Fate/Defiance
Chapter 35 - Femboy
Castor was confused as he exited his cabin, eyeing the figure of Icarus who was glaring at his walls with intrigue.
"Icarus… What are you doing here?" He questioned wearily.
Icarus hummed in response, not looking away as he put a hand to his chin in feigned confusion, "You have walls."
"…It's a house. How could it not have walls?" Castor replied dumbfounded.
Finally, Icarus turned to him with a smirk, "Funny, I thought Spartans don't need walls—they were only for, what was it…."
Castor's face slowly turned annoyed.
Icarus snapped his fingers in an exaggerated manner, with his face lighting up in hyperbolic realization, "Oh, right! They were only for… cowards!"
Castor began to snarl, feeling a familiar temptation rising up within him.
"But hmmm, didn't you also say that the men were the walls…" Icarus stared at him for a moment before looking all around him, "But, I don't see any men… just a single, strangely effeminate figure…"
That was it.
"…Are you sure Pollux and you aren't true twins? You know, from the look of things—"
"—Icarus!" Castor roared in a rage as his discus magically appeared in hand, before he chased off towards a retreating Icarus.
———
Heh… it was almost too easy to rile Castor up.
Icarus ran as he outpaced Castor behind him using his headstart, quickly reaching his destination.
Chiron.
Icarus had been asked to retrieve Castor moments earlier, and with Castor's prideful nature—Icarus would have likely been forced to beg in order to get Castor to come.
But he wouldn't allow Castor the satisfaction, and instead goaded him to follow.
Icarus skidded to a halt at the clearing where Chiron waited, his hooves barely making a sound on the soft earth. Castor stormed up behind him, still bristling with barely contained rage.
"Finally!" Castor panted, raising his discus slightly.
Icarus merely smirked in response, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve.
But then, Chiron's deep, calm voice cut through the tension.
"Enough, both of you. Today's lesson isn't about insults or speed—it's about defense. Castor, you'll instruct Icarus in the proper use of a shield. And Icarus…" Chiron's eyes twinkled with a knowing amusement, "try to survive without running away this time."
Castor's jaw tightened as he let out a satisfied snort, "Finally, a real fight. Haha—Pollux isn't here to protect you this time Icarus!"
Icarus raised an eyebrow, "Protect me from what, you going to beg daddy for help again? Oh, wait… you still lost even then."
Castor gritted his teeth—no one could tick him off quite like Icarus, not even Jason, "You'll see!"
Chiron eyed Icarus carefully, before he gestured to the training area. "Form two lines. Shields at the ready. Castor, demonstrate the first stance."
Castor's discus floated out in front of him, biting into his forearm and shifting into a proper shield. Meanwhile Icarus grabbed his own shield from the side, where a small crude armory was set up by Chiron.
"Watch carefully," he said reluctantly, planting his feet, bending his knees slightly, and raising the shield in front of him. "Always protect the vital. Keep the shield angled to deflect, never flat. The moment it's flat, it's just a target."
Icarus mimicked the stance, awkward at first. The shield felt heavy in his hands, but he was determined. "Got it. Vital protected, angle deflects. Not flat."
Castor nodded sharply, before circling him like a predator. The anticipation for what was next, clear in his eyes, "Good. Now the strikes. Shields aren't just for defense—they're for control. Push, block, redirect. Your shield is an extension of your arm and your mind."
Chiron stepped closer. "Icarus, your reflexes are fast, but a shield requires timing, not just speed. Anticipate the blow, don't just react."
Castor advanced, swinging his shield mockingly close. Icarus raised his own shield just in time, deflecting the edge. The force jolted his arm, but he maintained his stance.
"Better!" Chiron exclaimed. "Now, push back. Use the shield to create openings."
Icarus planted his feet, bracing the shield and shoving forward. Castor stumbled slightly but quickly recovered, smirking. "Not bad. Could be useful if you ever want to survive Sparta's Agoge."[1]
They continued, strikes and parries, blocks and counters. Castor's teaching was brutal but precise, and Icarus' mind absorbed every motion, analyzing the angles, the weight, the timing.
