PERCY

I

SOKKA DRINKS CACTUS JUICE

PERCY JACKSON WAS CONFUSED.

Well, actually, that was the understatement of the century.

Percy Jackson had been confused three years ago, when his Math teacher had turned into an overgrown bat and tried to rip his throat out and drag him to the Underworld, all before lunchtime—and yes, that was still better than being forced to sit through one of her classes.

He'd been confused when his best friend, Grover, had been kidnapped by a blind cyclops who mistook him for a bride and almost cooked a fellow camper into human stew for their big night.

He'd been confused when that weird French teacher who was secretly a manticore tried to skewer him in the middle of the school dance, and his friend Annabeth went hurtling over the side of a gigantic cliff.

And, more recently, he'd been forced to fight his half-brother in an arena full of skulls. Oh, and that totally hot girl leading his freshman orientation was a winged, bloodsucking monster who wanted to kill him in the name of some ancient goddess. Was it crazy that the whole vampire thing somehow made her hotter?

Again, confusing. On a couple of different fronts, actually. Percy supposed that his childhood crush on Shego from Kim Possible had aftereffects he was just now discovering, though that was neither here nor there.

In the current moment, though, he wasn't confused anymore, no sir. He was so far beyond confused that he didn't even know what to call it.

Super-confused? Mega-confused? Super-duper-extra-mega-confused-with-cherries-on-top?

The last thing Percy could remember was fighting the dog monsters on Mt. St. Helens. The ones that were building some weapon, or something. He'd unleashed the full might of his power, felt the ground rumble, and shot so far into the sky that all he saw was white everywhere. It was almost like a 2000s music video, though, instead of hearing a catchy song, all Percy got to hear was the whistling noise of the sky and his own groans of pain.

The next thing he knew, he was waking up in the library, with that creepy owl thing towering over him.

At first, he thought it was a bad dream. Demigods tended to get those. With the goddess Athena's dislike of him, too, it seemed all the more fitting—creepy dreams were right up her alley.

Percy could see it now. He pictured Athena lounging on Olympus with her spear and rectangular shield lying beside her, rubbing her hands like a cartoony supervillain.

Oh, you're close to my daughter? Well, I don't like your Dad, so here's a gigantic owl monster with glowing runes and feathers that can cut steel. That'll teach you to sniff around my daughter, sea spawn!

All things considered, it wouldn't have been the weirdest dream he'd ever had, either—he'd dreamt of all kinds of weird, symbolic things before.

Once, in fifth grade, he'd dreamt of a talking horse that was running for mayor in a town full of candy people who liked to snowboard on gingerbread.

How's that for weird?

Too bad, as far as Percy could, everything around him was real. That, or he was in a really vivid coma. Or dead. That was also a possibility.

Katara—that was a weird name, sighed, and rubbed her temples. She'd been staring at the spot where that little kid had gone flying in the air. Because little kids could do that in this place. "We'd better start walking. We're the only people who know about the solar eclipse. We have to get that information to Ba Sing Se. It could change the tide of the war."

Ba Sing Se? That phrase sounded familiar, for some reason. Was that a rock band? A saying?

No—Percy remembered. The owl spirit had told him he was in a desert near Ba Sing Se when he'd first woken up, face down in his library, covered in monster goo and singe marks.

The other boy snorted as they began trudging across the sand. His top knot bobbed in as he walked. "You think if we dig out the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?"

"Fat chance," Percy spoke up. His eyes followed the divot in the sand where the kid had been standing a few moments ago. Even though he knew the answer, he figured it was worth asking. Maybe he'd be wrong! "Are you sure that kid's the Avatar? Like 100% sure? Is there any way he's just, like, some super-convincing phony who's been playing you guys this whole time?"

"Sorry man, but we're positive," The boy replied, sighing. The way he sighed made Percy think the freakout wasn't an isolated incident. Percy repressed a sigh of his own—he could see his chances of leaving this world physically dwindle in front of him, like icicles melting on a winter afternoon. "Aang is usually nice…most of the time. He's just a little on edge because Appa was taken."

