's parents were filthy rich. Like, almost royalty. Katara told him that they hadn't let Toph do anything and that they had smoothered her and kept her hidden her whole life.
Or so they thought.
Toph would regularly sneak out and teach herself earth bending and also fight in this awesome, underground earth bending tournament.
Aang had watched her fight and asked her to teach him earth bending so she ran away from her parents and hasn't had any contact with them yet, except the two guys her dad had follow them and try to bring Toph back.
The more Percy listened, the more he decided Toph was like his friend Rachel Elizabeth Dare than Annabeth. Mad at their super rich parents.
Percy had met some really crappy parents in his life time, but he knew enough not to judge someone on how they reacted to their childhood. It could always be worse or better than anyone could know.
"We're here!" Aang finally announced, jumped off Appa the second they landed. He took Katara's hand as she slipped down the bison's leg.
"I'm worried about Toph." She whispered. "I don't think she's dealt with a lot of her parents emotional baggage since she left."
"She'll be fine!" Aang said brightly. "It was her idea to come here."
"Maybe you're right." Katara looked back. Toph was holding onto the saddle so hard, her knuckles were turning white. She was the only one left on Appa's back, her eyes staring blankly at the ground.
"Besides," Aang added. "We won't even have to see her parents if we can help it. It's Toph library too. We're just going to look around an hopefully leave before they know we're here."
"Yeah." Sokka scoffed. "Because we're sooo good at stealth."
"INTRUDERS!" A deep gruff voice yelled and suddenly, a rock the size of a dog smashed into Sokka, knocking him down.
"Ow!"
It was so quick Percy wasn't even sure how it happened later, but Toph was on the ground and had pulled a guard out of the bushes with earth bending and encases him in an earth prison, holding his legs and hands tightly closed.
"INTRUDERS!" The man yelled again.
"Shut up!" Toph hissed, squeezing him tighter in the earth so that he had to gasp for air.
"This is the house of Beifong!" He gasped out. "You will not-" He stopped and inhaled sharply. "But... Lady Toph? Can it be? You look so different."
"Shut up." She commanded again and stepped closer. "Listen up, rock head. I am not the same Toph that used to live here, okay? I am not hiding who I am anymore which means I will literally kill you if my parents find out I'm here, got it?"
The man gulped, beads of sweat on his forehead, either from all the squeezing or he was just that afraid of Toph.
Some guard. Percy thought.
"But... But Toph." He said. "Your father... he has prizes out for even the smallest bit of information about your whereabouts. And your mother, she worries herself sick about you. They miss you."
Beside Percy, Katara winced. "Oh no..." She breathed.
"Liar." Toph whispered. "Liar!" She screamed, her voice on the edge of hysteria, she clenched her fist like she was going to hit him and suddenly, Aang landed lightly be her side.
He reached out and tried to touch her should but she shrugged him off.
"It's okay to be upset, Toph." He said quietly.
She turned away and took a deep breath to steady herself. The earth moved in response to her small hand movement, the mountain holding the guard grew, keeping him in place.
"Let's go." She muttered, but her voice was hard and steady as a rock. "I want to get out of here as soon as possible."
ANOTHER SHORT CHAPTER. I AM SORRY.