When Pao advertised the vacancies for the job at his shop, he did not expect a response to arrive so soon. Granted, the middle-aged man was grateful that he wouldn't need to overwork during peak hours, and could focus on the less hands-on side of his business.

So in front of the counter he stood, studying the three men who arrived for the vacancies as they put on the worn-out aprons he provided. Well, two men and one teen was more accurate.

The stout man with white hair balding at his crown – Moshi was trying to wear the apron he provided but appears to have slight trouble. His skin was fair, unusual if compared to the medium tan most Earth Kingdom refugees possessed. Nonetheless, the man appeared to carry himself with an air of humility and friendliness, definitely suitable for the job.

The teen standing next to the old man was Li, his nephew. Pao's first impression of the boy was that he was moody and aloof. However, the scar on his face was probably from a Fire Nation attack, and such a traumatic experience would definitely explain his less lightening nature. Perhaps Li's winning quality would be that he possessed grace and regal that Pao could easily mistake him for Royalty.

"Well, you certainly look like official tea servers," he commented. "How do you feel?"

"Ridiculous," Li grumbled under his breath, but the shop was quiet enough – sans the sound of feet shuffling and breathing that Moshi was making – for Pao to hear the complaint.

Grumpy and blunt. Then again, anyone being uprooted from their home and being forced to become refugees would hold some semblance of bitterness, especially teenagers who are forced to leave behind the social lives they built to start anew in an unfamiliar place, Pao reasoned with himself.

Moshi continued to struggle with the apron, and a towering figure on his left shifted towards Moshi. Pao's eyes darted over towards the third figure in the group to have a read on the man as he tried to help Moshi with fastening the apron.

Judging by the less worn-out clothes Pao would had guessed that the man, Zhang, was from the Middle Ring. So, it came as a surprise to him when the towering man followed Moshi into the tea shop, asking about the vacancy. Why would someone from the Middle Ring come to find a job in the Lower Ring?

His unasked question was somewhat answered when Moshi explained that Zhang too, was a refugee. Zhang then sputtered out a vague explanation about his clothes being given when he was about to enter Ba Sing Se.

"My only clothes were half-burned, so the guards felt it wasn't appropriate for a guy walking around half-naked."

Still didn't explain why his clothes were half-burned, nor why the guards decided to give a refugee a more glamorous tunic. The tea shop owner decidedly pushed down his curiosity, oblivious to the glare that Li sent Zhang's way.

Another once over on the man and Pao realized that the towering figure looked... different from the rest. He still didn't know what to make for the newcomer. He had a tan almost similar to that only obtainable in the Earth Kingdom. His hair was wild, jet-black, yet it seemed right with his chiseled features.

Perhaps his foreign looks could help attract more customers...

"You got a larger size for this thing?" a voice asked, prompting Pao back to reality. He noticed Zhang and Moshi eyeing him expectantly, and a polite smile plastered on his face.

"I have some extra string in the back," he grabbed the ceramic pot on the table that was next to him, and filled three tea cup with hot tea. "Have some tea while you wait."

He handed the cups to the trio, smiling slightly as he heard hear Zhang mutter a soft 'thank you' as he grabbed one with both hands. Pao spun around and headed to the storage room.

Seeing their new boss heading inside with the intention of grabbing extra string, Zuko watched as Iroh grinned at his cup before placing it at the tip of his mouth. His uncle immediately made a face the moment his tongue registered the taste of the liquid in his mouth and tore the cup away from his lips.

"This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!" Iroh exclaimed, his eyes glaring indignantly at the cup in his hand.

"Uncle," Amber eyes rolled at his uncle's flair for dramatics before they landed their sights on the ceiling. After all... "That's what all tea is."

"How could a member of my own family say something so horrible?!" Iroh didn't understand what made him madder: His nephew's lack of understanding for tea, or the matter-of-factly tone he used to calm the former general and downplay the importance of tea.

"I thought you gotta squeeze out the fruit to get juice," Percy wondered aloud, fighting off the snicker at the face Zuko made when Iroh made the comment. He had no actual opinion on the tea, aside from it feeling a little bland. "Does that make hot chocolate hot cocoa juice? So what does that make chocolate chip cookies?"