Appa? The way the boy said the word, it sounded like he was saying Papa without the P. "Right. Appa. Is that…"

"Aang's flying bison," The boy supplied with a big smile as if that cleared everything up. He jutted his hand forward. "I'm Sokka, by the way. Thanks for the help in there. Your glowing sword was a perfect distraction. Bird Brain didn't know what hit him!"

Right, a flying bison. Because that was normal. With each passing second, Percy found himself hoping more and more that he just hit his head really hard somewhere along the way and that if he waited long enough, he'd wake up to Annabeth spoonfeeding him some ambrosia like good old times.

Or that he was dead. Just kidding! Kind of…

"Percy," Percy returned with a smile as he shook Sokka's hand. The smile faltered for a second as Sokka gave him a weird look and grabbed his forearm, instead. "Oh. Sorry. We, uh, do that a little differently where I'm from."

"No worries, sword guy," Sokka replied in an easy tone. Percy liked Sokka well enough. He had an easygoing personality, and his humor wasn't too far away from his own. Even if Percy thought Sokka could work on his timing. And his nicknames. "Where are you from, by the way?"

Percy exchanged a glance with Katara, who was looking at him intently. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away when Percy caught her gaze. He turned back to Sokka and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ha, uh, that's a long story. I'll tell you later. When we have some time to relax."

"Yeah, where you're from won't matter if we don't get out of this desert, and fast," Sokka agreed, taking Percy's answer in stride. He put his arms behind his neck and groaned. "Relaxing sounds good right now. When we get out of here, I'm getting an ice-cold lemonade and forgetting all about that owl. Oh, before I forget, why was that spirit so nice to you? You're not part owl or something, are you?"

"Nope, I don't have any feathers, and I like worms as much as the next guy, but, uh, I wish I had an answer for you, man. He just kept asking me all kinds of questions, and I answered some of them," Percy recalled, an uneasy frown forming on his face. He could still see Wan Shi Tong's glowing eyes boring into his. Owls had never looked so creepy before—and Percy had once seen an owl do one of those three-sixty-without-turning-its-body maneuvers before."He really liked learning new stuff. Like, way too much. In return, he gave me some clothes and some food."

It was kind of ironic that Percy gave knowledge to an owl intent on learning everything. In some weird twist of fate, if Athena ever found out about it, maybe she'd hate him less.

The chances of that happening were probably nonexistent…but Percy figured it was nice to dream about, anyway. He probably had a better chance of convincing Sokka he could fly.

Sokka nodded, placing his chin in his hands. After a few moments of thinking, he spoke up. "Wan Shi Tong's the spirit of knowledge, and he's just about learned everything there is to learn. So if you really did have some knowledge to give him, well, I guess that's why he was so chummy with you. Hey, what kind of food does an owl eat, anyway?"

Percy's expression darkened. "You don't want to know."

Indeed, Wan Shi Tong's hospitality hadn't been all that great, after all. Percy figured it was all well and good that the spirit didn't outright fight him, but a part of him honestly would've preferred that to what he went through, anyway.

The past few days, he'd hardly slept. The spirit didn't sleep, so he didn't have a bed, and Percy had been forced to thug it out on the ground, or in some of the chairs, so either his back or his neck got the short end of the stick no matter what.

He woke every morning feeling like an old man, and his body cracked and popped like a sheet of bubble wrap.

The food front wasn't great either. Sure, it was true that Wan Shi Tong offered Percy a wide variety of 'snacks' to choose from.

On the other hand, It was too bad that most of the snacks weren't that edible for humans—they consisted of nuts of all sorts, burnt-up rats, skeletons, and some weird kind of meat that tasted soapy, which somehow felt like a new personal low. This was coming from the guy who dropped a slice of pizza on the ground in the subway and still ate it, by the way.

Not that Percy could complain too much. After what happened on Mt. St. Helens, Percy had been left weakened, emaciated, and in dire need of a Coke. Even though staying with Wan Shi Tong had only partially helped on the first two fronts, it had still helped, which was preferable to nothing, Percy supposed.

He sighed wistfully. The Coke probably wasn't going to happen for a while.

