A/N: Konnichiwa! This is Mogget! Not Tiggermyk! But we are sharing an account! As you can tell I am very excited about this! It is my first fan fiction. I hope you all enjoy it! Artemis has a hard personality to capture, so I can only hope that I did it justice. Again, please enjoy!
Tiggermyk: Weirdo. /rolls eyes/
Mogget: Look who's talking. /rolls eyes right back/
Disclaimer – These characters are mostly not mine. Unfortunately. They are Eoin Colfers. Except for Artimys and the demons. They are mine.
Chapter One – Disaster Unveiled and Fears Shown
Artemis Fowl woke up from a deep sleep and stared at his ceiling. He was looking forward to today. Today was his fifteenth birthday. Today he and his parents would celebrate, and then that evening, when they where asleep, some other people where coming. They where private investigators Holly Short and Mulch Diggums, along with the centaur Foaly. Yes, today was going to be a good day.
Artemis hopped out of bed and got dressed for the day. Once upon a time he would have worn a tailored suit, but now he wore black pants, black sneakers, and a black and purple striped polo T-shirt. For some people this was nice, but for the young Fowl it was casual.
Artemis walked down the stairs and into the family dining room. A huge banner hung across the room with the words "Happy Birthday Arty" in bright, glittery gold letters.
His parents where seated at the head of the table and his bodyguard Butler and his sister Juliet on either side. They all stood up and started signing Happy Birthday when he walked in.
His mother ran over and embraced him. "Happy birthday, my little Arty." she crooned, rocking. His father came over and joined them. After a moment, they parted and sat down. Three packages sat on the table. "Open them." said his father.
Sitting down, Artemis complied. The first package was from Butler. Artemis lifted it. It was rather heavy for such a small package. Artemis opened, and found a .28 pistol. Artemis smiled wryly. "I suppose this is in case we decide we go in to any more wild adventures."
Butler grinned back. "Exactly."
The next package was from Juliet. It was a black T-shirt with the words "Evil Guinness" in white letters. That got a laugh out of everyone.
Artemis opened his parents' package last. Inside was a pair of passports and plane tickets.
"One is for you and the other is for Butler." Angelinea Fowl explained.
"Yes," his father added, "We thought you might like to go on a tour of the US. Those tickets will take you anywhere in the States."
Artemis looked thoughtful. His parents did not know of his trip to Chicago nearly three years previously, when the Cube had been stolen from him by the American businessman and con artist John Spiro. He wondered vaguely where Mr. Spiro was, before turning his thoughts back to the happy gathering before him.
Meanwhile, even as he thought of him, Mr. John Spiro sat in jail, fuming. "Nasty little child," he thought furiously, "Must be at least 15 by now. Probably has a girlfriend. Probably has expanded his fortune by millions. Long way to fall when I catch him. Very long indeed. I won't be in this place for much longer. When I get out of here, Master Fowl will die."
And unfortunately for Artemis, this was almost all to likely. One year ago, a goblin had turned up in Mr. Spiros cell and told him that his master would help him get his revenge on Fowl, if when they got him out, he would provide them with what his master needed most, a body. His body. He would become an avatar for one of the most deadly forces under the world. But Artemis Fowl did not know this. But Foaly did.
Artemis and Butler stood in the middle of the apple orchard, waiting. Waiting for their fairy friends to appear. They did not have to wait long. Foaly, Mulch, and Holly soon came, in a machine that Artemis had not seen yet. It was the size of a large kitchen table and had rails on all sides. Foaly stood in the front, driving, and Holly and Mulch sat in seats behind him. None of them looked very happy.
"What is it?" asked Artemis immediately.
"Oh, this?" answered Foaly, " It's my latest invention, for land travels. I can turn it invisible. I got the idea from the STAR WARS movies. Rather impressive, if I do say so."
"Not that," said Artemis impatiently, " I mean, what's wrong. You all look like something is wrong."
Holly had gotten out by now. "Happy birthday Artemis. Someone is going to kill you."
Artemis and Butler stared, incredulous. "Someone is always trying to kill him." stated Butler.
"I know that," said Holly, "But this thing might actually succeed.
"This, thing," repeated Artemis.
"Yes. It is the Devil Aion. He made a contract with John Spiro. Soon, we don't know exactly when, Aion will use John Spiro's body as an avatar."
How do you know all of this?" asked Butler bluntly.
