Author's Note: So I wrote this on the bus on my way home from school last year and I decided to post it. Now the thing about it is I think Artemis is a little out of character, however this was something I always felt like writing about. People always spoke about how Artemis was venomous and they usually take Holly's point of view of this but because I think I have some sort of fetish with male characters and finding out every little fact about them, this is what I come up with. So tada. I do not own Artemis Fowl or else he wouldn't have died. Please no flames. Tell me if you liked it!

A Viper's Venom
By: Setkia

"A viper uses its venom as a way of attacking, it is inexcusable to poison another living organism and it is wrong to—"

For the first time, Mr. Dawson heard the voice of the fifteen year old boy with the dark black hair and mismatched eyes speak up.

"It's defense."

Mr. Dawson was one of the very best teachers in Ireland.

He was patient, he could help anyone reach their full potential, he was able to make the dumbest kid in the class pull a C at worst, and he was kind to all his students. This is why St. Bartleby's School for Boys wanted him to work for them. He could make even the strangest of students behave, which was why they had placed Artemis Fowl II in his class.

The professor had seen many students; the schizophrenic, the alcoholics, the gang leaders, the class president, the anorexic, the ones with severe asthma and even the ones who were deaf or blind. He had seen every type of student, but this Artemis Fowl the Second was a mystery to him.

Before anything else, it was his name. Artemis Fowl II. And he wouldn't let him forget it. With every test he wrote, at the very top were the words Artemis Fowl II. As though it was vitally important that he knew he was not the first Artemis in his family, as though you should remember his father before you remembered him. That he was the second Artemis in the Fowl family, not the first. Most students wrote their first name at the top of their papers, but no, Artemis Fowl II wrote his full name in neat, elegant script.

Then there was the name itself. Artemis was the goddess of the hunt in Greek mythology, and from the way Artemis held himself, you would not think for a second he was a girl. Of course, he wasn't very social nor was he athletic, but he wasn't feminine. And his last name? Fowl? The bird, or the word? Because of the look on Artemis's face, Mr. Dawson believed it was the trait.

But the name aside, there were other factors that made him so strange.

First, this boy's appearance was peculiar. He had pale white skin that most people would mock him for, saying he was a vampire and dark hair that was always slicked back. He wore his tie properly, like he actually knew how to tie one, his blazer was on at all times as well as his collar done up, his shoes tied, his dress shirt tucked in. He always looked presentable. He had delicate hands, anyone could tell from how thin and frail they appeared to be, and he had no muscle whatsoever. But that wasn't what was so odd about Artemis Fowl II. It was his eyes.

Mr. Dawson had been most surprised when he had taken attendance for the first time teaching the ninth grade when he called out Artemis's name, he hadn't looked up. When he had called his name many times, the teenager had finally lifted his head up from his many books and his scratching pencil on his paper stopped moving, an annoyed expression on his face and the oddest sight met Mr. Dawson's eyes. He had met boys that had one eye which was a lighter brown than the other, or one eye was slightly larger than the other, or perhaps it was they were a startling grey, but he had never seen eyes like Artemis Fowl's.

One of his eyes was a deep, icy blue. It was somewhat strange as genetics normally said that dark haired people usually had dark eyes, but his eye was very light, every now and then becoming darker, however it was rare. But his other eye? His other eye was a hazel color. Nothing like he icy blue eye, it was warm and welcoming and yet also very cautious. The mismatched eyes put Mr. Dawson off a bit.

Secondly, there was his refusal to interact with others. When class started, he would take a seat in the back, take out his books and begin working immediately. He would scribble and write and when he wasn't paying attention, he was playing with a ring around his finger, or a strange item on a string around his neck. He wouldn't join clubs, he wouldn't go outside, he wouldn't even speak. He would leave class, go to the next, and when he didn't have class, he was either in the library on his laptop, or in his room, still on his laptop.

Thirdly, were his marks. They were high. Incredibly high. He would ace every test and Mr. Dawson could see he wasn't paying attention in class, he wasn't interested in the boring science that Mr. Dawson spoke of and he often decided to do other things during the hour and five minutes that Mr. Dawson had him in class, but when the test came, Artemis Fowl II never failed to pull the best mark in the class. In the most complicated of lessons, he could miss it all together and still get every question, even the bonus questions, correct. It was amazing really, clearly this boy was a genius, but he refused to talk. He sat in the back, paying no mind to the professor, waiting for the bell to ring.

Who was Artemis Fowl II?

It was during a lesson on vipers that the grade nine science teacher discovered just a little more about his mysterious student.

