PERCY

II

KATARA GIVES ME A CONCUSSION!

PERCY DIDN'T SLEEP WELL.

It could've been several things. No, really, it could have.

Starting with the most obvious thing, maybe it was the fact that they'd chosen a cave, of all things, to rest in. Percy didn't even know caves like this existed! It was the most stereotypical cave he'd ever seen in his life, like something straight out of a children's book.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling like monstrous teeth, and the air carried that unmistakable earthy scent that seemed to permeate every crevice. It smelled like those hippies he used to walk past on his way to Yancy—some weird mix of dirt, grass, and sweat.

Although, maybe the sweat smell was from him. Actually, that was probably it.

The ground was cold and dirty, there were creepy crawlies packed into every inch of dirt, and even though no one else believed him, Percy was sure he saw a monkey-bat-looking thing wave at him from deeper in the cave. He found himself hoping everyone else was right because he could've sworn he'd seen more than one.

On the other hand, putting the, uh, ambiance of the cave aside, maybe it was Toph's snoring that was keeping him awake. For such a little girl, she had a healthy set of lungs—and by healthy, Percy meant loud. Yeah, she had a loud set of lungs.

Maybe that wouldn't have meant as much coming from someone else, but Percy had shared a bunk with Tyson—his half-cyclops brother—before and somehow survived the experience, and he snored like a foghorn on one of those old-timey ships.

Toph had him beat by a large margin, though. She sounded like a monster truck with a blown muffler had a kid with a dragon who had a deviated septum. The snores sounded wet, too, and as a son of Poseidon, this was the first time Percy had been against wetness.

That, and the first time he'd met Mrs. O'Leary. She'd practically showered him in drool, snot, and the remains of what seemed like a very unfortunate squirrel. Given the amount of remains, though, it was probably a pack of squirrels.

Now, if that wasn't bad enough, Sokka seemed to have some kind of a condition that fell halfway between sleeptalking and sleepwalking. He was basically just awake but asleep at the same time.

It was mind-boggling.

Percy held his breath as Sokka stirred in his sleep, muttering a string of sentences that made no sense: Do you like platypus-bears? I think boomerangs are the coolest weapons. I miss you too, Suki—come give me a kiss!

Sokka latched onto Percy's arm and made kissing noises. A line of saliva dripped onto his fingers and Percy gagged.

"Sokka," Percy whispered furiously. He tried to keep his voice low—he didn't want to wake up everyone else. He poked the sleeping boy in the face. "Sokka, wake up!"

"Mm, Suki," Sokka groaned in his sleep, pressing his nose to Percy's arm and sniffing as hard as he could. "I love your new pomegranate perfume. Of course, I'll help you stretch before training!"

No one had ever told Percy he looked like a Suki but Sokka didn't seem to care. Percy pried Sokka off him and rolled to the right. Fighting off a fully asleep guy with a manbun hadn't been high up on Percy's bucket list, but figured none of this had been on it, so…

Finally, Aang slept while balancing on his staff, because he claimed the floor was cold. Now, that wasn't a problem in and of itself, but Percy could see him out of the corner of his eye, and the low visibility of the night made Aang look like a monster waiting to pounce.

Every single time Percy felt himself nod off, despite everything, he'd accidentally turn to his right and his instincts would force him awake.

That was just one of the benefits of being hunted by monsters for years—that, and a healthy distrust of poodles. They're the real monsters.

Percy tried to get comfortable again, and an unpleasant squelching noise exploded from under him. He felt around under his pants, and even though the only light in the cave was from the moon, he could make out a slimy substance wedged in between his fingers.

"Alright, I'm out of here," Percy whispered, hoisting himself off the ground and stumbling toward the entrance of the cave. His entire left foot was numb, and he almost lost his balance twice. "And my foot's asleep. This is great. So great."

Percy couldn't help but run his fingers along the rough surface as he walked, feeling the age and history embedded in every groove. Being forced into the world of Greek mythology had given him a healthy respect for old places, and even if it was just some stereotypical cave, something seemed noteworthy about it. Besides, he kind of needed the help balancing.

He had to be careful, though. The floor was uneven and marked with the imprints of countless creatures that had sought refuge here before them, and their bones would crunch beneath his footsteps if he wasn't careful.

