This chapter contains elements of PTSD, language, alcohol consumption, and sexual themes. Reader discretion advised.
All characters and canonical locations belong to Eoin Colfer. This is simply my fanfiction of his series.
Ibiza, Spain
2018
"C'est bon! Bon, bon, bon," Minerva mumbled as she strutted across the cool, marble floor to the center of the hotel suite. She batted her thick lashes at the clean-cut Irish man seated at his laptop and held up two dresses before him as if she were a saleswoman. "Black: elegant, timeless, traditional? Or fuchsia: bold, courageous, flamboyant?"
"Black," Artemis replied without looking.
"You didn't even look."
Artemis sighed. He glanced at his blonde girlfriend and looked between her two dresses. Both were equally short and glistening with Swarovski crystals. "Black," he reaffirmed before switching back to his screen.
Minerva pondered it for a few seconds. "I'm going with fuchsia," she confirmed and strolled back to the walk-in closet.
"Aaand this is why I don't bother," Artemis chuckled under his breath.
"Cou cou! Get up and get dressed."
"Well, considering it will take you at least 2 more hours, I'm making good time," he said, not budging from his spot on the sofa.
Minerva stormed back out to raise a brow at him. "What?! I'm already done!" She analyzed him closely, recognizing his indifference as another issue. She squinted her glittery eyes at him. "Do you not want to go? Are you reconsidering?"
"That's not what I said-"
"But you're reconsidering," she groaned as she made her way back over to him. "C'mon, you promised!
"Yes, and I intend to keep it," Artemis replied, blue eyes glued to the screen. "There's just some funds that need managing, Min. It'll take me a second."
"Hmm, was yesterday one second too?" Minerva asked loftily. She slid her hand across the edge of his laptop and closed the case on him slowly, sitting on the edge of the table. Artemis let a small smile form on his lips as he leaned back in his seat, giving her his full attention.
"Artemis, we didn't go on holiday for you to work," Minerva continued, stroking his shoulder gently. "We're in Spain! We're supposed to have fun. Let go, loosen up a bit, rekindle that spark we haven't had for a while. Oui?"
"Oui."
"Is something wrong?"
Artemis looked past her to the Mediterranean sunset outside their balcony, watching the palm fronds dance in the soft breeze. She was right. He'd been engrossed in his latest plan to travel to Mars and hadn't dedicated the time he promised to Minerva as he should've. Of course, going out to a dance club was one of the lowest rated activities on his list, if it was even on his list at all. But he didn't want to be a downer while she was so excited, and didn't want to be called out as one either.
"Come on, don't be such a buzzkill!"
Too late. Artemis turned his attention back to her. "I'm just not fond of loud electronic music. Perhaps we could go to a gastropub instead?"
"You promised!" Minerva groaned. "It's just for one night. A few hours. You, me, champagne. Please?" She put her hands in a praying motion and pressed her nose to his. "Please? Please? Please?"
"Fine. Fine," Artemis gave in. He stood and stretched to his full height of 5'9 feet, smoothing back his silky jet black hair. "Do we at least have a table?"
The bass at Club de Palmas was no less astounding as the patrons in it. People in tight dresses and button-downs crammed together as steady beats shook the black box like a vibrating cage. Plant tendrils hung from the glass ceiling, draping over the club like raining vines. Blinding strobe lights lit up the club like a neon painting, pulsating and rippling across the sea of endless dancing and feverish sweat. The club was swarmed by British tourists on holiday, and thankfully for Artemis, Minerva had rented them a private booth on the third floor of the establishment, their glass balcony looking out over the crowd.
Artemis poured himself another flute of Dom Perignon and leaned back on the leather sofa, crisscrossing his Armani-suited legs. He watched as Minerva danced to the beat of the blaring bass. Her long, blonde curls swayed with her hips as she threw her hands into the air. Artemis smiled. He admired her ability to be both carefree and industrious. He secretly wished he could be the same.
Minerva noticed Artemis' absence and swirled around. She winked as she swayed towards him, her fingers beckoning him closer. When he shook his head, she rolled her eyes and plopped beside him, pouring herself another flute of champagne too. "Why won't you dance?" she had to yell into his ear over the bass.
"It's not that I won't dance. It's that I can't dance," Artemis shouted back.
Minerva stood and tried to pull him towards her. "Absurde!" she exclaimed playfully, downing her champagne like juice. "Viens ici, mon amour (Come here, my love)." She rested their flutes on the banister and threw his hands up with hers. It was apparent she was intoxicated with adrenaline and alcohol, and Artemis allowed the moment of levity, despite his being uncomfortable.
I suppose I have gotten better at putting others' needs before mine. Hm.