Zuko couldn't help it. He stared incredulously at Percy. The former Prince had some knowledge of cocoa. It was an acquired taste in the Fire Nation, used to create a drink called 'chocolate'. Procuring it was difficult, even the Royal Palace would need to wait for quite a while to acquire the ingredient as the colonies the Fire Nation established in the Earth Kingdom didn't have the correct soil to mass-produce the plant. His mom had once given him chocolate to try, and he vividly remembered it tasting sweet and creamy, completely different from other food he had tasted before. It was... nice.

The thought of his mom left an odd feeling in his chest. For the first time, it wasn't bitterness. Wait, what are chocolate chip cookies?

Iroh, completely unaware of the confusion his nephew was experiencing, let out a huff and grabbed the tea pot. "We'll have to make some major changes around here," he announced and spun on his heels, heading over to a window of the shop to toss the hot, bland liquid out.

Percy let his mouth run as he looked at Iroh, a cheeky grin on his face. "Any chance we could make blue tea?"

oOo

Night had befallen Ba Sing Se, and the moon along with the occasional lantern were the only source of light for the streets of the Lower Ring. Some buildings had their own light emitting from within, signifying that a few citizens stayed up past the usual bedtime. Many would try to stay within the safety of their walls at this hour, fearful of crossing the enforcers of the City.

One individual did not share such sentiment.

The figure, clad in his red and blue clothes, used the shadows and lack of light to hide behind the clothesline and out of sight. Black eyes shone with determination as they locked onto a window, watching the occupants who had taken residence in the apartment just across.

The enemies hiding underneath the noses of the Earth Kingdom.

He recalled inviting the teen with a scar on his face, Li – or whatever his real name is – to help with raiding the ship's kitchen for food from the captain, to be distributed to the other refugees on board. Li had fit in so well into the team. His team. The teen possessed all the potential in becoming a Freedom Fighter. To become one of them.

The scar on his face was enough to prove that Li was a survivor. He survived the enemy. They were alike. The potential is there.

So, against his two most trusted friends' advice, he extended an invitation to Li to join the Freedom Fighters at the train station

"You and I have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together. You want to join the Freedom Fighters?"

Li had bluntly refused the offer.

"Thanks, but I don't think you want me in your gang."

Despite trying to persuade him, and show the scarred teen the good they can do from his own perspective, Li stood his ground and walked away. He was about to try persuading again...

Then he saw Li's uncle drinking hot tea.

"Coldest tea is more like it!"

There were no pots, no fireplace at the station. So how did the old man get his hands on steaming hot tea, not even minutes after he had loudly complain about the tea that he bought from the tea seller? There was only one logical answer.

Li's uncle is a firebender.

Which makes 'Li' a Fire Nation. He is an enemy.

Jet gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe that he allowed himself to be made a fool by the two. The old man had seemed warm and friendly, and the teen looked like he held a grudge against anything injustice. They had clouded his judgement.

Rage build within Jet's chest as he continued watching the Fire Nation 'spies' hiding in plain sight, chatting about tea like they were regular, everyday folk. He suddenly remembered witnessing what the Fire Nation did to his village eight years ago. The brutality and savagery the Rough Rhinos displayed as they burnt the village to nothing but a crisp had been pushed to the depths of his mind, but seeing this 'uncle and nephew' banter about tea like it was a common occurrence only dredged those memories up again.

Smellerbee and Longshot had reminded him of the chance they got to start over in Ba Sing Se, the former begging him to let go of his grudge and focus on rebuilding their lives in the Earth Kingdom capital instead. But Jet saw an opportunity. A chance to cripple the Fire Nation further, without any innocents losing their lives.

All he needed to do was find evidence of either 'Moshi', 'Li', or the other man who accompanied them firebending, then he would just report his findings to the authorities, who will arrest the two for being enemies of the State, and Jet will walk away from it all.

"Have you seen the spark rocks to heat up the water?" Jet heard Moshi ask his nephew, and his lips tugged to curve upwards. He opened his clenched fist, looking down at two emerald rocks – spark rocks – that he had sneakily taken from their house.

"You'll have to firebend, old man," his smile widened into a sinister grin as a wave of satisfaction washed over him upon the very thought he would be able to find strong proof of Moshi being Fire Nation. The smile faded when he saw Moshi disappear, only to return with another pair of emerald rocks in his hand.

"I borrowed our neighbours'," Moshi announced, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "Such kind people."

Seeing the spark lighting up a pile of twigs, Jet felt a vein pop. The old man was smart. But he won't underestimate him again. The Freedom Fighter ducked behind the clothesline, ready to retreat.

"Y'know," a voice broke through the silence. "I've met monsters who do a better job at blending in than you. And that's saying something."

