Maze of Passion (MxM)

4 Teamwork

As Daedalus guessed, each of the men, besides he and Icarus, were taken to a different opening around the maze. Daedalus didn't know where he'd start but knew there were five main paths. He also knew there was a fountain in the middle where the paths met. From the center of the maze, one could reach the exit path out of the labyrinth, the passage that once held the original Minotaur, before Perseus killed it.

After a twenty-minute ride, the chariot Icarus and Daedalus were riding in stopped at one of the five entrances. There was no telling which it was until the inventor and his stepson entered.

If Daedalus' designs have remained the same, then the five paths to the center are the forest of food, ruins of weapons, temple of medicine, pits of fire, and gates of gluttony. The only place offering clean water for drinking is the fountain in the middle of the maze. The same fountain with a miniature Eros statue atop its highest tier, pointing his arrow to the sixth path, the exit.

Spears in hand, the guards escort Daedalus and Icarus to the entryway. Four other guards tend to the huge wooden pulleys. The massive stone gates creak as they open and the pair is ushered in at spear point.

When the solid doors close behind them, they look around. Icarus is flabbergasted. How could a creation this huge even exist, let alone be designed by his own father? He sees the walls rise to the sky, easily measuring the height of four or five grown men. Looking down the path, Icarus can see where the hall turns and his mind gets a bit overwhelmed with the ideas of the endless zig-zags the labyrinth could make. He feels a bit dizzy.

Daedalus sees the panic in his lad's eyes. He embraces him, pulling his boy to his chest.

"Close your eyes, Rus, and listen," the expert whispers to his junior.

In his hero's strong arms, Icarus feels some of his worries melt away. His mind replaces the endless tunnels of the maze with images of Daedalus smiling at him, drinking wine, being completely nude in front of him, and splashing him with his man juice.

"I know this maze. I made the damned thing. We are going to get out of here. I promise you that," Daedalus whispers to him before kissing his forehead.

They stand there a moment. Icarus opens his eyes and sees his master's smiling face. Not a fake smile, a genuine, heartfelt smile. The rest of Icarus' fears die off.

"Now," Daedalus says, ending their hug, "We have a lot of walking to do today. All paths to the center of the maze take about three days' time, between the obstacles and countless turn-arounds. And we have already been starved for a day. Just remember, Rus, you have to listen to me at all times. I am not sure what has been added to the dangerous place over the past twenty years."

"Yes, Sir. You are my leader," Icarus stands at attention mocking the same guards that had dropped them off at the maze.

Daedalus lets out a chuckle. "You little rat," he says as he gives his younger buddy a playful swat on his plump ass cheek.

"Onward, rat!" he points to the path ahead of them. "We have to figure out which passage of the five this is. All of the paths start the same, but after a few hour's walk, the scenery changes."

With the sun high in the noontime sky, there was no hiding from the brutal rays. Daedalus and Icarus were lucky enough to walk along the eastern walls of the maze while the sun was rising, but now there was no protection. The men sparkled with slick sweat, and their loincloths were both becoming increasingly wet.

Multiple times Daedalus had to warn his quasi-son to slow down. He didn't want him to overexert himself before they could find food or water.

Thankfully, when they took a turn about three hours in, the pair found themselves under a high dome of what seemed to be an old temple.