N/A: Hello children of your esteemed mothers, Daddy JkAlex is back. And if you haven't been good, I'm going to start handing out spankings without regard to gender or age.
If you've been good, and if you've been good in this chapter by leaving me lots of comments, I'll upload a fan art of Percy with his characteristic and unique "Fire Stance" in the next chapter. It's up to you.
In other news, I've already watched the Netflix series of Avatar and I have to say I loved it. There were little details that didn't convince me in the end, but I loved the interpretation. And I must say that Zuko took all the limelight, he and uncle Iroh were my favorite characters and I loved the relationship they had in the series. Without a doubt, they were the best characters. Another interpretation that surprised me, but I liked, was Ozai's. They gave him a deeper and more realistic personality compared to the animated series, so I'll try to do justice to that version of Ozai, who, even though he's a villain, was more understandable why he did the things he did.
Anyway. Personally, I really liked the series. And it left me with high expectations for the second season, where our beloved and rude blind earthbender girl will appear.
The show inspired me to write this chapter, in which I will try to bring my own style to the world of Avatar. This chapter is, in my opinion, the first true crossover ever, where I implement things from the world of Percy Jackson (mythological monsters) and Avatar (predominantly Asian culture). I hope I got it right, but you will be the real judge of that.
Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, as this is a story translated from Spanish.
I hope you like it, and without further ado... Let's go!
Chapter 9
What Lurks in the Shadows-Part 2
Percy
Ever since Percy was a child, his father had told him stories of the Spirit World. A mystical and mysterious place inhabited by beings called spirits, creatures beyond human understanding that could provide protection and safety to those who respected and worshiped them. But they were also the cause of great destruction and tragedy if they were offended or harmed in any way.
In the past, spirits and humans lived in harmony thanks to the person known as the Avatar, who was the bridge between the Spirit World and the Mortal World. The Avatar was responsible for keeping the world in balance, either between humans and spirits or between humans themselves, because is the only one who could control water, earth, fire, and air. Some even said that the Avatar was a spirit made human.
And about 100 years ago, the Avatar disappeared.
His father had told him that the Fire Nation had caused that by starting a war with the Air Nomads. For the Avatar was a being capable of reincarnating into another being upon death. Like the seasons of the year, upon death, the Avatar was reincarnated as an inhabitant of the next nation following the cycle of water, earth, fire and air. When the previous Avatar, a Fire Nation man named Roku, died, it was learned that the next Avatar would be born among the Air Nomads, so the former Fire Lord Sozin orchestrated an attack against them with the intention of breaking the Avatar's cycle.
That was the story his father told him.
But at the Academy, he learned something else. His teachers taught him that the Avatar was the cause of so much of the world's misery. That because of their archaic traditions of worshiping and coexisting with the spirits, the people lived under their yoke, unable to progress and fend for themselves. And as the Fire Nation broke free of those bonds and began to prosper as a nation, casting aside the antiquated traditions of spirit worship and focusing instead on their growth as a nation, they wanted to share that same wealth and prosperity with the rest of the world. To teach them a better way.
When the Avatar Roku died, the cycle continued and the next Avatar would be reborn among the Air Nomads, who clung to the old ways that humans should worship and respect the spirits. And with the Avatar on their side, conflict with the Fire Nation's progressive advance was inevitable.
Regardless of what had actually happened in the past, one thing was undeniable: the Avatar was gone.
There had been no news of the Avatar's return for a hundred years, and everyone believed that the cycle had been broken and that the Avatar had vanished from the world, leaving the humans at the mercy of the spirits.
And now one of those spirits had kidnapped a ten-year-old boy.
Percy would be lying if he said he wasn't a little scared. How could he not be? All the stories his father had told him about the spirits were that if he was a bad boy, the spirits would come for him. Like the Kemurikage, dark spirits who came down from the mountains and kidnapped children who misbehaved. Or Koh, the Face Stealer, an evil spirit who stole people's faces if they showed a hint of emotion in his presence. How could he not be afraid if such beings existed?
He had grown up with these stories. He even remembered with some embarrassment that when he was six-years-old, a storm had ravaged the island of Shu Jin, and that night, Percy could have sworn he saw a dark and sinister silhouette in the corner of his room. The scream he let out then was so loud that it was heard over the thunder of the storm and woke Piandao and Fat. For the next few nights, Percy could not sleep, fearing that the Kemurikage had come for him because he had stolen Fat's cookies from the kitchen.
So it was no surprise that when one of the soldiers reported that the cause of the disappearances was the spirit of a monster, Percy felt a chill run through his body and his throat tighten. No one could blame him for hiding behind Zuko as they followed Azula to the site of the disappearance.
"Your Highness, I must insist that you remain in the Royal Palace," the soldier tried unsuccessfully to persuade Azula.
"Only cowards hide," Azula said.
"But we are dealing with an unknown and dangerous spirit."
Azula snorted, skepticism written all over her face.
"The spirit of a monster? Don't be ridiculous. That's impossible."
