3 [Jealousy]
Fate/Defiance
Chapter 3 [Jealousy]
By theMadLad
Daedalus was fuming as he walked, his emotions boiling beneath his skin—only held back from a violent release by the comforting hand of his son.
He tried to keep it in check, he really did, but slowly but surely it was taking hold. Eventually, he would be unable to resist its pressure and pop like a balloon filled with nothing but rage—and there was nothing he could do about it.
He took a deep breath as he continued towards where it was rumored his nephew's display would be performed.
"Make way, make way!" Daedalus shouted as he rudely pushed through the crowd, disgruntling them along the way while dragging an apologetic Icarus alongside him.
The crowd parted as they slowly reached their destination, walking up a large set of stairs that sat along a hillside towards one of the highest points in Athens.
Daedalus had found out that Perdix had decided to hold his demonstration at the peak of Athens, the Acropolis. It was a rocky outcrop filled with buildings of importance that served as the core of Athens.
There they followed the gathering crowd to a small clearing, with various displays set up right at the edge of the Acropolis' cliff.
Daedalus had quickly pushed them to the front of the large audience just in time for Perdix to step out alongside some of his assistants. One of his assistants stepped over and placed a large log between two tables while Perdix himself walked over to a small display covered with a large sheet.
As the crowd finished gathering around and settled down, Perdix finally spoke up with a booming voice that resonated both excitement and confidence, "Hello everyone, thank you for gathering here today! I'm sure you are curious why I asked you all to come here—well, wait no longer! I am here to show you all my newest, most revolutionary invention!"
He then gripped the sheet and ripped it from the display, unveiling a long rectangular metal sheet with a serrated edge cut into sharp jagged teeth, "…The saw!"
Perdix then grasped the saw by the wooden handle that laid at the sheet's end before lifting it up and showing it to the crowd, who seemed curious of what its purpose was.
He then began to spin a tale that would captivate the crowd, "It was about a week ago, I was out fishing when suddenly, Lord Poseidon had blessed me with a large sea bass! So delicious was this bass—that I had picked it to the bone, and as I had laid its spine down to dispose of, I was hit with an epiphany! It was as if Lady Athena herself had blessed me with her wisdom!"
The audience were confused from his tale so far but still hung at the edge of their seats regardless, "What if…" He paused, gathering suspense for his next words, "I added the features of the fish's spine into a thin sheet of metal, giving it a jagged edge, then…"
His words drifted off as he brought the saw's edge to the large log of wood that laid between the two tables, "…use it to apply pressure in a back and forth motion, and then…!"
He demonstrated as he spoke, while rhythmically swaying the saw back and forth against the bark of the log until it slowly grinded and eventually sawed all the way through the log, "…a perfect cut!"
Excited murmurs broke out throughout the audience, with many exclaiming about the genius of this invention—and they were right. While the saw was indeed simplistic, it was also revolutionary in the fields of carpentry and construction, among others.
To be able to fine tune the edges and cuts of your wood without the rough edges and imperfections belonging to other methods was invaluable. Moreover, it was made without magic, without special enchantments that make it too costly to have any value to the poor—it was a tool for the common man, and a damn useful one at that.
While the entire crowd was captivated, Icarus didn't even take a glance, all of his attention was firmly on his father. He watched him like a hawk throughout the whole display, noticing the faint twitches on his father's eyes, the way they would sometimes gloss over or even the rage he could see building up inside them when Perdix mentioned Athena's blessing.
The flap of wings stole his attention as he turned to glance towards the noise, and when his eyes laid upon what it was, his blood went cold.
…An owl.
Icarus would describe himself as a rather sharp person with a decent head on his shoulders, someone able to recognize their own flaws and take steps to correct them. He was the type of person to make a plan and then carry through with it using the maximum amount of efficiency and if things went wrong, he could improvise just as well.
Being reborn was a distinct advantage and one he used as best as he possibly could, and that meant reinforcing habits that would benefit him throughout his life.
Habits such as good hygiene, an efficient workout routine, a steady diet, and a busy schedule constantly full of things to do and learn. One of these habits was one he forced himself to learn and which he firmly believed would benefit him immensely throughout his life—even if it wasn't the most healthy of things.
…Paranoia.
The paranoia to search every room you walk into for exits and escape plans, the paranoia to subtly glance at each person you encounter and filter them through danger ratings while scanning them for weapons or hidden items, the paranoia to learn and analyze everything you can about where you are, along with what customs to conform to in order to keep yourself safe, and finally, the paranoia to work as hard as you can and as much as you can—because you have the self-awareness that you are weak when you cannot afford to be.
Icarus knew he was weak, he knew he could suddenly come upon danger at any moment simply from being at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
After that wake up call a few days earlier, where he had caught himself still having the mentality of someone from the modern age, carrying that subconscious arrogance of someone at the top of the food chain. He made it his mission to correct himself of this, constantly reminding himself to stay humble, because to the Gods—he was nothing but a bug on the side of the road.
Which is why his blood froze when he saw that owl.
