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If anyone had asked Sokka, tending the Camp's strawberry fields was a damn punishment.
Oh, sure, they needed the money. They had to work, even if it was child labor.
And it didn't matter that they supposedly had immortal parents who would have to pay hundreds of dollars in child support: to keep things running there, and to make money, strawberries were vital.
Just because it was necessary didn't mean Sokka had to like it. The strawberry fields were supposed to be taken care of by those from Demeter's or Dionysus's Cabin, or at most some Aphrodite girl. Not him, he was the son of Athena, and last time he'd checked, his mother's talents certainly didn't include growing and tending plants!
It was a clear punishment for that little incident in the forge with Haru! It was unfair, though, that the son of Hephaestus wasn't here, while Sokka was! Just because he might have been the one who incited Haru...
He nearly tripped over something, and before he could speak, a voice said, "Be quiet. Don't draw attention to yourself."
The speaker was a fifteen-year-old with a noticeable scar on the side of his face. He was pale, and the bright orange Camp T-shirt was embarrassing, but he had very delicate features, and Sokka supposed he wasn't too bad to look at.
“What are you doing here?” Sokka found himself asking. Strawberry fields were often frequented by couples—urgh, even Aang and Katara—because apparently it was romantic or something. The boy, however, was alone.
“Speak more quietly, or she’ll see me.”
“Who?”
“My sister Azula…”
“Azula? Like…the psychopathic daughter of Zeus? That Azula?”
“Yeah, she…”
“Wait…does that mean…”
“Before you ask, no, I’m not Zeus’s son too…” the boy sighed, huddling even more firmly against the ground, hoping that the strawberry plants, however ruined, would help hide him.
All parents had favorites, and if they said otherwise, they were lying to you: Azula had always been father's favorite. She was special, as he often said.
She was born lucky, while Zuko was lucky to be born. That's why father sent her to a camp every year where she would learn to harness her talents, so that when she grew up, she could succeed him as a worthy heir, crushing their enemies. Zuko would remain to serve her, because there was no other task for someone like him.
For years, he'd thought his father meant he was a failure. And in a way, Ozai meant that too. But no, Ozai mainly meant that my demigod daughter will carry on my legacy, while my mortal son will have to pave the way for her.
Ozai Sozin had always been an ambitious man, a true shark in the world of politics and finance. And as a young man, he'd been handsome. Apparently, Zeus had liked all of these things, enough to visit him and, nine months later, leave Azula with him. Zuko didn't understand why his mother was so sad at the time, but he, for his part, loved having a younger sister. But being betrayed like that, and seeing your husband ignore his honor for the benefits and power that came with his relationship with the King of the Gods, must have been a hard blow.
And Zeus had fully supported Ozai in his rise: all the success, power, and money, Ozai had obtained largely thanks to his lover, and he showered his favor on Azula, who was delighted, knowing she was different, superior to her foolish mortal older brother.
All their lives, she had taken her superiority for granted; too bad in that family the demigods were two, and Azula hadn't taken the news well at all.
Joke on you, Azula, he hadn't been thrilled either, especially when father was trying to burn his face.
“Wait…are you that son of Hades who got dumped by one of the Unceasing One?!” Sokka found himself exclaiming out loud, getting a dirty look from the other boy. “Oh, right, low voice…Katara was in the infirmary when you got here. I’m sorry about…well…you know…dad going crazy and all.”
“It was only a matter of time,” the demigod muttered under his breath, but Sokka heard him anyway. And the son of Athena understood what he meant: Zeus's lovers usually didn't end well, and not just because of Hera's jealousy.
Oh no, some of them ruined themselves; the ambition of seducing the king of heaven wasn't enough. They wanted more. It changed them, slowly destroyed them. And sometimes, it turned into obsessions.
And that's exactly what happened to Ozai.
“So…did he try to burn you before or after he realized you weren't mortal?”
If Katara had been there, she would have grabbed his ear and yelled at him for his utter lack of tact. And yes, Sokka admitted he was rather tactless, but he didn't know any other way to ask. Why beat around the bush when you could get straight to the point?
Even the son of Hades seemed to agree,” Before, after contradicting him during a council meeting. Usually, I keep quiet; it’s enough that I’m allowed to be there. But they were talking about cutting staff just to make more money, and many would be left with nothing. I had to say something.”
“Let me guess: it didn’t go well.”
“No one listened to me, so it wasn’t really a bad thing for my father. But… I’d been noticing his mood swings, his overreactions… I thought there was something going on, but I didn’t imagine it was turning into a mania. Father and Azula never told me any of this,” he said, making a vague gesture that should have covered all of Camp Half-Blood, not just the strawberry field. “To them, I wasn’t worthy of knowing.”
“So you really didn’t know you could be like Azula? Monsters never attacked you? Not even at school?”
He didn't mean to sound envious, but he and Katara spent almost the entire year at Camp because two demigods in a family, especially two children of Athena, attracted the attention of monsters like honey to bees. They visited their dad for the holidays and for a few days during vacations, but they couldn't stay long. They knew all too well how it went if they stayed too long.
For a child of one of the Big Three, it must have been a hundred times worse.
The demigod grimaced. "I didn't go to school and rarely went out. Apparently, there are magical wards on our house. They didn't do much for when my dad transformed. They were just useful for keeping monsters out."
"Okay, no school, but ADHD? Dyslexia? Didn't anyone notice?"
"I didn't want to give father any more reason to be disappointed in me," the boy replied in a low voice, a tone so hushed it wrenched Sokka's heart.
Dei immortals, that was another can of worms that absolutely shouldn't be opened. Unfortunately, having shitty parents wasn't a rarity for demigods either; in fact, it was rarer to have parents like Sokka and Katara's.
