Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Please, no more. I surrender.”

Five words Percy never thought he would say to anyone other than Annabeth. Not that he meant them. But words have power. And he was sure whichever gods or ghosts were watching him at the time would hold it against him with extreme prejudice. He had lowered the ratings for Percy TV, that was for sure.

“Ha! Another victory for Artonious!” roared the festooned giant warrior. Percy wasn't exactly sure what species of monster he was, but he looked like an MMA fighter who got lost in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival costume department.

Artonious stomped forward, arms raised and head held high as if performing a victory lap for adoring fans, of which there were none in the dingy alley unless - you counted the cockroaches undoubtedly living in the shadows. Percy didn't.

As Artonious drew close, Percy let his head loll, as if exhausted by the battle he had just endured. Percy kept his view on the concrete beneath his feet, arms akimbo, Riptide held limply in one hand, and let Artonious make his showboating approach.
He had played this game before. Lure the galoot close, then spring like a trap. Simple as that. Artonious was so close now that each footfall made the loose gravel skitter around Percy’s feet, but still, the demigod waited.

Thundering footfalls.

Steady kid.

Another booming chuckle.

Wait for the moment. Keep it loose.

Artonious’s shadow fell across Percy’s field of vision.

Don’t waste your chance.

The noxious smell of monster sweat.

Now!

Percy’s lips quirked in a grin and he blew out a sharp breath, a small cloud of mist illuminated in the cold night air under the weak streetlight. Throwing himself forward between Artonious’s legs, Percy rammed Riptide upward towards the giant's exposed thigh, sinking the blade into the meaty leg and jerking it free as he completed the dive. The attack gouged a ragged hole in the flesh, and a small splash of the monster's blood spattered across Percy’s shoulder and arm.

Rolling to his feet behind Artonious, Percy flicked Riptide to the side, casting off the coating of blood marring the blade.

“Good girl,” he said, and whirled to face the now tottering giant.

Riptide, being a sword, said nothing in return.

Artonious roared, tottering backward, his injured leg struggling to support his weight.

“Fiend! Coward! You claimed defeat, and now treachery!” Artonious bellowed, swiveling towards Percy. He lurched his bulky frame forward and impaled himself on Anaklusmos, which Percy had leveled at giant-stomach-height (pretty standard unit of measurement) in anticipation of just such a lumbering maneuver.

Artonious drove Percy back a few feet, the momentum of his advance a wall of force against the young man. The onslaught gradually slowed, as the giant began to disintegrate in the dandruff way that monsters do, and his strength faded. The monster peered down at Percy, growing deeply in disappointment at the stolen victory.

“Bastard son of a -” Artonious growled, swiping a meaty paw at Percy’s head, and missing miserably. Percy almost felt sorry for the monster. It was like watching a toddler try to pour a gallon of milk into a small glass: pitiful, and with only one possible ending.

“Careful,’ interjected Percy, twisting his grip tighter around the hilt of the sword, “My dad’s got great hearing. But really it’s my mom you should worry about.” Percy fondly recalled the many times his mother had scolded him and Grover when they had sworn at the wrong time.

Sally Jackson wasn't opposed to ‘bad words’, she just thought they had a time and a place, and when it was the wrong time and the wrong place, well, she wasnt the kind of lady to let that slide.

Artonious garbled out a few unintelligible words - or trying to beatbox, Percy couldn't tell - and crumbled completely, leaving Percy braced against thin air. The young man breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, wiping Riptide against his pants before popping the cap back on the end and reverting the sword to its pen form.

“Well done.” Chimed a voice from the shadows.

“Cockroach?” Percy replied, whirling to see the bug he imagined was now speaking to him from the alleyway.

A ghostly figure hovered just beyond the sphere of the street lamp, clothed in pale green robes, her face painted with bold block colors, and a fan-shaped headdress resting low on her brow.

“Young hero,” she began. Percy groaned, interrupting her. Those words were almost always followed by a quest bequeathal. Just what he needed. Annabeth was already waiting on him for their dinner with Rachel.
The figure continued as if she had not been interrupted, but her steely eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“Young hero,’ she repeated, “powerful energy ripples through the spirit realm from my world to yours. The specters of your land have informed me that you are reliable, and my people have need of you.”

Reliable? That was the biggest accolade he was awarded. Not heroic? Or handsome? He was gonna have to have a talk with Nico about these ghostly opinions sooner than later. Percy opened his mouth to tell this ghostly lady thank you, but no thank you, and that he had another floating green fan lady he had already promised to help out, but before a word could leave his lips, the figure swept forward.

She sped across the short distance and passed through Percy, filling his vision with whirling green and white, and sending him stumbling backward.

Have you ever had a 16lb bowling ball dropped onto your stomach from the empire state building? Neither had Percy, but he imagined it was preferable to the way he felt at that moment. He tumbled, blindly, and sprawled onto the grass.

…

Grass?

In NYC?

Once his vision cleared, and Percy felt comfortable releasing his grip on the short scrubby grass, confident he wouldn't float away somehow, he raised his head and looked around.

Percy was no geology buff, but even he could tell this wasn't right.

“Shit.”

Chapter Text

Percy clambered to his feet, brushed the dust off his front, and peered around. It HAD been almost 8pm but now seemed to be the middle of the day. He was standing at the edge of a stand of trees, and down a small hill, a babbling brook filled the air with, as one would expect, babbling. 

“Well. This is great.” Percy sighed, trudging the short distance to the stream and kneeling at the edge of the water. All bodies of water had spirits, and most of them were willing to at least speak to a son of Poseidon. Percy hoped the spirit of this stream would give him some help, or at least some direction. 

