Chapter Text
Characters in this fanfiction belong to Rick Riordan and the whole world with it's powers and names belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietezko and Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
!Warning!
The following book contains description of violence, physical and mental pain, abuse etc.
Sally tried really hard not to scream. Firebenders, in masks and armors, were less than few meters away from the place she was hiding in, looking for her. Sally slowly put a hand o her lower stomach. For them.
She heard about what Kronos was doing to not yet born children while they were in womb, she knew, that her baby would be on firelord’s target as the child of the big three. She was a target; Poseidon knew it too, that’s why he didn’t let her fight. Poseidon. Sally closed eyes.
Her dearest husband, with his warm smile and beautiful green eyes. If only world was a bit different, if only he wasn’t the leader of the southern water tribe. Or at least she was able to bend, maybe then they would be together till the end. Now she didn’t even know if he’s still alive.
Soldiers outside started to walk away. Sally carefully stood up, trying to not make any sound. She hold the leather bag with money and clothes close to her stomach, as a shield, even if it wouldn’t do much in a fight. She knew that, she needed to be quick.
She let go of stone wall and used all her strength and energy to run down the street. The night was her wings. She didn’t hear anything else than her heartbeat while she was crossing the towns boarders, and when her bare feet touched frozen grass. Forest, so close to the town, seemed to be so far, but she didn’t stop until her lungs and legs were burning. At the moment of jumping into the woods, between densely growing old trees where no one could find her, tears of happiness were running down her cheeks. That night her baby was safe, far away from Kronos and his army.
…
Fathers suck. That’s the first thought Percy had when he woke up. They’re either not-existent or just assholes, like Smelly Gabe. Another one followed, when he went to the living room and saw Gabe lying on the couch, few empty bottles around. Too late he realized the man wasn’t sleeping.
,,Asshole” Percy murmured under his breath.
For some reason Gabe had really good hearing.
,,What did you say, you little brat?”
Gabe Ugliano wasn’t a successful men. He wasn’t a handsome one either, quite the opposite actually. He also wasn’t very smart (when Percy was six he called Gabe ,,the dummest man alive” in his mind). The only interesting thing about Gabe was his wife, Sally, who also happened to be Percy’s mother.
,,I asked you a question. Do you want to tell me something?!”
But Gabe was much stronger and taller than Percy, who, no matter what he said or did, was still a skinny twelve year old boy. Thirteen, actually. Today was his birthday.
Gabe was now standing in front of him. Percy felt his heart skipping a beat faster.
No, he doesn’t want to. He still had bruises on his hands after the last time. That’s why he stayed quiet and looked down, when Gabe laughed, in that ugly, frog-like way. Percy felt this weird thing in his stomach, anger bubbling like boiling water under skin.
,,Percy, love!” Sally called from kitchen, her calm, happy voice stoped the ocean rising in his head. Percy took a deep breath, not looking at Gabe.
,,Coming, mom!” He run to the kitchen to throw his arms around Sally’s neck. He’ was glad that Gabe stayed in another room and he didn’t have the occasion to tell Percy to ,,man up”. Percy tightened the hug. He was thirteen now, but he still could do that. Sally smiled and lowered her voice.
,,Happy birthday, Percy” she whispered and hugged him again. ,,Gabe goes out to see his friends, and I don’t have work today, which means the whole day is just for you”
Percy felt so full of love that he wanted to cry. Who needs a father or stupid Gabe if he had his mom. Sally worked a full time job in a bakery for last couple of months, going out early in the morning and coming back when Percy was already asleep. When he was younger every free moment she had she spent teaching him how to write, read and understand basic math, which he hated, but did anyway, to make her happy. But now there was no reason to do it, they both spend all the time they had working. And this one day was work and Gabe free, only for him and Sally.
,,Will we eat something special?” He whispered back, happy to still feel like a little kid. Sally smiled.
,,My boss let me make some blueberry bread, we’ll eat it for lunch” Percy almost jumped from joy.
,,Sally! When will breakfast be ready?!” Came from the other room. For a second Percy thought he saw something dark in his mother face, but the next second she was smiling as always.
