A/N: Hello all! Sorry for the delay, chapters will most likely be fortnightly unless I have a spree of writing (especially for this week as its a birthday one, 20th). Also have updated the cover art of both stories, which was fun.

This is one of my favourite chapters I've written for all that it does, and its study in loneliness and dissociation. It's also taking a lot from Zuko Alone and is structured like The Avatar and The Fire Lord. Which, if you know ATLA, means one thing...

Backstory :)

Anyway, hope you all enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Word Count: 5506

12. Azula Alone (Percy Alone)

Percy walked the streets of Manhattan. The frigid, early winter air keeping Annabeth close to his side.

They'd been forced out of the apartment by Paul and Sally as he'd been doting on his mother just slightly too much. Her pregnant belly making him want to do as much for her as possible, even when there wasn't much to do. Especially considering his step-father had been doing similarly.

Annabeth had her arm through his, with a very loose and poorly done braid hanging down one shoulder. She played with it endearingly with her other hand.

It could've been so much better. He remembered thinking to himself…

She must've seen him staring at it as they walked through the check-work of streets.

"I like it. You're getting much better at it."

She'd looked up at him adoringly.

His heart ached watching her look at him, knowing he couldn't change what was about to happen, wanting her eyes to stay on him like that forever. He heard himself speak, not really listening to his own voice, but watching her instead.

"You look great with anything. But it could be tighter."

She rolled her eyes at him jovially.

"Well duh." She said, giving him a mischievous grin that made his heart just want to burst.

Her elbow dug into his side playfully as they rounded a corner nearing Central Park. He pulled himself in an attempt to turn back to the apartment but it was to no avail. His feet carried him forward, in the blissfully ignorant company of Annabeth.

Even with the snow starting to build around them, there was an almost imperceptible skip in her step. Olympus had been close to silent since the Gaia battle, which was surprising with the loose ends that it had presented. And Percy couldn't have been happier about that. They'd spent most of their time together. Whether it was catching up on school work for their move to New Rome the next year or just being with his family, he'd had some of the best months of his life.

He knew it was coming to an abrupt end in the park ahead, but he couldn't stop it. It was but a haunting memory now.

Annabeth shuffled closer to him, pulling in even tighter to his side as the cold seemed to grow. He knew what it meant, but neither of them did at the time. He'd just been happy about the warmth she'd given him, in as many aspects as he could think of.

"But I still need to get better. For when Estelle arrives." He'd said.

Annabeth looked up at him, as though he was the most adorable person in the world, and he'd be happy to just live in that moment forever. The park seemed painfully close.

"You have a lot time. And hey, if it'll make you feel better, when we get back, you can have another go."

He brightened up at that, until she flicked her head away from him dramatically. The hair, his own creation, thwapped him on the face. It was harmless, apart from the cold giving it a slight sting, but he knew what it actually was.

"Oh you didn't."

She nodded at him, biting her lip slightly. Adorable yet terrifying.

"I'll get you back for that." He continued.

She just laughed at the pout he made.

"You're gonna have to be stronger than that, Jackson."

"You know I will be, Chase."

Her arm slipped out of his as she darted down the rest of the street, stopping at the intersection across from the park. She knew that he was going to have to try and catch her.

He remembered watching as her lithe frame nimbly danced across the crunching snow, unencumbered by the fine layer of grit on the street.

After a couple seconds of admiring her, and thanking his lucky stars for his girlfriend, he dashed after her. He kept pace with her comfortably, knowing that she wasn't really trying to get away from him. He heard her beautiful laughter carry itself to him on the wind that rushed past.

Putting on a bit more speed, he caught up to her in an empty clearing. The demigod tackled her to the ground, immediately covering the both of them in snow. In the non-peak time, the park was rather empty.

He'd hoped to make the most of it, but as soon as he entered the area, the chill that went down his spine told him otherwise.

It appeared Annabeth had a similar feeling, as her hand was hovering over where she kept a spare safety dagger. It was concealed deep in her winter clothing. They both stood up from the ground, not bothering to brush the snow off of themselves.