Minerva eventually sizzled away from him to dance fervently in the center of their booth. As the millennial saying went, she was effectively "feeling herself". Artemis chuckled to himself and leaned against the banister. He slipped the flute between his fingers and sipped as he watched over the crowd. The noise was so loud he could barely hear himself think and he made note of the way people moved to electronic sound. A sort of jumping motion- when one caught his eye.
A single person in the giant sea of clubbers stood still in the center of the crowd. Artemis' grip on the metallic railing tightened as he peered closer. Flowing silver hair covered her face but she was deathly still, like a beacon of darkness amongst the neon lights. FLASH! A blinding white strobe light cut off his vision and he winced. But Artemis was captivated; he peered through the blinding white light when it all happened at once.
The bass reverberated through the ground like a missile or bomb explosion, a neon red light piercing the blinding glow. The crowd had stopped and Artemis released his flute, coating the floor with shattered glass and champagne. The crowd lay dead on the ground, bodies piled on one another like a massacre, and in the center of it all stood Vinyáya. Past her silver locks crept a broken smile, blood swarming from her mouth and drenched down her suit. She whispered something but Artemis couldn't tell. He felt ill as he leaned against the banister, his knees weak. Sweat trickled down his temple, burning his wide eyes as he stared. No. No, this can't be.
Artemis suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to vomit and leaned forward weakly, shutting his eyes closed. But despite it not being real, he felt as though he were back then and there. The image of the shuttle being pulverized by a blinding red and white probe penetrated his mind and shook his core, feeling the impact of the blast blow through his bones. He felt in danger, alert, terrified and guilty all at once. My fault. It's all my fault.
"Artemis?" a voice shouted behind him. Minerva's touch to his shoulder jolted him back to reality and his eyes snapped open, brows furrowed together with panic.
"I need to use the restroom!" he declared as he pushed past her hurriedly. It took everything in him to freeze and add: "It's fine! I'll be right back!"
"Are you okay?!"
He didn't answer as he sped towards and down the stairs to the second floor, basically flying through patrons towards the restroom. He barged through a crowd of people waiting, inviting an "¡OYE!" and "Asshole!" from the line. He locked himself in the nearest open stall and didn't even care what or who was around. He pressed his forehead against the metal door, trying to breathe. Relax. You have done this before. Just breathe.
But breathing wasn't working; instead he felt worse. His heart tightened in his chest and his breath became hitched, beating the logic and reason out of him. It hurt so much he couldn't even formulate words to describe the feeling. Ov.erwhelmed, he flipped his ring on his right hand over, sliding open the fairy communicator.
Haven City
Lower Elements Police Headquarters
Commodore Holly Short shifted through report after report of the day's flight records, the numbers and names becoming the same after eight hours of consistent documenting. The process would be draining to anyone, but especially for Holly Short, who had a knack for action and danger, and not the vast bulk of paperwork on her desk. Don't get her wrong: she enjoyed the hours of her shifts at the loading bays and mentoring the newcomers to the police force, but a large chunk of being promoted to commodore was the time-consuming task of documenting it all.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose and hit the intercom button. "Foaly, I don't think I can take much more of this. I think my brain is melting out of my skull."
"You could always grab curry with me," replied the centaur from his own intercom. "It's great for stimulating the senses. Did you know that eating capsaicin releases adrenaline and dopamine? Great brain food, if you ask me."
"You're using too many big words," said Holly. "My brain isn't functioning at the moment."
"Have you eaten?"
It was right then that Holly realized she hadn't even had so much as a snack in the past several hours. "Actually, no. Are you going now?"
"Yup! Meet me over here," neighed Foaly, excited for the lunch date ahead. "I need to ask you about a few things, anyway."
Holly switched their conversation to her helmet visor as she locked up her office. "Like what?"
"Uhm… well, Caballine has been wanting more kids lately, and-"
"-Oh no."
"Oh yes! But you two already talked about that, didn't you?" Foaly said.
"No, no. I meant 'oh no' as in, I am not talking to you about this subject," Holly shuddered. She shook her head as she strolled down the hallway towards Foaly's office, trying to remove the image of Foaly and Caballine copulating from her mind.
"Okay, now you're just making this awkward," Foaly huffed as Holly came strolling from the glass doors, sliding apart with a hisss.
"You brought it up!" Holly laughed, placing her helmet on his desk and ruffling up her auburn crew cut.
"You didn't even let me finish my sentence," Foaly whinnied, shifting his hindquarters and refusing to meet his friend's mismatched eyes by staring at one of the magma chute screens instead.
"Oh, sorry. You wanted to continue?" Holly grinned, a hand on one hip.
"Well, now I don't."