,,You know what? I’ll get everything ready. Go out and have some fun.” Said Sally, cupping Percy’s face in warm hands. ,,You can go to the forest if you want, and to the river, you’re mature now! Just be careful.” Percy slowly nodded. He didn’t really want to leave, but perspective of not having to interact with Gabe anymore and eating blueberry bread later wasn’t that bad. And he could finally go to the river all by himself! Not like he didn't sneak out there behind Sally's back, but this time was different. He took sandwich prepared by Sally in one hand and a coat in the other. Hugged his mom goodbye and before Gabe showed up in the kitchen looking for breakfast.
The river was beautiful. It was actually a wild stream and Percy didn’t really know why Sally called it a river. But he loved this place, dangerous and primordial strength of water, roar of stream blocking all of the other sounds. Just him and water.
He took off his shoes. Percy slowly came closer, trying not to slip on a wet rock. Sally never let him do that. This place was a bit calmer than the rest of the bank, so he simply took another step and entered the stream. The water was so cold it hurt, but feeling of sand and water around his legs made Percy so happy.
His life was good. It was a hard one, but he had a home and his mom and no matter how difficult things could be, they’d go through it. They were slowly raising money and maybe in some time they’d be able to move out from Gabe’s house.
Percy worked a part time job in the village, helping fisherman. Everyone said that Percy fit there, with his light brown skin, dark hair and eyes like the ocean itself. The only time his mom told him something about his real dad, it was that they look alike, so it wasn’t that bad.
His feet started to freeze, so he went out of the water. While looking for his shoes he noticed a small plant. It was his mother’s favorite herb for tea. Percy fell to his knees and began to carefully pick the biggest leaves. When he had both hands full of them, the boy looked up, at cloudy sky. There was clearly a storm coming. He was already away from home for more than an hour, which meant that he could come back. He smiled and stood up, ready to run.
,,Mom, I’m back!” He came through the front door and looked around. In metal container that Sally used to make blueberry bread was nothing lest but some crumbs and dirty tissues.The room itself was more messy, that it was before he left. Percy frowned, confused. There was no blueberry bread left and he heard a familiar loud voice coming from the kitchen. Gabe.
Gabe… he was supposed to go out! It was Percy’s day, just one! Anger bubbled under his skin like boiling water.
He rushed to the other room. Just in time to see Gabe raising his hand and Sally’s wide open eyes, full of fear. His mom screamed from pain.
And then Percy exploded.
All of the water from Sally’s favorite blue flower vase, and the tea pot, and the one waiting to be turned into soup, dashed towards Gabe. It pushed him on the wall. And then again. And again.
,,Percy!” The water splashed on the ground.
Percy’s hands started shaking and he just stood there, not able to move. He slowly looked down, on dirty now leaves and herbs laying on the kitchen floor. It was enough time for Gabe to get himself together and run through the backdoor, placed in the kitchen.
Percy fell to his knees. Cold water, soaking into his clothes, wasn't soothing as always.
It started raining.
At first he didn’t even feel Sally’s arms around him, hugging him tightly, while trying to calm him down.
,,Percy, love” her voice finally started to sound like words to him again, when his heart stopped beating so fast and hands stopped shaking. ,,Percy, there’s no time, we need to go”
,,Why...?”
,,There’s a fire nation patrol in the village, they came last week” she said concentrated ,,Percy, the can’t find you.”
,,What… what will we do?”
,,We’ll run away. We need to hide, I know a place…” Sally placed a kiss on top of his forehead. ,,Wait a second here, I’ll be right back, okay?” She rushed to the bedroom, not waiting for an answer. Percy heard her opening some drawers and the closet, clearly looking for something.
He pulled his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around them. What was happening? This water, it wasn’t him, right? It couldn’t be him. All of the southern water benders were killed. If any survived, they were prosecuted till the end of their lives. No, no no no no no-
,,We’re ready to go” Sally stood in front of him with a small leather bag he had never seen before.
,,Go where?” She captured his hands.
,,To the sea port. We need to find a ship and sail to Patala Mountains. Than we need to find Chiron, I have a letter for him, he will help us. There’s no time for explanation, we-
A loud knock to the front door interrupted her. They both looked at each other at the same time, horrified.
How did they get here so fast?! The village was five minutes away and Gabe wasn’t fast, and he also needed to get to the tavern and explain the whole situation.
