I would like to thank Kate, Elisa, Anna, Jenni and Shadowweaver for having reviewed. Thank you all very much! ^_^

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Chapter 2: The Plan

"Now I remember," Artemis said, tapping the side of his head as his eyes narrowed. "I had asked you and Juliet to wear contact lenses. I had discovered that it had the same effect the sun glasses had, and so we couldn't truly be mesmerized."

Butler and Mulch listened to him, sitting on either side of the large rectangular wooden table at the end of which sat Artemis.

"I only pretended that the mezmer was working on me," he continued. "And I didn't talk about the disk I had asked Butler to place on the medallion. The plan was perfect."

Butler, who had been asked to read what was on the disk, also remembered everything that the fairies had tried to make him forget. He nodded, understanding what his master and friend was saying, but didn't dare interrupt his thinking.

"We will need to call back Juliet from her wrestling tour," he said, still looking out onto the unknown. "And make her read the disk, in order to make her remember."

"Do we truly need to?" Butler asked, not wanting his little sister to get into any trouble with the fairies again. "I mean, Juliet is doing very fine not knowing anything."

Artemis turned his leather chair to face Butler completely.

"I need to make her remember," he said. "Because I have another plan."

"Artemis! You said all your activities were over!' Butler roared. "You said you wouldn't need a bodyguard anymore."

"Butler, I can't change," Artemis said coldly, his eyes narrowing again. "You have no idea how dull everything is without something sufficient to avert a mind such as mine. My father might have changed, but not I. I'm sticking to my family's motto. Gold is Power. Well gold is also something strong enough to make my mind work in a levelheaded way. I know what I'm doing, Domovoi."

Butler sat down, seeing that Artemis was talking to him like a friend would, and not an employer. And he was right and so he stayed silent, waiting to hear the rest and hoping Artemis wasn't doing a mistake . . . But then again, Artemis never made mistakes without anticipating their consequences.

"So Butler," Artemis said, now looking straight into his eyes. "Are you with me?"

Butler sighed.

"Of course I am."

On his side, Mulch Diggums didn't move, wanting to know what diabolical plan Artemis was concocting.

Seeing that Butler had calmed down and understood him, Artemis continued.

"Now for the one difficulty," he sighed. "My parents."

There was another moment of silence as the criminal mastermind thought. But of course, the two other beings at the table knew that he was doubtlessly faking it. Artemis had already planed everything. He was always two steps ahead.

"They call at specific times, due to the time difference, which is of twelve hours and thirty minutes," he started. "And so, they call to check on me only at nightfall or in the morning, which gives us the possibility of being out of the country for ten hours, giving us an hour of transportation. Of course, Butler, you will have to lie to my father, telling him that I am ill, having caught a strange illness. I shall make fake medical reports that I will fax to school."

Artemis took a deep breath, smiling.

"But then, my parents would check on me more often and would ask Butler to pass me the phone, or, seeing things lightly more drastically, will even go up to shortening their vacation that they have just extended to a month. But, of course, I will not let them do that."

Mulch looked at him, avid to know the rest.

"I have already created a fake contest in which my parents have won a three week cruise in the middle of the Tasman Sea, and I know they won't refuse. In total, this gives us nearly two months of freedom."

Mulch beamed, looking from Butler to Artemis and Artemis to Butler again.

"I will transfer the home line on a cellular phone that Butler will carry at all time," Artemis said. "But it will take at least two weeks for a clear, untraceable connection, and so we must stay here for now, which is fine, seeing that I will need time to get what I need for this mission."

"And what is the mission?" Mulch couldn't help but ask.

Artemis smiled in way making his interlocutors rethink about their being here being a good choice.

"It's a very, very big job that has its equally big rewards," he said, almost in a whisper. "robberies. Five, maybe six of them."

Mulch was now almost crying with happiness.

"The fairies could kill you this time, Artemis," Butler said seriously. "Stealing from them isn't a good idea at all."

"That's the beauty of it!" Artemis exclaimed. "First of all, they won't know immediately that it's me, because they believe that I am mesmerized. Second of all, I will play by their rules, and third of all, what I want to steal is only half theirs."

"What do you mean?" Butler asked without giving him the chance to continue.

"Well . . . only until they guess It's me, but I will use their rules against them, just like I did when I kidnapped Capitan Holly Short."

"Artemis this is dangerous," Butler continued. "I have a bad feeling about this. And you know I won't be able to follow you this time."

"Juliet will be my bodyguard," Artemis continued. "Madame Ko didn't give her her tattoo, but I trust her."

"Artemis, I trust Juliet too but she isn't good at this sort of thing," Butler said, thinking of his little sister. "I . . . I want you to do something . . . for me to accept doing all of this."

Artemis frowned, giving Butler a cold look.

"I know . . . The problem is that you don't respect anyone enough to treat them as an equal."

Artemis smiled interiorly. Doctor Po had told him the exact same thing a few years back.

"And . . . for me to allow you to go on like this . . . well . . . I'd . . . I'd want you to find an equal. Then I'm going to feel better about all of this," Butler said, carefully choosing his words. "A person you could trust on this mission, trust like you could trust me, as a friend, not a bodyguard. Someone you could respect just a little . . .Artemis, please do it for me."

Artemis looked totally angry and unhappy about the whole idea.

"Butler, I would have to tell them about the fairies," he said, quite coldly. "I would have to tell them everything. *That* is dangerous."

"Do it, Artemis," Butler said seriously.

Artemis looked at Butler for a long while, both having a serious look on their faces.

~I still have some fairy magic,~ Artemis thought. ~I could mesmerize him and use him, and not have to take on an equal . . . and anyways, no one can equal me. It would be so dangerous . . . but Butler is my friend . . . I can't . . .~

"Fine," Artemis said finally. "I'll do it."

~What am I getting into?~

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