"Whatever," she said, reaching for her wallet. "Let's just go-" It was at that moment her fairy communicator began beeping. She blinked at it for a second, registering what was happening. "Oh. Uh, hold on, give me a second, Foaly." She moved to a far corner of the glass-walled office, the large window panes stretched high to the cavernous ceilings, giving a fantastic view of Haven's faux night-time skyline twinkling below.
"Oh, is that your human lover? I wonder what Trouble will think about that!" Foaly teased as Holly rolled her eyes at him.
Holly answered the communicator with a flick. "Hey, Arty! What's u-"
"WHAT'S UP, MISTER I'M-TOO-COOL-TO-CALL-FOALY-ANYMORE?!" Foaly hollered from across the room. He finished by muttering to himself, "I mean, honestly!"
"Foaly says hi," Holly said playfully, but there was no response. Well, there was, just not the one Holly expected. She listened in but it took her a second to realize all she could hear was heavy breathing and a booming bass. "Artemis?"
"I-," the other line croaked. "I-, I can't-"
"Artemis?" Holly repeated, her eyes wide on high alert. "What is it? Are you in danger?" No response. Just more breathing. "Are you okay?"
Before the Irishman could reply, an angry patron yelled in Spanish, "¡OYE! Hurry the fuck up, man!"
"Who was that? Where are you?"
"I-Ibiza."
"What are you doing in Ibiza?" Holly asked with urgency. Again, no answer. "Send me your location. I'm on my way."
She clicked the line and rushed back to her helmet, awaiting the coordinates from Artemis. "Change of plans. I have to head to the surface."
"What?" Foaly asked. "What did he do now?"
"I have no idea, but he doesn't seem right," she said as she slipped on her helmet visor. She accepted the incoming request from Artemis' phone and pulled up his location on her map. "He's at a nightclub? Club de Palmas."
"What in Frond's name is Artemis doing at a nightclub?! Let me look it up," Foaly said, clacking over to his mainframe.
"I'll listen on the way," Holly said, pointing to her helmet as she headed out. "Cover for me."
Being commodore and all, it took Holly less than an hour to gather a set of wings, coordinate and pilot a shuttle to the surface, and speed off in the European night towards the Mediterranean island of Ibiza. Per Foaly's explanation, Club de Palmas was one of the more active and sophisticated establishments on the nightlife-ridden Spanish island complete with 3 floors, approximately 150 LED activated speakers and a greenhouse half-tipped rooftop deck with sea, mountain and island views. Why Artemis was there of all places in Europe was a mystery to her, but one she hoped to solve very soon. As long as he was still alive.
Holly was grateful for her newfound position of leadership, but as she zipped through the night sky, she couldn't help but be calmed by the moonlight glowing on the sea tides, the salty air on her tongue and the wind refreshing her bronzen skin. But as much as she wanted to enjoy it and take it all in, she had more pressing matters on her mind. What is going on?
Less than twenty minutes from arriving on the surface, Holly arrived shielded and armed on a glass skylight on the roof of Club de Palmas. She'd already sent a ping to Artemis' phone about his exact whereabouts but there was still no response. She could feel the booming bass reverberate the glass and foliage as she peered down through the skylight at the monstrous crowd below. Humans of all shapes and colors danced the night away, intoxicated without a care in the world. She rang Artemis' fairy com as she did this, but a text appeared on her visor instead.
Restroom. 2 floor.
2 floor? Holly thought. He can't even text properly?
Club de Palmas
The Second Floor Restroom
It took all of Artemis' willpower to get through to Holly. He felt an additional pang of guilt in his chest as he realized he had just summoned her from the underworld to assist in his tantrum. It's not a tantrum, one thought said. It's a stress response to prolonged exposure to trauma.
Indeed, a tantrum, another thought intruded. Do you honestly believe Butler has moments like this? Artemis tensed and sat down on the toilet seat cover, burying his head in his hands. What would Butler do in a moment like this?
He'd get up, brush it off, and attend to those around him. Like Minerva. You just left her there. What kind of boyfriend are you?
His thoughts were interrupted by a slight breeze rustling over his head, but he didn't look up. Instead, he sank further down into a hunch. You're not even a good friend. Making her come here.
"Artemis." A soft, small hand rested gently on his shoulder. "Arty, I'm here."
But he didn't respond. He couldn't.
Holly leaned forward, switching her shield off. She sat behind him, resting atop the toilet's water tank. "What's going on?"
And with every unwillingness he had in letting Holly see him like this, Artemis pretended he was Butler for a moment, taking a deep breath and straightening his back, but then realized he didn't know what to say. He couldn't even think of what to start. Everything just sounded wrong or boorish. "I think I've lost my mind."
