Arachnae was the finest weaver in all of ancient Greece, and all who saw her work remarked at how lucky she was to receive such a gift from Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts. Arachnae scoffed at this, claiming her skill surpassed even Athena's and that the goddess had no part in her abilities. Athena heard each of these insults, and when they became too much to bear she challenged Arachnae to a weaving contest with the loser banished from the loom for all of time. Arachnae accepted. The two wove feverishly for hours, and when they were done Athena lifted hers for all to witness. It was a glorious tapestry of Zeus and his siblings defeating the Titans, a worthy homage to the Titanomachy, and the gathered crowd was ready to name it the winner. Then Arachnae revealed her tapestry, a breathtaking mosaic featuring infamous scenes in which the gods had tricked, abused, and slaughtered mortals. The crowd was silent, but secretly approved of this challenge to the gods. Athena was not quite as impressed. Infuriated by this insult to the gods, as well as the proof that Arachnae was indeed a better weaver, she said, "Since you are so fond of weaving, let's see if you can weave your way out of the Underworld." She laid her hand upon Arachnae's head and transformed her into a hideous half-human, half-spider monstrosity and sent her to the lowest level of the Underworld, where no loom or fabric exists. Since that day Arachnae has been weaving a web to climb back to the land of the mortals, and when the Second Corruption ripped the land apart and unleashed the Underworld upon Newerth, Arachnae crawled out, seeking vengeance upon the gods and those who worship them.
Arachna
