Crimson Moon - Leah Crowe (best mystery novels of all time .TXT) 📗

stay on all day?” Beth asked. “No, they turn on when someone enters.” Phillip replied. Beth looked around. There was a four poster bed in the center of the room with black lace flowing down. The sheets were a silky crimson red. Quickly, Beth reached for her backpack to pull out her work. She stepped forward, not seeing the shoe on the ground. The next second she was rumpled on the bed.

Phillip first looked shocked. "Are you ok?! Is your ankle alright?" But then he really looked at her lying on the bed. He walked toward Beth. Slowly, he laid down beside her. His gaze went from her ankle and traveled upward, eventually stopping on her lips. She gazed up into his eyes. He started to slowly lean towards her. At first, Beth stopped him. “What are we doing?” she asked pleadingly. “I don't know yet...” he replied quietly. Then he whispered in her ear. “You want to find out?” Her heart was racing. Why did she feel this way suddenly? She wasn't even having a trace of a thought for her mother. He leaned in once again and their foreheads touched. Slowly, tentatively, he kissed her forehead. Then, he moved down to her cheek and finally her lips. She sighed and leaned into it, twining her arms around his neck. She sat up and fell back down on him as he pulled her back into him. He wrapped his fingers around her hair, playing with it. She had one last thought before her mind entered total bliss. What am I doing?

Phillip pulled her closer and looped his arms around her waist. She started taking off his jacket. She tentatively reached for the buttons on his shirt but stopped. She sat up and looked at him, but he was no longer looking at her. His eyes had a far-away look about them. He shook his head, coming back to the present. “I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I'll give you the keys to the Volvo and you can return them to me tomorrow. I'm really sorry but something important came up.” He said slowly getting up. “No, it's ok. I understand.” Beth said, lying. Where was he going all the time? What was so important? Maybe I should see where he's going.

She thought as she walked down the stairs to the car. She hopped into the car alone and watched him walk down the street. Waiting until he was out of sight, she got back out of the car and started after him. Shivering, she followed him down many alleyways till she came to an empty warehouse. She could hear Philip yelling and ducked down under the window.

Once it quieted down a bit, she slowly peeked and was shocked at what she saw! Phillip wasn't alone! Standing about ten feet away from him was a very buff, tan guy with dirty blonde hair and stormy blue eyes. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!” Boomed the man. “GETTING SO CLOSE TO THAT MORTAL! I FORBID IT!” “Look, Beth is....different form the other girls. She wouldn't use me for my powers.” Phillip replied. What powers?

Beth thought. “WELL HADES IF SHE EVER FOUND OUT, WOULD SHE STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY FOR YOU, A GOD OF THE DEAD? HOW DO YOU KNOW SHE WON'T USE YOU TO TALK TO HER MOTHER?” The man yelled. Beth gasped! What?! Hades? God of the dead? But that was Greek MYTHOLOGY. Hint: MYTH! Not REAL! Then something struck out. Her mother. She could talk to her mother! If only for a second, it would be worth anything! “Lord Zeus, please just give me some more time with her! That's all I'm asking for!” Phillip or Hades begged. “FINE! SHE DOESN'T KNOW YET, SO FOR NOW, YOU MAY STAY HERE!” Zeus boomed and was gone, leaving nothing but the sound of the thunderclap. Phillip turned around. “I know you heard, Beth.” Blushing, Beth stood up. “Well, it seems that you’re not really Phillip, are you? HADES! My gosh! I must be hallucinating! This is ridiculous! God of the....dead?! That's crazy!” Beth said, her voice slowly rising. “Beth, I'm sorry, but you must understand why I couldn't tell you.” Hades replied. “Well YEAH! I'd think you were crazy if you said you were Hades. If fact, this is probably all a huge dream!” Beth yelled. “Actually, that's not the worst part.” Hades calmly replied. Trying to settle down, Beth breathed in and asked, “What then?” “Well if Zeus knew that you had found out, you'd have to die.”


~Chapter 4~

"I'd have...to die?" Beth breathed. WHAT?! WHY? What did I do

She thought, almost out loud. "You did nothing wrong, but simply knowing our identity can cause big problems and Zeus feels he has to eliminate people like that. He doesn't want the world to know of our existence." Hades whispered, almost as if in response to what she had been thinking. Beth said, “You sure seem to be taking this calmly, taking in the fact that I could be KILLED for knowing about all this." "Because Zeus doesn't know this, then you are safe for now. He cannot read minds like I can so he will have no way of finding out you know." Hades said. So that's how he always seemed to know what I was thinking.

Beth thought. "Yes, that is how I knew." Hades replied to her thought. "Geez! That's going to take some getting used to!" Beth looked down at her watch, "Ohmygosh! It's really late! My dad is going to freak out!" Hades sighed. "Well, I don't want you to get in trouble so I guess we'll have to use this."

