Athena & Arachne

I wear armor like the goddess Athena, but I wasn’t born with armor like Athena, I wasn’t born a warrior, I had to forge my armor and weapons, I had to go through years to come out on top, but I still fight, just as I fight now. My nose dripped red as I look up at Arachne, it wasn’t her real name, but just like Arachne she claimed she was stronger and better than me, and just like Athena I let her get to me, it only started as friendly arguing who was stronger, but it grew more in to a battle and just like Athena I started pulling the tricks of war on her. We fought everyday, we raced seeing who was faster, we compared our scores, seeing whose mind was as sharp as a blade, it kept up for months at a time until one day.
I had proved that my mind was as sharp and as quick as a lightning bolt, I didn’t get the chance to brag before I felt the fist in my face, I stumbled backwards, catching myself on the wall, it went silent as we watched each other, my nose bleeding as she glared as me, I began to cry before I felt my anger rise. I wiped my eyes as I stood up, our eyes leveled, the ones around us disappeared, I didn’t just see the red on my sleeves and hands from my nose, but in my vision it was just red, I ran towards her.
There was blood and clumps of hair as we fought, hit after hit and every angry word I could think of came out as I screamed, and she screamed back at me, it felt like years before we felt each other get pulled away from each other and red left my vision. We walked down the hall to the nurse and I felt my armor harden as I glared at Arachne and she glared at me, I felt nothing but anger as I looked at her, we were sat down and cleaned up and we were sent home, I was yelled at and sent away, but I only cursed Arachne, it was her fault all this happened, I felt as if my armor grew thorns as I passed back and forth in my room, I stopped once I saw myself. I had bruises and scratches and I looked pretty close to a mummy with the amount of bandages covering me, but I only thought of what I was going to do when I went back to school with Arachne.
I finally went back to school, but Arachne was nowhere to be seen, I felt relieved as I sat at my desk enjoying the peace from that girl, a week went by and still felt fine, but then it turned into two weeks and then four and then eight, and I felt angry. Where was Arachne?! Where did she go, did she wimp out on me?! I began searching around the school and no one knew where she was, I went home feeling pissed, and my armor felt so heavy as I walked home, until I saw her. She was standing in front of her mailbox grabbing something, I had been about to yell her name when I heard a high pitched voice yell at her from her house. “You better hurry with that mail this time, brat!”I had never seen Arachne cringed and look almost defeated as she walked into her house. I couldn’t help it as I walked closer to her window though, I peeked through and I wish I hadn’t.
Arachne was on the ground holding on to her cheek as the woman I guessed was her mother yelled at her “Of course your school is wondering where you are!” she yelled before going on “First it was grades and then the fight and now you slacking!”. I felt my armor harden as I heard her yell at Arachne, Her mother left and Arachne stood up, but stopped as she saw me. It almost felt like it did the day of the fight, when we started, I stood up and began to run before I heard the door slam open and her tackle me.
We wrestled on the grass, as I tired to get up, but someone she did over power me, I felt pissed as she pinned my arms on the ground as she used her whole weight to keep me on the ground, I felt my armor ready for a hit, kick or venomous words, but none came. Arachne only looked at me “What are you doing here?” she questioned me and I was about to yell at her, when I didn’t know why I came, how could I conspire myself the goddess of war and strategy, but have no strategy. We just stared at each other, I didn’t know what I said before it was said, “I was worried”, I didn’t see the red in my vision, but felt the red in my cheeks as I looked at my enemy or competition?
Arachne only looked at me before she let go and got up, I felt my armor grow heavy as I got up, but it grew lighter as I saw, the girl I considered a brat and enemy cry. I didn’t know what to say or do, I didn’t have a strategy for when your enemy crys, but I did for friends, I stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, I didn’t feel armor hit armor, but I felt a person touch another person, I didn’t understand what happened, but we just stood there, me hugging Arachne as she cried.
This girl, was not my enemy and wasn’t a bad person or a brat, well maybe a little bit, but she is person, she is a warrior, just like me, I couldn’t stop my own tears as we just stood there crying and hugging, I knew we must have looked crazy, Athena and Arachne, two beings who were not meant to be crying and hugging, but competition, that not the case now.
At some point Arachne and I made our way over to the school, we walked the whole way there until we stopped and sat down, we didn’t talk we didn’t even look at each other we just stood there until I felt my words again leave me before I could stop them “I’m sorry”, I didn’t know what I was saying sorry for, maybe for what her mom did to her or everything else that happened, but she only responded with “no I’m sorry”.
We only stood there waiting for something to happen, but nothing did until I sat down on the curb in front of the school and she joined me, I didn’t feel any armor or any blade at my side, I didn’t feel like I was at war, I felt at peace, she then looked at me and I looked at her “don’t say anything please” I knew what she meant, but I only shook my head no, I felt her own armor sharpen as she grabbed my wrist tightly, “you can’t tell anyone”. She was glaring at me and I felt my own armor harden, but I only smiled, “Maybe I won’t tell right away, but I will help, but only because it gets boring without you here”. I glanced her before I looked away and she let go and she began crying again and I hugged her again, “man I can’t believe my great rival is such a cry baby” she only laughed as she pulled away and punched me in the arm, I didn’t need to brace myself for it, I didn’t feel my armor harden, as we sat there, the sun was setting.
We made our way to are own homes and as we stopped in front of her house she glanced at me and I swung my arm around her shoulder, “we can have a sleep over at my house, but only for tonight, we can’t let anyone know we are getting all friendly” she laughed as she shoved me away and we made our way to my own house.
I had set up a sleeping bag for her with pillows and blankets surrounding her, but as the night went on and Arachne fell asleep, I couldn’t help, but think what would happen if Athena had just let Arachne be and let her brag about her spinning and weaving skills, but it made me wonder, what would have happened if I had let my own Arachne just be?
I don’t really know what would happen if I had let her just be as she was, but all I knew is that it felt good to know I wasn’t the only warrior anymore, it felt good to not have my armor on.