The Firebender (ATLA-PJO Crossover)

Plot: Leo Valdez was hanging around Bunker Nine when he saw him hanging around the woods, a boy with a mysterious scar on the left side of his face. This guy was a demigod, Leo just knew it. But who was he?

Leo yawned and wiped sweat away from his forehead. He spent all night in the bunker to make blueprints for the Argo II. He was extremely enthusiastic about this project, and he was happy that everyone else went crazy when the project was announced. Everyone seemed so excited to see Percy back.

He wanted to get finished on the design of the Argo II as soon as possible, but then again, he couldn't work if he was half-asleep. Drinking a bottle of water, he figured that he should go to sleep. The sun was almost rising, and Annabeth wanted him to be up early.

He set the bottle of water down on his workbench. He placed his hands in his pockets and whistled softly, making his way outside the bunker. The metal doors shut behind him and he started to walk back to his cabin. He held his palm out and a flames flickered on his palm.

He heard the faint sound of a sword being unsheathed, and he looked around. To his right, he could see light. The fire in his palm disappeared and he frowned when he realized that the light was coming from a campfire. Who would be camping out this late at night?

Leo saw a boy with dark brown hair, about fifteen years old, he assumed, dressed in red and golden robes, pacing around the fire. He was shivering from the cold, and blasted small jets of fire from the tips of his fingers and to the fire. Leo's eyes widened. This guy can control fire, he thought. Pyrokinesis was a rare power that very few children of Hephaestus possessed. Maybe this guy was a son of Hephaestus. But who was this guy?

The boy clad in red robes turned around to face the son of Hephaestus as if he knew he was there the entire time. Leo flinched when he caught sight of the scar on the left side of his face surrounding his startling golden eyes. “Who are you and what do you want?” he said harshly, gripping both of his swords tightly.

Leo tried not to be intimidated with this strange guy he stumbled upon. “'Sup, brother!” he raised his arms out and grinned at him. The golden-eyed guy looked confused, but he continued, “I saw your fancy pyrokinetic skills back there, dude, that was cool. I've never seen you around these parts!” he said, sticking his hand out, expecting a handshake. “I'm Leo, you know, I lead Cabin Nine, and I'll take you there soon. We're gonna have a great time bonding with our siblings, and I know it's hard being a demigod –”

“What?” the boy with dark brown hair asked incredulously. “What do you mean I'm your brother? I have never seen you before in my life.” Leo realized that the boy was more confused than creeped out. “And what's a demigod? Who are you and what do you want with me –”

“What do you mean you don't know what a demigod is?” the son of Hephaestus frowned. The more he talked with this guy, the weirder he seemed. “You're messing with me, right? And haven't you done any research? You should've been chased by monsters on your way here, right?”

The boy clad in robes ignored Leo's questions and continued to ask, “You're not from here, aren't you? Your clothes aren't Fire Nation, and you don't look like you're an earthbender, and … you're a waterbender, aren't you?”

“Okay, now I'm confused!” Leo said. “You don't know what a demigod is, but you're camping in these woods. Are you a really lost pizza guy or something? And what in the name of the gods is a waterbender!” he was beginning to get a headache. “You controlled fire, so I assumed you were a son of Hephaestus –”

“Spirits, what's a Hephaestus?” he screamed out in rage. “You don't recognize me at all? I'm Zuko? Fire Nation?” he gestured to the scar on his face. “Last I checked, I was camping out in these forests to join the Avatar to help him destroy Fire Lord Ozai. Where am I?”

“What's an Avatar?” Leo asked at the same time Zuko asked, “What do you mean I'm a really lost pizza guy?” Leo cleared his throat, and sat down, stared at the flames flickering intently, and said, “You go first.”

“Alright,” Zuko said, taking a deep breath. “I'm a firebender. I can control fire.” he raised a clenched fist and shot streams of orange flames to the campfire, making the son of Hephaestus back away slightly.

“Funny story, I can control fire too.” Leo shrugged, sticking his palm out and making small balls of fire dance in his palm. “I'm the son of a god, Hephaestus. Have you heard of him? God of the forges? That means I'm super awesome at building stuff.”

“You're a firebender!” Zuko said at the same time Leo claimed, “You're a son of Hephaestus!”

“Just because I'm a firebender, that does not mean I'm a son of a god!”

“And just because I can control fire, doesn't mean I'm a firebender!”

“It kinda does!”

Leo was silent, and for a long time, both him and Zuko were silent. The silence carried on for a few minutes, and they just sat and watched the flames flicker colors of orange and red. “You're pretty cool,” Leo said quietly, shrugging.

“You don't seem so bad yourself,” Zuko shrugged.

And that was the story on how Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, met Fire Prince Zuko. Since that moment, they became close friends and have been on adventures together, such as that one time when they realized that they were in an alternate universe and Leo had to help Zuko find his way back to his own universe.

But that was another story.