He splashed a hand into the water and called out, “Hello? Anyone there?”

Instead of a pleasant female voice, Percy heard a disgruntled squawking from behind him and the rustling of bushes. He whipped around his hand grasping Pentide in his pocket. From the treeline emerged a young man, about Percy's age, hopping on one foot, the other tangled in rope and wooden bits. 

“Stupid trap! You’re supposed to trap tasty animals, not me! I made you!” squalled the man, miraculously not tumbling down the embankment. He gave a triumphant cry and jerked the mess of ropes free: his shoe came with it. 

Percy watched the chicken dance, a bemused smile on his face. 

“Been there.” he chuckled, and the now half-shoeless man twirled around, eyes wide, his gawkiness suddenly gone. He was clothed in blue robes, not unlike a short bathrobe, and in the practiced shift from unaware to alert, Percy saw a warrior's countenance. 

The stranger brandished the rope-tangled shoe and called out in a (Percy suspected artificially lowered) husky voice.

“Stay back. I don't want any trouble. We’re just travelers, passing through.” he instructed Percy, his eyes flicking over the demigod.

Percy raised his hands to show their emptiness but quirked an eyebrow. 

“We?”

The man froze, his brow knitted in consternation, then stammered out an answer.

“Well, I mean, me. Not we, just me. My boomerang is my buddy, so I say we.” he poorly lied, though his wary stance didn't change. 

Percy nodded sagely, his face belying that while he didn't believe a word being said, he wasn't going to push it.

“I'm Percy.” said Percy, being Percy. 

“Sokka.” replied Sokka, not being Percy. 

“Does your boomerang have a name?

“Boomerang.”

“Nice.” Percy nodded. He lowered his hands but kept them visible. 

“Listen man, I'm super lost to be honest. Do you know where we are?” Percy asked, scratching absently at a spot on his neck where a prickly sticker had scratched him on his initial graceless landing. 

Sokka nodded. He stared at Percy in silence for a moment, before apparently coming to a decision, and lowered the tangled bundle. 

“A half days walk from Greystown.” he informed Percy, his tone much more conversational now, and less ‘manly’ than his intimidation attempt had been. 

Percy stared blankly, and Sokka laughed. 

“You’re that lost? That you don't even know the local towns? That's rough buddy.” he commiserated with the green-eyed youth, and plodded down the small slope to a less awkward distance. 

“We- I can't take you there myself, but I can draw you a map if that will help. See that hilltop over to the Nor-” Sokka began to give directions, but was interrupted by an explosion just around a bend in the stream. Smoke billowed, and pellets of dirt and rock rained down.

“What was that!?” Percy asked.

Sokka’s face was pale, and his jaw jumped as he clenched his teeth.

“Fire nation Soldiers”.

Percy had no idea what that meant, but judging by the magnitude of the explosion, and his gut instinct that Sokka wasn't exactly a nefarious villain, he assumed it meant one thing: Nasty Bad Guys. 

Percy wasn't the best at school. He wasnt amazing at riddles, or math, or remembering to take out the trash. But in moments like this, Percy was able to make snap calls he liked to think of as his ADHD Superpower.

He decided three things:

1 - Sokka didn't seem like the type to attack Percy without cause if he let his guard down.

2 - If a boomerang was a normal weapon, he could use Riptide without scaring Sokka.

3 - Fire + Trees = Bad.

Those were enough for Percy to make up his mind, and as Sokka raced towards the explosion (anyone who runs towards danger was cool in Percy’s book), Percy ran behind him, uncapping Riptide as they ran. 

Rounding the bend, the two entered a scene of what Percy could only describe as, well, comical. 

A bald teenager hung upside down from a tree with a lemur in his arms. A short kid in green was shouting obscenities with as much gusto and grammatical accuracy as a very grumpy toddler. A girl in blue was waist deep in the stream, her hands raised in a praying mantis position. They looked like an odd circus troupe.

The less comical part was the dozens of small fires burning in the grass, and the six bulky men in red uniforms facing down the three youths. While Percy couldnt know who attacked whom, in the case of Aggressive Men vs. Defensive Teenagers, Percy tended to side with the less ominous of the groups.

Sokka glanced at Percy, confusion writ large on his face as to why he had been accompanied. Percy glanced back, flashed a cocky grin, and hefted Riptide.

“Cowabunga.”

Chapter Text

Percy had to be careful. He was used to fighting monsters, gods, other demigods, and the occasional enraged Central Park Goose. But these were mortals (probably), and he had to make sure he didn't hurt any of them too badly. 

Riptide vibrated in his hand, and as Percy ran toward the battling groups, he saw from the corner of his eye that the sword still looked like a sword. Usually, when around mortals, Riptide used the Mist and took on the appearance of a baseball bat. Apparently, it was feeling cute today and decided to keep its original appearance.

Percy didn't have much time to ponder the style decisions of his sword, as he quickly reached the first fighting pair. He heard an ululating battle cry from somewhere nearby, and a boomerang swished by overhead, bouncing off of a nearby tree. 

Two of the red-clad men were facing the teenage girl standing in the river. She had singe marks on the edges of her sleeves, and a smear of soot on one cheek. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes darted from the men to Percy, panic and confusion obvious in her shifting stance. 

Percy wasted no time, swinging the butt of riptide at the head of the shorter of the two men, who staggered and dropped the short club he was holding. The other man had begun his advance on the girl, and lashed out with a short whip-like weapon, aiming for the girl's head. 

