i.
icarus watches the sun. gauges how close he’s getting, feels the heat on his back, the wax melting over his skin. icarus knows the exact moment his wings fail him.

ii.
achilles forgets about his weakness. he is a god, cutting his way through the battlefield, armor soaked in blood but none of it’s his own. he has no mercy, no lines he wouldn’t cross. he doesn’t even know he’s dead until his sword stops swinging.

iii.
hercules is tricked, wakes up to two slaughtered children and a dead wife. he is filled with rage, with red eyes and swimming vision. after he completes his tasks he toasts his victories with a goblet of ichor, the god’s blood. he’s dead before he puts his cup down.

iv.
you’d think after thousands of years, we would’ve learned from their mistakes. you’d think after thousands of years, we’d stop acting like it isn’t our own fault when our hearts stop beating.