One year has already passed since the moment I began to write this story! All I want to say is thank you to everybody who read and took the time to review this story. It truly helps me to continue to write this and I hope that you will continue to follow this great adventure! Just a big thank you!
Chapter 16: Icarus and Daedalus
It had passed many years since the day they got stuck in this maze. Since the day this betrayal had been committed, their freedom went lost.
The old man with fluffy white hair named Daedalus used to be one of the most loyal and appreciated servants of King Minos of Crete. For his monarch, he had created the plan of the famous palace of Knossos. This palace will be known through the Ancient World for its artistic mosaics on the walls which its yellow shades shined like gold and sand, the colorful columns red like apples. Every single detail was meticulously arranged to participate in the making of this magnificent jewel that would attract the jealousy of all the other kings.
Yes! Daedalus was truly the greatest architect of his era. And so, for his next project, Minos had ordered him to conceive the plan of a maze so complex that it would be impossible to find a way out when someone entered it.
Minos needed this in order to imprison the Minotaur. By the way, Daedalus had been responsible for the birth of this monster since he had helped Pasiphae, Minos' wife, to sleep with the bull she fell in love with...without expecting this kind of result!
Daedalus didn't disappoint and accomplished the difficult task with brilliance. Yet, he couldn't have predicted that his labyrinth would be used to imprison more than the half-bull monster…
It had broken his heart. Minos had used the maze to send his enemies in there. Of course, he would have probably killed them in another way, but this remained cruel. Being lost in a large and confusing prison, awaiting anxiously the moment when the monster will find you.
But then, the worst came.
With the current peace and less war prisoners to send to feed the beast, a sad coincidence happened. The king of Athens offended terribly Minos to the point that the Cretan monarch asked a ransom: to send fourteen young Athenians to be sacrificed to the Minotaur every nine years.
Daedalus couldn't believe it. How his king could do something like this? Innocent young people were now going to die in a structure he had confectioned. And since he was himself born as an Athenian, this fact traumatised him even more. He felt powerless, struck by a terrible fatality.
No! He couldn't accept to be known in the History books as Daedalus, the maker of the labyrinth where so many men and women met their end.
This is why when Ariadne came to him to seek help, he didn't hesitate too long. He told her the secret about how to get out of the maze. Thankfully, this small effort paid off. Theseus succeeded to defeat the monster, saving many countless lives. The old man also helped them to escape the island.
But soon, Minos discovered his betrayal. During his trial, he could see the palpable fury in the eyes of his sovereign, deeply hurt by the treason of one of his most trusted servants. Yet, the architect stayed unmoved. He didn't regret his act. He did it in order to save people and was ready to face death with honor.
However, he underestimated Minos' creativity at revenge. He decided to imprison Daedalus in his own labyrinth…with his son Icarus.
This event definitely destroyed and invaded with guilt the old man's heart. Why?! His son had nothing to do with anything! Why should he be punished for the crimes of his father?! That was so unfair!
By luck, they were not left to die. Each day, food would be sent inside with a catapult to prevent them to starve. They just needed to be lucky to find where the food landed. Still, being alive meant nothing if they were not free.
And so, for many years, Daedalus collected many objects he could find in the labyrinth. Feathers left by the passenger birds, wax from candles having belonged to previous victims. He used his creativity and his intelligence to build a solution to evade the prison.
And finally, he finished the best invention he ever created: wings to fly.
With each feather collected, he constructed two pairs of arms to imitate the birds glued together with wax and attached to a harness.
Hopefully, they would work.
…
Delphina walked carefully toward Epidaurus. At eight kilometers from the nearest town, an important sanctuary stood. She wanted to reach this destination. The sanctuary became famous for being the most important centre of medicine in the world. Everyone travelled from so far just to receive the perfect treatment against their diseases and wounds.
After all, it was where Asclepius, the new God of Medicine, worked and lived.
Nevertheless, despite putting her feet in a safe place for her, she still felt nervous. She entered the place and watched attentively everything around her. Ok! It seemed like there was nothing in any corner to worry about.
She was wrong.
Suddenly, a long animal devoid of paws jumped from the grass to quickly crawl on the road just to disappear again through the herbs. This few seconds were enough to allow panic to overtake Delphina's body who screamed and ran to the sanctuary where her godson finally noticed her arrival.