Now, Percy knew exactly who it was, but he couldn't tell Annabeth and himself to run. He could only look on and watch from the eyes of his past self. He knew as soon as they stepped into where they were, they couldn't really have done anything.

I could've… The guilt-ridden part of his brain offered.

Percy's hand went straight into his pocket and Riptide came out in a flash. He felt ice creeping around his clothes, and saw a thin sheet of it surrounding the clearing. As soon as he'd seen that, his sword sprung out, illuminating the trees with its bronze glow.

With barely a thought, he stood back-to-back with Annabeth, knowing that she had her dagger held outwards like he did his sword. Her own drakon bone sword slightly too conspicuous to be brought out for what they'd thought to be a casual stroll.

With the glass-like sheet of ice that surrounded them now much thicker, Percy then had a sense of who it might be. The frost wrapping around more and more of the both of them. He was sure Annabeth knew exactly who it was.

He knew now though. Her pale visage flashed at him outside of his memory, taunting him.

Percy and Annabeth moved around each other, eyes scanning the tree-line. A practised and practically natural movement for the two of them.

He desperately wanted to say something to her, in the time they had before she arrived, but he knew he didn't do it then, so he wouldn't do it now. Too focused on protecting Annabeth and staying alive.

Percy felt a presence wash around the outskirts of the ice and a doorway opened to one of the sides.

"My, my." The cold, feminine voice began. "I didn't quite get to freeze you for myself on that flying boat of yours. You were having your fun little trip."

Flurries of snow kicked up in front of the speaker as she seemed to almost float into the clearing.

"But I must say, I'm disappointed."

"Khione." Annabeth snarled.

They both gripped their weapons harder and kept her in front of them.

What I wouldn't give for Leo right now. He remembered thinking.

A thought that had made him sad, but he'd tried to not let it distract him at the time. Now though, it just made his heart break even further.

"Yes, indeed." She replied, dispassionately. "You and your friends ruined too many of my plans. But now, I have the Hero of Olympus and his little girlfriend in my clutches. And your friends won't get you out this time." She continued with disdain.

Percy could almost hear Annabeth's mind whirring, so he decided to do what he did best. He drew on the few memories he had of hearing what happened between her, Leo, Jason and Piper.

"What? Did your dad kick you out of your house?"

Instantly, she turned her cold, icy gaze onto him. The frost crept up his sword much faster, making him feel like wanting to drop it, but he didn't dare.

"You know what? He did. And it was such a shame. But now I'm here with you two, so that's making me feel better."

Annabeth gave a subtle shake of her head telling him she didn't have a plan and Percy saw frost creeping up her neck. It seemed to affect him much less.

He remembered praying to his father, as a last resort.

"Why would you go after us then?" Annabeth asked. "Why not the other three?"

She turned her gaze onto the demigoddess and Percy felt the frost begin to slow again. Annabeth let out a muffled yelp though, and her dagger hand seemed to be touching the cold metal less and less.

"Oh, their time will come. My ice sculpture collection will soon be complete. And it's your turn to join it."

She shot ice directly at Annabeth and Percy dove in front of her, Riptide slicing directly through the shard. It shattered around him, flicking his skin with little pieces of frozen water. The momentary distraction seemed enough to break some of the ice that had enclosed itself on Annabeth.

Annabeth rolled to the side and came up to deflect yet another icicle. They moved fluidly together, deflecting ice coming in from all sides as they advanced on the snow goddess. But as quickly as they got there, a flurry of snow exploded in front of them and she was gone.

Whisps of cackling laughter hung in the desperately cold air as they returned to their position of standing back-to-back. With their eyes scanning the edge once more, Percy mumbled to her.

"What's the plan, Beth?"

He received only the short, laboured breaths from her so he took a quick second to glance at her. The ice had returned and was building up thicker, around her.

"I… I don't know." She kept circling. "I tried mom, she didn't or couldn't reply."

"I tried Dad too. Nothing for the moment."

"We could try and make a break for it. Could you break down the ice wall?" She asked him.

It seemed more than hopeful to him at the time, and Annabeth had a look that showed she knew just how unlikely that would be to work, but he tried.

"I've never done that before, with a wall of ice specifically. But I can try."

