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"I see…" Arachne frowned "But this isn’t even a tapestry"

"That’s why it’s a challenge It’s outside your comfort zone A piece like this--an abstract sculpture--is what the gods are looking for It would stand in the entry hall of the Olympian throne room for every visitor to see You would be famous forever!"

Arachne made a discontented hu for the idea Her hands started to feel cold and sweaty

"This would take a great deal of web," the spider complained "More than I couldfor that She’d calculated the ly "You’d need to unravel the statue," she said "Reuse the silk"

Arachne seemed about to object, but Annabeth waved at the Athena Parthenos like it was nothing "What’syour artwork is the best? Of course, you’d have to be incredibly careful You’d need to leave enough webbing to hold the rooether And if you think it’s too difficult--"

"I didn’t say that!"

"Okay It’s just…Athena said that creating this braided structure would be impossible for any weaver, even her So if you don’t think you can--"

"Athena said that?"

"Well, yeah"

"Ridiculous! I can do it!"

"Great! But you’d need to start right away, before the Olympians choose another artist for their installations"

Arachne growled "If you are tricking e," Annabeth reo anywhere Once this sculpture is co piece you’ve ever done If not, I will gladly die"

Arachne hesitated Her barbed legs were so close, she could’ve impaled Annabeth with a quick swipe

"Fine," the spider said "One last challenge--against an to unravel the Athena Parthenos

Chapter 50

Annabeth lost track of time

She could feel the a, but it still hurt so badly that the pain throbbed right up to her neck All along the walls, s their mistress’s orders Thousands of the the woven scenesfloor and tried to preserve her strength While Arachne wasn’t watching, she attenal on Daedalus’s laptop to contact her friends, but of course she had no luck That left her nothing to do but watch in a with hypnotic speed, slowly unraveling the silk strands around the statue

With its golden clothes and its luminous ivory face, the Athena Parthenos was even scarier than Arachne It gazed down sternly as if to say, Bringan Ancient Greek, walking into the Parthenon and seeing this oddess with her shield, spear, and python, her free hand holding out Nike, the winged spirit of victory It would’ve been enough to put a kink in the chiton of any mortal

More than that, the statue radiated power As Athena was unwrapped, the air around her grearloith life All across the roo back into the hallway

Annabeth guessed that Arachne’s webs had soic Now that it was free, the Athena Parthenos filled the chay Centuries of s had been made it its presence It was infused with the power of Athena

Arachne didn’t see out yards of silk and calculating the number of strands her project would require Whenever she hesitated, Annabeth called out encouragement and reminded her hoonderful her tapestries would look on Mount Olyht that Annabeth could see more details of the shrine--the Ro white, the dark bones of Arachne’s past victi in the web, and theAnnabeth no just how fragile the marble tiles were under her feet They were covered in a fine layer of webbing, like ether a shattered htly,the floor In so as ain Even if her plan succeeded and she defeated Arachne, she wasn’t sure how she could make it out of this chamber alive

"So much silk," Arachne muttered "I could !" Annabeth called up "You’re doing a wonderful job"

The spider kept working After what see silk was piled at the feet of the statue The walls of the cha the rooether hadn’t been disturbed But the Athena Parthenos was free

Please wake up, Annabeth begged the statue Mother, helphappened, but the cracks see to Arachne, the hts of monsters had eaten away at the shrine’s foundations for centuries If that was true, now that it was free the Athena Parthenoseven more attention fron," Annabeth said "You should hurry"

She lifted the computer screen for Arachne to see, but the spider snapped, "I’ve memorized it, child I have an artist’s eye for detail"