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Chapter Text

Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

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"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

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You have realized that things are never the way you want them to be, for example, sometimes you are late to attend work, a school, a meeting with family and friends.

It's getting late because you lose your keys, you lose the money you had saved for gifts, the homework that if you don't present the teacher will fail you, well, some people call that having bad luck, karma, chakras or whatever way there is to call that, some say that we pay for the sins we committed in our past lives or that the sins of the father are passed on to the children.

Well, there is some truth in that belief, in my case it is my father's sins or so I like to think, since I never met him since I was rescued and adopted by the fire lord Iroh, it turns out that after a terrible war against monsters that no nation in this world knows from where they appeared, they just did it, I'll give them a history lesson...

Water, earth, fire, and air, long ago the four nations lived in harmony, but everything changed when beasts, monsters, and calamities appeared...

Rather, they slaughtered, ate, attacked, dismembered, and burned everybody, but you know, that's not the version you tell your grandchildren before you go to bed

... Only the Master Avatar of the Four Elements could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he disappeared...

This was a little more than 100 years ago, it is not known if he died or did not want to continue with a destiny that he did not choose, You know that it would be funny, that being the master of the four elements he ends up frozen in a storm, that is unfortunate hahaha...

Currently the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom are the main powers in this world, they both keep the threat of monsters and stuff at bay so there is no war between nations or at least that's what the general population believes, we enter a kind of ultra secret internal cold war. What they both seek (mainly my adoptive father's brother, Lord Ozai, is cruel with a serious inferiority complex and a very high resentment for not being chosen to be the next fire lord, who by the way wants the throne, but more on that later) is to conquer the other and be the owner of..., Well... the world, do you have any questions?

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POV 3rd person

"Yes, I have one, are you really going to give that essay to your history teacher Percy," a black-haired boy asked a green-eyed one

"Of course! "What's wrong with Zuko?" replied the green-eyed young man known as Percy. "You think I should have mentioned about Fire Lord Iroh's addiction to mahjong, but I thought that after losing his clothes in that game with the minister of the earth kingdom it had become a state secret

"I didn't mean that, idiot!" exclaimed Zuko with annoyance and exasperation. "I was talking about your essay in general, if you deliver it like that you'll get suspended, again, and uncle won't be happy about it

"Maybe you're right, but you know I have a hard time writing and reading everything, I had to correct this about 50 times so I wouldn't have a spelling mistake and I'm not going to repeat it, damn Professor Wan, if I hadn't failed I'd be on vacation by now and not doing homework."

"Then you had to study for the final exams and not escape from the mansion to go practice with the sword with the soldiers" said Zuko with a blank tone "Come on Percy!, everyone knows that you are one of the best at using it, you are even better than me, you could not for once fulfill your responsibilities"

"I know, I know, is that Professor Wan's class is as boring as Lord Iroh's stories, but I'd rather spend the day with your father than see that old witch again."

"Wow, you're really desperate," said Zuko. "Well, since your best friend will help you, give me that essay that really makes me feel sorry

"Dude, you're the best," Percy grinned from ear to ear.

"It's not free," Zuko clarified, "You'll have to do something for me."

"Sure, whatever, just ask me!"

"You see, in three days a tournament will be held and it is rumored that those who finish in the top five will be selected for an expedition to the Northern Water tribe, there are rumors that Ratko was seen wandering the frozen lands, a small village disappeared."

Percy knew what Zuko was trying to tell him, he wanted him to help him enter the tournament and be selected and be recognized, especially by his father as a skilled firebender is what he has always wanted since the passing of his mother, he looked at him trying to hide the concern for Zuko's words, Percy's smile was gone, He was worried about his best friend.

"Dude, before you go any further," Percy said, "we're just fourteen years old, we're not old enough to enter a tournament like that," He stared at Zuko, hoping he would give up on his request, but he knew he wouldn't.

"Those silly rules are only for normal guys, we are part of Fire Lord Iroh's family, don't worry, we'll enter the tournament."

Zuko had an excited glint in his eyes., he had raised both hands pretending to wield two swords as if he had already won the tournament.

"Okay," Percy said, "I'll do it, after all you need my great skills to win that tournament, I can't leave you stranded."

Percy seemed calm on the outside, however he wasn't happy or enthusiastic, normally he would be happy to be able to practice the sword against opponents in combat, but the fear for his friend outweighs that happiness. Percy knew what he had to do next and that was to inform his father Iroh about the situation, who would not be happy, let alone knowing that his essay had been done by Zuko.

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Percy's POV

Later that day...

The Palace of the Fire Lord was huge, it had different rooms, many bathrooms, dining room, private garden, training rooms and a very suspicious torture chamber, the palace was located on top of what was an ancient volcano, the legend has it that it was an ancient nest of dragons but due to hunting they were extinct.

The palace had a central tower with several floors, in which the royal family lived. On the upper floor was the personal bedroom of the fire lord Iroh and some floors far below that room was mine,  a not very large room. , near the servants' quarters, Father's brother, Lord Ozai, objected to me being on the upper floors. He may be Iroh's son but I do not have royal blood.

In the northern part there were two more towers, these were close to the entrance of the palace and in this one stayed the highest political members of the Fire Nation and, occasionally, ambassadors of other nations or people with great power, as well as high-ranking military members.

That was my favorite place, you see, since I was young my father made me train with the sword, since I am not a firebender, I had to find some other way to be able to fight and the atmosphere was very comfortable being in that place, unlike the main tower, the mere presence of Ozai disturbs my day, he says that I am only my father's pet and some things like that, I really didn't think much of it.

Finally, the south tower of the palace is where the war council meets and decoration ceremonies or a not very pleasant tradition, the Agni Kai duels, 2 years ago Zuko was not so lucky in a duel like that.

Later you find palace city, it surrounds the whole palace, it is a big city, quite a few homes, however, they only belong to high society people, with great wealth, so you will not find street vendors or groups of children playing in the streets, frankly it is very boring, it is one of the main reasons why I hate being in the castle, Although sometimes I like to explore, but with nothing to do.

I walked towards the training rooms, brandishing the sword relaxes me quite a bit and since I can't see my father until he returns from his trip there isn't much to do.

When I arrived at the training room, a figure moved in the distance, it was noticeable that in his hand he was holding a spear, when I got closer I confirmed it, he was piercing the training dummies with that long device, only one blow was necessary to go through the shields and the entire body.

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POV 3rd person

"Hello, master Heng, how are you doing?" Percy came out to the man

The master was wearing a white shirt with the image of the Fire Nation on the back, a red circle with a flame in the center, he was wearing black pants and the heavy military boots, classic army boots, but extremely resistant to fire, I mean, it's obvious. His hair was tied up, it was long and black, silky and fine, quite neat for someone who has dedicated his life to training, he had a broad face, big eyes and bushy eyebrows, but he lacked a beard, he must not have been more than 40 years old, however, he looked a little distressed, perhaps he was there for the same reason as me, to clear the mind.

"How about Percy, how's the rehearsal going? Did you finish it?"

"Of course, it was amazing, I'm sure Professor Wan will leave me alone."

"You seem very confident, my friend," said the master, "well, if you're done with your studies, you won't mind training with me for a while."

"Of course master, that's why I'm here."

Percy put himself in a fighting position, he didn't feel safe in a battle without having a sword with him, but since Trainer Heng had put the spear aside, Percy did the same, it wasn't the first time he practiced with the trainer, in fact he taught him different hand-to-hand fighting techniques to defend himself from the firebender attack and he was sure that the first move of the Trainer would be a huge fireball, after all it was his favorite, it blinded the enemy's field of vision allowing to shorten the distance between them.

"Are you ready, Percy?" The master said with a very confident face, "I hope you hold out longer than you did last time.

"I'm ready, whenever you want coach."

The trainer took a deep breath and with both arms launched a huge fireball, Percy hit, in the same way, the trainer had left his field of vision, he did not know where it was going to appear, however, Percy remained calm, ran towards the huge fireball that was approaching and jumped before it could do him any damage, He could then see his master approaching the position where the green-eyed boy was, for the first time, he had the advantage.

From a perfect landing, Percy approached the master, who had not noticed his presence, he quickly threw a kick to the head with the idea of finishing him off with a punch, at the last moment, the master ducked and counterattacked with a kick to the boy's chest throwing him back a few meters.

"Did you think you had me now, boy?" he said to master with a mocking smile "you are still very young"

Percy stood up and began to attack the trainer and at the same time dodged with great precision the flames coming out of the trainer's fists.

"That way you won't beat me," said the master

Percy approached the master, he seemed to be desperate and without any strategy.

"It's over," the master said

With his right arm he threw a jap with a strong flare, but Percy bent over letting that hot gust pass, landing a blow on the back of the trainer's arm followed by two light blows to the shoulder and ribs.

"Take this, master," Percy said

The trainer backed away, defending himself with a blade of fire that he kicked off as he backed away, but the boy kept closing in on him, dodging every attack the trainer launched.

Being very close to him, the trainer raised his right arm to launch an attack, but no flame appeared.

"You blocked my chi points, but when did you learn that?" surprised, but with a curious face, the master asked

"It's your end, old man," was all the green-eyed young man said

In a single leap, Percy hit the trainer's face with his knee, stunning him and forcing him to retreat. He could already taste the sweet victory, landing a direct blow to the face was a feat.

"You..."

"The victory is mine, master Heng."

Percy rushed again to land another straight punch on him, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to hit the trainer, after all, he felt great satisfaction, as the trainer always mopped the floor with him. He threw a punch to the abdomen, but before he could complete it the trainer stared at him.

"Did you just call me old man, you brat"

The master's face was completely red and his nose was somewhat crooked, assuming it was from the blow that the green-eyed young man was able to land, it seemed as if smoke was coming out of his nose and ears, but when he paid attention, it was no illusion, the smoke was real. A shiver ran down Percy's spine and only one thought flashed through his mind—I'm dead." Then a fireball, a little smaller than the previous one, but I could swear it was hotter, hit the young man straight in the chest and it exploded.

Percy was stunned, he only heard a hissing sound due to the explosion, he could barely stand and be conscious. He could make out a person approaching him, quickly stood up and threw a punch at his opponent.

"Who would believe it, not even in my own palace am I safe, my own son attacking me. You'll need a lesson so that this doesn't happen again"

Percy pulled his fist away from his opponent's face, but it turned out not to be the trainer, it was his father, the fire lord Iroh staring at him.

The boy realized that the chill he felt when he saw the master's furious face when he called him old was nothing compared to the feeling he had right now, it was very similar to being buried alive, and I can assure you that this is worse.

"Father... this is a misunderstanding, I was training right now with Master Heng, he can explain to you father himself"

"And where exactly is Master, Percy?" Iroh said

"What are you talking about, he's right there..." Percy turned his head pointing to the center of the field

But the training ground was completely empty, not even the trainer's spear was there, Percy immediately knew that the trainer had abandoned him.

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If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps you improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

Just i am writer of fanfic

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"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

<action>

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

Some clues are more or less halfway through the chapter.

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POV's Percy

It had already been two days since the fight with Trainer Heng, and my father, Fire Lord Iroh tasked me with a simple task.

It's the nice way of saying punishment and it was to clean for a whole week the pens of the Komodo Rhinoceroses, these were located on the outskirts of palace city, but the excrement of these animals stinks like hell and it is not pleasant that the royal family can perceive the smell of these.

I'm only allowed to leave the palace to go to the corrals and I have an escort. You can't imagine who it is, well, I'm escorted by master Heng himself, it seems like a bad joke, it seems that he got away with this, when my father asked him about the matter he mentioned that he was with a woman on staff who was not his wife, if you know what I mean.

Thinking about it, I think I am the only member of the family who has had the wonderful assignment and believe me, cleaning them is quite a challenge, these animals are often used as pack animals, but it is also common to use them in the assembly of the soldiers of the Fire Nation navy, they are covered by thick skin, Fireproof, of course. They have three large curved horns coming from their face, two of them are curved downwards from the forehead and the last one is curved upwards from the top of their muzzle.

But what's really scary are its huge claws that can easily pierce through the navy's armored shields, basically any one of them is a huge ball of muscles racing towards you at 45 kilometers per hour, they measure about 4 meters long from their snout to their tail and weigh just over a ton.

My advice, if you come across one of them, climb a tree and accept your death.

But you know it's even more impressive, that I'm the only person cleaning 10 corrals, although I guess I got away with it considering the wrong hit I hit my father's face.

I managed to finish my second day of punishment in the pens right at the beginning of sunset, I was really exhausted when I was summoned to my father's office to discuss some matters, I immediately went to the place.

When I was in the corridor I saw a figure come out of my father's office that seemed very familiar to me, immediately a feeling of disgust, quite similar to nausea, passed through my whole body, I was in a cold sweat, as I got closer I could distinguish that it was General Ozai, or, in other words, it was my uncle... politically, if I may clarify, and of course, Zuko's father. He was wearing a red robe, traditional but quite expensive, exclusive to the royal family, with a red line design, his face had not changed at all since the last time I saw him, it reflected pure hatred of envy, the classic face of a conqueror and murderer, his eyes were brown, but he showed a deep resentment, The only change was that his beard was longer than usual, just beard, no mustache.

When he looked at me he made a face of displeasure, it's not the first time I've received that look, to be honest, all the members of the palace city look at me, what can you expect from a lot of wealthy people, concerned about their lineage and appearance, it's not something that matters to me, but someday, when I can suddenly erase the expression from that face, I'll feel pretty good.

"What a surprise, but if it's Percy, you look a little taller since I last saw you, when that was, maybe two or three years," he said with slight revulsion in his voice, barely detectable

"Four months, Mr. Ozai, but it feels like an eternity, a pleasant eternity."

Ozai quickly changed his expression, I think his hatred went up by 10%.

"What brings you here?" Ozai asked in a tone of interest

"I really don't know, I was called by my father to discuss some matters, and you, Mr. Ozai?"

Ozai stared at Percy, he seemed to be deciding whether to tell him or not, which meant trouble, nothing good comes if someone like Ozai decides to discuss private political matters, something is coming and it's a big thing.

"Well, you see, it's classified information, but being you I don't think there's any problem, after all, you're my brother's pet."

Percy clenched his fist tightly, all he wanted to do was rip off that hideous beard he had and beat him to death.

"It seems that scout troop 104 disappeared without a trace, near Ba Sing Se, the troop was on its way to the mountains, but they never arrived. We sent another team to investigate the disappearance, but they found nothing"

"Is it possible that the earth kingdom had something to do with it?" I asked

"It's possible, but unlikely. The earth kingdom is concerned, they were the ones who requested our participation in this"

"What are they worried about enough to ask for the Fire Nation's involvement?" I asked, I'm sure my bewilderment could be seen on my face

"There are rumors that something evil dwells in the dense forests of the mountains. The Earth Kingdom has been dealing for a while with different monsters coming from the forests, they have evacuated the nearby villages—

"What kind of monsters?" I asked with interest

"The usual, submerged, ghul, wyvernos, some wraiths and infernal dogs, among others"

Ozai left me more puzzled for a moment before replying, "But such plagues are common in the vicinity of Ba Sing, I know why the earth kingdom is worried now."

"You're right kid, but it's not the plagues, it's the number of them," Ozai looked at me as if explaining to a child how to go to the bathroom, "for months these plagues have been on the rise, normally the kingdom has to deal with them without problems, but it reached a point where it became a nightmare

"Then the troop was sent to discover the source of the rise of these monsters, but they never returned," I lowered my head, looking at the floor with a little sadness

"Exactly, that's why I'm here, someone has to supervise the matter... Well boy it was a disappointment to see you, luck in the tournament you will need it. " Ozai said as he walked away

For a few moments my mind went blank, I was just thinking about how the hell Ozai found out about my participation in the tournament, I hadn't mentioned it to anyone but the Komodo rhinos, as I was hard carving the floor of the corrals. However, I wonder if the forest thing has something to do with the rumor Zuko mentioned to me, I wondered a few times in my head, but I couldn't find the connection.

And the million-yuan question, because heck Ozai would talk to me, every time he's in the palace he doesn't even look at me let alone speak to me, I have a very bad feeling about this.

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POV 3rd person

Without waiting any longer, Percy arrived at his father's office, pushed and opened the huge doors, they were a bit interesting, the huge doors showed important events in the history in the Fire Nation.

Some examples are Sozin's comet which can be seen only once every hundred years, it also showed a frame that represented the treaty that was signed between the four nations approximately eighty years ago which dictates the alliance between the nations in the battle against monsters.

Further to the center was carved a battlefield, a war that took place forty years ago. In this picture, the fire nation had a victory against the enemy leader, the so-called witch bathsheba, this was a calamity that hit the world for about twenty years, since then the topic of witches is considered a forbidden one and mentioning only the existence of one makes all nations go crazy.

And finally, the event made possible by his father, the victory at Ba Sing se, which showed the typical walls that characterize the city, these were carved and painted with extreme care, after all it is the most recent feat, this victory was made possible by the bravery of his father some twenty or twenty-five years ago, A pair of Drakones nested right in the king's palace and their father cut off their heads. The only question he has is how his father, a tea lover and terrible gambler at Mahjong was able to do that, sounds like a tale out of a children's fable, but his brother, Lu Ten has told him that his father was not always kind and that on the battlefield he was almost invincible.

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Percy's POV

When I entered the room I immediately saw four people inside, two were at the back of the room, they are my father's bodyguards and I immediately recognized them, the youngest named Jackie was around 29 years old, he was wearing the typical boots and military pants, he was wearing a "sweatshirt" I don't know how to explain it, as I heard a designer with a unique vision of fashion appeared in the southern water tribe and from At the time, it was engaged in clothing making and distribution, as far as I know, the Southern Tribe has grown economically since then.

From my point of view, the famous sweatshirts look great but they don't go with military clothing and much less if you are wearing a helmet, as Jackie did.

The second man is called Jeong Jeong, he is the head of security and in charge of my father's protection, he was dressed in traditional clothes, he had nothing fancy on, but in his own way he looked good, ready for a formal event and at the same time prepared for battle if circumstances require it.

The third man was sitting at the desk in front of my father, he was in formal clothes, he is my father's assistant and personal secretary, he is mainly in charge of dealing with the other nations, and secretly he is also my father's responsible person in gambling, if the situation requires it, he has permission to drug his boss, we already know what happened once, thanks to it. That event cannot be repeated, as far as I am concerned, he is a quiet and hardworking man, his name is Ijichi, but we all know him as tontichi. You see, when my father lost all his clothes in that legendary bet he was not alone, after he was naked and as a last act of desperation, he put his secretary on the betting table and said that he was worth at least a thousand yuan, unfortunately Mr. Ijichi ended up being a slave, working for the tribe of sandmen and in charge of the food of the giant rhinoceros beetles, If you think komodo rhinos are big, you need to meet these new specimens, it took us four months to be able to rescue it.