"That is what the soldier who was present when the child was taken claims."
"Then let's listen to this soldier."
When they arrived at the post house, the soldiers crowded around the place, forming a circle around the house and keeping the few civilians at bay, who looked curiously at the one soldier who was crouching, holding his head and muttering under his breath, though Percy could hear him.
"It wasn't human... It wasn't..."
Percy ignored the soldier's incoherent babbling as he turned his attention to Han, who was shouting at another soldier.
"What do you mean you can't look for my son?!" Han asked, the anger in his voice only seeming to be overshadowed by his disbelief.
"Mr. Han, please be understanding," he tried to calm a soldier who, judging by his different armor and the red cloth over his armor, was of a higher rank than any of the soldiers present.
"Understandable? You must understand, Captain Jiro! My son is missing, and you refuse to look for him!"
"We are sorry, sir. But right now, our priority is to get the citizens to safety. To make sure there will be no more abductions and to ensure the safety of everyone who is frightened. A search mission is impossible at this time with the number of soldiers I have at my disposal. We will search for your son, I promise you, but until then, please be patient."
"Patient?!" Han seemed on the verge of lashing out with his right hand as he approached the soldier, towering over him with his imposing height. "My son has been kidnapped! And you want me to be understanding and patient?!"
Captain Jiro stepped back, afraid of the imposing man, but did not stop trying to calm him down.
As he did so, Percy watched as Azula approached the soldier, who was crouched down, holding his head and muttering incomprehensibly.
"You, what happened here?" she demanded with authority.
The soldier raised his head and Percy recognized him as the same man who guarded the post house.
"Your Highness..." he murmured, "I... saw it..."
"What did you see?"
"What took Chao away."
"Then you saw the person responsible."
The soldier nodded shakily.
"It came out of the shadows and attacked Chao as he returned from a delivery. He dragged him into the shadows of that alley" the soldier pointed to one of the alleys with a shaking finger. "I went after him. I tried to stop him, but it was too late. This... thing, it disappeared into the darkness. Before it left, the last thing I saw was... was..."
"What?" Azula pressed impatiently.
The soldier looked at her, fear in his eyes.
"A monster."
"M-monster?" Ty Lee stammered, hiding behind Mai, who even looked a little scared.
"Don't be ridiculous, monsters don't exist," Azula dismissed with a wave of her hand.
"I can assure you this thing was not human, Your Highness," the soldier said. "It may have dressed like one of us, even had our complexion, but it was abnormally pale, and the skin on its face... was falling apart. Its flesh was rotting, like a corpse. Its white hair was long. And its fingernails were long like claws. I've never seen anything like it in my life... And I hope I never will again."
"Ji... Jiang Shi," Percy muttered, his eyes widening in recognition and fear.
Everyone turned to him in confusion.
"What?" asked Zuko.
"Jiang Shi," Percy repeated. "It's... a creature my dad told me stories about. A monster that looks like a man, but is not. It's an evil spirit that possesses the body of a dead person and uses it to kidnap people and... suck the life out of them."
Ty Lee looked even more frightened when he heard this and huddled closer to Mai, who also looked a little uncomfortable. The only ones who looked skeptical were Zuko and Azula.
"It's just a childish story to scare gullible children," Azula said before looking at the soldier with disgust, "And a story used as an excuse to hide the incompetence."
Azula snorted before turning and walking away. Ty Lee and Mai watched her go and, after a few seconds of hesitation, followed her, leaving Percy and Zuko alone with the grieving soldier.
Feeling his curiosity get the better of him, Percy walked over to the alley the soldier had pointed out.
"Huh? Hey, Perseus, where are you going...?!" Zuko asked, following him.
When they both arrived, they realized that it was just an alley in the middle of two houses, at the end of the alley was another house, blocking the exit or an escape route. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the place, just a couple of garbage cans.
"This is where the soldier said Chao disappeared, isn't it?" Zuko asked, looking around the alley. "I don't see anything strange."
Percy was about to leave when he noticed something. There, at the end of the alley, he could see something strange on the ground.
"Hey, what's that?" he asked.
As he got closer, he saw that it was simply the silhouette of the treads of a pair of boots, but it wasn't that that caught his attention, it was the material the treads were made of. Looking closer, he recognized the dark, rough material.
"It's... sand," he said, running it through his fingers. "Volcanic sand."
"Well, we live in the middle of a dormant volcano," Zuko said.
"Yes, but volcanic sand is only found on beaches, streams or lakes. And the only lake here that has volcanic sand is... Lake the Queen."
Zuko shrugged in disinterest.
"Maybe one of the people who lived in these two houses went there" he looked at the two houses on either side. "Hey, what's that?"
Percy turned to see Zuko pointing at one of the roofs. There, more than ten feet up, he saw some linear marks carved into the tiles, and in the middle of them he could see some threads hanging down. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were not threads, but hair. Long strands of white hair.
"What did you say about Jiang Shi?" asked Zuko. "Long nails and white hair? Don't you think it's possible...?"