Jet whirled his head around. Someone was nearby. But he couldn't see much in the darkness.

"Gotta give it to you though. Stealing the rocks under their noses, I'd thought you were a Hermes kid."

Black eyes widened as Jet realized that someone was watching him. The voice sounded like it was spoken in very close proximity. But even with the moonlight, he still couldn't locate the source.

"I'm over 'ere." The voice was coming from in front of him, and Jet snapped his neck forward, eyes scanning for the person who was obviously speaking to him. The lights may be playing tricks on him, because he thought he saw the shadows creeping forward, extending towards him.

Twin orbs appeared to glow dimly in the dark, and Jet suddenly felt his heart thumping against his chest. He didn't know what to make of his body suddenly panicking, like it was warning him of a danger looming over the horizon.

"Relax, kid," the voice spoke again, tone seemingly casual. "I'm not a shadow-traveller. But I gotta thank Hazel though. She's been teaching me how to 'hide in the shadows' for a while. Been wanting to do that for a much longer time. Creepy, but cool."

Jet's mind was on overdrive, trying to process the term 'shadow-traveller' and whoever taught this person to 'hide in the shadows'. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words could leave his throat.

The orbs – which Jet realized were eyes with shade of unusual green – seemed to shift closer, and Jet tried to reach for his hooked-swords. Tried. His hands were frozen in their spots.

A face appeared from the dark, and the Freedom Fighter was able to see that this individual was just a few years older than him. Even in the dark Jet could see that the man had features that were foreign to any known nation. His jawline was sharp, and his mouth was curved up into a grin which Jet would associate with his Freedom Fighters whenever they were about to prank each other.

They were still kids, after all.

And when black eyes met green, Jet had a feeling of recognition that pulled him back to reality. Those unnatural green eyes – which reminded him of the sea – was the same pair that had caught sight of him when he tried stalking Li and Moshi earlier in the day. They belonged to the mysterious third member of the trio, who had joined the others out of the blue.

"You," Jet gritted his teeth as he overcame his shock.

"Yes, me," the man smiled. His eyes glinted with mirth. "Dam, the last time someone was that angry at me, Mrs Dodds tried to kill me for stealing something I didn't steal."

"You're with them," he pointed an accusatory finger at the apartment the two Fire Nations were residing in as he growled at the man standing just opposite him. It wasn't easy maintaining eye contact with someone stood a head taller in the dark, but Jet wanted to make sure he conveyed his emotions clearly.

Green eyes glanced in the direction Jet's finger was pointed at, and the man merely nodded before he turned back to look at the teen, a quizzical look on his face. "So?"

"You're with the Fire Nation."

Blink once.

Blink twice.

A belly cackle broke the silence, confusing Jet as he watched the man in front of him throw himself back in a laughing fit at the accusation.

"Buddy, if I had a drachma everytime someone accused me of that," the man paused. "I'd have two drachmas."

The term threw Jet into another loop, baffling the Freedom Fighter further. Whoever this is, he speaks funny.

"We're getting off-track," the man's sudden seriousness stunned Jet, cutting his thoughts short. "Real talk, what do you want? With those two."

With Li and Moshi.

"They're firebenders," Jet felt his anger boil in his chest.

Even in the dark, he could see a black eyebrow raised at him.

"That supposed to mean something to me?"

Does this man not know of the War? What the Fire Nation did? "It means they're the enemy."

"Uh-huh," was the man's response, and Jet's eyebrows knitted together at the lax attitude the man was in. "My grandma was – is a Titan. But it didn't mean the Olympians treated her like the enemy. Dad's still arguing with Zeus about who she loves more, though."

Jet blinked, not understanding a single word being said, apart from 'Dad' and 'Grandma' and 'who she loves more'. "What –"

"I'm off-track, again,' the man grumbled, "I'm actually here to give you a warning."

His features immediately changed, green eyes impossibly turning a darker shade as he glared straight into Jet's own black eyes. Jet understood that stare. No matter how bad you think you are, I'm worse.

"Stay away from them," then the glare was gone, a faux-smile plastered on the man's face. Green eyes glanced around. "It's late. Don't want the harpies to eat those who break curfew, right?"

It was Jet's turn to glance around, looking for whatever thing the man said that eats people. When he found nothing but empty streets, he turned back, only to find the man gone.

His mind processed the warning the man gave him. Stay away from them. He thought of the glare the man possessed, and clenched his jaw.

