this part has a memory (all italics) so, warnings for that part: alcoholism, hints of abuse, attempted murder, murder/cannibalism (? is it cannibalism if the one doing the eating is the mother of spiders?), mentions of selling a child (y/n is 14 in the memory)
underlined words = spider hisses (even in the italics section)
reader uses she/her pronouns and is the daughter of Aracne
"We heard that," The three smirked at you before you felt a light pressure on your lips and cheeks that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "We expect you to keep your word."
"...Okay," You squeaked out, trying to stop your smile. "I-I will."
One Week Later
It had been one week since your mother stopped by and you had rarely left the side of one of the ladies the entire time. You had told them why you were terrified of your mother — although you had begged them for wine beforehand. They had stayed with you until you had calmed down from reliving that trauma, allowing you to sleep with them when you grew tired. That's how you ended up dreaming of that night — the night you desperately wanted to forget.
You sighed as your father came home reeking of alcohol and perfume, knowing he and your mother would argue yet again. It had become more constant than you'd like to admit — even to the point where your mother had stopped trying to hide her spider half. You had been freaked out when she first stopped caring and began walking around with her lower-spider half, but you eventually got used to it. Your father, on the other hand, did not and that's when he started cheating more often.
It hurt to see your mother so upset about it, but there wasn't much that you could do to stop your father. He was gone by the time the sun came up and only came back when the moon was high in the sky. You had tried talking to him about it before, but every time you did, he'd get violent and your mother would have to step in so you didn't get too injured. She had scolded you after that — telling you that it was too dangerous to confront him.
You were sent to bed early that night — your mother saying she was going to take care of your father so he knew not to harm you ever again. When night came and he stumbled home, you pretended to be asleep until the arguing started, slowly getting out of bed. Your mother's voice faded away and a moment later, your father's screams filled the air. Your heart stopped for a moment as you rushed out of your room and followed the sound.
The sight before you made you freeze and stare at your mother in fear. Her upper half had more spider features than normal — including fangs that were currently embedded in your father's body. You took a hesitant step back as tears pricked your eyes, watching the life fade from your father's eyes as his head lulled back. Your mother's gaze snapped over to you and she immediately dropped your father's body, her features returning to normal — even her lower half became human again.
"Baby girl..." She spoke loud enough for you to hear, but not too loud to startle you. "Please... Let me explain..."
"You... You killed him!" You cried out and noticed her immediate flinch. "That's not "taking care" of him, that's murder!"
"I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO!"
You flinched away from her booming voice and backed up until your back collided with the wall as she made her way over to you. "...You're a murderer..."
"DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HE WAS PLANNING ON DOING?!" She grabbed the collar of your shirt and pulled you into a room. "He was organizing with other men. He was going to sell you off to one and have the others try to kill me! I did what I had to do to keep this family together!"
"But we aren't together! You stopped that from being possible by killing him!"
"I wasn't going to let anyone separate you from me! You're my daughter... Some day you'll—."
"I HATE YOU!" You shoved her away as tears streamed down your cheeks. "I DON'T WANT TO UNDERSTAND — I DON'T EVER WANT TO BE LIKE YOU! YOU'RE A MONSTER — JUST LIKE THOSE DEMIGODS SAID!"
There was a sharp pain on the left side of your face followed immediately by your head shooting to the right. Your eyes widened as the action registered in your head. She hit you — she actually hit you and you weren't sure how to react. You heard her breathing get heavier as she tried to calm down, and you took a few steps away from her. Once her breathing was back to normal, shock and regret took over her features as she took a hesitant step towards you.
"Sweetheart..." She breathed and flinched when you took a large step back. "Sweetheart I'm sorry. I just wanted you safe and with me — I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to get that angry, but when you said you hated me... My own daughter, saying she hates me and calling me a monster...."
You stared at her for a moment — and at that moment, you understood why she hit you. You were supposed to be the one being that actually understood her; her daughter, someone just like her, saying you hated her and that the demigods were right to call her a monster. "Mom..."
"If that's what you believe, then I suppose I am a monster. I'll make sure the world remembers that."
"Mom, no-!"
You had refused to believe it was your fault your mother was an actual monster now, but there was always something deep down telling you that it was your fault. The triplets had tried their best to tell you it wasn't your fault when you began blaming yourself again, but you knew they were just saying it to get you to calm down. You all knew the truth — you had gotten them to admit it was your fault when you had told them to be truthful with you — but they hated seeing you so upset.
