CHAPTER 19: ULTIMATE TREASURE
"I…I'm still thinking 'Mr. Hooty'," Myles admitted after scrolling through pictures of Eurasian Eagle Owls. Beckett had been listing off every name he could think of, and even others in the manor tried helping out the past day or so. Butler suggested names from fiction novels, Artemis Senior tried all kinds of mythology as a source, and Professor Fowl listed off several names from Muggle, Wizard, and even—recklessly—Faerie history (he figured nobody would be the wiser if an owl named Bahjee flew into Hogwarts). One of the more prominent candidates was Eusebius, after a pirate in their own ancestry, but even a swashbuckling name like that wouldn't suffice. Beckett's groan was largely exaggerated. He lay sprawled on his bed in their shared room.
"Then why not just go with Mr. Hooty?"
"Because it's not cool enough!" Myles plopped onto his own bed on the opposite side of the room. "Seraphina's way better!"
"So?" Beckett thundered. "I'm calling your owl Mr. Hooty, no matter what you end up choosing!"
"But…he might be insulted."
"He's an owl. I think it'll be fine."
"Please, Little Man," this time, Artemis was the one groaning. He was sprawled on the floor in a very un-Artemis-like display of exasperation, "just choose a name already."
"Alright, alright," Myles threw his hands up in surrender. "Mr. Hooty it is."
"Finally," Artemis breathed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will—Hey," for the fifth time in his life, Artemis Fowl the Second used a slang expletive, "what is the meaning of this?" He couldn't pull his torso off the ground. The twins burst out laughing.
"Well done, Beck," Myles congratulated his antithesis between chortles. "You pulled it off brilliantly."
"You didn't even notice, Artemis," Beckett was doubled over, holding his sides.
"What did you do?" their victim glared up at them, struggling like a fly in a spider's web.
"Ya see, Art," Myles wiped a tear from his sapphire eyes, "Beckett discreetly put an adhesive of my own design onto your jacket before you got up this morning." Seeing Artemis scowl at him made his laughter bubble up again. "We had to,"
"Yeah," Beckett could scarcely breathe, "before we have to respect you."
"Well, Mother will be home any minute now," their captive ceased struggling, "and she will not be happy to see me like this."
"I made something to dissolve it with, too," Myles waved the matter away like it was nothing. "Beckett?"
"On it, Myles," Beckett pulled a bucket and brush out from under his bed and kneeled by their favorite plaything. "You make it real fun for us, you know." All it took was a little around the edges—apparently, Beckett applied it with an expert hand—and the history teacher was up and grumbling in no time.
"Shall we go downstairs and wait for Mum?" Myles suggested.
"Very well, Myles," Artemis straightened his clothing, hoping there were no marks left on it from the adhesive. "I shall let it go this…" the boys had already dashed out of the room, "time."
Approximately half an hour later, Angeline Fowl strode in with servants carrying her luggage. She held a box with holes in it, which she immediately handed to Beckett with a kiss on his forehead.
"For you, Becky dear!"
Beaming, the eleven-year-old boy took the box and opened it, dropping the lid on the ground. He gasped.
"Seraphina!" Delight was written all over his face. The toad was a 6-inch specimen, gold in color with black markings decorating her mouth and the tips of spines covering her body. "You're beautiful!"
The toad croaked, moving closer to the edge of the box.
"Wanna get out and explore? Let's go, then," Beckett scooped her up and carried her off, "but first, let's meet the others, girl." He smiled up at their mother, his eyes twinkling like clear waters. "She's perfect."
"I'm so happy you like each other," Angeline smiled from ear to ear. "Just wait until you see the others. Myles, honey? Step over here, please."
Myles let her guide him closer to a large, covered cage. She grabbed the white covering like a magician.
"Ready?" she asked.
He nodded. Anticipation tickled his senses, running through him like an electric charge. The suspense was killing him!
"Voila!" she removed the snowy cloth from the cage in one grand gesture, revealing a large owl whose tawny-buff face was framed by a clustered line of black dots. Its chest was speckled, and its wings and tail were barred. Myles took in the range of tawny to black coloring, the prominent ear tufts, and the round golden eyes. His jaw dropped.