He was a Freedom Fighter. He fought to eliminate the Fire Nation from the Earth Kingdom. He will get the job done.

No adult gets to tell him what to do. He grew up.

Forced out of childhood to since the day the Fire Nation attacked, and took his parents away from him.

He will return the favour, by removing the Fire Nation spies in Ba Sing Se.

Now he just needs to collect evidence. More discreetly. And more patiently.

oOo

Jet was losing his patience.

One week.

One week of observing and trying to gather any evidence that the employees at Pao's Tea Shop are Fire Nation.

One week since his encounter with the man outside Li and Moshi's apartment.

Since being called out that night, Jet had to change his approach. Instead of trying to remove spark rocks, he switched to surveillance, watching the movement of the trio, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of them firebending. Every once in a while sea-green eyes would look over to wherever he hides, and a knowing but tired smile would be on the man's face before he shook his head and continued whatever he was doing.

One time, Smellerbee and Longshot had volunteered to help. We're doing this so you can get over with whatever obsession you have. They had entered the tea shop, conversed with Moshi and Li on the guise that they wanted to 'show support to their friends'.

Li's amber eyes narrowed at that.

They left the tea shop two hours later, their 'reconnaissance' coming up empty, apart from a message to Jet that they said was from the tall tea server.

Jet clenched his jaw as he recalled the words his friends had repeated. "If you want tea, or information, you could just ask nicely." The words mocked him. How could he just walk in and ask them to firebend? Of course they'll say no! It'll blow they're cover.

"Jet," a girl stage-whispered his name, and he turned around to see Smellerbee and Longshot walking up to his hiding spot in the alleyway. Smellerbee, the girl in light armour similar to Jet's, stood about a head and a half shorter than the former leader of the Freedom Fighters, yet the air around her carried often makes her look almost as big as Jet. "We need to talk."

Black eyes narrowed at his two friends. Apart from the message that was passed to him, they said that there was nothing to prove that the employees at the Tea Shop were firebenders, and once again tried to persuade him to let go of his obsession. The oldest teen merely told them he'll be done by the week.

"Here to 'help' me again?" On a different day, Jet would flinch at the tone he used when speaking with his most trusted friends, but his patience was running thin, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with whatever Smellerbee and Longshot have to say to him.

Well, Smellerbee does the talking while Longshot wordlessly backs her up.

"Your obsession has grown overboard," Smellerbee's voice was firm. "It's not healthy."

Jet furrowed his brows together, and looked at Longshot. The archer placed a supportive hand on Smellerbee's shoulder, answering the unspoken question with an unspoken answer.

"We came here to make a fresh start," the girl continued with a softer tone, hoping to get through to Jet with gentleness where cold, direct facts had failed. "You have to let this go."

A frustrated, tired huff escaped Jet. They had this same conversation before and after his two friends visited the tea shop. He wasn't in the mood to remind them the reason the Freedom Fighters were formed to fight back against the Fire Nation.

He didn't want to dredge up anymore anger than he was carrying right now.

"You've got no solid proof," Smellerbee tried again, and Jet felt his blood boil.

"Well, I would have if you two would just did your jobs right!"

Smellerbee didn't flinch at her friend's outburst, instead letting out a tired sigh in response. "We told you, Jet, they're not firebenders. Heck, even their Tall server doesn't look like one."

It was enough for the brown, bushy haired teen. "If you two aren't here to help me, maybe you two should just go!"

"Jet, please –"

"I don't need your help!" he snapped, and this time Smellerbee flinched. A treacherous part of Jet's mind internally chided him for hurting his friend, but he ignored the buzzing words. He took a step towards Pao's, not even bothered to spare a glance for his 'friends'. "I can do it myself!"

As he closed the distance between himself and the shop, Jet felt the back of his mind protesting, reminding him of the words the tall man had told him.

It's just words. He reasoned with himself. It's all bark, no bite.

The internal protesting stopped.

By the time he reached the door, he could hear Pao's Tea Shop was buzzing with life as evening turned to night. Word had spread across the Lower Ring that Pao's tea was made by the 'finest tea maker in the city', and people started to flock the place in hopes of tasting tea that was made with 'love'.

Jet scoffed at that. The tea maker is Fire Nation. He knows nothing of love. Only destruction. And Jet will remove that threat from Ba Sing Se before destruction could lay waste to the City.

