Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for giving this story a shot! Just a disclaimer, I obviously did not write the real Artemis Fowl, so any quotes or characters from the serious belong solely to the wonderful Eoin Colfer. Avery, however, is entirely my own creation. :) I'd really appreciate some reviews, cause when I don't get any compliments or criticism I get discouraged and stop writing! So let me know what you think! 3 Gianna

Avery grimaced as she felt another bead of sweat slide down her spine. Ho Chi Minh City was comparable to an oven during this time of the summer. The young girl was nestled in a small cubbyhole in the wall of one of the marketplace buildings. She had scouted the location the night before and had almost missed the small niche. It was three stories up, hidden behind an old marble column, and directly across the street from the curbside cafe where Artemis Fowl and his large Eurasian servant, Butler, were currently sitting.

She had been following the pair for months to no avail, and after the last dead-end clue in Cairo, she was almost ready to give up. She knew that wasn't an option though, not when she was so close. Avery fondled the seven-point star that hung around her neck. There was too much at stake to lose her motivation now. She forced herself to concentrate as a middle-aged man approached Fowl's table, and she suppressed a chuckle as the young genius saw right through the newcomer's pathetic disguise of being a waiter. "For god's sake you're wearing gold rings, handmade loafers, and a silk shirt. You are SO not a waiter," she mumbled to herself. It had to be their informant, Nguyen Xuan.

Avery refocused her binoculars so she could read the men's lips, one of the many useful skills she had picked up over the years.

"Let me fill you in on the weapons status," Artemis was saying. Avery watched very intently as he continued, "I am unarmed, but Butler here, my ah...butler, has a Sig Sauer in his shoulder holster, two shrike throwing knives in his boots, a derringer two-shot up his sleeve, garrote wire in his watch, and three stun grenades concealed in various pockets. Anything else Butler?"

"The cosh sir," the giant replied.

"Oh yes, a good old ball bearing cosh stuffed down his shirt."

Avery swallowed. That was more than even she kept on her, and she kept a lot. She felt for the two HK USP Match pistols strapped to either thigh, the KA-BAR combat knife slipped in her boot, and the shrike throwing knife tied to her wrist. Looking at the mountain of a man who could definitely snap a man's backbone like a twig with his mammoth hands, she suddenly wished she'd worn a thicker bullet proof vest and brought her sniper rifle too.

Avery scolded herself for getting off task again. The heat must be getting to me, she thought. Finally, the Fowl boy said the words she'd been waiting for. "And now to business. You answered our web advertisement." Nguyen was clearly nervous, but to his credit he managed to stammer out, "Yes, Mister...Master Fowl. What you're looking for...I know where it is."

"Really? And am I supposed to take your word for this? You could be walking me straight into an ambush. My family is not without enemies," the boy responded.

Avery zoomed her binoculars in as Nguyen passed Artemis a Polaroid. She was too far to see what it was of, but she trusted the boy genius's ability to identify whether it was a fraud or not.

"This woman, she is a healer near Tu Do Street. She works in exchange for rice wine; all the time, drunk," Nguyen explained.

Avery nodded. It made sense, the drinking. One of the few consistent facts her research had unearthed.

Artemis stood, pulling the creases from his white polo. He's hotter than I expected him to be, Avery thought, in a kind of nerdy, devious way.

"Very well. Lead on, Mister Xuan."

Nguyen anxiously declined. "Information only, that was the agreement. I don't want any curses on my head."

Avery knew what she would do in this situation, and she was glad to see Butler didn't disappoint. He expertly gripped the informant behind the neck and said, "I'm sorry, Mister Xuan, but the time when you had a choice in matters is long past."

They were on the move. Avery quickly slid out of her cramped hiding place and lithely climbed down to the street. She shook the dust off her khaki cargo pants and white tank top, quickly pulled her hair into a braid, and wrapped a royal blue scarf around her head and face. Her eyes never left her targets as they maneuvered over to a nearby four-wheel drive. Avery rolled her eyes. That kind of car was hardly necessary on the flat streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Drama queens.

She grabbed a nearby moped, preferring to blend in with the other teenagers riding the streets. Every second that passed made Avery's heart pound harder and faster. She had followed Artemis and Butler on six false alarms across three continents, and now she was finally going to be rewarded.

The traffic crawled at a painfully slow pace. There wasn't a single alley or doorway that wasn't crowded with people. Eventually, the streets grew too narrow for the illogical four-wheel drive. Avery watched as the three men climbed out. The one thousand other people in the alley were both a blessing and a curse. Sure they made Artemis harder to follow, but they were excellent camouflage. Unfortunately, a pickpocket attempted to steal Butler's wallet, and the manservant broke the man's fingers without looking down. The people stayed a good distance away after that, so Avery was forced to attempt to stay in the shadows of the rickety buildings lining the road. Finally, the group stopped when the alley narrowed to a rutted lane. Avery wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying and they all had their backs to her, so she couldn't read their lips.

Nguyen pointed toward a dark hole underneath a rusted fire escape. She's under there, Avery thought. She observed as Artemis carefully made his way around cripples and beggars to peer into the small entryway under the fire escape. He turned to Butler. "Butler, could you hand me the goggles?"

"Night vision," Avery whispered, "Smart boy." She didn't bother getting closer. She didn't need to see the old woman, or old fairy to be more specific, she just needed to be sure Artemis got what the sprite had, and she knew he would get it the same way she would have, through deceit. She waited patiently.

Finally, she saw a mottled green hand reach past the shadows to drop something into Artemis's open palm. Avery held her breath. Butler pulled out a digital camera and began taking pictures of what appeared to be...yes it was! A small golden book. Avery smiled, with the secrets in that fairy's Book, the whole fairy race would eventually be revealed to her.