SEPTEMBER 2019

A few months ago, Hermes, the God of Travel, Thieves, and Trade, showed up at my door with a letter from my father, Zeus. I decided once I finished working at the archeological dig site in Cairo, Egypt, I would head home. We were working at the Luxor Temple, where the mortals were about to make an amazing discovery. I couldn’t wait to see the excitement on their faces. Being the Muse of History, I already knew what they were about to discover, but I couldn’t tell them. The mortals had to learn about the past on their own without an immortal’s interference. It was more meaningful that way. 

Sadly, the digging process had stopped. There was a rumour going around about one of the mines. Apparently, there had been echoes of laughter coming from inside. The townspeople knew the area was not safe around the autumn season. They said that if you go inside after dark, you would never be seen again. Of course, I knew that was an old wives’ tale, but mortals find these stories scary. 

A week passed, and I became more suspicious. A few of the mortals from the site had disappeared. I thought that maybe they went into town to get a few things, but they had been gone way too long. That was why I was making my way to the mine tunnel at two in the morning. 

The moon was high in the sky, and it lit our way as we walked to the entrance. With me, I had my mortal assistant, Ali. He had traveled with me for the last four archaeological digs, and I found his company enjoyable. I met him at a coffee shop in DC, close to the National Museum of Natural History. We got along well, and it was a surprise to learn that we were both headed to the same dig site. During those weeks, I got close to the mortal. I offered him a job for the next few projects. At our last exploration, he accepted my offer to be my assistant, and the rest is history.

“Are you sure about this, Clio?” Ali asked. 

“Yes, Ali. I am sure,” I said, handing him my bag. “Just stay here. It shouldn’t take me too long.”

I gave him one last smile, although he didn't return it. He continued to look at me, worry furrowing his brow. If only he knew I was an immortal, and there was nothing to fear.

I stepped into the mine, and a cold wind blew by me. The darkness was complete, so I lit a torch, the light illuminating the tunnel. I shivered, something about this cave was eerie. I couldn’t tell if it was the cool breeze or the shadows from the rocks that spooked me.

I made my way cautiously through the mine, lighting up the wall torches as I went. Along with the musty cave odor, the smell of rotting bodies tingled my nose, and I felt the urge to vomit. Yes, I was a goddess, and yes, I had lived forty thousand years, but the smell still bothered me. I covered my nose with my scarf, lowering the light closer to the ground. Footprints led into the right tunnel. I followed the path, trailing my hand on the stone wall. In the distance, I could see cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. As I continued, they became thicker, and I couldn’t help but wonder about the creatures that created them. 

Looking up, I forgot to pay attention to the ground. I tripped over something and landed on my stomach with a groan. The torch rolled away from me, illuminating the floor of the tunnel. Dead bodies littered the cavern I had stumbled into. I scrambled to my feet, dusting off my pants. I turned to see what I had tripped on. My jaw dropped as I recognized one of the researchers from the site, his body a crumpled shell on the ground. I grabbed my torch, shining the light over him. I had seen him the other day, just before he said he was going to town. No one knew he was missing…

I studied his corpse. Thick white webs wrapped his body. His face was ghostly white, and little puncture wounds covered his arms and neck. I ran my fingers over his eyelids, closing them before I stood.

Strange, what kind of creature did this? 

Two bodies looked fresh, while the others were beginning to decompose. All had sticky white webs wrapped tightly around them. The ones that still had flesh had matching puncture wounds on their skin. I shivered, there was definitely something in this cave, and I no longer doubted the mortal’s fears.

I heard female laughter and spun to look behind me. Yeah… I think it is time to go. Although I was a goddess, I was still allowed to be creeped out by this situation. Being immortal, didn’t mean I could evade death. If I wasn’t careful, I could die. I also had no weapons other than the torch. I was vulnerable. 

I started back down the tunnel towards the exit, but only made it a couple of steps before a large spider web stopped me. Within the delicate strands were words written in Mesopotamian. Luckily for me, I could translate the language.