"That a Jiang Shi is the one who took Chao," Percy finished. "We must tell the soldiers."
It didn't take long for them to pick up a soldier and take him back to the alley to present the evidence they had found. Perhaps the fact that Zuko was present made the soldier feel the need to listen to him, though his response was not what Percy expected.
"Look, guys, I appreciate you wanting to help," the soldier said with a sigh. "But this is a serious matter. Five people are missing, and we can't act on the assumptions of myths and legends that a child heard as horror stories."
Percy frowned at the soldier's dismissal.
"At least send a group of soldiers to investigate the lake!" he suggested.
The soldier shook his head.
"We don't have enough soldiers to start a search right now. Our priority is to ensure the safety of the civilians. Go to your homes. You will be safe there until we find the culprit."
The soldier walked away, leaving Percy and Zuko alone in the alley.
"He's right, you know." Zuko said.
"Yeah, I know, but..." Percy turned over his shoulder to look at the marks on the ceiling, along with the tufts of white hair. "I have a strange feeling about this. There's something... strange about all of this. My instincts tell me so. And dad always told me to listen to my instincts, on and off the battlefield."
Zuko looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"And what are you going to do?"
"I have a plan."
"This is a terrible plan," Zuko said.
Night had already fallen when they slipped between the houses and made their way to Lake the Queen under the cover of darkness, guided by the moonlight high in the sky.
"You complain, but you followed me anyway," Percy said, looking around the corner of the house toward the lake, where he saw a pair of soldiers standing guard.
"That's because you're going to do something stupid and someone's going to have to stop you."
"Something stupid like this?"
Percy grabbed a rock the size of his fist and threw it across the road, causing a clatter that drew the attention of the two guards, who quickly went to investigate.
"Now's our chance!" Percy whispered, coming out of hiding and heading towards the lake.
"What? Perseus, wait...!" Zuko called and followed him.
They both approached the lake shore, where Percy could see the same black volcanic sand he had seen in the alley where Chao had disappeared. They were careful not to make any noise and to move as stealthily as possible. Percy did not want to alert the Jiang Shi or any creature responsible for the abductions.
As he advanced, he looked around, feeling his heart pounding and, to be honest, a little scared.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Zuko asked.
Percy shrugged.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Anything suspicious."
"Aside from two people walking along the shore of the lake at night?" asked a new voice.
In the future, Percy would not deny the high-pitched scream of fear he let out when he heard someone speak behind him. What he would deny was that his first reaction was to hug Zuko in fear instead of drawing his sword.
For a second, Percy thought the soldiers had returned and discovered them, but when he turned around, he saw Azula, Mai and Ty Lee.
"Oh, my apologies, did I scare you?" Azula asked with a grin.
"Scared me? Pff, of course not" Percy replied.
"And why are you hugging Zuko?" asked Ty Lee with a chuckle.
Percy looked at Zuko, who watched him with annoyance, before turning away.
"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked, looking at the three girls with annoyance.
"Isn't it obvious, brother?" Azula asked. "I'm stopping you from doing something stupid."
"I am not doing anything stupid. I'm stopping him from doing it," Zuko pointed at Percy.
"Hey, I just refused to stand by while the soldiers did nothing," Percy defended himself. "I told them to at least investigate the footprints."
"Footprints?" Mai asked curiously.
"Percy found some footprints in the alley where the boy disappeared," Zuko explained. "There were traces of volcanic sand in the footprints. And this is the only place in the city where they are."
"I told the soldiers to investigate, but they ignored me," Percy said with a shrug. "So I decided to come."
"And you thought it was wise to investigate on your own while there's a kidnapper in town?" Azula asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"That's why I came with Zuko," he said, pointing at him.
Azula rolled her eyes.
"Please. Zuzu can't even protect himself from a mom turtle duck attacking him."
"Hey, that was years ago!" he complained.
"A turtle duck? Really, Zuko?" Percy asked amused.
"I was twelve-years-old!" then he added in a low voice. "And believe it or not, they bite pretty hard..."
Percy let out a snort, but when Zuko turned to look at him in annoyance, he passed it off as a coughing fit.
"So..." Percy looked at the three girls, "Since you're here, do you want to help us? We could use the extra help. It would help us cover more ground."
"Sure!" Ty Lee immediately agreed. "Sounds like fun."
"Finding a kidnapper is not my idea of fun," Mai commented, sounding unsure.
"What do you say, Azula?" Ty Lee turned to look at her. "It sounds interesting. Like a mission to fight crime in the city!"
"Only you would find something as mundane as that interesting, Ty Lee," Azula said, rolling her eyes.
"Do you consider helping someone mundane?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I see it as below the level of royalty such as myself. Everyone has a role to play in this world. Maintaining the order and safety of the populace is the role of a soldier, not a royalty like myself."
"So basically you're saying you're going to sit on your ass and do nothing while your people suffer."
Azula's eyes narrowed in annoyance as she looked at him.
Percy threw up his hands in resignation, annoyed at Azula's condescending attitude.