His hand grabbed the door knob, and Jet slammed the wooden door open as his eyes scanned the crowd. Some customers' eyes darted over, glancing at the loud sound the door made. While others continued conversing, blissfully unaware that their tea could be spiked with poison or any other kind of liquid that could bring harm to them. Black eyes landed on green, and Jet saw the tall tea server's face morph into one of annoyance as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm tired of waiting," he announced, garnering every single person's undivided attention. Raising his arm, he pointed at the three employees of Pao's Tea Shop wearing milky white aprons. "These men are Fire Nation!"

oOo

Percy allowed himself to sigh exasperatedly as Iroh and Zuko shared a look in the corner of his eyes. Just last week he tried warning this kid off, yet somehow the bushy haired teen continued spying on Zuko and Iroh as the son of Poseidon helped the duo serve tea in the Tea Shop.

The demigod wasn't doing a great job, neither was it terrible. Iroh had mentioned he needed to 'steady his hands when pouring tea', and offered to guide him on their off day.

We're going out of topic again. Right.

Still, the demigod really considered nominating the teenager in blue and red clothes as the 'Stubborn Head of the Year' Award winner.

Wait, no. Nico still wins that. Or Will, for sticking with di Angelo for so many years.

He was about to speak when the teen spoke first.

"I know they're firebenders!" he claimed. "I saw the old man heating his tea."

A man, dressed in uniform which Percy recognized as a Full Moon Bay security, took a glance at Iroh, then turned back to the teen. "He works in a tea shop."

The tone was enough for the demigod to let out a snigger, and he saw Zuko sending a warning glare at him as if telling him to 'shut up'. Percy shrugged but let his lips remain smiling. Albeit slightly.

"He's a firebender, I'm telling you!" The bushy-haired teen insisted, undeterred by the scepticism that the adult had shown as he unsheathed his hook swords.

Percy couldn't help himself. "Right, and I'm Aquaman." Good thing Leo wasn't around to hear that, or else he would never get to live down that 'admission'.

Another glare from Zuko, and another shrug from Percy.

Zuko could hardly believe the waterbender, but said nothing as he returned his attention to Jet. The former Prince needed to find a way to take care of the other armed teen standing across the tea shop, seemingly dead set on outing both Iroh and him for being Fire Nation.

He blames his uncle for firebending his tea right before they entered Ba Sing Se.

The guard who had questioned Jet's claim stood up, taking up an authoritative stance, his eyes hardening as his hand reached for the sheathed swords to his side. "Drop the swords, boy." He warned, not wanting to escalate the situation any further. "Nice and easy."

Jet ignored the warning, and lifted his swords into his own battle stance, stalking towards the two nearest Fire Nation spies posing as tea servers. "You'll have to defend yourself," he taunted the duo. "Go on, show them what you can do."

Zuko caught sight of Percy making a move, but the man was at the other side of the shop. His broadswords were at the apartment, so amber eyes landed on the guard's sheathed swords instead, and the firebender made a split second judgement call.

If he can't firebend his way out, he was going to put his other skills to good use.

"You want a show," Zuko stated as he grabbed both swords, noticing but paying no heed to the startled expression of the guard as he fluidly unsheathed the blades, his amber eyes only meeting hateful black. "I'll give you a show."

His foot hooked onto a wooden table, and pulled it towards him before kicking it in Jet's direction. The Freedom Fighter leapt in the air to dodge the desk, slicing it in half before he landed.

Hook sword swung at Zuko's height, who was forced to deflect the attack with his broadswords and the firebender was forced to leap back onto another table, which Jet quickly sliced in half and Zuko found himself forced to balance on one half with a foot.

The now-half-a-table suddenly balanced itself, and Zuko risked a glance to see a hand keeping the two-legged furniture steady.

"I got this!" He growled. Percy raised an eyebrow at the statement.

"Sure you do. Just minimize the collateral damage."

Zuko saw Percy's eyes widened, and he felt his shirt being tugged before he fell backwards. An arc of metal slashed the air from where the former Prince stood, and he glared at Percy.

"I know, I know," green eyes rolled as Percy released his grip on Zuko, who merely huffed before charging at Jet again.

The two soon found themselves locked in a deadly dance of blades, metal clashing with metal as both teens tried to gain the upper hand in their fight while Zuko would notice Percy trying to move tables, chairs and customers out of the way. His lips curled upwards into a snarl.

Percy was right. He needed to keep collateral at minimum. Someone was going to get hurt if they kept the fight within close confines of the shop.

