This is my first Artemis Fowl fanfic so I hope you like it. It comes straight after TLC.
Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl and the world is a better place because of it.
Below ground, HHM,
It was a normal day at the national Haven history museum often referred to as the HHM. Normal save for the fact that a gnome had looked into the mirror of the future and had to be carried out screaming. However, that happened almost everyday. It was the only time that the council allowed the use of the mind wipe on a fairy. The curator, Oran Pullito, was a tall lanky elf with gold hair. He was currently walking down the hall of the oldest part of the museum, well it wasn't the oldest part of the museum just the part that held the oldest stuff.
This used to be the peoples favourite part of the museum but now the crowds gathered in the new Artemis Fowl wing. Oran was at the least slightly annoyed that a whole wing of his museum was dedicated to a mud boy who had once robbed the people of a lot of gold. That incident led to a two percent decrease in government funding for that year. At least Artemis Fowl hadn't been here for the opening. At that time, he was in limbo but now that he had returned, Oran feared that a visit was in the planning. The thought made him shudder.
Oran entered the main building of the old museum. There was still a bit of a crowd in here but it was a bit worrying that they were all running around screaming or passed out on the floor.
Oran cleared his throat loudly. A few members of the crowd turned around and faced him. Some of them recognised him and began to speak all at once with a feverish look in their eyes. Oran sighed.
"Could one person, you" said Oran looking at a young pixie male in green and yellow strips "can you tell me what happened".
The young pixie looked a bit too feverish, mumbled something, and then collapsed.
"Mmm okay as informative as that was I am still in the dark," said Oran in that famously annoying way of his.
"One of the stone of duil flickered sir," said a gnome who looked like she was going to wet her pants.
"That impossible, they haven't flickered for millennium. What would cause them to start acting now?" asked Oran to himself rather than the crowd.
"Unless," he said and the crowd held its breath.
A few minutes earlier, Dublin, Ireland, St. MacCarty's school.
Artemis Fowl upon his return from limbo, two months ago, found himself back in a noise classroom. His mother had insisted that he should attend a local school in Dublin. Artemis had been forced to use the fairy mesmer in order to explain some details of his long absence. He had sworn never to use it on his parents or brothers ever again. However, he was now considering using the mesmer on his teacher in order to get out of the lab. This less than competent 'lab' thought Artemis. He didn't even consider this a lab more like a classroom fitted with a few extra plugs, some sinks and had a press with some test tubes in it.
He was stuck in double chemistry and he had gathered that most people had chosen chemistry because they wanted to do a science and thought this was the easiest. They were now regretting it. For Artemis it didn't really matter whether he enjoyed it or not. He was going to get 100 percent in every subject in his leaving certificate anyway.
Artemis doubted that his lab partner would even get a pass in the easiest exam. His lab partner was a skinny girl with a crocked looking face. Her country-Dubliner lit was starting to get on his nerves as she asked yet another annoyingly daft question. Two boys behind Artemis were playing with a long narrow pipe that they had attached to the tap. They were now squirting water at each other whenever the teacher turned his back.
'Commoners' thought Artemis. Although it may be a worthwhile case study as to why they come to school, don't listen and disturb the class. Maybe they felt that if everybody were as dumb as they were they would stand a better chance in the world. However as Artemis studied them as they tried to see how long it would take the pipe to burst he concluded that they were just idiots.
Artemis's head suddenly started to pound. His head sank onto his arms, which were strewn idly across the table. He had been getting these head aches ever since limbo. They were normally just short very painful aches in his head however, this one felt worse. The noise of the room was getting to him and the heat. When had it become hot? Artemis gasped as his head pounded again. He had to get out.
"Em Artemis" said his lab partner. Artemis internally groaned and turned his head slightly towards the girl. He gave her a look that said DON'T in big bold cap locks. However, she didn't pick this up and continued to speak.
"How are those boys doing that?" she asked simply.
"Are you asking me how the water from the tap is going through the pipe," asked Artemis.
"O right the tap. But why is the water shaking now?" she asked.
"Water cant shake by itself they must be moving it," said Artemis not even bothering with a detailed expatiation or insults.
"They're not, they're not, they're not," wined the girl in most annoying way possible. Artemis couldn't take it.
He sat bolt upright, anger momentarily making his eyes flash bright. The water also jerked. Artemis glared at the girl. The girl was faced with to giant pools of glowing blue. Then she was hit face on by a large body of water. The water continued blasting into her face until the teacher's loud voice broke Artemis's concentration. The water fell dripping onto the floor.
Artemis turned away as the teacher started giving out to the boys behind him. What had just happened? He could have sworn that for that second he could feel the water. Every molecule, all of the tiny bits of imperfections. This may be an after effect of his experiences in limbo. He would have to investigate this. He was losing his cool and apparently controlling water, most worrying.
Below ground, HHM.
Oran stopped himself saying it. The consequences of that would be far reaching. He cleared his throat loudly.