"Look, if you don't want to be here, then leave. It's obvious you don't care. Just don't rat us out to the soldiers."
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and continued walking along the beach, looking for some kind of clue.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Zuko followed him, which made Percy smile slightly. At least one of the two royal siblings was willing to do something to help his people and not just stand by and watch. Percy expected Azula to turn around and leave the lake, but he certainly didn't expect them to follow. Ty Lee and Mai soon followed.
"Wasn't that beneath royalty like you?" Percy asked, turning to look at her with a grin.
Azula looked at him as if she wanted to set him on fire.
"Don't get the wrong idea, commoner," she said. "Father always says that if you want to do something right, you have to do it yourself. If I find this kidnapper, I'll prove to him that I'm more than capable of taking on more responsibility."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever helps you sleep, fire girl."
The irritation was clear in Azula's eyes, but she just snorted in disgust.
Together, the five of them began to look for anything strange around the lake. They had to be as discreet as possible, as they didn't want to attract the attention of the soldiers patrolling the area. Although it proved to be a bit difficult as Ty Lee pointed out anything that looked suspicious to her, such as a set of large rocks that she said were stacked in a suspicious way, or a strange reflection seen in the lake from a certain spot.
"For the last time, Ty Lee, there is nothing strange about the lake," Azula said, sounding annoyed.
"I don't see anything either," Percy agreed, looking around the lake for anything out of the ordinary.
"Then you're not looking at it from the right place," Ty Lee replied. "Come stand over here and look exactly where I'm pointing."
Percy and Azula walked over to where Ty Lee said and looked at the spot on the lake where she was pointing. Their faces were right next to each other, their cheeks touching, but they could not see what Ty Lee claimed to see. That's when they became aware of their proximity, glanced sideways at each other and then turned away, as if the mere contact burned them.
"Did you see it?" Ty Lee asked.
"There is nothing there," Azula declared, crossing her arms and turning her back to them.
Ty Lee puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and then looked at Percy.
"Perseus, you saw it, didn't you?"
"No" He shook his head. "I didn't see anything."
Ty Lee muttered under her breath and continued to stare at the lake, convinced that something was there.
"Perseus, this is pointless," Zuko said, approaching them and sighing wearily. "We've been searching the entire lakeshore for almost an hour and we haven't found anything. Maybe we should go back..."
"Guys, I think I found something!" Mai called.
The four of them turned and walked quickly towards her.
Their search had brought them to the nearest part of the lake, at the edge of the volcano's crater, which towered dozens of feet above them. Mai was standing where the lake met the outermost part of the volcano, pointing to a prominent rock ledge that prevented them from moving forward. When they got closer and looked closer, they all saw a crevice between the rocks. One big enough for someone to walk across.
"There too," Mai added.
She pointed to the patch of sand before they reached the crevice, where a pair of footprints could be seen heading towards the crevice. The strange thing was that the footprints were parallel to each other and did not move forward as if the person was walking, but as if they were jumping to move forward.
"That is suspicious," Azula commented, looking at the footprints and the crevice in the rock. "Good work, Mai. You always had a good eye."
Mai nodded with a small smile, flattered by the praise.
The crevice in the rock was wide enough for a grown person to pass through, even though it looked dark, and a cold air blew from inside.
"Does anyone else sense something... ominous from there?" Ty Lee asked, peering uneasily into the crevice.
Percy was comforted that he wasn't the only one sensing something strange coming from the cave.
Azula, showing no fear, stepped forward and created a fireball in her hand, illuminating the crevice in the rock and showing that it was much deeper than it appeared, as if it were a passageway.
"Let's find out what's in here," she said, going in first.
The others quickly followed, and with the help of Zuko, who created another fireball, the path became much more visible.
As they went deeper, they could see that the passageway was longer than they had expected, getting wider and wider until the three of them could easily walk side by side. They could also see the same footsteps in the sand with the same pattern, although they were gradually becoming invisible due to the fog that was beginning to fill the place. After almost a minute of walking, the passage opened into a cave large enough to hold a small house. Several stone pillars supported a ceiling with several stalactites, some so long that they almost touched the ground.
"Wow..." said Ty Lee, his voice echoing throughout the cave. She smiled when she heard it. "Eehh Oohh!"
Eehh Oohh...
Her echo echoed louder throughout the place.
"Ty Lee, don't do that," Mai reprimanded.
"But someone might react."
Her suspicion seemed to be right when another echo was heard throughout the cave, though it sounded a bit unusual. It sounded more like a chant than someone's voice.
"Did you hear that? Someone must be here!" Ty Lee put her hands over her mouth. "Hello?! Is anyone here?!"
The only answer she got was the echo of her own voice.
"You must be imagining things, Ty Lee," Azula said.
"I'm sure I heard something," she insisted, frowning thoughtfully before opening her eyes in realization and putting her hands over her mouth again. "Eehh Oohh!"
"Ty Lee..." Mai spoke, looking uncertain.
"Shh! Listen."
Surprisingly, she received an answer when the same unusual chant was heard again, almost like a call.