That slight distraction was a wide enough window for Jet – who wanted to bring the fight outside so more people could see his enemy firebend – to unleash a fury of slashes that forced the firebender into the defence, deflecting each attack with the swords in his hands.

The bushy-haired teen attacked from both sides, and quickly kicked Zuko in the chest when the firebender blocked the two-prong assault. The kick was strong enough to send his opponent crashing through the door.

Zuko felt the wind knocked out of him as his back shattered wood, but he quickly forced himself on both his feet to meet Jet once again. Round two.

As the two locked themselves in another dance to the death, Iroh poked his head out, staring worryingly at the duo.

"Please son, you're confused!" He pleaded to Jet, hoping to put an end to the fight before anyone could get seriously hurt. "You don't know what you're doing!"

His pleas fell on deaf ears as Jet instead used this as an opportunity to try and bait Zuko into firebending, though Iroh saw Zuko not falling for the taunts. His nephew trapped one of Jet's hook swords with his own, and the two engaged in single wielding combat.

Iroh's eyes darted towards Percy, who was able to push past the crowd and join the old man at the door.

"He could use a hand."

Green eyes peeled from watching the battle unfold to look at the former general, then back towards the fight. "You're doing great, man!"

Seeing Iroh's shocked expression, Percy raised an eyebrow. "Your nephew said he, and I quote, 'got this'. Besides, you trust his ability, right?"

Iroh blinked at Percy's words, and realized the black-haired man was indeed correct. He trusted his nephew, having seen the challenge the teen was forced to face and still come up on top.

So, he decided to put his trust in Zuko, once again. As long as he doesn't do anything stupid.

They watched the fight reach a well, where Jet had announced that he was trying to be silenced by the Fire Nation, and the two teens continued duking it out.

Percy continued surveying the fight, which had somehow returned to being a match of dual wielders. He read how desperate Jet was becoming as his slashes were becoming wilder with each passing moment. Zuko, on the other hand, remained composed, maintaining discipline in his movement while not giving Jet the upper hand.

His eyes caught the movement of two figures at the opposite side of the crowd, noticing the crowd parting like the Red Sea to reveal two men in identical dark green robes and conical hats making their way towards the fight.

"Drop your weapons!" one of the men commanded. Zuko promptly stepped back at the voice of authority, lowering his swords in show of cooperation.

Jet stepped back too, but kept his sword levelled at Zuko. "Arrest them! They're firebenders!"

Iroh beat Percy to be the first to speak up. "This boy is confused. We're just simple refugees."

Pao was quick to back up his employee, pointing a finger at Jet. "This young man attacked my tea shop, and assaulted my employees."

"It's true, sir," the guard, whose swords were taken by Zuko, added in his two cents. "We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."

Percy noticed Iroh blushing at the compliment while thanking the guard, calling the gesture to be 'very sweet'.

Seeing the public bearing witness to the incident, the two men strode forward towards the culprit. They each placed a hand on Jet's shoulders. "Come with us, son," the same man who stopped the fight earlier now ordered the teen, his tone leaving no room for debate.

Jet glared at the two men, realizing that the public had turned on him. Desperate to get out, he attacked.

Green eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen, and Percy was about to shout in warning to the two men, only to see Jet's attack being halted... by rock hand?

The demigod watched on with furrowed brows as the two men pulled the teens arms behind in back, arresting the kid who protested against the course of action while continuously claiming that there are 'Fire Nations in Ba Sing Se'. They tossed Jet into a wagon, its shape looking too much like a wooden prison cell to Percy.

As the wagon leaves the scene, so did the two men. The crowd, seeing that things have returned to normal, set to dispersed. Percy looked around, remembering the fearful looks most of the people wore as they cast their eyes on the two mysterious men. Having a bad feeling in his gut, and in need of answers, he whirled around and noticed Zuko returning the two swords back to their owner, and walked up towards the guard as Zuko joined Iroh in returning to Pao's Tea Shop.

"Hey," he called out to the guard, who turned around with a curious look on his face. "Yeah, I have a question. Several, maybe."

The man nodded, signalling for Percy to go on. The son of Poseidon pointed at where the two mysterious men in green robes stood earlier.

"Who the Hades were those guys?"

oOo

"You can't keep the truth from all these people! They have to know!"

Katara's voice echoed within the walls of the Royal Library, slightly louder than the cackling sound of fire which provided the only source of light within the large room. She was obviously seething, and Aang shared her emotions.

