A/N. I know. This has to be one of the most ridiculous ideas a person can even fathom. I've had crazy ideas like this before, and they haven't really worked out well in my head either. But the more it developed in my head, the more I thought this three-way crossover might actually work. I discovered the Spider-Man musical in February of 2018, during practice for a show I was in at the time in my town. I had already been in another local production of 'The Little Mermaid' two years prior, and my sister loves anything to do with Percy Jackson...well, except for the second movie (the only thing I liked about that one was the music. Gorgeous). That's when the wheels in my head began turning… Here we are five months later, after countless hours of listening to the Spider-Man Broadway soundtrack, and many more countless hours letting a story be born, carefully molding and shaping this creation in my head. I did what I could to try and create a presentable story, and I think this did the trick. I was never a Spider-Man fan before this, so don't lash out if I get stuff or people's personalities wrong. I did the best I could. Surprisingly enough, Peter Parker actually plays a very secondary role in this...Oh, one more thing! I may or may not have changed some people's relations...like who's related to who. Some people, my two main characters families in particular, have been drastically changed. Please don't mind that, it's the only way the story would fit. Also, both of my main characters are OCs. Trust me, this will not go down in a big flop like the musical did.
Okay...before anyone tries, don't attack me over this.
Wow, that has to be the longest A/N I've ever written, period. I say we get into the story now. One more thing! Don't leave any inappropriate comments. I know there may be some major stuff in here that people might not like, but I think are fine, so just please don't say anything insulting, okay? With that out of the way, I hope everyone actually likes this story. And once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always… Enjoy!
Present Day, New York City.
"Violet! Tell me a story now!" Estelle squealed.
"As soon as you stop jumping. You're gonna hurt yourself." I told my four-year old sister, who was currently bouncing on my bed like she was, as she described it, a bunny. Her long black waves were starting to become wild and tangled, and her face was already messy with copious amounts of pink frosting on it from the cake we had eaten earlier. The reason she was so hyped up was because it was her birthday that day, and she'd already had more cake than she needed. But me and my brothers knew the trick to calm her down.
As soon as I said that, Stel flopped down on the covers, green eyes shining from being so hyper. "Okay. Now can you tell me a story?" I giggled, picked her up and placed her in her own bed on the other side of our room. "Sure thing, sweetie." I said. "Can you tell me about Circe again? Or how about the Titans? Or Lady Artemis?! You know she's my favorite!" As I picked up the book, I smiled to myself. I knew exactly what story to tell my sister.
I had received the book when I was eight. Day and night, I would spend hours pouring over the pages, and then thinking about them for hours on end. My older brothers, Peter, Eric, and Percy, all said I was obsessed with it. But even though they were right, I didn't care a bit. The book was a huge hardcover filled to the brim with everything a person needed to know about Greek Myths. I loved them so much. About a year ago, while Estelle was poking around through our room, she discovered the book, and requested for me to start telling the stories in it. Now, she was starting to fall in love with them as well. I had told her at least half of them already, and she was learning fast. But I had decided early on to save a special one for a special occasion. My all-time favorite, a tale of transformation and redemption."Don't read her those stories. You're gonna scare her." My fifteen-year-old brother Percy said from the doorway. He looked similar to me and Estelle, with black hair and green eyes of his own. I had black hair, but soft brown eyes instead of green. Estelle sat up and stuck out her tongue at Percy. "You just don't appreciate art." I said, sitting down next to Stel.
"It definitely scared Tyson. He threw a pound of raw steak out the upstairs window a few months ago after you told him and Stel about the Minotaur." he continued. "What? Cows are evil!" said seven-year-old Tyson, coming in to sit with us. "Hey! What are you doing out of bed? I thought Eric was handling that!" I said. Eighteen-year-old Eric joined Percy in the doorway, saying, "I was, until he heard that Violet was staying up later. Now he wants to, too."
"Well, that's just because I'm reading to Stel tonight." I explained. "Violet! Violet! Tell me the story now! I can't wait forever!" said Stel, coming dangerously close to going on another bouncing spree. "Vi, I think you should start reading to her, or she'll never let anyone get any sleep." said twenty-one-year-old Peter as he walked in. I sighed, knowing he was right. I had a field-trip in the morning, and Peter worked at the place we were going, so he knew I had to get rest. But it's almost impossible with Tyson and Stel. Heck, I'm only fourteen, and already, I'm helping in raising my two youngest siblings.
"Alright. Tonight, I'm telling my favorite story of all." I said, making my voice sound mystical for Estelle and Tyson. Instantly, they were drawn in. "Which one is your favorite?" asked Tyson. I smiled widely as the name left my lips.