"So you were hiding in plain sight, never seeing anything strange, and never using your powers..."
"Before I accidentally sent father to the Underworld."
Sokka's eyes widened. "You sent that man to the Underworld?"
It was...so damn cool! Wow!
"Accidentally," the demigod clarified, "I have no idea how I did it...but everything hurt, my face was burning, I wanted him to stop...and when he said those things about mom, and I just...I got angry..."
Sokka nodded, as if that made sense. It was never a good idea to piss off a son of Hades.
Well, too bad for that asshole. He said, "So now I guess Azula wants you to pay for daddy dearest, right?"
“No, she doesn't care. I think she only hates me because I'm a demigod too, and because, apparently, I'm supposed to be powerful. She can't stomach the fact that we can be equals.”
“So her solution is fratricide?”
The other boy grimaced. “It can hardly be considered fratricide when we don't even share a parent.”
“Good for you. Having the same father would have been a nightmare!”
And yes, he purposely left it ambiguous which father he was referring to. Zeus was the big boss of Olympus, and Sokka supposed he did a half-decent job compared to Kronos. But that didn't change the fact that he was an asshole, and many of his children, like Azula, continued the family tradition of being ambitious bastards who would sell their mothers for their rise to power.
In the distance, he heard the sound of thunders. Azula was approaching. The boy paled even more. “I promise I'll help you clean up later! Just don't let her find me.”
“You know you're as powerful as her, if not more so?”
“If I knew how to use my so-called powers, I wouldn't be hiding out here! I don't even have a sword! What am I supposed to do against someone who can create a storm out of nothing?”
That was a good point, too, Sokka had to give him that. And since he wasn't a complete asshole, he decided to cooperate. He was, after all, the boy with the plan.
So when a pissed-off twelve-year-old girl came by, bringing lightning and thunderbolts from her ears, Sokka remained unfazed.
This didn't sit well with Azula, who enjoyed watching people back away from her power. “Hey, you! Have you seen a silly-faced boy pass by? He was already stupid before, but now he has a scar that only makes him look more lame!”
Sokka pretended to think about it, and then asked, “What do I get out of being a snitch?”
“I won’t electrocute you right there and tear you to pieces. So, did you see him?”
Sokka rolled his eyes, “I thought I saw someone matching your description walking towards the lake.”
Azula snorted, "If he thinks the lake nymphs will protect him from me, he's even more stupid than I thought!"
"Do I get something?"
"My not killing you is your reward!" Azula yelled, and left without even saying thank you.
If Azula had taken a few minutes to look around her, she would have realized that the strawberry bushes weren't as they should be, and that there was black earth at their feet.
However, Azula was convinced that no one would dare stand against her, daughter of Zeus, the most powerful demigoddess of that generation (correction, one of the most powerful demigoddess of that generation, but just like Zeus, Azula valued no power beyond her own), and so she accepted Sokka's lie.
She walked away, more like a storm spirit than a person, and as soon as she was out of earshot, Sokka reached out to the boy still on the ground. “She’s gone.”
“Thank you,” the demigod said, taking Sokka’s hand and using it to stand up. He was only a little taller than Sokka, and he was actually quite handsome.
Too handsome to be electrocuted alive by a psychopathic demigoddess.
“You’re welcome. As soon as I’m done here, I’ll help you find a suitable weapon. You can’t go around without one.”
The other looked puzzled. “That’s not necessary…”
“And Hades’s domain includes Earth, right? My friend Toph is Demeter’s daughter, and she could help us understand what you’re capable of. And Aang…he’s some kind of minor deity, but he’s not an old man, he’s a kid too, and he’s a cool guy…he could help us figure out the rest…”
The son of Hades looked at Sokka as if he’d grown snakes instead of hair. And since that kind of thing could happen with demigods, Sokka ran a hand through his hair just to be sure.
No, no snakes. Good for him!
“Why?”
“Duh, do you really want to be unable to fight back when Azula tries to attack you again? At least you’ll know how to defend yourself…”
“No, I meant…why are you helping me? You don’t even know me!”
What a sad life he must have had not to think someone could do something out of simple kindness. And curiosity. Hades wasn't as inclined to have relationships with mortals as his brothers, and it had been a hundred years since the birth of Hades's last son!
Sokka was obviously very curious to see what the other one could do…and to help him! There was that too, of course. No one should have to constantly watch their back in a place that's supposed to be safe!
Besides, the guy, even with the scar, wasn't bad to look at, and Sokka had always had a weakness for strong, independent women and pathetic men. Sue him.
Sokka smiled, "My name is Sokka, and I'm a son of Athena. In my spare time, I invent and blow things up."
"I'm Zuko…apparently, my father is Hades, and I have no idea what I can do."
Sokka's smile widened, almost maniacal. His scientist spirit saw so many possibilities!
(And it was a good thing Sokka was some kind of mad scientist who didn't care about concepts like creepy and grotesque. Others in his place would have helped Azula kill Zuko. After all, the children of Hades were bad news. But luckily for everyone involved, Sokka had no such prejudices. If someone had said, "Hey, be careful, he's a child of Hades, he'll curse you," he would have said Duh, as would most of the campers here. Just last week, the Apollo Cabin people cursed the Ares Cabin people to speak in rhyme! What's the difference?)
"Don't worry, Zuko! We'll figure it out together! But first... will you help me get here? I can't do it all alone!"
And Zuko, gods bless him, agreed, even though he'd never seen a camp in his life, and had never actually worked. Luckily, he learned quickly.
If Sokka occasionally looked at him and hoped he'd take his shirt off because of the heat, well, that was his business.