Eventually, he made his way to the edge of the cave.

As Percy emerged from the cool shadows, he found himself standing on a natural balcony of sorts, a rocky overhang that overlooked the vast expanse of the desert just a few feet below. His shoes sank into the soft ground beneath him as he stepped over to the edge.

Quietly, he lifted himself on top of a heap of rocks and sat down, his legs dangling over the edge. Sand trailed down the cliffside as he sighed, "That's much better."

The night air was crisp. This wasn't that surprising to Percy—fun fact, the desert got cold at night, much colder than you'd expect. It was one of the only things he'd ever cared about in geography class.

Maybe it was because he thought it was kind of ironic. The same place that could scorch you like a chicken tender during the day could also turn you into an icicle at nighttime. Life was kind of funny like that.

"You'd love this, Mom," Percy found himself saying.

The scene in front of him looked like something straight out of a postcard. Right in front of him stretched the desert, an undulating sea of dunes that seemed to ripple under the enchantment of the moonlight. The dunes played tricks with the shadows, creating an otherworldly landscape that danced in shades of silver and indigo.

It stretched out, continually, like a sea of colors until it met the black and purple night sky. The stars glittered like diamonds scattered across a velvet canvas. Everything looked so much cleaner and clearer than anything he'd ever seen before, including Camp Half-Blood.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Percy ignored the quick jolt of terror that seized his body. He turned to see Katara standing behind him, her hands behind her back. A tired smile graced her face as she walked over to his side. "Can't sleep?"

"No. There's… a lot of stuff going on in there," Percy said lamely. He sighed and stared back out at the sky. A part of him wished it would just reach down, swallow him up, and poop him back out in New York. "You?"

"It's hard to sleep when there's a full moon," Katara murmured. She pointed at the moon. "My bending is always strongest during the full moon. It's hard to ignore."

"Your powers are tied with the moon?" Percy asked. Katara hummed in assent next to him. Even though she looked tired, something about her soft smile in the dim light looked oddly satisfying. "That makes sense, actually. The lunar cycles affect the tides, right? I think I remember something about that from science class."

"Yeah, they are. Powers is a funny way to describe bending," Katara giggled. Percy noticed she'd removed her braids from before. Her hair fell around her shoulders like waves of obsidian. She looked more relaxed. "You make it seem like they're unnatural."

"To me, they kind of are," Percy grinned. He patted the spot next to him. "You might as well take a seat if you're already out here."

"If you're offering," Katara replied kindly. She hoisted herself onto the rocks and settled in next to Percy. They sat in companionable silence for a few moments. "The moon holds so much power. It controls the tides and influences our bending. But sometimes, I feel like it's playing tricks on me," She turned to Percy, her blue eyes reflecting the moon's radiance. "It's beautiful, no doubt. But on nights like this, I feel like all it wants to do is keep me awake."

Katara moved a strand of her hair away from her face, her expression thoughtful. "Aang says it's probably some cosmic energy or spirit connection. Toph thinks I just need a better sleeping schedule. Sokka? Well, he thinks I should blame it on moon monsters."

"Moon monsters sound like a very serious problem, Katara," Percy admonished. They also sounded like candy—some kind of marshmallow-themed version of Animal Crackers. Percy ignored the grumble in his stomach. "Are you sure you don't want to check? I can come back with you and fight them off. I don't want the moon's power to bother you."

"I think I'm okay for now," Katara chuckled, a sound as melodic as a gentle stream. She gave Percy a sideways look, her eyes searching his face. "But really, Percy, it's more than just the power keeping me awake. I guess…it's kind of like the moon has a conversation with me. It tells stories of the water, of the world. And I can't help but listen, even when I should be sleeping. Waterbending, it's not just about the physical—it's about understanding the ebb and flow, the subtle dance of the moon and the tides. Even when that dance keeps me up past midnight." Katara's gaze returned to the moon, a wistful smile on her lips. "So, even if you weren't here, I still would be."

"Under the desert sky," Percy leaned back on the rocks. A lizard skittered between the cracks. "Staring at the moon."

"Under the desert sky, sharing a silent conversation with the moon," Katara corrected softly. "It's a Katara tradition, you could say. A monthly rendezvous with an old friend. Say, do your…powers follow the same cycle?"

