AtLA Rewritten: Edition 1

Chapter 75

"What the fuck, Zuko?!" Athlea snapped, clearly as angry as she was disappointed.

"Just listen!" Zuko said, reaching for his wife's arm. "We have the best benders in the world here. Why would we need another?"

Athlea rubbed her temples, letting out a breath. "Why did you bring her?" She opened her eyes. "Why? Why did you bring her?" Her brows furrowed.

"We. Are. Fucked," Aang muttered.

"Twinkle Toes is losing brain cells," Toph joked.

"I think we're about to see some powerful benders go into their version of an Avatar state," Katara half-joked. She grabbed Toph and Aang. "Let's, uh, give the Fire Lord and Lady some privacy." She pulled them into the ice cave, where Dai had disappeared from. "How does she do that?" Katara muttered.

Zuko ran his hands through his hair. "Athlea," he said quietly so that only she could hear, "if this is your mother, maybe seeing you in danger will bring Irene back." He bit his lip, taking a step back from her, giving her space.

Athlea took a step forward, glaring at him. "Are you fucking serious? You're endangering her! She doesn't remember how to water bend; she doesn't know how to fight!" she stated, eyebrows furrowed as her voice lowered down again.

Zuko held his arms up in front of him, taking another step back. "Nonbenders can fight, too, Athlea!" he protested. "Look at Sokka! He's a master swordsman, all because he's traveled."

"We already have my condition keeping us all back. We don't need someone else to bring their weight on us. My weight on you and everyone else is enough. At least I can protect myself if worse comes to worst," Althie spoke looking up at him, "but what about her?"

He took a step forward, tilting her chin up. "You're not holding anyone back," he protested. "She's a grown woman." He lowered his voice. "And if she's your mother, I know she can protect herself, bending or not."

Athlea took another step forward, tilting her head. "Yes, nonbenders can fight, but if she's my mother she can't! She's lost her memories!" She took a deep breath, letting it out. "That's the problem, Zuko. That woman is not my mother. She is Aiyana, not Irene. She is a totally different person." She shook her head.

"Then she hasn't forgotten shit!" Zuko snapped. He took a step forward, his face inches from hers. "If you and Dai wanted Laetius, you and Dai should've gone to get Laetius. That's all I want to hear about this any more!" He jerked his chin toward Aiyana. "If you have a problem with her being here, go ahead and tell her to go back home." He strode past her into the caves. The moment he entered the cave entrance, it slid shut with a door made of ice.

Zuko whirled around, banging on the new "door". "Uh, Katara?" he said. "Not funny." Dai ran in, her hand around Sokka's wrist. Zuko whipped around. "Dai! Help us out!"

Dai laughed harshly, leaning back against a wall and sitting. "Help you out? Like I asked you to help me out?" She laughed again, sliding down to the floor and sitting. "You're so confident in Aiyana's abilities. I'm sure we'll be out of here in no time!"

Athlea whipped around as the cloaked feminine figure reappeared. "Who are you, and why are you after us?" she demanded, moving into her stance while Aiyana slid behind her.

"You couldn't have had better timing," Toph growled, lifting icy shards of earth and launching them at their attacker.

Katara, Aang, and Aiyana had been distracted by Athlea's and Zuko's fight and hadn't made it into the cave. Katara glanced at the woman, eyes wide. Then they narrowed, and she made a whip out of water. "Come and get it," she taunted.

Dai faked a yawn, and the ice around them cracked loudly, despite her feigning relaxation. "Dai, you're being petty!" Sokka yelled. "This isn't funny. Let us out!" His brows furrowed. "We need to help them!"

"Me, petty?" Dai scoffed, then forced another laugh. "Never." It was clear that she was ashamed of the way she was acting, but judging by the cracking of the cave, she was still plenty angry.

Zuko's hands were on the door, heating it up. "Calm her down, Sokka!" he demanded. "She's too upset, she keeps making the ice thicker!"

"I can't calm her down! Dai, calm down! You're going to get us all killed!"

"I am not fucking trying it!" Dai snapped, leaning toward him. In response, the door cracked again, and Zuko groaned, leaning against it, eyes shut.

The attacker had simply lashed out at Toph instead of responding. She managed to freeze all of their feet, her only way of avoiding Athlea's fire. She smirked as Athlea sent more fire, easily extinguishing it with more water. Her smile was the only revealed part of her, the rest of her face covered by her hood, and even if it fell, Dai wasn't there to identify her. Athlea burned herself out, Katara and Aang just simply bending the ice away from themselves and Toph.

"Help them?" Dai's voice was high-pitched. "I thought they could help themselves, Zuko?" Zuko grumbled in response. "How's this for help?" Dai asked sharply, looking at Sokka and extending her palms forward.

Katara screamed as a pillar of ice shot above their heads. She bent it further up, which kept her from unfreezing them, considering she figured keeping their heads on was more important. "Dai!" she snapped, turning around and yelling at the wall. It cracked in response.

The pillar hit the attacker in the head, knocking her down for a second. "What the fuck," she muttered, standing with a hand on her head. She recovered quickly, taking another step forward, her smirk returning to her lips.

"Ignore them, Katara, we'll get them out later. Our main priority is that bitch." Katara turned back from trying to unfreeze the door at Toph's words.

Their enemy proceeded forward, and Athlea took a step back.

Sokka growled, turning and punching a wall. "Dai, cut the bullshit! Open the door and we'll talk later!" he snapped.

"Maybe scream at me some more!" Dai yelled in response.

Zuko turned his head, his eyes desperate. "Dai, please." As he looked back, though, he realized that Dai was simply panicking, folding in on herself. She was staring at the side of the cave, her eyes empty, looking at nothing while the cave crackled around her, her knees pulled up toward her chin.

Athlea tripped, falling, her eyes wide, hands in the snow. She closed her eyes tightly. "Stay... the hell away!" she shouted. Lightning burst from her hands into the ground toward the attacker. A split appeared in the earth, flames bursting from it, driving the woman backward. Snow began swirling again, and there was the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Katara rushed toward the woman, then turned. "Athlea, she's gone... Again." Her head jerked back toward the cave and she ran over, unsealing it.

"That... That was epic! The most epic thing Athlea could do!" Toph grinned. "The intensity, the strong vibrations--amazing!"

"Someone seems fascinated," Aang muttered.

"Of course! How could I not be? That was awesome!"

***

A/N so Athlea invents explosions!!! a new sub type. my girl clumsy tho.