Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl, I'm not even Irish! But Mr. Colfer is so he can deal with the criminal mastermind…
Artemis Fowl II was riding in the backseat of his families Bentley, Butler was driving him home from Haven where he was being treated for his Atlantis Complex. He had been sent home with a clean bill of mental health after about six months. He was completely sane.
"Butler, when we get back, would you make me some caviar? The fairies` food is good, and it lacks the pollutants we have, but it is still hospital food and I for one am sick of it."
Butler smiled, "Yes Artemis." He looked back in the rear-view mirror to see the fifteen year old looking at the dark landscape as it went by. It was late and had gotten dark long ago. Butler could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking.
Butler was right, Artemis was thinking. He was thinking about none other than Holly Short. The pair had spent a lot of time together underground. They had become quite close and he was thinking about what would happen now.
I should invite her over to dinner with my family sometime, He thought. After much persuasion, he had been allowed to tell the rest of his family about the People. His father, the twins, and of course his mother all knew about the fairies now. They had even met Holly and the rest of his friends when they had come to visit him. Most of the other fairies tried not to make eye contact.
It started to rain. Artemis watched the raindrops streak across the window as the car flew down the road. He saw lightning light up the sky and heard the thunder rumble ominously in the background. It was an average Irish spring storm.
Lightning flashed, and it started raining harder. The road was slick, but Artemis didn`t worry about the speed of the car, Butler was driving after all. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed fairly close to them. It would be loud at Fowl Manor. He thought of Beckett`s irrational fear of storms, and how he always ran to his big brother's room and hid in his bed with him. Somehow, he didn`t think he would mind it now.
The car was suddenly filled with blinding white light. Artemis ducked his head and covered his face with his hands, while Butler used one arm to shield his eyes while the other held onto the steering wheel. In the end it didn't matter that he had held on.
The car collided head-on with something coming towards them very fast. The impact had enough force to send the Bentley flying backwards and ended up upside-down.
The car rolled to a stop in the middle of the road, the bullet proof windows were cracked and the windshield was completely blown out. The air bags were deployed, and both of the occupants were unconscious.
…
Butler woke up in a hospital. There were monitors around him measuring his heart rate and a pulse oximeter was taped to his finger. There was an I.V. pump on his right that was slowly dripping saline into a catheter into his right forearm. His left arm was lying next to him on a pillow and it was in a cast.
A nurse walked into the room and started checking all the monitors.
"How are you feeling sir?" she asked kindly.
"What happened? Where am I?" But as he asked he remembered what had happened.
"You were in a very bad car accident sir. A man drove by and saw you, so he called an ambulance. You are currently in the emergency room at St. Peter's hospital."
"Where is the boy that was in the car with me? Is he okay?"
"I don't know what you're talking about sir; there was no boy with you. The paramedics found you alone in the car. You broke your arm and received a slight concussion so you might be a little confused for a while." Butler couldn't believe it. What had happened to Artemis? Was he okay?
"Do you have my cell phone?" He asked the nurse.
"Yes sir, it's on the table next to you. I'll give you some privacy." She said and walked out of the room.
Butler looked at the time on the phone, almost 4:00 a.m. He sighed. He had been here for almost seven hours. He dialed Juliet's number and waited for her to answer.
"Dom? What happened? Why aren't you here? Everyone was worried when you didn't show up" Juliet said.
"We were in a car wreck; I'm at a hospital right now."
"Oh no, are you okay?"
"Yes I'm fine"
"What about Artemis? Is he okay?"
"That's actually why I'm calling. They didn't find Artemis in the car. He wasn't there when they found me. Artemis is missing. Again."