A big THANK YOU to those who reviewed the previous chapter! Thy reviews have gladdened my heart.

Now about this one...Minerva makes an appearance. The first meeting between Artemis and her after his return, to be precise. I can only hope that this installment is sufficient to explain their meeting.

Disclaimer: All characters and whatnot belongs to Eoin Colfer; I own nothing. Except Beckett's worms.

In which Minerva boggles a boy genius

The Marriage of Figaro played softly in the background as a pale teenager sat at his desk in an otherwise empty study. The boy had been drumming his fingers thoughtfully on the desk for the past half hour with his chin in his hand. The worried expression he wore had not left since he sat down soon after dinner.

There were several knocks at the door.

'Come in.' Artemis sat up, taking his chin off his hand and adjusting his tie. Show time.

Butler opened the door, raising his eyebrows as he stepped into the room. 'Minerva's here.'

'Thank you, Butler.' Artemis stood up slowly – almost hesitantly, if Artemis Fowl could be said to hesitate at any time. 'I shall be down presently.'

Butler nodded and shut the door behind him. Artemis stayed where he was, Mozart's music filling the silence in the study.

Minerva Paradizo. The only girl who had ever caught Artemis's interest and kept it. The last time he had seen her, he had flown off the Taipei 101 together with Holly and the demon warlocks to save Hybras from destruction. And now he would be meeting the French girl in his own home. According to Butler, she had grown into 'quite the beauty' and was a potential rival to Artemis in chess. And she had even persuaded Butler to read fiction – a rare feat indeed.

Deep calming breaths, Artemis. You don't have to face her looking like a nervous schoolboy, he chided himself. Remember the mantra Butler taught you. Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum.

The rooms he passed were empty as he headed downstairs at a leisurely pace, not hurried at all. The rest of the family and both Butler and Juliet would be in the drawing-room, all eager to witness the first official meeting between their favourite boy genius and Minerva Paradizo.

Om mani padme hum. Artemis rested his hand on the doorknob, still breathing deeply. One turn of the knob and he would be through; Minerva would be waiting for him on the other side. What would he expect to see...?

There was a sudden burst of laughter from within. Artemis gripped the knob, recognising one strange yet familiar laugh among his parents' and Juliet's.

'Artemis,' was the first thing he heard when he stepped over the threshold into the room. His mother stood to welcome him, her face radiant. 'Minerva has been waiting so patiently to meet you.'

Patient indeed, he thought. Three years is a long time.

And then Angeline moved aside, and he could see the girl at last.

Minerva was seated on the sofa between his brothers, talking to each twin in turn. Her cockscrew curls had been swept up into a simple yet chic ponytail; there was a hint of glitter mascara to her eyelids and rouge to her cheeks. The dress she wore fell in soft frills at her knees, the blue of the material complementing her skin and eyes. Gone were the trainers she had worn when Artemis first met her three years ago; they were now replaced with elegant high heels that would not look out of place on his mother's feet.

Minerva, in short, had grown into a young lady. Artemis felt very young.

He watched as Beckett pulled Minerva's face down to his own and whispered into her ear. She nodded and glanced up, meeting Artemis's eyes for the first time.

I believe the appropriate term would be 'frisson', a thought popped into his extraordinarily blank mind.

'Hello, Artemis,' said Minerva softly. She freed Beckett's chubby fingers from her curls and smiled. 'How are you?'

He seemed to be rooted to the spot, unable to move his legs to greet her, to shake her hand perhaps. Where are my manners?

'I am doing well, Minerva. Thank you for asking,' he said. Juliet rolled her eyes at him from where she stood behind the sofa. What does she expect me to do? he wondered, slightly irritated.

'You're welcome,' said the French girl. The blush seemed to have faded from her cheeks. It was not rouge then, but merely the flush of excitement.

Angeline took a look at both teenagers before her, exchanged a knowing one with her husband, and stood up to leave.

'We'll be outside if you need us, Artemis,' she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Artemis was grateful for the encouraging squeeze that his mother gave, but it did nothing to lessen the tension in his body.

'Make yourself at home, Minerva,' said Angeline kindly. 'Do tell us if you need anything.'

The Fowl parents stepped out of the room with Myles trotting after them. Beckett waved a cheery goodbye.

'Minerva flew in as soon as she had the time. To meet you, Arty,' said Juliet meaningfully.

Yes, I know. Thank you, Juliet.