"Godmother! What a great surprise! But… What happened?"
She arrived in front of him, extenuated by the adrenaline. Infuriated, she yelled. "Why of all animals you had to choose the snake as your symbol?!"
Asclepius only laughed. "You crossed one of them once again, I must guess. I already told you. They are not venomous. You have nothing to fear from them. They are more scared of you than you of them."
"You didn't answer the question! And I don't care. I still don't like them!"
"Trust me, it is more the snake that chose me." He confessed to her while showing her his rod with the famous snake around it. His symbol of power that would become the symbol of medicine for many thousands years. "And I don't regret it. This animal knows how to lead and advise me. Just like your dolphins accompany you."
"There is a difference. The dolphins are the main object of my cult. In your case, you are not the God of Snakes, you are the God of Medicine. You didn't create the snakes like I created the dolphins. Ho! And why you have to keep so many around?!"
Asclepius sighed. "Have you travelled here only to criticise once again the creature I dearly love?"
She finally understood she had vexed him. "No. I'm sorry. I should be able to control my phobia better. I don't want to offend you in any case. I just came to see how you were doing."
"Perfectly fine. Just come. I want to show you all the progress I made."
She followed him. He led her to his main room of work where a large table stood in the middle surrounded by many shelves where the God kept his countless instruments, medicaments, medicinal plants and books. He showed his new technics, his new potions and his new discoveries. For an hour, she listened to him talked about his passion without interrupting him.
She smiled, pride busting in her heart. "It is amazing all the things you achieved. I think you has even surpassed your own father."
Asclepius didn't know how to react to this statement. "Godmother! Are you sure it would not disturb Father that you call someone else better than him in his domain?"
"Don't worry! You are his son! By the way, he willingly shared with you his title as the God of Medicine. That means he expected you to go further in this art. Trust me, he is very proud of you. Just like I am."
"Thank you, Godmother."
They continued this conversation for a big while. Then, suddenly, a man and a woman ran to them, panicked. Alerted, both divinities went outside to see what was happening. The couple screamed. "Lord Asclepius! Please! Help!"
The guards around them were about to dismiss the impudent visitors who came without passing by the usual protocol but the demigod saw the man holding a little girl in his arms. His compassionate heart touched, he ordered. "Let them come!"
Reassured, the couple approached, still crying in despair. "Tell me what is wrong." Asclepius invited them to do.
"It is our daughter!" The woman screamed. "She is affected by an unknown disease and no one close where we live was able to heal her. We made a long travel to come to you, Lord Asclepius. Her health has declined immensely on the road. You are our last hope to save her! Please!"
"Be calm. Don't worry. I will save her. I promise. Please, follow me."
"Ho. Thank you, My Lord." And the god led them to his workroom where he indicated to the hopeful parents to deposit the young girl on the table in the middle of the room. Delphina followed them, deeply worried. She saw the terrible state of the child. Many red spots covered her body. She was thin and very pale. Some parts of her members had abnormally amplified in volume. On her face, she expressed a lot of pain and many tears fell from her eyes. She looked not older than five years old. This was unbearable and heartbreaking to see.
But she trusted her godson to accomplish a miracle.
Asclepius asked them to leave in order for him to be concentrated. They did. They all sat on a bench outside and Delphina tried her best to reassure the couple. "Don't worry. Your daughter is going to be fine."
"She is our only child." The father simply whispered. "My wife got difficulties at giving birth to her. She cannot conceive another baby. If we loose her, our world crumble."
"I already told you. It is not going to happen. My godson never fails. He is the best healer ever, remember that."
"Thank you, Lady Delphina, for your kindness." In general, gods never did anything nice to mortals without expecting something in return. It wasn't the case of the Goddess of Dolphins and they were glad for that.
They needed to wait for an agonizing fifteen minutes until Asclepius came out. They waited anxiously for the news. Sadly…the expression on the god's face spoke. His eyes were down, his fists tightened, his confidence vanished.
They feared the worst…to be confirmed. "She didn't make it."
