AtLA Rewritten: Edition 1

Chapter 65

Cleaning the inside of the palace had gone quickly, especially with Avitus' help. The hard part was outside with the glitter. Athlea groaned. "Why did we use glitter?" she mumbled, annoyed.

"Aren't you the one who suggested it?" Avitus asked.

"Don't remind me, Dad, don't remind me..." Athlea responded, rubbing her temples.

"At least it's not windy and we're not getting hit in the face with it," Avitus said, chuckling.

"You suggested the glitter?" Zuko stepped forward, giving her a teasingly disapproving look. "Come on, you shouldn't--" He took a deep breath. "Actually, you're not in your third trimester, so you're just fine to be working." He bit his lip and then smiled.

Athlea glanced over her shoulder at him, eyes wide. "Where did you come from?!" She blinked, tilting her head.

Zuko smirked. "I've been here," he said quietly.

"Come on, Zuko..." Avitus interrupted with a big grin on his face. His arm moved over his son-in-law's shoulders. "She isn't putting in any effort; she's just ordering people around," he said.

Athlea looked at the two and then at Zuko. "Third trimester or not, I'm not putting in any efforts regarding physical movement, don't worry," she agreed.

"Exactly!" Avitus said with a big grin.

He raised his eyebrows at Avitus, then glanced at Athlea, shrugging a shoulder. "Alright," he said. "Ordering people around is what she does best, anyways." His eyes gleamed teasingly.

Athlea crossed her arms. "That's what you do too, don't worry; we're in the same boat," she responded, sassy.

Zuko leaned back at her response, a look of amusement across his face. "Very rude," he said playfully.

She smiled, looking away for a second before facing them again. Blinking, she leaned in slightly, looking Zuko in the eyes. "Weren't you napping?" she asked and then leaned back, eyebrow raised. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked, concerned.

He nodded. "I slept a little and I'm feeling better. It wasn't too bad of a hangover. How about you go inside and I take care of this? It's my part of the cleanup, after all."

Athlea glanced over at the staff. "Yeah, that's good," she told one of them before returning her gaze to Zuko. She smiled and took a step closer, looking up at him. "No," she responded with a bright smile. "I've already started; besides, it's coming along well and we should be done in a bit," she said confidently.

Zuko shrugged a shoulder, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Alright," he said. "I'll stay out here and observe then." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. She smiled softly.

"Look at you two," Avitus as he placed an arm over the shoulders of both of them. "I'm so jealous--you're adorable!" he exclaimed as he hugged them tightly.

Athlea's eyes widened. "Dad!"

"Right, eheh, sorry," Avitus said, chuckling as he let the two go.

Zuko smiled, not looking away from Athlea for a moment. He finally glanced at Avitus. "Well, our throne is secure again, and our family is expanding. Plus we just had a successful festival. It's a good time for us."

Avitus smiled and nodded in agreement to Zuko's words. "I'm going to have to check in with Dai," he said, his hand under his chin, "and see if there are any leads on Irene, though I doubt it. That woman is always on the move," he added with a sigh. "Her and her adventures." He facepalmed.

Zuko tilted his head. "Hm. Sounds familiar." His eyes flicked to Athlea for a moment. "It'll be harder to find her if she's moving."

Avitus nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah," he said, laughing nervously. "She liked traveling and picking up on different cultures. She was very curious about the hatred for the Fire Nation and decided to see what the fuss is about, ending up here." He shrugged. "Her as well as Laetius?"

Athlea blinked. "Laetius, traveling?"

Avitus laughed. "Your mother and uncle were Chief Arnook's best benders, but their desire and love for travelling couldn't be stopped."

Athlea giggled. "It'll be fine. I'm sure we'll find her."

"Maybe a small trip to the Northern Tribe..." Avitus said. Athlea raised an eyebrow, glancing at Zuko and then back at her father.

Zuko raised his brows, returning Athlea's gaze. "We haven't had a chance to visit Dai's kingdom..." he muttered.

"This is... weird," Athlea said and let out a sigh.

"Laetius was not always so calm," Avitus muttered. "He chased me a knife when Irene became pregnant. Hell, he'd chase me with everything. He waterbent at me, too."

Dai approached Athlea as she was talking, listening. She glanced at Athlea. She laughed at Avitus, intervening herself into the conversation. "Sounds like I'd get along with younger Laetius," she said.

"Oh, he was indeed something. A waterbender, chasing a Royal Commander with a weapon."

Dai put a hand on Athlea's shoulder, and the firebender turned her attention to her friend. "We're going for a swim. Do you and Zuko want to come with?" Athlea frowned, rubbing her temples.

Zuko groaned. "Every time you ask and we say no, you spray water all over us anyways. Do we even get a choice?"

Dai smiled. "No. You at least have to come to the beach." She decided that she would tell Athlea her news later; she didn't want her to worry while they were all having fun. "Let's go get our suits on!" She opened her crystal and threw down a sheet of water, smiling at them as it whisked her away.

"Guess we don't have a choice," Athlea said, sighing.

"Oh, come on, kids," Avitus said, his arms over the firebenders. "It'll be fun! Besides, Zuko, you have that house of yours on the island for a reason, not for decoration." Avitus began leading them inside the Palace.