In the week spent inside the Ba Sing Se, Aang and his friends have been trying to get their tour guide, Joo Dee, to allow them to meet the Earth King to inform him about an opportunity to win the Hundred Year War. Yet, their requests for a quick meet with the Monarch often reached deaf ears, as their guide with a face-splitting grin appeared to only hear anything that wasn't related to the War. 'Fire Nation', 'invasion', 'defenceless', 'war' – somehow the girl was able to listen to everything but ignored the specific words, and often recited the phrase 'we are safe here in Ba Sing Se'.

That phrase sent a chill down Aang's spine at the mere memory of the creepy smile Joo Dee would wear the whole day without fail. How she does not feel cheeks sore, the Avatar would never know.

Having learnt that their request was officially being processed – which for reasons would take six to eight weeks before they could properly meet the King! – and recalling the advice from their neighbour in the Upper Ring to specifically 'not mention the War within the CIty Walls', Team Avatar decided to focus their efforts on finding Appa instead. They've asked people in all three Rings of the City – Upper, Middle and Lower.

Surprise, surprise. That end bore no results either, with everyone who they approached seemingly hesitating the moment they ask about a sky bison or the War, sweat profoundly, before stuttering a weak excuse to leave and not answer any further questions.

Aang recalled Sokka commenting that Joo Dee could be impeding their attempts. The Water Tribesman had caught a glimpse of the girl shaking her head at a University student the very moment he asked about meeting a professor to discuss the War. The student said he needed to go to class, got up in a hurry, and tripped on his feet.

That was on their first day in the City.

The airbender had his own fair share of suspicions, having used the information Percy gave him that someone owns a similar sky bison whistle to ask a pet store owner if he's seen anyone holding anything that fit the description of the whistle, only to also catch a glimpse of Joo Dee shaking her head right before the owner (politely) chased the group out of his store.

One week of fruitless efforts, and the team were at their wits end when Katara bounded into the house with good news. The Earth King was celebrating the birthday of his pet bear (just 'bear'. not platypus-bear, not skunk bear, not armadillo bear, nor gopher bear. Just bear.), and the team saw it as an opportunity to sneak in and meet with the King.

After executing a masterful plan courtesy of Toph, the four had managed just that. They blended in with the crowd inside the palace despite several slight hiccups, and were just about to meet His Majesty when his friends – including Momo! – were whisked away in rock gloves by the Dai Li.

Grand Secretariat Long Feng had personally greeted the Avatar, and escorted him to the Royal Library where the four teens (plus a lemur) stood inside, arguing with the man who turns out to also be the Head of the Dai Li, while also learning a few ugly, heart shocking truths about the Earth Kingdom capital.

The Earth Kingdom is nothing more than a figurehead, a mere puppet to Long Feng, who is the man responsible for running the show inside the world's largest metropolis.

Discussion of the Hundred Year War is prohibited within the Walls of Ba Sing Se. To prevent widespread chaos, according to Long Feng.

The Dai Li are not the cultural authority Joo Dee claims them to be, nor are they the guardians of all of Ba Sing Se's traditions. They are nothing more than corrupt figures, protecting and enforcing only Long Feng's interests.

"I'll tell them!" Aang announced, having heard enough from the man with traditional Manchu hair. "I'll make sure everyone knows!"

The room, which was lit in green flames, was suddenly cast into a dark, ominous shade as Long Feng raised an amused eyebrow. "Oh?" He asked, voice laced with as much amusement as displayed by his face. "And how would the people react if they learn you might not be the Avatar?"

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked, her voice low to signify that her own patience was running thin at the uncalled accusation made towards the airbender.

If Long Feng was shaken by the waterbender's threatening tone, he did not show he continued to stare at Aang, his face remained in a state of amusement. "I believe you know what – who I'm talking about. Word has it there is someone else who could bend more than one element."

Four pairs of eyes widened in a mix of shock and horror as they understood Long Feng's words. "You don't mean..."

"There was another person who was present when you stopped the Drill," Long Feng interrupted Sokka's question, his lips tugging upwards just slightly. "Someone who could bend both water and earth. From a family of Earthshakers, if my information doesn't fail me."

Seeing the shocked expression on the teens, Long Feng allowed his lips to form a sinister grin, and Aang thought that the room just turned darker. "Oh don't look so surprised!" He said while waving a hand in front of him. "Word travels fast to me within the Walls of Ba Sing Se."

"Aang is the Avatar!" Katara argued. "He's the last airbender!"

