1 Prologue

1999 It was a normal sunny afternoon. A couple was seated on a bench talking animatedly. A girl was walking her dog, and a man was walking down the street eating an ice-cream cone. Then all of a sudden there was a huge boom like a bomb blast. A jet-black sports car zoomed out of nowhere. It skidded to a stop in the middle of the street, right next to the ice-cream man, and a woman all dressed in black came out. She waved at the driver, and the man froze in horror as a bony hand waved back. Then the sports car sped away. The woman looked around herself and smiled. "After all these years, I am reborn." She was Arachne, mother of all spiders. Fresh from Tartarus, she was ready to wreak havoc on the mortal world. Then she thought about it. 'Destruction and terror are truly fun to watch. But getting defeated time and again is getting kind of old. Really old.' Then she also realized that she was in a completely different place. Or time. She would not be good. She couldn't even if she wanted. But she reasoned that at least she could live like a mortal. Live among them, and learn the ways of their time. Maybe for once she won't be bothered by gods and demi-gods alike. Now that she thought of it, why hadn't she thought of that before? If she lived a life like everybody else, maybe she'll be left in peace. She started walking down the street. As she did, she looked back at the ice-cream man. She smiled when she saw that he was still frozen. Good or not, she'd always enjoy a little spook. That was what went through her mind as she walked away.

PRESENT DAY

Jack was walking to school one morning with his friend, Finn. As they walked, they talked about many topics. Their annoying physics teacher, the 'targets' of the week, Finn's football practice, and the recent change in the cafeteria menu. Then as they rounded the bend, they walked right into the 'targets' and their entourage. Their bodyguards were furious at this, but Zoe, Malerie, Bonnie and Juanita beamed when they saw them. "Oh My God we're so sorry! This'll never happen again, I promise!" Jack said hastily. They were about to scuttle off when Bonnie said, "Wait. Come back." They reluctantly came back, eyeing the muscular bodyguards. "It was nothing, really. What's wrong? You two look scared." "Yeah," Zoe added, "We're the same girls you were so comfortable with last week." Then Juanita followed Finn's gaze and looked at Joe, Rick and Bob. She smiled. "Guys, could you excuse us for a moment?" she asked them. They exchanged glances and made off, but kept the girls in sight. Malerie looked closer at the boys. "You're afraid of them?" she asked. Jack hesitated, as if he was trying to judge whether the muscular trio were in earshot. Finally, he mumbled, "Yes." "But they can't hurt you guys while we're here, can they?" Zoe asked. "I guess," Jack agreed, "But that's just it; while you're here." He added. "When they find us alone they'll definitely beat us up so we'll never get near you again." Finn cut in. "What if we tell them not to?" Bonnie asked. The boys looked at her as if she was the stupidest creature on earth. She held up her hands. "Okay, okay! I was just asking." She said. Then Malerie thought of something, "What if we make it look like we hate you guys? Won't they leave you alone?" "Reverse psychology." Juanita said. "I think she's on to something." Then the boys were about to walk away when Zoe pulled them back. "Hold on to your horses, guys. We ain't done talking yet." After a while Finn and Jack came tearing down the corner and almost bumped into the bodyguards. Before they could stop them, they were off again. They were completely mystified. Then they saw the girls turning the corner. For some reason they were all really angry. When they reached the boys, Bonnie, who was in front, folded her arms. "What happened?" Rick asked. Zoe started to speak but Bonnie held up her hand, stopping her. "It's best if you don't know." Then she added, "By the way, guys? About this whole 'targets' thing…" "Yeah?" Bob asked. "Am I still allowed to hit someone?" she asked. This time the trio looked at themselves and back at her. "It's that bad?" Rick asked. "Just answer the question." "Nope." "Can you guys hit them for us?" "Rest assured." Then Joe, who had been silent all this time, spoke up, "Yeah, especially considering we're all gonna be tardy today." That definitely made them pick up the pace. After some time they actually caught up with the duo. They were in sight, but were a good distance away from them. Rick looked at the rest. They all nodded, except Malerie. "Are you sure about this, guys?" "It's been a month since he came. If we wait any longer it might not work. He'll be too familiar to me." Rick explained. Reluctantly, Malerie nodded. Rick fished out a small pouch from his pocket. He reached inside and removed a pinch of black dust. He blew it and it floated through the air like a small cloud and landed in front of Jack forming a small mud puddle. As expected, he stepped in it without a care and continued on his way. When they reached it they stopped and looked down at it. The shape of a spider had formed in the mud. "Spider? That's a rare one." Bob said. "I think he's a child of Arachne." Zoe offered. They all knew the mother of spiders. She was defeated and killed in the Ancient times, but their parents had all told them of the weaver, and Athena's rival. "Um, guys?" Juanita said. They all looked at her. She looked worried. "What is it?" Joe asked. "We have a problem here. Don't we have an Athena child?" then they all remembered Barry. Word in the modern underworld moves pretty fast, so within a week of Barry's arrival, more underworlders knew about him than demi-gods and gods alike. Known for his ability to craft, smarts and control over descendants of gladiators, Barry wasn't the ideal person to cross. And knowing the heated rivalry of Arachne and Athena hundreds of years ago, anyone would expect a fight between them. And Barry would want to take it to the death. "So who's telling him?" Malerie asked. They all looked at themselves. "His werewolf friend, I guess." Rick said. "And I can speak to that one. All settled, then?" Zoe asked. They all nodded. "And for the rest of the underworlders…" Bonnie started and looked up. They followed her gaze to see some small bird like creature flying away. "A Harpy?�� Juanita asked. She nodded. They gave a collective grin and made their way to school.