Percy thought for a few moments as Katara hummed a song. The melody seemed to echo through the stillness of the night, carrying with it an inexplicable sense of both anticipation and foreboding.

It was a nice melody, for sure. You could throw a few synths and background vocals in it, and it could pass as an instrumental for a Taylor Swift song. Something about it in the dead of the night felt wrong, though.

Percy closed his eyes, allowing the haunting notes of Katara's song to weave through his thoughts. "I don't think so. I mean, maybe here it might, but back home, no. Not that I can remember. My power comes from inside of me, I guess. Outside factors don't really play a part."

"I guess that's fair. Do you like it?"

"What?" Percy asked, turning to face Katara. She was looking up at the stars, her eyes watery. Something about the conversation had changed. The easygoing vibe had been replaced by something more urgent. More hungry. "My power?"

"Well, no. Yes. I don't know," A soft sigh escaped Katara's lips. She raised a hand toward the moon. "I saw you control water effortlessly," Katara reminded him, her eyes never leaving the night sky. "It's like you and the elements understand each other."

Percy chuckled, a modest expression on his face. If there's one thing he'd learned, it was that he didn't understand water at all. "Not always. There were plenty of times I felt like I was drowning, uh, metaphorically speaking."

Katara turned to him, a glint of curiosity in her eyes. "Drowning? In what?"

"In expectations, in responsibilities," Percy confessed. It felt nice being able to vent to someone without the burden of them knowing who he was. "Being…who I am and having the power that I do, well, it comes with its own set of challenges. You probably wouldn't understand even if I told you, but trust me, I've felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders more times than I can count. Literally, in some cases. But then there were moments, moments where I felt the power, the strength of something greater than me. That's what honed my power. It didn't just happen overnight."

"I know you had to work for it…I'm not saying you didn't, it's just that it took me so long to just learn the basics. Even when I had that stupid waterbending scroll, Aang did all the moves before me," Katara's fingers curled into a fist. She glared at the moon like it was somehow its fault. If Artemis was around, she wouldn't have been too happy. "Then, when we went to the Northern Water Tribe, my master wouldn't even consider me as a student. I had to learn in secret and work twice as hard as everyone else just for a chance. My goal of becoming a waterbending master just kept getting farther and farther away, and, even though it's not your fault, you showed up and now, it's almost unreachable."

Katara said a lot of stuff that didn't make sense to Percy, but he'd learned enough about the world around him to at least read between the lines a little bit. He sat awkwardly in silence as Katara wiped at her eyes.

Eventually, he said, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Katara returned thickly. The night air carried the soft melody of a distant desert breeze, and Katara's eyes, still glistening, searched the constellations above. "It's silly, I know."

"That doesn't mean I'm not sorry," Percy held firm. "And it's not silly. It sounds like you've worked hard to get where you're at. There's nothing wrong with feeling like things are unfair. It just means that you care. I may not know a lot about where we are, or who you even are, but if there's one thing I can tell, it's that you care. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that."

Percy traced patterns in the sand with his fingers as Katara mulled over his words. He drew himself a smiley face and then gave it a pig's body. All that was missing now was a spear and some armor, and he'd have a sandy version of Clarisse.

"It's not just about the bending," Katara gazed into the distance. "When I was younger, my mom used to take me to a frozen lake by our house, and we'd throw rocks in it, to see if we could get it to crack. Sometimes, the water would ripple underneath it. She once told me that every move, every ripple, told a story, and that the cracks on the ice represented all the memories we made. So, when I found out I could bend the water, I didn't just want to do it to be powerful, I wanted to be a storyteller. I wanted to control the water for both of us."

There was a lingering sadness in her words. Her fingers traced the edges of her necklace. Percy placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "You'll get there someday. I know it."

"How?"

"I'll help," Percy offered. "I don't know how long I'm going to be stuck here, but while I'm here, I'll help."

"Really! Thank you so much!" Katara smiled, and the urgent energy from before melted. Percy regretted offering to help as Katara scrambled to her feet. "Can we start now?"