The sound of a world falling down resonated. The woman screamed. She asked to see her daughter! She needed to hug her body! The father trembled but tried to stay strong for his wife. Asclepius let them go. He had to let these grieving parents alone with their lost child. A long and painful journey of coping with the death of an offspring.
Death…
Angry, Asclepius began to hit the walls and threw the vases on the floor, producing a lot of damages. This sudden demonstration of violence scared the goddess, still present. Asclepius was truly the son of his father, but he needed to control his temper.
"Asclepius, calm down! Doing this will rearrange nothing!"
"And what would, Godmother?!" He yelled. "I failed! A young child died on my own table and I could do nothing to keep her alive! I worked really hard to become the greatest healer of all time! I was able to heal everybody, no matter what they suffered! Yet, how could I have failed this time?!"
"Things like that happen! Sometimes, you fail. You cannot always succeed to save everybody. You have to get over it!"
He didn't seem to listen to her. More like he was imprisoned in his own reflection. Sad, he whispered. "If it was my daughter or any of my children… How could you ask me to move on? I promised to save her. I want to keep this promise."
She was almost speechless by the suggestion. "Asclepius… She is dead now. You cannot do anything against death. I'm sorry, I…"
"No… I need to improve my knowledge. To find a way to avoid this. No more tragedy."
Delphina became mute. She found it would be pointless to try to argue about reason with him. He got a big heart and a strong pride. Two qualities which didn't help at this moment.
"I am going to go back to the sea on duty. I will come back to see you very soon." She told him. He needed some time alone. Still, she knew she would need to go back to check on him. To make sure he would not do anything careless.
…
Daedalus was now ready to escape the labyrinth and the island of Crete. He had finished to install the improvised wings on his son's back. But before to depart, he had to warn the blond teenager.
"Now Son, listen to me. We are going to do something no mortal has ever achieved before."
"I know. We are going to fly! It will be so great!"
"Listen, Icarus! This is serious! Since this is new, we have to be careful. This is why I will ask you to always stay near me. And overall, don't go too low or too high. Is it understood?"
"Yes, Father!"
Damn! He felt so nervous! But he possessed no other choice. He prayed the gods to protect them. To not take this act as an offense but only as a way to escape an awful situation.
Taking a big breathe, he departed. The wings stroke the air and he felt his feet leaving the ground. It worked! Encouraged, he indicated to his son to follow him. "Come, my boy."
Excited, the teenager imitated his father. Enhanced by the sensation, he jubilated. He couldn't believe they were truly flying! They went higher than the walls of the labyrinth to finally get out. And the view offered to them was fabulous!
Anyway, they couldn't stay to explore the land. They needed to leave imperatively the island. Sooner they would arrive on the continent, better they would feel.
Daedalus instructed his son to follow him to the north-east. And with the beating of the wings, they emerged above the sea like giant and graceful seagulls. Concentrated, the inventor constantly checked the correct functioning of the wings while maintaining his focus on his destination.
Then, he noticed that his son seemed to enjoy too much this kind of freedom. He flew and executed many loops, elevations and others ideas of acrobatics that flourished in his head.
His father reacted. "Icarus, stop! These things are not toys."
Annoyed, Icarus still listened.
The architect sighed. Raising a child was so difficult. But his duty commanded him to protect his offspring at all cost. He looked behind him. Crete was disappearing in the horizon and with it, his nightmare. He returned his eyes in front of him and decided to direct his road to Attica. He planned to go back to his native city, Athens. Certainly, he will be offered Asylum after all he did for the new king Theseus. Also, he would be happy to see his previous home and to present it to his son.
Ho! No! Icarus! He forgot to check on him! He searched around him to see nothing. Where was he?! He looked again and finally spotted his son far away in direction of Anatolia. What was he doing?! He told him to star near him!
Worried and scared, he hurried and screamed. "Icarus! Come back!"
But the teenager didn't seem to be able to hear him. He was testing the boundaries of those amazing wings. He wanted to fly with the birds! He wanted to touch the clouds, to make one with the sky! He wanted to be so high that he would be able to view all of Greece.
"I am almost there!" He said.
Ignoring the danger, Icarus flew higher, higher and higher. He felt the sun getting warmer on his skin. The sensation was thrilling!