The girl waved one of her raised hands, and a stream of water rose from the river and intercepted the whip, diverting its path harmlessly into the dirt of the riverbank.

Percy didn't know how to process seeing someone else control water, but he didn't have time for that just then. The man he had bludgeoned had recovered quickly, had scooped up his club, and turned to face the young demigod. 

The man swung the club, fast for someone his size, and Percy hopped to the side, ducking under the man's guard, and ramming the hilt of his sword into the man's diaphragm. The man released a strangled gasp and staggered away.

“Sokka! Look out!” A young male voice shouted. Sokka had been fighting a small man with brass knuckles, but now it looked as if the pair had both lost or shed their weapons, and were grappling barehanded. Behind Sokka, another man had emerged from the trees, clad in much darker robes, and with a heavily beaded hood hanging down and obscuring his face from view. 

The man raised both hands and glowing balls of fire ignited a few inches above his palms, then stretched upward into thin towers of the roaring of almost white flames. The man tilted his hands to the side, and twin beams of flame extended out the backside of his hands. 

Evil Sith Fire Man. Percy had to admit the guy looked pretty awesome, in an evil kid-murderer way. 

Percy was too far away to intercept the guy physically, and as skilled as he was at playing ‘catch the grape in your mouth, he didn't trust his throwing skills enough to throw Riptide. Percy had just seen the girl in blue control water, so he figured it was fair game. 

Raising his free hand, Percy concentrated, and a thick column of water rose from the stream and surged towards Sith man. It collided and sent the man sprawling, the fire dissipating as soon as his hands uncurled from their grip-like position. He rolled several feet in the now muddy dirt and came to his feet smeared head to toe in brown sludge, swiveling his head until he locked onto Percy. He raised an imperious hand and pointed at Percy, then advanced at a frightening speed.  

Percy didn't hesitate. He flicked his hand again and sent another strong column of water directly into the man's torso. Unfortunately, the man saw it coming this time, and the water sizzled and steamed as it came into contact with him, creating a roiling cloud of steam that obscured his approaching figure. 

Percy crouched, ready for the man to emerge. Just as the silhouette of the man appeared at the edge of the smoke cloud, signaling his impending exit from the hiding mist, Percy was yanked upward by the collar of his shirt. He flailed momentarily as the ground fell away from beneath his feet and Riptide fell from his grasp. 

The former details were more important than the latter, as Riptide would return to his pocket shortly. Rising into the sky, however, was more pertinently dangerous, and he craned his head back as far as it would go.

Percy found himself looking up the length of a blue-clothed arm, and into Sokka’s face. Sokka, in turn, was perched on the edge of a giant saddle on the back of - what a quick twisting inspection revealed to be - a giant fuzzy white beast. The other teenagers leaned over the side, and soon grasping arms pulled the young demigod into the saddle platform, where he lay flat on his back, hands clenched in the leathery fabric, eyes wide and chest heaving.

“Why did we have to take him with us?” said a young crunchy female voice.

“Because,” said Sokka in a distinctly joking tone, “boomerang took a liking to him.”

A face appeared in Percy’s field of vision against the cloud-dotted blue sky. Bald head, wide eyes, and a blue arrow in the middle of his forehead. 

“What’s your name?” asked the kid.

“Percy” replied Sokka for him, which was good, as Percy was too busy panicking and waiting for Zeus to strike him down.

Chapter Text

The next ten minutes were spent in tense silence for Percy. The giant creature flew them farther away from the battle site, and over a nearby ridgeline. The teenagers were busy attending to small injuries, whispering to one another, and keeping an eye on Percy.

They need not worry about the demigod; even if he had animosity towards them (which he didnt - not yet anyway) he was too busy fighting vertigo to do anything but lay with his eyes clenched shut and attempt to use his sheer will to make the giant beast land soon.

It seemed luck was in his favor, as once on the other side of the mountains, which Percy only knew about from overheard snatches of whispers, he felt a jolt, and the motion stopped. Opening his eyes, Percy sat up and breathed a sigh of relief, his stomach gurgling from the residual stress of the flight.

“Percy” said Sokka, “we appreciate your help back there, and you're clearly not a firebender after all that” Sokka made grandiose waving gestures in the air with his hands to mimic waterbending, “but thats what confuses me.”

The young woman with a long braid tossed a bundle of blankets over the side of the saddle to the kid in orange who had already made it to the ground. Her face was stormy, and she inspected Percy as if an answer to her curiousity would be written on his forehead.

“We,” she said, jerking her head towards Sokka,”are from the Southern Watertribe. We’ve been to the Northern Tribe, and you dont look like anyone there. Not your complexion, or your clothes.”

Percy nodded, as he probably didnt match the style of a niche tribe from a dimension he didnt live in.

The girl continued.

“But you’re a waterbender. Which means we have a problem.” she said, passing more luggage over the side.

“A problem?” asked Percy.

“Yes.” the girl snapped.

“Katara, come on. We didnt meet everyone that lived in the Northern Tribe, its still possible…” appealed Sokka, casting Percy a ‘sorry for her rudeness’ look.

“He already admitted he wasnt from there!” Katara interrupted, her voice rising and betraying her anxiety, though her expression remained controlled and stern.

“Look,” said Percy, raising his hands in surrender, “I dont want to cause any trouble. I saw people in trouble, so I helped. You guys could be evil, but the other guys had bad vibes, so I made a call. I can go and get out of your hair no problem. Just point me in the direction of a city, or town, or tribe or whatever theyre called.”