"Now? But it's the middle of the night—"

"Oh, come on, neither of us can sleep anyway!" Katara urged, grabbing Percy's hand. A spike of warmth bloomed in Percy's chest."And I'm at my strongest right now! Please? Please?"

"Fine, fine," Percy chuckled, allowing her to pull him up. They slid down the rock formation together, and Katara led him to a somewhat even area in the middle of the desert. "Wait, don't we have to conserve water?"

"I'll only use a little bit! Plus, there are cacti all around! You can just use your purifying trick again!" Katara continued, tugging his arm. "Okay! Teach me, Sifu!"

"What's a sifu?" Percy wondered aloud. "Like…seafood?"

"Sifu!" Katara said brightly. "Like, teacher! You're my teacher right now."

"Huh. Well, uh, okay," Percy said. Katara looked at him like he'd produced gold and dangled it in front of her. He cautioned, "I just don't want you to be disappointed if nothing happens, though."

"I won't be," Katara said, even though both of them knew she was lying. "Not one bit!"

Percy sighed. He just hoped Katara wouldn't be mad at him if the whole teaching thing didn't work out.

The only experience he had teaching people was at camp, and that was trying to teach some of the younger campers how to make macaroni necklaces.

And even then, things hadn't gone right. He accidentally bought rigatoni, and none of the kids were able to make necklaces because Mrs. O'Leary ate all the wire.

If he couldn't even do that, how in the world was he going to teach Katara how to be a better bender?

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Percy turned to face Katara, who was practically vibrating from excitement. "Hm…alright. Can you pull out just a bit of water for me?"

Katara eagerly moved her wrists, and a sliver of water floated out of the pouch on her belt.

Percy raised his hand closer to the water, and like there was a magnet in his fingertips, it gravitated off her fingertips and into his hand. "Okay, so, uh, I've never tried to explain this to anyone before, so I'm just going to tell you what I'm thinking."

In the cup of his hand, the stream of water rippled and shifted closer, smushing into a small sphere of water that pulsed with subdued energy. "Alright."

"So, as you can see, I'm just keeping it in a ball form. I've seen you do something like this before, but I think the difference here is that I don't use movements to do it. It just does it. Make sense so far?"

Katara nodded. Percy continued, "I guess the way I've always thought about it is that controlling water is more than just moving my hands and feet and whatnot; it's about exerting my will over something."

Katara was quiet for a moment. "Paaku did always say water was the element of change. Bending forms help with that. They're kind of like our way of guiding the water to do what we want without fully telling it what to do. Are you saying you just…actually, you did say you command it. Keep going, please."

The moon overhead cast a soft glow on the shifting sands, and Katara's eyes flickered with determination. Percy pressed on, "When I bend the water to my will, it's a declaration. I'm not guiding it to do something, I'm telling it what I want it to do. You mentioned the moon earlier, right? It gives you power, sure, but does it ask you if you want the power? No. It just gives you the power and you decide what to do with it. It's super weird to describe, but that's what you need to do with the water."

"Just tell it what to do," Katara mumbled, gently taking the ball of water into her own hands. "Okay. I can do that."

"Okay."

Katara looked sheepish. "How do I do that?"

Percy's lips twitched. She was more like Sokka than he originally gave her credit for. "Uh, let's see…you need to give it a purpose. That's the easiest way. Exerting your will seems a little vague, I guess, so try to do something basic with it. I know! Hit me with it."

"Hit you with the water?"

"Yeah!" Percy said. He backed up a little and gestured for her to try. "Punch me in the face with it. No bending, though. Pure willpower. If I see your hands move, it doesn't count."

"Okay," Katara returned uncertainly. "I'll try…"

Percy leaned back, a casual grin on his face as he awaited Katara's attempt. The moonlight played on the surface of the water. Katara took a deep breath, shifting her focus to the ball of water cradled in her palms.

Katara's eyes narrowed. Her eyebrows scrunched together. "Hit him with it. No bending. Pure willpower," she muttered to herself. Her fingers tightened around the sphere, and she stared intently at Percy, determination etched on her face.

The ball of water trembled, responding to the energy in Katara's hands, but it remained resolutely still. She furrowed her brows, frustration flickering across her features.

"Come on," She whispered, her voice a mix of impatience and determination. "Punch him!"

