Chapter 7: Salem

I focused on praying to God. That is what my parents taught me. In any stressful times. When I was unsure. Go to God.  I must have said the Lord’s Prayer about 10 times now. Jeremiah 29:11, my favorite verse where God tells us not to worry because he has great plans for us. Right now, at this moment, I feel I’m failing God.  That my faith was small like Peter when he saw Jesus walking on water and tried to do the same.  

I’m scared out of my mind right now. First, the woman named Arachne started casting webs that seemed to be alive. When I say cast, I mean she made so many in a few seconds that captured everyone attending the funeral. I would bet she captured everyone here at the graveyard as well. Worse, the webs became spiders themselves. If that wasn’t gross enough, she was going to eat us for trying to help others. 

The red-haired women, Arachne and Athena, are the only reason we’re still alive. They seemed to have a long history. One where apparently Athena turned Arachne into a spider. This is confusing, because Arachne is human now, or at least human-like. Could it be that Arachne is possessing a body? 

The two women charged at each other to the sounds of thunder cracking and lightning flashing. Arachne with an evil smirk and hunger in those eyes. Her hand raised as she was near the oncoming Athena. Athena prepared for the blow with steel in her awesome silver eyes. Their movements were quick, quicker than track athletes. 

The rest of us were bound together with our backs to each other.  I managed to be able to look over my shoulder to see the women start their battle. I knew Arachne was bad news, but I wasn’t sure if we were better off with Athena. After all, if Arachne is telling the truth. Athena could turn us into spiders. I prayed for an intervention, and Athena showed up, so time will tell. All I know is that the rest of us were trying to get free. 

The cemetery was silent. Supporting the fact that Arachne must have found a way to trap everyone. At that moment I got it. Those spiders from earlier during the funeral. They were setting up. It is possible that if they were all made from webs, she preplanned this attack and set them up. She was a predator.  

I doubted we were going to get out of here, but at my lowest shard of faith was when Athena showed up. Gertrude tried to keep everyone in good spirits, like the mother she is, despite being one of the youngest of us.  I was the oldest, at 16, along with Emaj. Emaj didn’t say much, letting Gertrude do the calming. Paige, Liam, and Waldo kept trying to break free, but more out of anger than fear.  Grant also seemed rather observant. Emaj and Grant seemed to be trying to make a plan. 

“How did you escape Tartarus?” Athena yelled enough for us all to hear her.

“Oh, let’s just say that even spiders have friends in high places.” Her voice is loud, but calm. Her words felt like they were crawling over my own skin and the air.  Arachne went airborne to deliver her punch. Athena beat her though, delivering a punch to Arachne’s midsection. 

“MMM!” Arachne cried, words still crawling. ” I can sense you’re not as strong as before.”  Arachen tried to counter with a punch of her own. Athena caught it with ease. Her eyes pierced into aArachne. 

“Still strong enough to take you out!” her words were like her eyes. Cold as steel, sharp like a sword. Her confidence clashed in the air with Arachne’s energy.  “I’ll send you back to Tartarus myself, but first. Why are you attacking the whole cemetery?”

Athena delivered a knee strike to Arachne’s stomach. This time time Arachne winced and stumbled back a few feet. The force of the strike must have been hard enough to make the stumble more like the strike pushed her. Arachne crouched to the ground with one hand to stop herself from going further back. Her eyes focused on Athena and that hunger returned. The same hunger that filled the air earlier. She smiled.

“That’s easy. I’m hungry for blood and aura. Plus, I heard you were back and you always loved these mortals.” She reached for her stomach. ” Tell me, do you still love them? Word around town is that you slept with a mortal and got suspended.”

Athena approached the Arachne, but didn’t sense that the webs behind her started to form into a huge spider.  Arachne’s revelation must have made Athena focused entirely on Arachne. The rest of us had webs that appeared over our mouths. Preventing us from telling Athena about the spider. We were the last ones to be silenced. The webs felt sticky  and invasive. I didn’t want to open my mouth, not telling what these webs were capable of.  After all they could move, become spiders, and were strong enough to hold grown humans. I didn’t want that inside of me at all. 

“That is none of your business.” Athena said, words still clashing in the air with Arachne’s hunger. 

“Oh, see that’s where you’re wrong. It’s all my business.” I could still see her mischievous eyes as she looked past Athena.

Then Athena noticed the shadow behind her to respond, “what?” is all she managed to get out.

The spider, as big as two grown men, spewed webs that ensured all around Athena. It created a huge web behind itself and launceded toward her. Its mandible opened and bit Athena in the neck.  She cried in pain, wincing, struggling in the web, before falling down in front of Arachne. 

With pride in her smile as she looked down at Athena’s bleeding neck. She put her foot on Athena’s neck. “Looks like I’ll add Goddess to my parlor.”

proofread and keep word count, then analyze for setting, characterization, dialogue, plot development, and themes.