It all started like this, for those of you who don't know my story yet.
I was seventeen and the best in weaving when it came to my town. I got the skills from my aunt, who started weaving when she was ten years old. Lots of people who had the money—most of the people in our village didn't have any—would ask me to make stuff for them, and I'd be paid well.
Eventually, I joined weaving competitions inside and outside the village. I learned a lot of techniques from the others, and winning over everyone else seemed so easy… And I was too proud.
One rainy afternoon, I was at home, making a rug for my favorite aunt. It was green and blue, the colors of the earth. A bright light filled the room, but when I looked out the window, it was still raining. I heard footsteps from behind, and I spun around to see an old woman with dirty clothes in my room. It was as if she appeared out of thin air!
"Oh, uh, good afternoon," I greeted, "are you here to buy something of mine?"
She shook her head. "I'm just here to see your work; they need some improvement." She roamed around the room, touching some works of mine, but I was greatly insulted.
"My works need improvement?" I repeated in disbelief. "Seriously, woman, are you being sarcastic?" When she didn't say anything, my anger let me continue. "I'm sure I'll do a better job than you; I bet you can't see a thing you're weaving! Oh, maybe they're all tattered because your wrinkly hands couldn't do such a great job."
I noticed that she stopped and faced me, and she had this glare on her face. I could've sworn her eyes glowed. Without a warning, the room turned bright again, and out of instinct I covered my eyes. When it was over, I looked for the old woman.
Instead, it wasn't an old woman there. In her place was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, of strategy and of heroic endeavor.
Everyone said that the people who watched me weave bowed down, but really, I was the only one in the room with her. We had a staring—or rather, glaring—contest for a few moments, and then she spoke. "You said you do a better job than me?" she asked, anger ringing clear in her voice.
A part of me felt bad, but the rest of me was still angry at her for insulting me. I ended up blurting, "Yes, and I'll prove it to you."
"Take that back!" I knew she was giving me a last chance, but I wasn't one who backed down.
I shook my head, clearly indicating that no, I wasn't going to take that back.
We started weaving in silence. When I was finished, I raised up my work. "See, dear goddess, I finished first, and my work is even bet—"
She scoffed and pointed at what I did. "Seriously, look at your work." What I saw made me gasp.
I knew that the color combination was supposed to be nice, but it turned out wrong! It suddenly turned to dust, and I looked at her in disbelief.
"How could you do such a thing? YOU AND YOUR TRICKS!" I shouted. "This isn't supposed to look like this!"
She calmly replied, "That's your prize for insulting me, you simple teenager." She turned around and headed out the door.
"You pathetic goddess! How dare you embarrass me, and there you are, walking away without any—"
She looked at me over her shoulder, rolled her eyes, and left, and I heard laughter coming from her.
A split second after hearing that laughter, there was a boom. I found myself on the floor, with eight hairy legs, a round body, and some thread that followed me wherever I went.
What in the Underworld am I?I asked myself after many failed attempts in speaking.
Athena's head popped in through the window. "I'll call you an arachnid, named after you! You'll stay like that until you've learned your lesson!" And with that, she left me alone with the suddenly large room and the dust.