*PERCY*
Arachne lurched forward from the shadows, her eight legs each as wide as Percy's thigh, and gingerly stepped out from the darkness until she was right in front of them. Annabeth had gasped and stumbled backwards, Percy felt the same way but he didn't want Arachne thinking she had the upper hand. He gripped Riptide and took a step forward until he was face to face with four of Arachne's enormous eyes. Each was as large as a dinner plate and as black as the tar they found at that roofing supply company in Utah. She studied him, and it occurred to him that she couldn't kill him, or Annabeth, not without angering her patron.
"I would so wish to rip you demigods limb for limb, and if you cross me I will, but alas Gaea needs your blood for other things." She sounded like a whining child as she said this, like they were her candy that the babysitter had taken away. Then before even Percy knew what she was doing, she had jumped above him and landed between him and Annabeth. Annabeth scurried backwards, and stared up in horror at Arachne's face, Percy cursed silently to himself.
"Ah, Annabeth, the famous designer of Olympus, I do think that Gaea can find a different and more worthy half-blood to replace you." Arachne crept forwards as she said this, like a panther stalking its prey. Percy had to move fast and effectively, but how? He couldn't kill her without her coming back again and again. He had to make her less of a threat, but she was a giant spider, they don't come much more threatening than that. Suddenly, like a bolt of lightening, it dawned on him, he had todisarm her, literally. Percy knelt down so her could see under Arachne's torso and motioned for Annabeth to play along, then he stood up and examined his threat. She had two large pincers just under her eyes on the front and a web-dispenser on the back (Percy had no clue what that thing was called). Giving his mind up to his reflexes Percy positioned himself next to Arachne and slashed Riptide with all his might. The celestial bronze blade cut through the spider's flesh and her "web-dispenser" landed on the floor with a solid thud. Arachne emitted a high pitched shriek and whipped around to lunge at Percy, but Percy side stepped her, switched to his newly learned Roman sword skills and stabbed at Arachne's mouth. With each stab she hissed and stumbled after him. Before her knew it she had tripped him with her legs and was on top of him, golden ichor dripped onto Percy's face as she opened her mouth and said,
"Now you will die."
*ANNABETH*
Within only a few seconds, Percy had already managed to get Arachne to hate him more than Annabeth. But now he was trapped and Arachne was about to decapitate him despite Gaea's orders. Annabeth gulped down a few mouthfuls of air to calm herself and grabbed her dagger which had clattered out of her palm earlier. Then she began to crawl over to Percy and the spider, Arachne was to absorbed in threatening Percy to hear her as she approached. Despite every nerve in her body telling her to run the other way, Annabeth crept under Arachne's body, she had a good four feet of clearance and made sure not to touch the hairy, black skin above her. She crawled until she was right under Arachne's head, just out of view of her eyes, her torso was slightly on top of Percy's lower body as she positioned herself to strike. Arachne drove her fangs straight to Percy's chest, but before they could penetrate his skin, Annabeth rolled and thrust her dagger upward, slicing the pincers clean off of the spiders face. Arachne yelped and scuttled backwards, one of her legs lifted up to feel for her missing pincers, her black eyes glared at Annabeth and she slowly began to back away into the darkness,
"You might have taken away my obvious weapons daughter of Athena, but I can still strangle you as you sleep, demigods." She said maliciously.
"You can try, but we'll just whittle you down further Arachne, where there's a will there's a way." Annabeth said confidently as Arachne melted into the shadows. From behind her she heard Percy moving, but when she turned and look he was hunched over and moaning.
*PERCY*
Percy felt worthless, he was a demigod and he was rolling on the floor in pain for nothing, how pathetic. He heard Annabeth run over to him and kneel next to him,
"Percy?! Did she bite you? Are you okay?!" She asked hysterically, Percy took a deep breathe and said "I'm fine Annabeth, really, just give me a sec." He heard her rustle through her pockets and her palm came into view holding a square of ambrosia,
"Annabeth honestly I'm fine, see? Its already passed." He said, as he began to stand, he felt so stupid.
"What happened?" Annabeth asked curiously as she pocketed the ambrosia. Percy laughed nervously, "When you rolled over to stab Arachne, you also elbowed me pretty hard in the-, well you know." Annabeth stifled a laugh as he said this and hugged him,
"Sorry Seaweed Brain, next time I'll be more careful." She chuckled in his ear as he held her, enjoying her laughter, and realizing that the last time he heard it was when they had slept in the stables together, so long ago.
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