19 [Hero]

Fate/Defiance

Chapter 18 [Hero]

By theMadLad

Beta: Old man of the mountain

Icarus whooped aloud as he soared up, feeling the wind run through his hair as he rose.

…He missed this feeling.

He continued forward, flying past the treetops and over the forest, until he eventually reached the clouds far above the distant earth. "Hahaha!" He bellowed in laughter as he flew, believing that there was no greater euphoria than this.

Although… the flight wasn't all perfect, as the controls via his hands felt clunky and distracting while the wings themselves also had issues, with their movements being stiff and rigid when shifting joints.

But still, when compared to the balloon—he liked it much more. He was no longer tied to some floating object but rather became the floating object through the use of the wings.

After some time, he had to shift the wings to a gliding form while slowly bringing himself down with flaps that decreased his descent speed before landing. He hit the ground near his camp on unsteady legs, catching himself from falling with a smile on his face.

It was fun!

But it needed some adjustments.

He quickly headed towards his workshop with eager steps. This is what Icarus loved about his inventions, not only the feeling of satisfaction and pride he would feel towards them when completed but also the fact that he could always improve them and make them better.

While Icarus was currently unable to find a way to make the mechanism for the movements of the wings act like a second limb, with him having to instead use clunky controls based on the positions of his hands and arms—he was confident that he would one day.

…He just didn't have the skills, yet.

Instead, he could only try to make them as smooth as possible. So, with that in mind, he got to work.

First sawing some wood from a thin tree and then getting to work on carving a very large screw.

There was a reason screws were included as one of the six simple machines along with the wheel and axle, lever, pulley, inclined plane, and wedge—they were extremely useful.

After carefully carving it out, he then made it into a mold using the previous method he used to first make screws. Icarus then stripped Paimon into a naked bird—stealing all his bronze feathers to use for casting.

Poor Paimon.

He wished he had a lathe to make the process so much easier, but he didn't want to put in the time and effort needed to make one without a proper workshop.

So, he had to make do with what he had.

He then made two cylinders out of bronze, one large and one small, with a decent amount of thickness. He then carved two holes at both ends of the large cylinder before carving one large hole at the center of both cylinders, but not entirely through on the small one, which remained with a flat plate at the bottom. Icarus then added internal threading to both holes that matched the pattern of the large screw he had made prior.

He attached the large cylinder's carved ends onto two trees that had their tops removed, and then screwed it in place. After that, he took the large screw he had originally made and screwed it through the center hole using a handle he had attached to the top.

Then he attached the smaller cylinder to the bottom of the screw, also screwing it into place. Then finally he placed a flat stone under it while also carving small grooves that led off the stone through a small incline.

"…Finally done." He spoke to himself as he slowly backed away after completing the multiple day long project to gaze at his finished product—The Screw Press.

Now, he just needed some olives.

So, he picked as many olives as he could from the various olive trees that Athena had blessed him with, then he took a poorly made mallet and used it to mash the seeds from the olives. He then did this process to each olive he had gathered one by one before placing them all on the stone under the press.

He left a small bowl from altered stone under the place the grooves carved onto the stone led, and then gripped the handle at the top of the screw press before rotating it, slowly lowering the flat cylinder plate at the bottom towards the olives before steadily crushing them into nothing but juices. The juices then went on to follow the grooves placed within the stone and flow into the bowl below.

It was Olive Oil.

He separated the oil from other liquids in the bowl such as water, then slathered it on his wings, spreading it carefully and extensively on both the feathers, skeleton, and joints. Olive Oil was basically a natural WD40, able to not only lubricate the metals on his wings to allow for more fluid movements but also protect them as well.

With the thought of his victory over the Stymphalian Birds in mind, Icarus decided to be extra careful and even added a hydrophobic bounded field over his wings, making sure to have it be powerful enough to directly overpower the magical resistance of his feathers. He did so because he was worried someone could apply the same trick he did to the birds to himself, as he thought it was possible that someone could figure it out after hearing about his fight.