Finally, in the center of the room was my father, he was drinking ginseng tea, his favorite, he was wearing elegant but traditional clothes, he had already taken off his armor which was lying on the floor.

"Percy, my son, it's nice to see you," my father greeted me with a smile

"Father, it's a relief that you're back," I showed a pleasant smile, after all I was happy to be back.

"Pretty good, the southern water tribe is just as beautiful as ever, pretty cold but your city has come a long way in the last year, that new designer is making history, just look what Jackie managed to get it as a souvenir"

Jackie was a little embarrassed

"Percy, I brought you a sweatshirt too, they're great, I'll give it to you later," Jackie said

"Thank you buddy, you didn't have a hard time getting the clothes, I heard that they are quite expensive" I asked Jackie

"It's true, Percy, and with a salary like ours, we can't buy such expensive things," Jeong jeong said, showing a slightly disgruntled face

"Are you okay, Lord Jeong?" Percy asked

"Don't listen to him buddy, he's just jealous because he couldn't get one and these two were a gift" Jackie ignored Jeong's gaze

"Who gave them to you?"

"Dude, I met the designer's receptionist, a beautiful and pretty good girl, you know what I mean. I invited her to dinner, we spent the night and told her that I always dreamed of having one of these and that I had a little brother at home who also wanted one, so the next morning she gave them to me. Jackie showed a smiling face, winked at Percy, making him understand that she would tell him everything in detail later

"You're basically a prostitute," Ijichi said

"True!" Jeong said, making a mocking face at Jackie

Percy and Iroh couldn't stop laughing, after all Ijichi's comment was at the right time.

"Come on guys, they're just jealous because I'm the only one who dates girls."

Jeong Jeong remained silent and quickly landed a heavy blow to Jackie's abdomen.

"I'm feeling a little better now," Jeong said as he watched Jackie squirm on the floor.

"By the way, why did you call me father?" I asked as we ignored the moans or groans of pain

"Percy, a little strange things have been going on lately, I'm afraid a greater evil will appear." my father, Iroh looked worried

"You mean the rumors about Ratko, they say that in the northern water tribe small villages have been disappearing."

"Not only that... How did you find out about that?" I ask in surprise

"You see, Zuko wants to sign up for the tournament and says the winners will be sent to the North Pole as part of a reconnaissance mission, I told him it's crazy. Father, could you prevent him from entering the tournament?" I replied, excluding the part of my report

"Unfortunately I can't do that, anyone who belongs to the navy can participate and I can't make exceptions to protect someone. However, if I can stop him from moving forward in the fight"

My father, Iroh showed a strange smile, but I didn't think much of it, the only thing I wanted to do was prevent Zuko from going to the North Pole

"Thank you, father," I said, quite relieved

"Then it's settled, you'll be a participant in the tournament, you'll beat Zuko, and you'll be the winner."

I didn't understand my father's words, I looked at Jeong Jeong for help but the only thing my brain picked up were the big laughs coming out of his mouth, as well as Jackie and Ijichi. And then the result came to my head, I was Zuko's sabotage.

"Wait a minute, father, if I win I'll be sent to the North Pole, I don't like that either."

"Don't worry, no one is going to be sent to the North Pole, it's just an unfounded rumor, but there is a reward. Iroh said calmly

"So, what's the reward?" I asked, confused and curious

"I'm afraid I can't say at the moment, it's absolutely secret, but I assure you that the winner will be sent on a mission."

This time the laughter in the background was louder, which made me suspicious and without a doubt my father was doing his best not to laugh in unison with his three friends.

"Great!... I think so, if I win the competition, what's the monster I have to kill?"

"You won't kill any monsters, rather... You'll...  take care of one"

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If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps you improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

Some clues are more or less halfway through the chapter.

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Percy's POV

The tournament, a sporting event that is held once a year with the aim of getting the youngest people in the Navy to show off their skills and the performance they will have in battle, in this way it is possible to rise quickly, get a position somewhere quiet or be the bodyguard of wealthy families, after all, this event is held in Palace City, a place where the minimum wage is a gold bar.

The event consists of two phases, the first is a race or rather a swimming competition from the gates of Azulón to the beach, after that you have to climb the mountain, reach the coliseum where the main function will be the combats. There are always variations of this competition, it is never the same at least in a few years, last year some of the fights were in teams and the year before last the coliseum was transformed into a large labyrinth where it was basically a pitched battle, it is believed that this year, the battle in the Colosseum will have the participation of some creatures, but it's impossible to be sure, these events are planned by Jeong Jeong and believe me, he's not a man you can get any information from.

It is said that a few years ago he was captured by some extremist rebel groups with beliefs that monsters are divine beings sent to guide us in our destinies, basically top class insane. His kidnappers wanted information about some of my father's activities and if he refused to hand it over they would have him implored for mercy, two weeks later Jeong Jeong arrived on the beaches of the Fire Nation... He used his kidnappers as human oars, sadly none survived.

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POV 3rd person

"Percy, shouldn't you be practicing for the fights?, The tournament is in three days, what are you thinking?" A boy named Haru asked the green-eyed teen

The aforementioned was lying on the straw-filled floor of the corrals looking up at the sky hoping to find a solution to his problems, he had finally finished all his days of cleaning, however, although it is a relief not to have to clean up more excrement from those huge beasts, he was only overwhelmed by the thought of what would happen in the competition.

"I'm trying to figure out how to win the tournament without betraying Zuko," Percy looked away from the sky and looked at his friend.

Haru was a fifteen-year-old boy about to turn sixteen, the same age as Zuko and a little more than a year older than Percy, after all he is only fourteen. Like Zuko, Percy had known Haru, who was Jeong Jeong's grandson, for quite some time.

Haru is the most relaxed person Percy knows, he was wearing the black sweatshirt that Jackie brought him, it's really more his style than that of the guy with green eyes, cropped hair, classic military cut, shorts like those worn by fishermen and sandals that are too old. Haru refused to put on his military boots, as they hindered his firebending.

"Do you have any ideas?" Percy asked

"Not really, but does that matter?, your father ordered you to win the tournament, saving Zuko from a trip to the North Pole is really your goal, if you win the competition you will accomplish both goals" Haru waved his arms and looked up at the sky, implying that the matter was already settled

"And the part where Zuko finds out that I betrayed him in the competition, what's up with that?"

"At the end of the tournament your father will announce the prize, at which point, Zuko will see that the North Pole was never in the competition. He'll forgive you instantly so don't worry buddy, the matter is already settled long before it begins." Haru devoured the last piece of cake he had left

"... I think you're right, I worry about nothing," Percy said after a moment.

"To all this, what do you think if we go to the capital, an acquaintance hired me to investigate the city's drainage system, it seems that two workers are missing." Haru suddenly said

"How are we going to get there if it's a day trip?" Percy said before adding "I have to go to the competition"

"We'll take a hot air balloon, this way we'll be there in two hours."

It wasn't the first time Haru had stolen a balloon from the navy airfield, on one occasion he used it to visit his girlfriend and of course, Percy accompanied him, surprisingly no one found out... except for the guards, but Haru threatened to tell his grandfather about the illegal parties the guards threw when the head of security was away

"Come on man, you have to practice for the fights in the tournament, what better way to do it than with a real investigation, maybe we'll get lucky and find some monsters in there. We'll leave and come back before the competition starts. What do you think?" Haru said

Without thinking twice, we entered the airfield, met some guards but I guess they already knew about the little trip we were about to make, as the balloon was ready, brimming with hot air and some provisions, which one needed to survive a week, there was even a bag of money, too much of what they could spend in just one week. For a moment Percy wondered where it came from, the navy doesn't pay enough to see that kind of money, then he remembered that Haru was aware of lots of illegal businesses all over the Fire Nation, he even owned an underground casino that Jeong Jeong tries to shut down, but it seems, This casino changes location every day. It's a matter that has him too worried.

And Percy will never get tired of the view offered by the landscape when being inside one of the war balloons, watching in the distance the sea, a sea as blue as the sky itself, it is simply too beautiful to explain in words. At the same time you can appreciate the great expanse of territory of the fire nation, according to his father, all the territory arose hundreds of years ago by the explosion of a huge underwater volcano, but this explosion was so dangerous that some parts of what is currently the earth kingdom, were left underwater. Huge tsunamis appeared, as well as a huge ash cloud covered an enormous amount of territory.

It took years for the ashes to disappear, but the result is that islands emerged forming a huge archipelago that is now the fire nation, a land rich in flora and fauna, as well as important natural resources for the mining industry. After all, the entire nation has small volcanoes on its territory, some active and some not.

But back to the balloon trip, they arrived after dark at their destination, but the city was too brightly lit so it was impossible to lose sight of the destination, they slowly lowered the transport vehicle and landed on what appeared to be the runway of a small airfield, with enough space to store four or five war balloons.

"Haru, what is this place?, Where are we?" asked Percy as he looked around

"Percy, this is my workshop, headquarters, rest house, however you want to see it" Haru said as he got out of the vehicle and began to secure it, took some provisions along with some cash, he handed some to Percy, to immediately begin to cover the vehicle so that no one would see the flashy logo of the Fire Nation navy

"Are you telling me that all this is yours?, But when did you build it?, Does your casino make you good profits? " Percy asked, greatly confused

"It would be great if the casino left me those profits, not really, I got this in a card game against the 'dragon's tongue', their debt to me was too high so they gave me the airfield in exchange for forgiving their debt. If you ask me, it's one of the best deals I've ever done in my entire life" Haru showed a big smile when answering. "Look," Haru pointed down the hill to some small houses, "we'll stay in that house tonight, when the sun rises I'll introduce you to some people and we'll go to the drain to look for the missing people."

"Is the house yours too?" Percy asked

"No, it's from a friend's father."

"How did you meet him?" asked Percy, this time with some suspicion or curious for a history in it

"Well, my friend works for me at the casino, serving drinks, nothing bad, he's really a good guy," Haru said with a slight smile

"... I'd like to meet you" Percy said after a moment.

"That would be great, the only problem is that it can't be found."

"Is he working for you tonight?" Percy asked

"No, he's one of the two missing people, that's why we're here buddy, you'll help me find him" Haru wasn't going to admit it, but the reality is that he was enormously worried.

...

...

Before Haru and Percy reached the door, someone rushed out in the direction of these two, it was a little girl, she couldn't be more than ten years old.

The girl was dressed in a cute red dress along with pointy sneakers, she had long wavy hair and a pair of beautiful green eyes.

"Mr. Haru," the girl hugged Haru hurriedly and raised her head and asked, "Have you found my brother yet?"

Kindly Haru pulled her away a little, knelt down enough to stare at the girl, for a few moments he didn't say anything, it was obvious, like you tell a girl that her brother is probably dead in the drain

"I'm afraid there's no news of him yet Lian, we do our best to find him, that's why I brought him in," Haru and Lian looked at Percy, "we'll both look for your brother."

Percy quickly greeted the girl with a small smile and a wave of his hand.

As they entered the house, a man was waiting for them standing at the front door, he was too tall, a giant with muscles, he smoked a pipe just like Percy's father

"Good evening," said the man. "Is there any news of my son, Mr.Haru?"

"I'm afraid not yet, Mr. Chen," said Haru, "but we'll go in and get your son ourselves."

"I appreciate it, should sleep you, boys, you come from far away, in the morning we'll talk."

The man or rather Mr. Chen looked sad, understandable because of the situation, after all, the circumstances surrounding him are too difficult, Percy looked around the house a bit, large portraits of a woman were hanging on the wall, he assumed it was Mr. Chen's wife, however there were no traces of that woman, in the other paintings there was Lian with her brother and further in the center there was a large portrait, it took place on the beach, it was painted a huge blue sea, sand and a family as the protagonist of the image, in this one were Mr. and Mrs. Chen carrying a baby, which Percy assumed is Lian, for at the feet of his parents, there was a child.

The two of them headed to the guest room, there were two beds ready, as well as hot water in one tub and in the other there was cold water, but he was not in the mood for a bath.

"...Haru"

"What's wrong, Percy?" Haru asked as he lay back on the bed

"Well, you see... do you think that..." Percy stopped suddenly, he didn't want to continue with the question, he didn't know how to ask without being so direct

"What if I think Mr. Chen's son is dead?" Haru stared at Percy

"Well... if a monster is really involved, it's quite possible, besides it's been several days since its disappearance, if it's still alive, it won't last long without food or water," replied the green-eyed boy, pointing out several facts

"You may be right," Haru leaned back and closed his eyes, "but I promised Liz that I would find her brother, dead or alive

At the end of the sentence, Haru turned and turned his back to Percy, it was more than obvious that the conversation was over so the boy with green eyes didn't waste any more time and got ready to sleep.

...

...

Later that night, when he opened his eyes again, Percy looked around, he was no longer lying on that comfortable bed in Mr. Chen's house along with his friend, he had never seen anything like it before...

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If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps you improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

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"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

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Percy's POV

Have you ever been in a situation where you can't explain what's going on?, something like your parents find you in bed with a girl and all you do is sit still...

In my case it already happened to me once, not with a girl of course, I'm not lucky enough for a millionaire girl to go out with the fire lord's pet. That time I was around six years old, it hadn't been long since my father adopted me and it was the first time I was inside the palace, my father introduced me to the whole court-martial, mentioning that he found me near the battlefield, with only a small blanket that covered me from the cold in the winter, I remember Ozai being a little very upset by my father's decision, so he took me to the room next to the council room and went back inside to continue arguing with his younger brother.

I remember having a very vague memory of me walking through the entire room and just to clarify, the entire Fire Nation royal family have paintings of themselves in each of the rooms, with the sole aim of reminding themselves and how important they were...

Anyway, as I continued walking I thought I saw a woman staring at me right in front of me so I was scared to death, she looked exactly like a ghost, you know, pale or rather she was transparent, you could only see her from the waist up and as if that were not enough she was floating, He slowly approached me as he tried to utter a word or at least that's what it seemed, a few momentos  later he succeeded.

"Percy you're special and I'll always love you... live"

I don't know what shocked me more, the fact that a ghost was talking to me or that his words didn't make any sense, I was scared or rather terrified I tried to back away and when I took a step backwards I hit a fire bracer which was there to provide illumination to the place, and i didn't just collide with it, when this happened it turns out that I pushed him hard enough to throw him to the floor, but it didn't end there, NO! , the damn thing rolled slowly until he ended up just below a painting of three meters high by two meters long of Ozai himself, I understand that it cost him a fortune and it took him a whole year to do it, Seconds later the entire painting was on fire.

As I looked around I realized that the ghost woman was no longer there, she had simply disappeared without leaving any trace, which was obvious considering that she was a ghost, I mean, they are supposed to be able to go through walls so it is a bit obvious that they were not going to find evidence of her presence in that place.

It didn't take long for the fire was put out and fortunately Ozai's painting was destroyed, it was unrecognizable, the face in the painting looked more like a submerged person or a striga than Ozai himself, my father asked me what had happened and I explained the appearance of a ghost woman and my attempt to escape from her.

For some reason I didn't mention the words she spoke, maybe I didn't have the trust and respect that I currently have for her or if it was because of the fear I felt knowing that no one would believe me. However, the reason I didn't mention that to him is because somehow, those words, somehow got into my heart, I had a sense of warmth and a longing to hear those same words a second time, which I never heard again.

Some people in the audience called me crazy, others just made fun of me by mentioning the fact that I was an orphan, Ozai looked at me with tenacious hatred, I had the feeling that he at least planned 7 different ways to kill me, the only one who had faith in me was my father. He ordered them to immediately search the entire palace for the ghost woman. I don't know why he ordered that, I never asked him, moments later Ozai ordered my execution, my crime, according to the official testimonies I humiliated the royal family, the reality is that Ozai was furious because I burned his painting, but let's be honest, I did the world a favor!.

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Flashback, 8-9 years ago

Third-party POV

"Don't be stupid, he's not going to be executed!" Iroh said with a strong, serious look on his face

"He has just humiliated us, he needs a punishment, in this way he will also serve as an example to the world, all those who defy us will meet their death," Ozai said

Ozai" Iroh said in a barely controlled tone of voice.

Percy's POV

Immediately my father raised his hand and slapped his younger brother, the entire room was silent for a few seconds, but believe me, for what we were present it felt like an eternity, the only thing that could be heard was the creaking of the burnt wood belonging to Ozai's portrait.

Fortunately, my father broke the silence.

Third-party POV

"The only one who embarrasses this family is you, I've had enough of your childish behavior, your own ego won't let you see past your nose, ordering the execution of a child just because he accidentally burned your portrait, it's the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard!" Iroh said furiously

Ozai remained in shock, staring blankly as he tried to process what his older brother was telling him, it seems he never expected that answer

"I warn you, if you continue with this attitude or if you touch a single hair of the child, you and I will solve it in an Agni Kai, even if we have the same blood, I will not hold back," Iroh said in a totally serious voice

Percy's POV

The temperature had risen drastically and I didn't understand the reason the flames of the painting were already extinguished and no other painting, rug, curtain, tunic or traditional clothing was burning or at least I had not caused it, but when I looked at my father I could notice that his clothes were being consumed, in just a few moments, my father had released a small amount of his power, enough to raise the temperature several degrees, his face had an angry expression, he had curved eyebrows and fierce eyes that swallowed you just by looking at him.

Third-party POV

"Go away, I don't want to see you in the palace anymore," Iroh said

Percy's POV

Without waiting, Ozai nodded his head and made a small bow to my father, the only one I've ever seen him do, not even two minutes after Mr. Ozai had already left the palace...

In any case, that doesn't compare to what happened to me that night...

...

...

End of flashback

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Percy's POV

I woke up seconds later, it had been a long time since I remembered the events since that day I arrived at the palace or rather I didn't want to think about it, on the one hand, it's nice to remember the time Ozai was slapped out of the palace, but on the other, the longing I felt for that floating woman didn't sit well with me at all, I didn't even understand the reason for my feeling, the only thing I could do was get that thought out of my head so I proceeded to get up, and I realized that Haru was no longer there, maybe he got up early to start the search for Chen's son.

Suddenly I heard a great noise, very similar to that of lightning during a storm, I hurried out of the room, but the moment I opened the door I was stunned.

To be honest, I don't have the slightest idea how to describe the situation, the only word that comes to mind was "tiny"

It was like being in my father's personal office, only it wasn't an office, it's nothing I've ever seen before, that place was like the king's palace in the earth kingdom only better, a hundred times better and cleaner.