"The Myth...of Alonzo, son of Athena."
Percy snorted with laughter. "What kind of a name is that?!"
"Shh! She's talking!" Estelle said, putting a finger to her lips. Percy shrugged and went to sit down on the floor with Eric. Peter still stood in the doorway.
I instantly went back to storytelling. My heart was beginning to pound, excitement filling every inch of me. This was going to be epic.
"I've already told you a little bit about Athena. Daughter of Zeus, Goddess of Warfare and Wisdom...but did I ever tell you she had children?" I asked. Estelle shook her head. "Exactly. She, like many of the characters from these Myths, ended up having many children. Athena's story is probably one of the most enthralling...and tragic...of them all." With a deep breath, I began.
"Athena met her first husband when she was a young adult. Of course, the Olympians are immortal, but this is when she was young. They married, and ended up having seven children together. Seven lovely daughters, all perfect and beautiful. There was Attina, the oldest, brave and fiercely protective of her siblings. Allana, shy, but sweet, and served as a second hand to her elder sister. Adella, very social and friendly. Aquata, a little vain about her looks, and somewhat snobbish, but a very beautiful person underneath all that. Arista, very hyperactive, and also very friendly. Andrina, the prankster, always playing jokes and making people laugh. And finally, the adventurous one...Ariel. Things were perfect, until shortly after Ariel's birth when Athena discovered that her husband was a descendant of Poseidon, with whom she had a rivalry. Anyone smart could have guessed that their relationship didn't last long after that."
"The second time she got married, she didn't know that her new husband did not like his stepdaughters one bit. As a matter in fact, he didn't like children at all. Eight-year-old Attina suspected this most, and became more protective of her sisters than ever. A few months later, another daughter was born. She would later be known for being incredibly smart, and resembling her mother the most. Annabeth. If Athena's husband wasn't mad enough about suddenly being step-father to Athena's older daughters, he absolutely despised the idea of having a child of his own. In a desperate attempt to be rid of his daughter, Annabeth's father tried to sell her into slavery. Attina followed him, saved her sister, and reported him to her mother. She immediately left him for good, knowing he didn't deserve to have a family if he was going to be ungrateful for it."
"Believe it or not, Athena fell in love a third time, and at first, he seemed great. He wasn't descended from any deities, and he was great with children. Almost a year after their marriage, she had her ninth child, yet another daughter, Arachne, who would become famous for playing a disastrous role in one of her sibling's later life. Before Arachne's first birthday however, the giant Typhon waged war on her father, Zeus, and attempted to take over Olympus. Athena flew to her father's side, leaving her daughters in the safety of her husband. Even more trouble struck Athena when she learned during the war that she was pregnant. All while she and the other Olympians fought, she prayed for her unborn child to be safe. The Olympians eventually won, and Athena returned to her husband and daughters, just in time for the baby to be born."
"This baby...was different."
"Because this baby...was her first, and only, son."
"Eventually, after a long and turbulent next couple of years, including her husband gradually going in a downwards spiral into being a complete jerk, Athena left her husband, and all of her children lived of Olympus with her. Everyone was very fond of Athena's children, and got along with them well. As they grew, Alonzo took up a skill that he shared with his mother and (partially) his sisters. That skill, was weaving. Of course, sense his mother invented weaving, it made total sense that he would be good at it. But Alonzo...he might have been even better than her. He went on, and his skill grew. Literally everyone admired his talents, and his mother and sisters were proud of him… until Arachne got a little too proud of him. She began boasting, and the worst event of their lives began...calling how closely knit the siblings were into question…"
Ancient Greek Times'Deep Breath.'Alonzo's fingers were flying.
'We've seen this thousands of times before. He's perfect.'His sisters and the crowd all held their breath as he neared finishing.
'Any second now…'"DONE!" shouted Arista as Alonzo pushed his seat away from the loom, admiring his work. Like the countless others he'd done in the past, it was magnificent. Alonzo was a bit naive when it came to his talents. He just didn't see how much potential lay inside of him. He slowly turned, black hair slightly ruffled and shining amber eyes nervous. "So...did I do okay?"
It was no surprise when he was met with wild applause. Well, of course, Alonzo was slightly taken aback by the crowd's enthusiasm, but he beamed, starting to go red in the face. "Uh...thank you…" he said as they continued. Andrina joined Arista and Alonzo and said, "Alonzo, Ariel's looking for you." Sure enough, in a backroom, Ariel was quickly recognizable in the doorway with her wildly red hair and carribean blue eyes. Quickly, Alonzo rushed to the back to greet his sister.
