Icarus

One

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This battleground is deadly.

But you wear blood well

for someone so gentle.

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When Delilah woke up her mouth was dry. She had hoped her nightmares would not find her in Greece. The chosen destination of her gap year after years of educational t*****e. She was staying on the island called "Skopelos"

The dark eyed girl let out a soft breath and slid her legs out from underneath silky sheets. She pulled off her pillow case to throw it in the wicker washing badket. It was slightly damp,because of sweat or tears from her dreams she did not know.

She pressed her feet against the smooth wooden boards of her bedroom floor, focusing on the sensation for a few seconds before pushing away from the bed.

She took hold of the empty glass on her nightstand and made her way across the room on her bare feet. With a small yawn she pushed her bedroom door open and walked down the stairs to her little kitchen.

The morning sunlight illuminated the smooth,marble countertops, making sunspots dance around the kitchen.

The sounds of waves lapping against the rocks reached her ears and she smiled tiredly. Her parents had rented her this house near the ocean when she had told them she was going to Greece for the year,not wanting her to live in some "filthy hotel".

She looked out of the kitchen window to the sea as she switched on the coffee maker. Once her coffee was brewed she took her cup and pushed the door to the patio open, sitting down at the little table.

The patio overlooked the Aegean sea, it was peaceful today. A shimmering blue abyss underneath a clear,sunny sky. The part of the island she was on was quite isolated, the nearest café almost twenty minutes away and the port with boats that could take her to the mainland almost an hour.

It didn't really bother Delilah,she liked this part of the island. From the sweet smelling blossoms that bloomed in pots on her patio, to the stray cats she left a little bowl of clean water and food out for each morning and night.

She leaned slightly back in her chair chair,plotting her day as she let herself be lulled by the ocean's rhythmic waves. She tapped her fingers against the wooden table in order to keep herself awake before finally arriving at a decision to walk to the nearest café for some breakfast. She finished her dark, bitter coffee and pushed herself out of the seat.

She quickly walked back inside, got dressed in a loose fitting white shirt and blue jean shorts. She slid her feet into some beach sandals and grabbed her bag. Making sure to lock her door and refil the cat dish she bounced down the patio steps leading to the beach.

The car her parents had rented her sat forgotten in the garage, she pushed her thoughts away from the last memories she had in which a car was featured and walked along the beach.

She took off her sandals after a while and walked close enough to the ocean that the waves enveloped her feet whenever it rolled across the beach.

Delilah's phone rang and with a sigh she checked the caller ID, instantly deciding to ignore it as she dropped her phone back into her little shoulder bag. It made a soft sound as it slipped between her keys and the copy of pride and prejudice she always kept with her.

She wasn't walking for long when she saw a bit of commotion a bit infront of her. A bunch of kids were gathered around something on the beach, talking in loud voices. With a scowl she sped up her pace,they were probably terrorising some kind of washed up marine animal.

Shoving them aside she let her rich British voice cut through their excited chatter "Okay you lot, come on the show is ove-" her words died in her throat and she froze in her tracks when she saw what they were crowded around. She was expecting something like a sea turtle, a dolphin maybe but she definitely wasn't expecting a dark haired boy to be laying in the sand at her feet.

"What do we do now miss?" One of the younger girls asked her, looking up at her with big blue eyes. Delilah swallowed dry and keeled down next to him, putting her fingers on the side of his neck and sighing in relief when she discovered that he still had a strong pulse. She frowned lightly, he had a strange contraption strapped to his back.

The kid from before repeated her question and Delilah pursed her lips in thought. After a few seconds of contemplation, she still didn't know what to do. She shrugged and slapped him sharply across the face.

His eyes snapped open and she fell backwards on the sand in surprise. With a look around him the boy calmly sat up and inspectected them, more specifically he inspected their clothes. He dusted sand off of his shoulders and looked at Delilah "You are their leader I assume. When am I?"

Oh great. Delilah thought, he was either delusional, hysterical or a nut. "2021?" She said as calmly as she could. "Oh that's nice" the boy said, and then fainted.

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Nearly forty minutes later Icarus was sitting on Delilah's couch, staring open mouthed at the ceiling fan. After he had told her his name was Icarus, and that he had fallen out of the sky Delilah retreated to the kitchen to get some advice. Now she was on the phone with her friend Silena, pacing the length of her kitchen.

"Do you think I should keep him?" She asked in exasperation, shooting a look in his direction while massaging her temples, a splitting headache pumped behind her eyes.

"Keep him? Oh I don't know has he had his shots? Does he have a collar? For heaven sake Del,he's not some stray dog!" Silena rambled in the other side of the phone. "When does the next boat leave for the mainland? Isn't there some kind of police station you can take him to? See if anyone is looking for him"

Delilah let out a slightly relieved breath at the solution. This was the reason she called Silena instead of her parents. She squinted at the calender where she had marked all the days and times that boats went to the mainland. She groaned "Like, four minutes from now." She sighed "Next one leaves next week Tuesday"

Silena chuckled on the other side of the phone and Delilah sighed "What am I supposed to do with a delusional person Sil? He thinks he's from a greek myth for goodness sake" she whisper shouted at her friend.