Holly gripped his shoulder harder, as if asking him to turn around. "No, you've already done that once before. If you were Orion, you'd have asked me to elope with you to Sweden by now," she quipped. But when she saw Artemis' tired eyes, the lifeless turmoil in them, it stopped her in her tracks. She'd never seen this sort of expression on him before, not since…
"Woah, hey. Hey, what happened?"
"I told you," Artemis shook his head to try to clear his thoughts. "Sorry. I shouldn't have called-"
"No, stop it. Tell me what's going on!" Holly hissed at him. But then it hit her. His panicked brow, the wild sorrow in his eyes and the heaviness on his shoulders. She'd seen it in her comrades, and even herself. She erased the intrusive image of Artemis' death in the magic that trapped him all those years ago and focused. "Come here."
She got off the lid and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close. He didn't hug back as his arms dangled by their sides. "Just breathe in. And out. In. And out. It'll pass."
He was silent as he did this, as concentrating on the task at hand was difficult enough. Eventually, his arms lifted, finding their way to return her embrace. And a few minutes later, he managed to get out, "I'm sorry for bothering you with this. I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Don't worry about it," Holly reassured. "You can talk about it when you're ready."
Before the Irishman could reply, the stall door pounded in place, a familiar voice on the other side. "Artemis?! Artemis, are you in there?!"
Holly released Artemis and raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Is that Minerva?" she asked as she went to unlock the stall door. As soon as the latch was free, Minerva pile drove in from the other side. Immediately she and Holly caught eyes and both remarked, "What are you doing here?" to then both look at Artemis and ask, "What is she doing here?"
Minerva locked the latch and looked between them confused. "What are you two doing?"
Holly, again, answered before Artemis could. "I came because he called me. I thought he was in danger," she replied honestly. She stepped in closer to the French woman and whispered, "I think you need to get him home. He's not well."
But Minerva was beyond flustered. "So, what? He made you come all this way because he felt sick?" she blinked at Holly furiously. "Did you forget I am a genius too? Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"I had a panic attack," Artemis blurted between the two, his brow creased with frustration and embarrassment. "Please stop talking as if I am not here."
But Minerva wasn't having it. "So, you called your fairy friend up from the underworld because you had a panic attack?"
"Keep your voice down," Holly warned.
"They're all drunk, anyway! You think they care?" Minerva retorted back. She turned back to Artemis. "Why did you need to call Holly? Why couldn't you just tell me? And why are we talking about this in a dirty club restroom?!"
"That's a great question, actually," said Holly.
Artemis chewed over potential answers in his head, but decided he couldn't answer now. Minerva was right. Not like this. "Holly, I'm sorry about calling you here. I can set you up with a hotel room for the night if you'd like. And Min," he turned to Minerva. "I didn't want to interfere with your night. You've been excited about this."
"So you thought it was better to leave me alone at a table, in a club, for an hour?" Minerva shot back. She stopped herself from becoming too upset by smoothing her curls and taking a step back. "Can we go back to the hotel so we don't have to do this here?"
"Yes, please."
"That would be preferable." Artemis caught Minerva's hand before she could leave. "But are you sure? I can deal with this later. This was your night."
"No, it was supposed to be our night. Now, I don't know what this is." She looked past him over at Holly. "Holly, are you riding with us?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
Artemis had called ahead and arranged a neighboring suite for Holly at the Nobu Hotel. Being neighbors meant easy access for both parties without alerting cameras or staff of a hotel door opening and closing on its own. The humans were already suspicious of fairies enough, and they didn't need to give them any more reason to believe.
Once a shielded Holly was through the walkway, Minerva shut the hotel room door behind them. Holly switched off her shield and raised the visor on her helmet. She stood center of the awkward silence that wafted between Minerva and Artemis. She looked between the two. "So, what's going on?"
"You tell me," Minerva crossed her arms. "Holly Short back again to save the day."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Holly replied, grimacing at the young woman.
"That's not fair, Min. I called Holly here. She didn't know what was wrong." Minerva softened a bit but didn't release her arms. Artemis recognized her holding herself as a sign of comfort in times of anxiety. "I didn't exactly explain the situation to her."
Minerva's gaze lost its fire when she sighed. "I'm sorry. Holly, I don't normally mind you being here. I know you two are… close. But this was supposed to be our holiday and if he's having panic attacks, I mean," she turned her gaze to Artemis, softening even more. "You could've told me. I wouldn't have been mad."
"I didn't want to be a buzzkill." He didn't mean for it to sound facetious, but there was some salt in the statement. He struggled to hold Minerva's gaze and looked out at the twinkling stars past the balcony.