As for why he believed someone would know how his battle with the Stymphalian Birds went? It was because the Gods often distributed a hero's deeds through the use of the oracles placed in the various city-states. Icarus liked to compare heroes of the time to famous celebrities of the future, with their actions freely told for all to see.

It was through this, that Icarus had first heard rumors about how two royal Spartan twins had been taken to be trained in this forest by Chiron.

Maybe now, he could finally find him. But him not having found Chiron yet was likely… his own fault, after all—he had taken so many detours that he wouldn't be surprised if the Gods became frustrated with him. Well, his battle and victory over the Stymphalian Birds probably negated the possibility of that.

In the end though he just shook his head and once again attached his wings to his body, ready to try his new improvements.

A moment later, Icarus was gone—back into the sky above. The movements of his wings this time around were much smoother, with him actually feeling comfortable when moving them.

At the cusp of his ascent into the sky, he stopped, locking the joints of his wings in a way that would guarantee a slow descent and free up his hands. He then reached into the pouch tied to his belt and pulled out a scope before gazing through it.

It was already sometime into the afternoon, with the sun getting ready to set. He began looking downwards throughout the forest from up high, which gave himself immense help while on a search.

He first looked for places with smoke being released into the air before he flew towards them and investigated with his scope With his easy maneuverability, he quickly came across numerous sites, ranging from small villages to bandits and campers.

He left them alone but made sure to remember their location for when he returned to his camp and made the most accurate map in existence.

While doing a quick scan in the area below while the sun was setting, Icarus spotted something—or rather something. Well, more like two somethings.

He brought the scope to his eyes in their direction and realized that they were centaurs. His mind jumped to Chiron, but as he got a better look, he realized that it wasn't him. Not only were there more than one, but they also had a sleazy appearance to them that would look out of place on someone like Chiron.

They also seemed to be carrying some sack that was tied to one of their backs. Icarus watched as the duo of centaurs trotted through the forest and into a camp that held a large bonfire. With curiosity, Icarus flew closer to investigate, careful to not let his shadow give away his position. With a silent approach, Icarus hovered over them as they entered the camp.

Multiple Centaurs appeared from within the camp to greet the duo as they entered, causing Icarus to quickly back away to avoid any chance of being spotted.

"Hey, you two just got back?" One of the centaurs already residing in the camp asked.

One of the duo grunted in response as he put down his bow and pointed to his partner, "Would have come sooner if Rhoecus didn't get… distracted."

Rhoecus gave a cheeky smirk before throwing the sack strapped to his back onto the ground below, having it land with an audible thud and a… cry of pain.

"Oi, you two caught something, is it the boy?" The centaur said incredulously in response.

Icarus furrowed his brows at their words, could they be referring to him?

The still unnamed member of the duo snorted in response, "As if, just some other wild child we encountered."

Rhoecus smiled at his words while wiggling his brows during his reply, "A wild girl."

"…Well, show her to us then."

Rhoecus gave a nudge to the centaur who arrived with him in command, "Get to it Hylaios, and don't forget how strong she was for 'er size."

The now revealed to be named Hylaios walked over to the struggling sack with a crude bronze knife, before slicing the wrapping that covered the small girl's form. Instantly the small girl erupted from the sack with a feral screech, baring her teeth out with a hiss as she laid eyes on her captors.

The centaurs from within the camp started to surround her on all sides, with one of them speaking up after watching her actions, "Hoh, a feisty one ain't her boys!"

As they approached, the girl hissing became more guarded, with her bringing up her hands in preparation for a fight. But even then, she could not hide the nervousness in her demeanor, with beads of sweat running down her green scalp.

"Wow, such a beauty as well… such a pity she has yet to become ripe!" One of the centaurs spoke with a sigh.

Icarus had his eyes narrow at what the man was implying, continuing to watch while inwardly lamenting the absence of his bow.