"I put 24 hour surveillance on Mr. Spiro's cell." answered Foaly. "Just in case something happened. Here I'll show you." Foaly took out a case from the flying machine and opened it. After a few moments he had set up a computer. "Here, he said, gather around and see." He pressed the play button and they all watched the drama unfold.
Johm Spiro sat in a cell, all alone. He didn't look that healthy. His face was gaunt and waxy, and you could count his bones. Suddenly a goblin appeared. Spiro jumped and began shouting for help. The goblin said in a cool voice that was most un-reptilian and sent shivers down the watchers back.
"It's no use, human." the word human was spoken in a way that one spoke of dung on one's foot. "They can't hear you. I have been watching you. I need a body. You want vengeance. In one years time, the preparations will be ready. If you want vengeance on Artemis Fowl, then give me your body."
Spiro stared at him. "Who are you? Why do you need my body? What's wrong with that one? Is this a dream?"
The voice in the goblin laughed. "Of course it's not a dream. There is life other than that you know of on this earth. Beings of supreme intellect, unlike this goblin. That is how Fowl beat you. He used the fairies. And I need your body because goblin and fairy bodies do not last long. Human bodies work best. And I am the demon Aion. I am the supreme devil. I thrive on chaos. Using you, I can plunge the world into chaos, and grow strong enough for my own body. If you chose to decline my offer, you will die here and now."
Spiro looked around wildly for a minute before answering. "I accept."
The goblin laughed again, and disappeared.
Everyone looked at each other. "So," Butler said, "all we have to do is find out where they're preparing and wreck it. Right?"
Artemis shook his head. "Look at the date. Its a 11 months from today. What I want to know is why we're only learning of this now." He turned an inquiring gaze onto Foaly.
Foaly shook his head. "It took me until yesterday to see it properly. This is what it was when I got it." He pressed another button, and everyone leaned in once again.
Artemis watched as his father fell from he tower in the Arctic and Holly go after him. They didn't come up. Artemis waited and waited, but they didn't come. "Father! Holly!" He yelled, over and over again. But they didn't come. Butlers body suddenly came up, with a hole in his chest. Where Arno Blunt had shot him. "Butler!" he shouted, but Butler didn't answer. Then his mother walked up, gibbering. She walked right into the waters, and didn't come up. "Mother!" he yelled "Father! Holly! Butler!" No one answered. He was all alone. Alone.
Butler was back in the restaurant. He watched as Arno Blunt drew his gun. Artemis turned and Blunt pulled he trigger. Butler jumped to block it, but he was to late. Artemis crumpled to the ground. He had failed. Artemis, his principle, his meaning for life, was dead. Dead.
Holly was in the cave. Watching as Root blew up. Only it wasn't just for Root. Artemis, Butler, Juliet, Foaly, even Mulch where all there. All dying. Dead. All of them. Now Opal was sure to win. All her friends where gone. Gone.
Mulch was in a tunnel. It was caving in. He went to unhinge his jaws to tunnel out, but one of the LEP mouthrings was there. He couldn't unhinge. He was going to die. And not only him.. Butler, Artemis, Holly, and Foaly where there with him. They where watching, waiting, waiting for him to save them. But he couldn't. He was helpless. Helpless.
With a gasp they where back in reality. They looked at each other, and saw tears mingling with sweat running down each others face.
" That's why it took a year." said Foaly somberly. "Its demon magic. It shows you what you fear the most. Most of the time it changes a memory"
"Julius." gasped Holly suddenly. "I saw Julius die again. Only everyone else died with him. " Tears ran harder down her face.
Artemis surprised everyone by hugging her. "I saw the arctic incident. No one came up out of the water." he shivered, remembering the ugly scene.
Holly hugged him tight. "Don't worry." she whispered, all traces of grief gone. Now there was only hardened resolve. "No one is going to die this time. We will win."
"Yes," agreed Artemis, standing. "We will win."
Authors Note: That is the end of chapter one. Hoped you enjoyed. I didn't show Foaly's fear because he didn't look, because he knew not to look at the screen. In case I didn't make it clear, when they looked at the screen a second time, they blacked out and saw the nightmare. Also, as you will later learn, humans are part chaos, and fairies have none in them at all, so the demons survive longer by possessing a human than a fairy, because of the chaos in them. It all makes my head whirl! Goblins do have chaos, but come on, who wants to posses a goblin? They're ugly! Please review.