"You were fantastic!" she exclaimed, further ruffling his already untidy hair. "Thanks sis. It feels nice to finally get away from all those crowds." he said, cracking a few bones after sitting still for so long. Outside, they could hear Arista start to shout "FIRST TAPESTRY GOES FOR SIXTY DRACMA!" followed by a loud roar of the undisbursed crowd as Ariel closed the door.
Alonzo frowned. "I don't see why they have to make a big deal about selling tapestries. Heck, I didn't even come up with the idea. And our mother is Athena. Why would we need the money if our mother is Athena?" Allana, sitting in the corner, looked up from a book she was reading and smirked. "If you want someone to complain to, I think that'll be Arachne. She's the one who got into making your talent into a profit." No sooner than she said that, Arachne came into the room, looking dazzling in her flowing golden dress. She was fixing her long black hair into a complicated array of braids, almond-shaped black eyes fixated and determined. An expression she wore often. "You wanted to see me?" she asked in her smooth, flowing voice.
"Arachne, do we absolutely have to make my weaving such a big deal?" asked Alonzo. "I mean, it's a nice thing and all, but I'm starting to wonder if we've maybe gone a little too far. It's not like I'm famous or something." Arachne gave this a thought for a moment, before brushing it off. "In my opinion, we're doing fine. This is a perfect opportunity for us." she stated.
"To do what, get noticed?" asked Adella from the back of the room where she was putting away a large pile of tapestries that had been woven earlier on by her brother. "We're one family in Greece out of thousands. And there are more myths being written every day. To the world, we'll just be another story. Frankly, I'm fine with that." Alonzo nodded. "Me too." Arachne shook her head. "Alonzo, you're better than that. You're better than anyone who will try to define you. Remember everything I've taught you?"
"Um, I think you're being a little controlling, Arachne." said Alonzo. Aquata, who had been listening in the back with Adella, stood. "People can get in real trouble for saying things like that. Like everyone who's ever tried to challenge the gods. We definitely don't need that on our shoulders." At her siblings sudden defiance of her ideas, Arachne glared. "Alonzo, I don't want it to be like the days we spent with Father, that's why we got out of there while we could!"
"Of course, I know that! I was seven, I remember it all! But things are different now." Alonzo walked up to Arachne, desperate. "Father is gone. He's not gonna come back for us, after all...he was happy to be rid of us."
"But what if he does came back?! What if it's back to the days where I have to see you being pushed around again! Trust me, by the time I'm done, you'll be more powerful than anyone!" Suddenly, she got a look, a nasty glint, in her eye. One that only meant she was getting a nasty idea. "And I can prove it." With that, she walked over to the door and made her way out. "I don't like where this is going." Allana said immediately. The six siblings rushed to the doorway, cramming around it to watch Arachne walk out in front of the crowd, where Andrina and Arista were giving out the very last tapestry, which had gone at a ridiculously high price.
"Wasn't that awesome?!" asked Arachne. The crowd cheered in response. "Well, you can thank my brother for that. He's incredible, am I right?" More cheering.
"She's egging them on." Whispered Ariel to her siblings. "She's gonna say something stupid, then we're in trouble. I know it." Meanwhile, Arachne was continuing her spiel. Attina, who had been standing by the front door, walked over to her siblings.
"What's Arachne going on about?" she asked.
"Nothing good." Alonzo answered.
"Why, my brother could be so talented, he could beat anyone in a contest!" said Arachne.
"No...anything but that!…" whispered Alonzo. "Why can't she gloat about something else?!"
"Because apparently your her pride and joy." Aquata answered.
"I don't want to be her pride and joy, she's got other, more important things to worry about than me!" Alonzo snapped back.
"Well, it looks like the crowd's being won over. There's no stopping her now." said Adella.
Attina immediately glared at her younger sister's antics. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She marched over to Arachne and tapped her on the shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked.
"Making sure that these people realize Alonzo's place in all this. He's important!" she argued. "He doesn't have to be important to absolutely everybody! Stop rubbing it in everyone's faces!" Attina said. She took her younger sister's hand and started leading her away. "No!" Arachne said, pulling away from Attina. "They need to know!"
At this point, all of the sisters, besides Attina and Arachne, had gone to join their brother. "What's gotten into Arachne?" asked Andrina. "Nothing good!" all of the siblings repeated. Meanwhile, Arachne was continuing, despite Attina's efforts to pull her away. This wasn't good, and even the crowd was beginning to realize that something was amiss. If Arachne said something stupid, that was it. They'd have to pay the price.