"Not that I'm not grateful for the help," The little girl holding onto his arm said, breaking him out of his thoughts. She wrung her hand away from Percy's arm. "But I can walk just fine."

"Right, sorry. I'm Percy, nice to meet you," Percy said, holding his hand out for a few moments, before blinking, and pulling it back. The girl had milky eyes, a surefire indicator that she was blind.

Smooth, Jackson. Smooth. Maybe she wouldn't—

The girl smirked. How the heck did she notice that? "Did you just hold your hand out? You just held your hand out, didn't you?"

Percy cleared his throat, "No?"

"Right…" The girl trailed off, the same smirk still present on her face. She stuck a pose and pointed her thumb back at herself. "I'm Toph, but you can call me Queen Toph. I like feet rubs and back massages, and I'm the resident butt whooper and the leader of this ragtag group!"

Both Sokka and Katara echoed: "No she's not."

Toph stuck out her tongue and began walking behind them. Percy tried, and failed, to hide his surprise.

Okay…little kids with anger issues, flying bison, and blind girls who can actually kind of see. What a start.

The group walked in silence for a little while. Percy wondered if they had any idea where they were going, but figured it didn't even matter. He was in a brand new world—they could be leading him into a meat grinder for teenagers, for all he knew. He'd just roll with the punches and see where he landed.

Percy was good at that.

After ten or fifteen minutes, Katara walked alongside Percy. Her bright blue eyes crinkled as she smiled at him and said, "Sorry again about Aang. I know it's probably not the best first impression."

"No, it's, uh, fine," Percy managed, raising a hand to cover his eyes as a gust of wind sent sand flying toward them. The grains of sand burned against his skin. "Does he…is he like one of those midgets? Or is he actually just a little kid?"

"He's actually just a little kid. Well, technically, he's like 112 years old," Katara said, tapping her chin. One of the loops in her hair had come undone from their escape. It flopped in the wind. "He was frozen in ice for about a hundred years."

"Oh," Percy said lamely. A part of him wanted to ask more about that, but the part of him that was focused on getting back to his world outweighed it. It didn't matter if he was 112 years old or not, nor did it matter if he was frozen in ice or vacuum sealed like an action figure. All that mattered was that he'd be able to get Percy home. "Do you think he'll be able to help me once he comes back?"

"That's…not for me to answer," Katara replied slowly. Her tanned skin looked like it was glowing in the sunlight. There was a lingering unease in her voice that made Percy frown. Hastily, Katara added, "I–I don't know much about the Spirit World. What I do know, though is that Aang loves helping people! So if he can help you, he will. How old are you by the way?"

"Fifteen," Percy answered. "What about you?"

"Me too!" Katara returned with a bright smile. She stepped closer to him. "So, you must be ready to be a man now, right?"

"A man? Uh, for us, that's closer to eighteen."

"Eighteen! Wow, that's old. We do all kinds of things for our men when they turn sixteen. Does your home have any special rites or anything?"

"Not really. My mom usually bakes me some cake and we eat a lot of good food,"

Percy's mind was filled with images of blue cake, soda, and streamers. Birthdays were always a mixed bag for Percy.

He always claimed he didn't want his mom to do anything, but some of his fondest memories came from his birthdays.

When he was eleven, his mom dismissed him from school and took the day off work. They'd spent the whole day at the Central Park Zoo, walking around and looking at animal exhibits. All he got for his birthday that year was a cupcake and a crocodile mask, but it was the best day ever.

Things got a bit more complicated after the whole, you know, finding out his dad was a millennia-old god who controlled the seas, but he still loved spending his birthday with his mom.

A shard of ice formed in his chest, sending a chill down his spine despite the beating heat. He wouldn't get to have any of those birthdays again, if that Avatar kid didn't come back, and soon.

For a brief second, he felt like he could hear his mom's laugh echoing in his ears. An image of her seared into his brain, and he felt his heart start to beat a little faster. His fingers curled around Riptide. "It's…fun."

Katara seemed to pick up on his inner turmoil. She quickly changed the subject. "I turn sixteen soon. My tribe has this really cool custom for it, too. There's this cave on the edge of our tribe with crystals in the water, and you're only allowed to go to it on your sixteenth birthday."