Annabeth gave him a shrug.

"I wouldn't count your luck there, demigod. I'm a goddess, what could you possibly hope to do against me." Khione stalked her way back into the clearing, the ice hardening shut behind her. "And your parents aren't coming to save you."

Percy tried to focus on the tug in his gut, but only managed to turn some of the snow around him to water. He felt his clothes get heavier and his sword get lighter as the ice melted away from him. The grass around him began to show through the snow and the goddess turned her gaze onto him specifically again.

"Nice try."

She focused on him and raised her arm. The tug strained his gut as he started sweating slightly, fighting against the will of Khione.

Annabeth took the opportunity to run at the goddess, dodging and slicing through the ice that was sent at her. She was getting close as Khione's attention was firmly on Percy. Without a thought, the goddess waved her arm and he heard a yelp from his girlfriend. Her dagger clattered to the ground, completely covered in ice, as she stood well away from Percy. Their distance felt like miles as she now stood closer to Khione in front of her than she did him behind.

He remembered looking up at her, watching the ice solidify around him, with him pushing back only slowing it. He remembered the sinister smirk on Khione's face as she saw him recognise that she'd been toying with them the whole time. He remembered the inability to move, much like back on the Argo II, and now all too similar to being stuck in his memory. The memory of being unable to do anything but watch Annabeth turning to see a few feet of sharp ice leave Khione's hand and headed for himself.

Annabeth understood his position instantaneously, seeing him helplessly stuck to the ground. Instinctively, she threw herself between the ice and him. No dagger, no weapon. Just herself.

Percy didn't hear himself scream.

He felt as if his eyes were frozen open as he was forced to watch the icicle imbed itself in her. It went straight through, impaling itself directly through her chest. She landed on the ground, staring at him with a bittersweet but loving smile.

Then the life left her eyes.

The grey lost its storm.

And Percy felt himself snap. His anchor gone.

The snow and ice that surrounded him began to swirl around his figure in a storm. He slightly recognised the surprised look on Khione's face replacing her pleased one, but couldn't really find it enjoyable. He couldn't find anything enjoyable.

He rose up in a frozen hurricane, letting all the pain and anger spill out. The ice wall surrounding the clearing exploded outwards and Khione backed away from him. The demigod's winter coat was torn to shreds with the millions of shards of ice swirling around him.

She desperately tried to push her arm out and control her elements but Percy wouldn't let her.

He watched himself send icicles back at the goddess, showering her in a deadly assault. He couldn't really think, just act. Annabeth's lifeless face was all he could remember seeing.

His storm began to grow and he rose higher and higher. Khione seemed to be trying to escape, but she wasn't able to. He didn't know why, but she couldn't. And her own ice began to encase her.

Percy's cold gaze locked eyes with her, and even with the fear in her eyes, he felt nothing.

As she was almost completely covered, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

Everything turned black.

…

When his eyes opened once more, he saw Athena kneeling beside Annabeth. His father stood over him and seemed to be saying something, but Percy couldn't hear it.

He crawled along the now snow-free ground to his fallen love, dragging himself by his arms. Athena went to stop him but let him go at Poseidon's raised arm. Not that it would have stopped Percy. And not that he knew too much about it.

He held her in his arms, pulling her into him as tears began flowing out of his eyes. He didn't feel them though. Percy couldn't quite believe she was dead. After so long, after so many adventures. After finally finding peace for each other, with everything they sacrificed and fought for.

He let out all the grief. Again, the tug of his gut strained. But this time, he let it cause him pain.

All the power that he stopped down in Tartarus, all the pent-up rage and anger, all the emotions he couldn't begin to describe, he let out. The earth shook around him, the sky swirled with everything in the vicinity and the winds buffeted him.

Percy felt it all tear himself apart, exploding out from within him.

The demigod didn't care about the shaking of the earth, the storms in the sky or the waves crashing against the shore.

He just didn't want to feel any of it, so he let it all out.

Then everything went white.

He heard whispers of Annabeth's voice to him. 'Live…. live for me, please Percy. I love you, and I'll see you again. Don't destroy yourself again. Not for me.'

…

Then he was falling.