“Then where are you from?” asked the boy in orange, who had just…jumped 30 feet straight up and landed in the saddle next to Katara. Odd, but not entirely unheard of in Percy’s experience.

“Thats…complicated.” replied Percy, rubbing the back of his neck and giving a chagrined chuckle. “Long story short I’m from a far away place, someone told me to come here,” privately he thought how untrue the ‘told’ part was (it was more like ‘forced’).

“Can everyone come down to the ground and stop talking where I cant tell if hes lying or not?” came a gruff voice from the ground. The girl with choppy hair and no shoes was standing beside the beast, waving a hand in frustration. Percy assumed she must have some sort of close range power that allowed her to detect lies, and so obliged her directive, climbing down the rope ladder that Sokka indicated.

When they all stood on the ground Percy continued his previous dissertation.

“All I know is now I’m here. I’m lost, and frankly hungry, and the lady in green turned out to be a ghost spirit thing and not a talking cockroach.” he concluded.

The Katara, Sokka, and the bald kid turned to look at the girl.

“Well Toph?” asked Baldie.

Toph leaned against a boulder and nodded, though her eyes were staring at the ground rather than Percy.

“Yup, hes telling the truth.” she reported, and Percy sighed in relief at the confirmation. He offered a weak winning smile and spread his arms.

“See? I’m only here because Im a man easily swayed by the promise of seeing a boomerang.” he joked half heartedly.
The others seemed to relax once Toph pronounced Percy honest, and Katara heaved a sigh.

“Fine.” she said, turning to the pile of bundles. “You can stick with us until the next town. But you have to help set up camp.”

She seemed used to ordering people around, and Percy had no complaint, so he did just that. He gathered sticks, carried cooking supplies, and helped pitch the tents. When the preparation was finally done, and a pot of soup was bubbling over the small fire, Percy piped up.

“I dont want to seem stupid, but whats the deal with the evil fire men?” he asked.

Toph raised her eyebrows, lounging in the dirt across the fire.

‘Wow. You werent kidding when you said you came from far away if you donT even know about the war.” she commented.

Sokka struck a pose and balanced on his toes like a ballerina.

“Listen well young traveler, and I will tell you the story of the Evil Fire Lord.” he almost-sang. Percy gave himself a mental high five: he knew he had smelled theater kid on the teen.

As they ate the soup, Sokka gave Percy a crash course in, well, a shitshow. Sokka finished his recitation with the information that the Avatar (like the blue people? Percy doubted it) had returned and hoped to stop Ozai.

“Damn.” Percy sighed, “that Ozzy guy is a nasty one.”

He was exhausted. It had been a long day, and interdimensional travel was taxing.

“Now you.” said the boy who had introduced himself as Aang. He scooted forward a few inches, seeming eager to hear Percy’s story. Percy liked the kid. He looked to be about 16 and seemed alert and curious, like a small bird.

Percy chuckled and balled a blade of grass between his index and thumb. He had been a pawn in the gods games enough times to know that he didnt meet these people by chance, and that they were, if not the precise people he had been sent to help, at least closely tied to them. Therefor, an abbreviated truth seemed warranted.

“Like I said before,” he began, “a floating lady in green appeared and told me I was needed here. She like, went through me’ Percy mimed moving his body forward, “and now I’m here.”

Percy adopted the tone of kindergarten show and tell, and ticked off his fingers counting off each pertinent detail.

“Im from a place call New York. I live with my mom, little sister, and stepdad. My girlfriends name is Annabeth, and I like long walks on the beach at sunset.”

Toph shook her head.

“That stuff is cool and all but were not looking for your ‘top 5 cool facts about percy’. Whats your deal? Who is the green lady, and why you? What can you do that makes you worth kidnapping?” she asked.

Percy sighed and gestured to Katara.

“Like she said before, Im a ‘waterbender’. Im one of the only few in my land that can control water, which I inherited from my father. Because of who my dad is, and my abilities, Ive spent years fighting off people and…creatures that want me dead. So I know my way around a battle.” he informed them, then perked up. “And, Ive got a kickass sword.”

Sokka nodded.

“Oh yah, I remember seeing you fight with one, but I guess you dropped it back there, huh. Tough luck.” he commiserated.

Percy laughed, pulled riptide from his pocket, and uncapped it, the blade springing forth.

“Ta-da; instant sword.”

“NO WAY!” yelled Sokka, scrambling over to Percy. “Thats so cool!”

Percy nodded and grinned. It was cool, even after all these years of witnessing it.

Toph crossed her arms.

“Hey, I can make a sword appear too.” she asserted.

Toph reached her hand into the hard packed dirt as if it were jello and pulled out a crude, chunky, technically sword-shaped item. When her procurement was met with silence, she dropped it, where it melted back into the earth.

“Ok so it's not the best. Sue me. I’ve never used one before, and I only know their shape.” she said with a petulant edge, before letting out a huge yawn.

“My bending says he's telling the truth, so unless you guys want the blind girl to stand guard, I'm getting some sleep.”

She didn't wait for an answer, and flopped down, rolling her blanket over her haphazardly.

Percy's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

“She’s blind?” he asked, and Sokka nodded but didn't tear his eyes away from riptide, which he was all but drooling over.

Chapter Text

After some whispered conversation and some light tussling that confirmed Percy's suspicion that Katara and Sokka were siblings, the group settled for the night. Percy had been cleared of the ‘dangerous’ label, and while he hadn't been moved to ‘trustworthy’ yet, he was allowed to sleep within the camp without much issue.

It was a warm night, and with the extra blanket that Aang had offered him, Percy fell asleep as soon as his head hit his crossed arms.

