Daedalus's Sacrifice

The terrible news came in the morning after the banquet.

King Minos spent the previous evening celebrating the death of Theseus, and his daughter's safeguarded purity. Minos drank and sang, elated by his victory. His precious, Ariadne, was tucked into bed, alone in his palace, as her would-be lover turned to acid in the Minotaur's stomach by now.

But his jubilation was interrupted as the news reached his bedchamber.The soldier had escaped the Labyrinth with Ariadne's help.

And her clever answer as to how Theseus should escape the maze came from none other than the architect of the Labyrinth, the clever Daedalus.

King Minos, enraged that the architect would dare be insubordinate, sought justice for Daedalus's betrayal.

The King had thought Daedalus admired his power and his strict command over his kingdom. He thought the father had wanted to prove himself a loyal citizen of Crete and keep his mischievous son out of the Mentour's reach.

But by helping Ariadne and her Athenian lover, Theseus, Daedalus has shown his true colors. He could no longer be trusted. The pain of losing someone close to be called an equal was a heavy sadness on the King's chest.

King Minos was a brutal but intelligent King. He was wise enough not to rush into hasty decisions. He held a council of his finest men to discuss Daedalus's divine punishment.

-

King Minos called upon his highest-ranking councilman and retired generals. Together they sat before the King at a long table, with Minos sitting slightly above them in his large chair at the head.

"What shall become of the man who betrayed our kingdom and allowed the thieving Theseus to scurry free back to Athens?" He asked his court.

The first to speak was his closest in council. "Let us burn down his house and all of his inventions. Let the smoke wave in the sky like a warning flag. It'll be a lesson to all of Crete not to cross the King and his family."

King Minos shook his head. This was too simple; it would make Daedalus look like a great threat, which in turn would make the king look weak.

"Let us sacrifice him to the great Zeus," Another spoke.

"Zeus much prefers female sacrifices," King Minos sighed.

"Then, shall we simply tie him to the stakes? Make him a laughing stock of Crete?" A different councilman suggested.

Though tempting, King Minos rejected this proposal as well. There needed to be a grander sacrifice. Theseus, a prince of Athens, kidnapped his daughter. Once word spread, he would become a laughing stock, himself. Daedalus's head through the wooden board would become a quick, distant memory.

Through the marble doorway, a man shuffled in. He wore a hood over his head and held a white pigeon feather in his hand, signalling a meek and peaceful entrance.

"Pardon me. But I may have the answer you seek, in regards to proper retrobution."

The guards stepped forward, ready to pull the man out of the councilroom. The King waved them away. If this man had slipped by the guards outside, then surely he must have a gift for trickery. King Minos felt compelled to hear such a man's idea.

"And what do you propose?" He asked.

"Punishment must be equal to the crime. This is what a civil society prides itself upon. Otherwise, the world falls into chaos, and men ravenous with bloodlust called retribution. The architect and father gave his knowledge to the beautiful Ariadne in the name of love. So love is what must be stolen back for our kingdom to return to peace. And what does the father...I, love most?"

The man removed his hood, revealing himself as none other than the wanted criminal, Daedalus.

"How dare you enter my court!" King Minos yelled from his throne.

He ordered the guards to point their arrows at the architect's head. Daedalus did not so much as quiver; he raised his pigeon feather and continued with his suggestion.

"You've called for my punishment. And I am a man of logic. I understand the consequences of my betrayal against Crete, and I'm ready to give you the greatest sacrifice of all."

King Minos sat back in his large chair and crossed one leg over the other. "Well, what is it then? What great treasure do you possibly have to offer your king? One of your grand inventions?"

"Nothing of the sort. My only treasure is my darling son, Icarus. All I ask is that you please spare him from the beast's mouth. As I once called you friend, Minos, do not send him to the Labyrinth. Allow me to give you his blood with my own hands. It is this father's final wish."

King Minos thought over his words and his missing daughter. The image of her empty childhood bead flashed in his mind. He realized then that the pain of losing her to Athens was truly the source of his deepest agony.

"A child for a child....not a terrible compromise. You will kill your son with your own hands, as you wish. But you will do so in the maze you created. Consider this your apology to the Minotaur, who must be famished after his last meal slipped away."

With that, Daedalus was captured by the guards. His son was ransacked on his way to his mentorship and thrown into the Labyrinth alongside his father. Daedalus could hardly look at his quivering child as he laid out his plans to soar in the sky and escape the Labyrinth together.

Daedalus, the great inventor, who never once made faulty machinery, purposely weakened his son's wings.

And as his son inevitably fell into the ocean, Daedalus kept flying, though his heart felt as if it was drowning. King Minos was appeased, but only until nightfall, when he peered inside his daughter's empty room and wept.