You who has lived more than one life, 

Will soon learn the truth to the past you once knew.

I squinted at the words. What could that mean? Was someone else in the cave? Looking around, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Other than the dead bodies. The laughter echoed through the tunnels once more, and I felt my entire body shiver. I turned to leave the mine, but jerked to a halt. Thousands of spiders were crawling towards me. The sound of their feet hitting the rocky floor created a sickening clicking. My heart pounded hard in my chest, and I was frozen on the spot. I mean, I was okay with one or two spiders, but thousands? Coming right at me? 

I ran the opposite way from the exit, hoping there would be another way out of this place. The pathway led me to another opening where skeletons scattered the floor. Perched in the middle of the room was another spider. It was much bigger than the rest, its body nearly filling the entire cavern. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I took a step away from it. That explains the missing people.

The spider turned around to face me. Its eight eyes surveyed the room in every direction before it focused on me its gaze piercing deep into my soul. The creature abandoned its victim, fangs dripping blood, and crawled towards me. I took a step back, and something crunched. Looking down, I saw smaller spiders surrounding me. Some attempted to climb my leg, the hairs on their feet tickling me. I jumped up and down, dancing to shake off the little beasts.

“Muse of History,” a voice called out in my mind. My attention turned back to the bigger spider. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Who are you?” I asked her.

“Forgotten me?” she hissed. “I thought you, out of all the muses, would remember me.”

I focused on the spider, my eyes glowing as I searched my mind for historic events involving the creature. Only one story came to mind.

“Arachne?” I muttered.

“Correct, Muse,” she sang. 

“What do you want?” I asked her.

“What do I want?” She paused, walking closer to me. “I want the mortals of this world to remember my story, but they seem to have forgotten. I want you to remind them.”

I thought back on Arachne’s story before nodding.

“All right,” I said, “but you must leave these mortals alone. Find another feeding ground. If I hear you have returned, our deal is off.”

If a spider could smile, Arachne would be doing that right now. Drool dripped from her mouth onto a carcass below.

“You have my word, Muse. And if you break yours, I will be sure to return. There will not be a mortal left in this region once I finish feeding.” 

I nodded. “Deal.”

Arachne stared at me for a few more seconds before letting out a high-pitched squeal. The rest of the spiders chattered and crawled around me. The noise would have probably made most people shiver, but I was unaffected. They didn’t scare me like they did others.

Once the spiders were out of sight, I made my way out of the cave. Ali was still waiting at the entrance. His eyes were wide, and his face was as white as a ghost. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked him. 

He pointed his finger to the ground. In the sand, there were millions of tiny footprints. I sighed. At least I knew they were gone. I waved for Ali to follow me. 

“Come, Ali. I need to pack my bags. It is time for me to head home.”

After a month of being back at Olympus, I had kept my promise to Arachne to remind others of her story. After a few days of reviewing, I had finally written it down. 

I proudly present to you, the story of Arachne:

Arachne was a beautiful mortal, with long flowing black hair and piercing brown eyes. But it wasn’t her beauty that was the most extraordinary thing about her. It was her talent. Arachne was a masterful weaver. The best mortal weaver one could find. She practiced day in and day out, perfecting her art. 

One day, she ventured to Athena’s temple to challenge the Goddess of War, Handicraft, and Practical Reason to see which of the two was the more talented weaver. Athena accepted the challenge, and both got to work on their tapestry. The goddess wove hers to depict the gods in majesty, while Arachne’s showed the gods in their adventures. 

The beauty of Arachne’s tapestry enraged Athena. Before their work was to be judged, the goddess tore Arachne’s to pieces. Arachne was so heartbroken that she hung herself with the remaining threads. Athena saw this, and out of pity, she loosened the rope that wrapped around the mortal's neck, astounded when it turned into spider silk. Arachne, herself, was transformed into a spider and was never seen again.