With a general numb sensation, he felt himself hit a river.

Percy's dream of a memory faded into black as he desperately tried to grasp onto his previous world while sinking in the river of his new one.

Azula sat, campfire blazing at her back, with her mongoose lizard tied up off to the side. She let the crashing waves of the lake's shore put her mind at ease, ignoring the cold heat of the flames.

She hadn't returned to the Fire Nation with the other three, taking a ship for herself and ordering it back towards the lake. The princess left at a different, slightly further point, knowing where she needed to go but also not wanting to seem to be treading the same points as before as to not raise suspicion.

She'd been on the go for a couple of days, getting much more comfortable in the environment. But her memories and dreams still followed her.

The sea-like smell off of her fur blanket had mostly faded, but it still slightly helped her get some sleep. Tonight though, memories kept her brain running as she closed her eyes. Memories she'd tried so desperately hard to evade while on Ember Island

She was back on the beaches of the island, only this time, she was much younger. The little princess was only a handful of years old.

It was one of her earliest memories, and one that rarely surfaced. But with who she kept finding looking up at her from the water and how she'd stayed on the same island, she couldn't help but think of it.

Her chubby little hand held her father's finger as she stumbled down to the beach. Her steps difficult on the large stairs, but her father holding her up. He wasn't looking at her, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, but she grasped his hand like a lifeline, letting it hold her up.

Zuko was waddling, much like she was, beside their mother. She was engaged in a one-sided conversation with him. He would fall over, only to pop right back up and continue where they were going. Ursa only stopping to lightly brush the sand and dirt from his face.

As soon as they arrived at the beach, Zuko started running around, finding animals and creatures along the waterline as he usually did. She sat happily, in the sand, pulling up fists of the wet slush and throwing it at the ocean. She kept it up, entertaining herself, until her brother splashed across in front of her.

"Ack! Zuzu!" She called at him.

He turned to her looking annoyed. Azula laughed as he kicked water and sand at her. She rolled away and began to run from him. He followed her, stumbling over his own feet and face planting. His head rose, absolutely covered in soggy sand.

She turned around and began to laugh before she was hit with a face full of sand. The little princess spluttered and spat out the sand.

"Hey!" She yelled at him.

"What, Azula?" He teased.

The princess shook her head, the sand completely matted in her hair. She charged at him, giggling as she did so, picking up wet sand and throwing it at him. They were almost back to their parents when she landed a hit to the back of his head.

The little princess bent over to pick up more sand, but as she ran past her mother, she felt an arm scoop her up. Her arms and legs flailed as she pelted the last of the sand from her hands at her brother. She missed.

"Mommmmm. I almost got him again!" She pouted.

"I know, sweetie, but look at all that hair. Such beautiful hair mustn't get sand stuck in it."

Her mother poked her forehead, then proceeded to poke her belly as they walked out into the ocean waves. Azula giggled slightly, still trying to be mad about not being able to throw sand at her brother like he had at her.

"Why don't we get it out, shall we?"

Azula harumphed, although internally her cheeks puffed pridefully at the praise. Her legs dangled in the air as her mother held her aloft above the sea water. Gently, Ursa picked up water and ran it down the girl's head. She felt supremely comforted, letting herself relax completely in her mother's arms, even with the coldish salt water running down her back. Her swimsuit letting the water run off her unencumbered.

Her mother brought Azula back to the shore and sat down in the sand. Placing her in her lap, Ursa pulled a comb out from her sleeve and began to slide it through the princess' hair. Azula didn't question where she got it from, only curling into the touch. The scraping across her scalp soothing her even more.

Ursa began to hum a tune. One that sounded to Azula all too similar to the Ember Island Players' Love Amongst the Dragons. The sounds of the waves caressing her like her mother did as she fell further into her arms.

After a while, her mother stopped and Azula wanted nothing more than to keep it going.

"Alright. See, that's much better!"

"Really?" She asked.

"Perfect." Ursa said, looking down on her proudly.

She looked up at her mother with a big smile.

"Thanks mom."