An owl was the symbol of the city's patron, Athena. It was highly likely that the owl was Athena herself. Especially since this was a display for a new invention, something that would likely garner her interest due to her domain of wisdom.
Icarus' mind seemed to slow as he could hear the beating of his heart reverberate through his skull like the pounding of a drum. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself as he tried his best to not draw the owl's attention.
—Then Daedalus drew it anyway, "Perdix! You fucking bastard!"
"U-uncle?!" Perdix yelled in bafflement at the sudden interruption.
Unfortunately for Icarus, in the time he was having an internal panic—Daedalus could no longer hold back… his envy had taken a hold over him and he shifted.
The crowd watched, stunned into silence as Daedalus grabbed Perdix by the shirt, lifting him up before glaring into his eyes with the gaze of a mad beast seconds before its rampage.
Perdix flinched from his glare as Daedalus began to yell, "After everything I've done for you, you do this to me?!"
"W-what are you talking about?" Perdix whimpered in fear as Daedalus' spit splattered from his enraged mouth and landed on Perdix's face.
It had been some time since he had left Daedalus' teachings, but he never forgot the times when Daedalus would get angry. When that dangerous stranger lurking within his mind would come out.
…It was the reason Perdix left after all. One day Daedalus snapped and he ran away in fear, unable to stay in such a toxic environment any longer.
"I taught you! Everything you make—everything you do, is because of me!" Daedalus roared as he aggressively closed in on Perdix, leaning over his ear and speaking with pure hatred.
"W-what?" Perdix murmured in confusion, before rebuking in an eruption of anger that he was no longer able to contain, "What do you mean, everything you've taught me—I think you mean, kicking me out of your fucking house after barely teaching anything, right?!"
Perdix had enough, Daedalus was a horrible teacher to him and for a petty reason too. He was tired of constantly taking Daedalus' shit and could no longer contain his grievances.
He had snapped, any fear he had holding him back faded away.
Perdix's face turned smug as he spoke with a taunting tone and teasing smile plastered on his lips, "Admit it Uncle, you're jealous."
"The reason you're so angry, the reason you drove me away, and the reason you're so envious is because I am better than you—and you know it!" He remarked with a wicked smirk, smug-satisfaction dripping from his lips before finishing off with a dramatic flourish towards the audience, as they watched the heated debate with fevered excitement.
Perdix grinned with euphoria as he finally felt some form of vindication from all his years of misfortune under Daedalus, even some of the struggles he had dealt with after leaving felt worth it just for this moment.
"…What did you say?" Daedalus spoke in a harsh whisper, but everyone in the crowd could feel the murderous implication within.
The subtle hint of intent before violence.
Daedalus tackled Perdix into the ground with a roar, causing him to yelp as their bodies collided to the floor below. Daedalus quickly straddled on top of him before rearing his arm back for a strong right hook straight into his face. The crowd gasped when they heard the crunch of Perdix's nose breaking as he cried out in pain.
"Jealous?! You aren't even worth the shit stains on my shoes, you fucking katōmóchanos!" Daedalus remarked to the dazed and whimpering Perdix before spitting on his face.[1]
Perdix was starting to really regret his earlier defiance with rapid and indecipherable apologies wailing from his mouth as Daedalus dragged him to his feet, pulling him along as he slowly and ominously walked towards the edge of the Acropolis' cliff.
The crowd watched with bated breath as if everything was simply a stage play rehearsed before their eyes, but Icarus could no longer stand still and started pushing through the crowd that had steadily built up in front of him to get a better view of the dramatic spectacle.
"Father! Stop!" Icarus shouted as he ran towards them, pleading with his father to snap out of it. He didn't want his family to hurt each other… but he could see how things were headed.
"I-IcKaruhs?" Perdix muttered in confusion as blood continued to gush from his nose as Daedalus proceeded on with dragging him across the floor from his shirt's collar.
Icarus could hear Perdix's faint pleas for help as he reached Daedalus' side, tugging his arm while shouting at him, "Father, please stop! He's your nephew! Family!"
Daedalus snarled in response, looking towards Icarus with a sneer, "Family? How could that compare to my glory?" Before slapping Icarus' hand away and ruthlessly kicking him to the floor, with the force of it knocking the air from his lungs.
Icarus watched on in horror as Daedalus continued his way to the cliff, only able to gasp from the strain of his lungs while slowly trying to rise from the floor, attempting to ignore the pain radiating from his chest.
He struggled to his feet just in time to see his father dangling Perdix over the edge, who was desperately begging Daedalus to stop as tears poured from his eyes.
Then, as his father stared into Perdix's eyes without an ounce of pity, he… dropped him.
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Author's Notes
Woah, things are starting to pick up! Please leave some feedback, I would greatly appreciate it as that is my main motivation!
This chapter is one I am not very confident in, but is necessary to the story, hope you enjoyed it regardless.
Join my discord, https://discord.gg/AMyqBN2
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Glossary
[1] katōmóchanos
A greek phrase meaning "a person who has been fucked in the ass so many times that their asshole gapes all the way to their shoulders."