"Well, if you don't believe me, I'll make sure you do!" said Arachne, noticing how the crowd was starting to inch towards the exit. Using the powers she inherited from her mother, the door slammed shut, trapping everyone inside the tiny room. "Alonzo is so great, he could challenge...Hera herself!"
You could hear a pin drop. Attina froze. Arachne smirked. Alonzo felt himself start to sink towards the floor, his legs like jelly, while his sisters had covered their mouths in shock. Everyone besides Arachne had gone pale. She had said the unthinkable.
Then the real nightmare started.
"Excuse me Miss...what do you mean by challenging Hera herself?"
Arachne looked down to see a small, frail looking elderly lady standing at the front row of the crowd. Everyone else in the room looked a little confused. They hadn't seen her before...at least, they didn't remember it.
Even Arachne was slightly confused, but she didn't waste the opportunity to keep going further, before anyone could stop her. "We all know Hera can't weave to save her life, right?" The crowd gasped in horror. "I thought so. So, she would definitely loose to him! End of story!" she exclaimed, delighted at the terror she was bringing onto the crowd.
"This is crazy! Someone go stop her!" Arista whispered, panicked. "No." Ariel said back. "Adella's right. She's gone to far now to come back." Aquata was clinging to Allana, nervous and shaking. "Why would she even say Hera?! She has no weaving experience!" she said. Allana looked terrified, even as she said this.
"Because Hera has the highest power out of any Goddess. Of course, she's underneath the Big Three in skill, and she knows it, but still...she hates being provoked. And she'll give out the worst punishments to anyone who would seemingly stand in her way, or threaten her power. Arachne is challenging her to something she would win in a landslide. Weaving experience or not. Alonzo is in real danger now." Alonzo was practically on the floor, numb with disbelief. How? How could Arachne have done that? Set him up for certain doom in which there was no escape? As his sisters voices swirled around him, he felt more and more in peril with each passing second. Almost as if he could feel Hera's presence, boiling over in anger as Arachne jeered at her own power compared to his. No wonder their mother had warned him and his sisters to leave Hera alone, and not get in her way.
There was no stopping Hera or Arachne now. And there was no saving him now either.
The old lady in the front was the only one not phased by the young demi-god's claims, but she had a strange look on her face. "Dear, listen to me. It's nice that you care for your brother, I can tell, but you've heavily disrespected Hera. I would take it back if I were you. You might avoid a very messy situation…"
"That's it!" shouted Arachne. She pointed to the door. "Leave at once! And don't you dare think about coming back! If Hera was such an amazing queen, she could come to challenge Alonzo right now if she wanted to!"
"Arachne, no!" Attina screamed.
But it was too late. As the siblings shouted in protest, a glow filled the room, causing everyone to duck for cover. And when the light died down, a tall, dark eyed woman with a dress shimmering in different colors when the light hit it, was standing with a furious expression. Hera, Queen of The Gods.
Hera paid no attention to the crowd groveling at her feet. She focused her attention on the teenaged boy attempting to scramble into a back room with his elder sisters. Instantly, she snatched him by the front of his indigo cloak and brought him up to her height. He was very small, and couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen. The boy was whimpering, and straining to hold his face a ways back from hers. When his eyes met hers, she could see pure fear. His elder sisters, even the gloater, were all crowding around, screaming at her and trying to pull their brother down, causing more strain on the boy.
She remembered seeing him in Olympus. Always trailing after his mother, or sisters, whichever had been around at the moment. Being the only male in the family made him stand out, and everyone enjoyed his company. She had heard from almost everyone on Olympus about how compassionate he was. Well, everyone except for Aphrodite, who had been pranked by him and his sisters after they had owls roost in her room, which Hera guessed was a good thing, because none of the other goddess liked Aphrodite and thought she deserved it.
But even she had heard snippets of this boy's talent from other people. At the thought that someone could be even more powerful than her...even at something she couldn't do. That only made it worse for whoever was attempting to challenge her. Hera looked around at his works...and she even admitted, silently to herself, that his sister, that Arachne girl, might have been right. She would have to play it cool when dealing with this. But one thing was for certain.
"So...this is the great weaver I've heard so much about." she said. Alonzo moaned, his eyes begging for her to release him. "Well then…" she started, before pushing him down so forcefully that he stumbled backwards and tripped over the stool sitting next to the loom. "Challenge accepted." she hissed, eager to face off against her rival.