Percy watched her struggle, his grin replaced by a more encouraging expression. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel self-conscious. Half the reason he quit archery class was because people were being all judgemental about it. The other half was because he almost sniped Chiron in the tail. "You're close. Just think about what you want it to do. Picture it in your mind and let that willpower flow."

Katara nodded, her determination renewed. She took another breath and focused even harder. Beads of sweat formed on her eyebrows. The ball wavered, and for a moment, Percy thought he saw a spark of success in her eyes. However, the water remained steadfast in its spherical form, defying Katara's efforts.

"Maybe I'm not thinking hard enough," Katara muttered, her frustration growing. There was a throbbing vein on her forehead that was beginning to make itself known. "Okay, let me try again."

Percy watched as she closed her eyes as if shutting out the distractions around her. Well, since he was the only distraction around except for the occasional noise of a bird in the distance, he tried not to take offense.

He wasn't that distracting, right? Maybe a little distracting, but, like, in an average way. Average distracting. Like a traffic cone, or something. Actually, wait, those were above average in terms of distraction.

He was like somewhere between a pinecone and a stop sign. And a red light. Percy shook his head—being sleep-deprived for this long was making him delirious.

"Alright," Katara said, opening her eyes. The way she was standing, it looked like the moon was directly behind her. "I want you to feel this, Percy."

As the moonlight kissed her, Katara's normally calm and reflective eyes shimmered with power. The strands of her hair caught the silver light, creating a halo that framed her face.

The ball of water in her hands, though still and contained, appeared to hold a latent power. The silvery glow played on its surface, revealing subtle ripples that echoed the untapped energy within.

For a second, Percy believed she could actually do it.

The ball of water responded to the increased intensity in her voice, trembling once more. Percy could feel the energy in the air, a subtle tension building as Katara concentrated.

The birds stopped their calls. The wind stilled. The dunes of sand stopped shifting for a second. The desert night seemed to hold its breath.

With a sudden burst of willpower, Katara cried out, sending the ball of water hurtling towards Percy.

However, the water, instead of aiming for Percy, splashed harmlessly on the ground a few feet away.

Percy blinked, suppressing a laugh. "Nice try. It's not as easy as it looks, huh?"

Katara huffed, a mixture of exhaustion and determination in her eyes. "It's not supposed to be easy. Everyone could do it if it was easy."

Percy stepped closer, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. You'll get the hang of it. It just takes practice and a lot of patience."

Katara sighed, her frustration ebbing away as she looked at Percy. "You make it sound so simple."

"Simple? Nah," Percy chuckled. Katara managed a smile. "But you've got the basics down. The rest is just fine-tuning. And hey, it's only the middle of the night. We've got plenty of time to practice."

Katara nodded. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Percy. I want this done tonight."

Percy grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it. Let's try again."

Her second attempt missed again, but it was closer this time. The third attempt took even longer, but it splashed against him a little bit.

And, weirdly, Katara started getting worse after that. The subsequent attempts saw the water responding less to her will, as if the earlier success had been a fleeting glimpse of what could be.

That's when Percy had an idea.

And no, it wasn't a good idea. It was probably up there with his idea of playing pin-the-tail-on-the-pegasi with some of the dryads.

Based on what he'd seen of Katara so far, she was stubborn to a fault and she had a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas. If being nice wasn't going to work, he'd have to take an alternative approach to drag out the power he'd very clearly seen earlier.

He had to insult Katara.

It wasn't something he delighted in, but as he watched Katara continue to struggle with the exercise, he tried thinking back to the first time he'd ever done it.

Well, he'd always had the power inside of him, but it really hadn't manifested until his trip to the museum, way back in sixth grade.

The catalyst? Bullies. Nancy Bobofit had made the mistake of continually targeting Percy and Grover during the trip, constantly calling them names, stealing food, and just being an overall nuisance.

Fueled by frustration and anger, Percy unknowingly harnessed the power of water, turning a mundane fountain into a weapon that left Nancy drenched and defeated. Granted, it had also resulted in a fury trying to rip his throat out, but that was neither here nor there.