"It's even bigger than I imagined!" Myles oohed and aahed over his new pet. "Can we really teach it to carry our mail for us?" He asked his father, who was standing off to the side with his arm around his mother. Both parents were smiling at their sons' glee.
"He doesn't even need training," Artemis Senior chuckled, "it's in his blood as an owl. Just be careful he doesn't eat anyone else's pets."
Myles was hardly listening. The owl gave a low, monotonous 'hoo' and leaned its head slightly closer to the amazed child.
"So, Myley dear," Angeline asked her son, "What will you name it?" Myles looked the majestic creature right in the eyes…
"Mr. Hooty," he announced proudly.
The owl just blinked and said 'hoo' again.
Suddenly, a cat meowed from under a different covered item.
"What is that?" Artemis asked apprehensively. It seemed he had put two and two together already.
"Oh, Arty" their mother glided over to the last white sheet and revealed a cat carrier. "This little companion is just perfect for you!" She opened the carrier, and out walked a cat with medium-length fur, seven toes on one forepaw, and mismatched eyes. "I thought of you as soon as I saw her."
Immediately, the cat locked its eyes—one blue, one amber—on an exceptionally pale Artemis the Second and approached him, meowing casually. The cat was black with white markings on her muzzle, chest, and paws.
"I put a handkerchief you gave me in the carrier with her, so she knows your scent," Angeline explained. "Isn't she so unique? Seven-toed cats are said to be lucky, and her eyes are just like yours."
"Thank you…" he gritted his teeth, "Mum."
Angeline was delighted and clapped her hands when the cat started winding around Arty's legs. Myles could practically hear him internally screaming over the hairs getting all over his clothes.
"What'll you name her?" Beckett asked, holding Seraphina the Toad so she could view the scene, too.
"…Cat," said Artemis flatly. Their mother put her hands on her hips, and their father held back a snicker. "As a play on the word 'cat' and the name 'Catherine'," he amended.
"Oh," Angeline's sun-bright smile returned. "How clever!"
"Just as I'd expect from you, Junior," Artemis Senior nodded approvingly.
Beckett decided to show Seraphina around the manor, while Myles got servants to help him find the perfect spot for Mr. Hooty's cage. In the meantime, Artemis wanted to spend as much time as possible with their parents and Butler before departing the next day. Cat remained at his side the whole evening.
BAHJEE: A fairy who developed a certain theory, referenced in passing on page 29 of Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian.
EUSEBIUS: Another reference to The Last Guardian. He apparently died during a cave-in in the eighteenth century, burying some of his loot.
As weird as the ending of the final installment was, it contained a lot of jewels. That is why I never discarded it completely. You'll find out the specifics of how I modified it later, but it really just needed a single tweak to get rid of the death/clone part.
PET REVEALS: I love receiving new pets. Moments like that are especially exciting the younger we are! Myles and Beckett's reactions were based in part off of my own experience at around that age, when my parents got me a cat for my birthday. Beckett reveals the giddiness I felt, while Myles highlights the awe (it was a majestic cat, okay?). Beckett's treatment of Seraphina is reflective of how I treated a few birds I had over the years.
OWL TRAINING (OR LACK THEREOF): Hedwig didn't seem to need training, but she was a wizard owl purchased in the wizard world. Would Muggle-world owls need training? I decided not, but that owls from the Muggle world would be more likely to eat their natural prey, regardless of what that might be (in this case, even smaller owls could potentially fall prey to Mr. Hooty, if Myles doesn't keep him well-fed).
CAT THE CAT: I was going to have him name her Holly after his dearest friend, but I figured he isn't attached enough to the cat to honor it with Holly's name.
FAMILY TIME: Family is very important to Artemis throughout the series, especially by the final installment. It's only natural he'd want to spend lots of time with them before leaving for the school year.
' .ARTEMIS FOWL BY EOIN .HARRY POTTER BY J K ROWLING. If I did, a certain genius wouldn't be a clone, and a certain dog would still be alive.