Percy tensed, while panicked Sally helped him stand up. She put the envelope in the bag and then pushed it into his hands. After a second of consideration she pulled a strange, blue necklace out of her pocket. It had a carved stone in the middle. Without explanation she put it around neck.
,,Your father gave this to me a long time ago. Wear it for now, for good luck-„
,,Mom-”
,,You go first. I’ll join you, but if I won’t, don’t come back. Remember - seaport, air nomads territory, then the chapel. Find Chiron and give him this letter, before that don’t tell anyone who you are or what you can do” She said quickly, pushing him towards the backyard doors.
He went though small grass field and then to the forest.
Percy hid behind the first tree and watched as soldiers, using fire bending, rushed the front door. He waited for his mom to show in the back. Instead he heard a muffed scream and something made of glass broke. Percy didn’t even think about it. Next second he was back in the kitchen, with his fists clenched and anger bubbling under his skin.
,,Percy, no!” Sally screamed, trying to break free from the soldiers holding her. Percy looked horrified at his mother face, now with a black eye and a bruise on her cheek. Her favorite vase was broken, just as one of the kitchen chairs. Sally’s clothes were burned in places where soldiers hold her.
He didn’t even notice how he collected the rain drops while running. Maybe because he didn’t know how. Now they were floating around his face furiously. They reminded him of angry wasps waiting for a command to attack. Percy didn’t give this a second thought. He pushed his hands forward, because it felt like a right thing to do.
Water drops glided towards the soldiers. But the guard leader simply waved his hand and fire breeze turned them into steam. The only one that he didn't have a chance to flew by his head, crumbling one of the horns on his helmet.
,,He wasn’t laying! A water bender! Here!” His eyes widened in shock.
,,The last one from the South” the other guard, the one that stopped spikes, smiled ,,Reward for him will be a great one.” Gabe cleared his throat and stepped in.
,,I’m sure you’ll remember about me while receiving it, right? I’m the one who let you know he’s here”. Of course he was.
,,You had this boy under your roof for his whole life. You should be thankful I won’t punish you for not reporting it.”
They suddenly remembered about Percy and one of the guards reached to him with a rope in his hand. Percy didn’t know what to do, he put his hands up, but there was nothing under his skin anymore. Just fear.
,,Percy, if you love me, run!” He heard his mother. Percy looked her in the eyes, wanting to cry, to help, to protest, but the only thing he saw was cold stone. Warm, that he would normally see in her look was gone. Something pushed all the air from his lungs. No more thoughts, he turned around, and run through the same door that he came through few minutes before.
He used all of his willpower to not turn around when Sally screamed again.
...
Percy was running for a whole day without a break. Hiding and stoping whenever he could, but they always managed to find him at the end. His lungs and legs were burning, but he didn’t stop, every few minutes hearing soldiers chasing him. But no matter how hard he tried, he still was just a tired, underweight kid. Percy was pretty sure his shoes were already full of blood, because of how much pain he felt. It didn’t took much from him to collapse.
He tried to remember his mother’s words, and that he needs to run, but he was so tried… The clank of armor somewhere behind him made Percy came to his senses a bit. He will be imprisoned or killed, if they get him. He slowly stood up, trying to hold on to a tree. And then the tree lifted him up. Percy was too tired to scream, thanks to spirits, if not fire soldiers would find him in few seconds. The tree lifted him up high above the ground. The tree.
,,What on Southern Air Tample are you doing?!” Percy heard a sharp whisper, still to dazed and scarred of hight to understand what’s going on. He hold tight to the branch these weird plants threw him. After a few second fire nation soldiers that were chasing him run below. Percy hold his breath. They didn’t spend another moment in this place and disappeared in the bush. For the first in more than ten hours he was able to take a deep breath and calm down. That’s why Percy didn’t gave being lifted by a tree (or a plant…? He couldn’t remember) a second thought and fainted.
…
,,You think he’s still alive?”
,,Of course he’s alive! A dead person couldn’t produce that much saliva!”
,,You clearly haven’t see a poisoned dead person. He could be poisoned.”
,,He’s not poisoned, just stupid and asleep. Leave it, Grover.”
Percy slowly opened his eyes, flashed by daylight. His head hurt, and these arguing voices clearly didn’t help.
,,I’m just trying to take care of someone I helped!”
