Previously on The Legend of Perseus; Bender of Oceans
"Not funny Azula. You're sick, and I want my knife back. Now!" He demanded as he tried to grab our for it.
Azula dodged his attempt and faced him. "Who's going to make me? Mom?" The princess smirked.
Zuko snatched the blade from her and ran off once more. Desperately searching every corridor and room for his mother. He ended up in one of the many courtyards and saw the looming presence of his father staring off into one of the ponds.
"Where is she?" Zuko begged.
The silence was deafening. The feeling of abandonment was all encompassing. He was all alone in the royal palace.
Just as he was all alone now.
/
The Legend of Perseus: Bender of Oceans
Chapter 18: Chasing Loose Threads
Southern Si Wong Mountain Range
Azula once again had found herself sitting at a desk pouring over page after page of useless intelligence reports. Some of which she had only just received and were already outdated. The princess based herself in the command carriage of a brand new war machine designed by War Minister Qin. An armoured tank-train. An innovative feat of engineering that had allowed her and the group to quickly cover immense distances in the southern Earth Kingdom provinces in pursuit of the Avatar.
She threw away the page she was looking at to browse the next one. Another outdated report. This time from Colonel Mongke, leader of the rough rhinos. It explained that the rough rhinos had come across the Avatar near Chin village in the Nan Xiaba Peninsula.
Useless information yet again. Azula already knew of the Avatar's journey since leaving Omashu. The princess knew of the air benders exploits in the Chin Village, and their journey to Gao Ling afterwards.
Azula sighed and pushed the stack of paper away from her. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. At least she could find ease in knowing they were close behind the Avatar and it shouldn't be long before the crossed paths.
She heard the sound of footsteps thudding against the metal floor and the door to her carriage opening up.
"Hey Zula." The princess smiled slightly at the familiar voice. Only one person would risk annoying her to call her that incessant nickname.
She opened her eyes and faced him. Golden eyes met his sea green ones.
"I believe that Princess Azula to you Perseus. Haven't I told you enough times by now." She asked with a slight grin and raised eyebrow.
Hey bodyguard grinned widely back at her. "And i've forgotten how many times I've told you to call me Percy. Zula." He teased back.
The firebender rolled her eyes at his antics. If it was anyone else she would've smited them on the spot. But that small traitorous part of her felt a slight giddiness at his teasing. As though it warmed her from the pit of her stomach.
"Huh. No retort?" Perseus mocked cheekily.
"I honestly don't know if you're impetuous, fearless, or if your brain really is filled with nori." Azula replied with a pretend look of puzzlement on her face.
Her bodyguard held a hand to his chest as if he had been stabbed. "Oh how you hurt me dear princess."
"Oh please Perseus. Are you going to share why you have decided to bother me at this time?" She questioned.
"Yes. But you can't blame me for trying to wind you up. You know you've missed it." He countered with a lopsided grin. The faintest of blushes graced her cheeks but she quickly willed it away.
"Perseus." Azula warned.
"Yeah yeah. I know I know. The engineers wanted me to let you know that we're in close enough range that the mongoose-lizards can take over."
The princesses small smile turned wide and devilish.
"Go get Ty-Lee and Mai. It's time to have another run in with the Avatar." She commanded and Perseus bowed his head slightly.
Azula put her belongings away and quickly put on her armour. She headed to the back of the tank train and found everyone else ready and waiting for her. The princess pulled a lever to the side of the carriage and the bay door opened wide. The firebender quickly hopped onto one of the mongoose-lizards and turned to the water bender beside her.
"It's time to capture the Avatar." She confidently stated whipping the reins of her stead and beginning the charge.
The four creatures raced along the mountain path. The thrill of the hunt raced through her veins like adrenaline. She looked ahead and could clearly see a group of four figures staring down at them from a ledge atop the peak of the small mountain. The distance between them quickly closed and Azula was able to get a closer look at the group.
There was a boy and girl, adorned in the stereotypical blue clothing of the water tribes. The boy in orange and yellow robes who Azula knew to be the avatar. And beside them a girl, around the height of the avatar writing green clothing not too dissimilar to the people of the southern reaches of the Earth Kingdom.
"It looks like the Avatar has a new friend!" Perseus shouted off to her side.
"Four versus four! I still like our odds!" Ty-Lee shouted giddily.
As the distance disappeared to nearly nothing Azula could hear the water tribe girl speak. "It's that group from Omashu…"
Azula smirked. Clearly they had left an impression on them after their last meeting.
Mounds of earth and rock raised from the ground around them, nearly knocking them off their steeds. The princess tied herself tightly to the mongoose-lizard and saw razor sharp blades of ice slice through the air ahead of them. The ice slashed through the rocks and cleared the path of obstacles.
A great wall of earth rose ahead of them blocking the route between them and the avatar. Azula quickly went through the motions to her lightning generation form and pointed forwards. A thunderous boom echoed through the night sky as the electricity smashed into stone and caused the wall to explode.
