Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
//chapter fifty-one • painted New Jersey streets (tw!)
WARNING! READER DISCRETION ADVISED! TW:descriptions of torture & violence. heavy mentions of SA & r@pe PLEASE READ WITH CARE
THE STORY OF ICARUS has been told for centuries. He is infamously known as the "boy who flew too high," who crashed to earth after melting his waxen wings. This cautionary legend has proven its resilience against the passing of time, being reimagined and retold several times. In Greek mythology, the myth of Icarus has become synonymous with excessive pride and foolhardiness.
However, more famous than the flight of Icarus is his fall. His plummet into the sea became a cautionary tale for those whose ambitions burned all too close to the sun.
The myth of Icarus takes place soon after Theseus slew the Minotaur and fled Crete with Ariadne at his side. This enraged King Minos. His wrath fell on Daedalus and his son, Icarus. The young boy and his father were locked in the Labyrinth as punishment. Though ironically trapped within Daedalus' masterwork, the pair eventually escaped the maze-like structure. However, King Minos had complete control of the surrounding seas, and would not grant them safe passage out of Crete.
Daedalus constructed wings so that they could escape. He arranged bird feathers from shortest to longest before sewing them together. Then, he attached them at their base with wax and gave them a slight curve. Arguably the world's first flying machine, the wings that Daedalus made would carry him and his son safely from Crete. Their escape would be a long journey that was filled with hazards. It isn't every day that man flies across a sea.
Like many teens, Icarus paid no attention to his father's warnings. He kept soaring higher until his wings began to melt.