"The Avatar was born as an airbender a hundred years ago," Long Feng countered, yet his form was still relaxed. "People would choose to believe in the simplest explanations. Not the logical facts. The airbender Avatar dying hundred years ago isn't that hard to believe, if the people are fed the simplest of reasons."

"What do you want with Percy?!" Sokka demanded, having overcome his shock.

"Wasn't his name Zhang?" The Water Tribesman realized his slip-up at Long Feng's question, and his face must have conveyed the message to the cunning man, whose smile had somehow widened even further.

"So, that is his name," Long Feng uttered, feigning an act of pondering as he tried to pronounce the name. "Percy."

"What do you want with him?" Aang growled, pushing down his sudden surge of irritation at Sokka. He'll deal with that later. Right now, he needs to make sure Percy isn't in any sort of trouble.

"Don't you kids worry," Long Feng's voice was downright condescending. "Sung was a fool to think of your... companion as a threat. Not that he ever was any bit intelligent. I, however, have much better plans for your dual bending friend."

"You want him as your next puppet," Toph growled. The Earth King was already Long Feng's puppet, and the Dai Li's strings are also pulled by this... trash of a man. Now he wants to get his slimy fingers on Percy?

"Think about it," Long Feng explained in a matter-of-factly manner. "The 'Earthshaker'. That very name can sew fear within the bloods of the enemies of Ba Sing Se –"

"You mean your enemies."

"– and the City can know everlasting peace as long as he is around." the Head of the Dai Li finished, blatantly ignoring Katara's jab at him. He turned his attention towards the Avatar, whose grey eyes were staring back in disbelief.

"What do you say, Avatar? How about a trade? The location for this 'Percy', and I could consider lending my Dai Li resources in assisting your 'quest'. You are searching for your pet bison, correct?"

Aang was floored with shock. And hope. Another person who knows about Appa. And this man has the ability to make short work of the search for the airbender's bison. All Aang needed to do was inform of Percy's possible location, and weeks of looking for Appa would be cut down to mere days. Then they could focus on preparations for the –

War. The Avatar stopped himself, remembering that Long Feng had no interest whatsoever in participating in the war, having called Sokka's genius plan 'ridiculous'. He would only use Percy to strengthen his hold on the city. Glancing over to his friends by his side, Aang could tell they were thinking the same. Everyone shook their heads slowly at him, wordlessly telling him to refuse the offer.

But Appa! A treacherous part of Aang yelled at him. He's your best friend!

The Avatar steeled himself, trying to push aside his conflicting emotions as he set his hardened gaze onto Long Feng, his answer at the tip of his tongue as he thought of his friend.

7,000+ words.

Almost double (or more) my usual number. Got kinda carried away writing this chapter if I'm being honest *sheepish laugh*

Aight, lemme know what you think of this chapter. Do you like it? Or not like it? Is it too long? Does it overwhelm you? Or should I let some (not all) future chapters be just as long?

Just put your feedback in the review/comment, and I'll be sure to check it when I can!

By the way, I have a question for you guys: When this fic dives into ATLA: Book 3, should I continue in this fic, or start a sequel.

Personally, I feel like just continuing in FoD so you guys don't need to click follow/bookmark a whole different fic just to follow what happens next. Of course, your opinions matter so lemme know what you think! 

Continue or Open Sequel

The next chapter will be Tales of Ba Sing Se, so most likely we will have some Percy interacting with some of the characters. I will try to stick as much to canon, of course, there will be some divergence. But the 'how much' really depends, since canon is pretty important to me. 

Not all canon is that important though. Some bits. It's the key event, not the 'how it pan out', that's important to me.

Also, from here on out, I'll be focusing on events where Percy makes a difference from canon. Of course, there will be times where a canon scene is penned down, but mostly we will be seeing how Percy's mere presence changes ATLA as we know it.

Oh, just in case of confusion, let's go through some facts for our beloved Perseus 'Percy' Jackson in this Fic:

1. Percy is an adult – 'about Half a decade after the Giant war' 17yo during HoO +5years later =22 years old, adult. Maybe young adult, but an adult nonetheless. That's why he was never referred to as 'boy' in this fic. (PS: If I did refer to Percy as 'boy' please direct me to the line so adjustments can immediately be made)

2. We'll be exploring Percy's life during those years since the Giant War. There have been small snippets hinting at his life in a few of these chapters – ICYMI: He's in New Rome :) – and there will be further snippets in the future (Oh, and if that's not clear enough, He achieved his dream) :D