"Let's go!" Ty Lee urged and stepped into the cave.
The others looked at each other in uncertainty, but followed Ty Lee anyway, with Azula and Zuko leading the way. After dodging several pillars and more prominent stalactites, the group of five reached the deepest part of the cave, where the floor ended abruptly, giving way to a pool of water.
"A cenote," Azula said.
"A what?" asked Percy.
"It is a water well-formed by the seepage of water from the ceiling, which dissolves the rock. They take years to form and are much deeper than they look. Didn't they teach you that at the Academy?"
Percy shrugged.
"I fell asleep in most of the classes."
"That explains how ignorant you are."
"And the fact that you know such things proves that you're a smartass."
Percy and Azula looked at each other in annoyance, but their discussion was interrupted by Ty Lee's exclamation.
"There!" She pointed.
On a rock jutting out of the water sat a creature. It had a bulky green body and four fins. A line of dark barbs ran down its spine from its head to the tip of its tail.
"It is an... iguana seal," Mai confirmed.
"Was that what was making that strange sound?" Percy asked.
"Yes," Azula replied. "Iguana seals have a unique call among animals, almost like a chant. The sailors of old thought it was the song of a mermaid."
"Smartass..." Percy taunted, earning an annoyed look from Azula.
The iguana seal opened its mouth and let out a strange sound that echoed throughout the cave, it was the same sound they had heard before.
"Oh, it has such a beautiful voice," Ty Lee said, putting her hands to the sides of her mouth. "Eehh Oohh!"
The iguana seal slapped its front flippers as if clapping its hands.
'You have a nice voice!'
Percy's eyes widened in shock. He could swear he heard... a voice. He looked around the cave, but there was no one there but them and the iguana seal.
"Ty Lee, don't goad the animal," Azula scolded.
The iguana seal opened its mouth and sang its strange call again before jumping off the rock and diving into the water.
"Well... the concert's over," Percy said, looking at the spot where the iguana seal had dived. "We'd better keep looking. There's something strange about this place."
Percy didn't know why, but the cave gave him an eerie feeling. The whole place was dark and creepy. His instincts told him to be alert, so he did just that. As he followed Zuko, his eyes were on the lookout for anything strange, and his hand never left the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
"What is that?" Zuko spoke, squinting his eyes as he looked ahead.
They advanced quickly and when the fire illuminated what lay ahead, both of them opened their eyes in surprise. There, at the foot of one of the huge pillars supporting the cave, lay the limp body of a human. Zuko gasped as he saw the state of the man. His body was withered and decrepit. Bones were clearly visible beneath his skin.
"He is dead," Percy said grimly, examining him closely.
"Is he... one of the missing?" Zuko asked.
"Maybe... I don't know."
"Perseus! Zuko!" They heard Ty Lee calling to them. "Over here!"
They both left the body and quickly went to where Ty Lee, Azula and Mai were investigating another part of the cave. When they arrived, they saw that they had found four more people. Percy and Zuko recognized one of them, sitting at the foot of a pillar.
"Chao!"
"He is alive," Mai reported. "All four are, but unconscious."
"This confirms it," Azula said, using the fireball in her hands to peer into the cave. "This is where the kidnapper takes the victims. The real question is... Why?"
Kneeling before the unconscious kid, Percy looked at him closely. He was still breathing, a good sign. But what caught his attention were the marks on his neck. They were two bleeding spots, as if something with fangs had bitten him there.
With growing panic, Percy checked the necks of the other three people, a man and two women. They had the same marks on their necks, as if something had bitten them.
"The kidnapper brought them... to feed," Percy said in a shaking voice.
"Feed?" Azula raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"The Jiang Shi. It brings people to this place to feed on them. That's what it does."
Azula rolled her eyes.
"Please, don't tell me you still believe that soldier's nonsense?"
"It's true! We have to get these people out of here before... Azula, behind you!"
Everyone turned in alarm as a silhouette emerged from the darkness behind Azula. She turned and watched in horror as the figure lunged at her with a ferocious growl, but she was pushed to the ground by Zuko in time to avoid the attack. Both siblings quickly stood up and created another fireball in their hands, hoping to see the attacker. And when they did, a gasp escaped their mouths.
There, in the darkness of the dimly lit cave, stood a tall figure. It was dressed like any other citizen of the Fire Nation, but it was anything but ordinary. Its skin was a sickly gray, with parts of it falling apart to reveal rotting flesh. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and it had protruding fangs in its mouth that seemed to be constantly open. Its hair was long and white. And it had unusually long, sharp fingernails that seemed capable of tearing through flesh.
"Oh... shit," Percy muttered, his eyes widening in fear as he recognized the creature, "It's the Jiang Shi!"
"Jiang... Shi?" Azula spoke, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You're telling me that thing... Is it a spirit?"
"Move!"
The Jiang Shi lunged at the two siblings again, jumping at them with one bound. Both of them dodged just in time to avoid the monster's long claws, which dug into the ground and trapped it.