'Did you have a pleasant flight?' he asked politely.

'Yes. I flew the plane myself,' replied Minerva, in the same formal tone of voice.

Juliet let out a sigh of exasperation. 'Artemis.'

'What is it, Juliet?' Keep calm, keep calm. There is no need to lose your composure so easily.

'I like planes,' said Beckett. 'I like clouds and the blue blue sky!'

'So does my brother Beau,' said Minerva, mussing up his hair fondly. 'You should meet him someday, Beckett.'

'Bobo!' cried the boy. 'Beckett want see Bobo!'

'Artemis.' The teenager turned, meeting the gaze of Butler who had moved to stand quietly beside him. 'Minerva rushed here as soon as she could get her father's permission,' said the manservant. 'It would be wise for you to start...communicating with her.'

'I am communicating, Butler.'

'Perhaps you should be less formal,' said Butler gently. 'Put her at ease.'

'I am trying,' said Artemis.

Juliet had had enough. She marched across to Artemis, grabbed the boy's limp hand and towed him over to Minerva.

'Talk,' she commanded, dropping Artemis's hand. She then left the room, clicking her tongue in disgust.

Minerva kept her eyes averted from his, biting her bottom lip in the silence that stretched between them. Beckett looked from his elder brother to the nice girl beside him, astonishment written all over his face.

'Artemis don't want talk to Minnievar?' he asked innocently.

Artemis swallowed very, very quietly.

'Maybe I should have come another day,' said Minerva. 'I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Artemis.'

'No! I mean – no, you didn't.' He tried to smile reassuringly, but she was still not looking up.

'Come on, Minnievar,' said Beckett, getting down from the sofa. 'I show you my worms.' He tugged at Minerva's dress insistently. 'Come with me.'

'Thanks, Beckett. But I can't,' she said, patting his head apologetically.

Beckett was crestfallen. 'Why not?' he said, pouting. 'Artemis don't want to talk.'

'We are talking, Beckett,' said Artemis.

She looked up then, meeting his gaze with a directness that unnerved him. 'Are we?' she said.

It was Beckett's turn to reach the end of his tether. 'You're not!' he exclaimed.

'I feel the same way too, Beckett.' Minerva had not looked away.

Artemis jammed his fists behind his back, hoping that he would sound as he intended – cool, collected and dignified. 'Forgive me for being so uncommunicative. The one time we spoke was three years ago for you, but it was only a few days for me.'

Understanding dawned, lighting up Minerva's pretty features.'You are nervous?' she laughed.

'I suppose you could say that.'

She shook her head, still laughing, and rose from her seat. 'And I thought you didn't want to see me!'

'Yet again, I do apologize,' he said. The blush had returned to her cheeks; Artemis wondered if it had always been there.

'Come on, let's go outside,' said Minerva. 'It's a bit formal in here, isn't it?'

Artemis turned to Butler, who nodded and slipped out of the room to inform Juliet. 'My parents would be out on the veranda waiting for us. Would you care you join us?'

'My pleasure, Artemis,' she replied. Then – to his surprise – she sat down again and extended a foot.

'Mon Dieu,' she groaned, pulling off the heels, 'these shoes are killing me!' She flexed her feet and sighed in relief. 'I shouldn't have listened to Juliet.'

'I take it that she was the one responsible for the mascara too?' said Artemis in amusement. I need to have a word with Juliet later. Perhaps I should tell her not to dress Minerva in the future. Or should I thank her instead?

'Oh yes. But it doesn't matter, does it?' She grinned impishly up at him; he smiled back, uncertain of the response he should give.

'Now you come see my worms,' said Beckett, glad that his silly brother and Minerva were talking at last.


'How did it go?' asked Myles, whispering to his twin.

Beckett looked across to where Artemis and Minerva were chatting animatedly in the light of several Chinese lanterns.

'Beckett helped. Artemis simple-toon,' he whispered back to Myles.


A/N: Om mani padme hum is - according to Wiki - "the most famous mantra in Buddhism". I am not, er, implying anything religious by including this in the fic - Colfer never specifically mentions religion after all - but I threw it in after remembering Opal's Gola Schweem meditative circle chant in TTP :) That was one of my favourite jokes in the book.

And...yes, do you think Minerva is OOC? I started writing this and realised that Colfer doesn't give us much of her character to go on in TLC...I hope I did my best.

Concrit will be very much appreciated.