Because of the class's inability to pay much attention, Mr. Dawson decided to speak of vipers and their ability to poison other things, as this was a subject that appealed to most boys of this age. Perhaps he had been hoping that he could get some reaction out of Artemis however all he received was a bored roll of the mismatched eyes and a look void of emotion afterwards.

He began the lesson by speaking of the different types of vipers and how poisonous their stings could be when he reached the point where he wanted to carefully warn the other boys not to believe that a viper was a good pet. It was highly dangerous and would not be approved of as a pet by anyone, not that he thought the boys were stupid enough to call their parents and ask for one, but they were teenagers and who could really predict anything during those rebel years?

"A viper uses its venom as a way of attacking, it is inexcusable to poison another living organism and it is wrong to—" And that's when a miracle happened.

For the first time, Mr. Dawson heard the voice of the fifteen year old boy with the dark black hair and mismatched eyes speak up.

"It's defense."

His voice had been so quiet, so hard to hear, yet Mr. Dawson caught it. The boy hadn't looked up, he was still scribbling, but he knew that Artemis had spoken as he had never heard this voice before. It was young, but full of knowledge. A bit arrogant too, though Mr. Dawson supposed he had a right to be with his marks, but he couldn't help it. He had to ask him to repeat.

"It's defense," Artemis Fowl II repeated, more firmly, not looking up yet. But now everyone could hear him. The boys all turned towards the one person in the back row, everyone craning their necks. Artemis sat alone, the silence that had fallen was interrupted by the scribbling of his pencil.

"Yes, well," Mr. Dawson said, trying to regroup himself. He had gotten Artemis Fowl the Second to speak, something no other teacher had managed to do. It was an amazing feeling really. "That's no excuse," he cleared his throat. "Now the—"

"What if it's to keep others safe?"

Again, Artemis had interrupted the lesson. While Mr. Dawson was glad that he was finally participating, this interrupting had to stop. "How could it possibly—"

"What if," Artemis began, his voice low, "what if they had to bite to protect themselves from harm? What if the viper doesn't mean to hurt anybody, but they have to? To shield themselves from others, to protect themselves, and protect others from themselves? What if they had to hurt someone so they wouldn't get too close? Wouldn't discover the truth and wouldn't be able to find a weakness in them? So they would be able to stop themselves from letting them in and getting hurt? What if they had to bite to warn them that they aren't good for them, that they'll only lead to misery?"

Mr. Dawson got the feeling this rant wasn't about vipers anymore.

"What if," Artemis said slowly, "what if it didn't work?"

"What do you mean?" Mr. Dawson asked, confused. Artemis was beginning to open up slightly, not very much, but slowly and he wouldn't let anything get in the way of finding something out about this student no one else knew. He'd have an advantage over the gossip in the teacher's lounge.

Artemis fingered something around his neck. He pulled it out and rubbed it between his fingers. Mr. Dawson realised it was a coin. It was a coin with a hole right through the center. What an odd thing to keep.

"What if that person kept coming and no matter how much they tried to keep them away, they couldn't? What if the damage had been done? The person had been stubborn enough to get past the viper's bite, convinced there's something else there?

"What if they got to the viper? What if they got under their skin and suddenly, they were always there and when they weren't, there was a big hole? What if the viper's greatest weakness turned out to be that person? What if that viper's suddenly stripped of everything that makes them themselves, and it's time for the person to take them or leave them?

"What if the person doesn't like what they see? What if it's too late and the viper's already gone and now its world is falling apart, spending each day trying to act okay? What if the viper's not able to do it anymore? What if they can't take it and they've gotta bite again to keep them away, but it's too late and now the viper's doomed and it doesn't matter because the person wouldn't want them anyway and the mere idea makes them wrinkle their nose in disgust and say it's impossible and the viper will do anything and everything to change that?" He twirled the ring on his finger, inspecting it.

"What if . . . what if the person's ruined the viper and it's hopeless now and nothing can reverse that? What if they'll be forever stuck in a limbo of some sort, unable to feel anything else, knowing they'll never have what they want?" His fist clenched around the coin and then he dropped it. "Ever think of that, Mr. Dawson?"

"I highly doubt vipers are that decisive," Mr. Dawson said, confused on what had just happened.

Artemis nodded and went back to being silent.

But Mr. Dawson had seen something in Artemis. Artemis held a lot of woes and when the bell rang, he was about to exit the class when a girl, who looked about twenty-four, leaning against the doorway beckoned him over.

He smiled. Artemis Fowl II showed emotion towards this girl, and his lips pulled back, showing a vampire smirk. Fangs. They were practically there.

Mr. Dawson suddenly understood.

Artemis was the viper, and this girl . . . this girl was the girl who had ruined him.

Edited: June 18th, 2014

2nd Edit: March 27th 2016