Textiles in mythology and folklore the labyrinth and safely out again. Among the Olympians, the weaver goddess is Athena, who, despite her role, was bested by her acolyte Arachne, who was turned later into a weaving spider. The daughters of Minyas, Alcithoe, Leuconoe and their sister, defied Dionysus and honored Athena in their weaving instead of joining his festival. A woven peplum, laid upon the knees of the goddess's iconic image, was central to festivals honoring both Athena at Athens, and Hera. In Homer's legend of the Odyssey, Penelope the faithful wife of Odysseus was a weaver, weaving her design for a shroud by day,
The Mark of Athena titled "The Serpent's Shadow", Riordan read part of the first chapter of "The Mark of Athena". The cover and full first chapter were also released on Disney's "The Heroes of Olympus" website. On September 27, 2012, Riordan confirmed that there would be a first US printing of 3.5 million copies. "The Mark of Athena" was released on October 2, 2012. Since then, it has been translated into many languages and released as a hardcover, e-book, audiobook and paperback. It is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook formats. During its first week, "The Mark of Athena" sold about 237,000 copies.