The day of Icarus's birthday dawned bright and clear, and he hopped out of bed to get ready for the day. His father was already making breakfast when he got downstairs.

"Morning, Dadalus!" he called.

"Good morrow, son!" Daedalus replied. "Breakfast is almost done. Please set the table."

Icarus pretended to be upset. "On my birthday? That's not a good present!"

Daedalus turned and Icarus saw a gleam in his eyes. "Oh, that is not your gift. Your gift is one that I believe you will enjoy. But if the table is not set, we cannot enjoy this scrumptious breakfast."

"Oh really?" Icarus challenged as he hurried for the plates. "What is this enjoyable gift?"

"You'll see after breakfast."

Icarus grinned with glee. His father had been holed up in his workshop every free moment he had, and he'd heard him sneaking around at night, no doubt bringing in materials for whatever new invention he was working on for his son. Icarus plopped down as breakfast was carried over, and he eagerly filled his plate and dug in. Daedalus seemed antsy and ate with a distracted air.

"What time are your friends due?" he finally asked.

After swallowing, Icarus answered. "It won't be until midday. We're going to go to Speedy Pita for lunch and then we'll come back here and hang out. That okay?"

"More than okay," Daedalus said.

"Is it okay if I show them the workshop?"

Daedalus paused. "If Hercules doesn't touch a single thing, yes."

Icarus chuckled. "Okay. Thanks, Dadalus."

Daedalus whisked the plates away as soon as they were done, and he quickly washed everything. Icarus was curious as to why his father was so excited. It must be his present. What could he have made? It must be one heck of an invention. When the kitchen was settled, Daedalus turned to his son.

"You go outside and face away from the house. Close your eyes and don't move. I'll be right there."

Icarus grinned and nodded, strolling out the door as Daedalus ran for his workshop. Icarus faced the eastern woods and closed his eyes, enjoying the breeze that played with his hair and reminiscing about being in the sky. He missed that so much. But it scared his father, he reminded himself, so he wouldn't do it again. Even if he felt like he'd lost a part of himself when the wings were destroyed.

He heard his fathers footsteps. "Arms out!" Daedalus commanded, glee bubbling out of him like a fountain.

Icarus laughed. "You haven't been this excited in a while! What new invention have you made?" He stuck his arms out.

Something slid over his arms and settled onto his back. Icarus froze at the familiar weight and his father spoke. "It's not exactly a new invention. It's an old one you really enjoyed."

Icarus opened his eyes before his father told him to and looked back. It was another set of wax wings. His heart quivered as his eyes lit up with joy.

"Oh, Dadalus!" he squealed, feeling like a child again.

"Go on! Try them out! I made a few tweaks!"

Icarus hit the release and slipped his hands into the leather loops. Daedalus watched as Icarus tested the range and motion, his face glowing with pleasure. He grinned as Icarus took a deep breath and flapped hard. He left the ground for a moment then landed with ease. Then his son looked at him with the most adoring expression before he flapped again and lifted off the ground.

Daedalus thought that nothing would be better than the pride and joy he felt at that moment, and then Icarus dashed forward. He flew low, speeding up as he realized that the invention was holding up. Then he flapped into the sky, moving higher and faster than Daedalus had expected. Icarus was so good at this! He began to do aerial acrobatics that were thrilling and frightening at the same time. Daedalus watched with a pounding heart, excited and scared, full of joy and anxiety. But it was a glorious sight to see his son so happy and free. It had been a long, difficult four years, but what Icarus had become, was becoming, was worth it.

When Icarus finally came in for a landing, windswept and breathless with laughter, Daedalus beamed at him.

"What do you think? An adequate gift?"

Icarus threw his arms around his father and laughed. "It's way better than adequate, Dadalus! It's the best gift ever!"

Daedalus squeezed his son, mindful of the invention, then picked him up and swung him around. Icarus laughed as his feet touched the ground again. He gazed up at his father with a crooked smile and shrugged out of the wings, carefully setting them aside.

"Thank you, Dadalus. I thought you'd never let me fly again."

"How could I refuse when you wanted it so much?" Daedalus asked. "Just promise me two things. One, that you'll be careful."

"Of course."

"Two, that you don't tell your mother yet." Daedalus cringed. "She'll flay me alive if she finds out."

Icarus had not had a breakthrough with Tryphaina like he had with his father. He knew it was coming, but he had to be patient. The day after he'd sent the note, his mother had arrived and laid into him about fighting and running away. Icarus had listened and waited for a turn before he calmly explained himself. She had not accepted the explanation like Daedalus had, instead saying that violence was never the answer. Icarus had promised to be good, and then he said that when he came during the summer, he needed to talk with her. She had stopped and stared at him.

"You're growing up, Icky," she'd said, sounding surprised.

"And neither of us have noticed," Daedalus had replied.

Tryphaina left that day, puzzled by her son. They'd kept in regular contact through letters, and Icarus was working out what he would say to her. But he knew what his father said was right. She would kill him for giving Icarus the wings.

"You're not wrong there," Icarus admitted. "So for now, I won't tell her."

"Good." Daedalus hugged him again. "Now, let's go and put away my more delicate experiments in the workshop. As a precaution."

Icarus laughed but followed his father. This was turning out to be the best birthday ever. Plus he still had a whole day with his friends to look forward to. He couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Because he was allowed to be happy now. And he was. After so many years of pain and hiding, he was finally free. It was like jumping into the sky with the wax wings. It was an experience of pure freedom. So he angled himself toward the future and continued to move forward.

Icarus was glad to be alive, glad to be himself, quirks and all. He was thankful that Zeus had saved his life, and he'd decided to give back to him by being the best friend to Hercules he could be. No matter what happened, what was to come, he would always be grateful, to Zeus for giving him a second chance to live, and also to Hercules, who gave him hope and friendship when he hadn't known he needed it. He was a very happy boy indeed. And it felt so right.

And that is the end of the story! I hope you all enjoyed it. If you did, let me know what you thought. There might be a sequel in the future focused more on Daedalus, but I'm not sure yet. Thanks for reading!