Chapter 1

The full moon shone brightly down on the river and despite the light a dark shape walked towards the ancient oak beside the river wearing a dark hood. The strange hooded figure stooped and picked up a solitary acorn. The person stood up and as he did so the hood slid off his head revealing the ice-cold blue eye and the soft hazel. The eyes scanned the area before walking back to the 4x4 car where the bodyguard, Butler was waiting. Pausing at the door he leaned down and buried the acorn and over the rushing of the river the words were just audible he had heard from Holly all those years ago

"I return you to the earth" Artemis Fowl said hand still holding on to the acorn. "And claim the gift that is my right."

Nothing happened for a second. But then, just as he thought "Its not working, I don't have the right" the acorn glowed blue and the magic hit him like a Neutrino 2000. He smirked. What do you know, a magic human, probably the first one in millennia. But as he climbed into the car beside Butler he was wrong about one thing. He'd been right about the magic, the ritual and the timing. But what he didn't know was that another magic human was arriving underground.

Holly Short was in her cubicle at the LEP anxiously writing a report about the collapse of the time tunnel that had happened two months ago. The warlocks had requested the LEP for this report as well for them to study and were already interviewing. The only reason she was in LEP now was that wing commander Vinyaya was now the commander who had refused point blank unless Holly was given her job back as Captain if she ever returned. Despite the report and all this to chew over her thoughts were elsewhere and she kept finding herself staring into space lost in thought. Her new eye itched slightly and many found that it was slightly intimidating when they found out it was Artemis Fowl's. Artemis Fowl. Suddenly her private communicator started to beep. Only Mulch Diggums and Artemis had this number. It turned out to be a text, all it said was

"Look out of your window"

Frowning slightly she crossed to the only window and realised that something was wrong. The whole of Haven City had turned blue and looking up she could see the cause. Right by the sun strips was a jagged blue rip in nothing that was letting out massive electric shocks that were destroying the sun strips one by one. Suddenly the door burst open and Vinyaya came in her silver hair streaming behind her.

"Have you seen it?" she gasped.

"Yeah, but was it?"

"I was hoping you could answer that," said Vinyaya now also staring at the blue hole. "Foaly has no idea what it is and the Warlocks are flummoxed but the Demons say it's like a materialisation."

"I wonder what Artemis I mean Fowl would say." said Holly rubbing the blue eye thoughtfully.

"Well that's another reason why I came to see you. We need you to collect Fowl and get his opinion on this. We may need him at a moments notice so bring him back with you. We've made all the necessary arrangements for him and Butler so the sooner the better really. Remember Captain that could be anything and the longer its there the more damage it's going to do."

"Where's the shuttle?" said Holly the communicator already at her ear.

"Bay A5 Foaly will be waiting for you there."

Artemis and Butler were halfway back to Fowl Manor when he got the call. His communicator beeped and he wondered whether Foaly had watched his experiment. Answering it he said "Hello Holly"

"Hello listen I… hang on what are you doing at this hour?" over her voice he could hear her running.

"Experiment, now what's wrong?"

"Who said anything's wrong?" she said suspiciously.

"You're running and phoning me at the same time who does that except in a crisis?"

Down below the surface Holly sighed why was she always stuck with the annoyingly knowing Fowl?

"Fine something's wrong and we need you down here to help sort it out. They've set up all the arrangements and I'm coming to pick you up."

"How long will you be?"

"Half an hour give or take a few minutes"

"I'll see you outside E1 then."

"Fine but don't think I've forgotten the "experiment" as you call it" and cut the link.

"Butler, change of plan we need to go to E1" Artemis pocketing his communicator and started searching for something.

"So what's the new crisis?" asked Butler immediately turning the car around in a tone as if he was merely asking the weather.

"No idea" said Artemis pulling out a red cube. "But I intend to find out."