She gazed out at the ocean, watching the waves crash onto the shore from her lap. Azula heard their father say something about going back up to the house, she just kept watching the waves. Ursa seemed to nudge her, but the little princess was enamoured by the power of the water landing on the sands.

Her hand shot forward, imitating the wave hitting the beach. The little fist went up and curved around to point down at the sand and a burst of flames exited her closed fist.

Everything seemed to stop moving as she looked wide-eyed at the scorch marks on the sand, a dried ring of water surrounding them.

"I did it!" She looked up at her mom. "Did you see that, Mom? I did it!"

It was the first time she'd used firebending, and the princess proudly looked upon what she'd done. She didn't see what she expected to see from her mom. Azula didn't understand the sad, frightened look in her mother's eyes. Her mother seemed at a loss for words. As did her brother, who'd just come back from more exploring. When she turned to her father, she didn't understand the glint that he had in his own.

"Well done, Azula. That was excellent."

Her father's voice carried across to them. What she did understand, was the pride she heard when he spoke.

She popped off her mother's lap and almost skipped across to her waiting father's hand as he heaped praise upon her the whole walk back up to the house. The young princess looked up at her father with wide eyes.

Her mother walked paces behind with an annoyed Zuko who was kicking at the dirt.

Azula couldn't remember too much of the walk. Only the excited gleam that covered her father's face.

Percy's dream shifted. With a sort of dark grey hue, he saw his friends and family. Glimpses of them surrounding his funeral pyre, the sea green shroud sitting next to a beautifully intricate grey one. Both sewn together to create the outline of Olympus and the many quests they'd been on stitched into the fabric.

His dream spun out of control, as if just out of his reach, until it landed on a graveyard. Two headstones side by side. He stood behind them, seeing the smattering of people looking at it. He saw all the Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter people he knew well there. The four remaining of the seven, Nico, Will, Clarisse, Reyna and more. Leo was there but not Jason. That surprised and saddened him. But they all seemed slightly older than he remembered. Chiron sat in his wheelchair, his greying hairs more prominent.

Poseidon stood up near the back, awkwardly next to Paul. But Percy's eyes focused on his mother. In her arms lay a ball of blankets. A little head poked out of the top and he just wanted to run to her and give her the biggest hug. To the both of them, really.

The extended Chase family also stood there. They seemed as inconsolable as the rest of them.

Slowly, the rest of the group drifted off, paying their respects to the two headstones, leaving flowers and other items. He had a slight, bittersweet smile in noticing how a lot of the things on what he assumed was his side of the grave were blue in colour.

Paul stood off to the side, giving Sally some space, with Poseidon disappearing in a sea mist. His mother walked up to his grave and whatever force was giving him this view walked around to be directly to her side.

Little baby arms reached up and grabbed at her face. As Percy got closer, he saw the silent tears tracing down his mother's cheeks.

"This is your older brother. The one I always talk about with you." Sally sniffled.

Little Estelle made some gurgling noises in her arms and she began rocking her.

"And this would've been your older sister too. She basically already was."

She got a smile that Percy remembered, being teased about Annabeth and what they were going to be. It was a cheeky smile. One that brought some semblance of happiness back into her eyes.

"I wouldn't have let her not be. Even with Percy being like he was."

She chuckled to herself, pulling her free arm up and swiping a finger under her eyes.

"His name was Percy Jackson. And it all started when he was 12. Well… the much more heroic parts."

She poked Estelle in the tummy and watched her giggle and squirm.

"Before that, he was the most adorable little troublemaker like yourself."

Sally turned the baby so she was looking directly into her eyes.

"He was at Yancy Academy at the time…"

Percy watched, as enraptured as he'd always been when listening to his mom, and as enraptured as his baby sister was in her arms. He listened to her, as a golden hue started to surround the woman. He once again felt like that twelve-year-old kid, just waiting for her to get home with the blue candy and receive a huge hug that made his days bearable.

He felt his own tears run down his face as his eyes never left the pair.

By the time he woke, he had very real tears in his eyes. Siosi had curled around him at some point and he took comfort in the warm enclave of feathers.

As he felt the sun come up again, for yet another day, he walked purposefully out of his mostly constructed house to see it just breaking over the horizon. That same beautiful golden hue exploding into the sky. He greeted the sunrise with a smile.