That's when Daniela had given you a plan — one you were currently waiting to launch into action. The moment you heard hisses that your mother was coming from your siblings, you called the girls into your room and had them move to your bathroom, telling them to wait for your signal. You sat on your bed and grabbed your book, opening to a random page and pretending to read it until your window opened. Your mother stepped in gracefully — having her human appearance — and her dark eyes snapped to your frame.
She had been cold and distant since that day, but you intended on fixing that — and hopefully getting her to approve of you dating the triplets. You watched as she slowly shut the window, her gaze trailing to your bathroom door and you were suddenly very aware of the hungry look in her eyes. Before she could rush to the door, you jumped out of bed and ran to her — throwing your arms around her neck once you were close enough. Your mother tensed for a moment before slowly returning the hug.
"I'm sorry," You muttered as you tightened your grip on her. "But I can't stop my feelings for them."
"[Y/N]..."
"I love them... I know now why you did what you did to dad — you're not a monster, you were just protecting us and I was too young to process all of that... But they're not like him. They care about me, even after you nearly ate them, they came back to me and never left my side."
"[Y/N]..."
"...Yes, mama?"
"I believe you," Your mother whispered as she pried you off of her to look you in the eyes. "Your siblings have told me everything — even what happened in the week I gave you. I'm sorry too. For a lot of things, but mainly for trying to eat them and giving you that choice."
"I love you, mama."
"I love you too, sweetheart."
You engulfed her in another hug before the sound of the bathroom door opening grabbed your attention. The triplets stepped out of the bathroom and you motioned them over, promising them your mother wouldn't harm them. Once they were close enough, you moved away from your mother and stood in front of Cassandra, turning to face your mother and allowing the vampire to hug you from behind — which she loved doing more than anything else. Your mother watched the interaction with a smile, leading you to believe that she had been telling the truth and approves of your relationship.
"You look so happy with them," Your mother sighed as she stepped forward and placed a hand on your cheek. "But, I do expect you to visit more often."
"Mother—."
"If you're going to date the matriarch's daughters, I expect her to give you more time off. How else will you be able to give them each the amount of time they need to feel loved?"
"You make an excellent point," Lady Dimitrescu's voice called out as she entered your room — shocking you slightly that she decided to show up. "But it'd be easier if you visit her for a while."
"You don't trust my daughter?"
"I don't trust the woman that tried to eat my daughters."
The air grew heavy. Lady Dimitrescu glared down at your mother — who returned the glare with an equal amount of resentment. You were suddenly pulled closer to Cassandra, snapping you out of the terrified state you were in long enough for you to turn and cling to her. Once your arms were secure around her neck, she and her sisters swarmed you out of your room. When you stopped, you noticed you were in Bela's room and you became very anxious.
Your mother was a monster — if she died, she'd go to Tartarus and you'd never see her again. On the other hand, if lady Dimitrescu died, her daughters would probably want nothing to do with you anymore and that thought crushed you. Cassandra grabbed your chin and tilted it up, forcing you to look into her eyes.
"I hope they don't get physical," You muttered and entangled your fingers in her hair. "But, the last time someone made mother angry, she killed them."
"Mother isn't known for being nice to people that tried to kill us," Cassandra sighed before pecking your lips. "Right now, all is still quiet. If that changes into arguing or fighting, I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Αγάπη μου."
Cassandra smiled before connecting your lips in a proper kiss, her arms wrapped tightly around your waist. You were surprised when she pulled away — knowing she typically let the kisses get way more heated than that — but when she turned her head toward the door, your heart stopped. Thoughts of what could be happening raced through your mind. That was until you noticed the faint smile returning to Cassandra's face.
"It seems they're talking things out civilly," Cassandra mused as she turned her head back to you. "Which means..."
"We can have you," Bela continued for her — shocking you with how close she suddenly was. "All to ourselves."
"For a few hours at the very least," Daniela purred on your other side, her ungloved hand slipping under your shirt. "That is, as long as you aren't too loud."
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Αγάπη μου - my love
sorry for the delayed upload, i wasn't sure how much to add to the memory, so i ended up rewriting it multiple times before settling on this version