I do not own PJO or A:TLA

Chapter 23

Toph sat at Percy's feet and told him her story. About how her parents were embarrassed of her, that when they found out she was an earth bender, Toph's mother had wept and cursed the spirits for 'burdening their family with more troubles than they could bear'. She told him about how, when she would act up and try to be independent, her father would tie her to a chair and leave her alone for hours because she 'needed to learn how to stop doing things' by herself. She told him about running away multiple times, learning earth bending, learning to fight in underground rings and really running away with Aang. She told him about how she wrote to them at Katara's prompting and how they hadn't responded and how much that rebuff meant to her.

When she finished, she waited. Her hand had been resting on the ground the whole time, monitoring his heart rate, but it had remained steady while she talked.

He let out a long, slow whistle when she finished talking. The sound echoed and then softly died away. "Wow, Toph. I didn't know."

She shrugged. "It's hard to talk about my family problems with people like Zuko or Aang around. I mean, Aang's family is all dead and Zuko's dad... well, you know."

Percy lifted one shoulder, scraping it against the stone wall. "Yeah, I get it. There are people who will always seem to have it worse than us, but I don't think that means our stuff is... irrelevant or whatever."

Toph hesitated. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I do." Percy thought back to Luke and every other unclaimed demigod he had known back home. If someone had addressed their feelings of abandonment or hate, maybe the war wouldn't have happened. "I think it's important to talk about your feelings. Kinda just let it out and then let it go."

Toph did that laugh thing where she just blew air out of her nose. It wasn't a snort but it wasn't quite a laugh either.

They need to have a word for that kind of laugh. Percy thought.

"Aang's said the exact same thing." Toph said, shaking her head a little.

"Really?" That made Percy feel better. Talking to people was sometimes like throwing a rope in the dark. You don't know where they are or if they're even in trouble, you just throw and hope it helps. "It must be true then, That kid is wise." He waited a second before asking. "You don't mind talking to me?"

Toph cocked her head to one side. "No, Sea Legs. I guess I don't since I just spilled my whole tragic life story."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. You're different, you're like Aang but also not. You're open about what you've gone through, you don't try to hide it or anything."

Pride and humility mixed in Percy's chest. It made him feel warm. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, Zuko called them to come around the corner to where he had spread out on one of the desks to read.

"Hey, Toph, do you know why all this Fire Nation stuff is in here?" He asked when they went to see what he wanted.

"What?" Katara came around the corner. "I didn't see any Fire Nation stuff."

Zuko opened his arms to reveal books and scrolls and letters spilling out over top of each other. The Fire Nation insignia blazing on the front. Zuko dumped them on the desk with the others he had found.

"Oh no..." Sokka came around too picked one up to examine it. "Toph, did you know?"

Toph stood still, her cloudy eyes where unreadable and her small fists clenched. She walked over to Zuko and picked up a scroll and felt the wax seal that had the Fire Nation imprint on it. "Where did you find these?" She demanded, her eyebrows gathered darkly on her forehead.

"In a little separate back room."

"You're wrong."

"Toph, I-"

"NO! You don't understand, my parents might not be great people, but they hate the Fire Nation."

"Then why is all this stuff here?" Sokka asked. "It's okay, Toph. It's not your fault your parents support-"

"NO!" Screamed Toph. "They don't! You hear me? They don't!"

"Hey guys!" Aang glided over the tops of the bookshelves, knocking some of the hanging lamps back and forth. "Didn't you hear me calling? I found something!"

"What?" Everyone moved to Aang, momentarily forgetting about the BeiFong's betrayal to their countries. Everyone except Toph, who stood, holding on of the books and touching the front.

"Here it is!" Aang help up a single sheet of yellow paper that flopped down and looked like it would break away and turn into dust if you so much as looked at it wrong.

"That's it? It doesn't look like much."

"Well have you found anything."

"No, I guess not. What does it say?" Katara reached for the paper but Sokka beat her to it. He snatched the paper from Aang and scrutinized it. Making humming noises as he stroked his chin.