Before another action could be done, or Alonzo's sisters could rush to their brother's side, a second glaring light filled the room. In seconds, another tall woman, this time with flowing blond hair and stormy gray eyes, had gathered up a shaking Alonzo in one arm, and pointed a freshly sharpened spear at Hera with the other.
"I would think twice before causing damage to my children if I were you." Athena spat. Alonzo threw his arms around her neck and clung to her like he was a child again. Great. Hera despised her stepdaughter, and now she was spoiling her fun. Well, it made sense. He was Athena's child after all.
Scoffing, Hera turned back to the crowd. "Listen up. No one in this room leaves until we settle a winner. We weave until midnight, and put in our all. Then we retire until morning. The winner will receive bragging rights...but just so you know...even if I win...I might not be so kind...so watch your back, and don't try anything. The contest will commence in two hours. Don't keep me waiting." And after one last flare of light, she was gone.
Once Hera was gone, Athena took the opportunity to use a dirty greek curse, and summoned her children into the back room. When they were away from the crowd's view, Attina immediately grabbed Arachne's shoulders and began shaking her back and forth, shouting, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" This quickly caught on, until Arachne was being pushed and pulled around by all eight of her elder sisters.
"That is enough! Let her go!" shouted Athena. Her sisters immediately stopped, but Athena glared sternly at her daughter. "However, they are right. Do you have any idea what you've done, Arachne?" She walked in front of her children and turned to them, to make sure that they all could see her.
"My stepmother may have no experience in weaving, whatsoever. But she will stop at nothing to make sure she does better! Alonzo is still in great danger, no matter how this event will play out. You know she does not tolerate being provoked, and that's exactly what you've done! My daughter, have you forgotten everything I've taught you over the years?!"
"It was Hera's own fault that she decided to accept the challenge!" Arachne yelled. "I was just trying to prove-"
"She was bragging about Alonzo's talents." Ariel said. The red-headed girl looked livid. "That's what you were doing. That, and being a total fool."
Athena facepalmed. Sometimes she felt that she had absolutely no control over her daughters. "Of course, Ariel. I already knew that...well, we all heard Hera. We have two hours to prepare." Alonzo whimpered at the thought of going up against someone as strong and powerful as Hera.
"Mother...you're not really gonna make him go through with it? Are you?!" asked Annabeth, pulling her brother into an embrace.
Athena solemnly nodded in response. "Hera's threats are always taken seriously. We'll go through with the challenge, and pray that nothing happens afterwards. However...whatever happens...promise me, that we'll get through it together. Understand?"
The sisters looked uncertainly at one another, but nodded firmly at their beloved mother's request. Even Alonzo followed their example. "Don't worry, mother." he said quietly. When Athena turned to him, he smiled softly. "I'll be okay."
In the corner, Arachne was trying to figure out how everything had gone so wrong. How could they defy her all of a sudden? Everything had been going so well up until then! Still, it wasn't Alonzo's fault...it must have been Hera! Of course she decided to be greedy with her power and accept. Arachne had to send her some kind of message to stay off their case so Alonzo could win…
And for the second time that day, Arachne got a catastrophic idea. One that might ultimately seal poor Alonzo's fate, forever.
Ten hours later, midnight struck. Goddess and Demi-god wove for eight hours straight, and Alonzo was so exhausted, he hadn't even noticed all of the horrible blisters and calluses that had appeared on his small, dainty fingers and palms. That would definitely hurt in the morning when they awoke to announce the winner.
Despite everyone being so tired from the event that they were literally walking straight into walls, Arachne was wide awake. Her plan had to succeed! It just had to!
Once everyone was in a deep sleep, Arachne snuck from the room that her mother and siblings were occupying. She dodged around snoring members from the crowd, who were crammed into a space on the floor. Like Hera said, no one was to leave until the champion had been declared.
She made her way up to the front, where there was a small, cleared space for the two tapestries. No one in the crowd had even dared to touch them, fearing a botched result. Kind of pointless, considering what Arachne was about to do. Alonzo may have been the most talented at weaving, but it didn't mean Arachne and her sisters couldn't weave at all. She would just have to match her brothers talents for, maybe an hour, and his win would be official. Plus, Hera will be let off with a little warning about messing with her brother...
Arachne took a minute to study the two pieces of art. Even in this state, Alonzo's was going to win in a landslide. Not even Hera would be able to deny this one away. Pity that no one would actually get to see Alonzo's real work. Or Hera's, for that matter.
With that, Arachne sat at the stool and got to work, slowly going over areas that needed a touch up in her opinion.