"Over the centuries thousands of people have thought they saw one of the stones of duil glitter. However nothing has ever happened," he said in a matter of fact voice. "Nobody has ever come," Oran added in a sad voice.
"But every time it happened in the past it was just one person who thought they saw it," said a big elf. "The whole room say the stone of water light," said the elf gesturing to the rest of the room.
Oran was still a disbeliever. He moved forwards, parting the crowd with his hands and made his way towards the stones. The stones were not surrounded by any security at all. This was because only the keepers could touch them without going insane. They had to hire the centaur genius Foaly to counter act their magic with his technology just to move them here. The stones of duil were four stones embedded in four very special weapons. Each stone was a foggy and discoloured but the legends said that when their keepers were near they would glow bright.
The fire stone is embedded in a bow. The bow and the arrows were said to from the first tree of the earth. The tree gave its oldest branch to the keeper of fire in thanks for saving his forest. The unicorns of the forest had given their hair to make the strings.
The air stone is embedded in the hilt of a long narrow sword. The air keeper made it from the earth core of a dying plant, which gave it in thanks for the rescue of its people.
The earth stone is a giant axe made by the first dragons shell and the last dragons breath. The stone was thin and flat and covered a large part of the blade.
The water staff is really a fallen star that had fallen from the sky into the hands of the water keeper. The dull blue stone was set at the very top point of the staff.
Oran looked over them with a fond longing. Half of him wanted to believe it was true the rest of him was scared to believe. The stones of duil had passed from keeper to keeper like clockwork until… until that happened. The thing that had angered the keeper guardians so much that they disappeared from the world before the first human breath.
Before that incident every time one of the keepers died another one would be born as a different race straight away. The last race had been elves and the keepers had all left the earth at the same time so even if the keepers did return there would be no knowing what race they would all be. A few scientists and specialists at the time said that they suspected that they would be pixies next. But they never came.
Oran sighed deeply. "I will keep an eye on them but I doubt that they will ever flicker again". The room was subdued suddenly a small shriek made everybody jump. Oran turned around and sure enough, the stone of water was glimmering faintly.
He froze; he could actually feel the blood drain from his face. It was a very tingly sensation but he ignored it. At that moment, he could have ignored a bullet wound.
The water stone had lit up. The edges of the stone were still a murky dark blue. However, the centre was glowing brightly. It was magnificent, divine and then it went out.
A few minutes earlier, Dublin, Ireland, St. MacCarty's school.
The teacher had in the past few minutes had handed out detentions, extra homework, extra tests, extra detentions and a few stray curse words that he wasn't supposed to utter. Artemis was highly amused. The two boys who had been playing with the water who were the targets of the teacher's onslaught were hanging their heads.
Artemis wasn't feeling guilty. He wasn't even sure if he had caused the water to move. In addition, they shouldn't have been messing with grades like theirs. Artemis had turned around a long time ago unlike the rest of the class who were enjoying a bit of pre-lunch entertainment.
Still Artemis felt strange. It was like a building scene of tension.
'Was it guilt? No it couldn't be. Amusement, no' Artemis ran threw different emotions in his head. He couldn't place the feeling yet it was growing stronger the longer the teacher stood there. It was almost like a tautness, a tension and it was getting worse. Artemis head ache started again. Now he could hear a whooshing, gurgling, roaring noise and it was getting louder. Artemis's head fell onto the desk. The sound was all around him, filling every part of his being, suffocating him and the pain. It was immense.
Artemis could feel a hand on his shoulder and worried voices all around. It felt like somebody was crushing him.
"Get off," he yelled.
The teacher was a bit worried as he saw his star pupil fall on to his desk. He saw out of the corner of his eye a student going over to help him. He was still emerged in giving these boys and telling off. However, not for the reasons you may think. There was fifteen minutes left of class and he had forgotten his notes at home so he was going through this day without actually teaching at all. He mumbled a bit here and there and encouraged the class to go off topic. He also jumped at any opportunity to give a lecture.
Suddenly a thought struck him. If Artemis were sick enough to go home and not well enough to walk alone down to the office he would have to accompany him. That would waste lots of time. He smiled.
"Get off," yelled Artemis.
The teacher frowned. The words he knew came from the boy yet he could have sworn that it came from under him. He looked down. To his surprise, he found that he was standing on the end of the pipe. The tap was still on so the water was still flowing. The pipe was about to burst. But just as the teacher processed the information, the pipe exploded.
Bits of rubber and lots of water drenched the entire class. A few girls screamed shrilly. The bell rang a few minutes later and a group of wet and miserable teenagers escaped the science labs. A certain teenage boy however walked out the science labs with a smile on his face and bone dry.
Artemis Fowl had a few experiments to do. Yet he had a feeling one that he knew very well. The feeling of a challenge and an adventure.
A/n: I thought of this story the other day so just review if you like, don't if you don't. Cheers :D