blood thinner / theo&icarus

ICARUS

le roux

He scoffs when learning about Eurydice's latest venture after her re-election over a caprese bagel at breakfast. 

Nemea. He leans back into the padded dining chair, sucking on his own teeth, the vexation at yet another lion motif and an ambition-filled grasp at the limelight apparent on his porcelain face. And he used to believe in it all. The proud and regal, lion-like Le Roux's. He bled gold, his heart and mind made of pure ichor, like his father. 

But Aurora had been right all those years ago, when Ridley had first come home after her victory. They weren't lions. Icarus had known that in the literal sense, but he'd been raised to stare in the mirror and see one in the reflection. To see his family as the rest of his pride, to mistrust any outsiders and to weed out weakness like a disease. To stomp it to dust then and there. Anything to protect the pride. But pull back their golden manes and you'd see their skin is more scale than fur. Look closely and their pearly-white canines seemed more like fangs. 

Eurydice, the paragon of this. She's elected as mayor, adopts two half-mute trained assassins, one of which betrays her and volunteers one of them in his place. Isaac was not much of a loss, to the Le Roux's or to Icarus, but it made Eurydice look weak. Like her iron grip was little more than a feeble grasp. Then he ran away to Nine with victor Baptiste, who Icarus is still disappointed he didn't get to sink his teeth into. Maybe he came on a little strong. And Echo is somewhere. Here, but wherever. Now this, her successful re-election and an all-girl career academy, or just another way for her to attach the Le Roux name to a likely victor. She's gotten predictable in her age.

A pity. 

He almost doesn't notice Theodora, his own thoughts an overwhelming presence. 

"Oh, hello." 

He grins keenly, kicking his feet up on the table. 

"Did you hear about out Aunt's new academy?" Icarus laughs, "You could've learned a thing or two, if you weren't about to age out of the Reaping. Getting so old like Harper." 

She's younger than him.