"Hello."

It'd been a few years since she'd first began firebending. She hadn't had what felt like a moment alone in about as long. Her hair was precisely done up by her servants. Her lessons began at dawn and ended at dusk. The princess had excelled in her firebending forms. All of which came easily to her. Though she worked tirelessly at them as well. Her teachers were finding it harder and harder to teach her.

Her history and political lessons were also in full swing. She was individually taught of course, but her father sat in on most of her earlier lessons.

Her mother hadn't so much as come close to her since the beach. Whenever she'd approach Ursa, there'd be this hesitancy towards her. She'd flinch away from her daughter and refrain from giving her any praise for her firebending. Azula shook her head, disregarding how it affected her.

Weak.

Every so often, she'd go and sit out by the pond, watching the turtle ducks paddle about. The mother would corral her younglings into a group, protectively shuffling them towards their destination as Azula sat alone.

Stupid mothers, they all lie. You'll leave your kids alone soon too.

The mother had naively brought her family towards the princess' side of the pond, probably expecting a feed of some kind. She saw a stick on the ground next to her and picked it up. Right as they swam their closest to her, she hurled the stick at the mom.

It'd squawked and paddled away, pushing her babies further out in the water. It returned though, quacking at her loudly. Right as it looked to attack her, Azula had held out of hand and a bright red flame burst to life.

That had the turtle duck paddling off.

"Yeah, all mothers are apparently scared of a little fire." She whispered snidely to herself. "And the monsters that create them."

Azula had heard humming off to the side, along one of the covered pathways. Her mother was breezily walking past. It'd been that Agni-damned theme from that awful play, the one from the beach, but Azula felt comforted by it.

She'd raised her hand, prepared to muss up her hair. Just as her hand had reached it however, the princess had watched Ursa give her barely a glance.

She ignored me. She does think I'm a monster! Wait, no, she could've not seen me.

Azula closed and opened her eyes, pulling herself from that memory into another one. She now sat, cross-legged on a chair behind her brother. The idiot was stabbing and slashing at the air with his sword.

The one he got from General Tea-maker.

She'd only gotten a stupid doll. Who did he think he was? Trying to give her a 'friend'. She should've been given the knife.

They'd only just received word of Lu Ten's death the previous day. Zuko dramatically fell to the floor, groaning and holding his chest as if he'd died.

If it was me holding that knife, I'd never be the one to fall on the floor. Even faking it.

"You waste all your time playing with knives. You're not even good!"

Zuko turned to her aggressively. Standing up and making a fist at her.

"Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!"

She leapt off of her chair, landing and walking towards him.

"By the way, Uncle's coming home."

"Does that mean… we won the war?" Her brother asked her.

She remembered her lessons, parroting back what she'd heard from them and her father.

"No, it means Uncle's a quitter and a loser."

"What are you talking about? Uncle's not a quitter!" He yelled at her.

She wandered off and began to swing around a column.

"Oh yes he is. He found out his son died and he just fell apart! A real general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, not lose the battle and come home crying."

She smirked at him, giving him the exact same look her father had given her when he'd given the princess the news.

"How do you know what he should do?" Zuko replied defensively. "He's probably just sad his only kid is gone. Forever."

Well, that's not what Dad said, and he's strong. Dad sees me for who I am.

Ursa interrupted them, appearing in the doorway.

"Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes, hurry up!"

Azula, once again, remembered a conversation between her teacher and father that she couldn't begin to understand the depth of. She let her brother run ahead of her, wanting to speak to her mother about it. She began the same way her father had with her, hoping to go back to the beach and have her care about her. To have the comb brush through her hair as her mother spoke to her.

"Fire Lord Azulon… can't you just call him 'Grandfather'? He's not exactly the powerful Fire lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."

"Young lady! Not another word!" Her mother angrily reprimanded her.

Azula hid her head and ran past, trying to put on the unbothered face she'd been taught to.

Why didn't she want to talk like that? Dad does?

Traitor.

It was the first time she'd heard the voice and she paused, halting in her run towards her room for her servants to put on her best clothes. Unfortunately, she listened behind her.