But freaking afraid, from a long distance, his father yelled. "Icarus! The wax! Come back!"
The wax? Then, Icarus realised that the wax that attached the wings was melting. Instinctively, he tried to go back away from the sun but…it was too late.
The wings broke. The power of flying gone, gravity took over Icarus' destiny. Panicked, the youth screamed as he fell which his father tragically discovered he would not get to his son in time. All he could do was crying.
"NO!"
…
Delphina was very close when Icarus fell. She had been swimming with her dolphins meditating about Asclepius' situation. She wondered what to do with the trauma he was going through. But then, the vison of the young teenager descending quickly from the sky to fall in the sea caught her attention. Petrified, she swam really fast. She didn't get a clue about what happened, but she knew she had to help him.
But when she arrived there… She held a body motionless, pale and not breathing. No!
She looked at the young boy, trying to speak to him but he didn't respond. Maybe it was the shock! It had to be that! She stroke the water with her tail and hurried up toward the nearest beach. Panic and anxiety ran a marathon in her brain. No! She couldn't let it happen!
She reached the shore. She slid her body fiercely on the sand. She changed her tail into legs and carried the youth herself. First thing she noticed was the wings. She took them off to make the move easier. Then, she verified his pulse.
"No…" She whispered, beginning to tremble.
She heard a man crying out loud and, scared and ashamed, she ran away back to the sea.
She remained not far from the land. She kept a head on the surface to observe what was happening…it was heartbreaking.
Also equipped with wings, she saw an old man, probably the father, holding his child in his arms, hugging and crying continuously. He screamed like if he had just lost his soul, his purpose of life. This horrifying view harmed Delphina's spirit. This image reminded her another tragedy she just assisted, powerlessly.
She continued to stare at the father trying to talk to his son like if there was still a hope. He continued for ten minutes, gradually facing the reality. The spectacle was too hard to watch but she couldn't look away!
Suddenly, she fell a warm hand on her shoulder. A little surprised at first, she calmed down when she guessed who it was. "I completely didn't feel you coming." She said.
Apollo stood behind her, in his chariot who had ditched on the water. He wasn't riding the sun today but he came as soon he got a vision of Delphina full of distress. It activated his protective instinct. Indeed, he found her deeply troubled. He softly touched her cheeks and said. "You are crying."
The goddess now felt the tear sliding in the curve of her face. "Just a little." She riposted.
"You are trembling." He replied.
It was pointless. He was the God of Truth after all. And so, she cracked!
"I failed!" Her emotions finally exploded which she still gazed painfully at the old man grieving the dead teenager in his arms. "He drowned and I arrived too late to save him!"
His hold on her intensified but that didn't manage to reassure her. She continued. "Why? Why did I let this happen?!"
"Remember that his fall was very high." The god replied. "He died the moment he hit the water. You could have done nothing to save him."
"I still cannot buy it! I am a rescuer! I never got a dead body in my arms before!"
"You have to accept it! Things like that happen! Sometimes, you fail. You cannot always succeed to save everybody. You have to get over it."
She opened widely her eyes. The impression of déjà vu was intense. These were the exact same words she said to Asclepius. It sometimes bothered her how he could seem to know everything. But he also implied she should be well placed to understand but…but…
"Look at his father." She told him. "Look at the despair, the crushing pain on his face. Hear his cries, his pointless calls for help… How can you not be moved?"
"I am, trust me. It is the sun, my own entity, that melted the wax of his wings. So, I am responsible as well. But I have to move on, just like you."
She could detect the sincerity in his voice. And yet, she couldn't take this thought away from her mind. "If it was Asclepius? What would you say?"
Suddenly, she felt Apollo surrendering her waist with his arms and grabbing her to put her with him in his chariot. Then, he hugged her delicately from behind. It didn't happen frequently for him to be so touchy with her even if he wanted to make it look like a friendly gesture. It was still very affectionate and really not disagreeable to feel his warming comfort.
He said. "Chase these horrifying thoughts from your mind, please. Please, don't worry."
If he wanted to reassure her, he failed. "When the God of Truth doesn't simply tell me that it is never going to happen, then, I know what he means."
