Chapter 110: Through – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter opens just before Icarus climbs back down from Helios’s window. Helios catches him by the laces of his sweatshirt, stopping him. He tells Icarus that his father has been acting strangely—he didn’t want to bring it up earlier because it made him nervous. Now he reveals that his father is leaving for New York again, and this time he will be gone for a week and a half. Helios uses this news as an opportunity to invite Icarus to actually stay over during the trip.
Icarus is so preoccupied with the troubling news about Helios’s father that he takes a long time to respond to the invitation. Helios begins to deflate, fearing rejection, but Icarus quickly reassures him. He says he would love to come, and that he will ask his father if he can take a trip somewhere—but he will stay with Helios. In response, Helios darts forward and presses their foreheads together quickly and softly, a gesture of affection and trust. He then releases Icarus’s tether and confirms that his father will be leaving by 8 p.m. on the nineteenth, ending with a firm “See you then.” Icarus flows down the side of the house like water and makes his way home.
Key Events
- Helios stops Icarus before he climbs down, catching his sweatshirt lace.
- Helios reveals that his father has been acting weird and is going to New York for a week and a half.
- Helios invites Icarus to stay over during his father’s absence.
- Icarus initially hesitates, focused on the news about Helios’s father, then accepts the invitation.
- Icarus says he will ask his own father for permission to take a trip and will stay with Helios.
- Helios presses their foreheads together in a brief, intimate gesture.
- Helios specifies the departure time (8 p.m. on the 19th) and confirms their plan.
- Icarus descends from the window “like water” and returns home.
Character Development
- Helios: This chapter reveals a more vulnerable side of Helios. He has been holding back his worry about his father’s strange behavior, indicating that he processes anxiety by compartmentalizing. His invitation to Icarus to stay over shows a desire for deeper connection and trust. The forehead touch is a significant physical display of affection—he initiates it, which contrasts with his usual guardedness.
- Icarus: Icarus’s immediate concern is for Helios’s emotional state; he takes extra time to process the news about the father before even reacting to the invitation. His willingness to ask his own father for permission to travel—and to explicitly choose to stay with Helios—demonstrates his growing commitment and prioritizing of their relationship over his usual routines.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Parental absence and unpredictability: Helios’s father is an off-page source of tension. His strange behavior and repeated trips to New York suggest instability or secrets, casting a shadow over Helios’s home life and underscoring a core conflict for both characters.
- Intimacy through small gestures: The forehead touch is a recurring motif in the novel—a non-verbal, gentle act that conveys trust, safety, and closeness. Here it marks a turning point in their emotional bond, as Helios initiates it without words.
- Water imagery: Icarus “flowed like water” down the house. Water often represents fluidity, adaptability, or emotional release. The image suggests that Icarus is comfortable in his element, moving gracefully even when leaving a charged moment behind.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 110 is a quiet but pivotal setup scene. It advances the subplot of Helios’s father, hinting at upcoming danger or disruption. More importantly, it solidifies the emotional commitment between Helios and Icarus: Icarus agrees to stay over for an extended period, which will bring them into closer proximity and likely force them to navigate new challenges. The chapter also captures a delicate moment of vulnerability and trust, deepening the reader’s sense of their relationship’s fragility and strength.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Icarus hesitate before responding to Helios’s invitation?
Icarus is caught up in worry about what Helios shared regarding his father’s strange behavior. He processes that concern before he can fully register the invitation to stay over. His hesitation shows that he prioritizes Helios’s emotional well-being over his own immediate plans.
2. What does the forehead touch reveal about Helios’s emotional state?
The forehead touch is a small, intimate gesture that Helios initiates quickly and softly. It signals that he feels safe enough with Icarus to express affection beyond words, and it also underscores his underlying nervousness—he is reaching out for reassurance as much as giving it.
3. How does the author use water imagery in this chapter, and what might it suggest?
Icarus “flowed like water” down the side of the house. Water imagery suggests ease, adaptability, and a sense of being in one’s element. It implies that despite the emotional weight of the conversation, Icarus moves through the world with a natural fluidity, returning home without resistance.