"We have to get out of here!" Percy yelled.
"What about the people?!" asked Ty Lee. "We can't leave them with that thing!"
"You and Mai get them out of here. We'll stop the Jiang Shi."
"But..."
"Do it!"
Percy unsheathed his sword just as the Jiang Shi lifted its claws from the ground and turned to look at them. Its malevolent eyes immediately turned to the source of light in the cave, which was Azula and Zuko. With a snarl, the monster took a huge leap, closing the distance between them and extending its claws to impale them. But Percy stepped between them, using his sword to stop Jiang Shi's claws.
"You two, split up!" he shouted at Zuko and Azula, stopping the monster's advance.
Azula and Zuko quickly separated, still holding the fireball to illuminate the cave. Percy gritted his teeth as the Jian Shi tried to overpower him, showing surprising strength, but he stood his ground. His heart pounded in his chest and a shiver ran down his spine as the monster approached and growled right in his face.
"Dude, your mouth stinks," Percy said, gagging as he smelled the foul breath coming from its mouth. "Don't you ever rinse it out after every meal?"
The Jiang Shi roared again, its echo echoing throughout the cave.
"I'll take that as a no."
With a grunt of effort, Percy pushed the monster back before swinging his sword straight at its neck. The blade made contact with the Jiang Shi's pale skin, but it didn't cut it or even hurt it a little. At that moment, Percy cursed himself for using a dull sword.
The Jiang Shi attacked again, lunging at him with a leap, but a fireball hit it and sent it flying. Percy turned to see Azula in a firebending stance, her fist smoking.
"Uh... thanks," Percy said.
"Save your thanks for when we're done with this monster," she said, not taking her eyes off Jiang Shi as she took her firebending stance.
The monster stood upright in a supernatural manner, without even using its arms, and glared at them viciously. Its yellow eyes glowed in the darkness as a hiss escaped from its mouth.
"So, what's the plan?" Percy asked, assuming his fire stance, which was very similar to Azula's.
"Aren't you the spirit expert?" she asked.
"I only heard about this particular spirit when dad scolded me for coming home late and said that the Jiang Shi would kidnap me for wandering the streets at night. I don't know how to kill it."
"Tch. You're as useful as a politician in a battle."
"You two, stop fighting!" Zuko spat, "Here it comes!"
The three stood guard as the Jiang Shi lunged at them with a mighty leap, its claws ready to impale them. Azula and Zuko stepped aside to avoid him, but Percy struck his sword with its claws, stopping it. But the Jiang Shi did not try to overwhelm him with its strength, using its claws with the intention of cutting him, swinging them wildly as if they were a weapon. Percy did a good job of defending himself with his sword, parrying or dodging its attacks, but the poor visibility in the cave made it difficult. Ducking under one of Jiang Shi's attacks, he attempted a thrust at heart level, but the blade didn't even pierce its skin, much to Percy's frustration.
'Its bodies are as hard as stone,' he thought, recoiling, 'What was it dad said about the Jiang Shi? They would jump forward because their bodies were as stiff as a corpse... Could that be the reason why its body is so stiff? It doesn't help that I use a dull sword.'
As the Jiang Shi jumped again, Azula and Zuko sent fireballs at it, which struck the monster and knocked it to the ground, but to the siblings' surprise, it quickly got up and used its claws to deflect the following attacks.
"Use more power, Zuko!" Azula yelled at her brother.
"I'm doing it!" He replied, sending fireballs that were dissipated by the monster's claws.
With a loud, unearthly growl, the Jiang Shi lunged at them, dodging a fireball. Percy watched as Azula and Zuko performed the same moves in unison, sending a fireball that merged into one and struck the monster, which, despite covering itself with its claws, was still struck and sent away. The Jiang Shi jerked to the ground amidst cries of pain, and when it stood up, its arms showed great signs of burning.
'The fire... It works!' Percy deduced.
"Guys, I have a plan!" He said, "The fire seems to be affecting it! I'll distract it and create an opening for you to attack. When I tell you, roast that bastard!"
"Perseus, are you sure?" Zuko asked.
"Of course not! But just do it!"
When the Jiang Shi jumped again, Percy didn't wait around. He jumped as well, meeting the monster in midair and slashing his sword into its claws, knocking it backwards. When they landed, Percy didn't hold back and attacked the Jiang Shi with everything he had. His body seemed to act on its own as he dodged the monster's claws and used his sword to strike at different parts of its body. The dull blade failed to pierce its skin, but the force of the blow still managed to affect him, judging by the monster's grunts of pain.
Percy ducked as the Jiang Shi tried to strike him in the head and saw his chance. He drew back his sword and then attacked, delivering a thrust right into the monster's open mouth. The Jiang Shi didn't expect such an attack and went still as the sword lodged in its mouth, a moment when Percy took the opportunity to position himself behind the monster, grabbing its wrists and bringing them behind its back, leaving its body completely exposed.
"Now!" he shouted.
