Chapter 8

Talk about maternal intervention. Or divine intervention. 

"Real flashy entrance, Athena." Quipped my idiotic boyfriend the idiot.

Spiders hissed in the divine light my mother used, and Arachne still wounded, caved down, covering her eyes.  She didn't dare look directly at the goddess who could very well smite her. 

"Annabeth...I am very disappointed." She clicked her tongue, something she didn't do often. "I gave you my wisdom, and you go and throw it out the window." 

The burns on my legs ached, and I struggled to speak normally, "Mom, I just wanted to g-get out of here." 

"You know you cannot defeat Arachne. Arachne is immortal, as am I." She said with her grammatical brilliance, something only I could really pick up on. 

"And you brought Perseus Jackson....with you?"

"No- I think it was a Hecate summoning spell," I answered quickly, "I knew nothing of it." 

My mother pursed her lips, anger seething through, "Any child of Posei-"

"He helped, Mom. Please, you already said you were fine with him. Plus, we have bigger things." I pointed to Arachne's writhing body.  

She looked over, golden locks flipping behind her shoulder. 

"Right... The very woman whose forgotten her place, once again. I gave you the ability to weave, and now you believe that my gift is a curse?" My mother scoffed, and Arachne looked up with a familiar scorn in her eyes.

"Athena, oh divine. I request something of-"

"You dare ask for a gift?! You almost killed my strongest asset."

Thanks for the love, Mom.

 "She tried to slaughter me!"

"You held her captive." My mother pointed out, whilst I hissed at the burning on my legs. 

 Percy approached whilst my mother had her ¨divine argument¨ a water bottle in hand, ¨Psst, drink this.¨¨ I took it and allowed myself to consume all of its contents, which tasted of warm chocolate. A feeling of wholeness ran throughout my veins, and I smiled. 

 

The pain had been numbed. 

 

¨Why do you have ambrosia?¨ I rose my eyebrows.

¨Uhh, we can talk about it later?¨ He stated, pointing to my mother, ¨We still have to deal with this.¨

Right. I needed to focus. I returned my attention to the argument,¨I shall curse you once more Arachne. Never forget my word.¨

I thought this was appropriate until this happened:

paraménei mia aráchni=¨Remain a spider¨ That was exactly what she said. And thus, Arachne was no longer spider/woman, she was a gigantic, mother spider. 

¨Mom what the fu-¨

¨Now go, daughter, and take the Poseidon child with you.¨ My mother placed her hand gently on my head, and a great light appeared once more, taking my body away.

~

¨No Leo! Not that way!¨ Came Calypso´s irritated voice, from not too far. 

¨Well? How do you braid hair?!¨ Leo laughed, despite her anger.

¨Maybe, the three strands mingle instead of separate? Just- let me do it!¨ She shrieked furiously, and I turned to face the girl. 

¨Hey, Cal- need help?¨ I asked, and the caramel haired girl went silent. Leo did the same. 

Piper and Jason who were on the ground reading looked up in silence. Hazel, Nico, and the rest followed their lead. 

I had the odd feeling I did something wrong. 

¨Hey guys!¨ Chuckled Percy from behind me, making me jump out of my skin. I´d forgotten he was there. 

No response. 

¨What´s up?¨ Came to his voice, getting awkward with the silence that the group brought. Again, no answer. 

This would be fun.