"Holly, can you leave us alone for a minute?" Minerva asked, which sounded more like a command. She pointed to a single wooden door beside the marble kitchen counter. "You can get to your suite through there."
"Yeah," Holly muttered awkwardly. "I'll be here if you need me."
Once Holly slipped past the door and her footsteps faded, Minerva turned back to Artemis, still keeping her distance. "What's going on?"
"I told you," Artemis sighed, growing impatient with the conversation. "I had a panic attack. I didn't want to interfere with your fun."
"Our fun."
"No, your fun. And I was glad you were having a good time, but I didn't want to go to a club to begin with, remember?
"So, yesterday: you think I wanted to go to the galleries and eat alone when you were here working on your stocks or Mars project or whatever?"
"The Mars Project needs to debut in one month," Artemis said, moving closer to her to close in their distance. "We timed this holiday poorly. I thought I could balance the two, but it's proving to be more difficult than I anticipated."
"Are you sure you should even go?" Minerva questioned, standing firm in her tracks. "I mean, what will you do when you have a panic attack in space? That's not exactly the most friendly environment."
"I have to go," Artemis insisted, his determination about this subject strongly rooted in him. "Worrying about that will do nothing but hinder me."
"I bring up a valid point, and you know it," Minerva said. "Your progress will be hindered if you're mentally unfit." Artemis stopped in his tracks and Minerva had instant regret. She smacked her forehead. "I didn't mean it like that."
"Butler will be there to help if such an occasion arises," Artemis said, his hands deep in his pockets.
"Hmm, so you won't have Holly around to do it then?"
Artemis peered closer at her. "What is it with you and Holly?"
Minerva threw her hands in the air. "Oh, please! Don't even start that," she grumbled, slipping out of her silver heels and tossing them into the closet across the room. She strolled over to the kitchen counter towards a metal kettle. "It's Holly this, Holly that. Do you think Holly would come? I wonder how Holly is doing."
Artemis was silent as he digested this information for the first time. Did he really talk about Holly that much? He didn't mean to. Wasn't it natural to wonder about a friend? "This is the first I'm hearing about this. I didn't realize it bothered you."
"Yeah, well. Now you know," she continued, placing the kettle onto the stove and resting her forehead into her hands, blonde locks falling around her onto the counter. "Look it's fine, ok? Go talk to your 'friend.'"
"Do you not trust me with her?" Artemis was puzzled. "I mean, she's Holly."
Minerva looked up at him wearily. "I trust you. I just wish you trusted me." And with that, she disappeared into the restroom, the door closing the tension between them.
Artemis stood stunned as he heard a bath running. He didn't realize Minerva was threatened by Holly's presence. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Instead of pondering it, he left the lavish hotel room and made his way to Holly's instead, using the front door to enter.
Holly had her back turned to him, facing the starry night dazzling above the calm sea. Artemis ran a hand through his face before he walked over to her, his cheeks burning with frustration. He stopped at Holly's side and she glanced at him.
"I'm always so jealous of the view you humans get up here." She gave a soft smile as she turned back to the sea, leaning against the railing in the warm breeze. "It's not fair."
Artemis gazed at the full moon's bright glow in the navy sky. "Yeah."
Holly watched him from the corner of her eye a few seconds before she asked. "So what happened?"
"I'm sorry I asked you to come here," Artemis replied instead. "I wasn't in my right mind. I know how busy you are and I never meant to intrude."
"Arty, if you need my help, just say so," she said, turning to face him. "I know that's why you called. I get it." She placed a caring hand on the forearm of his suit.
"I understand, Holly. And thank you. It's…" He stopped himself, choosing his words carefully as he stepped back into the air-conditioned suite. "Well, I'm afraid it's selfish of me to expect you to always come to my aid."
"It's not selfish," Holly said, following after him. "Like I said, and believe me, I get it. But Minerva does raise a good question. Why don't you trust talking to her?"
Artemis tensed at the question, turning to face Holly seriously. "I do."
"Ok, so why did you call me here if you trust her?"
"You are my dearest friend," he replied quickly, over the conversation before it could really start. "I also knew you'd understand, so I thought that was something I could do. And you just agreed and confirmed this to me, but now it seems you're retracting it. So, which is it?"
"Artemis, look, I'm not against you contacting me. I mean it," Holly answered, stiffening her brow. "But, also look at her perspective. I'd be mad too if my partner didn't come to me for problems and went to-"
"Their best friend instead?"
"Which is fine! But if you're not talking to her, don't you think there's a deeper issue there?
"Honestly, Holly. I didn't call you for a lecture."
"That's ironic coming from you," Holly fumed at him, feeling her heart rate begin to rise in her chest. "Just look at her side, for just one second. You're her boyfriend. Doesn't she tell you private stuff all the time?"