Tribes? Percy felt like he was back in geography class. If he tried hard enough, he could almost feel the heater lulling him into a comfortable nap with a PBS documentary playing on a way-too-old TV. "What happens in there?"

"No idea. I'm excited, though," Katara answered, her smile still ever-present. Percy gave a smile of his own. He liked Katara, too. She'd been super nice to him so far. Everyone he'd met so far was great, besides the murderous spirit owl and Aang. Percy figured he'd cut him some slack, though. Appa seemed important to him. "Do you think you could show me your bending style later?"

"Bending style?" Percy asked before he remembered their conversation near the water fountain again. Percy tried to think. He couldn't remember anything specific he did to get the water to do what he wanted. It just kind of did whatever he needed it to do. "Oh. Right. I mean, I can show you, but it's kind of hard to explain. I don't bend the water like you do. I command it. It listens to me."

Katara's expression melted into a look of wide-eyed amazement, and Percy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. She'd probably lose her mind when she found out how water always revived him, gave him enough energy to run a marathon, and enough strength to lift a car.

Baby steps, Jackson, baby steps.

Katara eventually stammered, "That's so cool. Even my master Pakku doesn't have that kind of control, and he's been practicing for years. How does…how did…"

"It's kind of a long story," Percy said for the umpteenth time. "But when we get near some water, I'll show you. It'll be awesome."

"Unh," Sokka said from behind them, scowling as Toph bumped into him. "Can't you watch where you're…"

Toph raised a hand in front of her face. "No."

"Right, sorry."

Katara turned back to the two. Her eyebrows scrunched together, and she said, "Come on, guys, we've got to stick together."

"If I sweat anymore, I don't think stickin' together will be a problem," Toph groaned. Percy noticed the flushed redness on her pale skin.

He glanced between Sokka and Katara, next. They both had the same flush on their faces, but Percy felt fine, for some reason. He and Annabeth had gone way longer without water in the Sea of Monsters. Granted, he'd had bigger problems at the time, too, like being turned into a guinea pig.

Sokka animatedly dropped to his knees and began begging, "Katara, can I have some water?"

"Sokka…"

"Please?" Sokka pouted.

Percy watched the whole scene and hid a smile behind his hand. He could've sworn Sokka was older than Katara, but he wasn't acting like it. So far, Katara seemed much calmer. Much more level-headed.

Katara's stony expression crumbled, and she sighed. She waved her hands, and a stream of water slowly trickled out of what looked like a leather belt around her waist. "Okay, but we've got to try to conserve it."

"We're drinking your bending water? I—" Sokka's rant was cut off as the jet of water slammed into his mouth. He gulped and wiped his mouth. Then, much to Percy's amusement, he began smacking his lips back and forth. It sounded like he was kissing someone invisible. "You used this on the swamp guy! Ugh!"

"It does taste swampy," Toph agreed, smacking her lips, too.

Katara slowly put the water back in her belt and closed it. She didn't drink any of it herself, which wasn't lost on Percy. "I'm sorry, it's all we have."

"Not anymore," Sokka declared, pointing heroically in the distance. Percy followed his line of sight, but all he could see was a cactus. One of those big, pale green ones. "Look."

Katara sighed. "Sokka, wait, you shouldn't be eating strange plants."

"Yeah, dude," Percy butted in. Sokka didn't seem like he was listening. He'd already removed his boomerang from his back and was carefully slicing through the front of the cactus. "That doesn't seem smart."

"Ahh...but Percy…there's water trapped inside these."

Percy watched Sokka slice through the plant and greedily search through the base. He carved out some more of the cactus, in the shape of a bowl and began jostling it around. "I don't know…wait, let me—"

"No, this is mine!" Sokka said, slurping some greenish liquid that looked anything but appetizing. Percy frowned—he was going to try to purify the water for him. Sokka smiled widely, holding out the now-empty bowl. "It's very thirst-quenching, though."

"Can I get some of that?" Toph spoke up, holding out her hands.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Katara said, stepping away from Sokka, who was slightly foaming at the mouth and staring around them. "Sokka?"

