Artemis Fowl the second was, if not overly happily, a married man. He had been one for several years. His wife was the daughter of another European crime lord, although as far as she was concerned, both her father and her husband were involved in strictly above the board ventures. Artemis had never bothered to correct her.
She did know, or rather, had found out right after the wedding, that Artemis had a daughter, one to which he denied any relation. The girl had been in the joint care of Angeline Fowl, Artemis's mother, Butler, his old manservant, and Artemis himself since she was born.
Marlene never really believed her husband about the little girl. Neither of their two children looked or acted anything like their father. She had seen from the moment she met the girl at eight years old that she was just like him, down to her name even.
She tried her best to like the girl, but the child resisted all attempts. She liked her father and his family well enough, and got along splendidly with many of Artemis's friends, who made a pet of her, but she refused to associated with Marlene or her half-siblings. Anytime Marlene tried to enlist Artemis's help in the matter, he shrugged it off.
In the end, Marlene decided to send the child away to boarding school, in the hope that she wouldn't grow up quite as odd and secretive as her father.
Saint Agnes's School for Young Ladies was considered to offer the very best education available. It was also closely linked with Saint Barthelby's School for Young Gentlemen, which Artemis Fowl had attended, and where six year old Samuel Fowl currently did. As such, it was deemed the perfect place for Artemis Kelp, known to the world as Artemis Fowl the third, to grow into a seemly young woman. A notion which she strongly resented. Because of this, Marlene Fowl had signed her up for councilling. Poor Doctor Po, who was nearing retirement, had just come from Saint Barthelby's for a lighter work load and less stress. He nearly had a heart attack when he discovered one of his primary patients was to be yet another Artemis Fowl.
"Hello young lady," the doctor greeted the raven haired girl as she took a seat across the desk from him. The nickname Raven suited her well. "How are you today?"
"Spare me the inane drivel. You know my day gets worse every second I stay in this miserable hole." She said something much to that effect every time a teacher asked.
"Your mother thought these sessions would improve your life here at Saint Agnes's."
"If you must talk to me, make sure what you say is correct. There were two flaws in that sentence alone."
"Oh? And what were they?"
"That Marlene Ryscov is my mother, and that she thought. Neither is conceivable, let alone possible."
"Indeed. Miss Fowl, I worked with your father once, over fifteen years ago." Personally, Po found the numbers a bit odd, startling even, but he never said anything about it. "I believe you have much the same problem he did."
"That I am surrounded by fools and idiots?" Raven raised one eyebrow enquiringly.
"You don't respect anyone."
"That's ridiculous. I hold several people in the highest esteem." Almost exactly the same words Dr. Po remembered hearing from her father.
"Who, for example?"
The girl considered a moment, looking much like her father as she did. But her answer proved far more satisfactory than his had been. "My mother and father, my dad, my bodyguard Butler, my mother's commander, and... well, you won't count the last because he's a criminal, though he is an estimable man." Po consulted the girl's record, though he knew it by rote. It did mention her unique parental situation, if briefly, but there was nothing about her birth parents themselves.
"You mentioned your mother," he said, trying the cajoling tone he used with the younger girls. "Would you tell me something about her." Raven was proving far more cooperative than her father had. This was a gamble, but it could really pay off.
"She's dead," Raven said shortly.
"I meant besides that."
"I said she'd dead," the girl snapped. "You don't need to know anything else about her. I think that's enough for today." She rose.
"Young lady, this session is not done." But Dr. Po's words were lost to the air. Raven was already gone.
Butler met her outside. It was time to go home for spring vacation, and this meeting, attended only at Marlene's insistence, had been the last thing to suffer through before she could leave. "How are things, Butler?"
"Well enough, Raven. Much the same as usual. How was your session with the councillor?"
"As always. Marlene has a lot to answer for."
"She'll have to answer another time. She and Elizabeth are visiting her parents right now." He held open the door to the Rolls Royce. "Mulch is staying with us right now, though. He was extremely excited to see you."
"And I him." Mulch was Raven's favourite amongst her father's associates and friends. He had been the one to dub her Raven, and treated her like a favourite niece, bringing her small gifts from his 'business trips'.
The trip to Fowl Manor was a short one. The car had hardly stopped before Raven was out of it, racing into the house and up the stairs to her father's oak panelled study. She burst in, waving to Mulch before hugging her father. "Daddy!"
"Raven hunny, aren't you going to say hello to Mulch?" he responded, returning the hug. Never an affectionate man, Artemis Fowl nonetheless loved his little girl deeply. Raven twirled and hugged Mulch.