"What is wrong with that child?" The princess heard her mother mumble.

She does think I'm a monster…

Azula ran towards her room but first, she bumped into her father. He was walking purposely towards the throne room.

"Father, Mother just said something was wrong with me."

She snivelled, not realising that she had some tears welled in the corner of her eyes.

"She thinks I'm a monster." Azula continued.

"You're not allowed to cry, daughter." He nonchalantly bent down and wiped her tear away. "There isn't anything wrong with you. You're my little monster."

He patted her on the head and pushed her down the hallway.

"Let's show Grandfather what you're able to do for me, shall we?" He asked, rhetorically, as his shadowy form moved down the rest of the hall.

He left Azula alone, holding back her tears, looking at the strong sweeping silhouette moving away from her.

A/N: There was the chapter, hope you all enjoyed! Some Azula context and backstory, and the immediate preface to the first book context with Percy. I like writing parallel stories, and this one on being alone I had fun with. Percy being forced into loneliness by something external but remaining in it because of himself, and Azula being the opposite (although unintentional in both cases). This chapter sets up a lot of things over the next portion of the story but also will make rereading/looking back on the story before hand better with more of an understanding on their characters. Another favourite part is that this chapter occurs at almost exactly the same point in Azula's story as Zuko Alone does in Zuko's. Not to mention it canonically comes directly after the beach episode, so it just perfectly slotted in now.
Also, a sidenote, I like my small headcanon that Azula's early fascination in the ocean (which is a factor in her interest in Percy) also gives a reason as to why she's excels at lightning generation. Iroh's redirection comes from waterbending, and the action is not dissimilar to a yin and yang that the water spirits have. It's a very cyclical style of bending, plus electricity has a current flow. Anyway, there is a whole bunch more small in-depth stuff in this chapter that I definitely enjoyed throwing in there.

Next chapter likely in a couple of weeks, so see you then!

Some review replies:

Jctherebel/HellRaiderS/Death : Thank you all! I'm glad you're enjoying the chapters! Hope you liked this one as much.

Artorias78: I mean, it's kinda enjoyable *shrugs*. You can't hug them yet, you're right. Idk about possibilities, I know what's going to happen though. No healing undone in this chapter, just context as to why healing is necessary. Hope you enjoyed!

Cnrbrr: Yes! The small changes adding up is one of my favourite parts of writing it!

JackMasterLooter: Thank you! That is extremely high praise and I appreciate it! I love all the characters in the show (notable exception of Ozai), so it's so fun going in depth with them. And I appreciate that you shrieked with excitement at some of the earlier chapters as well (your previous review), it's awesome that my story can create that reaction! Again, thank you so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy.

CRUDEN: Yeah, it is a shame in canon, but it makes sense. Zuko wasn't a good boyfriend while trying to be Fire Lord which is good character writing but it does suck.

Guest/Hunt3r12: On the Ty Lee front, I have a plan and I'm sticking to it. The 'pairing' in the description is only so that Percy and Azula's names come up first as they're the two main characters of the story. I will treat Ty Lee's character with a lot of care though, as she doesn't get too much in the original series. I hope you like what I do with it.

WildMan98: Glad you liked it! I appreciate that, and the chapters will be coming out when I can! Hope you enjoyed this one too.

Jaune Emiya: Thank you! They are so complex, so it's a lot of work but so satisfying trying to write them in a well thought out way like the show. I truly appreciate you saying that its believable and they feel authentic! You're very welcome for sharing and hope you enjoyed this update!

copper rat: Thank you! I changed it only a day or so before your review, so nice catch haha. Appreciate it.

Deepthoughts42: 2 years is more of a general term, not an exact time. And for him, so much happened in those months that he was with her, it probably feels like a lot more than 2 years. Percy is 17 although almost 18.

seaweedbrainpj99: I appreciate that, and I'm glad I've made you root for something you were originally not up for. I agree, the story only makes sense to me if its long and drawn out, much like Zuko's own journey. Thanks, you keep being awesome too!

As always, love all your input, and hope you continue to enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing it! See you soon...

when Percy and Azula meet again.

-PS