At the flick of his wrist, a dark hole started to form on the deserted street. Slowly melting out of the hole, a giant carriage started to take shape. Then, at another flick of the wrist, the carriage morphed into a Jeep. "Wow! That's amazing!" Beth squealed. "Hop in and tonight, please introduce me to your father. I'd like to meet him." Hades said smoothly. "Ok sure. I hope this means we'll be seeing each other more often now that I know your little secret." Beth winked. "Yes. If Zeus were ever to find out, I'd have to protect you. He is very, very dangerous." As Hades said that, Beth blushed but said no more as they sped down the empty streets. After some time, they reached Beth's house. "Thanks Hades." she said, turning to him. He turned off the car, "Please don't call me that. I really liked how you said Phillip. It was nice and you could never call me Hades in public anyways." "Alright, Phillip then." Beth said. "Beth." Phillip said. "Yes?" she tentatively replied. "If I asked you to kiss me, would you still do it? I mean, if you now feel awkward because of who I am, it's really ok. I'd underst-" he couldn't finish because Beth had kissed him. When it was over, she looked into his eyes. "Is that enough of an answer for you?" she said almost in a daze. He smiled as they got out of the Jeep. Beth's father was standing at the door, waiting for them and looking worried. "Uh dad. This is Phillip. He was helping me study for a test. I'm really sorry we're late." Beth awkwardly said. "I'm very sorry for keeping her so long, Mr. Tidwell." Phillip said, extending his hand, ready to shake his. Mr. Tidwell looked at his hand, then finally shook it. "I guess that's alright. I mean, one can get lost in the world of knowledge, as long as you all are alright." He chuckled. The others laughed nervously. "Hehe...um yeah. Well dad, can Phillip stay for dinner?" Beth asked. "Sure honey! Phillip, you’re in luck, because I had time to stop by the grocery today and I made something other than mac 'n cheese." her father said cheerfully. "I'm going to put my stuff upstairs and I'll be right back." Beth said, walking past her father and up the stairs to her room.

Phillip stood just in inside the door frame, awkwardly. "C'mon in, Phillip." Beth's father said a bit too cheerfully, and then escorted Phillip to the living room. "So Mr. Tidwell, your daughter tells me you are a lawyer. What's it like?" he said trying to make small talk, which was NOT one of his powers. "It’s really very exciting; I chase down criminals and eat all the donuts I want. But of course I am mostly just saying that. I wasn't into my job that much while my wife was alive; in fact I put most of my energy to her and my darling daughter Beth." He suddenly sighed, and you could see the years of strain that Mark Tidwell had endured. Hades felt sorry for him; he knew what it was like to have someone die. He WAS the lord of the dead, after all. Hades wasn't sure if he wanted to press further, but he knew that if Mark opened up now, in front of him, then he would be able to accept his daughter again and spend quality time with her once more. "What was it like, loosing someone so close to you like your wife?"
Mr. Tidwell sighed again, "It was hard,"
"I can imagine. I won't push you anymore if this is still a touchy topic." Phillip looked into Beth's father's eyes. "Uh...well let me check on dinner!" Mr. Tidwell said nervously, at once standing up and rushing to the kitchen. "Yup, it's as I thought. He's hurting too, but he hides behind mounds of paperwork." Phillip muttered under his breath. “BACK!” Beth yelled as she waltzed down the stairs, “Hope you didn’t miss me too much!” she said chuckling at her own joke. “Perfect timing honey because dinner is ready!” Beth’s father said from the kitchen. Phillip walked over to Beth and asked, “You ok? You seem rather chipper.” “Yeah I’m totally fine considering the fact that I just found out that Gods are real and if they know that I know then heck, they’d kill me.” She muttered to Phillip as walked over to the small, green dining room. Beth’s eyes nearly fell out! No macaroni could be found, but the table was filled with mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken, and corn on the cob. “Whoa! Dad you really outdid yourself this time! This looks like Thanksgiving and last time I checked, it was February!” Beth gaped and started to pull up a chair for her and Phillip. Her father just stood there and as Beth took a closer look, she could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He seemed in his own little world, his eyes glassed over, as if remembering some distant memory. It seemed Beth’s legs had a mind of their own and before she fully knew what she was doing, she found herself behind her father, hugging him. Phillip was watching all this with a tiny smile on his lips. His eyes turned almost a blood red. He was gorgeous. Beth and her father just stood there for a while. Then, finally breaking the silence, Mr. Tidwell said, “Ok this is the first real meal I’ve made in a while and it’s getting cold.” With that, they all sat back down and ate it all.

After dinner, Beth led Phillip out back. She sat down in the middle of her backyard, pulling him down with her. “So Phillip, can you show me some other stuff that you can do? Since you are a god of course.” She looked into his eyes. “I don’t know,” he replied, “I don’t want your father to catch us and he cannot see my powers. I can’t take two people knowing.” Beth