Huge columns rose to touch the vaulted ceiling in which you could clearly see golden constellations. Twelve thrones, built for huge, giant beings, these thrones were arranged in the shape of an inverted U.

A huge bonfire was burning in the central brazier and next to it a little girl, looking very much the same age as Lian, but a feeling tells me I'm wrong.

All the seats were occupied by these giants about four meters tall and there was a sphere of water suspended in the center of the room next to the fire, inside it a rather strange being moved, I don't know exactly what it was, liquefies an aspect very close to a hippopotamus cow, only instead of part hippopotamus it was a snake, That's right, that animal doesn't have hind legs, instead, a snake's tail was present.

That animal swam freely and happily in that sphere, waving its snake's tail and poking its head out on all sides, right next to the sphere a boy with goat's feet waited patiently. In front, two normal-sized girls were chatting with these huge beings, one of them, the one with the black hair had a rough and gloomy look while the other had curly golden blonde hair, frankly she looked like a princess.

Although it was the first time I saw individuals with that hair color or other colors

Once i saw the goat-footed boy looked restless, I immediately realized that it was due to the giant man sitting in front of him, it caused me a strange feeling, a part of me told me that he was not exactly human, but he looked like one, the man is tall, imposing and muscular. He had long black hair down to his shoulders with a black and gray beard, his eyes are very bright blue, when I looked at them I thought that a very strong electric current passed through them. Her expression was serious and beautiful at the same time.

"Go on, go," the giant said to the goat-footed boy as he stared at the rough-looking girl.

The boy ran over, gave both girls a big hug.

"Thalia, Annabeth. We did it! He said cheerfully

"Heroes," said one of the giants, only this time it was a woman.

As he came down from his throne he adopted a human figure, a girl with reddish brown hair along with a silver robe, when I looked at her face, I saw that she did not betray any emotion. It seemed to move in a halo of moonlight.

"The assembly has been informed of your exploits, they know that Mount Othrys is rising in the west. You know Atlas' attempt to free himself and the size of Cronus' army. Under the command of my lord Zeus," the girl went on, looking at Zeus, "my brother Apollo and I will hunt down the mightiest monsters, so we can destroy them before they join the cause of the Titans. Lady Athena will personally see to it that the other Titans do not escape from their prisons. Lord Poseidon has obtained permission to unleash fury on the cruiser Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. And as for you, my dear heroes..."

The girl looked at the huge people sitting on their huge thrones.

"These half-bloods have done a great service to Olympus. Would anyone present dare deny it?

For a few moments there was too awkward a silence, it seemed as if the giants were deciding whether the so-called half-bloods lived or died. And as if that wasn't enough, I didn't understand anything about what was going on, Titans?, Half-Bloods?, A certain Olympus?... what kind of dream is this?

"I must say," said Apollo, breaking the silence, "that these boys behaved wonderfully. He cleared his throat and began to recite, "Heroes who win laurels...

"All in favor of us not disintegrating them?" Interrupted another of the giants with a slender, athletic figure and shorts.

"Wait a second," said another person on another throne. "That girl is very dangerous. We'd better take care of her since she's here," the man said pointing at the tough girl, and to be honest, the gigant guy gives me the same feeling as Ozai, I want to knock his perfect teeth out.

"We're not going to kill my daughter," said Zeus

Immediately the girl, Thalia, as I understand, looked away with a blushing face.

The woman in charge of guarding the prisons of the others... Titans?, named Athena cleared her voice

"I'm proud of my daughter, too. However, in the case of the girl, there is a huge risk—"

"Mother!" exclaimed Annabeth, or as I know her 'the princess'

"It is a misfortune that my father Zeus broke their oath not to have any more children. As we know from the Great Prophecy, the sons of the three major gods are dangerous, so I agree with Ares"

By this point in the conversation I understood that these were family issues, and to be honest I don't envy them, as much as it pains me to admit it I'd rather deal with Ozai than with those huge beings called 'Gods'.

They started exchanging opinions and outbursts, they kept saying things about the great prophecy and about the children of the big three, I just focused on the girl, I felt sadness and I could understand her, I don't know what's going on, but I know what it feels like to have your life in danger because of some guys.

"I wouldn't give him any punishment," the girl in the silver clothes interjected, "but a reward. If we destroy the heroes who have done us a great service, then we are no better than the Titans. If this is the justice of Olympus, I prefer to be without it—

"Calm down, little sister," said the blond named Apollo, "just relax. There's still time to decide that—"

"What are you talking about, brother?" some asked

"Well, the great prophecy says that a hero, a son of one of the big three, will save or destroy Olympus, when he turns sixteen, right?... Well, let's remember that the girl spent a few years of her life being a huge pine tree"—Apollo looked at Thalia—"without offending the girl.

"What the hell does that have to do with it?" Athena said

"Even though her physical body is close to turning sixteen, she doesn't have the experience of those years lived," Apollo said with a big smile looking at the others as if they were really understanding. "You're welcome, little sister!"

Everyone in the room was stunned, including the goat-footed boy and both half-bloods, on their faces, they showed the same expression I had when I found out that the history teacher, Mrs. Wan, gave me my essay with a grade of eight, thank you very much Zuko!

"Don't call me little sister and you want to tell me th... why the hell didn't you mention that to us before!" The little sister said with great anger

"If that's true, we shouldn't worry about it at the moment and I suggest that these guys be rewarded, I agree with your opinion Artemis. "These youths are heroes," said Poseidon

"No, it's quite the opposite. There's a lot at stake now," Artemis suddenly  said

"What do you mean?" Athena said

"There is another half-blood who may be the person who mentions the prophecy, not as my brother explained us... I didn't mention it before because it didn't have that much relevance to the matter, I really thought Thalia was the destined one with the prophecy"

"What the Chaos are you talking about, Artemis?" Zeus said

"A few years ago I feel the birth of a half-blood, one of great value, for a few short years I watched him, but I thought he was dead, I stopped feeling his presence... but... something was strange, it was like... If suddenly his soul... His own being disappeared from the radar and upon investigation, his soul never arrieve to the underworld. I'm afraid it's hard to explain now, but if that child is still alive, he's the closest person to the prophecy," Artemis said as her eyes showed real concern, as if she had made a mistake

"Wait, you're not talking about—" Poseidon said

"I'm afraid your son is still alive, or at least it's possible." All the 'gods' looked at Poseidon in astonishment

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If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps you improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

Some explanations are in this chapter.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Percy's POV

I'm only sure of two things, the first is that my head has a lot of problems, I mean, first a ghost lady and now a kind of dream with a more complicated story than Mr. Ijichi’s personal life, not to mention that I’m lousy at writing an essay, so I wonder, how is it possible that my head has so much imagination for this?

Everything was still absolutely silent, the 'gods', 'half-breed' and the thing in the bubble were kept in absolute silence, until it was interrupted by a "bee bee" from the goat boy, immediately all the gods looked at him furtively and annoyedly, from my point of view that seemed like a death threat, you know, the classic 'shut up or I'll kill you'

"It's impossible," Poseidon took on human form, or rather, normal height. "Artemis, that's impossible, my son died years ago."

Thunder and lightning resounded on the roof of the great palace, the longer it passed the more lightning appeared. Seconds later Zeus rose from his throne, taking on human form as did his brother and the goddess Artemis.

"But what the hell are you talking about, brother, did I hear that right?, Do you have a child?" Zeus said as his face projected a face full of hatred

"That's right," said Poseidon

"How dare you break the oath on the Styx," Zeus raised his arm slightly and made a slight movement with his fingers.

What I saw I couldn't believe, a lightning bolt came down from the top of the palace and reached his hand, the strange thing was that the 'god' didn't end up electrocuted, he held the lightning firmly with his hand, It had become a kind of weapon—you broke the oath and lied to me, it's unforgivable.

Violently, Zeus threw the lightning from his hand in the direction of Poseidon and a great explosion occurred.

The lightning hit the target or at least it seemed that way to me, I could not see, the whole room was filled with smoke, an electric aura was felt throughout the place, everyone present was with some degree of electric current, even the gods sitting on their thrones, but the goat boy was unconscious on the ground, while the girl named Thalia seemed to have been unaffected, I think it has to do with the fact that Zeus said he was her father so I wonder if she can also throw such currents through her hands or at least some part of her body.

But incredibly, Annabeth was in the same shape as Thalia or at least almost in the same way, her honey curly hair was good, let's just say it wasn't so curly anymore, her look, which had completely combined with the appearance of a princess from a distant kingdom, changed to the same hairstyle that Jeong Jeong has when she wakes up in the morning. Apart from all that, she was in perfect condition, when the smoke cleared I could notice that this Athena was standing in front of Annabeth, in the same way as the other gods, she had taken human form.

"Mother!" Annabeth said, surprised to see her standing in front of her, a few feet away

"Are you all right, daughter?" Athena asked

"Yes! Annabeth hurriedly got up, brushing off her clothes quickly, but her face was more colored than the Fire Nation flag

The smoke almost disappeared, showing that the thrones were not harmed by the incredible electric shock, but it had shaken those huge beings sitting on them. One of them had his face full of grape juice, another of them threw hundreds of screws on the ground and the last one found her face full of a white powder while her eyes showed a poorly done eyeliner. And here between us, the woman was the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my entire life.

In the center of the room a buzzing sound began to be perceived, coming from the hand of Zeus who held another lightning bolt and remained in battle position concentrated in the position in which Poseidon was, as if he were ready for a counterattack.

"Zeus... you know I'm a very patient man, but what you've just done I can't overlook." The smoke disappeared entirely, revealing Poseidon holding a trident, which had somehow caught the lightning with its tip and it remained there

"You know perfectly well the risk Olympus is in right now, Kronos is our enemy and is summoning his Titans and yet, you don't mention the fact that there is a hero with your lineage!" Zeus said with fury

"You were the first to break the oath, don't come at me with that hypocrisy brother," said Poseidon as he pointed his trident at Zeus, even with a stranger dream I can understand that he will return his lightning, but not in the way that Zeus likes

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Artemis and Athena said in unison

"Enough of the stupidity, Olympus is at risk and you fight, but what a childish attitude you are showing, you are not ashamed to behave like this in front of the heroes who saved Olympus. My lord Zeus, your daughter is present and I don't think I need to mention that she is the product of the breaking of her oath. And Mr. Poseidon, to face like that and challenge our lord Zeus like that, what was he thinking about?" said the redhead

An awkward silence set in, everyone thought the same thing, that Artemis was behaving like a mother.

"He shot first," Poseidon said

"Artemis, what the hell is wrong with you, a battle is never interrupted," said the God who resembled Ozai

"Shut up, Ares, this is none of your business," Athena said

Immediately Ares was silent, he had the look of a tough guy and I can say quite skilled in battle so I was surprised that he didn't want to get into trouble with Athena, who didn't look much different from his daughter.

"My lord Zeus and Poseidon, I beg you to put aside your differences, at this time we have to stand together, be an example to these heroes whose hopes and admirations lie in us "Athena paused for a moment as if to give more importance to what she said "and I fear that, if you don't, We will be doing exactly what Cronus wants, weakening us so he can defeat us" Artemis bowed to Zeus, imploring him to appease her anger against her brother.

I have no idea what kind of crime it means to have a child in this family, however, the subject was treated with great care as it seemed that the fate of everyone present was subject to it.

Zeus stood still, he seemed to analyze the situation and the options were to attack his brother with all his strength or listen to the goddess with a mother complex that in a certain way what she said made a lot of sense, basically, there is strength in numbers. Zeus raised his arm again, only this time the lightning ascended into the sky and disappeared.

"Brother, I warn you, if it turns out that your son is a threat, I will kill him immediately. I prefer that the fate of Olympus be in the hands of my daughter" Zeus said as he looked at his brother suspiciously

"So be it for the time being," replied Poseidon

"Apollo, get the satyr back up, I need everyone to hear the following," Zeus said as he regained his normal height and ascended his throne

The supposed god descended from his seat to face the satyr and recited... a kind of poem to him?:

"My dear Grover, my dear satyr

It's time to get up and wake up

The great Zeus did severe damage

So I'll get up or mad up."

The goat boy, or rather Grover, jumped up, the terrible poem had taken effect and I was not the only one who thought so, everyone present looked at Apollo with a slight disgust.

"Cans, hamburgers," Grover said as he sat down and stood where he was "But what happened?"

"Nothing! Dude, you just fainted I think you should take better care of your diet you know, a healthy diet along with a great exercise will help you a lot and here among us, stop eating aluminum cans," said Apollo

Grover didn't seem to understand what the god was saying to him, when he looked at his friends they just nodded their heads, implying that he has to listen to Apollo, I think it's better to say that than to mention how close his soul was to leaving his body to how close he was to dying from Zeus' lightning

"Heroes, you will be rewarded, you have just done a great service to Mount Olympus, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait, this isn't over yet so I have another mission for you, given the terrible circumstances we're in. It's best that no one finds out, because we don't know who can be on Kronos' side right now" Zeus said

"It's true, Kronos has several half-bloods fighting for him and an army of monsters, if he finds out that there is another son of one of the big three, I'm afraid the situation will only get worse," Athena said

"That's why the three of you are going to look for my son," Poseidon said as he looked a little worried

"But exactly how we're going to do it, even Artemis couldn't find it," Annabeth exclaimed

"There are few places where a half-breed who has my full attention can disappear without a trace, I suggest you start in Daedalus' labyrinth, young heroes and you will have the full support of my hunters, in the meantime I myself will go out to look for him as well as my brother."

"Excuse me?" Apollo said that he was distracted, since he was composing a new poem "I understand that the son of Poseidon is important, but is my presence necessary?"

"Brother, if Kronos finds him first and includes him in his strike forces, I'm afraid the age of the Titans will return and the reign of the Gods will end," Artemis said in an annoyed voice

"Right, the fate of the world and stuff, count me in, little sister."

"Don't call me little sister," Artemis said more annoyed

"Then it is decided. We trust you heroes, do not disappoint us," said Zeus. "My child, if you think he may be dangerous to Olympus when you find him, kill him at once

From one moment to the next, the light began to diminish and a few seconds later I was in a completely dark room, I couldn't make out anything around me, not the supposed gods or half-breeds, not even the goat boy.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

"Percy Jackson!" said a a strange voice, quite deep with a very serious tone" Your destiny is about to change, the future of both worlds depends on you and you will not be able to save them all, every decision you make will have a price. Get ready and choose your own hell, I wonder what fate will you take?"

+++++++++++++++

I had the sensation of having hit something hard, I opened my eyes and I was right, my face was on the floor of the bedroom that Mr. Chen lent us to rest that night, I gently got up, I realized that Haru was not in his bed and at the same time I realized that a light and warm ray of sunlight was coming through the window.

"Spirits! How long was I asleep? Percy said, and at the same time he put his hand on his forehead, inspecting the place of impact with the ground

"You slept like a log all night, don't worry, you better be rested and prepared to face the monster" Haru said at the door of the room "Come, Mr. Chen made us breakfast so wipe your face

"Oh.... yes, I'll be right away."

I was too confused because of the kind of dream I had had, it all felt so real, the wrath of the gods, the little confrontation and even their feelings, the hatred, envy, distrust. Haru says I slept through the night, but I don't feel like I've actually been asleep, to be honest I'm even more tired than I was when we got here.

I left the bedroom and went downstairs, I could smell homemade food, vegetable soup with scrambled eggs if I'm not mistaken and as if that wasn't enough of my favorites, it was the first thing I could prepare by myself. Because I was never a big fan of the food they serve in the palace, the food they give to all the members of the royal family and even the greedy politicians has a very simple taste, because the chefs make sure that no ingredients have been poisoned and do you know who makes sure of it?

Obviously me. They make me taste every single thing they prepare before sending it to its destinations.

I took a seat at the table and realized that everyone was waiting for me

"Did you sleep well, Percy?" Mr. Chen asked.

"Sure, your bedroom is quite comfortable," I replied

I wasn't going to tell the truth, that I didn't sleep well because I was dreaming of gods, half-breeds and only the spirits know what are the titans.

"I'm glad to hear that, I was worried that it wouldn't be to your liking," Mr. Chen showed a slight smile, "those beds, my son bought them when he received his casino pay, you know he's a very good boy, he's quite hardworking, he takes care of his sister when I can't and thanks to him we haven't had any difficulties, I don't know how I'm going to do things without him," Chen looked at the ground and his smile disappeared, "so please, please... Bring my son back," I could see the tears fall from his face

Then I looked at Haru for a few moments

"Mr. Chen, we will do what we can, but we can't give you false hope," Haru said

"I'm aware of that!" Mr. Chen looked up and took a few steps before bowing to Haru and me, "I beg you, bring my son back home!"

Little Lian did the same as her father

"I understand... I swear to do everything in my power to bring your son back, I swear in the name of Fire Lord Iroh"

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If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps to improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Percy's Point of View

As soon as we finished breakfast, Haru and me left Mr. Chen's house early with the necessary equipment to explore the drainage routes, and this consisted of two oil lamps, two ropes several meters long, a first-aid kit, a couple of shovels and picks, and of course, food, enough to get through the night.

We decided to enter the drainage system through a secluded point in the city center, it was necessary not to be seen to avoid any problems or inconveniences since if the guards saw us they might recognize us, not to mention that one of us is responsible for the presence of an illegal casino. 

We were wearing some uniforms of the city's maintenance staff, basically they are huge orange one-piece suits and on the side a line that extends from the shoulders to the feet, work boots to avoid getting wet and helmets, although I still can't decide if the helmet or the blades are heavier. I had my sword on my back, so that all my luggage hid it.

When we arrived, a city guard was waiting for us, he looked quite calm despite being seated next to what is already a possible monster's nest.

"How is the drainage supervision going, guard?" Haru asked.

Immediately, the officer stood up and took an upright position as if Haru was his commanding officer and even put his hand on his forehead in a show of respect.

"Sir, no problem, sir, nothing interesting to report, sir," the officer said quickly

"Any sign of the beast?"

"None, sir."

"Has anyone else entered the tunnels?" asked Haru as he inspected the entrance.

"Negative, sir."

"What?!, I thought the city guard already knew about this problem"

"That's right, sir."

"Then what happened?" asked Haru

"The other officers don't want to let anyone know about the monster, they're afraid of losing their post and do everything they can to avoid attracting attention, they pretend not to know anything, sir."

"Almost five people have already disappeared!" Haru exclaimed as he hit the ground, "this is not a game, innocent people have already been affected."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I was ordered not to say anything about it."

You know, I understood Haru's anger perfectly, it's the duty of the officers and the city to protect their people is what my father and my older brother have always told me, but it's because of these officers that they haven't searched for the victims or eliminated the beast. Haru was always like this, he gets annoyed by this kind of thing and I don't blame him, his parents were killed years ago and Jeong Jeong with his heavy hand raised him.

"Very well, open the damn door and wait here until you hear from us, if we don't show up in three days report my grandfather directly, do you understand?"

"What do I do if I'm assigned to another position, sir?"

"Tell them to go to hell," I said before adding, "and stop saying, sir" I didn't like formalities unless it was someone I respected

"All right, sir," said the officer, raising his hand again and placing it on his forehead, "good luck."

"Thank you, see you," Haru said

Beneath the bustling surface of the city, the noise of urban life faded the deeper we went into the tunnels until only a distant whisper was perceived. It was an underground labyrinth of intertwined secrets and passageways that echoed the untold stories, Haru told me that his grandfather Jeong Jeong told him that those who dared to venture into this underground world were plunged into a clandestine and ancient realm, where the gloom became their silent accomplice.

Currently these tunnels are used by different smugglers or mafia gangs, as well as corrupt army personnel who work for some politicians, for years my father investigated these matters but without success, the appearance of monsters and problems with other nations have more priority, but they were also used in ancient times of war as a way to evacuate citizens and all personnel quickly if necessary. And the situation is complicated, because currently the maps that were made in great detail of the tunnels have disappeared and it is not known if they were stolen or destroyed, what I do know is that they are necessary since this labyrinth has lots of hidden cameras, traps and many of them leave you in dead ends.

But now no one knows what it is and no one knows what the end is or where you can go.

"My grandfather once told me a rather curious story, do you want to listen to it, it's about these tunnels," Haru asked me

"A story by Jeong Jeong?, but of course!" I replied

"The entrances to these tunnels were disguised, camouflaged in the weathered architecture of the city, remember that in those times the witch Bathsheba had so much power that she was in a simultaneous war with the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. My grandfather Jeong was very young, possibly our age. It was beginning to get dark and much of the city had been evacuated when the defensive lines were pierced, but some monsters came into the city and started a massacre, so the firebenders put up a big fight, and amidst all the confusion of the fighting, my grandfather was separated from his brothers and a huge explosion occurred near him, throwing him to the ground. When he was able to react, his body was stunned and covered in dirt from the explosion, but when he looked up he could see something, a monster without a doubt, but it was different"

"On what?" I asked, fully immersed in the story

"Don't interrupt," Haru complained and cleared his voice to continue with the story, "hmmm, where I stay?. Like this...

—|—|—|—|—|—|—

Several decades ago

Jeong Jeong's POV  

I wasn't a young soldier, not even a man when I saw that nightmare.

Twisted human legs were intertwined with the legs of an insect. Its arms, a monstrous parody of human anatomy, extended forward, transformed into sharp claws

The head was an indescribable horror, housed pupilless eyes that glowed in a shade of sickly yellow, with teeth as sharp as macabre blades, drawn from instruments of torture that not even the sickest criminals dared to use, peeked out from the disproportionately large mouth, insinuating an insatiable voracity. And the skin, if you could call it that, was an amalgam of grotesque, twisted shades of red as if the flames were burning it from within or if it was possessed by an ancient curse.

The monster's every movement resounded with an ominous crunch, as if their own joints were protesting against the deformity that forced them to move. It emanated a foul stench, a mixture of rotting flesh and the very essence of fear. However, despite its monstrous appearance, the monster moved with inhuman agility.

But his mere presence unleashed panic among all those present, including the entire army, and the sound of his multiple limbs resounded with a terrifying echo in the minds of those who had the misfortune to witness, some people decided to take their own lives at his mere presence or simply lost the will to live, being unable to move as victims of other monsters.

It was a creature that defied all logic, a manifestation of unfathomable horrors.

Its very existence was reminiscent of those who beheld it, that, in the darkest corners of the imagination, lurk nightmares that defy human comprehension... 

:::::::::

Back to the present

Percy's Point of View

"... or that's how my grandfather described it, and I should mention that he sleeps with a huge sword under his pillow"

"What happened next?" I asked, his drama making me impatient

"I told you not to interrupt!" Haru complained again, as he continued counting and walking

"You make too many dramatic pauses," I said as I rolled my eyes, "but keep telling the story, my friend"

:::::::::

Several decades ago

Jeong Jeong's POV

The smoke rose so high that a light black blanket covered the battlefield, where a small army was preparing to face the living nightmare. The swords, wielded with fear by some members of the army, but also bravely, reflected a glow like stars in defiance of the looming threat.

The monster, with its twisted limbs and sharp teeth, slowly and completely emerged from the gloom.

That gave a brutal roar that echoed through the air, raising the hairs of the soldiers lining up in formation and extinguishing the flames in his fists from his firebending. The monster's pupilless eyes glowed with malevolent intensity as he assessed his adversaries. In the background a human voice was heard with great courage, a young soldier screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Attention soldiers! Do not back down, civilians are still present and it is our duty to protect them. Let's kill that damn nightmare!"

With a terrifying impulse, the monster advanced towards the young soldier. The deformed human legs moved with supernatural agility. The metal clash echoed as a few swords slammed into the beast's hind limbs, but the monster's twisted flesh seemed to withstand the blows with unnatural resistance, it was like hitting iron shields. Quickly the swordbearers fell back, but the beast slashed at its opponents, piercing the torso from side to side of four soldiers, wasting no time the firebenders continued with multiple attacks aimed at the beast, but they were ineffective.

The sharp claws darted in all directions like ravenous blades, it was like watching an animal being twisted against its will...

Even so, the soldiers fought determinedly, attempting to dodge the brutal onslaught as they searched for vulnerabilities in the red-hot flesh armor that made up the monster's entire body. But as the battle unfolded, fear gripped the hearts of the soldiers more and more. For in spite of his valiant efforts, the swords and firebending could barely scratch the skin of that aberration.

And the monster, imperturbable and voracious, moved forward like a walking disaster. The screams of the soldiers, the clashing of swords, along with the brief explosions and launching of large fireballs transformed into a chaotic symphony of despair. But a young soldier managed to get right behind the beast, what seemed to be his blind spot, while the other soldiers fought desperately they managed to create a small window of opportunity and without waiting, he engulfed the sword itself in flames using his firebending, and in one leap the tip of the burning sword managed to reach the head of the nightmare.

But all these efforts were in vain, for from that thrust the sword was broken into pieces, and the beast raised its claws and from one second to the next, the young officer's head rolled on the ground while the torso and limbs were bitten away.

So, the monster's unnatural laughter echoed in the darkness like an echo of the warriors' futile efforts. Each roar seemed to transform into a twisted laugh as the creature advanced, its twisted limbs defying the swords clashing in vain against its monstrous flesh. The monster's pupilless eyes looked different, as if it was pleasurable, as if he were enjoying the desperation and failed attempts of the soldiers to do him harm. As the claws deftly dodge the soldiers' attacks, the sharp-toothed mouth opened into a grimace that could be interpreted as a mute laugh, but far more terrifying than anyone could imagine.

Every time a sword slammed into the monster's flesh, the monster responded with a deep growl that resounded like an horrible laugh. As I watched the battle, I could see that the movements made by the beast seemed to convey a message that the warriors were insignificant in the face of its power, as if the battle were a hunt or, rather, a game. 

The monster's laughter grew more intense as desperation gripped the soldiers, enjoying the helplessness of those who stood up and denied its abominable existence. The entire area surrounding the monster had become a floor of corpses with rivers of blood, heads separated from their bodies, organs strewn all over the floor, and severed arms that were still held by their swords.

"Run!" A middle-aged soldier hurriedly stood up and held my head tightly. "Child, listen to me, you have to survive so run, don't turn around and no matter what you hear don't stop running!"

"But my legs... don't answer me"

When I finished saying those words, the next thing I knew, I wanted to vomit, but I realized that the middle-aged soldier had given me a good blow to the abdomen.

"You look better boy, I think you can run now," the man said

It was a strange feeling, my legs had stopped shaking so I got up and started running, as that man asked me to, I didn't look back, I didn't even have the courage to ask him about his name. By running several meters I was able to reach a corridor with stairs, I was in the old market which was good because going up the stairs and crossing the market I would be able to reach the stables and with some luck a elk dragon would still be there. 

But I'm not so lucky...

A shadow was cast on the top of the stairs and I could perceive multiple footsteps, but I knew perfectly well that they were not human, I hid on the side of the ladder and covered myself with a cloak, I closed my eyes and tried to control myself however I could not resist and slowly opened my eyes with the desire to see the entire Fire Nation navy.

Between the stairs, the monster moved with a stealthy skill, its eyes gleaming in the gloom exploring every nook and cranny with a malice that suggested a twisted intelligence. In their deformed limbs, an innate knowledge was hidden to track the presence of any hidden survivors. Sharp teeth gleamed in the darkness as the beast sniffed the air, looking for any hint of human presence... mine.

But this time the monster moved in deathly silence, like a lurking shadow, exploring every possible hiding place with the certainty that some witness to the massacre lay hidden.

The limbs, now used as dexterous tools, lifted debris and displaced objects. Every move was calculated, as if the monster could sense someone's presence and to my bad luck that was me.

The pupilless eyes moved with murderous intent, scanning every nook and cranny in search of their prey. 

My breathing was ragged, but it mingled with the sounds of the surrounding destruction.

The monster was like a lurking predator, getting closer and closer and seemed to revel in hunting, enjoying the tension its presence generated in those who still struggled to stay hidden. With a slight movement I pressed something that looked like a button, the walls behind me opened, I fell backwards, but the monster tried to catch me with its claws, it was by sheer luck that it did not succeed, and it did not manage to enter where I fell, as the walls closed leaving only a large stone wall in front of me.

I didn't understand anything, I was in a corridor that I hadn't seen before, with a little firebending things cleared up and what I saw left me speechless, a few meters from me a man was watching, but he was only half a man, from the waist down he had a hairy body, like that of a farm animal. Hairy, hoofed legs, freckled tanned skin, his eyes sparkling and full of cunning, tangled beard adorned with wildflowers and small bits of moss. The curly-haired mane adorned with leaves and twigs with two large horns. 

But his presence was not at all frightening like the one in the nightmare, but he was not going to risk it, I shot a great flame directly at him, but he skillfully jumped to one wall and then to another.

I continued with my attacks without having any effect, that half-man being only dodged the attacks, so I started to panic when I took a step back and again the wall opened from side to side and then closed.

When I turned around I thought the nightmare would be there but that suspicion was wrong, there was nothing, I hurried up the stairs and across the market, when I arrived at the stables there was a large camp of soldiers, near them a young man, who wore a military uniform and when they saw me each and every one of them were petrified.

"Help please, monsters have invaded the city and killed almost all the people, I don't know where my brothers are, please help me," I begged them desperately

"Are you a survivor?" The young soldier asked me. "Were you hiding the whole time?"

"Help us, please, the soldiers won't be able to resist that thing any longer."

"Is anyone still fighting?"

I couldn't understand anything, don't the soldiers know that we are under attack?

"What do you mean?" Jeong Jeong asked

"You see... we were late, the attack was a week ago, we checked the whole city but we didn't find survivors, only some monsters but they were already defeated. I'm surprised no one could find you," he explained.

"A week ago?" "I didn't understand anything, and if it was a joke it was a horrible one."

"My name is Iroh and I'm glad you're alive. What's your name?"

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If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps to improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Percy's Point of View

Haru lit both lamps and we could see the wide walls along with a small stream of water running at our feet. The deeper we went into the tunnels, the darker it got and the more it stinked. It's not a pleasant experience at all, especially considering that a monster is very close to here.

However, Haru's story about his grandfather was quite unbelievable and he had a lot of doubts: Do the tunnels have secret entrances like the one old Jeong found? And above all, the description of this half-human, half-hairy man is very similar to the one I saw in my dream, I doubt if they are the same given the age difference, but at least it seems to be of the same species.

But did the battle between them last a whole week?

"Haru, the story makes little sense, you're trying to trick me and make me scare inside these tunnels," I said to Haru

"HAHAHAHA, of course not idiot, I told you the story the same way the old man tells it," Haru replied, "he told me the story a few years ago and of course I have the same doubts that you have, so I asked him about it

"What was his answer?"

"He says that every part is completely real, and even he doesn't understand it, but he knows that what he experienced that day will happen again one day. He prepared all his life to defeat that nightmare"

"I see," I replied, "still some parts are hard to understand. By the way, Haru, what's that officer's name?" I asked him, "I don't remember hearing you mention him."

"I don't know, I'd like to know," Haru replied

"What?!"

"I met him a year ago, the poor fool showed up at the casino totally drunk, his wife had just left him and I offered my support, I totally understand what it feels like when a woman leaves you," Haru said

"Did you talk to his wife and they set things right?" I asked, surprised at my best friend's kindness

"No, I gave him more beer," Haru replied, and I should have waited for him "and not just any beer, the bottles that I stole from Ozai's personal cellar.

"Sure, why not, a normal day at work" I think he didn't mind my sarcasm, but he was also curious and amused because he stole from Ozai "I'm surprised you didn't get caught in the big robbery"

"My grandfather noticed, but he turned a blind eye by giving him half of the loot," Haru said dislikedly, "well, I made that guy gamble and he ended up with a huge debt so I ask him favors from time to time."

"Are you sure you're not a criminal?" I asked him with a look of disgust, "I think you're worse than trash

"How rude, I'm a businessman just that" he wasn't sure if he found it as a compliment or not

Continuing our way under the city inside the underground tunnels, the faint light of our lanterns barely illuminating the narrow path, revealing the age of the passages that stretched like the very veins of the city, it felt as if we had spent entire days in these tunnels, as if time had stopped, But realistically, we've only been here a whole day or maybe less.

We grabbed some provisions and water while rested for a few minutes on the ground when the routine of the exploration was abruptly interrupted, because in a corner among the shadows they cast, Haru noticed a strange shape on the ground that he could only notice when he sat down to rest. We approached cautiously, discovering to our horror human bones scattered on the ground. The reality of his discovery hit us like a punch in the gut as we looked up, a shadow darker than the others looming in the distance. A shiver ran down our spine as the shape of that shadow took on an ominous similarity to that of a full-grown skull. The silence was deafening from that place forgotten by time.

There on the floor, lay the half-complete skeleton of a man, and the flickering light of the lanterns revealed that the floor was stained with a viscous liquid that stretched from the bones to the walls. It was a strange liquid with a pale color. 

We both steeled ourselves before kneeling next to the remains to examine them more closely, noticing the cold, sticky texture from liquid in the bones, as we searched for clues as to the identity of this unfortunate individual.

"Is that who we came for?"

"How am I to know?, I'm not a doctor" Haru replied with sarcasm in his voice, "the bones are a bit old, or so I think."

"He's supposed to be your friend, isn't he?"

"Shut up and look," Haru said, pointing to specific parts of the bones

Clearly the remains were old or at least a year old in that dirty place, however, something more intriguing captured our attention. Mysterious marks on some bones, the dim light of our lamps revealed macabre details as the bones showed unmistakable signs of having been gnawed by some animal or rather a monster. Jagged, heart-wrenching markings decorated the surfaces, revealing a brutal history.

Examining the remains, my fingers moved cautiously over the eroded bones, a technique my father taught me that consists of fine touch, with the tips of the fingers and following the patterns of the marks on the bones can give us clues or reveal the secrets buried in the dark past of this place.

"Haru, I need you to light up the whole place."

"No problem, did you discover anything?"

"I hope so," I replied

Haru placed both lanterns on the ground, raised and extended both arms generating some firebending, illuminating the entire ground, to see the wreckage more clearly.

With more illumination I could see that the fluid was especially in the areas where the bones had been bitten. It was as if a trace of the monster's activity had been marked as a personal signature of the beast.

"What kind of creature inhabits these tunnels, eats their victims with slight marks on their bones, and uses a viscous liquid?" I asked, looking at Haru

"Ozai?" he replied

"Close, but no. I'm not so sure, but I have an idea of what it might be."

"Perfect! Tell me what it is?"

Before I could answer, a faint but quite audible rattlesnake-like sound interrupted us, followed by a great silence. Henry and I exchanged glances a little anxiously. The echo of cautious footsteps echoed through the damp walls.

"What was that?" Haru asked

"Quick, follow me."

Without hesitation, Haru and I stood up and with quick, stealthy movements turned into one of the side tunnels, turned off the flashlights, waiting for the shadows to engulf us before the source of the noise reached our location. My heart was pounding while Haru looked a little more relaxed than I was, as if he knew what to do in the total darkness.

The noise intensified, transforming into an eerie murmur that filled the tunnels, as we went deeper, the ground became uneven and crunchy under our feet, our footsteps were like on an autumn afternoon when the dry leaves of the trees fall to the ground and when crushing them a pleasant sensation along with a small rustle can be perceived. Uncertainty took hold of us, I think it's pretty obvious that inside the tunnels there must be no dry leaves, unless there is a huge botanical garden underneath the city that we're not aware of. They were more recent bones, fresh and crunchy under the pressure of our feet.

The sound of our footsteps mingled with our own heartbeats as we continued to move forward and as we went deeper the number of bones increased, a scene out of a horror play, the bones on the floor creating a grim carpet that indicated to us the countless lives lost in these tunnels.

Finally we came to a wider space, where the darkness revealed a horrifying scene, a huge grave, like a kind of cemetery in the bowels of the city, and in the center of this bleak scenario Haru and I discovered the whereabouts of the missing people. 

Recent human bodies, some with no apparent damage and others with a distinct lack of body parts such as limbs or organs, the fresher, more intact remains were still soaked in the viscous liquid.

"Haru, listen to me, I know what we are facing!" I said urgently "That viscous liquid is the product of a monster, that substance has a purpose in the beast's diet."

"What are you talking about?" Haru asked as he looked at the horrific scene before his eyes

"It's to preserve and soften the meat."

Haru approached the corpses, some of the recently deceased bodies partially submerged in the viscous liquid. The soaked slyzard took on a pallor without decomposing the body, making the beast's task easier.

Among the most preserved corpses were mostly of missing workers of the city, they wore the same orange uniform that we used to enter the tunnels and not raise suspicions, two victims belonged to city guards, apparently the local officials, did send their staff to investigate what happened, however, when they saw the state of their men again they decided to ignore the situation. In the background a smaller body stood out from the others, when we turned it over we discovered that it was a boy, he could not be more than eight years old, I suppose that in his innocent curiosity he tried to explore the tunnels, it is a pity that he had a destiny like this.

As I looked at the ground, my eyes became aware of faint black marks on the ground corresponding to ash, which only confirmed my suspicions about the beast present.

