Ch 24 Sozins comet part 1
Olivier stood against a wall, with a scowl on her face. She watched as Zuko and Aang practiced their fire bending. Looking at her watch, she grimaced. The comet was coming real soon. She didn't have an exact date, but she knew it was coming real quick.
Olivier watched as Zuko left Aang to his own devices.
"Zuko's right. Sitting around the house has made us lazy. But I know just the thing. Beach party!" Sokka exclaimed, and dove into the water.
Olivier curled her hands in anger. These kids were fooling around, when the comet could arrive within a week! They needed to spend as much time preparing for it as possible.
Hearing an explosion, she ran outside and saw Zuko chasing Aang, throwing fire blasts at him.
"What's going on?" Katara asked.
"Zuko's gone crazy! I made this sand sculpture of Suki, and he destroyed it! Oh, and he's attacking Aang." Sokka said, adding the last part.
"Probably for a good reason." Olivier said.
"What makes you say that?" Katara asked.
"All of you are lazing around. Have you forgotten about the comet?" Olivier asked.
Everyone ran to the beach house and found Zuko lying on the ground, with Aang next to him.
"What's wrong with you? You could have hurt Aang." Katara said.
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with all of you? How can you all sit around having beach parties when Sozin's comet is only 3 days away?" Zuko angrily asked.
Everyone, sans Olivier, looked at Zuko.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zuko asked.
"About that, I was going to wait to fight the fire lord until after it came." Aang said.
"After?" Zuko asked, shocked.
"I'm not ready. I need more time to master fire bending." Aang said.
"Frankly, your earth bending could use some work too." Toph added.
"So you all knew Aang was going to wait?" Zuko asked.
"If Aang attempts to fight the fire lord right now, he's going to lose." Sokka said. "No offense."
"The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the Comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the War, but they pretty much won the War when they took Ba Sing Se. Things can't get any worse." Katara said.
Olivier thought it was a good plan. If you can't fight your opponent in the present, wait until a moment arises. But Zuko said something next that shot her thought down in flames.
"You're wrong. It's about to get worse than any of you can possibly imagine. The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about for so many years. My father had finally accepted me back. But he had a plan to use the comet's power to burn the earth kingdom to the ground. Nothing can stop him except the Avatar." Zuko said.
Everyone was in shock at the plan. Even though Olivier had been thru Father's plan to create a giant philosopher stone and usurp God, this plan was still horrifying.
"Listen. I know you're scared. But if you don't defeat the fire lord before the comet comes, there will be no world to save." Zuko warned.
Zuko trained Aang on lighting redirection, made up by his uncle and emphasized a point.
"You'll have to take the fire lord's life before he takes yours." Zuko said.
"Yeah. I'll just do that." Aang said, albeit uncomfortable.
That afternoon, a training sequence commenced. Toph took part of the fire lord and everyone else moved to attack her.
Olivier ran with Sokka and Suki and confronted several statues of fire nation soldiers. Olivier pulled out her sword and cut the statues into pieces. They continued running when a boulder fell near them. Olivier grabbed Sokka and yanked him aside, while Suki jumped overhead.
"Watch it, Toph!" Sokka shouted.
"I'm not Toph, I'm the melon lord!" Toph boasted, clearly enjoying her part.
Olivier watched as Zuko and Katara dodged another boulder and destroyed more dummy soldiers.
"Now Aang!" Sokka shouted.
Aang jumped from a hiding place and prepared to strike the water melon posing as the fire lord, but stopped inches from contact.
"What are you waiting for? Take him out!" Zuko shouted.
"I can't." Aang said.
"If this was the real deal, you'd be throat full of lightning right now." Sokka said, making a cutting motion with his own hand.
"It just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself." Aang said.
Disgusted, Olivier pulled out her sword and sliced the water melon open.
"That's how it's done." Sokka said to a wincing Aang.
Olivier picked up a part of the water melon and started eating it.
Later that night as everyone ate, Katara came with news.
"I have a surprise, everyone." Katara said.
"I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!" Toph said, smiling. Everyone else looked at her strangly.
"No." Katara said, weirded out by her friend. "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic, and found this."
Katara unrolled a scroll which showed a baby.
"Look at baby Zuko. Isn't he cute?" She asked.
"That's not me. That's my father." Zuko said.
"But he's so sweet and innocent." Suki said.
"That innocent kid grew up to be a monster, and the worst of all fathers." Zuko said.
Aang argued with the group about what they should do. Everyone was advocating that Aang kill the fire lord. Even Olivier agreed with them. But Aang wanted to avoid killing him.
"Aang, the fire lord will kill you, unless you kill him. Can't you see that? Do you honestly want to end this war?" Olivier asked.
"Yeah I do!" Aang shouted.
"Then do what is necessary. Take out the fire lord. If not, he will win the war." Olivier said.
Aang angrily stormed away.
"Pathetic. He's not gonna survive the fight with the fire lord." Olivier said.
Next morning, Aang was nowhere to be found. They searched everywhere and found nothing.
"Judging by the looks of your faces you didn't find him." Sokka said.
"It's like he just disappeared." Zuko said.
"Has anyone else noticed that Mom's missing?" Toph asked.
Sokka than went hysterical.
"Oh no. I knew it was a matter of time. Appa ate Momo!" he shouted, then went inside the Bison's mouth.
Olivier would have found it funny, but the situation was way too dark and serious right now.
"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka. Aang is gone, and the comet is only two days away!" Zuko said.
"What should we do, Zuko?" Katara asked.
"I don't know. Why are you all looking at me?" Zuko asked.
"Well you are the expert at tracking Aang." Sokka said.
"Yeah. If anyone has experience hunting the Avatar, it's you." Toph said.
"Get on the Bison. I'll steer." Zuko said.
Sokka voiced Olivier's thoughts, hell he voiced everyone's thoughts.
"Zuko, I don't wanna tell you how to do your job, but why are we heading towards the Earth Kingdom? There's no way Aang's there."
"Just trust me." Zuko said.
They landed in the earth kingdom and approached a tavern. Why'd they come here so far away from the fire nation?
"And the reason you brought us to a seedy earth kingdom tavern is what now?" Katara asked.
"June." Zuko said, pointing to women fighting other thugs.