"Hey there girly," he said cheerily. "How are you." She broke of the embrace and pouted.
"Marlene's making me go to counselling."
Artemis looked up. "That will never do. I'll have to speak to that school." He made a note on a slip of paper.
"I know what'll cheer you up, girly," Mulch said cheekily. "Got a present for you. Close your eyes." Raven did as she was told, flushed with excitement. Mulch always had the best gifts. He put something smooth and cool in her palm. She ran her fingers over it lightly before opening her eyes. It was very light, but not too light. The metal was wonderfully cool and almost liquid. When she opened her eyes, she gasped. It was the most beautiful blaster she had ever seen.
"Mulch, oh, thank you," she squealed, hugging the dwarf again. He chuckled.
"Fresh from the workshop, that one. There'll never be another like it. The Council outlawed it the moment they set eyes on it. You don't leave toys like that where goblins can get their hands on them."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "The LEP don't even get them?"
The dwarf shook his head. "Nope. The Council was all for that, but Root vetoed it. Didn't want Koboi to get her claws on one."
"Koboi's out?" Raven's head snapped up from where she was admiring her blaster.
"Head of the Council, she is. Wormed her way back up to the top. She..." A knock at the door interrupted him. Butler poked his head in.
"Artemis, it's Root. He says he needs to talk to you."
"Send him in."
Root. Raven's stomach flipped over. She liked and admired the Commander turned Councillor, but he never brought good news. In the times Raven could remember, he'd brought news of the Bwa'Kel Goblin Triad's return to strength, Koboi's release and total acquittal, and the deaths of Wing Commander Vinaya and Raven's uncle Grub. Each of those times he'd come at night. It was still bright daylight outside. Whatever brought him this time must be bad.
Butler ushered the Commander in. At just over three feet in height, he was dwarfed by the massive bodyguard. His hair was rather greyer than it had once been, Raven thought, and he seemed to have lost weight, though not in the good way.
"Koboi's taken over," he said the moment he walked in. Butler closed the door quickly behind him.
"What do you mean, 'taken over'," Raven demanded.
"What I said, girl. Taken over. She's running Haven." Everybody looked at each other. This was by far the worst news yet.
"Is it in a bad way?" Mulch asked at last.
"Worst you can imagine. Haven's still running, of course, but the LEP have become bullyboys and enforcers. If you don't do it, you're out and in jail. Anyone who speaks against her is banished to the tunnels. She's deranged, and she's got power. How old are you now Raven?" he asked suddenly.
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen. Artemis, you started causing trouble for us at twelve. Do you think she's ready?"
Artemis frowned. A lot of emotion for him. "Ready for what? Root, she's as human as I am now. Whatever scheme you have won't work."
"It has to work," Root said tiredly. "It has to."
"What has to work?" Raven demanded. "We're talking about me, remember? Shouldn't I have some idea about what's going on?"
"It's too dangerous," Butler said.
"Something has to be done, though," Artemis argued.
"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Raven yelled. They all looked at her.
"Raven, there is something you have to understand. Much of what is done in the Lower Elements is done because it has been prophesied," Root said. Raven nodded. She knew that. She'd been well taught about the Lower Elements almost from infancy. "And prophesies are hard to understand. They use a lot of metaphors and analogies and... oh, what's the word? ... synonyms. Many years ago, before you were born, we thought one had been fulfilled. 'The ancient goddess will return to save the people from the silver orb' was about as clear as the seers could make it. Afterwards, we realized that they meant Artemis, your father, would save the People from Opal Koboi. But now we're thinking we might have been wrong, and twisted events to fit prophesy. It didn't seem it at the time, because they also said 'the dead will rise', and that fit. But there was one thing that didn't fit. It said return, and in prophesy, every word matters. Now we think, we're sure, that it meant you."
"But it might not," Artemis interjected. "You have to understand that. And the prophesy doesn't say you will, it just says that's what you'll come to try and do."
"I know Daddy," Raven said quietly. "But isn't that what I have to do? Try?"
Artemis shook his head. "You're so much like your mother. Impossible to reason with."
"For all that, she was a hero," Butler said.
"Yes," the crime lord answered, "yes she was." He looked at Raven, seeing the tiny baby that Foaly had put in his arms. "You want to do this."
"I have to."
I don't have the patience for this. Artemis, being morally opposed to something? Root and Mulch in the same room without fighting? Agh! But this story seems to be writing itself. With luck it'll write itself without too many stupid parts. Anyway, please review.
It may take a while to get the next few parts up, because I have a couple of original stories I'm writing which take precedence, not to mention the Harry Potter fic. Sorry to those of you I've kept waiting.