"Since when did we get in the ocean?" Sokka giggled, diving headfirst into a mound of sand. He began rolling around, spreading more sand around him, and, at one point, even spitting sand out of his mouth. "Oh, these waves feel so warm!"

"Um…"

"Is that Appa?" Sokka said, his head jutting out of the sand. He was pointing his finger at Percy, and his eyes were wide and unblinking. A whimper tore out of Sokka's throat, and he began scampering toward Percy, crawling across the sand. "Appa! Appa! Get us out of here!"

"Dude, I'm Percy," Percy replied, waving his hands. Sokka continued staring at him, and Percy sighed. He helped Sokka up and pointed at the cactus. "Katara, can you do me a favor and get some more of that water?"

"But, Percy…"

"Just trust me," Percy urged her as he struggled to keep Sokka on his feet—not only was he still a bit weak, but Sokka was trying to go running in every direction, muttering nonsense about flying cats and rainbow puppies.

Katara came back with a refilled bowl of cactus juice and stared at Percy expectantly. She looked a little put out, too, like she'd been expecting better of Percy, for some reason. "You're not going to drink it, are you?"

"Not exactly," Percy said, scrunching his eyebrows and dipping his fingers into the cactus bowl. This could work. "Give me a second."

As his fingers touched the liquid, Percy's mind immediately recalled the time he'd dived off the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Sure, it had been kind of a suicidal move, but it was either take the plunge or get blowtorched by an oversized chihuahua and its mom.

It had also been the first time Percy learned about some of his powers beyond just feeling good after being doused by water. He'd learned that the water would protect him no matter what and that he carried the Sea with him at all times.

That little bit of Sea in him made all the difference. It stopped him from getting wet in water (unless he wanted to), and it also let him restore the purity of other things. Like, that cheeseburger from the vending machine that had been all soggy.

Up on Mt. St. Helens, it had allowed him to create his own water—enough of it to mix with the lava and cause an explosion, as well.

The memory triggered a reflex, a connection to the ancient power that flowed in his demigod veins. If he could make a volcano explode, purifying a little cactus juice would be a cakewalk, right?

"Percy…"

"Hold on, Katara."

He focused on the cactus juice, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

In his mind's eye, Percy saw the polluted water from St. Louis and the way it had transformed under his touch. Could he replicate that effect here?

He closed his eyes, drawing on the essence of his divine heritage, feeling the energy flow through him. His gut tugged uncontrollably, and he felt power build in his chest.

Percy opened his eyes, just as the roar of blood echoed in his ears. Slowly, the murky green of the cactus juice began to shift. Percy could sense the impurities, the earthy remnants of the plant, the possible contaminants dissolving away, like snowflakes melting on his fingertips.

The liquid began churning around Percy's fingers, frothing into greenish whitewater that was being tossed around like it was in a blender. Eventually, the green in the water began melting away as the liquid brightened, turning into a crystal-clear substance.

Percy withdrew his hand, revealing a bowl of cactus juice that looked entirely different. The once dubious mixture now sparkled, its color vibrant and inviting.

He handed the bowl back to Katara, a lopsided grin on his face. "There you go. Fresh cactus juice. Drink up, guys."

"You are the coolest waterbender I've ever met," Toph said as she downed the whole bowl and held it out. She stared at Katara, or well, tried to. To her credit, she was only off by a few yards. "Offense intended, Katara. Can I have some more?"

Percy smiled as Katara handed him another bowl of cactus juice to transform. "Sure."

Just as Percy was done purifying and giving the water to everyone, he went to drink his own bowl, when the winds around them shifted.

The kid from before, Aang, descended from the sky on his glider with a furrowed brow and a look of intense determination. The colorful fabric of his glider billowed around him as he landed in the desert sands, creating a stark contrast to the sunlit landscape.

"Aang!" Katara cried out happily, waving. "You're back!"

The gust of wind from his descent kicked up small whirlwinds of sand, adding an extra layer of drama to his arrival that almost made Percy roll his eyes.

Aang's eyes were narrowed in a focused glare. The tattoos on his shaved head—just why did a twelve-year-old have a blue tattoo on his head—seemed to glow as his glare intensified.

