A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter people..Btw, sorry to Zero the Fallen..I just can't seem to write longer chapters!..I did my best,but this is how it turned out. Hope you like it anyway, Zero the Fallen!(And keep reviewing!) Well, on with the story.

Metamorphosis

Chapter 3

Artemis walked back to his room, his head spinning. Her eyes..oh her eyes.. Artemis thought. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He'd never felt this way about anyone before.. Artemis tried to analyze his feelings, to rationalize his thoughts. But he couldn't. I've fallen for her.. he realized.

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The next morning, Artemis woke up feeling refreshed. He'd slept well, and was ready to start the day. He dressed quickly, and headed down to breakfast. When he got to the dining room, his parents were already there, and so was Minerva. He sat down and began to eat his breakfast. "So, Artemis, what are you and Minerva planning to do today?" asked his father. "Well, I was thinking maybe we could go swimming.. Alright with you, Minerva?"Artemis replied, looking at Minerva. She smiled. "I'd enjoy that very much, thanks, Artemis." "Great," Artemis replied enthusiastically, "shall we go after breakfast?" Minerva nodded. "Yes, Artemis, that's okay with me." After about ten minutes of small talk, Artemis and Minerva had both finished breakfast. They left for their rooms to change.

Artemis was ready within five minutes. He called Minerva's extension on the phone in his room to ask her whether she was ready. When she replied in the affirmative, he walked to her room. She opened the door to his knock, and her face immediately coloured. Artemis wore only a pair of blue swimming trunks; she stared at his muscled torso. When she finally looked back up to his face, he was looking at her quizzically with a slight smile on his tanned face. She blushed even more, gathered the dressing gown she was wearing around her, and quickly shut the door behind her to walk ahead of him. When he caught up with her, she couldn't bear to even look at him; his body was just so darn distracting!

They reached the pool about five minutes later. Artemis dived in immediately, relishing the feel of the cool water. He resurfaced just in time to catch Minerva removing her dressing gown. Artemis's jaw dropped; it was his turn to stare this time. Minerva wore a pink bikini that was far from indecent, but that still didn't leave much to the imagination. Artemis felt his cheeks start to colour, and dived back into the water to hide his growing blush. God, she's HOT!! was the thought running through his brain, blocking out every thing else. He resurfaced, needing air, to see Minerva diving in gracefully. When she hadn't resurfaced after half a minute, Artemis began to get worried. "Minerva?" he called. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled underwater. He emerged choking and spluttering to find Minerva laughing her head off. He grinned and said, "I'll get you back for that, Paradizo!" "We'll see about that, Fowl!" Minerva laughed back. Unfortunately for her, she was still laughing too hard to notice the sudden pressure exerted on her legs. She suddenly realized that Artemis was nowhere to be seen. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going to happen, and Minerva was a genius. "Oh-," was all she could say before being pulled into the water, to emerge gasping for breath a few seconds later. She looked a mirthful Artemis in the eye and addressed him with mock anger. "Artemis Fowl, you are a dead man!" They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. They chased each other until Artemis suddenly turned around, meaning to surrender. However, Minerva had been closer than he'd thought, and she bumped into him. He instinctively caught her to keep her from falling, and before he knew it their faces were mere inches apart. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but knew it would not be the right thing to do. So he pulled away, even redder than he'd been before. "I'm sorry, Minerva..I.." Artemis abruptly let go of her hands and smiled weakly. "Maybe we should go change.." he stated awkwardly. Minerva just nodded.

Minerva couldn't believe what had just happened. Artemis had almost kissed her! She soon recovered from her state of shock, though, and soon she and Artemis were chatting as animatedly as before. When he dropped her off at her room, she smiled and said she'd see him in a few minutes. Artemis smiled back, agreed, and headed for his room.

When her door closed behind her, Artemis walked towards his room. He'd definitely fallen for her; no question about it now, after what had so nearly happened. He wondered for a moment about whether she would have responded, but quickly dismissed it due to the sheer improbability of that ever happening. He thought about what they should do next. As he entered his room, he had a brainwave: chess! Butler had once told him that Minerva could give him a run for his money at chess. He wondered if Butler was right; after all, he had been right about Minerva's looks. Artemis chuckled to himself. It didn't take a genius to notice them, though. Well, thought Artemis, relishing a challenge, chess it is then!

A/N: Please Review!! (I'll post sooner if you do!) :)