,,He shouldn’t help him at the first place. We have enough trouble”
,,But he was chased by a fire nation patrol! We’re clearly on the same side”
It hit him. How he was even alive?! Who were those people and how he managed to run away?
,,Oh look, he woke up. You can ask him yourself, Ann!”
,,Don’t give my name away that easily you moron!” Percy blinked quickly few times, looking at two shadow people (the sun was behind their backs) sitting over him. One had horns and the other just felt like something dangerous. He was laying on something hard and uncomfortable, while they were both watching him really closely. Really closely. Percy jumped up and scared moved back. At the last moment he looked around, finding ground really, really below. Oh spirits.
,,Hey dude, calm down!” One of them moved to save him from falling. ,,You’re safe. I’m Grover, by the way.”
Grover looked like he just walked out of a swamp. He smelled like that too. And had two little tree branches sticking out of his brow, curly hair. They were what Percy thought at first was horns. But ignoring that, he looked like a really nice person, and he smiled like one. And he saved Percy’s life from fire nation soldiers. That’s why Percy shook offered hand.
,,Percy. Thanks.” Grover smiled in the answer.
,,See? I told you, Ann, he’s a cool dude” Percy looked at the other person. It was a girl with weird, grey eyes and dark skin. She had black, curly hair tied back. It was blond at the ends, gold curls reminding Percy of a crown.
,,Hi. I’m Percy” he tried to smile.
,,I’m not deaf.”
,,She’s Annabeth” Grover interjected. There was a minute of cold silence after that. Annabeth just kept pricing Percy with her weird eyes, like she was look into his spirit and tear him apart with her mind. For Percy she looked like an owl that just found a yummy mice for her next meal.
,,Are we on a tree?” Percy asked finally.
,,Yeah. Grover moved you here” Annabeth said irritated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
,,…can you move us back down?” He turned back to Grover. ,,I’m not a big fan of heights”
Annabeth didn’t even him finish. She pulled a knife from spirits-know-where and hammered it below big branch she was sitting on. Then jumped and slid to the ground along the trunk. Percy watched, shocked.
,,Sorry, I can’t” Grover apologized to him, not impressed by his friends doing. ,,I barely pulled you up here, and you were laying on the ground” Percy didn’t really know why all of this matter, just accepted and patted Grover on the back. I took him more than fifteen minutes to come down and he was pretty sure he broke something while jumping off the last branch. Grover was patiently waiting, sitting on the ground. They caught up to Annabeth together. Percy didn’t know if he should go with them, but he didn’t have another idea either.
,,So… what are you doing here? I’ve never seen you around before” that wasn’t completely true, because he had no idea how far he managed to run away from home.
,,We need moon leaves for our bisons” Grover explained enthusiastically. ,,They’re ill, medics and nomads couldn’t do anything, and turns out moon leaves, that are the cure, and don’t grow on air nomads grounds” Percy looked at Grover confused.
,,But why did they send you two? I mean you can’t be much older than me and it’s literally a trip trough a sea.”
,,It’s a mission” said Annabeth, proudly lifting her head. She didn’t really have to do that, she was already taller than him. Percy bit his tongue. What kind of people sent children on a mission to another country?!
,,Our first!” Grover was so obviously proud of himself. ,,Chiron finally let us do something fun, I mean it’s not fighting in war, but still we can do something-„
,,Chiron? Did you say Chiron?” Percy almost screamed from joy, shaking Grover’s arms. Finally the universe smiled at him, giving him these two weirdos and a strange coincidence. Annabeth wasn’t even half as happy.
,, What do YOU want from him?” She asked, in low, dangerous voice, that send shivers down his spine. ,,I told you he’s a spy” she whispered to Grover a second later. They were still standing half a meter away, so Percy just raised his eyebrows.
,,I’m not a spy” he explained. He didn't want to tell them more, they've just met, and he still tried to push thoughts about mom away. ,,I have a letter for him, wait a second…” Percy let go of Grover and started looking though his bag. He handed her the envelope. Annabeth took it, looking closely at letters in the front. Chiron.
,,I’ll help you find the Moon Leaves. I know where they grow. And in exchange you’ll take me with you, to Chiron.” Percy thought that Grover would help him either way. But this one was more fair, and big, owl-like eyes of Annabeth seem to finally accept him a bit.
,,Fine” she said after a moment. ,,We have a deal.”