Aang trudged over to them. "He's not there."

Aang's every movement exuded an air of raw intent, and his clenched fists hinted at the internal struggle he was facing—one he probably was doing too well with, if his actions were any indication.

He looked about as distressed as Clarisse did when there weren't any more tacos left at camp on Taco Tuesdays. And that was saying something—the last time that happened, the entire pavilion had been thrashed, covered in mud, and all of the younger campers had been forcibly evacuated.

As he touched down in the desert, the sand beneath his feet shifted, disturbed by the force of his landing. Aang stood tall—well, as tall as twelve-year-olds could, his gaze fixed on some distant point, and the desert breeze ruffled his robes.

Percy watched Aang with a neutral expression, though his mind was racing. He'd gotten relatively good at reading people over time, and though he was no Annabeth, his danger sense was still refined enough to say good or bad.

And right now, it was screaming bad.

Aang's presence felt like a storm gathering on the horizon, promising both chaos and immense power. It was a feeling Percy knew well—the anticipation before a surge of water, the moment when a wave reached its peak and crashed upon the shore.

He just hoped Aang was feeling helpful.

"I'm sorry, Aang," Katara comforted the boy, shooting Percy a look that clearly said wait. She must've read his mind. "I know it's hard for you right now, but we need to focus on getting out of here."

"What's the difference?" Aang spat with a scowl. He kicked some sand up into the air. "We won't survive without Appa. We all know it."

Katara frowned. It looked like she had her limits, too. Percy still felt like she was a lot more patient than he would've been. "Come on, Aang. We can do this if we work together, right, Toph?"

Toph shrugged. She wiggled her toes in the sand. "As far as I can feel, we're trapped in a giant bowl of sand pudding. I got nothing."

Katara wheeled to her brother, who was still held up by Percy. "Sokka, any ideas how to find Ba Sing Se?"

Percy had to stop Sokka from falling as he giggled, "Why don't we ask the circle birds?"

"Ugh," Katara groaned, pressing her hands to her temple. "We're getting out of this desert, and we're going to do it together. Aang, get up. Everybody, hold hands. We can do this. We have to."

Percy held hands with everyone, even though it felt kind of weird. "Let's go, team!"

Lord Zeus, Hera, Hades—whoever is listening, please, please, let me be in a coma, Percy thought as the group argued behind him. I promise I'll never complain again! Even if your beard is kind of weird-looking!

To his disappointment, no thunder rolled across the sky. Percy sighed, a mixture of frustration and determination settling in his chest.

Fine, no divine intervention. He'd have to do this the mortal way. How hard could it be?

AN: Hello everyone! Thanks for the awesome response to the first chapter. Sorry for the delay in getting this second one out, but I actually went back and rewatched a lot of ATLA. I want to see if I can nail down some more of how the world feels while still extending it beyond the source material.

Like, I'm pretty sure there's no scene in the show talking about a glowing cave with crystals for Katara, but I thought it would be cool and somewhat in the tune of the show, so yeah…I'll probably be adding some more stuff like that where it's appropriate. Or cool.

Something I want to touch on is Percy's scaling…and yeah, he's going to be broken pretty fast. He's basically superhuman at this point in the story (he just fought Antaeus) and something I never considered is his aversion to fire. Namely, his invincibility to it.

Think about it. On Mt. St. Helens, he literally tanks lava being thrown at him. Obviously, it eventually hurts, so it isn't really invincibility per se, but you get what I mean. Fighting firebenders will be interesting, given that context.

Also, I'm taking some…liberties with his powers. As one reviewer asked, he will learn how to control the other aspects of his powers or implied powers, too. Don't you worry.

On that note…

In "The Lightning Thief," there is a scene where Percy touches a desiccated and old-looking cheeseburger in a vending machine, and it miraculously becomes fresh.

I'm chalking that up as a manifestation of Percy's ability to influence water. In this case, the cheeseburger likely contains some water content, and Percy's control over water allows him to restore its freshness. That's what he does with the cactus juice.

That's really all for now…I'll see you guys soon. Oh—and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. This is your present (haha)!