He dreamt of the green woman, but instead of speaking to him, she was speaking to a differently clothed Aang. Percy’s dream drone hovered just out of earshot, and while he could make out general sounds, the specific words were unknown. She spoke with authority, but her tone had an edge of kindness it had not possessed when she had been essentially kidnapping Percy.

The green woman faded, and a man in red robes took her place, then a man in a blue fur-lined snowsuit, all speaking to Aang, who grew more and more agitated. Just before Percy awoke, the last figure Aang had been speaking to disappeared, and the young man turned away scowling. His eyes locked with Percy’s, and Percy offered an astral wave before he was yanked back to the land of the waking.

Percy's eyes opened blearily and he sat up, just barely missing being hit by a small nut. Judging by the debris around him, it wasn't the first one that had been lobbed at him, and he looked around for his assailant.

The pet lemur sat in a nearby tree, tapping nuts against the branch and discarding the ones he found unacceptable. It would have been cute if he hadn't been discarding them right onto Percy’s head.

“Thanks. Real nice alarm clock,” he grumbled, and stiffly climbed to his feet, stretching with undignified noises. He had slept on worse surfaces before, but interdimensional travel did a number on the joints he guessed.

“Morning.” Katara greeted him. She seemed more amenable towards him this morning, and Percy smiled what he hoped was a sleepy-charming smile, and not a crazed grimace.

Sokka rolled over in his bedroll, still half asleep.

“See Katara, told you he wouldn't murder us all in our sleep,” he mumbled. Katara glared, waved her hand, and sent a globule of water from the nearby stream onto her brother's head.

Sokka spluttered and thrashed in his blankets.

Katara smiled saccharine sweet. “Oh good, you're awake now.”

Toph, Aang, and Appa watched (technically Toph mostly turned her head in the general direction) as the siblings began to bicker again. Percy rubbed his shoulder and quirked an eyebrow.

“I get the feeling this is a common occurrence?” he asked.

Toph nodded. “All day, every day. Like cranky sparrow-lizards.”

That gave Percy pause, as he was pretty sure he had never heard of a sparrow-lizard before, but he mentally shrugged it off. After all, he knew some pretty crazy half-and-half creatures himself.

Aang slipped down from his perch on Appa’s foreleg and asked Percy, “How did you sleep?” in a tone that left little doubt as to what he was subtextually probing for.

Percy cut straight to the point. “I saw you in the dream Aang. Talking to those color-coded people.”

Aang nodded, looking relieved to skip to the meat of the topic.

“Those are my past lives. Sometimes they give me advice or direction when I need it,” he informed Percy, who was impressed.

“I’ve met spirits before, but never past incarnations. That's pretty cool.” he congratulated the other boy, offering a fist bump.

Aang eyed the hand for a moment before guessing at the purpose and making a fist of his own. Percy bumped his into Aang’s, who appeared delighted at the gesture, and offered one of his own to Momo who had alighted on the ground next to the pair. Momo shrilled and leapt away, landing on Sokka’s head, and effectively breaking up the spat between him and Katara.

Percy and Aang laughed as Sokka wrestled Momo from his hair, and Katara shook her head at the boys' foolishness.

“Listen,” Percy began, giving one final chuckle at the hijinks, “I think it's time we address the elephant in the room.”

That earned him some odd glances, but he continued.

“I know Aang is the avatar. It's pretty obvious. Also, I had a dream where I saw him talk to elemental people, so the whole thing kind of spells out: Avatar.” he concluded. Annabeth would be proud of him, for putting together context clues like this.

Katara, Sokka, and technically Toph, turned to look at Aang, waiting for his reaction. Aang grinned crookedly and gave a resigned theatrical, “Ta-da! It’s me, the one and only Avatar.”

Katara pursed her lips, but respected Aang’s right to share or hide that information, and gave a tired sigh.

“Well, if you’re not going to be an enemy, and you know the truth about Aang, we might as well not waste daylight.” she summarized, clapping her hands together to punctuate the point.

She gave Percy a look that spoke volumes: you have our trust for now, but that can easily be revoked. Returning her focus to Aang, she traded the somber look for an only slightly forced smile and beckoned him over.

“Let’s practice your water bending young student.” she invited, and the bald-headed teenager sprang through the air (could he fly Percy wondered) and landed in the shallow stream next to his instructor.

“Ready!” he crowed and waved his hands to demonstrate his readiness.

“He seems ready.” Percy commented wryly to Sokka who nodded sagely and stroked and invisible beard.

“Can one ever really be ready?” he posited, gazing into space as he pondered.

“To be honest, he looks more orange-y than red-y to me.” Percy rebutted, gesturing to the brightly colored robes.

Sokka cackled and settled down to study a map. Percy sat on a tree stump near the training pair and watched interestedly.

Katara guided Aang through a series of seemingly well-practiced forms and breathing exercises, the water around them rippling and streaming in accordance with their gentle direction.

Percy had never given much thought to how he controlled water. He just kind of did it. It followed his command, with some effort of course, and pending some other powers at play, seemingly wanted to obey his wishes. This series of steps looked more like sword fighting than water controlling, at least where Percy's styles were concerned, and he nodded in approval of the fluidity and control.

Finishing the warm-up, Katara turned to Percy and after a moment of thought suggested, “It might be educational to see a water bender from another region demonstrate their style. Percy?”

Percy shrugged and rose, wading into the shallow water, which came to mid-calf.

“Sure, I don't mind. Mine isn't as fancy as your’s but I'll give it a shot.”