Silena snorted "Keep him away from sharp objects I guess." Delilah glared at her phone and hung up on Silena's laughter. With a sigh she pushed away from the kitchen counter and flipped down on the couch infront of him.

"Tell me one more time who you are and how you got here?" She asked,praying silently that his answer would be different than the first three times.

"I'm Icarus, son of Daedalus. I fell from the sky into your timeline." He explained again patiently and Delilah smacked her head back into the pillows. He sounded sane and he certainly didn't look like a nut job,other than the toga like clothes he was wearing and way of speaking he seemed like a perfectly normal 19 year old.

She sighed and decided to humor him "Okay Icarus, where were you before you...fell out of the sky into my timeline"

"In the sky, in my timeline " he answered and Delilah resisted the urge to smack her head against the coffee table. This was gonna be a long week.

"Okay,before that?" She asked with a sigh and he thought for a while,a small frown settling on his lips. "I- oh... I don't remember exactly... an island? I was imprisoned with my father" his eyes drifted to what was left of the contraption that was strapped to his back.

Delilah softly nodded her head "Alright Icarus...let's get you some different clothes first" Icarus frowned and looked down at the cloth covering part of his torso and his thighs. "What is the matter with my garments?"

Delilah pursed her lips "We don't wear towels in this timeline" she said simply. She assumed he was probably part of some show on a cruise or perhaps a costume party when he fell overboard and washed up on the beach.

She hesitantly took her car keys, there was a small clothes shop in the town. It was about a thirty minute drive, walking all the way would be death on their feet. Especially Icarus cause somewhere while he was "falling through the sky" he lost his shoes.

"Where are we going?" Icarus asked her curiously, already standing up behind her. "To my car" she grabbed her wallet and turned to face his confused expression. "Car?" He asked,tilting his head and Delilah pursed her lips in thought. She'd have to be careful with her words, deciding again to humor him while he stayed with her. "It's a kind of chariot?"

Icarus seemed satisfied with the answer and she opened her front door,locking the house and leading Icarus to the garage.

Icarus looked at the car apprehensively. "This is no chariot...it is the only means of transportation?" He asked Delilah with a raised eyebrow. She nodded and Icarus grumbled but got in the car eventually .

They arrived soon and Delilah led him to the little clothes store. Icarus was looking around with wide eyes, drinking in the sights around him.

"We can go sight seeing in a bit, let's just get you some decent clothes first" Delilah assured him as he wordlessly pointed at a ice cream stand.

He followed her and the shop owner gave him a funny look. "You come from a costume party or somethin' kid?"

Delilah forced a laugh and Icarus had enough sense to remain quiet, wandering over to a rack with dresses "You told me that people no longer wore these" he said accusingly, holding up a light blue sundress "They have changed quite a bit" he mused.

With a soft laugh Delilah steered him to the men's section "Only girls wear them now" she explained and he looked at her over his shoulder, his expression curious "Why?"

She pursed her lips at him and shrugged her shoulders "Because people are jerks" she said finally, not having a better answer for him.

She chose a few things for him to try on and then the shop owner led him to a changing room while Delilah sorted through some more shirts.

After a few more trips to the fitting room they were ready to pay and she realised begrudgingly that she'd have to make use of the extra account her parents opened for her.

With bags in hand they exited the store and Delilah went to the little ice-cream bar. Icarus squinted at the board "ice-cream?" His voice was uncertain as Delilah handed him a cone and payed. "It's good, don't eat it too fast or you'll get a headache" she instructed with a small smile.

He brought the ice-cream uncertainly to his lips as they continued walking past shops. "Will you be okay with staying at my house for the week, or do you want me to find a hotel?" She tilted her head inquisitively at him and he lightly shook his head. "I will stay with you, Apollo must have put me in your path for a reason"

"Apollo? Asin god of the sun Apollo?" Delilah raised her eyebrow at him and he shrugged his shoulders "I saw him before I landed in your time . So I can only assume he brought me here"

Delilah found herself starting to believe that he really wasn't from "her time" but then shook her head at the ridiculous thought. She'd need more convincing to believe something like a time traveler in a toga from ancient Greek legends.

Icarus had finished his ice-cream and after a quick shop to the grocers they headed back home. Delilah had switched on the radio but Icarus had gotten such a big fright that she instantly switched it off, reminding herself again to be careful with what she did.

She glanced sideways at the silent Icarus "You don't talk much, do you?" It was more to herself than him. Not that she minded the silence. He leant his head back on the car seat, playing with the seat belt across his chest.

"I do not have anything to say. Why must we break silence if we have nothing worth while to replace it with?" He looked out of the car window at the beach.

Delilah smiled,he might be delusional, she thought, but he understands something that perfectly sane people struggle to comprehend.

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for anyone who has read up to this chapter.

I apologize for the inconvenience but I won't be continuing my story on Dreame because of things like glitches, and unwanted notifications. The story will continue on w*****d