Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.
"Thoughts"
"Speaking"
This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)
Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.
XXxxxadisxxxXX: English is not my first language, I hope to improve with practice.
Third Person's Point of View
Percy returns for revenge after being tricked by the cunning twins and the victim of an assassination attempt... Again...
However, from the top of an airship high above the capital, the royal family watched the race intently from the air.
"Shit!" Jeong Jeong said as he used a pair of binoculars
"What's up, Jeong?" "New news?" asked the firelord, Iroh
"Well... Percy just fell for the oldest trick in the world, he didn't know the degree of stupidity that boy possesses"
"HAHAHAHA, did they use human excrement?" Iroh asked after letting out a laugh
"No, it seems to be from a Komodo judging by the quantity and color."
"Wow, the world has changed! In our time, human excrement was used because none of us fell for that old trick"
"But what kind of childhood you two had," Ijichi said incredulously, "Mr. Jeong, it should be a little more realistic. It's obvious that Percy will fall into all the traps, he's a capable young man but he still lacks experience"
"Do you think he can win?" Ozai asked skeptically
"I think he lacks self-confidence, but he still has a lot of potential and things to show us," Ijichi replied
"You seem to trust him a lot, Ijichi," Ozai said, flashing a dark smile. "How about a bet?"
"Quiet boys," said Iroh, "can we for once in our lives go a moment without arguing?"
"Don't worry, brother, it's just a friendly bet between two colleagues, isn't it?"
"Of course it is... What do you propose?" Ijichi asked
"Everyone bets on the person they think will win," Ozai replied. "If I win, I'll personally take care of the supervision of Igneous. What do you think?
"Igneous?" I apologise, Mr Ozai, but I cannot decide on that.
"I know," Ozai replied and turned to Iroh. "Brother, if I'm not mistaken, you personally entrusted Ijichi with the task of taking care of the island"
"No," replied Iroh, "will you have my permission for the island to be stationed?"
"Exactly!" Ozai answered, "and that you witness the bet, will you?"
"Who will be your champion, Mr. Ozai?" Ijichi asked
"One of the favorites," Ozai replied, "I mean the young man named Feng"
"Won't you bet on your own son?" Iroh asked
"Clearly not," Ozai said, confused and somewhat incredulous. "there is a problem with that?"
"Very well," said Iroh, "let the bet continue, you have my permission to take charge of the island." If you win obviously..."
"My lord, are you sure?" Ijichi asked, "The island is too valuable to be used in this foolish bet.
"What are you worried about?" Ozai said, "Didn't you just say that Percy has a lot of potential..."
Ijichi was silent for a moment, staring Iroh in the face, as if expressions could communicate without using words. Iroh nodded his head slightly, confidently, with faith and hope that Percy would be the winner of the tournament.
"Very well!" Ijichi said, "I'll bet on Percy and if I win, your mission will be to look for the criminal named Ratko. Is it clear to you?"
"As clear as water..."
The tense atmosphere was interrupted by Linlin's voice
"My Lords, excuse the interruption."
"What's the matter, young lady?" Iroh asked
"If you look out the window, you'll see some of the first competitors to hit the boats."
—|—|—|—|—|—|—
Meanwhile, still a few feet from the base of the mountain, Percy and a few other competitors are speeding toward the coast.
"Hey, how much are we going to get paid just to be here?" A soldier said
"I really don't know, they said they were going to be generous with the pay and all we have to do is get in Percy's way. Easy money," another mentioned while laughing
"Then somebody's going to pay them for delaying me," said Percy, surprising them. "Damn bastards, they sold me!"
"PERCY!" all the soldiers shouted in unison
With good reflexes and skills Percy managed to pass through the whole ball of participants with the sole objective of making him lose, dodging to the right, to the left and jumping some of them he was able to cross them completely and at full speed he hurried in the direction of the boats.
But later on, a handful of other competitors watched me approach them
"Shit!" Percy is moving, in front with speed!
"What?!""
"Hah... He's still trying to win, stop him! Hold back his movements! Don't let him go! Form a wall!"
"Guys." Percy said to himself at the shouts about stopping him "Do you really think that will work again?... Wretched ones!
He managed to violently cross the wall, knocking down the others without stopping
"Wait, Percy, you don't understand!" said someone on the floor.
"Fuck you" Percy replied without stopping, "All these pesky traps really have done it!... Guys want to get serious?! WELL, COME ON. I'm going to win this marathon no matter what!"
Finally he reached the boats and could feel the misfortune of his situation, his heart pounding furiously in his chest after he had run at full speed for miles to reaching the beach, the sweat soaking his clothes every step was a vital in the race against time, his feet pounding the hot sand with determination. The sun shone overhead as if noon was present, casting sparkles on the waves that gently crashed on the shore. He stopped suddenly, panting with effort, his gaze gliding swiftly across the beach, looking for a boat among the crowd of boats of the other participants. On the shore of the beach a solitary boat in perfect condition appeared and without wasting a second ran towards him.
With a nimble leap he launched himself on board, feeling the fresh wood under his hands, he looked around him when a sense of defeat ran through his whole being, his heart sank as he realized that more than half of the competitors were sailing towards the finish line quickly and were already far away, almost half the distance between the square and the great gates of Azulón, their tiny figures silhouetted against the glare of the setting sun.
The crowd on the beach cheered on the competitors who were relentlessly advancing to victory.
With no time to lose, Percy searched desperately at the bottom of the boat for an extra oar, but found only one, looking at the boats near his he noticed that they were all in need of an oar.
"Of course, it's a test," Percy said to himself, "firebenders can propel the boat short distances with their firebending, the distance is up to each master. BUT I'AM NOT A FIREBENDER!" Percy said but he screamed angrily at the end.
A sense of frustration and determination came over him. Defeat is not an option, not after he'd come this far and fallen for all those dirty and cheap tricks.
With a resigned sigh, Percy grabbed the oar and began rowing with all his might. Every stroke was an act of sheer will, propelling the boat forward with determination. The waves crashed against the small boat, challenging at every moment.
"This crap is going to break!" Percy exclaimed at how hard he was paddling
In the distance, he could see the other competitors getting closer and closer to the finish line as he fought against the current with a single paddle
However, Percy refused to give up, he closed his mouth and redoubled his efforts with determination, ignoring the burning in his arms and the fatigue. Each paddling was one more step towards my goal
Suddenly, the tranquility of the race was interrupted when the competitors in front and those leading the race began to fall one after another into aquatic traps.
"Sea mines?" Percy couldn't help but say in surprise, "Really?!... Jeong this time you went too far!"
That's right, sea mines hidden beneath the surface blew up the calm, throwing competitors into the sea in a cacophony of screams and splashes. The sea mines lacked the strength to kill anyone, at least not with a single explosion and if not they would faint if they were hit by one of the explosions, so they had to be careful even though the only purpose of the mines was to destroy the small boats of the participants. Some managed to dodge the explosions, skilled in their dexterity, while others were caught in the twisted nets that emerge from the water like the tentacles of a sea monster. At that moment, everyone slowed down, attentive to the beast's attack and ready to counterattack.
"And a damn giant squid, why not?" Percy said with a grunt, "this race is getting better and better
In the midst of the chaos, one of the competitors close to him took advantage of the confusion of the others in front of the aquatic traps to set his small boat on fire. Releasing a ferocious flame which only affected his oar. Flames danced on the surface of the water, threatening to engulf the entire boat in a hellish feast.
"Hey! It is forbidden to attack each other at this stage!" Percy said
"Look around you," the contestant replied, "no one is looking at us. I'm sorry, Percy, believe me, it's nothing personal"
With a deafening roar he shot out of the boat as fireballs slammed into the boat, with Percy falling into the sea with a resounding blow. The cold water enveloped him, stealing my breath as he sank into the murky depths. When he opened my eyes, time under the water seemed to stop and he looked around.
Some of the sea creatures were staring at him, but without making a movement, as if he was staring at me thinking what to do with him, he tried to rise to the surface, but nevertheless his legs did not respond and the oxygen ran out, in desperation he began to move his arms, but his efforts were in vain until I heard it... A high-pitched woman's voice with a sweet tone...
"Calm and breathe, the sea will always be on your side, Percy..."
Those sweet words rang in his head like a big bell having a huge effect on him, for some reason he believed in what he was saying and knew he was telling the truth so he immediately took a deep breath.
"Can I breathe underwater?!"
Surprised that he didn't drown, it was the only question that was circulating in his mind at that moment, which he expressed out loud before looking at the squids and they slowly moved away from him in search of the other competitors, as they moved away he could see all the sea mines placed in the water, They covered almost the entire journey to the gates of Azulón, so he had an idea.
"I hope this works" Percy think
Determinedly and having no idea how, Percy somehow managed to create a strong enough stream of water and he threw him in the direction of the mines. A huge explosion occurred on the surface as all the mines were activated, kicking up an enormous amount of water and destroying most of the boats present.
—|—|—|—|—|—|—
From atop the airship, the royal family watched intently as the sea mines exploded.
"What was that?" Ijichi said as he watched the huge explosion, "Jeong, how many mines did you put in that lake?"
"Just a few" Jeong replied, "enough to affect all the participants, but that was different, apparently they were all activated at the same time"
"And how do you explain that?!"
"I don't know," Jeong replied to Ijichi, "maybe the squids activated them but it's unlikely, they're only trained to attack moving boats."
"Are you sure?" Ijichi asked again, "because I don't see any movement!"
All those present looked attentively at the maritime path of the competition, staring at the sea in search of movement, long seconds that were perceived as an eternity.
"You killed them all, Jeong," Ozai said, dismayed at the madness of the aforementioned when preparing this year's competition
"Wait, wait, I think I see something," Iroh said, pointing with his hand to a specific spot near the great gates of Azulon" There's someone paddling"
Each of those present looked at the boat holding binoculars
"Who is it?" Ozai asked, worried about losing the bet. "Feng?"
"You missed Zuko," Iroh said scoldingly
"Shut up," Ozai replied. "This is still a competition and a gamble"
"You amaze me with your abilities as a father," Iroh said expressionlessly. "I'm sure Zuko is fine, you know, in case you're interested."
"I can tell who it is," Linlin said, "besides, it seems that the explosion eliminated most of the participants, destroyed their boats, and the navy began rescue maneuvers, pulling some who lost consciousness out of the water
"Who is it?!" They all asked at the same time
"Percy, my lord, it is your son who has taken the lead," Linlin replied
"Yeeeeesssss! " Ijichi shouted celebrating his close victory
"You damn brat!" Ozai replied furiously, "The bet is over until someone wins the entire tournament. Don't get excited, Ijichi!"
"I know, Mr. Ozai, but a small victory is the roots of the future champion. What do you think? A normal man, someone who is not a firebender managed to win such a race" Ijichi said, taunting Ozai, much to his fury. "If you want to accept your defeat now, I'll accept it"
"A win in the heats doesn't mean anything," Ozai replied, "the boy was lucky that the explosion eliminated most of the participants. A miracle. The real tournament is just beginning"
"What?" Ijichi said, "Don't you want to accept your mistake?... HAHAHAHAHA"
"Brother..." Ozai said, his fist ready to fire a powerful flame, "don't blame me for murdering your assistant"
"STOP! and it goes for both of us," Iroh exclaimed, "You said it's a friendly bet between colleagues?" Right, brother? So don't worry, I want to get off this thing without a fire in them"
"My lord," said Linlin, "I inform you that the first participant, your son, has already arrived at the great gates of Azulon"
"Great!" Iroh said "It's time to come down."
"We'll land in a few moments my lord, please take a seat, we'll take care of it. I'll bring you your tea"
—|—|—|—|—|—|—
Finally, after what for the green-eyed black-haired man was an eternity, he managed to reach the great gates of Azulón, the finish line of the race was in front of his eyes.
"Looks like I'm the first," Percy said as he looked around, "I didn't think my idea turned out so well. I just wanted to stun them some, I didn't think this was the result," he said in total surprise
"Congratulations Percy," Jackie said, surprising him.
"Jackie! What are you doing here? Percy asked, "I thought you were with Jeong and my father.
"Hahaha, Ijichi is covering for me and my sister asked me to wait here for the participants and I'll make sure I know the order in which they arrived."
"It was a surprise to see her here," Percy replied. "I thought that after she broke up with my brother she didn't want to come back here"
"You're right!" Jackie said, "but your father ordered her to come back and take care of a few things, including being the spokesperson for the tournament. But what the hell was that explosion, Percy?"
Frankly Percy didn't know how to answer, Jackie is a kind person and is his brother's best friend but as he was going to explain to him that he did waterbending to make the mines explode and if that wasn't enough that he can breathe and talk underwater, it's too strange and not believable, no matter how you look at it.
"I don't know," Percy replied
"Don't you know who caused it?"
"I don't... A squid was trying to hold me with its tentacles when the explosion started and it was a stroke of luck. I managed to get there before the others. It's possible that the mines were wrongly placed," Percy said, trying to deflect the subject
"Hum, I guess that makes sense," Jackie replied, thinking about it
"What kind of idiot is wrong to put in practice sea mines?"
"HAHAHA, it´s true!" laughed Percy as believable as possible
After being able to dodge the interrogation he looked around, in front of him was the monument of his adoptive grandfather, the fire lord Azulon, father of his father and Ozai. The gates, the outer barrier that protects the capital from external attacks, are strategically built between a strait of land. In the middle is the monument and on the sides two huge nets that can be engulfed in flames are anchored to checkpoints on either side of the strait. It turns out to be very useful and according to his father, during the war with the monsters he played an important role in the defense of the city, preventing the entry of enemy troops.
Looking back, multiple ships were approaching the two. Other participants who managed to survive safely with their boat to the explosion, unfortunately two of them correspond to the people that Percy really wanted to sink as a "sporting accident".
"PERCY!" Feng shouted as he disembarked "You damned cheater!"
Feng approached him, grabbed Percy firmly by the clothes with an angry expression on his face, which is normal for a person considering he was close to the explosion.
"The punishment for cheaters is death!"
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