Sokka turned from his maps to watch, his demeanor changing slightly. He still seemed calm, but the hilarity of the previous interaction was replaced with careful analytical anticipation. Sokka was a warrior, despite his levity, and a good warrior watched and learned whenever possible.

“If you don't learn, you die. If you die, you can't learn anything else ever again.” Annabeth had said to him once. Sound advice.

Percy was fairly well rested, and the stakes were relatively low, so he the power he drew from within himself was barely more taxing than doing jumping jacks.

Dipping a hand into the water, the demigod drew a thick stream of water in the air, and made a throwing motion, sending the leading edge up and over Katara and Aangs heads, making an arch.

Releasing his hold on the water, the arch burst into vapor, and a rainbow filtered down. Did Iris messaging work on rainbows here? Percy would have to check that later.

Crouching down, he placed both hands palm down on the streambed and send out tendrils of focus, reaching outward 30 feet in either direction. Percy stood from his crouch and raised the stream into the air, still flowing.

Removing one hand from the flow, the other keeping the stream stabilized in the air, he drew a thin rod of water from the main mass, and formed it into a trident. Hoisting the water trident in his free hand, he threw it away from the camp and into a large tree, where it sliced through a chunk of the bark and branches before losing structural integrity and disbanding.

Percy dropped the river back into the riverbed and beamed, proud of himself, and feeling like a master showman. He turned to look to Katara and Aang, and was met with open-mouthed gawking.

Aang practically bounced with excitement.

“You just lifted the entire stream off the ground! And the big fork thing was so cool!” he said at the same time as Katara asked “Are you a master bender?” with a combination of excitement and territorial anxiety.

“I’m not sure what a master bender is, but I'm not a master bat- uh, um yah I guess you could say that.” Percy replied, keeping the crude joke mostly unuttered.

Chapter Text

Annabeth paced rapidly on the porch of the Big House, Chiron and Grover her captive audience. Both stood still, watching her pace and listening to her rant as if any move they made might anger her like a dangerous animal. 

“I f this was the first time this had happened, I wouldn't be happy about it sure , but it would at least be novel! This is just ridiculous! My mom won't even reply to my prayers, and Rachel can’t see him no matter how hard she looks into the future. It’s like he's disappeared! And we know he's not dead, because Nico said… ” Annabeth spat, waving her hands and smacking her fist in her palm in emphasis, continuing her tirade.

As she spoke, Chiron cleared his throat softly and murmured to Grover.

“P erhaps it would be best for you to go with Annabeth to see Percy’s mother. A… distraction moment of peace from her rampage for Ms. Chase, and I’m sure Mrs. Jackson is worried about her son .”

Grover nodded, his eyes remaining fixed on Annabeth, who was oblivious to their exchange and had moved on to enumerating the different times Percy had disappeared or been taken, rating how stupid they were.

“O h, and that time he was almost kidnapped when we got Pizza in Philly! 10/10 stupid on that one, since he followed the monster to the backroom on the promise of free garlic knots! ” she gave a dry laugh, and her expression softened. 

“Not that I think he’s stupid, just the whole situation was. I know he’s smart in his way, and I know he's capable of taking care of himself, I just hate it when there's nothing I can do!” she lamented, turning to look at the cloven-hoofed pair. 

Chiron raised his eyebrows and kept his expression sympathetically neutral, while Grover offered a sad smile that said he too knew the frustration of losing Percy. 

“C ome on, Annabeth, let’s go see Mrs. Jackson. Someone should tell her what happened. ” Grover prompted, and Annabeth reluctantly nodded, clearly wishing to continue her ranting.

Avatar Universe

Percy really, really, truly , madly, deeply, with all his fingers and toes, deep down to the core of his human and godly sides, HATED flying. He wasn't sure if Zeus had any dominion here, but the air was not his domain , and he felt uneasy and queasy and if he was being honest, a little greasy, as the group flew through the air on Appa’s back.  

Sokka had informed them that they were low on provisions, and with the addition of Percy to feed, they needed to stop at the next safe town to restock. Percy had offered to be the one to go into town, trying to be helpful, and trying to give himself a destination and task to look forward to at the end of the flying, but had been shot down by Katara.

“ Y ou’re not from here, and I’m guessing don't know our money. You could easily get swindled by a shopkeeper, and we can't spare any of the coins we have to inexperience .”

Percy wanted to be offended, but she was entirely correct, so he just shrugged. To distract himself from the utterly terrible open empty air between him and the ground, he needled Sokka for information about this world. 

Sokka was more than willing to lecture him, clearly enjoying being the knowledgeable party in the conversation, calling Percy ‘ my student ’ and ‘ young warrio r ’.  

All in all, Percy learned, this world was just as funky as his was. No gods, but spirits. Benders divided by elemental powers were common, and the animals were just as freakily combined as monsters sometimes were. Sokka and Aang seemed quite eager to meet a hippocampus and a pegasus when Percy described them in response to all the Franken animals they listed. 

The crash course was thankfully absent of any real crashing , and after a few hours Appa, whom Percy would already die for despite it being a creature of the air, landed in a small cave. From the cave mouth, Percy could see the lights of a town twinkling in the distance, and the ringing sound of a blacksmith's anvil echoed across the valley. 

Katara and Aang ventured from the save, gently ferried to the valley floor by Aang's bending. By the time they returned, it was fully dark, and the cave was absolutely plastered in mud. 

“W hat happened here? ” Katara exclaimed, stopping at the save mouth, aghast at the mucky carnage. 