"Sokka! What does it say?" Katara asked, exasperated.

"It's just a sketch." He handed it off to Percy who glanced down at it.

"Yeah, it looks like a drakon... I think it's the Lydian Drakon?" Percy's fingers felt cold as he touched the drawing. He hated looking at it.

"We have dragons, or I mean, we used to have dragons here. A sketch doesn't prove anything."

"No, not a dragon, it's a drakon. They're different. Why don't you guys have dragons anymore?" Percy's ADHD hadn't caught onto the fact that everybody had cautiously looked at Zuko when Sokka mentioned dragons.

If looks could melt people, Percy would have been a puddle of rising steam.

"The Fire Nation killed them all."

"What? Why?"

Zuko glared again.

"You can tell me later."

"What's the difference between a drakon and a dragon?" Katara asked, looking at the picture.

Percy shrugged. "I think probably the major difference is the eyes... A drakon can paralyze you with their eyes... and they can shoot poison out of their mouths instead of fire..."

He took the picture back and looked at it sadly, thinking of his friend Silena Beauregard and how she had fought the drakon during the war so bravely.

He sighed deeply. "Where'd you even find this?"

Aang waved behind him. "It was crammed under a few huge books. I checked but that's the only thing that could be connected to your world."

"Someone's coming." Toph broke in to announce, her voice was rough and hallow.

"How many?" Sokka took his boomerang off his back. "I though that one guard had passed out from fear before, how'd he even get out?"

Toph shook her head. "It's not him. It's just one girl, she's not even very big."

"Let's go meet her!" Aang's face broke into a huge grin, his old optimism brightening the room.

He grabbed his staff and flew over the groups heads to get to the door. A cloud of dust rose and settled into everyone's eyes and throats.

"Aaaaaaaang." Katara whined while coughing and waving her hands in front of her face.

Percy had to laugh. "Let's go meet her!" He echoed Aang and started running through the shelves of books.

Before they turned the corner they heard Aang announce himself. "Hello! I'm Aang! Who are you?"

Percy was the first one to round the corner. He stopped so suddenly that Katara, who had been close at his heels, ran right into his back so forcefully that they both went crashing down to the ground. Toph didn't even have time to react before she tripped over Katara's flailing legs and joined the pile on the ground. Zuko, who had had to set all the papers down before joining the chase had a few seconds to stop. He teetered over the pile but caught his balance before Sokka rounded the corner, hopping on one foot, cradling the other, seething about his bad luck. He hopped right into Zuko and sent them both down next to everyone else.

Aang sat, perched safely on a desk, laughed a true, full belly laugh at the ridiculous picture of his friends on the floor. He threw back his head and held his stomach with one hand. He was laughing so hard he uncharacteristically didn't even help them all untangle.

Percy's face was flushed redder than one of Apollo's cows, apologizing repeatedly to a disgruntled Katara, trying to untangle himself by touching her as little as possible while an angry Toph got up and marched herself to the girl who stood on the last step on the staircase.

The girl was maybe fifteen or sixteen but only a few inches taller than Toph herself. She was wearing the same uniform as the guard in the courtyard, her short and stocky frame making it look quite official despite her young face and excitedly shinning eyes.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my library?" Toph demanded angrily.

"Lady Toph!" The girl squeaked. "Please! The guard outside said you had come home and I only wanted to meet you."

"Meet me?" Toph was momentarily taken aback. "Why?"

"Why?" The girl repeated in disbelief. "You're only the most famous earth bender to ever live! Your style, your techniques, are all truly legendary. There are rumors you've even bended the metal cage that held you captive. Is it true?"

Toph folded her arms smugly. "What do you think?"

The girls eyes traveled over to the destroyed library door lying on the ground. "I knew it." She whispered, her eyes shinning. "Every earth bending child wants to be you. We've all heard stories. The Great Toph Beifong! They say you're going to end the war... by helping the Avatar, of course." She smiled shyly at Aang, who grinned and waved.