The centaur that had just spoken was nudged by another beside him before being rebuked, "Ripe or not doesn't matter! A fresh fruit it still is, and as such—it is ready to be plucked!" He spoke with a lustful manner.

The girl started to shiver at their words but held firm regardless. Icarus admired her bravery, but his previously narrowed eyes had gone blank at their words… words which confirmed his suspicion.

They were going to rape the girl.

Icarus was disgusted, his more modern sensibilities already disdaining the idea of rape, not to mention towards that of such a young girl likely younger than even himself.

…and he was only eight.

He decided right then and there, that by the time the sun rises the next day… they will have long been dead.

While he was hesitant to kill something sapient for the first time, he knew it had to be done eventually… and if he was going to bloody his hands, then it might as well be with such disgusting animals.

Finally, one of the centaurs had arrived in front of the girl before stretching his arms out aggressively to grab her with his hands. But he seemed to have underestimated the girl, as when his hand came within reach of her—she snapped into action.

Before he could even react—the small girl had already attacked, grasping his wrist in offense before using her small form to leap upwards and gain momentum before positioning her body to act like a fulcrum, grasping his arm between both her hands before snapping it in half with her feral strength.

"—AHK! FUCK, y-you bitch!" The centaur roared in pain as the crack of his bones dividing into two sounded out clearly in the surroundings. He attempted to grab her in a rage-fueled tackle, but the small girl had too much dexterity, as she quickly dove under his legs and escaped out from under them.

He screamed in anger as a portion of his arm dangled limply at his side. The other centaurs by his side started to boisterously laugh in amusement at his reaction, blatantly humiliating him for the event.

"I told yous she was strong!" Rhoecus bellowed in laughter as he quickly left after her, leaving one last yell as he galloped away, "The first one to catch 'er gets 'er first blood!"

"No fair!" Another centaur quickly responded before chasing wildly in pursuit, with the others giving similar remarks before following after, leaving the sole centaur who had been humiliated behind.

"Damn, yous fuckers." He spoke to himself with gritted teeth as he held his aching arm that was screaming in pain. A moment later he felt a weight on his back, he only had a second to realize before a pain far eclipsing what he felt prior arrived.

It took his brain moments to comprehend as he felt his four legs separate from his body entirely, the sheer agony caused stars to flood his vision as he plummeted to the ground, no longer even having the capability to hold himself up. He tried to scream as he hit the floor in further pain, but a small hand forced his mouth closed.

Wails attempted to leave his mouth, but to no avail, they were silenced to a muffled begging as the hand kept his jaw firmly in place—even as he felt his two remaining limbs, his arms, be unhesitatingly severed as well.

He went unconscious. The torment was simply too much to handle, and his brain had flicked off to save himself from the agony. The arms by his side slid off his torso before falling to the ground, leaving him as nothing but a bleeding stump of flesh.

He remained unresponsive, but not for long, as the sheer primal need to survive forced him awake. Blood pooled freely from his severed limbs as he felt a blade suddenly being held to his throat. It was at that moment he truly realized… he was going to die.

But, like a temptress whispering salvation into his heart, a quiet and premature—yet steady voice, whispered into his ears, "Do not yell. Do not move. Do not attack. Do not lie… and I will save you from your pain." The blade at his throat dug further in, drawing faint lines of blood from the action, "…Now, nod if you understand."

The centaur quickly had no choice but to nod as the sheer terror in his mind and pain in his body, prevented any form of resistance—along with the realization, that no matter what the voice promised… his fate was sealed.

"Now, who was that boy you were searching for?" The voice spoke. The centaur was confused at the question, but was in too much pain to question it and quickly groaned out an answer from a cloudy mind grasping for any chance at salvation, "I-Icarus of Athens, we… h-heard about his flying pouch and crazy b-bow… and w-wanted one—so we w-were hunting him down!"

Icarus confirmed his guess with the centaur's words. It seems they really were after him, which meant that the girl's situation was partially his fault, as she got caught up in their effort to capture him.