Percy, Toph, and Sokka all shrugged, and Percy hoped it was nonchalant enough for Katara to believe that somehow the caves only occupants weren't responsible for the mess. 

“I t was like this when you left? ” Sokka tried to suggest, earning him a flat look from his sister. 

“E xplain, please. ” Katara sighed, and water bent the mud aside to make a pathway to the small fire they had built before leaving.

No one spoke, and being the newest arrival, Percy figured it would be good form to take the fall for this one. He cleared his throat, squared his shoulders, and reported.

“I was ‘bending’ some water from a small trickle at the back of the cave and Toph asked about my bending form since apparently it feels different from yours. I made the water into a spinny wheel so she could feel the difference once more and so she threw a rock at me to test its shielding capabilities. The rock, er, ricocheted from the spinning water and one thing led to another. In short, ma’am we launched chunks of dirt from a water cannon thingy for the majority of the afternoon. It was fun.” he concluded, feeling like this was a grade-school book report combined with a visit to the principal's office. 

A moment of silence. Percy looked around at everyone's faces.

Katara appeared tolerantly annoyed.

Aang seemed bummed like he would have wanted to participate.  

Toph looked decidedly unrepentant and was squishing her toes in the mud (ew).

Sokka gave a dramatic shrug.

“I t was boring just sitting. And technically we were training: now we have a new attack! Sludge Cannon! ” Sokka insisted. 

Katara chuckled and shook her head.

“Fine. Sure. Whatever you Mud Benders. Just, please clean it up so we can eat.” She said. She rolled her eyes but smiled.

Percy jumped to salute and immediately began pulling from the small stream he had originally used to create the mess to wash the floors clean. 

With Aang’s help, they shortly had the cave as clean as a cave made of dirt and rock could be. Which was to say, not very, but at least not dripping in mud and sludge.

Chapter Text

Percy was going to have to find a way to bring this porridge back with him when he went back home. It tasted like oatmeal if oatmeal wasn’t depressing. Katara beamed at his praise of the dish and insisted it was just a root vegetable that she had picked up in town the previous night. After the delicious breakfast, the group packed the items back into Appa’s saddlebags and settled down to inspect their maps. 

“No offense, Buddy, it’s just that you have literally no idea where anything is.” Sokka had placated when Percy was asked to sit out of the route planning. 

Percy feigned a single tear sliding down his face, then snickered. 

“No worries bro. I would be zero help. I’ll keep watch.” 

So Percy hung out. 

He made it an entire eight minutes before the silence got to him. The birds chirped too cheerfully. Percy got up to stretch his legs. 

“Don’t wander too far: we’re going to leave as soon as we can agree on a route,” Aang advised. 

“Aye Aye, Captain.” Percy agreed and strolled away. The little Momo creature screeched and flew after him, landing atop his head, seemingly wanting to come along for the walk.  

He didn’t wander. Just… expand his perimeter. Like a responsible camp guardian. Totally normal. Percy chatted quietly to Momo as he walked, pointing out things that were unfamiliar about the flora and fauna. Momo chattered nonsensically in response, like a polite conversation partner. 

Just as Percy was about to turn around and head back towards the camp-cave, an absolutely bewildering creature came galloping(?) up. 

“I know the Avatar is nearby! Take me to him!” yelled the sad Hot Topic worker riding the giant ostrich. 

Percy blinked.

“What happened to ‘Hello, how are you’?” Percy looked at Momo for support. 

“I am Prince Zuko, I want the Avatar's capture and defeat to be all mine. And I want to be alive to deliver him to my Father. Something that is more unlikely the closer my sister gets.” Zuko reported, his stupid ponytail bobbing as he spoke. 

“Listen, I’m no stranger to demanding fathers. Though all of my siblings who have tried to kill me have only been half-siblings, so you’ve got me beat on that one.” Percy commiserated. 

“But the solution isn’t to give in to their demands. That just perpetuates the cycle of emotional manipulation and -” Percy continued conversationally, but was rudely interrupted by a fireball. 

The source of said immolation, Prince Kapow himself, was aiming another fireball at Percy, who had dodged into the bushes to avoid the first blast. 

“You know, you’re really bad at listening,” Percy shouted.

“I am listening! I just don’t care about what you’re saying! Now tell me where the Avatar is.” 

Someone was cranky. 

Another fireball. Percy ducked behind a log that immediately caught fire.

“I dont even know who your sister is, but if shes anthying like you, family dinners must suck!” Percy taunted. 

“Why do you think the Avatar is here anyway? Hasn't he been missing for like 100 years or something?” Percy asked, remembering his history lesson from Sokka. 

“The spirits told me in a dream. And she's not like me, she's worse.” Zuko snapped, seeming embarrassed at the admission. His embarrassment didn’t stop him from advancing, and he followed Percy with a series of blasts that corralled the demigod towards the edge of the treeline. 

Percy emerged from the trees and whirled to face his enemy. He extended his water sense out, but couldn't find anything more than a trickle within a reasonable distance. And since this dude seemed more deranged than cosmically terrifying, Percy would have to make do with his good old sword. 

“I can see the flying creatures' fur on your shoes, don't pretend you haven't been traveling with the Avatar.” Zuko accused, pointing at the offending fluff that was indeed stuck to the edge of Percy’s shoe. 

Oops. 

Zuko reached behind his back and tugged at a rattle bundle, withdrawing a set of blades. 

“Holy shit are those two swords?! That’s so cool!” Percy guffawed. 

Displaying the same lack of chill he had thus far demonstrated, Zuko rushed at Percy, blades swinging. Percy shrugged and met the oncoming attack. 