"It's him, here he is," Haru said

"Who?" I asked as I turned to look at Haru

Haru was holding one of the bodies in his arms, one of those in the orange uniform, I immediately knew who he was talking about, the reason why we went into the tunnels.

"Mr. Heng's son," Hary replied, "we'll take him with us and the little one, too." He pointed to the 8-year-old

I had never seen him like that before, he is usually an idiot and talks about some woman or about the evil Ozai, but now... Haru looked sadly at Mr. Heng's son as he hoped to find him still alive.

"Sure, but we have to deal with the Slyzard first," he said as he picked up my sword, "and we're at a big disadvantage."

"Slyzard?, What the hell is that?"

"Well, imagine a kind of... Wait a minute, you smell that, something's burning... Haru on the ground!" I shouted, but was interrupted by a huge blast of heat followed by a shower of flames passing over us.

"What the fuck was that?!, Who attacks us?!" Haru said, lying on the floor

"Haru keep silent, damn it!" Haru didn't answer me, but he was holding his friend's body. "near the tunnel we entered through, can you see it?"

I know it's not easy to look in the dark, fortunately that burst of fire ignited some debris allowing us to have more illumination.

"¿A wyvern?"

"Close, but no," said Percy, "that thing is a slyzard, from the Draconid family, only a little more evil and ugly. It's a smaller monster than the wyvern, it spits fire, it hits with a tail full of poisonous spikes, it doesn't kill you quickly, but its venom is a paralyzer and very effective, it also causes horrible pain. It bites with those sharp teeth and attacks with even sharper claws, some of which can cause a blast of sound—"

"Did you read the damn monster guide?, How do you know that?!" Haru asked me

"My father taught me how to defeat some monsters, luckily for me it's not the first time I've seen one."

"... I expected to see some damn smuggler, not a monster like that"

The slyzard sniffed from its position, looking for the intruders, (which was us), sneaking up and cautiously as if ready for a counterattack.

"That will find us" Haru said, "we must kill it quickly."

"Don't worry, and stay still," I said before he did anything. "The slyzard has bad eyesight, its gaze is like that of a snake, it responds to heat and with all the fire that it shot it will be difficult for it to find us"

"What's the plan?"

"Friend haha, you won't like it," I replied somewhat nervously.

"... I'm the bait, right?" Haru asked

I didn't exactly answer the question when I explained, but it could be considered that I did "We'll finish that thing quickly, when I give you the signal run as fast as you can to your left and be careful, this time it will throw the poisonous spikes at you so make sure you dodge them all. I don't want to have to hand over your dead body to Mr. Jeong Jeong"

"Next time, you'll be the bait!" Haru said with a forced smile on his face, "but if I just have to dodge I'll do it, he'll never be able to catch me."

"When he's distracted, I'll attack him quickly from his rear" I told him before asking "Are you ready?"

"Dude, I was born ready," Haru replied

"Now!"

A fun fact about my friend Haru, is that he was not accepted into the navy since his firebending using his hands is a reason for mockery and only serves as a flashlight or to light a fire and knowing this, Mr. Jeong Jeong has been training him continuously however his legs are different, has abnormal control. An average firebender knows how to use all of his limbs equally, but Haru is different, his legs are literally engulfed in flames which gives him greater mobility and agility, plus his kicks are deadly.

Beneath the corpses and bones of the pit, I held the handle of my sword in my hands tightly without exposing the sharp blade while Haru moved with cat-like grace. The slyzard, with its pale slyzardand venomous tail, let out a fierce roar and began to follow him.

Haru's agility as he ran was like an evasive dance, dodging the monster's attacks with swift and precise movements. The slyzard raised its tail by throwing the poisonous spikes, but they failed to reach their target, they simply stuck in the ground and walls.

"What's up, damn lizard?!" Haru shouted as he grabbed one of the bones and threw it at the beast, hitting its head. "Can't you reach me?" Haru said mockingly

The slyzard began to shoot flames that illuminated the wide chamber of the tunnel with a fleeting fire.

Haru smoothly managed to dodge all the attacks, so I stealthily got up and took advantage of the distracted beast trying to assassinate my friend, I made a quick jump to get closer and with an elegant twist I managed to slide the blade into the slyzard's tail cutting it from side to side, neutralizing the poisonous quills.

So, in one last thrust and with one thrust I pierced the sharp point of my sword into the back of the beast's head, an instant death and the slyzard fell defeated. Between victory and lingering smoke, Haru approached.

"Looks like you didn't need any sword training," Haru said smiling looking at the beast's carcass, "you made a clean cut, how did you know its weak point is the tail?"

"I told you, my father has taken me to hunt monsters and taught me how to kill them, for this first one you must neutralize the poison and the rest is a piece of cake," Percy replied

"You'll be the bait in the next one."

"Don't even dream about it, without my help you wouldn't have been able to kill that thing, you don't know anything about monsters."

"True, but I wonder one thing: How come you know so much about them and can't learn the simple history of the Fire Nation?" Haru asked me with a mocking look

"That's a topic of conversation, for another time."

The laughter lightened the tense atmosphere that enveloped the pit in which we were present. 

When we finished arguing, we approached the body of Mr. Chen's son together with the eight-year-old and wrapped the bodies very carefully

"Their families will be happy to say goodbye to their relatives properly" Haru said

"Friend I'm sorry for your loss, I don't know how close you were to the guy, but at least we were able to get him back his body, you kept your promise to his family."

"I suppose you're right," Haru said, "but one thing isn't clear to me, how it is that a single slyzard ate so many people and no one suspected anything until a few weeks ag"o

"Maybe this pit was already present before the monster appeared," I answered, but being just as confused, "whatever the case, we have to get out of here as soon as possible, this place gives me chills"

"All right, let's go."

When we finished preparing the bodies for the journey out of the tunnels, Haru and I wasted no more time, we lifted our things and followed the same path we took to enter.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps to improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Percy's Point of View

After the victory against the beast, we stared for a moment at the slyzard's lifeless corpse, with the smoke covering some of his limbs in that lonely chamber beneath the city, with my sword gleaming, now stained with the poisonous essence of that beast. And only a few moments later, we decided to leave the subterranean depths immediately, but Haru and I did not stop even once to eat or drink water, we simply concentrated on getting out of that macabre place as soon as possible.

After several hours in the distance we observed a faint light, being close to the exit we could feel the heat emanating from the the first lights of the day emanated, as we advanced we met the guard who patrolled the periphery of the entrance to the tunnels. Under his eyes, two crumpled black bags showed the tiredness of a person from spending the whole night without sleep.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon, I thought your boss didn't want this to be known" Haru told the guard

"Sir, I'm glad to see you alive, sir!" said the guard, assuming the same classic army stance "Was the exploration a success?"

"Of course it was," Haru replied, showing the slyzard's cut tail proudly "this damn thing couldn't survive against us.

Immediately, upon observing the tail full of poisonous quills, the officer recognized that they belonged to the slyzard.

"Did you stay up all night?" I asked somewhat surprised, even though I knew the obviousness of the answer from the guard's appearance

"That's right, sir!"

"Why did you do it?" I asked again

"I couldn't leave them alone, sir," the officer replied, confused, as if the answer were more than obvious, "if an emergency had arisen and I hadn't been here to help you, what kind of member of the navy would I become?"

I didn't know what to say, his answer had me astonished and considering that he owes Haru a fortune I wouldn't have blamed him if he tried to murder us.

"What's your name?" I asked, as Haru didn´t knew his name

"My name is Lee, sir."

"Very well officer Lee, it's time to go back to our homes." said Haru

As we left the mystery of the deep underground behind, I thought that if anyone ever found out what we did in the tunnels, maybe it would become an urban legend, although I may never know.

But that doesn't matter, not with what we had to do...

As we walked with the remains of Haru's deceased friend and the young boy who died at the hands of that creature, Officer Lee asked:

"Why did they leave the other spikes down there, sir? They're sold at a good price among the mercenaries or an apothecary could buy them."

"What are you talking about?" Haru asked, "Here's the tail."

"Yes, but I'm talking about the others," replied Officer Lee. "Were they rendered useless by the battle?"

"What are you talking about? There was only a slyzard down there," I exclaimed

"Really? " said the officer, confused, "I had understood that slyzards live in small groups during their brief childhood.... And based on the size and color of that tail, they don't correspond to an adult slyzard"

"Is that true, Percy?" Haru asked me, "I didn't see another creature like that in that pit of dead"

"Pit of dead?" Officer Lee asked, stopping

"That's right, we saw a huge pit with countless human skeletons, as if that beast had been devouring people for a long time." Haru replied, "I'm surprised that we didn't know about the problem sooner, or that the number of missing people was higher..."

I stopped paying attention to Haru since I was thinking about what Lee said.

To be honest the officer is right, normally slyzards live in small groups of four or five of them and have a lair or in this case 'a scary cave' where they live, 

I remember that some time ago I traveled with my father to a distant island belonging to the Fire Nation, that according to what I remember of the history of that place.... In the middle of the crystal clear waters of the ocean, an island was born from the explosion of a marine volcano. An island that over time became exclusive tourist destination, specially designed for those with a high position in the Fire Nation hierarchy or who had the money. The island, known as Ignea, was a paradise that combined natural exuberance with luxurious facilities.

From the air, Ignea looked like a green Eden surrounded by blue waters, with the now-extinct volcano silently witnessing the island's creation. White sandy beaches lined the shores caressed by soft beaches that invited visitors to enjoy their serenity.

However, with the passage of time a section of the island was destined as a maritime center for merchants and fishermen, which created a new and powerful economic point that helped with the export of maritime products, besides functioned as a fortress and strategic point in the event of any conflict. But this maritime hub became the most accessible place on the island for people with an average economy, while the highest and most beautiful section of the island as it always belonged to the rich idiots.

I remember a time when Ozai tried to expropriate the land on that island for the exclusive use of a personal palace, the idea was rejected in its entirety by Ijichi. But digress, the most fascinating feature of Ignea was a network of natural tunnels generated by the volcanic explosion. These subterranean passages, illuminated by the dim light of natural light-emitting stones and strategically placed lamps, intertwine like veins beneath the island.... Come to think of it, it bears a strong similarity to the current situation... Anyway, each tunnel was an architectural wonder of nature, like unique rock formations that seemed to be sculpted by the very hands of the earth.

Everyone knows that some tunnels were connected to each other, so these secret paths, decorated with gleaming stalactites and murmurs of underground water, became the main attraction for adventurous tourists, but these had a tendency to get easily lost... But the accommodations in Ignea were luxurious and sustainable, blending seamlessly with the surroundings. Private villas with ocean views offered visitors the chance to wake up to the unparalleled beauty of the island.

At least until a few years ago when iron and gold were discovered, as well as some precious stones present in the tunnels, which led to great works in the mining industry. And something tells me that Ozai already knew about it and that's why he wanted to expropriate it for his benefit, thank heaven Ijichi didn't allow it...

But on one occasion, the mining work was interrupted by a small collapse in the cave walls, giving birth to even deeper secret underground chambers and to the bad luck of the workers, it was home to some monsters.

The island's navy quickly took care of them and my father hastened their arrival on the island and I went with him, although the situation became complicated.

My father explained to me that the earth kingdom tried to get its hands on that island a few times, so having internal and external problems at the same time was the worst thing that could happen. I went into the mining tunnels with him and we took care of a couple of monsters, that was when I met the slyzards and I will never forget that day, since I was poisoned by one of them so I know how strong the pain of that poison is. The important thing is that there were not only one or two of them, that time six of them were present, the largest being the leader of the pack and the mother of the smaller beasts.

"Well," I began to say, remembering those details and interrupting their conversation, "the truth is that they are always together in small groups, and that would explain the presence of so many skeletons."

"Then we didn't solve the problem!" Haru said angrily, "we can't leave it at that"

"But also think about the number of missing people, they only correspond to one and it's impossible that we wouldn't have seen the others, having so much food they wouldn't come out of their lair, the others would have been there, besides the babies don't separate from their mother."

"Then what happened to that skinky mother?" Officer Lee asked

"I have no idea, I can't deny that this is pretty weird, but I can't find an explanation." 

I replied honestly, as I'm worried about the fact that I've left a few slyzards free down there, but in this case I don't know what to think, I hope that little slyzard has eaten his mother and siblings.

"For now, we can't do anything else," I continued speaking to remind Haru of the bodies we were carrying, "we have to take the bodies to their families so that they can say goodbye to them properly

"But if there's more of that stuff," Haru said as he expected, "they'll kill more people."

"Then we'll go back and kill them, my friend, and Officer Lee will help us," said Percy, "until then he'll keep an eye on the entrance to the tunnels, if he discovers anything he'll tell us

"Sure, sir, I'll keep an eye on the entrance, and wait for you"

Haru accepted my proposal, but his face showed that he didn't like the idea since he had lost his friend and didn't want to find or hear from any more victims, without waiting long we resumed our journey.

"Lee, look for the family of one of the victims," Haru said, "a missing boy about eight years old.

"Sure, sir, it was the most recent disappearance."

"Inform them that we found their son... Well, I mean..."

"Of course sir, I understand what you mean, leave it to me."

"Thank you"

We briefly parted ways with Officer Lee and headed to the meeting point, Mr. Chen's house. I noticed that Haru's eyes burned with determination as we made our way to Mr. Chen's house. But our the path was marked by the shadow of the tragedy that lurked in the tunnels.

When we arrived, the atmosphere of the house was heavier than we could imagine, so it took us a while to knock on the door, Haru being the one who did it. After a few moments a few steps behind the entrance quickly approached, it was the victim's younger sister opened with eyes full of hope, but upon seeing the grim expression on Haru's face and the bodies we were carrying, her hope faded in a sigh.

"No!"

"Lian... I'm sorry... we couldn't do anything"

"No!, You promised to bring my brother back!"

She was filled of anguish and heart-wrenching pain when Haru  approached. He sighed and took her hand and gave her the devastating news about the loss of her brother. The little girl's eyes filled with tears as she absorbed the cruel reality unfolding in front of her.

Without saying a word, Lian ran to her room and slammed the door shut. We just stand there, listening while we wait for his father,

Mr. Chen took a few moments to arrive. But the worry marked his face even before Haru broke the news. The man looked at us, waiting for an answer he could hear.

Haru told her what had happened, explaining about the beast that inhabited the underground of the city and the tragedy that had happened. The father's face contorted in a mixture of disbelief and pain, trying to assimilate the sad reality. The words about his son's death hurt his as daggers stuck in his chest. Fighting her emotions, she thanked us for taking down the creature that murdered his son and the house was filled with a heavy and heartbreaking silence by Lian's sobbing and wailing.

My gaze met Haru's, sharing a gesture of regret before we left.

"I'm sorry about your son, Mr. Chen," said Haru, "I couldn't bring him with me

"It's not your fault..." but you are mistaken," said Mr. Chen, "you gave me back my son, me, and his sister as you promised, I thank you."

Leaving behind a home scarred by loss and a family torn apart by grief, We left the house sad as the afternoon unfolded with a sky tinted with warm tones as we headed to the place where the boy's family could claim his body, before going to where Haru hid our air travel.

When we arrived, we got the balloon ready as it filled with air, a shared silence separated us somehow. As evening light filtered across the horizon, Haru and I paused for a moment allowing the last light of day to envelop us as the balloon filled with warm air. And when the balloon was at its normal size, ready to receive its passengers and set off on the journey, we climbed in, but as we ascended Haru looked back, catching one last glimpse in the direction of Mr. Chen's house that had enveloped him in a mixture of regret.

As we gained altitude, the city faded into the distance, I felt the tragedy and loss being left behind, but the memory of the battle in the tunnels and the news we shared weighed heavily.

"Ready for your tournament?" my friend said, breaking the silence, "It won't be long until it starts and you still don't have a strategy"

"Beat them all, that's my strategy," I answered, but without my usual joy "... I just hope I don't fight Zuko so soon"

"... We've still got two hours to drive, you should sleep"

"You have to too," I said, since we knew we were just as exhausted

"You're right, but I'm not going to participate in the tournament so just do it, I'll take care of everything and I'll wake you up when we get there."

I had gone a whole day without sleep so I decided to take my friend's advice, without waiting long I set out to sleep at the bottom of our transport, although I am a little worried about leaving him in charge of the balloon, but it is not like I can do much in an emergency...

"Just don't kill us " I remember telling him before falling asleep.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps to improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Percy's Point of View

After the victory against the beast, we stared for a moment at the slyzard's lifeless corpse, with the smoke covering some of his limbs in that lonely chamber beneath the city, with my sword gleaming, now stained with the poisonous essence of that beast. And only a few moments later, we decided to leave the subterranean depths immediately, but Haru and I did not stop even once to eat or drink water, we simply concentrated on getting out of that macabre place as soon as possible.

After several hours in the distance we observed a faint light, being close to the exit we could feel the heat emanating from the the first lights of the day emanated, as we advanced we met the guard who patrolled the periphery of the entrance to the tunnels. Under his eyes, two crumpled black bags showed the tiredness of a person from spending the whole night without sleep.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon, I thought your boss didn't want this to be known" Haru told the guard

"Sir, I'm glad to see you alive, sir!" said the guard, assuming the same classic army stance "Was the exploration a success?"

"Of course it was," Haru replied, showing the slyzard's cut tail proudly "this damn thing couldn't survive against us.

Immediately, upon observing the tail full of poisonous quills, the officer recognized that they belonged to the slyzard.

"Did you stay up all night?" I asked somewhat surprised, even though I knew the obviousness of the answer from the guard's appearance

"That's right, sir!"

"Why did you do it?" I asked again

"I couldn't leave them alone, sir," the officer replied, confused, as if the answer were more than obvious, "if an emergency had arisen and I hadn't been here to help you, what kind of member of the navy would I become?"

I didn't know what to say, his answer had me astonished and considering that he owes Haru a fortune I wouldn't have blamed him if he tried to murder us.

"What's your name?" I asked, as Haru didn´t knew his name

"My name is Lee, sir."

"Very well officer Lee, it's time to go back to our homes." said Haru

As we left the mystery of the deep underground behind, I thought that if anyone ever found out what we did in the tunnels, maybe it would become an urban legend, although I may never know.

But that doesn't matter, not with what we had to do...

As we walked with the remains of Haru's deceased friend and the young boy who died at the hands of that creature, Officer Lee asked:

"Why did they leave the other spikes down there, sir? They're sold at a good price among the mercenaries or an apothecary could buy them."

"What are you talking about?" Haru asked, "Here's the tail."

"Yes, but I'm talking about the others," replied Officer Lee. "Were they rendered useless by the battle?"

