Post by StoryGirl83 on Nov 6, 2011 20:45:22 GMT -5
Chapter Ten – Peter’s Research
“Why are we researching the goddess of love?” Peter Silberman asked Seth as he skimmed down an internet page. “It hardly seems like a fun brotherly activity.”
Seth looked over at his little brother. “Maybe we can try and make is seem like it is.”
Peter looked at him bemused. “I am researching the goddess of love. How is that in anyway manly?”
Seth shrugged. “First off you’re supposed to be researching the Aphrodite Crystal, not the goddess herself.”
Peter frowned and opened a new page on the internet browser. He typed in “Aphrodite Crystal” and pressed enter. A long list scrolled down the page. “Do you have more than that?”
Seth considered the info Chris had given him. “Green glow?”
Peter’s frown grew. He typed it in and pressed enter before he turned around to look at his brother. “What are we researching this for?”
Seth sighed and put down the book he was looking through. He walked over and stood next to his little brother’s chair. “Remember what I explained about why I was going to be gone so long?”
Peter nodded. “I remember. You said your mother was a demon and that because of that you could blend in, so you were spying on the bad demons. You also said you weren’t going to do that, again, be gone for so long.”
“And I won’t,” Seth promised. “but sometime there’s going to be things I need to do.”
Peter sighed and looked back at the screen. “Wyatt’s in trouble, huh?”
Seth nodded, trying to hide a chuckle. “You understand that because I have the ability to do something about this, I feel the need to do so.”
“Uh huh,” Peter nodded, unconvinced. “Why can’t Wyatt do this research himself?”
“Chris said . . .”
“Wait,” Peter interrupted. “Chris said? Why would Chris call you? Why not Wyatt?”
“Because Wyatt’s in trouble,” Seth informed him, “and can’t even contact Chris directly.”
Peter considered this and glanced back at the screen. “And this Aphrodite stone has something to do with it?”
“Crystal,” his brother corrected. “It’s Aphrodite Crystal. Have you found anything?”
“Well, sure,” Peter grinned. “Green glow doesn’t exactly come into most people’s mind when they consider the phrase ‘Aphrodite Crystal’. I only have a handful of results. Want to take a look?”
Seth looked over his brother at the page Peter had chosen.
“I had heard of a stone, beautiful and blessed by the Goddess Aphrodite herself. I did much to acquire it and now I fear I am going mad. I feel as if terror is following me and will never leave me alone. For seven days I tried every imaginable way and some unimaginable to end my life, to escape this feeling of evil that follows me.
“Most of these attempts ended before they even begun for friends wiser than I stopped me on my first attempt and tied me up. With peril to their own lives I might add, for they too are going mad with it. Two of my friends tied themselves up before the terror caught up with them and then another friend fed us, ever careful not to touch any of us. You see when my friends realized my obsession with this stone, the Aphrodite Crystal, they looked into it, themselves.
“It was indeed blessed by the Goddess Aphrodite, but soon after it found its way into the hands of evil. Where Aphrodite had blessed it to help the barrier find love, the curse twisted that so that even their own selves they hated. And at the same time they lashed out at every one near fearing that the world was out to get them.
“I had not realized what a horrible thing I was doing until I saw that green glow climb through the body of my best friend as he tried to keep me from killing myself. I have knowingly and willfully committed myself to a life I wish I had never done. Though seven days have come and gone and it has now lessened the inner hatred, the outer fear, the depression, melancholy and all else that comes with this curse, I will never fully be rid of it. I thankfully cannot contaminate anyone else with it, for that part of it fully leaves after seven days, but I have condemned my best friend to this same life and that is far worse than anything else.
“It is a lonely life I now must chose, for I cannot imagine allowing others into it. And yet, there they are, my dear, dear friend, come to my apartment to take me bowling. That almost makes me laugh, almost, for we all know I cannot bowl.”
Seth felt sad as he read the words in the article. This clearly was about the crystal Wyatt had tried to call Chris about. And he knew that if that was what it took to save his best friend, he would do exactly what this man’s best friend had done.
Peter clicked back the page and opened another one. It was much the same, a testimonial of sorts. They read it in silence, but found nothing new. It was the third article that stunned them.
When they finished reading it in silence, Seth looked at his little brother. “Peter, would you mind printing this out along with that first article?”
Peter shrugged. “Sure, but why?”
“Chris is going to want to look at these.”
Peter frowned. “We could just email them to him.”
Seth shook his head. “Not to Chris. He prefers paper to machines.”
“You mean he doesn’t use computers?” Peter looked at his brother astounded, as if the idea of no computers was completely foreign to him.
Seth laughed. “No, he uses computers,” he assured his little brother. “He has the latest in laptop technology. And his phone that he always forgets is such new technology that it wasn’t even out on the market yet when he got it. I think it was a bribe from his ex-girlfriend to keep quiet about something, but she never said as much and the person she wanted him not to talk to already knew about it.”
Peter laughed at that. “Well, then maybe he ought to learn to like technology. It’s very useful.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Seth agreed, “but for now, he doesn’t, so would you mind printing those out and then see if any of the other articles might be useful.” Hearing the printer start working, he smiled.
Peter went back to the search engine and clicked on a new link. He blinked in surprise. “I’d say this is relevant. Look who wrote it.”
Seth read the first lines and sighed. “Well, that ought to be interesting. Yeah, print it. We’ll read it later.”
Peter hit print and went back to the previous page as soon as it started. He clicked two more and found nothing helpful. He clicked the last link and found a blog. He was about to click back when he noticed the name at the top of the blog. “Nicholas Martinez.”
“What?” Seth looked over his shoulder. “What’s this?”
Peter opened the page search and found the two mentions of the Aphrodite Crystal on it. He read the short paragraph and turned to look at his brother. “I think you have to talk to this guy.”
At the bottom of the page the last entry dated April 22, 2027 read, “Someone stole the Aphrodite Crystal. I checked my camera last night and it was gone. For those of you who don’t know what the Aphrodite Crystal and its green glow are . . . good. It is extremely evil, or as evil as an inanimate object can get. It ruined the lives of my three closest friends and all I could do was watch.”