She could see the sky bison rising into the air and a number of Mai's darts flew in its direction. They were quickly deflected by the Avatar and a barrage of wicked icicles rocketed back at them thanks to the waterbending girl. Perseus pulled ahead of the girls and raised his hand.
The ice stopped instantaneously. The deft control he exhibited over his element should've been impossible. But Azula knew to expect nothing less from him. Perseus' authority and mastery of water impressed her, even if she would rarely openly admit such a thing.
The shards of ice rocketed back through the sky in the direction of the avatars group on the sky bison. Azula watched the boy in orange launch himself off the beast and with a whipping motion of his staff launch the icicles in numerous directions away from them. The boy swiftly turned the staff into its glider form and returned to the great white beast that was slowly shrinking in the instance.
"Sorry that they escaped Azula." The soft voice of Ty-Lee spoke out.
"It's nothing to worry about Ty-Lee. They're tiring and exhausted. We'll catch up in no time at all." She replied confidently.
"It would seem that the avatar's found himself an earth bending master." Perseus spoke from in front of her.
"More fun for us to be had. Thought you liked a challenge dear bodyguard." Azula teased, trying to get one over him for earlier.
"It definitely makes things more interesting." The ever neutral voice of Mai murmured.
/
Mountain Pass, Southern Si Wong Range
The early morning sun ascended in the clear cerulean sky. Zuko sat atop his ostrich-horse as they trekked through a narrow mountain pass. He had finally found a route that would allow them to escape the sweltering savannahs.
The pair neared the end of the trail when a thunderous rumbling echoed all around them. Stone and rocks fell from the towering walls.
The firebender kicked the side of his steed and the ostrich-horse quickly bolted forwards. Zuko looked ahead and could see the exit close by. An earth shattering crunch boomed and the exiled prince instinctively looked up.
An immense boulder had dislodged from the mountain tops and was tumbling down the cliffs. His golden eyes narrowed at the sight.
"Move!" He beckoned at the animal. The distance between himself, the exit, and the boulder was diminishing at an uncomfortable pace. Zuko just knew everything was going to come together all at once.
He swung both his arms around and pushed them together, willing the largest blast of fire he ever had. An incredible funnel of orange-red flames raced through the air, colliding with the mass of rock. The boulder crashed into one of the sides of the narrow pass, he and his animal escaped by the slightest of margins.
The exiled prince breathed a sigh of relief. That was far too close. He turned his eyes to the emerald valley that sat below them and was taken aback by what he saw.
An incredible piece of machinery violently stormed through the valley at an unbelievable speed. It looked similar to a tundra tank, but was composed of three carriages and an engine. Thick plumes of black smoke towered into the sky.
A spark of hope flickered in Zuko as he connected the dots. The war machine had to belong to the Fire Nation. Everything about it from the advanced technology to the darkened steel screamed home.
He also knew only one person who would've been given such unfettered access to anything they wanted. His dear sister Azula, and if she wasn't tracking him then she had to be following the avatar.
Destiny was calling him. It was time to resume the mission he had abandoned and finally capture the air bending boy who continuously evaded himself
And it was time for a long overdue family reunion.
/
Tianmei River
Once more the group had departed from their armoured tank train. This time they stopped at the edges of a winding, clear, river in the depths of a grand valley that was bordered either side by petering mountain ranges.
Azula took command and quickly walked in the direction of the nearest river bank. She carefully avoided the large gouge that tore through the dirt to their side and gazed upon the lazily flowing waters.
Something has caught her attention and she knelt down to take a closer look. The firebender dunked an arm in the cooling water and pulled out a mass of white hair.
"Wads of wet fur. How delightful." Mai dryly commented from just behind her.
Perseus knelt down beside the princess and pulled some out of the water as well. "There's tons of it." He murmured.
"Hmm they're not wads, more like bundles or clumps. Something with an 'uh' sound." Ty-Lee chirped.
"Clumps?" Mai asked whilst Perseus used his bending to pull all the fur in the river closer to them.
"Yes, clumps!" Ty-Lee bubbly exclaimed.
Azula rolled her eyes at the two girls' antics but a small part of her was concerned at just how much fur was all over the place. It littered the rocks that jutted out of the river bed. It amassed all along the waterline of the many sandy banks.
The princess stood up and turned to the group. "Everyone split up but stay in earshot. Start looking around for anything out of the ordinary, anything that might look like tracks or could provide clues in which direction to go."
Azula remained where she stood and gazed upon her friends. Ty-Lee and Mai walked off in separate directions and Perseus smiled at her and also wandered off. The princess directed her eyes upward and gazed upon the skyline.
She wasn't too sure what she was looking for. It would've been nice to see the sky-bison in the distance but she knew that would be unlikely. Her golden eyes scanned all around them but sharply narrowed on something unusual with the tree line.
A small set of tree tops were broken and bare of leaves. They loudly stood out against the backdrop of luscious trees that were brimming with vegetation.