"Geez, Toph." Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Why didn't you tell us you were famous?"

"Must have forgotten to mention it!" Toph snapped.

"I've been studying your earth bending techniques ever since I heard about you." The girl continued eagerly. "I walked around for a month with a blindfold on just so I could listen and feel the earth, like you always say."

"I do always say that." Toph admitted.

"It made my earth bending much more effective. My brother had almost given up on me becoming any good. After I was sure I was good enough, I applied for a job at your fathers house, hoping that when you came home a war hero, you would teach me more. Your father didn't really need much, so half the time I'm a maid for your mother and the other half I work as a guard with my brother."

"Looks like you got a little fanclub, Toph." Sokka smiled thinly, putting his boomerang away.

"I'm sure Toph would love to teach you," Aang said. "But we're kind of in the middle of a quest right now. In a couple weeks, when the war is over, maybe..."

"Please." The girl fell to her knees. "Let me help! I can help you!"

"How do we know we can trust you?" Zuko asked.

"I'm not lying." She said seriously. "My brother and I are loyal to the Beifong family."

The gang all looked at each other and shrugged. What could happen?

"We're looking for any information on Avatar Jinora or... gods."

"Gods?" The girl blinked. "I read a story about them... it wasn't a very nice story. Full of killing and revenge and hate."

Percy nodded. "That's them."

"Where did you read that story?" Katara asked excitedly.

"In here, of course." She looked around. "Why is this so important?"

"None of your business!" Sokka held up his hand. "Just show us where it is!"

"Okay, follow me." She got up from where she knelt and pushed her way through the group and started walking towards the back.

"Wait! You didn't tell us your name!" Katara ran up to walk beside her. "I'm Katara, by the way."

She smiled. "Oh, I know who you are. You're the girl that saved the Avatar from death when Princess Azulo shot him. You are filled with hope that inspires everyone you meet as well as endless courage."

"Oh," Katara looked flattered. "Well, I guess I did save Aang that one time."

"I'm Kat-lee." She smiled and bowed her head.

"Nice you meet you, Kat-lee." Katara smiled back.

"I'm Aang!" Aang danced in between the girls, vying for attention.

Kat-lee laughed softly. "Yes, you've already introduced yourself, Avatar. But everyone knows who you are. And that you're going to save the world."

"What about me?" Sokka asked, a cocky grin spread over his face.

"Oh yes! That Water Tribe boy that birthed the plan for the invasion on the Day of Black Sun! And wreaking havoc with your trusty boomerang and breaking young ladies hearts all over the world."

Her eyes sparkled with mirth as Sokka sputtered in protest over her description. "I didn't birth- I just thought- I didn't break anyone's heart!"

His discomfort was only heightened by Percy and Zuko snorting into their hands.

"And you..." Kat-lee continued, on a roll now and turning her head to look at Zuko. She cocked her head to the side. "You're quite the complex character, aren't you? The story of a boy who disowned his father and country to help that Avatar... and yet you ask me if I'm trusted."

Zuko cast his eyes to the ground. All the mirth was gone, sucked out of the air.

"Forgive me, I don't know who you are." Kat-lee said respectfully to Percy.

"Let's keep it that way." He replied smoothly and solemnly. He didn't like the what she had said to Zuko. Just because the guy was Fire Nation didn't mean he was a bad dude. He'd been nothing but nice to him since he got here. Percy hadn't realized the prejudice that existed here before now.

Kat-lee only narrowed her green eyes and nodded before turning back. They all arrived to a very large bookshelf in silence. Kat-lee reached up and pulled a very small, very yellow, very old scroll.

"Here it is! The story of the gods!"

Hellllllooooo everybody!

I had a plan for Kat-lee but as I was writing it I got another idea. Let's just see where this takes us? Haha!

On the other hand, I've become obsessed with Harry Potter fanfiction about the Marauders. I need mooooooore. If you have any recs, please send them!

I want to write one but I don't have any good ideas and this fic is #1 priority right now.

Anyways, thank you for reading! Please review!