Zuko and Azula looked at each other and nodded. Again, they performed the same firebending moves before sending a line of fire from their fists, which combined into a powerful blast that went straight at the Jiang Shi. As the fire made contact with its body, the monster screamed in pain and began to flail around in an attempt to free itself, but its efforts were in vain. Percy had an iron grip on Jiang Shi as the flames ate away at its body. Despite being so close to such intense fire, Percy felt no discomfort beyond the intense heat, even as the flames licked at his forearms.
After almost a minute, the fire finally stopped and Percy let go of Jiang Shi, who fell face first to the ground, his body still engulfed in flames.
"Is it... is it over?" asked Zuko, gasping.
Percy kicked the monster, but it didn't respond.
"I think so," he said, grabbing his sword and sheathing it.
"That was a reckless and stupid plan," Azula said.
"But it worked, didn't it?"
Azula looked at the Jiang Shi's and watched as the flames consumed its body.
"I guess so..."
She then looked at Percy and narrowed her eyes in curiosity when she saw that despite being so close to such intense fire, he didn't even show any signs of burning.
"Let's get out of here," Zuko said.
The three of them started to leave. Zuko and Azula created another fireball to light the way and headed for the exit.
"Hey, we make a great team, don't we?" Percy asked.
"Don't get used to it," Azula said. "This was a one-time thing."
"Oh, come on! You have to admit, it was kind of cool."
Azula gave him a sideways glance before looking ahead with a small smile on her lips.
"Maybe..."
A comfortable silence fell between the three of them as they made their way through the dark cave, arriving at the cenote where they had seen the iguana seal.
"Zuko..." Azula spoke somewhat hesitantly, drawing her brother's attention. "What you did when that spirit attacked me from behind... Why did you do that?"
Zuko looked at her sideways.
"I always thought you were the smart one between the two of us."
"Don't be evasive and answer me! Why did you save me?"
"Because you're my sister. Isn't that enough?"
Azula's eyes widened as she heard him, as if she hadn't expected that answer.
Behind them, Percy couldn't help but smile. That's how he saw a family, people who supported each other even when they had their differences. It was what his father had always taught him.
At that moment, a strange noise caught his attention. He turned to see a figure approaching out of the darkness. His eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the Jiang Shi, its body completely burned, but it still managed to rush towards them.
"Watch out!" he shouted.
Percy and Azula managed to dodge it just in time, but Zuko wasn't as quick to react. The Jiang Shi managed to grab his shoulders and knock him to the ground. The two struggled as the monster brought its face close to Zuko's neck and opened its mouth to bite him.
"Zuko!"
Percy's body reacted before his brain could process it, and he lunged at the Jiang Shi with the intention of pulling it away from Zuko. He succeeded, but he and the monster fell into the cenote with a loud splash.
Percy heard the screams of Zuko and Azula, but everything sounded far away as he and the Jiang Shi sank deeper and deeper. The two began to struggle underwater, the monster trying to claw at him and him preventing it by grabbing its wrists. Percy looked directly into the creepy, charred face of the Jiang Shi, which opened its mouth and, before he could do anything, snapped its jaws tightly around his neck, sinking its fangs in. Expecting the sharp pain of being bitten, Percy was surprised when not only did he feel nothing, but the monster recoiled in pain, its fangs completely shattered.
Surprised but desperate to get rid of the monster, Percy shoved it by the chest, and it was sent crashing into the cave wall with surprising force, leaving a huge crack in it. Acting on instinct, Percy reached out his hand in the direction of the Jiang Shi and began to flex his fingers. The water immediately began to swirl wildly around the monster, who flailed in a vain attempt to free itself as the water began to condense into a sphere, trapping it. Then the water began to solidify, and when it was finished, the Jiang Shi was completely trapped in an ice ball.
When Percy fully flexed his fingers and clenched his hand into a fist, the sphere began to crack bit by bit until it finally broke into a thousand pieces and slowly dissolved, along with the pieces of the Jiang Shi's body.
Percy floated in the water, unable to believe what had happened. He put his hand to his neck and saw that there was no wound, not even a drop of blood, even though the Jiang Shi had bitten him there.
'What... What happened?' he thought, feeling dazed, 'I'm sure it bit me.'
He couldn't think any further when he heard Zuko's cries through the water, calling to him from the surface.
"Perseus! Perseus, get out of there!" He yelled.
"Zuko, let's go!" Azula said. "We have to get out of here before that thing comes back!"
"No! I'm not leaving him!"
"Why do you care so much? He's just a commoner!"
"He's my friend!"
Percy opened his eyes in surprise. It was the first time Zuko had ever called him that.
Looking over his shoulder at the ice debris where the Jiang Shi had been and confirming that it was indeed dead, Percy swam to the surface and when he emerged, he surprised Zuko and Azula.
"Perseus!" yelled Zuko, who grabbed him and helped him up.
"What happened to the Jiang Shi?" Azula asked, watching for the monster to emerge from the water as well.
"It's dead," Percy said.
"What?" Azula turned to look at him. "You... You killed a spirit? How?"
"I... I cut off its head with my sword" he lied.