That was out of place.
"We think we've found something!" The bubbly voice of Ty-Lee shouted out to her.
"What is it?" The princess enquired.
"It looks like another trail of fur that heads off in this direction." Mai answered in her signature impassive tone.
Azula briskly walked over to the pair of girls. She looked upon the ground ahead of them and could see why Ty-Lee and Mai called out to her. A clear trail of air bison fur was scattered across the patchy grass. It was similar to the trail they had been following all this time but something was off with it. The trail was too condensed. It was too obvious.
"Hey there's something else over here!" The voice of her bodyguard shouted from a distance.
She turned to face him and was somewhat surprised to see how far he wandered off.
"Well. Let's go see what he's found." Azula smiled at her companions.
"Knowing him he's probably found food." Ty-Lee giggled. Azula smiled and shook her head, from the corner of her eye she saw Mai smirk slightly.
"That would be like him." The ever quiet girl remarked.
The trio walked over to the water bender and joined him at his side.
"So?" Azula questioned expectantly.
"Footsteps. Here in the dirt " Perseus replied. "They're faint but they head off in that direction."
Her golden eyes narrowed. She didn't like this one bit. Three separate trails, all heading in different directions. If they wanted to cover ground effectively they were going to have to split up. A move that would only increase the risk for no guarantee of reward.
"It would seem that the Avatar is trying to throw us off. Three separate trails means we're going to have to go separate ways." Azula articulated.
"Three?" Perseus questioned with a puzzled look.
"The tree tops in that direction are broken and splintered. The air bison had to have flown in that direction." The princess pointed at the grove to the northeast.
"Mai and Ty-Lee. I want you two to head in that direction, take your mongoose lizards and try to be swift. stay close to the river so you have an easy route to follow back." Azula commanded.
"I'm going to follow the trail of fur to the north. Perseus, you follow the footsteps to the northwest. If the sun sets and we haven't found anything, return here and we will adjust accordingly."
"Azula I can't let you go off on your own. What if this is a trap?" Her bodyguard looked at her incredulously.
"I suspect that it's very unlikely for them to have set up a trap. We've been pursuing them far too aggressively for them to have had the opportunity to do so." The princess reasoned.
"This is their attempt to escape us. That much is clear. If we split up we give ourselves the best opportunity to stay in their tracks."
"Azula-" Her bodyguard tried to argue with her but she quickly interjected.
"No Perseus."
"I was just gonna say if something happens shoot lightning into the sky and I'll come find you." The water bender stated firmly. A protectiveness laced his tone.
A warmth bubbled in her stomach. It took all of her willpower to stop the blush from raising to her cheeks. She could only lightly nod.
"Guys. Let's do this." Azula directed.
/
Tianmei Pass, Si Wong Savannahs
Iroh quietly hummed to himself as he performed the therapeutic art of brewing some tea. His golden eyes would occasionally glance up from the teapot he diligently worked on towards his newfound companion.
She was a young girl who sat across from him. She was dressed in green earth kingdom robes and had a golden hair band that glinted in the early afternoon sun.
"I apologise for stumbling out of the forest and scaring you like that earlier." Iroh smiled slightly.
He could see the girl smirk to herself.
"I think I still handled myself pretty well." She retorted.
"That you certainly did, you are clearly a talented earthbender." Iroh chuckled. The older man delicately lifted the teapot and poured the liquid into two small cups.
"Here is your tea." Iroh stated as he placed the cup close to her. "You seem a little too young to be travelling alone." There was a slight concern tinting his voice. It was not often you would find children so young wandering by themselves relatively far from villages. He also wasn't assured by the fact that the girl seemed to be blind.
He saw her lips twirl down into a slight frown. "And you seem a little too old." The young girl countered.
The firebender snickered himself as he shook his head. "Perhaps I am." Iroh concurred.
The earthbender sighed. "I know what you're thinking." She lamented. "I look like I can't handle being by myself."
"I wasn't thinking that." Iroh answered. It may have been a half truth. A part of him was worried about her predicament in spite of her bending capabilities. Not many could say they had gotten one over the dragon of the west.
"You wouldn't even let me pour my own tea!" The girl snipped in an accusatory tone.
Iroh shook his head. "I poured your tea because I wanted to, and for no other reason." There was nothing but honesty lacing his tone. For him having tea with others was always a privilege, and he thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of brewing and serving it out.
The young girls frown deepened. "People see me and think I'm weak." She fizzed. "They want to take care of me. But I am more than capable of taking care of myself… by myself."
It was the old man's turn to sigh. The way she had spoken reminded him of someone very dear to him.
"You sound like my nephew." Iroh calmly started as he took a sip of tea. "Always thinking you need to do everything on your own without anyone's support." He paused, taking another sip of his tea having noticed it was already growing cold.
Iroh cleared his throat before continuing. "There's nothing wrong with letting people who love you, to help you." Iroh chuckled to himself.
