Duel Monsters?! What An Absurd Name For A Strategic Card Game…
By: Artemis Minerva

Diary Entry 1 (Decoded)

Ever since my sudden reappearance, (and maybe even my long ago rescue of Father, as I do not know how far back this may extend), Father has had many an urge to go on legitimate adventures. Often traveling with the family, to a foreign land where he pays almost obscene amounts of money to get us the original and realistic tour of the region.

This is good for our knowledge of far away lands I'm sure, but, with my already large background in "adventuring" I have already experienced the view from painfully tall buildings, wonders of the ancient world, and spaces carved out cliff sides. (Though it might have been viewed from a window seat in the Black Market's seedy underbelly…) This has removed all interest for me, especially because he was taking Mother to Egypt to do some archeology surrounding a lost pyramid. Egypt, hot, terribly remote or terribly crowded, and filled with enemies of mine. Not the most fun I would have ever anticipated.

But, Father always writes home in code we developed during a lazy summer weekend and we have bonded because of it. In any event, I am here to supervise the boys while my parents are away, the last nanny Mother hired ran screaming out the door in a record 53 minutes. I must admit I have ever so slightly favorite one of the twins over the years but every so often the cycle alternates. This is to raise a little healthy competition among grades and academics, in addition to this "brotherly love" I have read up so much on.

I've helped Beckett create what he calls 4-dimensional chess, it is slightly confusing in its tubular design and magnetic pieces but very entertaining and thought provoking. Overall his 5th patent. Myles was indulging in a little leisure time analyzing his little strategic card game in the parlor when Juliet arrived with a package from Father. It was relatively small in size, approximately 12' by 6' by 6' in American measurements. What surprised me was the words Fragile appearing upon the sides of the box in bold Arabic. I read the accompanying letter before opening the parcel, it read in Fathers flowing hand something like this…

Dear Artemis,

Hopefully you get this package untampered with, I had to do quite a lot of "suggesting" to get it back to the Manor, but I believe it was well worth it. Enclosed is a newly uncovered artifact from you Mother and I's dig site.

Now, as much as I hope the newly reformed you would probably like to donate this to a museum or return it to Egypt (I would hope), before you do so, please, hear your old man out. It was not me that first suggested the gifting of this artifact, it was your Mother, it would give her much joy to arrive home to find her little Arty admiring her hard work. Secondly, it is not all that expensive and very intriguing. Drum roll please maestro! It is the famed stylus of Thoth with which he supposedly wrote all of his knowledge down on papyrus and slabs from the heavens for the Library at Alexandria.

Surprisingly, it still makes quite legible writing and marks in both clay and on paper. As far as I can tell the tip is made from some sort of alloy that oxidizes a thin layer of your paper material making a unique reddish-black mark. I can imagine how something of this nature could pique my genius son's interests, as the tip will essentially write for all eternity if one has a light hand and does not rub of the metal itself.

Also, I would personally like you to examine the stylus as it also shows the eye of Horus inset in the handle among the carvings. As you may well know these symbols are not commonly represented directly with each other concerning just the knowledge of Thoth. From the hieroglyphs of the temple I can tell that this was supposedly an "Eternal Millenium artifact of great power with the spirit of all knowledge granted to ye who wields it…"

Another fact it may be wise of me to mention is that the handle is made up of pure gold inlayed with black obsidian and attached is some sort of necklace chain. Aurum est poatas! So Artemis, open this package and treasure the contents. We'll be back in 25 days. (Keep watch over your brothers, one just made a surprisingly large transaction.)

Wish you were here son,

Artemis Sr.

With this I set the letter down, took the box to the study, and opened it far from the prying eyes of my own siblings. It was just as Father had described, substantial and gleaming in the chandelier light. Taking a sheet of paper from my pocket I began to write my letter in response thanking them in the strange colored marks that faded from rust red to pitch black.

After putting the stylus round my neck I noticed it felt lighter than it really was, and that parts of the pen rotated. Facsinating…

That was when Myles called me over, "Artemis! I demand you play this card game with me. You will like it because it is very strategic and you might even have a chance at beating me."

How could I refuse an offer like that? I probably should have as it set of a chain of events the likes of which I had never experienced before because I, Artemis Fowl the Second, lost to my own sibling. At a child's trading card game no less! Of course I later realized it was because of the useless set of cards he had given me but still, I took a blow to my ego. Yet it began my journey through Duel Monsters and the secret of my Millennium Stylus…