Gift of the Goddess

Chapter 61 - Daedalus's workshop

This was Icarus, Jack's star pupil. I don't know what I expected, but somehow this isn't what I imagined. He seemed normal. Not that, that was wrong or anything. But I expected him to exude some sort of presence. But it just felt like staring at some kid on the street.

"Alright, bird poop. Mind explaining what's going on now?" Zack blurted out.

Icarus turned toward Zack, but he didn't look him in the eye. He just stared down to the floor, moving his hand up and fiddling with one of his dreads.

He did kind of remind me of me...

"Yeah, I recall you saying you didn't really believe in your own theory that much. So what brought you here exactly?" I spoke up.

"Oh, well that was a lie." He said nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry what?" Zack asked.

"At the time of me calling you, I was already close to your home."

"So why didn't you say that then? Wouldn't it have been better to have us well prepared with a serious warning!?" I asked.

"Theoretically speaking, yes. However I wanted to test you. I wanted to see how you two would work in a situation like this, what choices you'd make with the same exact information I had. Granted you don't know Jormungand as well as I do. But that hardly mattered in the overall decision making."

"What if someone would've gotten hurt!? We could've stopped the dance from happening and avoided the risk entirely if I would've known before tonight."

"And what? Let Jormungand know that you were onto him? Think about it. The dragon Twin knew exactly what school you go to . Plus it's reasonable to assume he knew where Leo was going. And let me ask you, how do you think he knew that?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Then, for the first time. He looked up at me, and stared into my eyes. It sent a chill over me, his deep green eyes seemed like they could see everything. Every secret, every lie, every mess up.

"It means someone's leaking information about you. And if you would've pulled out earlier and stopped the dance, there's a good chance he would've known and acted on that. Potentially raising the risk of people dying, like your sister."

His voice was different, it was firm. Not a shed of doubt in it. Even if it was all hypothetical, he sounded so sure of it. Like it was a common fact.

"I-I never thought about that.."

I mumbled as I looked away.

"Wouldn't the risk been the same since you called Stryder?" Leo asked.

"Yes, and no. Like I said before, I had already gotten Lux by that time. Plus I had secured a good visual of everything I needed. If Stryder chose to pull out when I gave him the option. It would have been clear. The big idea here is I am an unknown variable. He has no idea I'm here. We caught him in the middle of his plan. We took all his bargaining chips, and stopped his attack. All because he didn't suspect we knew anything. And if you somehow told the traitor among you what I knew it wouldn't have mattered. I already had the bargaining chips, and a functional escape plan."

"Wait, wait hold up, hold up! I know you said leaked info, but Traitor!?" Zack blurted out.

Rushon then looked back to the floor and fiddled with his dreads again.

"Well technically it's not confirmed. The reality is it could be a third party working for Jormungand. I have no evidence either way. However I'd imagine the simple option would be to pay or threaten someone for information. But a spy with a more covert gift among his ranks Is also plausible."