"Not that I love you of course, I have just met you after all."
This time it was the girl's turn to giggle to herself. A momentary silence settled in as Iroh refilled his tea.
"So where is your nephew?" The earthbender pipped up.
"I've been tracking him actually." Iroh replied with a relaxed tone.
"Is he lost?" the girl further enquired.
Iroh poured over his thoughts for several seconds.
"In a way you could say that, he may be a little bit lost." The old man paused. "His life has recently changed in many ways and he's been going through some difficult times. He's trying to figure out who he is and went away." There was a hint of sadness in Iroh's tone as he finished. He would've much preferred to be by Zuko's side to provide the assistance the young man needed. But the old firebender knew that when people needed space it was always best to provide it.
"So now you're following him?" She replied.
"Yes. Even though I know he doesn't want me around right now, should he need me I'll be there." Iroh answered with a warm smile.
The old man saw the girl nod to herself lightly as a small smile graced her lips. "Your nephew is lucky. Even if he doesn't know it."
Iroh couldn't help but laugh. He couldn't imagine how a conversation with the young prince would go if it was suggested that Zuko was lucky.
"Thank you for the tea." She bowed her head in his direction after she stood up
"There is no need. The pleasure of sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights." Iroh bowed his head in return. A blind, earthbending girl. A truly peculiar stranger but he was wholeheartedly honest at enjoying their brief respite together.
"No. Thank you for what you said. It helped me." She replied warmly.
"That is good to hear. I'm glad." The firebender returned with a happy tone.
The girl turned off and began to walk away from him. Traversing down the pass to the savannah edge. The earthbender briefly stopped and turned to him once more.
"Oh and about your nephew." She started before taking a brief pause. "Maybe you should tell him that you need him too."
Iroh smiled widely. It was not often he was the one receiving guidance and advice. "Perhaps you are right. I hope the spirits allow our paths to cross once more. I have enjoyed speaking with you."
"You too old man. Take care." The girl smirked before turning off once more.
Iroh lifted the teapot once more and could feel a small swirl of tea remaining in the bottom of it. There was no harm in enjoying one last drink before heading off.
/
Abandoned Village of Tu Zin
Azula elegantly hopped off the back of her mongoose-lizard, they had finally reached the end of the fur trail. It had taken them to a small, abandoned earth kingdom village at the frontier of an expansive desert. Her golden eyes stared down at the bottom of the town's main thoroughfare. A familiar figure of a boy dressed in orange sat cross legged staring back at her.
She paced forward, closing the distance between them ever so slightly as the boy stood up.
"All right, you've caught up with me." The avatar glared at her. "Who are you and what do you want?"
Azula's lips pursed together. "I don't know whether or not I should feel offended. We did just recently meet at Omashu after all." Her voice was almost teasing. Teetering on the edge of gloating. She had him trapped like a cornered stag-a-lope, everything was falling into place.
"I was a little busy trying to save a friend. You still haven't answered my questions. Who are you, what do you want?" The boy retorted with a scrunched face.
The princess rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you haven't been able to guess. Do you not see the family resemblance?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"I'll give you a hint." Azula continued as she covered her left eye with a hand, and then imitating her brother's voice. "I must find the Avatar to restore my honour."
She chuckled to herself as the air bender stared at her blankly. A frown tugged at her lips, she thought it was a pretty accurate interpretation of her brother.
"You must not have gotten it, I think I did a pretty good impression." She mused. Her amber eyes never left the avatar's figure and she could see his hand tightening on his staff.
"I'm Princess Azula, daughter of the Fire Lord, heir to the crown." But you may know my brother Zuko better." She finally answered in her signature regal tone.
The avatar's eyes widened, she could see the fear flash through him.
"So what now?" The Avatar retorted with a glare.
"Now?" Azula parroted back. "Now it's over Avatar. You tired, and you're trapped. You can try to run but I will capture you." She coldly responded.
"I'm not running."
Azula couldn't help but grin. 'Even better.' She thought to herself. A part of her wasn't sure if she could take the avatar on herself but she wasn't going to let the opportunity escape her.
'You even think yourself to be weak.' The cruel voice hummed at the back of her mind.
Azula quickly steeled herself. Ignoring the contemptuous, incessant voice. She refused to allow herself to falter. The princess knew to well what punishments awaited her should she fail.
"Do you really want to fight me? I can assure you it won't end well." The firebender sneered.
An ostrich horse appeared from an alleyway and the familiar figure of her brother glared at her.
"Yes I really do." His recognisable voice bitterly answered her question as he took a fighting stance.
"Zuko!" The avatar exclaimed taking a defensive stance.
Azula took her own form and stared at her brothers amber eyes. "I was wondering when you would showing Zu-Zu." The princess derided.
"Zu-Zu?" The avatar giggled to himself but she refused to take her focus of her brother.
"Back off Azula. He's mine." Zuko warned, his eyes constantly fleeting between herself and the avatar.