The centaur's mouth started to ramble as his body continued to lose blood, "B-but, we heard he k-killed those birds and d-decided to l-leave tomorrow—n-now pleassse s-ssave me!" He finished with a slur in his voice as he begged for help.

It was aggravating, not only because they wanted to capture him and force him to invent things for them—possibly corrupting his greatest passion, but they also had the gall to flee in cowardice when they heard of his feat.

It enraged him, especially since they also captured that girl because of their pursuit of him. The thought of it likely gave him the resolve for what he did next…

"What's your name?" Icarus spoke with a voice that gave one a feeling of finality.

The centaur felt its heart leap out of its throat at the words, but nervously responded anyways, "O-Onias."

"…I see." Icarus responded.

Then with the swipe of his wing, Onias' head separated from his body, falling to the ground below… with the last thing he saw being a small boy with wings walking into the distance.

…The boy hadn't lied, he was saved from the pain—through the release of death.

Icarus continued walking forward towards the direction they chased the small girl, but not before stumbling into the bushes and puking out his guts. He had murder—no, slaughtered—that centaur, Onias.

Tears pricked at his eyes with the thought… but, he had to keep it together—that girl needed him. So, with a deep breath to calm his shaking hands, he wiped his eyes before he once more took flight.

With a quick travel through the air, he had soon arrived at the scene, where it was revealed that they had already captured the girl and were holding her in place while slowly stripping her of her clothing.

"You know it won't fit right?" Hylaios spoke in reference to a certain body part that had taken after his more… animal ancestry.

Rhoecus rolled his eyes as he removed the last piece of clothing from the shaking girl, "Then I'll make it fit, it won't matter in the end anyways."

A moment later the faint sounds of gurgles reverberated from the throats of the nearby centaurs, causing everyone to suddenly look towards the disturbance.

They turned, only to jump up in surprise as they watched their brethren collapse to the ground as soon-to-be corpses, desperately clawing at their necks in an attempt to pull the serrated feather from their throats—only to also wound their hands in the process.

"Oh shite! What the fuck!" They yelled in horror as at the sudden event before turning their heads to the soft set of footprints stepping onto the ground nearby.

They were surprised when the culprit was revealed to be a small boy covered in blood, with wings that were strangely unblemished but still gave off an eerie feeling when pairing with their reflective dark bronze shine within the dead of night.

"Now, whos the fuck are yous—" Rhoecus attempted to speak but was cut off as the boy flicked his hand to the side, ejected bronze feathers from his wings which embedded themselves into the necks of the remaining centaurs surrounding him.

Rhoecus and Hylaios gulped at the display with nervous sweat starting to run down their bodies.. The boy cocked his head to the side as he looked at them dead in the eyes with a gaze of steel, "…Isn't it obvious, I'm—"

(Picture Here!)

His head then turned to face the small naked girl who, even while shaking and covered in bruises and tears, was staring at him in awe from how quickly he had dispatched the centaurs. Icarus' cold gaze broke as he smiled at her in reassurance, "—a hero."

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Author's Notes

Hmm, I'm a bit torn on this chapter—on one hand I feel that Icarus was much too violent for his personality, while on the other I think it was at least somewhat justified. Keep in mind that Atalanta is only like 6-7 year old right now, and Icarus also felt partially responsible.

Well, I at least think the chapter's quality is good. Tell me what you guys think, and leave a like!

Also, it has come to my attention that someone in FFN has been sorta copying this fic, although they have made some rather…. strange changes. I'm not someone who really minds such things but I have to ask, out of all the names you could have chose for your strange rendition of Icarus' past life, why the fuck did you pick Artemis Blackheath?

And why did Daedalus teach him runes? And why the fuck does Icarus enjoy eating hearts?! Honestly, the only things in that fic that make sense are what he copied from me. The whole thing feels like some strange fever dream resulting from this fic going through like 20 MTLs.

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Here is picture of child Atalanta: