I do not own PJO or A:TLA

Chapter 22

Toph led the group around to the back of the house and across the courtyard. The light was almost gone now but nobody mentioned it. A few crickets and frogs began to croak out their songs in the tall grass next to a koi pond where a few brightly coloured fish swam peacefully.

It really was a nice place, Percy thought. Toph's parents were rich.

"We're here." She announced.

"How do you-?" Percy began to ask but was cut off as Toph opened the ground to reveal a staircase lit with torches.

"Right. Earth bender."

Toph walked into the tunnel and started descending the steps. It was cool and dark, save for the flickering torches. It was obvious the tunnel was still used a lot. There was no dust on the well-worn steps or the handrails.

Aang and Zuko helped light the way with fire bending, looking carefully at the art work on the walls.

The stonework that made the steps was impeccable. A very skilled earth bender must have spent a lot of time crafting the tunnel.

"Why didn't you say anything about this library sooner?" Sokka asked, his voice echoed down the dark tunnel.

"I didn't think of it." Toph shrugged. "It's not like I spent a lot of time down here when I lived with my parents."

"Right..."

They continued on but soon the staircase ended and they were met with a big metal door.

"This is new." Toph said softly, as she stroked the door curiously.

"Great." Percy put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. "We came all this way to be stopped by a big, metal door. Don't suppose you have a key?"

Sokka laughed softly and folded his arms while Toph continued touching the door. Then, she swung her arm and ripped the door clean off it's hinges. It swung out of the way and hit the ground with a mighty crash, dust flying upwards in curling clouds.

Percy stood, mouth hanging open, still leaning against the wall. "Did she just-"

"Yup."

"But she's-"

"Uh huh."

"I don't understand."

"None of us do!" Sokka said, grinning. "We figure metal is kind of like a sub-element only some earth benders can bend, like how only some water benders can heal and some fire benders can produce lightning."

"So... people can... metal bend?"

"Well, so far only Toph can. She invented it."

"Wicked." Percy shoved off the wall and followed everyone else into the library. He was amazed again and again by this mouthy, blind, twelve year old. Who could also move huge metal doors with one swing of her small arms. He honestly shouldn't be surprised anymore but he was.

The library was huge. There were green lanterns hanging from the ceiling, lighting up the room in some weird, foreboding looking haze. The book cases were all made of stone, as were the few desks and chairs and massive, crackling fireplace on the other side of the room.

It wasn't a cozy place and Aang was sneezing in seconds. "This place doesn't look evil at all." He said.

Katara giggled behind her hand. "I wonder who designed this place. Probably the same guys that did Long Feng's place, all cozy and home-like."

Aang sneezed again, raising a small cloud of dust from the ground.

Katara coughed and waved her hands. "New rule, no air bending down here."

Aang saluted and puffed out his chest like he was addressing a general. "You won't get a puff of air out of me!"

Katara picked up a book and sneezed, the dust rose and blew into Aang's face, who airbended it away.

"Whoops, sorry Katara."

He and Katara started giggling again, much to the dismay of Sokka, who was trying to plan.

"Okay, so everyone split up and find the oldest books you can, I think." Sokka said. "Look for anything about Percy's world and the gods or Avatar Jinora, since that's the Avatar they know about over there."

Everyone nodded and split up. Percy pulled a book off the shelf and snorted. He had a hard enough time reading English. No way he was going to decipher anything from all of these Asian looking marks.

Toph sat on one of the stone chairs and earth bended a foot stool for herself. She stretched out and put her hands behind her head. "I guess my job is done."

"Not quite yet." Zuko said from behind a bookshelf. "Why don't you and Percy go stand guard? You can alert us if anyone comes."

"Yeah." Aang jumped up on top of one of the bookshelves so that he could see Toph. "The fires all still lit down here. This place is obviously used quite a lot."

Toph spat viciously. "Jeez, I have to do everything around here."

"Not everything, just what you can." Zuko shot back. The fire in the fire place jumped slightly in response to his anger and he quickly reeled it in. He didn't want to accidentally burn anything down here.

Toph scoffed. "Careful, you're starting to sound like my mother!" But she hoisted herself off the chair and led Percy down an isle of books.

"This is basically hell." Percy said, looking up at the towering shelves. "I hate books."

"You don't even understand my hate for books." Toph sneered.

"Bet I do!" Percy taunted lightheartedly. He pulled a huge leather bound book off the shelf, causing a cloud of dust to come off with it, making him cough so much that his eyes started to water. "See? They're out to get me."

Toph laughed at his attempt at a joke. "They're just so pointless! I mean, there's no use for them!"

Aang's head appeared at the top of one of the shelves again and then disappeared as he jumped to see the pair. "We're using them now."

Katara sneezed violently somewhere close by. "Aang! I said no air bending!"

"Sorry Katara!"

Percy laughed softly. "I love your family."

"You don't even know my family." Toph said darkly. "And trust me, you wouldn't love them if you knew."

Percy shook his head. "No, not your parents. I mean these guys... Aang and Sokka and Zuko. Even Appa and Momo. Those guys are your family."

"But they're not my blood."

Percy shrugged and the book he was holding slipped out of his hands and hit the ground with a resounding thud. "Blood doesn't make family... Family is... anyone who has your back in a a fight or someone that will love you because of your flaws, not in spite of them."

Toph snorted. "Listen, I know you're some monster fighting, perfect, god child, but what could you know about family? You said yourself that you and your mom get along great and that Annabeth girl and you seem to be perfect. And your dad is a god. You wouldn't understand what it's like to have a family like mine."

"What do I know about family?" Percy slammed the book on the shelf roughly. That made him mad. People were always making assumptions about his life and his family and it wasn't fair. "Having a god as a dad doesn't really mean much if he's never around. I've met the guy like, four times in my entire life. I thought he was dead until I was twelve. My mom had to send me away to keep me safe, she had to marry an abusive jerk and, in the end, it still got her murdered by a monster right in front of my eyes."

"Murdered? But you said-"

"I got her back." He said thickly. "I made a deal with my uncle Hades, the god of the Underworld. Even then it was a trade, a business deal with him for my mom. And then when I finally thought I had a family at camp, he stabbed me in the back and tried to kill me. Trust me when I say I know about family. The good and the bad."

"I didn't know." Toph said quietly.

"No. You don't know." He was still mad, but suddenly Toph looked really, really small. He wished he could say something else that wouldn't sound so harsh. Sitting on the steps leading back up to the yard, he let the cooling, night air run over his back and ruffle his hair.

"So..." Toph broke the silence. "Do you think I need to talk to my parents? Katara thinks I need to reconcile with them or whatever."

"Well I think that depends." Percy ran his fingers through his hair. "What did they even do to make you hate them so much?"

"It's a long story."

Percy shrugged and motioned to the group flipping through book after book. "I think we got some time if you wanna talk about it."

I WROTE THIS IS IN ONE SITTING SO IF IT'S NOT VERY GOOD I'M SORRY.

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