"How about instead of fighting each other dear brother, we actually work together. I promised Perseus that I would try to convince to join us. Help me capture the avatar and we can return as heroes." Azula replied, her voice silky smooth. The art of manipulation was one she had long mastered and she knew Zuko wouldn't be able to refuse her proposition.
"No." The firebender firmly replied.
"What?" Azula incredulously returned.
"Please Azula, with how many lies you've told me. After you and Percy tried to take me prisoner the last time we saw each other. Did you really think I would trust you?" He spat venomously.
'Stupid, stupid brother." She thought to herself.
"Well Zuko, unfortunately for you I'm not going anywhere." Azula pointedly smirked.
Her golden eyes fervently darted between her brother and the Avatar, noticing that the two were also doing the same. Her mind was racing, running through countless scenarios of the fight that was to come, calculating every possible avenue that could occur the moment the fighting began. A series of thoughts shouted at her from the depths. She knew she was the most talented firebender of a generation, but fighting both her brother and the Avatar was still a daunting task. If her brother was here then it was only inevitable the old man would be close by, ready to pounce when she least suspected it.
There was a slight trepidation as to what action she should take first, and the ever present voice that mocked from the recesses of her mind taunted her weakness in that moment. But a soothing voice silenced the cacophony of noise that tormented her.
"I was just gonna say if something happens shoot lightning into the sky and I'll come find you."
The voice of her bodyguard was soothing. It brought a calm to the nerves and confidence washed over her. She knew she could easily hold her own long enough for Perseus to get to her side.
"Reliant on a pathetic waterbender once again… how far the pride of the fire nation has fallen." The torturous whispers hissed. It took every ounce of Azula's willpower to ignore the voice.
She saw her brother's amber eyes leave her figure and momentarily rest on the avatar. The opening she had been waiting for finally showed itself. The firebender raced through her lightning bending form, two fingers pointed towards the air and the largest bolt she had ever conjured boomed into the air above.
Azula couldn't help the smirk that graced her face as Zuko's eyes turned towards her. Her second action to begin the fight had no hesitation to it. Her right foot shifted forwards, her left hand punched in Zuko's direction. A blue fireball raced through the sky towards her brother who quickly tried to defend himself with a small shield of orange flames.
As quickly as the embers dissipated a second blaze of blue flames smashed directly into his chest, plowing through wooden support beams of a dilapidated building. Azula's eyes turned towards the avatar who was spinning his bo staff. She quickly solidified her stance but rather than fighting her the Avatars Bo staff turned into a glider and he kept into the air.
Her golden eyes narrowed at the sight. Fury coursed through her veins. The boy was not escaping her. Azula found herself instinctively moving through a kata, two fingers of her left hand pointed into the air above, a mass of brilliant blue fire flowed into the sky. She brought it down in the motion of a whip in the direction of the air bender. The boy turned and faced the oncoming flames, turning his glider back into his bo staff and aggressively spun it, desperately trying to keep himself from being engulfed.
She watched the avatar fall from the air in a heap. Azula raced forwards. Her body reacted faster than her brain could process, shifting her weight over to her right leg and a wall of orange flames glanced at her left side. The princess could feel the best emanating off of the fire, inches away from burning her skin.
The firebender turned to face her attacker, unsurprised to see her brother glaring at her with a scornful face. Darts of orange fire roared at her and she effortlessly dodged them. The countless hours of training against her bodyguard made the attacks look like nothing in comparison. Azula felt the winds shift behind her and before she could move an unseen force blew her away, closing the distance between her and Zuko.
Everything at that point became instinctual. Punch. Dodge. Turn, Slash. Duck. Punch. Weave. Turn. Kick.
She was in the middle of both the Avatar who was fighting for his life, and a vengeful brother desperate to regain his honour. As the fight continued she knew something was going to have to give. Fighting the two of them at once was splitting her focus and thus dragging the fight out. The princess realised that she needed to take her brother out of the fight, sooner than later so she could prioritise the avatar.
She turned to face her brother. Liquid, orange flames raced towards her. The firebender quickly put the palms of her arms together, diverting the fire into two streams that flowed past her. Azula's hands separated, palms facing the floor. She lifted her arms, conjuring a wave of blue flames and pushed it forwards in her brother's direction. The tidal deluge of azure fire was nearly as tall as the buildings and raged towards Zuko.
Azula quickly fired off several balls of fire in the Avatars direction as the Airbender attempting to escape into one of the buildings. She pursued him at a fiendish pace. The boy ran up a set of stairs and the firebender was closing the gap between them. She turned to her right entering the doorway immediately after the boy and nearly found herself falling to the floor below.
The princess, quick and agile as ever moved her outstretched foot onto a piece of foot jutting from the wall. Her foot connected and she quickly pivoted and regained her balance. She glared at the avatar who was floating on a sphere made of condensed air. He flashed her a cheeky grin in return.
The sound of an angered outcry reached her ears. She almost lost her composure at the sight of Zuko flailing through the door and falling to the floor below in a sprawl. She quickly redirected her eyes to the Avatar once more, punching in his direction a dagger of blue flames shot at the boy.
He effortlessly avoided and as fast as the wind he suddenly dashed past her, tripping her up causing her to fall to the floor below. She was able to land on her feet and in front of her she found Zuko slowly standing up. She punched forwards once more, a blast of flames smashing into her brother causing him to fly through a boarded up window.
The princess immediately followed him, hopping through the window and searching for the Avatar. She caught him from the corner of her eye, hopping off of two adjacent walls in a nearby alleyway attempting to escape.
Her right hand moved in an arc. A fan of cerulean flames tore through the wooden building. The airbender lost his footing and as the roof collapsed he was smashed by a support beam. She watched the boy's body disappear under wood into the house in front of her.
Azula entered after him, a smirk graced her face at the sight of the Avatar trapped in a heap of wooden beams and roof tiles. Her hands were engulfed in blue flames and she shot them off to either side of her. Her signature fire lined the edges of the room, turning orange as she released her control.
"You will not escape Avatar, no matter how hard you try." The princess gloated as she sauntered closer to him.
Instincts took over once again. The firebender shifted her weight onto her left foot and leaned slightly. A whip of water raced passed cutting through the wood that entombed the airbender.
"Katara!" He gleefully cried.
/
Tianmei Pass, Si Wong Savannahs
The waterbender had been following the trail of footsteps for a while at this point. His sea green eyes refused to stay settled, constantly scanning and shifting around, carefully analysing his surroundings. The late afternoon sun had begun to paint the sky orange and a warm breeze grazed his skin.
His mongoose-lizard slowly led him onto a pass through the hills, and Percy took the opportunity to assess his circumstances. He didn't like where he was. He could see an all encompassing desert not too far away, the land slowly grew more barren, trees were replaced by grass, which itself was replaced by dirt and shrubbery.
Percy felt this in the air not long after departing from the river. The air was quickly turning drier and drier, the humidity and moisture dissipating rapidly the closer he came to the desert's edge. The dirt below them became more arid. Even though there was still water around, Percy's mind could help but still wonder how effective his bending would be, how much strain it would take.
It was a massive difference to what he was used to. Back home the fire nation was an archipelago of islands, surrounded by the ocean and filled with rivers and creeks. Tropical climate meant the air was always humid, moisture would cling to clothes and skin. Back home water was bountiful. Here. Here it was more of a rarity, a luxury.
It put him even more on edge than he already was. Not only were they hunting the Avatar, one of the most powerful benders to exist. He and Azula were separated; and Percy found himself in the antithesis of his element.
The waterbender couldn't stop worry from creeping in, the sense of dread that danced at the edges of his mind. His mind flickered back to the princess and a pit formed in his stomach. If something happened to her and he wasn't there he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He cared for her deeply, much more than he would be willing to admit.
Percy remained seated upon his steed as they turned a corner at the crest of the pass. He quickly tightened the reins forcing the beast to stop. Several paces in front of them were the remnants of a burned out fire. He jumped off the mongoose-lizard to take a closer look.
It took no time to surmise that the fire had burned out. There were no burning embers and the smoke had long disappeared. There was still ash on the ground, yet to have been blown away by the semi-frequent wind. He gingerly pressed the back of his hand close to the charcoals. There was still a slight warmth to them.
The fire was recent, likely smothered out in the last hour or two. Percy stood up and looked around once again. He took several tentative steps around the fire and stopped. There were now two sets of footprints wandering down the path. One set was small and faint, likely the same set of footprints he had been following in the first place. The other however, was much larger and broad. Definitely made by a man.
A small breeze grazed past him and Percy froze like a statue. There was a scent to the air, incredibly faint but immensely familiar. It was floral, delicately sweet, and fresh. He recognised it immediately. Jasmine tea.
Not just any jasmine tea. White jasmine tea. One of Uncle Iroh's favourites. Percy's eyes widened and his mind began to race. The waterbender dashed in the direction of his mongoose-lizard.
"Shit." He muttered to himself.
He needed to get to Azula as quickly as he could. He had to be sure that she was okay.
A blinding flash raced through the sky in the distance. A deafening boom of thunder echoed in his ears. Was he already too late?
/
Abandoned Village of Tu Zin
Azula was trapped. Her back literally pressed up against the remnants of an old dilapidated building. From the periphery of her vision she could see the two walls that had entombed her. Directly in front of her, an unexpected alliance blocked her escape. Her golden eyes narrowed as she glared. She raised her hands and showed off her open palms to them.
Where in Agni's name was her blasted bodyguard. How long ago did she launch lightning into the sky at this point?
"We'll look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together." She spat angrily. Azula took as much time as she could saying each word. She had to delay for as long as possible. Surely Perseus was close.
"I know when I'm beaten, so I'll surrender - " A high pitched, shrill whistle cut her off. Those in front of her sharpest turned to the direction of the noise.
"Now now Zula. No need to be so hasty." A familiar, cheeky voice teased.
Relief washed through her and she could help the wide smile that found its place on her face. "Well dear bodyguard, you took your time." She teased back.
"I'm here now princess." He winked at her. His sea green eyes filled with amusement.
"YOU!" The waterbending girl furiously roared.
"Me?" He feigned indignation.
"You're a traitor to your own people!" She spat as she moved several paces closer.
"Oh no, I remember you now. I think the last time we met I told you that I am fire nation." Her bodyguard retorted with a lopsided grin.
"You're a water bender." Katara snapped back incredulously.
"And as I remember you're a pathetic excuse for one." He replied mockingly.
"Hey don't you speak to my sister like that!" The water tribe boy snarled and charged at Perseus brandishing a club.
Azula's smile grew devilishly wide. Sometimes she felt like her bodyguard was two completely different people. The sarcastic, cheeky friend she confided in; and the ruthless, almost arrogant warrior. She knew exactly who he was right now, and what he was doing. After all, she had seen it first hand on countless occasions. Many times in the past she cursed him for his ability to piss everyone off. Now she was revelling in it. It reminded her of his five duels, where he tactfully mocked and humiliated every one of his opponents to his advantage.
The princess watched as the distance disappeared between the two. How the water tribe boy swung his club wildly and her bodyguard moved to his side swiftly, allowing the blow to completely miss him. In the blink of an eye his elbow rocked out, smashing the boy against his temple knocking him out.
The water tribe boy fell to a slump and now it was his sister's turn to advance on Perseus. She raced forwards and her hands went to her side, water flowing out the skin she kept on her hip. Her bodyguard unsheathed his sword and tripped the girl up in one smooth motion. As the girl lost balance Perseus whirred round, his left arm put her into a chokehold and the tip of his blade rested against her cheek. The water that she was in possession of fell to the ground in a slop.
/
Percy carefully held the tip of his blade millimetres away from the girl's cheek. He concentrated on his connection to water, stretching his senses far and wide. The liquid that had fallen to the ground rose into the air and flowed behind him.
He heard the girl grunt in front of him as she tried to command the water from his grasp. Percy rolled his eyes.
"You can try but you aren't going to find any water by your side." He mocked. "Now let's calm everything down for a second."
The benders that remained were anxiously looking back and forth between himself and Azula. The avatar glared at him, his bo staff pointed directly at the son of Piandao. The familiar faces of Zuko and uncle Iroh watched him with careful eyes, their hands engulfed in flames ready for a fight. But the fourth person threw Percy off. She must have been the earthbender. She wore the green garments that denoted the earth kingdom peoples, her feet were bare and her stance was solidly rooted to the ground. What threw him off however was her eyes, they were completely grey… Was she blind?
"What do you want?" The avatar questioned angrily.
"I'm just here to make sure my princess is safe. So you're going to let her walk round to my side and we're going to leave." Percy answered firmly, the grip on his blade tightening.
"And what about Katara." The air bender pressed.
The waterbender smirked. "Well I can't have yous attacking us the moment our back is turned. So she gonna escort us to the villages edge and we'll make our leave."
"That's not happening!" The boy in orange shouted. "She's not going with you."
The son of Piandao's gaze fleeted over to Azula. Her golden iris' met his sea green eyes. One look to her conveyed a wordless message. There was going to be a fight, and he needed a distraction.
Azula imperceptibly nodded. Percy took a step back, Katara in tow. He watched the air bender whisper to the earth kingdom girl, their voices too hushed to hear a word.
Everything kicked off simultaneously. A rolling wave of earth raced towards Percy. A blast of blue fire threw Zuko and Iroh off their feet. The bodyguard knocked the waterbending girl out in one quick motion, the tip of his blade nicking her cheek as he did so. The waterbender jumped as high as he could, barely dodging the attack that had come his way.
"KATARA!" The air bender screamed, an explosion of gale force winds rocketed through the narrow streets of the abandoned village.
Percy landed on his feet but another take came quickly. A blast of air knocked him through a stone wall and the wind escaped his lungs. He stood back up and the hairs on his neck raised in anticipation.
The avatar was floating, surrounded in a sphere of the four elements. The earth kingdom girl was running to the two water tribes kids, building a shelter made of stone to protect them. The air bender was barrelling towards him, stones dashed through the air towards him and as quick as a flash Percy deflected them with his sword.
The swordsman quickly sheathed his blade. As much as he trusted his weapon he knew it would be feeble to fight the avatar with it. He called upon the little water he could muster from the ground and air. Another barrage of fire and rock rained down upon him. Percy quickly raised his hand to form a protective shield of ice.
The son of piandao gritted his teeth as the intense heat bore down upon him. Sweat gleamed on his forehead. Percy dodged another attack, rolling swiftly to his left as earth crash beside him. He was completely zoned into the fight. The waterbender was on the back foot, dodging and weaving the numerous attacks that came his way. He was not liking this one bit. A gush of wind connected with his chest, blowing him away some distance. The boy landed on his back a rattling of coughs escaped his lips.
He needed more water. He desperately needed more water. His fingers dug into the dirt as his eyes opened. The air was too dry. The soil too barren. Where was he going to get the water from. As if the spirits acknowledged him, the answer he desired flew high in the sky above him. Clouds.
Clouds.
Percy chuckled as he reached a hand into the air above. He had never stretched his senses so far before but he had no intentions of losing today. His hand balled into a fist. The waterbender could feel it, it was like squeezing a sponge, forcing every drip of water to be free. The sky darkened. A deluge broke from the sky above.
Rain.
Percy smirked as he stood up. The cooling water that graced his skin refreshed and invigorated him. He stared down the stretch of road, the familiar frame of the avatar was gaining on him. Half of the abandoned town was up in flames.
He watched the avatar stretch out a hand, trying to exert control over the water Percy so desperately conjured.
"No!" Percy shouted. "Water won't be answering your call today avatar."
He reached his arm out, and with a single, swift motion whatever liquid the avatar had controlled flew to the waterbender side. The avatar's glowing eyes widened and the son of Piandao chuckled. Now it was his turn to run the fight.
Percy charged forwards, with two quick movements twin blades of water sliced through the air in the direction of the Avatar. An earthen barrier appeared as the water connected the waterbender forced it to turn to ice. The shield of stone smashed into a thousand pieces and he continued his march forwards.
Now the avatar was on the back foot. The rain continued, Percy reached a hand to the air and wickedly sharp icicles raced to the ground. The avatar was swift and capably avoided the barrage. A fan of flames raced towards the water bender but he pulled a wall of water up to meet it. Steam sizzled and mist billowed.
He pulled up another large swarm of water and pressed it forward like a tidal wave. Suddenly the ground beneath him roared, a piller of stone and earth raised and threw Percy into one of the buildings. He collected water to surround his back and cushion the blow as he tore through a wall.
Percy shook his head, this fight wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon. He needed to find Azula and they needed to escape. He jumped through an open window, forcing water below him, turning it to ice and sliding down to the ground.
"AZULA!" He shouted as loud as he could, his voice carried by the wind. The princess swiftly turned to him but before she could reply a wave of water rushed to her side coalescing into ice, colliding with an arc of orange flames.
"Remember how our first duel ended?" He yelled.
The princess looked at him with a puzzled look before realisation dawned on her face. Her head moved with a nod of acknowledgement. She began to move through the motions of her lightning bending form as Percy did the same. Two bolts of lightning raced through the sky, one made of electricity and one made of ice.
An explosion boomed, thick mist and dust enshrouded the village.
/
Authors Note
So guys I ain't gonna lie to you, I have no real excuse for this chapter taking so long. Whilst I have started a new job and have a little less free time because of it I did spend all the free time watching and rewatching the entirety of solo leveling far too many times and read the entire manhwa. Shit was fucking cool.
I really wanted to get this chapter out on the 27th of March to celebrate 1 year since the first chapter was published. On that note, I can't believe it's been 1 year so far. I wanted to thank each and every single one of you who have followed, favourited and left a review. You guys mean the world to me and I massively appreciate the support.
I hope yous have enjoyed this chapter as much I have enjoyed writing it. I did not expect it to end up as long as it had but oh well, it makes up for the delay!
/
I usually put a little spiel here but I think I'll try and keep my thoughts succinct. I did caught a scene, I intended to write Mai and Ty-Lee's running with Katara and Sokka but I hated what I wrote every time so had to give up on it. Otherwise, I hope you've enjoyed the action and I've done the fights justice. I would really love to hear everyone's thoughts on it. I also wanted to explore more of Percy's powers/abilities, and how he would cope being on the desert's edge which is the complete opposite to where he draws his power from.
As always going to reply to some reviews;
Death Fury: Thank you so much reviewing every chapter, would love to hear what you've enjoyed so far and your overall thoughts on the story! Appreciate it :)
Richardcolebaker: Delighted to hear you've enjoyed the sorry so far, thank you so much! Looking forward to hearing from you again.
Superhero01: and I'm back again, slightly late though hahah. Me too man, happy that those two have finally been able to clear the air and things between them can start progressing ;). I honestly think Zuko's the most challenging to write because his original story is so good I don't want to screw it up. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter as well, really looking forward to hearing from you again.
lordphoenix10: I wanted to thank you again for reviewing about the broken format so quickly that I was able to get fixed as fast as I did. I can't state my gratitude enough for it. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!
/
Once again, thank you everyone who's joined in on the journey. If you've made it this far please follow and favourite, and please leave a review. They're always my biggest motivation to write and hearing from you guys and interacting with yous is my favourite part of this.
As always folks,
Take care,
Admeto.