Percy cut deep under the water, ordering the ocean to take him to his target. The seas obeyed their master's command, shooting the son of Poseidon forward faster than any ship or sea creature could ever hope. Percy rapidly closed the distance between him and the kidnappers.
As Percy got close, he rose out of the depths upon a massive waterspout behind the fleeing ship. Both benders panicked, trying to bend the spout away or knock the intimidating figure off of it, but their efforts were in vain. The demigod brought a massive ball of fire down upon the ship, making everything on the deck to catch fire before bringing up a wave on the roasting ship, smashing it to smithereens, knocking both benders into unconsciousness with the force of the wave.
Azula had remained unhurt by the fire and wave but was still tied up and sinking beneath the waves. Percy quickly gathered the young princess into his arms and sliced off her restraints. He was surprised to find that instead of pushing him away and yelling, she instead latched onto him, burying her face into his bare chest.
He felt something wet against his chest and it took him a second before he realized it was Azula crying. To say Percy was shocked was an understatement. Azula had never shown any sign of weakness before, but while she may be a powerful bender and slightly ruthless (okay, extremely ruthless), it never occurred to him that she was still a teenager like him. A 14-year-old girl who had just been pulled from her bed, and kidnapped by people who would show her no mercy.
Percy could feel her body shaking up against his own, hearing her sobs against the sound of the crashing waves.
He hated it.
He hated seeing someone so strong broken down to tears because of a war she had played no part in. Azula had lived her entire life in the Fire Nation, she had never hurt any of these men or their families, yet they were willing to kidnap and possibly kill a girl in cold blood, just because of who her father was, it made him sick. Not to mention that, that was how his mom died.
Sure, Percy may not have liked Azula. She was rude, arrogant, and violent, but she was also just a kid trying to make her dad proud of her. She didn't deserve this just because her dad was the Fire Lord, nobody should pay for the sins of their parents.
It was that thought that made Percy realize he and Azula had a lot more in common than he originally believed. Their biggest difference between their lives was that Percy was free of his father.
As he looked down upon the young girl in his arms he wanted nothing more than to keep her safe. To protect her not just from assassins, but also from her father and anyone else who would hurt her emotionally or physically. She was his responsibility and he would keep her safe.
"I swear it Azula, I will protect you," Percy mumbled into her hair, too quietly to hear. He didn't know where the words had come from; they had just tumbled out of his mouth unbidden. As he brought them slowly back to the barge, he could've sworn he could hear the low rumble of thunder from the clear sky.
********
It had been a week since the assassination attempt. The two waterbenders that he had knocked off this ship had escaped while Percy went after Azula. Sometimes the demigod almost felt sick at how easily he had cut down the Water Tribe soldiers like he was slaughtering animals instead of people. People that most likely had families and dreams.
But then he remembered that these same people killed an entire crew while they slept, and then tried to kidnap three 14-year-old girls. It was safe to say Percy was at peace with what had happened that night. Azula, on the other hand, was not.
She stopped insulting him, which was nice, but she also stopped talking to him at all. She avoided meeting his eye or acknowledging he was even there. She was also avoiding her friends as well, isolating herself, doing nothing but training. Percy had tried saying something, but she had ignored him, acting like he didn't exist. Quite frankly, it was beginning to piss him off.