"Delphina…"
"No. Don't. We have to talk about it! Asclepius has the status of a god! Yet, he is still mortal! Since he married a goddess, thankfully, his children are protected from death. But Atropos can still cut the thread of life of our dear boy at any moment!"
Apollo wanted to do anything to comfort her and erase her fears but himself was too afraid to use his own prophetic powers to see his son's future. Sometimes, it was better to not see what Fates had planned for them or anyone close to them.
He looked at the tragic scene of Daedalus with Icarus in his arms. He didn't want to be in the same position. He did ask to his father to grant immortality to his offspring, but he responded that for a demigod to receive such a high gift, he must do something special toward the gods.
The rule was explained by the fact that since so many demigods were produced, it would be insane to give all of them immortality. The pantheon would get crowded. He argued the fact that his son was venerated as a god by the mortals to defend his point. It wasn't enough. Zeus used the example of Delphina. She had been worshipped for a long time before being given the access to ambrosia, only after she helped his mother to give birth to him and his sister.
All of this meant that he ended up powerless to say to his beloved friend that everything would be alright without sounding unsure.
"I know, Delphina. Fates are more powerful than us. We can do nothing against death. But you know how much I love my son. You can trust me to do anything I can to avoid such scenario to fall on you and me. I will protect him."
And to his own surprise, the mermaid slid closer to his chest. The warm emerging from her body totally electrified him. She closed her blue eyes and replied. "Thank you."
He didn't know if she was truly reassured but he was content to have her at least somehow appeased. And he kept her in the safety of his embrace, enjoying this rare intimate moment.
They both realised how much they needed each other to calm their invasive worries…temporarily.
…
Each day, each night, Asclepius had been working. Fatigue would not be an obstacle to his goal. He had tried any kind of experiment, read all books available in the archives. Never giving up. It had to exist a way!
His perseverance paid off when he read about the Gorgons. Hiding his intentions, he went to meet Athena and asked her if she possessed the blood of the right side of Medusa. When she confirmed she did, he pleeded her to give him some of it. The Goddess of Wisdom had affections for the talented demigod and agreed to help him. She gave to him all the blood she possessed, wishing him to do good use of it.
He deeply thanked her and didn't wait a minute to act. The parents who had lost their daughter were waiting to bury the body of their child for a safe travel to Hades. Yet, Asclepius had pretexted the need to analyze her body to investigate the cause of his incapacity to heal her and avoid such story to repeat. But it was long. They wanted her to get peace by having her funeral and the money to cross the Styx.
But Asclepius had other plans.
The parents waited outside the building. They had decided that they couldn't wait longer. They desired to go back home and live their grief in the intimacy of their hearth. But the god had asked one more hour! That was now too much!
The father stood up and said angrily. "This is enough! Our daughter is dead too young! Her soul must be scared! She doesn't deserve to be treated as a subject of experiment for so long. I don't care if he is the son of Apollo, I am going to talk to him!"
But just when he was about to enter the room, the door opened itself.
"Father! Mother!" A little girl appeared and went to hug her parents whose shock was painted fully on their faces. Were they dreaming? It couldn't be!
But they couldn't mistake the identity of the kid. Her hair, her lips, her nose, her chin, her eyes… Their daughter was alive!
An immense wave of happiness stroke the little family! They were all safe and reunited!
Asclepius came out of his workroom, looking upon the joy of the people he just helped. He smiled. The crying father rose his head, looking at him and screamed. "Thank you, Lord Asclepius, for this miracle! Thank you one thousand times! We will never forget what you have done for us!"
"It was nothing. I had a promise to keep."
He felt satisfied. All his efforts had been rewarded. He had defied the Fates.
Now, he possessed the power to bring the dead people back!
Thank you for reading!
The sea where Icarus fell was named after him: Icaria.
Daedalus didn't go to Athens after his escape (it was to Sicily), but hey! I needed a reason to how he would get to the actual sea of Icaria.
The myth doesn't involve Apollo or the dolphin but since Icarus died in the sea because of the sun, I thought it was a great way to connect both main characters.
I hope you enjoyed it. No hint this time because I think the subject of the next chapter is obvious. Also, I plan for it to be longer, so don't expect too much for it to be published in early september but I will do my best!
See you soon!