"What are you talking about? There was only a slyzard down there," I exclaimed

"Really? " said the officer, confused, "I had understood that slyzards live in small groups during their brief childhood.... And based on the size and color of that tail, they don't correspond to an adult slyzard"

"Is that true, Percy?" Haru asked me, "I didn't see another creature like that in that pit of dead"

"Pit of dead?" Officer Lee asked, stopping

"That's right, we saw a huge pit with countless human skeletons, as if that beast had been devouring people for a long time." Haru replied, "I'm surprised that we didn't know about the problem sooner, or that the number of missing people was higher..."

I stopped paying attention to Haru since I was thinking about what Lee said.

To be honest the officer is right, normally slyzards live in small groups of four or five of them and have a lair or in this case 'a scary cave' where they live, 

I remember that some time ago I traveled with my father to a distant island belonging to the Fire Nation, that according to what I remember of the history of that place.... In the middle of the crystal clear waters of the ocean, an island was born from the explosion of a marine volcano. An island that over time became exclusive tourist destination, specially designed for those with a high position in the Fire Nation hierarchy or who had the money. The island, known as Ignea, was a paradise that combined natural exuberance with luxurious facilities.

From the air, Ignea looked like a green Eden surrounded by blue waters, with the now-extinct volcano silently witnessing the island's creation. White sandy beaches lined the shores caressed by soft beaches that invited visitors to enjoy their serenity.

However, with the passage of time a section of the island was destined as a maritime center for merchants and fishermen, which created a new and powerful economic point that helped with the export of maritime products, besides functioned as a fortress and strategic point in the event of any conflict. But this maritime hub became the most accessible place on the island for people with an average economy, while the highest and most beautiful section of the island as it always belonged to the rich idiots.

I remember a time when Ozai tried to expropriate the land on that island for the exclusive use of a personal palace, the idea was rejected in its entirety by Ijichi. But digress, the most fascinating feature of Ignea was a network of natural tunnels generated by the volcanic explosion. These subterranean passages, illuminated by the dim light of natural light-emitting stones and strategically placed lamps, intertwine like veins beneath the island.... Come to think of it, it bears a strong similarity to the current situation... Anyway, each tunnel was an architectural wonder of nature, like unique rock formations that seemed to be sculpted by the very hands of the earth.

Everyone knows that some tunnels were connected to each other, so these secret paths, decorated with gleaming stalactites and murmurs of underground water, became the main attraction for adventurous tourists, but these had a tendency to get easily lost... But the accommodations in Ignea were luxurious and sustainable, blending seamlessly with the surroundings. Private villas with ocean views offered visitors the chance to wake up to the unparalleled beauty of the island.

At least until a few years ago when iron and gold were discovered, as well as some precious stones present in the tunnels, which led to great works in the mining industry. And something tells me that Ozai already knew about it and that's why he wanted to expropriate it for his benefit, thank heaven Ijichi didn't allow it...

But on one occasion, the mining work was interrupted by a small collapse in the cave walls, giving birth to even deeper secret underground chambers and to the bad luck of the workers, it was home to some monsters.

The island's navy quickly took care of them and my father hastened their arrival on the island and I went with him, although the situation became complicated.

My father explained to me that the earth kingdom tried to get its hands on that island a few times, so having internal and external problems at the same time was the worst thing that could happen. I went into the mining tunnels with him and we took care of a couple of monsters, that was when I met the slyzards and I will never forget that day, since I was poisoned by one of them so I know how strong the pain of that poison is. The important thing is that there were not only one or two of them, that time six of them were present, the largest being the leader of the pack and the mother of the smaller beasts.

"Well," I began to say, remembering those details and interrupting their conversation, "the truth is that they are always together in small groups, and that would explain the presence of so many skeletons."

"Then we didn't solve the problem!" Haru said angrily, "we can't leave it at that"

"But also think about the number of missing people, they only correspond to one and it's impossible that we wouldn't have seen the others, having so much food they wouldn't come out of their lair, the others would have been there, besides the babies don't separate from their mother."

"Then what happened to that skinky mother?" Officer Lee asked

"I have no idea, I can't deny that this is pretty weird, but I can't find an explanation." 

I replied honestly, as I'm worried about the fact that I've left a few slyzards free down there, but in this case I don't know what to think, I hope that little slyzard has eaten his mother and siblings.

"For now, we can't do anything else," I continued speaking to remind Haru of the bodies we were carrying, "we have to take the bodies to their families so that they can say goodbye to them properly

"But if there's more of that stuff," Haru said as he expected, "they'll kill more people."

"Then we'll go back and kill them, my friend, and Officer Lee will help us," said Percy, "until then he'll keep an eye on the entrance to the tunnels, if he discovers anything he'll tell us

"Sure, sir, I'll keep an eye on the entrance, and wait for you"

Haru accepted my proposal, but his face showed that he didn't like the idea since he had lost his friend and didn't want to find or hear from any more victims, without waiting long we resumed our journey.

"Lee, look for the family of one of the victims," Haru said, "a missing boy about eight years old.

"Sure, sir, it was the most recent disappearance."

"Inform them that we found their son... Well, I mean..."

"Of course sir, I understand what you mean, leave it to me."

"Thank you"

We briefly parted ways with Officer Lee and headed to the meeting point, Mr. Chen's house. I noticed that Haru's eyes burned with determination as we made our way to Mr. Chen's house. But our the path was marked by the shadow of the tragedy that lurked in the tunnels.

When we arrived, the atmosphere of the house was heavier than we could imagine, so it took us a while to knock on the door, Haru being the one who did it. After a few moments a few steps behind the entrance quickly approached, it was the victim's younger sister opened with eyes full of hope, but upon seeing the grim expression on Haru's face and the bodies we were carrying, her hope faded in a sigh.

"No!"

"Lian... I'm sorry... we couldn't do anything"

"No!, You promised to bring my brother back!"

She was filled of anguish and heart-wrenching pain when Haru  approached. He sighed and took her hand and gave her the devastating news about the loss of her brother. The little girl's eyes filled with tears as she absorbed the cruel reality unfolding in front of her.

Without saying a word, Lian ran to her room and slammed the door shut. We just stand there, listening while we wait for his father,

Mr. Chen took a few moments to arrive. But the worry marked his face even before Haru broke the news. The man looked at us, waiting for an answer he could hear.

Haru told her what had happened, explaining about the beast that inhabited the underground of the city and the tragedy that had happened. The father's face contorted in a mixture of disbelief and pain, trying to assimilate the sad reality. The words about his son's death hurt his as daggers stuck in his chest. Fighting her emotions, she thanked us for taking down the creature that murdered his son and the house was filled with a heavy and heartbreaking silence by Lian's sobbing and wailing.

My gaze met Haru's, sharing a gesture of regret before we left.

"I'm sorry about your son, Mr. Chen," said Haru, "I couldn't bring him with me

"It's not your fault..." but you are mistaken," said Mr. Chen, "you gave me back my son, me, and his sister as you promised, I thank you."

Leaving behind a home scarred by loss and a family torn apart by grief, We left the house sad as the afternoon unfolded with a sky tinted with warm tones as we headed to the place where the boy's family could claim his body, before going to where Haru hid our air travel.

When we arrived, we got the balloon ready as it filled with air, a shared silence separated us somehow. As evening light filtered across the horizon, Haru and I paused for a moment allowing the last light of day to envelop us as the balloon filled with warm air. And when the balloon was at its normal size, ready to receive its passengers and set off on the journey, we climbed in, but as we ascended Haru looked back, catching one last glimpse in the direction of Mr. Chen's house that had enveloped him in a mixture of regret.

As we gained altitude, the city faded into the distance, I felt the tragedy and loss being left behind, but the memory of the battle in the tunnels and the news we shared weighed heavily.

"Ready for your tournament?" my friend said, breaking the silence, "It won't be long until it starts and you still don't have a strategy"

"Beat them all, that's my strategy," I answered, but without my usual joy "... I just hope I don't fight Zuko so soon"

"... We've still got two hours to drive, you should sleep"

"You have to too," I said, since we knew we were just as exhausted

"You're right, but I'm not going to participate in the tournament so just do it, I'll take care of everything and I'll wake you up when we get there."

I had gone a whole day without sleep so I decided to take my friend's advice, without waiting long I set out to sleep at the bottom of our transport, although I am a little worried about leaving him in charge of the balloon, but it is not like I can do much in an emergency...

"Just don't kill us " I remember telling him before falling asleep.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps to improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Percy's Point of View

I couldn't stop thinking about my last dream and the letter sent from my brother, it's not uncommon to receive a letter from him, but it is unusual for him to send me a gift. And before the first rays of the sun were seen on the horizon he was already awake, because he hadn't slept all night, I was just thinking over and over again about the strange dream I'd had.

Calmly, I got out of bed covered in soft sheets and headed for the bathroom. The morning routine was not simply a mechanical act. It was a carefully crafted ritual... Or so my father told me. As the water poured down on me, I closed my eyes and let the soothing sensation envelop me. At that moment my mind had a moment of serenity as the competition drove me crazy.

"Only an idiot wouldn't realize that this 'woman' isn't going to cause problems, is it my subconscious telling me something? Do I have traumas from my childhood?" I said out loud my thoughts were taking over me, maybe I won't have peace of mind like this again after the tournament...

............

Once dressed and revitalized I left the palace, the cool breeze caressing my face as I walked along the rocky paths, every firm step I took reflecting the determination that burned within me.

Arriving at the outer gates that delimit the palace, I waited a few moments to do stretching exercises. Fluid and controlled movements, like a dance with the light breeze that surrounded me, I stretched my muscles as physical preparation against the big tests that are coming and I would prefer not to hurt myself, after all I didn't want to enter the damn tournament.

With my body ready for the challenge, I arrived at the central square of Ciudad Palacio. The hustle and bustle of the city echoed around me as I made my way through the crowd. The square, a lively place where citizens converge to celebrate important events, was surrounded by majestic buildings that spoke of the greatness of the city... but if you ask me they are only to show off to visitors from other nations.

"There seem to be a lot of competitors this year," I said as  I watched more people arrive at the square.

"Percy! I'm glad you're here, I thought you wouldn't come," I heard a familiar voice, before a hand grabbed my shoulder friendly.

"Zuko!" I greeted him "when did you arrive?"

"I was the first to arrive, I didn't sleep because I was so nervous and I decided to arrive earlier. Either way, I'm glad you decided to help me."

"Oh, really? Did you doubt me?"

"Of course, when I told you about the tournament you didn't seem very happy," Zuko said, "so I thought you wouldn't come in the end."

I could see his point, because I left the topic aside and turned to look at the rest of the competition.

More and more people gathered in the central square, relatives, friends, wives and children as well as soldiers were present. It was obvious that not all of them were participants in the tournament, but for a long time it has been the custom of those close to them to say goodbye to them and wish them good luck. I'm sure my brother would be with me if it weren't for his top-secret mission outside the nation, but when I think of Zuko, I feel a little sorry for him. I can't imagine any scenario where Ozai would be present and saying goodbye to his son like all normal parents do.

"Whoa, whoa, what do we have here?" A voice behind me said "but if it's the royal family or should I say 'royal blood and its pet'?"

I didn't need to look to know who they were, the voice comes from an imbecile I detest with all my soul.

"Brother, you shouldn't be so kind to him," said the other voice, "pets are part of the family, and he's just a poor lucky beggar

Both voices burst out laughing outright, Zuko and I turned our heads to face our aggressors.

Two tall figures emerged behind us, like symmetrical shadows.

"Zuko, look at nothing but trash brought to us by the wind," I said while shaking my hand as if I was trying to get rid of a bad smell "nothing more and nothing less than the twins addicted to drink Fang and Feng"

Fifteen-year-old twins shared not only the same age, but an appearance that exuded youth and vitality. At 175 centimeters tall, they stood with the confidence of those who have been shaped by military discipline from an early age, their father, an important military commander in the army under Ozai himself.

The twins' short black hair seemed to defy the wind, as if it were a testament to the strength in which they had been raised in a family with deep roots in the military hierarchy, and each strand was adjusted with surgical precision. Their bodies, sculpted by years of athletic training, exuded undeniable confidence. Broad shouldhers and toned muscles denoted an ironclad dedication to the physical regimen. Their bearing revealed an intimate connection to the world of tactics and strategy, a direct inheritance from thier father. The twins' black eyes, piercing and fierce, moved nimbly, observing every detail in their surroundings. Their aggressive and pretentious behavior was evident at every step they took. The square vibrated with their commanding presence, as if they were accustomed to commanding attention around them.

"Watch your words, damn hound," Fang said, "your 'big brother' isn't here to defend you

"Right, if you don't watch your words, we'll kill you in the tournament," Feng grumbled

"And why wait until the competition," I replied as I gripped the handle of my sword tightly, "I'll take care of you right now."

Feng, one of the twins who had a scar marked on his right cheek, added a touch of intrigue to his appearance. The brand, like a signature of the past, added to its face a story that spoke of battles overcome and challenges bravely faced. The scar, far from weakening his image, gave him an air of mystery and authority... But that's just the opinion of others. Since his scar was the product of a fight in the past, two years to be exact, and the cause of it was me, so it was understandable his hatred towards me.

"Enough!" Another familiar voice said, "Fang and Feng, right? If you continue with this behavior, You will be disqualified from the tournament"

"What?!" Feng said as he raised his head, "Who the fuck do you think you are to give us orders?!"

The twins froze and pale as they turned around, as if death itself had come.

"I'm just Fire Lord's bodyguard, enough for you?" Jeong Jeong said with an unimpressed but dangerous look at the twins.

At that moment I understood the reason, death itself had come, but in the form of a maniacal old man.

"This warning is also for you Percy, if you want to settle your differences, do it in the tournament cleanly."

"Mr. Jeong," Zuko said, "Aren't you supposed to be with my uncle?"

"Yes, but I came to get you, your father wants to talk to you," Jeong said

"With me?" Zuko asked, surprised.

"Really?... Is he drugged?" and I asked too, totally surprised

To be honest I was more surprised than Zuko, this doesn't happen often, well it never really happens.

"Yes, I think he wants to say a few words of encouragement to you before the tournament starts," Jeong said, "so let's go."

Okay, if my uncle Ozai wants to be a father for the first time in all of human history, it's because we're doomed and something very bad is going to happen. Slowly, Jeong and Zuko made their way through the crowd and got lost in the crowd.

"Beggar!" Fang said, "Say goodbye to whoever you can, you won't be able to get out of this alive!"

In turn, the pair of brothers also slowly moved away from me.

"Great guys, as popular as ever Percy."

"Now you?" What are you doing here Harry?! I exclaimed, surprised to see him

"I'm here to cheer you up before the competition, obviously, and don't worry, don't worry, I forgive you for the pants thing, it was a good joke"

"Of course, I also forgive you for selling me," Percy said, "I thought Ijichi had already buried you."

"Ijichi?"

"Oh nothing, well, what's the matter?"

"I've been asking, you know, here and there," Harry said with his classic demeanor, "and honestly the outlook doesn't favor you"

"Is that your idea of cheering me up?... Well, I guess it's better than nothing."

"Hey!"

"Who do I have to watch my back from?"

"Everybody," Harry replied

"What!?! "I think the surprise was obvious on my face when I almost shouted it," "I know perfectly well that I'm not very welcome here, but I didn't think I'd be in everyone's sights."

"Apparently someone put a price on your head," Harry said, "it's said that whoever manages to get you out of the way will have a very good reward. Hell, my friend, I even thought about kidnapping you"

"How much is paying?" I asked  "I can't be worth that much"

"I'll put it this way, with the reward you can buy three warships. That's why this place is more crowded than usual"

"Who put up the reward?" I asked

"I don't know, but just think for a moment: Who knew about your participation today and hates you to death?... Hint: he loves expensive portraits"

"Ozai?... It's possible, but he wouldn't dare do anything in my father's presence"

"And that is why he will pay whoever manages to kill you"

This family drama is getting out of hand if you ask me, is Ozai really behind the bounty on my head? Well, he knew he was going to participate and showed a bit of interest, which is disturbing enough. He was also the one who discovered a secluded place for the tournament, the dungeon...

The more I was immersed in my thoughts, the more worried I was about my near future, until a high-pitched voice sounded throughout the square loud enough for all the people to fall silent listening to his words as if their lives depended on it.

"ATTENTION!"

The only perceptible sound was that of our own hearts

"Very well! I introduce myself, my name is Linlin, and for the duration of the tournament I will be the official narrator—

"Is she...?" Harry said in a whisper

"Shit, she's my brother's ex-girlfriend," I replied

Linlin stood on the third-floor balcony of the building closest to the square, continued with the announcement to the participants. The square vibrated with anticipation as competitors lined up, ready to face the thrilling odyssey ahead.

"First of all, this event will not be like the past, it consists of three phases that will be described in detail below. As you yourselves can notice, this year there are more participants than expected, therefore it will be necessary to make a knockout phase so that only the most skilled are present and thus survive the next phases. The first phase consists of a race, a test of endurance and cunning, starting from this place"

The roar of applause and murmurs from the crowd created a symphony of anticipation.

"Hush!" LinLin exclaimed and everyone present paid attention again, "the race is the first and easiest test, you just have to leave the palace city, go down the mountain and reach the port where you will find small boats or personal canoes and with it you will have to paddle until you reach the Gates of Azulon, a majestic monument that marks the end of the race and the qualifying stage. As you well know, it is a huge distance that you will have to travel, however, only fifty participants will be accepted and will go through to the second round.

The crowd went even wilder as some silently wondered if they would have enough stamina to travel such a distance.

"Only fifty?" A voice said in the middle of the crowd

"The reason for that number lies in the second stage," Linlin said, "for now this is as far as the explanation goes, and as the participants advance to the next round, they will be given the relevant instructions and in this way we ensure that no one can cheat. I have to mention that no death or weapon will be allowed at this stage, throughout the course there are different checkpoints and those participants who do not abide by the rules will be disqualified immediately. With nothing else to say for now, I wish you the best of luck and let the tournament begin.

Look around me "Huh... It seems that after those screams everyone is calm"

At least until a loud sound was heard in the distance marking the start of the competition and the runners launched themselves from the square, quick as arrows to leave Palace city.

"PERCY!" Harry shouted at me "react and start running that the competition has begun!"

"WHAT?!"

Like the others, I started running.

Between shouts and pushes, all the participants were desperately trying to get out of the main square and one of them was me.

From one moment to the next I found myself behind all the participants, running desperately to catch up with them.

"Go ahead, guys! A voice shouted, "We must leave Percy to eat dust!" We must not let Percy win friends!"