Percy was unfamiliar with fighting someone with two blades, and in despite Percy’s considerable training, within the first few exchanges, Zuko had scored a thin cut along the demigod's cheek. 

It stung, but only as much as the emotional sting of being marked so early in a fight, after a full nights rest and a meal. 

Percy dropped to a knee, bringing Riptide up towards Zuko’s torso, but no engraved blades blocked his attack. Zuko had shifted back, bringing his dao up to intercept the blow, but his eyes were hazy, and the shift in balance was enough to cause him to slip, ruining the block. 

Percy surged to full standing and spun to engage again, bright red now staining the edge of Riptide's metal. Zuko, momentary weakness seemingly dispelled, growled and turned, leaping at Percy, dao slashing.

They were so close that the three blades clashed together almost instantly, in a pseudo-grapple of metal on metal. 

Percy wished he wasn't fighting Zuko for this reason: the latter was clearly a legendary fighter, and Percy would have loved to learn from him. Alas. Also, two swords? Some might call it overkill, but Percy thought it was badass. 

What wasn't badass was what followed: Zuko breathed a jet of flame right at Percy’s face.

“No fair!” Percy yelped and ducked, disengaging their blades. Zuko kept the stream of fire for a moment longer, and in the time before Percy’s eyes could adjust to the glaring flare of fire, Zuko’s foot connected with the middle of his chest and sent him stumbling backwards. 

Percy staggered, righting himself almost instantly, but that one moment could have cost him the fight. If it wasn't…for Momo. The little creature had fled at the beginning of the altercation, but chose this moment to dive-bomb Zuko’s head, clawing at his eyes. The jet of fire went out as Zuko made a Minecraft villager noise and twirled, his hands moving in a blur, and snatched Momo from the air. He hurled the creature to the floor and pressed a foot down on top of one of the wings, before seeming to process what he had captured. He eased the pressure, looking apologetic, but didn't remove his foot entirely.  

“This is my last chance! I’m not going to let him get away again.” Zuko whined, his desperation palpable. 

“Grease Lightning! Back. The Fuck. Away.” Percy shouted. He leveled Riptide at the other man, and noted how shitty Zuko was looking. The prince staggered as he straightened, a hand pressed over his side, red rivulets twining down his leg and splattering the ground when he spoke. 

The longer Percy looked, the more signs of ill health became apparent. Zuko was pale, dark hollows beneath his eyes, his hands covered in blisters and scratches. His clothing was faded and mended in many places, and his hair was snarled in its ponytail. 

Percy frowned. “Dude... when’s the last time you slept? Or ate? Or did literally anything that wasn’t brooding on a rooftop? Is Gotham looking for you?”

Zuko didn't answer. He swayed slightly. It would’ve been comical if it weren’t so concerning.

Then, Momo squeaked from under his foot.

Zuko jerked back. 

“Dude, maybe sit down before you pass out, and I have to explain to the others why I’m suddenly in possession of one sad, crispy fire prince.”

Zuko did not sit.

Instead, he stared Percy down with the dazed belligerence of a dehydrated raccoon and said, “I’m fine. I don't have time for this.”

Percy snorted. “You are so not fine. You’re like three coughs away from a dramatic fainting spell. What are you doing out here trying to kidnap people when you should be in bed with a mug of soup and at least two blankets?”

“I don’t have a bed.” Zuko snapped like he had just scored a checkmate. 

“Well,” Percy sighed, “that’s depressingly on brand.”

For a long moment, the two just stared at each other, breathing hard, one armed with a sword and the other with poor choices.

Zuko growled, taking a staggering step closer to Percy, who kept Riptide leveled in the space between them.

“Just tell me where he is! He must be close by!” Zuko demanded, but a flash of white and orange in the corner of Percy’s eye made him glance towards the cliff edge. He glanced back at Zuko and decided: he felt like gambling.

Percy offered a crooked grin.

“You’re super duper right. He is very close. Here, let me show you.” Percy nodded his head towards the cliff edge. Then, before Zuko could do more than follow his gaze, Percy booked it towards the edge and hucked himself off the edge. 

As he had hoped, Appa hovered just below the lip of the cliff and swooped up as Percy appeared over the edge. 

Percy fell, arms outstretched, Riptide tumbling into the emptiness below, and reached for Sokka’s outstretched hands. Riptide would return, but if Percy failed to catch this jump, he wouldn't respawn at a later date. 

Something pushed Percy further than his jump should have propelled him, and as Sokka’s warm, rough hands clasped around Percy’s wrists and began to haul him into the saddle, more hands appeared to help. The multitude of hands grasped at his clothing and yanked upward, but Appa’s sudden swerve to avoid an incoming fire blast shook Percy back down the side.

A truly anguished scream followed them as they soared away, and as Percy finally lurched over the edge of the saddle, he saw Zuko on the cliff edge, still screaming, the words lost to the wind. 

The hands helped Percy lie down on his front. Why his front? Percy’s head was swimming from the leap out over the empty air, which had terrified him more than Zuko had, and the smell of overworked computer didn't exactly help him find clarity.

“What smells gross?” Percy asked, wrinkling his nose against the leather of the saddle. 

“Percy, stay down. Your back is burned. It’s not too bad,  but please stay still.” Katara’s voice said from above him, and Percy obliged.

Zuko must have gotten in one last blast. That must have been what had propelled him those last few feet during his daredevil leap. Good news, bad news. 

“That seems fair. I did cut him pretty gnarly.” Percy panted and posited, “ I did call him Grease Lightning. Maybe he doesn't like musicals.”