The pattern of bullies continued when Clarisse tried to dunk his head into a toilet on one of his first days in camp. Once again, the surge of power, the response of water to his intense emotions, manifested. And boy, was it great—everyone called Clarisse toilet-head (behind her back, of course) for months after that.

Reflecting on these early instances, a common thread emerged. Percy's connection with water wasn't born out of a desire for control or finesse; it was an instinctual response to injustice, a raw and powerful emotion that triggered his latent abilities. Water became his ally, a tool for defense against those who made him mad.

He didn't actively learn how to use it until way later. He needed to force Katara's emotions to decide for her.

"We should probably stop for the night," Percy spoke up abruptly. "I don't think you're going to get it tonight. Let's go skip some rocks on the dunes."

"No!" Katara said, the ball of water wavering in her hands. "I can. I will get it."

Percy sent up a silent prayer to the gods. Even if they weren't there anymore, the action still made him feel a little calmer about what he was about to do. "Katara, I just don't think you're cut out for it."

"Percy—"

"Aang might be," Percy interrupted her. Katara's left eye twitched. "I sensed a lot of power coming off him earlier. Plus, you said he got the other thing before you, right?"

"The waterbending scroll? Look, he did but I'm his master—"

"Well, guys are better than girls, so I think—"

Yep, that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The moonlight suddenly brightened—it seemed to linger on Katara as if urging her forward. Katara's eyes widened. Her nostrils flared. "What did you just say to me?"

"What? Guys are better than girls. I don't think that's a crazy statement."

PHWOOOM!

Percy didn't even get the chance to see what happened next. He just felt it.

Something slammed into him with the abruptness of a thunderclap. The impact sent him hurtling through the desert night, a human projectile amidst the vast expanse of shifting sands.

Is this what t-shirts feel like when they're shot out of those cannons?

Dunes rose and fell like ocean waves, their swirling forms creating a disorienting maze for Percy as he careened uncontrollably, blasting through the sand like a pinball.

KRACK!

Percy's breath hitched in his throat as an abrupt, searing pain exploded in his back. It was a jarring collision that sent shockwaves through his body, leaving him momentarily breathless.

The world blurred at the edges, and stars danced in his vision. A spray of sand erupted like a burst of fireworks, and Percy came up spluttering, a horrible taste like fish food and aluminum in his mouth.

Percy teetered on the edge of consciousness, the world around him fading in and out like a distant tide. Waves of darkness crashed against the shores of his awareness, threatening to pull him under.

In those lucid moments, the pain in his back roared to the forefront, forcing him to stay awake.

He could feel the grit of sand against his skin, the cool night air clinging to the sweat on his forehead.

"Percy!" The sounds of the night became a disjointed symphony—distant murmurs of wind, the soft shuffle of sand, and the echo of his labored breaths. Katara's voice floated above the noise. "Oh La, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"S'ok," Percy grinned as Katara swam into view. She bent down and helped him sit up. Her raven-colored hair scrunched into blonde curls. He mumbled deliriously, "I wanted to push you. I didn't know you were packing that much power."

"Okay, just hold tight. I'm going to heal you with our last bit of water!" Katara said, frantically, her fingers pressing into the side of his face and forcing his eyes open. "I need to take off your shirt. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Annabeth," Percy muttered. "I won't drool this time."

And, like that, everything went black.

AN: Another chapter down the hatch! I know there hasn't been much action yet but that's going to change next chapter. Plus, if you know me, you know I like these slower chapters to work a bit on how everyone feels.

Also, before the inevitable power-scaler-OP!Percy readers jump down my throat about Katara blasting him through the dunes, it makes perfect sense right now.

Percy is sleep-deprived, weakened from the volcano, malnourished from days with Wan Shi Tong, and he's not expecting Katara to pack that big of a punch. So…yeah! Take your complaints elsewhere.

Also, if you're reading this, thank Manke. He and I made a deal to both update our PJO/ATLA crossovers today, so Manke, here's my end of the bargain.

Also, UU TWO, I think you're right and I was misremembering what happened in the book. Either way, I guess it's fine 'cause I'm doing my own thing with Percy's powers and expanding them, but good catch, homie.

Also…I might have a new story coming soon. I guess you could say it'll be here…in a flash.

MWAHAHAH!

Anyway, that's all for now. Review for a cookie!

- Maroon