Spider told by the Roman poet Ovid in his "Metamorphoses", Arachne was a Lydian girl who challenged the goddess Athena to a weaving contest. Arachne won, but Athena destroyed her tapestry out of jealousy, causing Arachne to hang herself. In an act of mercy, Athena brought Arachne back to life as the first spider. Stories about the trickster-spider Anansi are prominent in the folk traditions of the Asante people of Ghana. In some cultures, spiders have symbolized patience due to their hunting technique of setting webs and waiting for prey, as well as mischief and malice due to their venomous bites.
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.