"Yes, she does," Artemis exasperated, suddenly growing hot in his Armani suit.
"So why aren't you doing the same?"
"Do not treat me like a child," Artemis stood his ground, his mouth firm as he glared at her. "You're making assumptions based off of one moment in time, and asking me why I'm not doing the same? As if you understand our relationship, or know our dynamic?"
"I'm not making assumptions! Just-"
"No, Holly. This isn't your business. Stay out of my relationship and keep to yours."
"WOAH," she boiled over, her blood running hot. "Stay out of your relationship?! I don't give three d'arvits about your relationship! Do whatever you want. I don't care. You asked me to come here, so I did-"
"Technically, I didn't ask anything-"
"Let me finish, Fowl!" Holly interjected, throwing her hands up now. "You're infuriating when you do this."
Artemis sharpened his steely gaze at her. "Then leave." Instant regret flowed through him, but it was too late to take back the words now.
"Leave? LEAVE?!" Holly stormed up to him, her golden skin flushed red with anger. "You know, I left work to come here. I dropped everything because you needed help and gods forbid I ask you one question, and you tell me to leave?" She stormed over to her helmet, placing it over her head. "Fine. You want me to leave?"
"I'd prefer if you got rest first. You look like you need it." Again, instant regret. Why can't I say the right thing? " I- I didn't mean it like that," he groaned, pinching his nose. I sound like Minerva now.
Holly was frozen with rage. "Wow," she growled, jabbing a finger at him. "You know, the entitlement of you Fowls is really something. Having me fly up to the surface just to tell me to leave and then saying I look like shit."
"I truly didn't mean it that way," Artemis replied quickly, setting his gaze on her mismatched eyes. He swore he could see steam rise from her pointed ears the way Julius' used to.
Holly was silent as she turned away from him, crossing her arms and looking out at the island skyline beyond the balcony. An angry air drifted between them for a few moments as Holly mulled over her words carefully. "I don't care what you two do. I just don't want you to sabotage yourself. You have a good thing going here."
"I know." He watched Holly's back, her emerald jumpsuit shimmering under the warm LED lights.
"Just talk to her."
"I do."
Holly turned to look at him closely. "Are you happy?"
"That's not relevant to this conversation."
"That's literally the whole reason I'm here." Holly sat on the statement for a bit before moving on. She sauntered towards the plant-ridden shower room. "Mkay, well… I'm staying for the view since I don't get surface time anymore. But I'm leaving in the morning."
"That's fine," Artemis said, turning to head out of her suite.
"What even happened?" Holly asked suddenly. "How did this even start up?"
"Oh? Now you want me to talk to you?" Artemis snapped. "I thought you wanted me to talk to my girlfriend?"
"Whatever, Artemis," Holly snapped back, storming past him toward the marble shower room. "Why even call me?" she growled under her breath as she ripped a white towel from the bed.
"Then I won't anymore."
"Fine!"
"Fine."
Artemis shut the door behind him in the hallway and threw himself back on it, resting his head against the wooden frame. Their conversations didn't normally go like this, and they hadn't for years. He stared at the room across from him with a cool and vexed glare. Why had he called Holly and not turned to Minerva? At the end, no one was exactly wrong here, but it frustrated Artemis he didn't know the answer himself. She's my best friend. What other reason is there?
Well, Butler is also a best friend, he thought, and I didn't call him. Is Minerva right? Am I too reliant on Holly?
He thought about flinging back open the door and apologizing, but knowing the feisty elf, that wouldn't be in his best interest unless he wanted to get his head bitten off. Instead he sighed, thinking deeply as he moved back into his own suite. Why was that attack so sudden? Why now? Will it always be like this?
As he re-entered the dimly lit suite, the large white curtains blowing gently beside the king sized bed, he caught Minerva bathed and dried in red satin shorts and sleep tank. She was braiding her damp curls when she noticed Artemis and stopped mid-weave. "Hey."
Minerva got up and strode over to him, her feet light against the floor. She wrapped him in a bear hug and pressed her chin to his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said genuinely.
"I'm sorry too," he replied. Artemis did not reject the embrace but his arms barely lifted, holding her weakly as the aroma of her violet conditioner tingled his skin.
Still wrapped in their embrace, Minerva pulled back and looked up at Artemis. "I think the alcohol made me a little intense. And I would never mean to bring you somewhere that would trigger you like that. I hadn't even thought about it. And you had said you didn't want to go, and I sort of forced you to come."
"You didn't force me," he said, lifting a hand to her chin. "I haven't really been present, have I?" At the shake of her head, he kissed her forehead. "I'll come to you from now on. I won't hide anymore."
"That means a lot," Minerva smiled. "Thank you." She leaned in and took his lips in hers softly, lightly pressing herself into him.
As they closed their eyes, Artemis wondered back to what Holly said.
"Are you happy?"
Minerva pulled back a bit. "You can trust me," she said breathlessly, moving back in to kiss him again.
Yes, I think so.
Am I happy?
And he didn't know if it was to prove himself wrong or make a point, but Artemis suddenly deepened the kiss and wheeled Minerva roughly into the kitchen wall. He took her waist in closer, pressing himself into her limber body. She giggled, and in response, kissed him with fervent passion, melting under him as her fingers played with the buttons on his suit jacket, ripping it off of him.
They eventually found their way to the bed, falling over, completely enamored in each other.
At least the water is hot here, Holly thought, soaking in the water that drenched her from the waterfall shower head. Steam rose and clung to the glass panes and her flushed cheeks. Who does that mud whelp think he is? Talking to me like that? Inviting me here for this? I mean, what the hell, Artemis?
Her thoughts shifted, empathizing with him. How long has he been having panic attacks? How long has he kept this a secret? Or was this his first? Why did this happen?
Holly closely examined a green shampoo bottle, checking for animal products disguised as fancy names, when another thought penetrated her mind. You know why. You brought along a boy to your missions. You created that trauma inside him. You did this. Holly froze. Her fingers squeezed the bottle, tensing at the thought. I didn't mean to. I didn't know this would happen. D'arvit.
She exited the shower onto a plush white rug, drying her auburn crew cut as she made her way back to her bed. As she threw the towel onto a nearby chaise, her sensitive elven ears twitched, picking up a noise from next door. Holly furrowed her brow and moved to the wall, listening.
Escalating moans caused a pit in her stomach to drop, and a few bangs on the wall cemented that. "Are you kidding me?" Holly gasped in disgust, actually offended that they would bother to do that with her next door. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"
She marched over to her jumpsuit on the bed, throwing it on and fixing her wings and helmet. And like that, she was off into the midnight sky, the stars and skyline twinkling above and below her.
Suddenly Holly's face felt wet, and she couldn't pinpoint it until she pressed a finger to her cheek. Was she crying? Why was she crying?! Gross. Screw that stupid, smug Irish whelp. Without another thought, she dialed Trouble on her helmet's com. It only took three rings until he answered.
"Yeeeeeellow?" the male elf answered playfully.
"Trouble, where are you?"
"There's trouble everywhere- wait." He cut off his joke, his voice getting serious. "Why does your helmet say you're in the Mediterranean Sea?"
"It's a long story. Where are you?"
Holly could hear him grow nervous from behind the fleshy speaker. "Uh, I'm actually getting off now. I'll be home in about, say, 20? Why?"
"I'm coming over," she proclaimed, hanging up the line and zooming off into the clouds.
Trouble remained on the line, confused. "Uh… okay. Hello? Holly?"
Haven City
2501 Amberwood Avenue
It had only taken Holly an hour to get back to Haven and have her marching down the cobblestone streets towards Trouble's front gate, his industrial wood-metal townhome down a row of similar models. The sale price was high in this area of Haven, the homes loaded with the newest furniture and smart tech to give these successful citizens the most comfortable home life.
Holly stood at Trouble's gate and placed her palm on the scanner. It glowed green in acceptance and the gate fizzled open, allowing her entry. By the time she was at his porch, Trouble had opened the door. "Hey," he started before Holly pushed him back in, throwing herself into him, kissing him passionately.
Trouble raised a brow in confusion but enjoyed the experience, that was until his confusion got the better of him and he broke away from her. "Woah, woah. What's this about?"
"I want you to have me," Holly said with determination, the candlelight in his home causing her eyes to sparkle dangerously.
"Are you sure?" Trouble asked, smiling nervously as he moved closer.
Holly flattened herself against him once more, grabbing his collar and kissing him deeply before breaking away slightly. "Make me forget my name," she challenged him, bearing her eyes into his.
And with her invite, Trouble kissed her back, wheeling her backwards until they reached another wall.
Haven City
Lower Elements Police Headquarters
5 Days Later
Commodore Short found herself in the same position as five days prior, stuck between a metal desk and stacks of paperwork. What she wasn't showing were the dozens of screens and radars she had lined around her office, and the hundreds of emails and documents still needed to be filed on her computer screen. She huffed as she fell forward in her seat, extending her fingers and running them gracefully through the stack. Her eyes rested on the fairy com on her right ring finger and pursed her lips in a line.
It had been five days since she'd heard from Artemis, and she didn't want to be the one to make the first move. But as everyday grew she became more and more anxious leaving things the way they'd been. It just didn't sit right with her. She leaned on an elbow as she flicked the fairy com's carnelian stone to the side and waited anxiously. After a solid two minutes, there was no answer and she flicked it off. What is he up to? She put her visor on and tried his cell but the line was off.
A voicemail beeped. You've reached Artemis Fowl the Second. If you've reached this voicemail box, you're in luck, as it has not reached its full capacity yet and I will be able to receive your mess-
Holly shut it off, annoyed. Why are you unreachable? What are you up to? She tried the line for Villa Éco this time, the glass tablet eventually being answered by a maid or nanny.
"Fowl Residence! How can I assist you?" the nanny answered strongly.
"May I speak with Artemis Fowl?" Holly replied casually. "The second, not the first. Tell him it's H.S."
"I'm afraid he is unavailable at the moment," the nanny said, her voice strained. "Do you need me to relay a message?"
"No, that's alright," Holly said, her furrowed brow serious. "Is Angeline available?"
"Oh, yeah! Let me get her for you," the nanny answered. "H.S. was it? One moment please."
Holly blinked in confusion. Why does she kinda sound like me? Weird.
Angeline's angelic voice filled the phone line. "Hello? H.S.?"
"Hi!" Holly said with a small, crooked smile on her face. "How are you, Mrs. Fowl?"
"Oh, lovely, darling. Great to hear from you, just give me one second," she said breathlessly, and Holly could hear her shuffling away through the phone for a few moments. "Sorry, had to give us some speaking room. Can you facetime, darling?"
"Sure, I can do that," Holly chuckled, opening a video call on her visor. The holographic projector lens played Angeline a close up of Holly's face while Angeline's beautiful features fell into Holly's frame, long brunette locks falling around her shoulders. She wore a teal velvet dress, the silhouette like something out of a medieval fantasy. She was in the center of a garden, the greenery around her like a backdrop.
Angeline clapped her hands together delightfully at the sight of Holly. "Hello, love! You're just as stunning as ever."
"Thank you! You're too kind," Holly said. "And you, I mean, my gods, are you sure you're not part fairy? You're absolutely glowing."
"Ohhh. Thank you, love! You're too sweet," Angeline said, laying herself down on a garden bench between a bed of yellow roses. "So, what can I help you with, Commodore Short?"
Holly's smile crumbled a bit and she leaned back in her chair. "I haven't been able to get a hold of Artemis. I was wondering if you knew where he was?"
"You mean, he didn't tell you?" Angeline remarked, genuinely astounded on the other side of the video call.
"Tell me what?" And the next words were so shocking and surreal that Holly did not process them at first.
"He's in the cosmos, darling," Angeline said, shaking her head in disbelief. "On his way to Mars."
Holly shook her head, unsure if she actually heard that right. "Sorry, I think my brain just had a spasm. Could you repeat that?"
"He's going to Mars. It's a five year mission…" she trailed off when she noticed Holly's expression. "You really mean to tell me that he didn't tell you?"
"He mentioned something about space, but I thought that was months from now," Holly shook her own head, still bewildered.
"It was supposed to be. But then three days ago he came back from Spain and insisted he needed to go now."
A horrible thought struck Holly. "Is he alone?"
"No, Butler will be stuck with him for the next five years. Poor man, honestly. He has more patience than me, I'd say," she laughed, her voice like Yule bells.
This relieved Holly. Butler was a safe haven, and better than anyone, Butler always knew the right thing to do. She slumped back in her chair. "Five years… and none of us can contact him?"
"He didn't say," Angeline shrugged. "The whole thing was very sudden, to be honest. I bet his break up with Minerva had something to do with it."
"They broke up?!" Holly cried out, leaning forward with interest. "What?! What did he tell you?"
"She broke up with him, apparently. Something about him not taking her seriously." Angeline shrugged again. "Honestly, darling, I try not to get into Arty's business too often, but I think it's for the better."
Holly nodded. "It would seem so." Space. The final frontier. And not just the moon, but Mars? Not even the fairy folk had spatial access that far in the solar system. Had he just run away from all his problems here? Certainly space wasn't the safest place to be. This is Artemis, another thought combated. If anyone can do it, it's him. Holly's lips grew into a fond smile. 5 years, mudman. 5 damn years. "I wanted to say sorry to him. I guess that apology will have to wait half a decade then."
Angeline crossed her legs and leaned forward. "Holly, you know…," she started, her long nails drumming her thigh. "I have a proposition for you, if you'd take it."
Holly's pointed ears perked up. "A proposition?" And as Angeline revealed her plan, Holly's intrigue grew with every detail. "I'm not sure, Angeline… Do you think that's a good idea?"
"Absolutely."