"But you couldn't even cut it off before."
"I guess... the way its body was burned, it was weaker."
Azula narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but seemed to accept his explanation when she nodded.
"Are you out of your mind?" Zuko asked, frowning at Percy. "Why did you do it?! Why did you risk it like that?!"
Percy turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"You said it yourself, hotman, you're my friend. That's all I need."
Zuko clearly wasn't expecting that answer, judging by the confused look on his face.
Then they heard the sound of people approaching. The three of them turned to see Ty Lee and Mai leading a group of soldiers using torches and fireballs to light up the cave.
"Guys, are you okay?!" Ty Lee asked as she approached them.
"Where is the Jiang Shi?" Mai asked, looking around carefully.
"It's dead," said Azula. "We took care of it."
"How are the people who were kidnapped?" Zuko asked.
"Safe," replied one of the soldiers who approached them. Percy recognized him as Captain Jiro talking to Han. "They have been taken to be treated for their wounds. They will recover. You saved them."
"But not all of them..." Percy said, turning to look sadly at the withered body of the person at the end of the cave.
Zuko put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, this is not your fault," he said. "You couldn't stop it from happening, but you did stop Chao and the other two people from dying."
"Yeah... I guess you're right."
Still, Percy felt a little bad.
"It was thanks to you that we came all this way and were able to stop that monster. Besides, you saved me. Thank you, Perseus."
"Percy."
"What?" said Zuko, looking confused.
Percy turned to him and smiled.
"Call me Percy. That's what my friends call me."
Zuko blinked, looking a little confused before nodding and returning the smile with one of his own.
"Sure, Percy."
"Great. Now let's get out of here."
When they emerged from the cave, Percy was surprised to see an entire squad of soldiers, fully armed and ready to fight.
"Wow," he said. "Now that's what I call reinforcements."
"Thank you," Ty Lee said with a pleased smile. "It was easy to get them here. All I had to do was tell them that Prince Ozai's children were in danger."
"We were not in danger!" Azula and Zuko shouted in unison.
Ty Lee just chuckled at the siblings' reaction.
"Make way!" ordered one of the soldiers.
The group of soldiers stepped aside to make way for Ozai, who was accompanied by two members of the Royal Procession, the elite personal guards of the royals.
"Father," Zuko said, looking surprised to see him, "What are you doing here?"
Ozai glanced around carefully until his gaze fell on the group of young men, who were frozen in front of his imposing golden eyes.
"I have been informed of what has happened here," he said. "Tell me, is it true that the five of you found the missing citizens?"
"Yes, Father," Azula replied, stepping forward. "We found them deep in a cave."
"And who is responsible for these abductions?"
"The responsible…" Azula looked over her shoulder at Percy, who looked uncertain.
"He is dead," Percy explained, stepping forward.
Ozai fixed his gaze on him.
"Are you sure, boy?"
"Yes... sir. Azula, Zuko and I took care of him. He won't be coming back."
"Is that so?" Ozai asked, looking at Azula.
"Yes, father," she confirmed with a nod.
"I see... You have done a remarkable service to your people. Be proud of what you have accomplished today," his gaze fell on his children. "You have done well, both of you. You meted out a just punishment to the one who dared to disturb the peace in our nation's capital. You have proven yourselves worthy members of the Royal Family."
Judging by the look on Ozai's face, he was pleased to see his two children. Azula and Zuko's eyes widened in surprise, as if they did not believe their father would praise them so openly. Smiles formed on their lips, showing how touched they were by their father's words.
"Let's go," Ozai said, turning and starting to walk. "Let's go back to the palace."
"Yes, father!" Zuko and Azula replied, immediately following.
"Well, I guess we should go too," Ty Lee said before waving to Percy. "It was a fun night, Perseus! Let's do it again."
Mai also said goodbye, but in a more reserved and polite way, as she bowed slightly before following her friend.
Percy prepared to leave as well. His father and Fat would surely be worried that he hadn't returned yet.
Besides...
He brought a hand to his neck, to the place where the Jiang Shi had bitten him. The skin was intact to the touch.
He needed to talk to his father.
..
..
.
And that's all for now, dear readers!
This chapter is Percy's introduction to the spirit world of Avatar, the discovery of his invulnerable skin, and a small taste of how powerful his water abilities are. It is also an important step in his relationship with Zuko, as it is the first time they both admit that they see each other as friends.
I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.
Now, time for some answers:
Anaklusmos: Yep, Percy has Anaklusmos. It will appear later.
Zuko's scar and his age: Zuko doesn't have his scar yet. Remember that in this story the characters will be a bit older, being teenagers between 16-17, years old and not children.
Percy's scent: The essence is still there, but since there are no monsters from his mythology, it doesn't affect him.
Now, I have a request and a little help from all my readers. What do you think would be a nickname Azula would give Percy? I've never been very good with nicknames, so I could use a couple of suggestions. If you have something in mind, don't hesitate to leave a review.
And with nothing more to say... See you next time, beautiful people!