"Use your eyes Icarus. The training of Spartans isn't as simple as you may think." He heard his teacher speak.
Eyes? Icarus quickly focused his eyes, swarming them with Vital Heat as faint circuits glowed.
He immediately saw it. Castor movements flowed together uniquely, with strange power being born within him as his movements, breath, and technique melded together.
It was a power separate from the blazing divinity within him.
Icarus split his thoughts, one focusing on Castor's movements and the other on the battle itself.
"Put more pressure, Castor." Chiron instructed from the side.
Icarus sweated as Castor immediately sped up, with his heritage and training quickly showing their overwhelming advantage.
Icarus' inhuman reflexes barely kept pace as he tried to dissect Castor's fighting style, subtly replicating and applying his techniques in real-time.
But, Castor was just too strong.
Every glancing blow tore at his muscles, and rattled his bones. Icarus gritted his teeth at the effort.
Although Icarus had been training his body for months now, it still wasn't enough to bridge the gap. Castor had been specially trained in Sparta, with their highest and greatest teachers—not to mention his innate strength as the son of Zeus.
Icarus was just some kid with—admittedly good training—but, he simply just hadn't enough time to catch up. Not to mention that he was still just a boy.
But a contest like this was never his strength, it was Castor's.
—So he had to make it his own.
A slight trip from Icarus had Castor widen his eyes in anticipation, with a shield bash ready to slam him into unconsciousness instantly in motion.
Icarus sneered as he watched, opening his mouth as a spell instantly filled the air, "Ὑπερυψωμένον Στήλη – Ἀτλᾶς Ἀντοχή!" Pillar of the Sky—Atlas' Endurance!
A blue haze filled Icarus' form—as the fortitude of the Titan who held the heavens, enhanced his form! Using his workshop which had only been recently created—he had already started creating new spells!
Although he could not use his inventions during spars meant for specified training, he could still use magic within the spirit of the training.
Castor may have had technique and power—but Icarus had his own heritage, wit and knowledge!
Castor's shield bash instantly stopped directly in the face of Icarus' fortified block. With the conceptual boost of Atlas freezing his attack in place.
Icarus' spell was further enhanced by the information transmitted by his magic circuits, further specifying the effects of his spell. It was an effort he had tediously crafted within his workshop, where he could further test and force unexpected ideas.
This one was especially potent against divinity, with Atlas' ability to hold up the heavens, being tied to the celestial bodies—the planets linked to the gods—residing in the sky.
Not to mention using the conceptual chainlinks in his workshop to enforce and apply future events into his own spells! This further empowered the spell due to Castor's future position as a member of the Dioscuri—a constellation!
Castor was dumbfounded at the sudden loss of momentum—but Icarus wasn't done!
"Οὐρανός Πτώσις —Το βάρος του Ἀτλᾶς!" Heaven's Fall—Burden of Atlas!
Instantly, Icarus' stance changed, his movements closely mimicking Castor's earlier bash, as he plowed back in turn—reflecting all of his power and force back at him!
"What—!?" Castor cried out as the strength of Icarus' counterattack disarmed him completely, before sending him flying into the distance!
This spell was based on Atlas' transfer of the heavens to Heracles. It allowed Icarus to transfer the weight borne by him back to his opponent!
It was also especially potent on Castor—a half brother of Heracles!
"Good Icarus!" Chiron encouraged him from the side with a surprised smile.
Castor shakily stood back up from across the field with a frustrated snarl. Instantly his shield shot back into his hands from the distance as he charged at Icarus once more, "How do you keep doing this?!"
Icarus' smile was unhealthily smug, "I don't know, I just seem to think of my shield as a particularly strong wall."
Castor only got angrier.