Little did she know, this would be the dirtiest deed she would ever commit…
The next morning, despite being so tired, everyone woke early. A curtain was dividing the view of the tapestries from the audience, so no one would see early. Hera arrived about thirty minutes later. Alonzo stood next to his mother on the opposite side of the room, his sisters gathered behind them. "Alright!" shouted Hera upon her entrance. "We've both worked hard and long. Now, let's see who has excelled in weaving." She grabbed the curtain, and prepared to tear it down.
Alonzo's heart thundered in his chest. This was it. The moment that would put an end to all this madness...or secure it's steady run forever. Whichever way it went, either he was better, or not good enough, Hera would leave a devastating impact. Alonzo was mentally preparing himself for the worst, as his sisters whispered behind him, that he may have a chance of winning, or it would be a tie, or maybe Hera would even change her mind and leave them alone. Alonzo didn't care. He just wanted all of this to be over with and done…
His heart sank when he heard the crowd gasp in horror. He hadn't won after all…
Then Hera's screech of rage made them all jump in shock. He heard his sisters shriek behind him, and even his mother dropped her spear in surprise. Dreading what he was about to see, Alonzo rushed forwards to see the two tapestries-
And stopped dead in his tracks. He could feel his blood run an icy cold.
His own tapestry, had been woven over with insults of the worst kind, all directed at Hera! And her own work, which was less than two feet away from his, would have been beautiful- if it hadn't been slashed and torn to shredded bits. Not only that, from what remained of her hard work, it was pretty clear that she wouldn't have won to begin with.
Someone had sabotaged Hera. Someone had ruined both of their works in order to make sure he won. It was unfair for both contenders. And it looked as if he had been framed.
Alonzo looked around the room in shock, his eyes pleading for everyone to see that he wasn't the culprit, until his eyes rested on one figure standing directly at the front, her eyes shining with pride from her latest victory. Arachne. Alonzo was so shocked that he could barely breathe. What had she done?!
"You...you!..." before Alonzo could become angry however, he screamed when someone yanked him off the ground from behind, and he found himself face to face with Hera, more furious than he had ever seen her in his life! "HOW DARE YOU?!" she roared. "It wasn't me! I swear!" he shouted desperately, but she was beyond listening to him now. He felt himself slam to the floor, knocking the wind out of him, and as he struggled for breath, he could see her shadow raising the butt of her spear over her head-
"Stop!" he managed to weeze out, before he was hit on the head so hard, that he almost lost consciousness. This happened twice more, fast, and by the time she was done, he was a wreck, begging for her to make it end and sobbing. "MOTHER!" he shrieked as soon as she turned away. Athena pushed Hera to the side and gathered her son into her arms, just as Hera got to work on the other, untouched tapestry. In seconds, it joined Hera's on the floor, nothing more than ripped ribbons of fabric.
Athena's daughters were enraged, even Arachne. They were pulling Hera's loom to pieces in an attempt to arm themselves, but Hera's power mixed with her temper would be no match for their splintered pieces of wood. It was hopeless. As all this unfolded, the crowd was making a mad dash for the door in an attempt to escape the Goddess. The scene was getting ugly, and things were looking grim for the talented weaver.
Before another act could be made, Athena's precious son, broken and in pain, had been snatched from her arms once more. "Now you pay for your insults!" Hera bellowed to the air, for everyone to hear. In a flash of light, she and Alonzo were both gone.
Athena let out a cry as her own rage began to blaze forth. She picked up her spear, summoned her shield, and turned to her daughters, who were standing there looking pathetical and horrified at the disappearance of their brother, with remains of Hera's destroyed loom in their hands. "My daughters! Arm yourselves, then follow me! We must find Alonzo before Hera can damage him any further!" The girls instantly ran to the back room to retrieve their weapons, weeping and praying silently to themselves to keep Alonzo safe, and most importantly, alive.
As her youngest daughter ran by, Athena seized her by the arm. Arachne gasped in surprise as she came face to face with her mother, and Athena saw an expression on her face that she hadn't worn in years. Shame. "Mother…" Arachne started, but Athena held up her other hand to silence her. "I hope you've learned your lesson, Arachne." she whispered. "I expected better from you of all people." As she let go, Arachne ran to get her weapons without looking back at Athena.
Once the weapons were gathered, alarms were raised on Olympus. The invited crowds had long since left, so they wouldn't have to worry about their safety at the moment. Knowing that the mad queen was on the loose, the other Olympians were taking extreme caution. Even Zeus, hearing what his wife had done to his grandson, had joined the chase.