I knew many of the contestants because of my internships with the coach, the excursions I take with my father, and my escapes from the palace. At first he was not welcome in the city or the palace, an adopted child is very frowned upon in this nation, but some of the soldiers are the exception, many of them came from the colonies that the fire nation established on earth kingdom territory or belong to an other city than Palace City. Some time ago, the trainer along with Mr. Jeong Jeong took on the task of gathering many soldiers who have excelled in battle against some monsters, without taking into account their economic or political origin were recruited. But there are people like the damn twins who don't respect this thought and unfortunately there are not a few.

"What the hell?!" I couldn't help but say, "Guys, you take this too seriously!"

—|—|—|—|—|—

Third-person point

From the tall building in the square, Jeong and fire lord Iroh watched with what appeared to be some sort of binoculars as the stampede of participants left the square on their way to the great Azulon Gate.

"It looks like Percy isn't going to win, my lord," Jeong said.

"HAHAHAHAHA he's still young but don't worry, I assure you he'll get back to a good position," Iroh said as he drank some tea

"How are you so sure, brother?" Ozai said from the background, "he has no firebending skills and it's a very long career

"Just look at the race and you'll understand," Iroh replied, "Percy has a lot to show us. How did it go with Zuko? Did you give him any advice?"

"I just told him he's going to concentrate on the race. Any problem with that?"

"Of course not," Iroh said, "but I think Zuko got more than a piece of advice"

"Do you accuse me of being a liar, brother?"

A strong pressure was felt in the air as the brothers of the royal family did not take their eyes off each other.

"My lord," Linlin said, "the transport is ready, please come with me."

"Excellent Lin!" said Iroh jumping up from his seat, "come on brother, let's see how the race ends"

—|—|—|—|—|—

Arriving at the end of the city, the path turned into stairs that went down around the entire mountain.

"Hell, I'm the last one," Percy said of his situation. "The stupid group left me behind, but it's not too late

"Now!" A voice ahead of them turned, "Start the "Leap Detour" just as we had planned!

The soldiers began to jump on the edge of the stairs making a controlled descent using firebending techniques between the four limbs to cushion their fall. When they reached the ground they would again jump on the shore and in this way a long stone path carved around the mountain became the perfect place for firebenders and their frog jumps.

"What the hell was that?... Hey! it's not allowed to use firebending" Percy shouted without stopping

"Surrender, you brat! You don't stand a chance!" Some competitors shouted who were already halfway there

"I can't lose to these bastards!" Percy thought, before complaining loudly. "These types of tricks will get you completely disqualified"

—|—|—|—|—|—

At the front of the race, the twins led the competition, using their firebending to gain greater speed against the others.

"It looks like everything is going according to plan."

"HAHAHA, Of course"! Fang replied, "When you conceive a plan, you have the strength of a thousand men. We leave the royal family dog behind at the start line, when the race continued the stampede of competitors formed a wall to stop him"

"And don't forget that he's not a bender," Feng said. "He won't be able to get down the mountain as fast as we can."

—|—|—|—|—|—

Going back to the back. Percy was going down the mountain as fast as he could.

"I can't lose, not today."

Out of nowhere a gust of wind came unexpectedly and the firebenders who were jumping between the mountain stairs lost control when they were in the air, suddenly falling and unable to get up.

"What?! What happens to the boys?" Percy said, confused by what happened.

Without a second thought Percy rushed over, the impact of the fall causing some competitors to lose consciousness while others were only delayed enough for Percy to move ahead of them, but the gusts of wind kept coming.

"What the hell was that?... Wind? Percy wondered, trying to understand what was going on

Turning his head a figure hiding among the trees near the base of the mountain made strange movements as if he was doing a dance or performing some ritual to summon demons, while doing that, the wind was blowing more and more causing more firebenders to get hurt.

"Is he helping me?..."

A rumble was heard at the top of the mountain.

"And now what the fuck was that?!" Percy exclaimed before looking up

Somehow the strong gusts caused the rocks to become depressed, and huge stones falling from the top of the mountain onto the stairs reaching the base of the mountain.

"I was wrong, I think he wants to kill me," thought Percy

Incredibly, he began to dodge the pieces of stone, avoiding any of them from hitting him in the head or crush him, jumping from one side to the other without stopping he managed to reach the base of the mountain safe and sound so he continued running in a straight line to reach the boats. A few meters away he could make out in front of him an object lying on the ground, with a pile of leaves resting on a circular cardboard.

"That's a... trap?" Percy said incredulously, "It's the only place with a pile of leaves, that's kind of obvious. What a stupid trick... They really expected me to fall into something like this"

He jumped to avoid the obvious trap, but as he fell in front of it the ground opened.

"What!?" Percy said, having managed to land on his feet, "A second trap after the first?" Daemons! Who the hell did something so elaborate? Hold on... it feels damp"

The trap was filled with Komodo rhino droppings.

"Aaaaarrrggggghhhh! I swear I'll kill the damned one!" cried Percy angrily

Impelled by his anger, he jumped out of the trap, but the pleasure of getting out of the trap did not last a second when a third trap opened in front of him, into which he fell again.

"AAAAARRRGGGGGHHHH!" Percy yelled again. "I get it. Do you want to play!? LET'S PLAY! I'll destroy you all and win the marathon!"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps to improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Third Person's Point of View

Percy returns for revenge after being tricked by the cunning twins and the victim of an assassination attempt... Again...

However, from the top of an airship high above the capital, the royal family watched the race intently from the air.

"Shit!" Jeong Jeong said as he used a pair of binoculars

"What's up, Jeong?" "New news?" asked the firelord, Iroh

"Well... Percy just fell for the oldest trick in the world, he didn't know the degree of stupidity that boy possesses"

"HAHAHAHA, did they use human excrement?" Iroh asked after letting out a laugh

"No, it seems to be from a Komodo judging by the quantity and color."

"Wow, the world has changed! In our time, human excrement was used because none of us fell for that old trick"

"But what kind of childhood you two had," Ijichi said incredulously, "Mr. Jeong, it should be a little more realistic. It's obvious that Percy will fall into all the traps, he's a capable young man but he still lacks experience"

"Do you think he can win?" Ozai asked skeptically

"I think he lacks self-confidence, but he still has a lot of potential and things to show us," Ijichi replied

"You seem to trust him a lot, Ijichi," Ozai said, flashing a dark smile. "How about a bet?"

"Quiet boys," said Iroh, "can we for once in our lives go a moment without arguing?"

"Don't worry, brother, it's just a friendly bet between two colleagues, isn't it?"

"Of course it is... What do you propose?" Ijichi asked

"Everyone bets on the person they think will win," Ozai replied. "If I win, I'll personally take care of the supervision of Igneous. What do you think?

"Igneous?" I apologise, Mr Ozai, but I cannot decide on that.

"I know," Ozai replied and turned to Iroh. "Brother, if I'm not mistaken, you personally entrusted Ijichi with the task of taking care of the island"

"No," replied Iroh, "will you have my permission for the island to be stationed?"

"Exactly!" Ozai answered, "and that you witness the bet, will you?"

"Who will be your champion, Mr. Ozai?" Ijichi asked

"One of the favorites," Ozai replied, "I mean the young man named Feng"

"Won't you bet on your own son?" Iroh asked

"Clearly not," Ozai said, confused and somewhat incredulous. "there is a problem with that?"

"Very well," said Iroh, "let the bet continue, you have my permission to take charge of the island." If you win obviously..."

"My lord, are you sure?" Ijichi asked, "The island is too valuable to be used in this foolish bet.

"What are you worried about?" Ozai said, "Didn't you just say that Percy has a lot of potential..."

Ijichi was silent for a moment, staring Iroh in the face, as if expressions could communicate without using words. Iroh nodded his head slightly, confidently, with faith and hope that Percy would be the winner of the tournament.

"Very well!" Ijichi said, "I'll bet on Percy and if I win, your mission will be to look for the criminal named Ratko. Is it clear to you?"

"As clear as water..."

The tense atmosphere was interrupted by Linlin's voice

"My Lords, excuse the interruption."

"What's the matter, young lady?" Iroh asked

"If you look out the window, you'll see some of the first competitors to hit the boats."

+++++++++++++++++++++

Meanwhile, still a few feet from the base of the mountain, Percy and a few other competitors are speeding toward the coast.

"Hey, how much are we going to get paid just to be here?" A soldier said

"I really don't know, they said they were going to be generous with the pay and all we have to do is get in Percy's way. Easy money," another mentioned while laughing

"Then somebody's going to pay them for delaying me," said Percy, surprising them. "Damn bastards, they sold me!"

"PERCY!" all the soldiers shouted in unison

With good reflexes and skills Percy managed to pass through the whole ball of participants with the sole objective of making him lose, dodging to the right, to the left and jumping some of them he was able to cross them completely and at full speed he hurried in the direction of the boats.

But later on, a handful of other competitors watched me approach them

"Shit!" Percy is moving, in front with speed!

"What?!""

"Hah... He's still trying to win, stop him! Hold back his movements! Don't let him go! Form a wall!"

"Guys." Percy said to himself at the shouts about stopping him "Do you really think that will work again?... Wretched ones!

He managed to violently cross the wall, knocking down the others without stopping

"Wait, Percy, you don't understand!" said someone on the floor.

"Fuck you" Percy replied without stopping, "All these pesky traps really have done it!... Guys want to get serious?! WELL, COME ON. I'm going to win this marathon no matter what!"

Finally he reached the boats and could feel the misfortune of his situation, his heart pounding furiously in his chest after he had run at full speed for miles to reaching the beach, the sweat soaking his clothes every step was a vital in the race against time, his feet pounding the hot sand with determination. The sun shone overhead as if noon was present, casting sparkles on the waves that gently crashed on the shore. He stopped suddenly, panting with effort, his gaze gliding swiftly across the beach, looking for a boat among the crowd of boats of the other participants. On the shore of the beach a solitary boat in perfect condition appeared and without wasting a second ran towards him.

With a nimble leap he launched himself on board, feeling the fresh wood under his hands, he looked around him when a sense of defeat ran through his whole being, his heart sank as he realized that more than half of the competitors were sailing towards the finish line quickly and were already far away, almost half the distance between the square and the great gates of Azulón,  their tiny figures silhouetted against the glare of the setting sun.

The crowd on the beach cheered on the competitors who were relentlessly advancing to victory.

With no time to lose, Percy searched desperately at the bottom of the boat for an extra oar, but found only one, looking at the boats near his he noticed that they were all in need of an oar.

"Of course, it's a test," Percy said to himself, "firebenders can propel the boat short distances with their firebending, the distance is up to each master. BUT I'AM NOT A FIREBENDER!" Percy said but he screamed angrily at the end.

A sense of frustration and determination came over him. Defeat is not an option, not after he'd come this far and fallen for all those dirty and cheap tricks.

With a resigned sigh, Percy grabbed the oar and began rowing with all his might. Every stroke was an act of sheer will, propelling the boat forward with determination. The waves crashed against the small boat, challenging at every moment.

"This crap is going to break!" Percy exclaimed at how hard he was paddling

In the distance, he could see the other competitors getting closer and closer to the finish line as he fought against the current with a single paddle

However, Percy refused to give up, he closed his mouth and redoubled his efforts with determination, ignoring the burning in his arms and the fatigue. Each paddling was one more step towards my goal

Suddenly, the tranquility of the race was interrupted when the competitors in front and those leading the race began to fall one after another into aquatic traps.

"Sea mines?" Percy couldn't help but say in surprise, "Really?!... Jeong this time you went too far!"

That's right, sea mines hidden beneath the surface blew up the calm, throwing competitors into the sea in a cacophony of screams and splashes. The sea mines lacked the strength to kill anyone, at least not with a single explosion and if not they would faint if they were hit by one of the explosions, so they had to be careful even though the only purpose of the mines was to destroy the small boats of the participants. Some managed to dodge the explosions, skilled in their dexterity, while others were caught in the twisted nets that emerge from the water like the tentacles of a sea monster. At that moment, everyone slowed down, attentive to the beast's attack and ready to counterattack.

"And a damn giant squid, why not?" Percy said with a grunt, "this race is getting better and better

In the midst of the chaos, one of the competitors close to him took advantage of the confusion of the others in front of the aquatic traps to set his small boat on fire. Releasing a ferocious flame which only affected his oar. Flames danced on the surface of the water, threatening to engulf the entire boat in a hellish feast.

"Hey! It is forbidden to attack each other at this stage!" Percy said

"Look around you," the contestant replied, "no one is looking at us. I'm sorry, Percy, believe me, it's nothing personal"

With a deafening roar he shot out of the boat as fireballs slammed into the boat, with Percy falling into the sea with a resounding blow. The cold water enveloped him, stealing my breath as he sank into the murky depths. When he opened my eyes, time under the water seemed to stop and he looked around.

Some of the sea creatures were staring at him, but without making a movement, as if he was staring at me thinking what to do with him, he tried to rise to the surface, but nevertheless his legs did not respond and the oxygen ran out, in desperation he began to move his arms, but his efforts were in vain until I heard it... A high-pitched woman's voice with a sweet tone...

"Calm and breathe, the sea will always be on your side, Percy..."

Those sweet words rang in his head like a big bell having a huge effect on him, for some reason he believed in what he was saying and knew he was telling the truth so he immediately took a deep breath.

"Can I breathe underwater?!"

Surprised that he didn't drown, it was the only question that was circulating in his mind at that moment, which he expressed out loud before looking at the squids and they slowly moved away from him in search of the other competitors, as they moved away he could see all the sea mines placed in the water,  They covered almost the entire journey to the gates of Azulón, so he had an idea.

"I hope this works" Percy think

Determinedly and having no idea how, Percy somehow managed to create a strong enough stream of water and he threw him in the direction of the mines. A huge explosion occurred on the surface as all the mines were activated, kicking up an enormous amount of water and destroying most of the boats present.

++++++++++++++++++++

From atop the airship, the royal family watched intently as the sea mines exploded.

"What was that?" Ijichi said as he watched the huge explosion, "Jeong, how many mines did you put in that lake?"

"Just a few" Jeong replied, "enough to affect all the participants, but that was different, apparently they were all activated at the same time"

"And how do you explain that?!"

"I don't know," Jeong replied to Ijichi, "maybe the squids activated them but it's unlikely, they're only trained to attack moving boats."

"Are you sure?" Ijichi asked again, "because I don't see any movement!"

All those present looked attentively at the maritime path of the competition, staring at the sea in search of movement, long seconds that were perceived as an eternity.

"You killed them all, Jeong," Ozai said, dismayed at the madness of the aforementioned when preparing this year's competition

"Wait, wait, I think I see something," Iroh said, pointing with his hand to a specific spot near the great gates of Azulon" There's someone paddling"

Each of those present looked at the boat holding binoculars

"Who is it?" Ozai asked, worried about losing the bet. "Feng?"

"You missed Zuko," Iroh said scoldingly

"Shut up," Ozai replied. "This is still a competition and a gamble"

"You amaze me with your abilities as a father," Iroh said expressionlessly. "I'm sure Zuko is fine, you know, in case you're interested."

"I can tell who it is," Linlin said, "besides, it seems that the explosion eliminated most of the participants, destroyed their boats, and the navy began rescue maneuvers, pulling some who lost consciousness out of the water

"Who is it?!" They all asked at the same time

"Percy, my lord, it is your son who has taken the lead," Linlin replied

"Yeeeeesssss! " Ijichi shouted celebrating his close victory

"You damn brat!" Ozai replied furiously, "The bet is over until someone wins the entire tournament. Don't get excited, Ijichi!"

"I know, Mr. Ozai, but a small victory is the roots of the future champion. What do you think? A normal man, someone who is not a firebender managed to win such a race" Ijichi said, taunting Ozai, much to his fury. "If you want to accept your defeat now, I'll accept it"

"A win in the heats doesn't mean anything," Ozai replied, "the boy was lucky that the explosion eliminated most of the participants. A miracle. The real tournament is just beginning"

"What?" Ijichi said, "Don't you want to accept your mistake?... HAHAHAHAHA"

"Brother" Ozai said, his fist ready to fire a powerful flame, "don't blame me for murdering your assistant"

"STOP! and it goes for both of us," Iroh exclaimed, "You said it's a friendly bet between colleagues?" Right, brother? So don't worry, I want to get off this thing without a fire in them"

"My lord," said Linlin, "I inform you that the first participant, your son, has already arrived at the great gates of Azulon"

"Great!" Iroh said "It's time to come down."

"We'll land in a few moments my lord, please take a seat, we'll take care of it. I'll bring you your tea"

+++++++++++++++++

Finally, after what for the green-eyed black-haired man was an eternity, he managed to reach the great gates of Azulón, the finish line of the race was in front of his eyes.

"Looks like I'm the first," Percy said as he looked around, "I didn't think my idea turned out so well. I just wanted to stun them some, I didn't think this was the result," he said in total surprise

"Congratulations Percy," Jackie said, surprising him.

"Jackie! What are you doing here? Percy asked, "I thought you were with Jeong and my father.

"Hahaha, Ijichi is covering for me and my sister asked me to wait here for the participants and I'll make sure I know the order in which they arrived."

"It was a surprise to see her here," Percy replied. "I thought that after she broke up with my brother she didn't want to come back here"

"You're right!" Jackie said, "but your father ordered her to come back and take care of a few things, including being the spokesperson for the tournament. But what the hell was that explosion, Percy?"

Frankly Percy didn't know how to answer, Jackie is a kind person and is his brother's best friend but as he was going to explain to him that he did waterbending to make the mines explode and if that wasn't enough that he can breathe and talk underwater, it's too strange and not believable, no matter how you look at it.

"I don't know," Percy replied

"Don't you know who caused it?"

"I don't... A squid was trying to hold me with its tentacles when the explosion started and it was a stroke of luck. I managed to get there before the others. It's possible that the mines were wrongly placed," Percy said, trying to deflect the subject

"Hum, I guess that makes sense," Jackie replied, thinking about it

"What kind of idiot is wrong to put in practice sea mines?"

"HAHAHA, it´s true!" laughed Percy as believable as possible

After being able to dodge the interrogation he looked around, in front of him was the monument of his adoptive grandfather, the fire lord Azulon, father of his father and Ozai. The gates, the outer barrier that protects the capital from external attacks, are strategically built between a strait of land. In the middle is the monument and on the sides two huge nets that can be engulfed in flames are anchored to checkpoints on either side of the strait. It turns out to be very useful and according to his father, during the war with the monsters he played an important role in the defense of the city, preventing the entry of enemy troops.

Looking back, multiple ships were approaching the two. Other participants who managed to survive safely with their boat to the explosion, unfortunately two of them correspond to the people that Percy really wanted to sink as a "sporting accident".