From there, minutes stretched into hours, and their sweat glistened under the afternoon sun. Icarus began to move fluidly with the shield, anticipating and redirecting more often than simply defending constantly.
His stance and martial movements also seemed to improve at a visible rate—with his body and form behaving like a machine learning algorithm—dissecting and integrating Castor's fighting style.
Even Castor's stern eyes eventually gave way to a grudging respect.
Chiron finally called them to a halt. "Enough for today. Icarus, you've learned quickly. Castor, you've taught well. Shields are more than protection—they're strategy, discipline, and foresight. Remember that."
Icarus lowered his shield, grinning. "Not bad, femboy. I might actually enjoy this part of training."
Castor rolled his eyes but didn't deny the small smile tugging at his lips. "Just don't get cocky. Shields aren't magic—they're an extension of skill."
Icarus nodded firmly, "I will, thanks."
Chiron approved, satisfied. "Next session, I'll teach you both how to combine offense and defense simultaneously. For now, rest, reflect, and sharpen your instincts. The real battles await."
As they left, Castor exhaled sharply, brushing dirt from his clothes and shaking his head. "You've improved… faster than I expected. But don't think this makes you my equal."
Icarus tilted his head, "Say that when you actually win."
"…"
Castor stormed off.
————
Icarus returned to his workshop.
The pillar of the Hesperides shifted as he entered, with the mirrors surrounding it changing from reflecting itself to creating an optical illusion with only Icarus in sight.
This was how he kept his workshop in place whenever he left, having the pillar change its axis to itself through a physical, visual link.
Icarus hissed softly under his breath as he walked, his muscles aching in pain. The training was intense on his mortal body, the battles even more so—and the injuries built up.
But he had to endure even as his body struggled to.
Chiron preferred to let him heal naturally, foregoing any healing methods unless necessary, and while he could certainly ask Asclepius for help, he preferred not to.
Fighting was not the only skill he learned under Chiron, and he preferred to explore the others further on his own.
Icarus walked over to a particular part of his floor, where he had created a kind of crude map on. It was supposed to mimic Greece as a whole, with the cardinal directions painted on the floor paired alongside it.
Although not wholly accurate, it was enough for now. He already had plans to properly and precisely flesh it out once he regained his ability to fly.
He positioned himself far south of Greece, past the sea and at the edge of where North Africa would be.
There he bent down and plucked a set of stalks growing there. It was a type of plant he had learned about from Chiron, a specially potent and almost invaluable plant which could be used anywhere from medicine and perfume, to seasoning and aphrodisiacs.
Silphium.[2]
…But, not really.
These plants were fakes, ones using the psuedo-texture like effects of his workshop, along with the mapped positioning, and the conceptual reflections of his workshop floor to replicate Silphium.
Though far less potent and useful than true Silphium, it was a low quality but mass producible substitute.
He would just use quantity instead of quality.
Icarus went to work refining the stalks into medicine, before lathering it on his muscles and injuries.
He groaned as the pain slowly faded over dozens of minutes.
"I really need to get stronger…" Icarus whined tiredly.
While he could fight on par with the other students, his physical ability left him far outpaced.
It was his greatest weakness.
He had to fix it.
"…Maybe I really should talk to Asclepius."
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Author's Notes
Shorter chapter, but I want to make a couple focusing exclusively on individual campers. Asclepius is up next, can you guess Icarus' next idea for a power up? Sorry for the delay.
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Glossary
[1] Agoge
A rigorous and intensive military training program where upper-class Spartan boys began training for a lifelong career as professional soldiers.
[2] Silphium
An unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and medicine.
It was an essential item of trade from the ancient North African city of Cyrene, and was so critical to the Cyrenian economy that most of their coins bore an image of the plant
Silphium was considered invaluable by all who held it. The plant was sung about by Roman poets and singers, who considered it equivalent to its weight in gold.
The disappearance of silphium is considered to be the first extinction of a plant or animal species in recorded history.
The cause of silphium's supposed extinction is not entirely known.