"I have everyone on the lookout my daughter, not just the guards." said Zeus as he comforted poor Athena. Her daughters had hastily explained what had happened to him when he had come to join their search. Arachne had taken an interest in looking like she was occupied in searching, so she could avoid the gazes of her sisters. "Hermes, Apollo, and Artemis have taken troops to the sky to keep watch from above while everyone else is combing the woods, the gardens, the palace grounds… we'll do everything we can for your son. I am so sorry this happened."
"You don't have to apologize father. It was stepmother's idea." Athena said, smiling weakly.
The search went on for hours. The morning wore on, and the search for the young Demi-god was quickly becoming one of the most recorded events in history on Olympus. No rock was being unturned. Athena's nine daughters had split up, three taking the palace, three taking the gardens, and three taking the woods with their mother. Arachne was one of the girls who was with her mother, along with Arista and Allana. Both kept asking her, "Why would you do it?", but now the once prideful girl was silent.
Morning turned into afternoon, and everyone on the grounds of Olympus was a wreck. They were hot and sweaty, and Aphrodite dropped out of the search saying she was too tired. Ares, being stubborn, joined her. Now Alonzo's family was getting desperate. If he was gone for this long, something horrible had surely happened. By the time the sun was setting, word was spreading out to the mainland, and normal humans were beginning to join in.
By nightfall, it had turned into a full-fledged manhunt for the queen and the child. Satyrs and nymphs were flooding the woods and waters, humans were combing the lands, and the Gods had been on high alert for hours. It seemed as if the whole world had felt Athena's fear and pain. There would be no rest until Alonzo was found, dead or alive, and the queen brought before her fellow Gods and Goddesses to have a proper punishment inflicted. Alonzo's sisters and mother were desperately hoping that the latter of 'dead or alive', was true, and he would be brought home with his heart still beating.
A second midnight passed. Everyone was hardly able to function, but somehow, they did. Hours wore on. Humans, Gods, everyone, trudged through the woods in an endless search, or re-checked places they had been through countless amounts of times. However, about an hour before sunrise, a hunter of Artemis reported to the Olympians that Hera had been seen fleeing, planning to go far from Olympus. Alonzo was not with her, and they feared the worse had come to pass.
For almost an hour, as dawn was breaking, a mad chase ensued. Hera had realized they were on to her, and made another run for it, taking them to countless roadblocks and forks to try and throw them off her trails. The hunters of Artemis sent wolves and falcons to follow her, and Athena sent countless owls. Eventually, Hera was caught by Ares, who had rejoined the hunt after he had heard they were going to give a chase.
When Hera was marched before the mob, cheers rang to the sky, where streaks of pink and orange were breaking on the horizon. Zeus, Athena, and her daughters were in front of the crowd. When she saw Hera, Athena signaled for her daughters to fall back, then slowly walked up to her stepmother, and hissed in a low voice, gray eyes clouding over like a storm, "Where...is...he?..." It was now that Hera realized she was out of options, and couldn't run any longer. "Your temple. I left him in the fountain. He should be done for by now." Frightened by her words, they ran for Athena's temple as fast as possible, mob and all. But when they got there, they were too late.
Alonzo's sisters let out cries of grief when they saw the limp figure floating in the water inside the huge fountain. As carefully as they could, they pulled him out so Apollo could examine the wounds. It wasn't looking good for the poor weaver. He had countless injuries, all four limbs broken, and a gut-wrenching injury to his stomach. His mother and sisters all sobbed and held him as tight as they could, while Zeus and the other Gods looked on with worry. Hera had been chained to a tree outside, to ensure that she would fail at escaping.
Finally, Apollo shook his head. "I don't know what to do for him, Athena. He's incredibly close to death. I'm so sorry." While Alonzo's sisters wailed, Athena pounded her fist into the floor. "There has to be another way! We have to save him!" Zeus looked somber, thinking he was going to lose his grandson. "Athena, darling…" he started, but Athena hissed. "No! I won't let him go!" She buried her face into her only son's chest and bawled in despair, knowing deep down, in the end, there would be nothing anyone can do for him.
Suddenly, Athena felt Alonzo being gently pulled from her grasp, by someone sitting opposite of her. She watched stunned as Arachne cradled her brother in her arms, holding him close, as if to shield him from any harm. He was becoming way too pale, and Arachne knew she had to act fast. She placed her hand over his chest, and spoke in Greek, her words slow and quiet. Then, as everyone sat dumbfounded, a small golden glow engulfed Alonzo's body, and they could see his from beginning to change shape.