Holly closed the link to find she was outside bay A5. The door soon recognized her thumbprint and let her in to find Foaly under the ship making some final adjustments. When he saw who had come in he immediately pulled himself out and trotted over to her whinnying with delight.

"Hi Foaly you working alone?"

"Yeah when you were away I decided to make a shuttle for pacifically for Artemis Fowl and considering how important it is I decided to make it all myself. I can't give you a tour at the moment but there is more technology in it than a thousand LEP officers' uniforms. Oh and that reminds me your new stuffs over here." Walking towards a workbench set against the wall. He picked up an obviously new jumpsuit. "The great thing about this is that although it's got all the old features the suit but it has its own magic battery which contains five times the amount of magic that the average fairy holds. This thing will also charge when you perform the ritual. The helmet" he continued picking up the helmet now "imports a high powered computer which you control using a mixture of sound, thought and seeing. The computer is the same one that was in Artemis' cube I finally managed to break the Eternity code you won't believe the programming in it and"

"Foaly" interrupted Holly. "We don't have all night so speed things up."

"Yeah your right but let me show you the Neutrino 4000. This thing has enough power to light the sun for the rest of your lifetime. It also has a setting for different things you could go against like a troll or in your case a whole pack of them as well as all the features of the 3000."

"Oh and one more thing" Foaly said in her helmet just as she was firing up the thrusters. "I would like all this stuff back intact or at least not too destroyed."

"You speak as if I have no respect for your gadgets," grinned Holly.

"Maybe so" he said darkly. "But I can't remember the last time I got anything that worked back from you."

"Why all this stuff for just getting Artemis?" As she shot out of the bay.

"Be prepared for the unexpected and with you and this blue thing around the unexpected is expected."

Artemis was typing something in to the cube and Butler had his hand on his Sig Sauer while they waited outside the mound of earth that was the entrance to E1. It seemed as if they were in two different dimensions. In Artemis' world he was totally relaxed as he hacked through Foaly's computer finding the cause for the "crisis". It wasn't so great in Butler's world. This was just another thing that made his job more difficult as it was the perfect place for an assassination, quiet and no people to call for help and as every Bodyguard knows an assassination is best when there are no witnesses. Although the glass was bullet proof and the car was well built it wouldn't stop everything. So he kept the engine running, one hand on the wheel and the other on his Sig Sauer. He was just wondering whether to scout the area when he saw a figure. Squinting he drew his gun then relaxed it was only Holly. When he saw who it was Artemis quickly put his cube away and got out closely followed by Butler.

"Hey Mud Boys" Holly said as soon as they were in earshot. "Come on the longer we're here the worse it can get in Haven."

"What's happening in Haven? You haven't said yet." Asked Butler.

"Ah" said Holly she was going to enjoy this it wasn't often she knew something that Artemis didn't.

"The sun strips are being destroyed by something that could be a different type of materialisation. This could produce anything and for the safety of Haven they are going to have a discussion as to what to do."

The words came out of not Holly's mouth but Artemis'.

"And I believe I'm one of the discussers and that's why you came to get me as you have really no idea what it is. Am I correct Holly?" finished Artemis.

Great.

"How on earth do you know these things? You haven't been inside Foaly's computer again have you?

"Yes, I decided if I'm going to answer this I need to know what it is."

"If you'd waited thirty minutes longer you'd of found out anyway."

Ignoring this Artemis said briskly. "Come on then or we'll miss whatever this is."

"I'm not coming Artemis."

Holly and Artemis turned to stare at Butler.

"Any particular reason?"

"Two reasons. One I'm getting too old for this and two someone needs to look after Fowl Manor as well as the twins."

"Twins?" said Holly staring at Artemis now. " You never said you were a brother."

"You never asked." Artemis said defensively.

"You should've still said."

"How? You never make any social calls. Its always business or a crisis."

"I do make social calls."

"When was the last time you called socially."

They continued like this through the hologram and Butler smiled for the first time in ages. "They'll be the last to realise it." He thought as he drove away to Fowl Manor.