"PERCY!" Feng shouted as he disembarked "You damned cheater!"

Feng approached him, grabbed Percy firmly by the clothes with an angry expression on his face, which is normal for a person considering he was close to the explosion.

"The punishment for cheaters is death!"

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If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps to improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.

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"Thoughts"

"Speaking"

This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)

Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.

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Third Person's Point of View

Did you know that throughout history, royalty has been the target of multiple assassination attempts and conspiracies?...

From ancient times to the modern era, the power and privileged position of Fire Nation monarchs has generated envy and resentment among those who do not share their status. And these feelings of hatred have led disgruntled individuals to plot attempts on the lives of members of the royal family.

On many occasions, assassination attempts have been politically motivated. Coups d'état, popular revolts, and conspiracies that have led ambitious individuals to seek to remove leaders in order to usurp the throne or change the political course of the nation. However, the dangers have not only come from external forces such as the Great Earth Kingdom that in the past, long before the appearance of the monsters, she was considered on different occasions the greatest enemy of the Fire Nation, and vice versa, launching attacks, provoking wars of a few years, and sometimes they were successful in assassinating a member of the Fire Nation. royal family or an important member in internal politics…

But today, the dangers exist within the very walls of the nation, with members of the royal family themselves have been the target of assassination attempts by other members of the dynasty. In a struggle for power and succession, heirs to the throne have often conspired to eliminate their rivals, whether by poisoning, strangulation, incineration, or any other means available.

These internal conflicts within the royal family can trigger turbulent periods of intrigue and violence, weakening the nation's stability or provoking civil wars. Throughout history and especially in this family there have been numerous examples of assassination attempts, and these events serve as a reminder of the dangers inherent in the possession of power and the fragility of the position of royalty, in short, assassination attempts are quite common and are more than those recorded in the history books....

Well...in a peculiar way...it happened to Percy...

....

....

Feng caused a slight explosion at the base of the Great Gates of Azulon, one with enough power to blow up a person, Percy managed to dodge the attack by the skin of his teeth.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Percy quickly grabbed his sword.

"That's the idea," Feng said, launching another attack "That could have killed me."

Jumping, Percy managed to avoid Feng's flare and then approached and with a punch to the face made him retreat.

"You'll pay for that, you damn dog," Feng wiped the blood from his nose after Percy's blow, then took out a knife he was carrying

"¡Enought! " said Jackie

From one moment to the next Jackie was holding Feng's arm tightly, and was at his side with a creepy smile.

"Didn't my sister tell you?" Jackie asked "At this stage of the competition it's not allowed to attack another competitor, it's just an endurance race. Therefore, there is no reason to fight each other, you will do that at the last stage in the individual combats, until then, no one can kill anyone..."

Before answering, Feng tried to free himself from Jackie's grip, but was unsuccessful.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" Feng said.

"Didn't you hear me? I asked them if they understood," Jackie repeated, tightening her grip tighter and staring at Feng as she held his arm, unblinking

"YES!, I heard clearly!" Feng said

At that moment Jackie opened her hand. Feng took a few steps back as he tried to hide the pain caused by Jackie's strength. "What kind of force is that?" He asked himself.

So, Jackie's voice changed to a friendly tone as usual. "That goes for you, too, Percy," Jackie said, "put that sword away before your father comes."

"HEY!" Fang shouted, "Are you going to allow him to cheat? Will you turn a blind eye?"

"What are you talking about?!" Percy said, "I don't... I cheated. The watermines exploded!

"Enough!" said Jackie "When my sister arrives, you'll talk to her. She's the expert in these cases, but I tell you that making that kind of accusation without evidence doesn't make you look good, guys... But you decide what to do"

The twins fell silent, more and more of the participants of the race arriving at the great gates of Azulón realizing the altercation that had happened.

"Is a non-bender like him able to get there first?" Feng said "At the start of the race he was in last place and now he's the first to arrive. Do you need another proof?"

"I see..." said Jackie

The crowd remained silent, waiting for Jackie's response. Worried about what he was going to say and wondering if Percy really cheated, Feng's argument was selfish, but it made a bit of sense. In the entire history of the Fire Nation, no master has ever been able to beat someone who is, let alone win the tournament.

"Young Feng... you..." Jackie said seriously, "you're afraid that Percy is much more talented and stronger than you, aren't you?"

"What?... I don't..." Feng said lost and disbelieving.

"Don't worry. It's no shame. Jackie replied in a mocking tone, "It's quite understandable that you would try to discredit Percy since you're afraid of him and don't want to lose the tournament. Can a non-teacher beat a teacher? Come to think of it, it's absurd, my friend.

"I'm not afraid of that dog!" Feng replied annoyed, "it's impossible for him to beat me."

"Are you serious?" Jackie asked

"Obviously!"

"Then why do you want him to be disqualified if you're not afraid of him?" Jackie said, "If you're so sure that a non-bender won't beat you, then why don't you give it a try?"

"I..."

Feng looked around and noticed that everyone was staring at him. Nervous and not knowing what to answer, he looked at his brother, who was in the same condition. "Are you afraid of no-bender?" was what someone present asked from the background, which caused a huge rage in the twins' hearts.

"Of course I'm not afraid of that damn dog!" Feng replied after a few seconds of silence "Percy!"

"Yes?" replied the green-eyed black-haired man cautiously

"The tournament isn't over yet, so get ready," Feng said before shouting, "I'LL DESTROY YOU!"

Percy didn't say anything, he was just attentive to everyone as boats of the armada approached the gates of Azulon, that they were the transport to take the participants who managed to pass the heats to the next phase. Jackie cleared his voice and turned to those present to give them instructions.

"Very well, attention!" Jackie said "I congratulate everyone who has been able to get to this point, they have passed the first phase of the tournament, but don't be complacent, the tests will get more and more difficult and this was just the beginning. Get into the boats, they will take you to the mainland where you will see our current Fire Lord Iroh. Treat him with respect, brats"

All the participants walked towards the boats, the rather annoyed twins looked at Percy with an irresistible desire to be able to murder him before getting into the boat.

"They love me," Percy said curtly before boarding the ship

Once the ships were full, they set sail for the coast. The sun was at its highest, illuminating everything around it, filling the entire Fire Nation with light, with the sky blue and clear. The boat glided smoothly over the calm waters toward the shore, while the group of competitors, still drenched with salt water and sweat from the intense elimination process beforehand, relaxed as they felt the warm sea breeze caress their faces. The soft sound of the waves crashing against the boat's hull created a soothing melody that enveloped everyone on board.

Above the great blue sky the seabirds, in their graceful flight seemed to escort the group, while the fish leapt playfully through the crystal clear waters adding a touch of life and movement to the stage. The staff on board, attentive to the needs of the competitors, provided them with clean, fresh water to refresh their bodies, adding a touch of pleasure to the idyllic landscape.

"All right, brats," said Jackie at the back of the boat, "enjoy your quiet moments while you can. Water is going to be the only thing we're going to give them until the next stage. Do you understand?

A palpable tension hung in the air, like a dark shadow that threatens to tarnish the beauty of the moment. One of the participants, Feng, with a hate-heavy gaze was still furtively watching Percy from his seat. Jealous and resentful of the previous humiliation, he nurtured a stormy homicidal emotion that threatened to boil over at any moment. The other participants could not help but sense the tension between the two participants and some looked at each other with gestures of uncertainty. A few murmurs were beginning to erupt, as they wondered quietly if Feng's words were ?..true. It was all they were thinking about. Speculations and doubts mingled with the gentle murmur of the sea, creating an atmosphere full of intrigue and suspicion that was difficult to avoid.

"Shit, Percy," Jackie said, "they really hate you."

"Thank you," Percy said as he looked at his friend, "I didn't know"

"It's my pleasure," Jackie replied with a smile at Percy's sarcasm

Meanwhile, the boat continued on its way to shore, oblivious to the human drama unfolding inside. The golden sunlight bathed the landscape in comforting warmth while tension persisted, waiting for the right moment to burst forth and reveal the truth hidden beneath the "calm" surface of that journey.

After a short period the boat stopped.

"We've arrived!" Jackie said cheerfully. "Please clear the boat before someone kills Percy, thanks..."

When they got off, multiple members of the Navy were patrolling the perimeter, attentively watching each of the participants in search of some excuse to beat them up. Ahead, a few yards from their position, a small tent was improvised, but well placed it sat on what appears to be a huge hand-carved square wooden table like the one that stood in the office of the firelord Iroh.

"Why are there so many guards?" Fang said, "Is the dungeon so dangerous?"

"Ahhh an apology young people, I asked my staff not to make a fuss but my royal guard insists on following me everywhere."

Everyone was astonished just by hearing that voice and without waiting long they knelt down... Except Percy.

"My lord," they said in unison, "it is an honour to be in your presence

"Hahaha you don't need to be so formal," said Iroh, "the protagonists here are you since I'm not the one who will enter the dungeon."

"My lord! Feng said, "if you would allow me to mention-"

"Father!"Percy said cheerfully "I didn't think I'd see you today

"I didn't son either and I made a space in my schedule to be able to attend, after all it is an important event" the fire lord responded with a smile

"Lord Percy!" Linlin said seriously, "What kind of manners are those?"

Confused, Percy looked at the young lady, she was wearing her military uniform from the waist down but everything else was out of place.

"Right now you're in front of our fire lord and you have to show even more respect, even if he is your father, right now you're in the middle of a pretty important event..."

"Lin!" Percy interrupted seriously, "Can I ask you a question?... It's of the utmost importance"

A bewildered Lin looked at Percy.

"What's wrong?" She asked in a tone of real concern "Is everything okay?"

With a short pause, Percy approached her and said:

"What the hell are you wearing?"

"What?" Linlin said, "You mean this shirt?. I bought it on my trip to the water tribes. It's very comfortable.

"This is bad" Percy said rather dazed "It is not normal"

"Hey! What are you talking about?"

"Father!" Percy said "Did you notice it?"

At this point, not only was Linlin wondering what was going on, but everyone present, the participants and the members of the navy and royal guard looked at each other in confusion.

"Enemy attack?" A soldier asked

Hearing these words, all the members of the royal guard were placed in a combat position whose objective was to protect their lord from the fire.

"I'm afraid not," said Percy.

"Calm down Percy," said Iroh, "say it, everything will be alright, boy."

Percy looked up and stared into Linlin's face.

"Lin you... you—" said Percy, "I mean you—"

"What? Percy I don't understand anything!"

"Military pants, expensive shirt from the water tribe, recently groomed hair and nails, necessary makeup. Percy said, "It only indicates one thing.

"That's right Percy, I'm afraid your suspicions are true." said his father

"Linlin, you... You're still in love with my brother, you dressed up like you've never done before because you thought he'd come..."

Everyone was stunned.

The gentle breeze caressed his face as the group gawked. Linlin's hands became restless, fiddling with the folds of his shirt trying to stay calm, his breathing became shallower and faster.

A sudden blush began to spread across her cheeks, tinting her skin a deep pink hue that contrasted with the blue of the sky and sea. She tried to hide her nervousness behind a forced smile, but her eyes betrayed the anxiety that throbbed inside her.

Aware of her sudden change of color, the young woman averted her gaze, feeling the shame burn on her cheeks even more intensely. She tried to find solace in the serene landscape around her, but the sense of discomfort lingered like a fire fanned by her own anxious thoughts.

In a desperate attempt she held her breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and concentrated on anything that might be of use to her. However, the blush persisted, remembering her vulnerability at that moment.

"The love of youth is beautiful," Jeong Jeong said

Despite her efforts to maintain her composure, the young woman knew that his face betrayed her inner state of agitation. Shee could only hope that the moment of shame would pass as it was a losing struggle against her own feelings.

"Can we continue with the competition?" Ozai interrupted, completely bored

"You're right," Iroh replied cheerfully. "Dear, you can explain the dungeon now."

—...—

But Linlin remained immersed in her thoughts.

"Linlin?"

"What, ah, yes right away," Linlin replied

With a breath Linlin was able to concentrate enough to continue with her work, still with a blushing face she continued with the explanation.

"First of all, I congratulate you for being able to get here, originally we considered that about fifty participants would pass the qualifying phase, but due to the current events and difficulties, that is, the explosion of the water mines left most of the participants out of action. At this time, a team of the navy is still searching the entire area of the route for survivors and I am happy to report that no one has died so far. Now pay attention. Only thirty-seven of you advanced to the next stage, to the dungeon... Sixteen scrolls have been hidden inside this dungeon newly discovered by Lord Ozai, and they can be found anywhere. The scroll has a red ribbon on it, and that's what you guys are supposed to get... To pass this test, all you have to do is enter the dungeon, it's to find one of those scrolls, and exit the dungeon in less than twenty-four hours. However, the dungeon also contains monsters strong enough to seriously injure or even kill you, so you must be very careful"

"It doesn't seem to be that difficult," Fang said confidently

"I assure you that it is not so, inside the dungeon they will be completely alone, the members of the army will not be there to take care of them or help them in case something goes terribly wrong. If any of you don't want to take the risk, it's time for you to say so"

Everyone was silent.

"Very well," Linlin said, "if you have no other doubts, it's time to get started. One last thing, the order of entry..."

"Order of entry?" some asked

"Of course!" Linlin replied "You will enter the dungeon each within ten minutes of time in the same order in which you arrived at the great gates of Azulon.

The participants were stunned for a few moments and then expressed their discontent, raising their voices expressing their disagreement and discontent with indignant murmurs and shouts. Tension builded up quickly, so much so that it threatens to erupt at any moment.

"What kind of absurd rule is that?!" Some participants of the fund shouted

"Listen guys!" Linlin replied, "Lower your voice and pay attention, the order of entry is exactly the same as the one the qualifiers ended with, therefore, Percy you will go first.

The participants' faces reflected a mixture of annoyance and confusion. Some frown, incredulous at the apparent lack of organization. The sense of injustice spread like a virus among the crowd, fueling discontent and indignation.

"That's not fair!" The twins said in unison

"It's unfair that Percy is the first to enter, he cheated and that's why he was the first to arrive. Feng said, "I should be the first to enter, my position was the number one spot in the competition.

"You're right, young Feng," Linlin said

"Of course!" Feng replied casting a glance of superiority at Percy

"However," Linlin continued, "your place was first at the start of the competition, and in the end you were overtaken by Percy.

"Not that... He cheated!"

Tempers flared and arguments intensified as frustration peaked. The moment Feng accused Percy everyone remained silent, paying attention to the accusation brought against Percy.

"Really?" Linlin replied, "Do you have proof?"

"I don't... but..."

"Then tell me exactly how did Percy cheat?" How did he get there first? Do you know how he did it?

"I don't know," Feng replied, "but I'm sure, it's obvious, how it's possible that a non-bender like him is able to win us all over.

"Ahhh..." Linlin sighed, "Listen, young Feng, Percy doesn't..."

"Percy didn't cheat," Ozai said, "you should be ashamed of yourself, to make such an accusation in this tournament without evidence is an offense to us. The one who should leave is you"

"I don't..."

"Do you dare to answer me?" Ozai got up from his seat right next to his brother "Are you an idiot? Answer me!"

"..."

Feng's trembling hands and pale, sorrowful face reflected the terror he feels at Ozai's unleashed fury. His heart was pounding so hard that it was easy to hear him from a few steps away, and a sense of paralyzing terror gripped the other participants. For a moment, time seems to stand still as Feng tries to find the right words to answer, however, he couldn't think of something.

"That's what I thought," Ozai said. "Do you think we didn't notice that your henchmen delayed Percy during the race? Personally that was quite funny, however, Percy managed to turn the matter around and didn't complain. But you... You don't know shame brat, you're a disgrace to the competition, you're...

"Wow wow wow it's enough brother," interrupted Iroh, "you don't have to go that far, come on guys! Don't worry, Ozai was just joking, right? ha ha ha

"Of course not!" Ozai replied

"Brother, you're not helping."

The atmosphere is tense and charged with emotion, the silence becomes a palpable, heavy and oppressive presence. It spreads out like a dense fog, enveloping everyone present in an uncomfortable, suffocating arm.

Their eyes meet and move away quickly, as if they fear disturbing the fragile calm that Ozai offered with his intervention. The sound of a pin falling to the ground could echo like thunder in the midst of the overwhelming stillness. And a shiver runs down the backs of those present, while silence becomes a force that seems imprisoned in its unwanted company.

"But what the hell just happened? Did Ozai defend me?" Percy asked himself again and again in search of meaning in an event he would not have imagined in a million years.

"Can I say something, father?" A voice came from the center of the participants

"Go ahead," replied Ozai, "what have you to say?"

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity, father," Zuko said. "Well, I don't think Percy cheated, I think he just got a boost from the blast wave from the sea mines and that way he managed to outmaneuver the others by taking advantage of the confusion"

"Zuko?! Well, that way the damn twins won't have to say, 'Thanks for backing me up, dude,' Percy thought quickly "Zuko you are amazing"

"Are you serious Zuko?!" Fang said.

"What's the problem?" Zuko replied, "Look on the bright side, my friend.

"And what exactly would that be?" Feng replied

"Wait a minute, this smells bad to me," Percy said in his thoughts

"Percy will be the first person to enter the dungeon, right?" Zuko asked

"And he'll also be the person who has the most advantage to find some damn scroll," the participants replied, some indignant and some annoyed

"That may be true," Zuko said, "but he'll also be the first to see the monsters, he'll find the dungeon intact, and all the monsters may kill him before he finds any scrolls, but what's in it for us? It's simple! the presence of fewer monsters, everyone will chase after him and he will leave the way clear"

Zuko's words lit up the twins' eyes as if they were finding a hidden treasure full of gold where the heart beats hard in the chest, like a drum announcing the arrival of fortune. A wave of disbelief, euphoria and hope ran through every fiber of skin on the twins' bodies and their eyes... And Percy wasn't sure, but he could swear they were filled with tears of joy.

"Very well," Feng said cheerfully after clearing his voice "there is no remedy, Percy will enter the dungeon first. There's nothing we can do."

"True! after all, he won in the endurance race, let's be fair," Fang said, trying to hide the ghoulish smile on his face

"Could they better hide their happiness at my inevitable death?" Percy asked annoyably, "But what the hell is wrong with you? You damn sadists!"

The other participants accepted Zuko's words as did the twins, the idea of Percy dying and leaving the way clear for the others was too appealing.

"Very well," Linlin said, "if there are no more questions or complaints, we will begin the next stage. Percy..."

"Yes?" Percy said, not very confident now about his luck.

"I hope you're ready, good luck."

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If you liked it, comment and vote in favor, the review helps to improve.

I don't own the images, credits to whom it belongs