The whole temple was illuminated as the change took place, the occupants of the room standing in a circle around the family, who were kneeling on the ground around the two youngest members. All eyes were on the young girl as she did the unthinkable. She was saving her brother...by transforming him. This was her act of redemption. Yet one could see in her eyes she harbored the deepest remorse than anyone before her had ever experienced.
"Alonzo," she said in English again, tears streaming down her cheeks as her voice began to break. "You never deserved this. I was the one who should be undergoing a transformation. Not you." Gold began appearing in her eyes, around the edges of her irises, separating white and black. "The creature you will become with be known to the world as the Arachnid, as symbol that I deserved your fate. Your story will be told for generations to come." As the light died at last, the gathered crowd gasped in horror as they saw a horrid creature in Alonzo's place, with jet-black skin, and too many limbs. They watched in horror as Arachne finished, just in time for huge, bulbous amber eyes to open. Eight of them.
"And you shall still weave...forever… as..."
Present Day, New York City.
"A Spider." I quietly finished.
My siblings seemed frozen in shock. They had never, ever, heard something quite like that. Estelle and Tyson had tears running down their own cheeks, and even my older brothers looked misty-eyed. I hadn't realized I was crying too until my hand instinctively reached up to brush away tears. No wonder this was my favorite story. The shear beauty always choked me up. I remember crying the first few times as a read it, when I was little. I still cry, even today.
Still, I had to keep going. "Athena then hid all ten of her children, far away from Olympus, because they wouldn't be safe around Hera anymore. They were never seen again, and only a few people, like the remaining Olympians besides Hera, knew where they were. Athena often went back and forth between her home, and her children's locations. The children all because immortal, and never left Alonzo, who also continues to weave, but only webs. To this day, spiders continue to weave webs out of silk, just like Arachne said. And...that's the end."
"Just like that?" asked Percy. "That seems a little abrupt, right?" He was right. I hadn't realized it until now.
"Well, of course, no one saw them again besides a few people, remember?" I said. "So, no one would know where they were or what they were doing. It only makes sense."
Estelle hopped off of her bed and went over to the window, gazing out at the city skyline that we all spent a fair amount of time looking out upon with wonder. "What if they're still out there?" she asked. "Will anyone ever find them again?"
My brothers all began to laugh. "Like that'll ever happen." said Eric jokingly. "Eric, don't spoil her fun." I said. "She's four after all." Peter nodded. "Yeah. And four year olds should be getting to bed, or their mothers will come home extremely angry…" he said, trailing off and eyeing Estelle. She immediately hopped back onto her bed and pretended to start snoring.
Tyson ran over to Percy and said, "I want to go to bed now." Once again, we all began to laugh at the younger two's antics. "Wish granted." said Percy, taking Tyson's hand and leading him out of the room. Just before they left, he turned around and smiled. "Goodnight Violet." I smiled back. "Night."
Peter yawned. "I say we get to bed, too. Night girls." Eric quickly followed, hastily saying goodnight before leaving. I shook my head and smiled sadly to myself. "Boys. When will they ever learn?" Slowly, I got up and crossed the room to my own bed, realizing how tired I really was. The clock said it was way past eleven, and I needed sleep. There was that big field trip tomorrow, and I had to be ready to meet one of my idols...well, that was actually alive and existing. My idol was actually...Alonzo, but we'll get to that later. Still, tomorrow was pretty important.
Gentally, I laid my head down on the fluffy pillow, and pretty soon, I was fast asleep.
Little did I know that the next day, my life would change forever…
A/N. Sadly, the whole myths thing doesn't show up again until chapter three. Well, at least not in disguise. You'll see what that means later. Anyways, next chapter will be a bit of an introduction to Violet, and everything she's had to endure, and a mysterious lab accident that will change the course of history. Also joining us is Violet's spunky best friend Monique-is she all that she seems? Also, for the purpose of this story, I have changed one of the character's race. Arachne, like in the Broadway opening of Spider-Man, was Asian American, so I will be keeping that. But I decided to bring some more diversity to it, just to keep it fresh. When the little mermaid opened on Broadway, two of the girls, plus King Triton, were African American. So, I decided to do that this time around too. After some decision making, I settled on Attina, the eldest (the one in orange). I feel like it would bring a much more diversity into the story. The world is constantly becoming more inclusive, and Attina will still be the same, white or black. It doesn't matter either way. I asked my mother about this before publishing this story, and she said go for it. So I believe I'm doing the right thing. If anyone has any questions about this, you can leave it in the comments (please keep it appropriate though). Anyways, that's just about it! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always… Stay tuned! ;)
Okay...I think I'm off to a good start.