Artemis Fowl: Blue Eyes

Chapter 3- Familiar?

"AARTYY!!"

Artemis jerked up and looked around in the morning light. Birds were singing and little animals had started to wander into his improvised camping spot. It looked like something from Bambi; it was sickening to see.

At first, he thought he'd heard his mother calling him, since she was the only person who called him 'Arty,' but the figure that emerged from the trees wasn't at all Angeline. It was a young girl, slightly shorter than he, and she was quickly running toward him. "Who on Earth are y—" The girl snagged her foot on a lifted tree root, and collided with an "Ooof" into Artemis. Artemis simply stared, blinking rapidly up at this stranger, trying to determine if this is just a crazy dream. She sent a sarcastic grin at him as she stood. Artemis rolled his eyes as he stood and dusted himself off. This was just a bad week entirely... "Now, as I was trying to ask before, who are you and how do you know my nickname?"

The strange girl had opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated, then instantly froze on the spot. She seemed to be thinking about something or trying to conjure up a plan at the last minute. Artemis knew that look quite well; a lot of people got it when speaking to him.

"I'm... I'm Holly...uh... Hollya! Yes, I am Hollya and you are Artemis." She spoke with that hint of fib that caused Artemis to grow suspicious. She quickly added, "I didn't think it was you at first. I would've never expected you to be all the way out here."

"I'm fairly certain I don't know a... 'Hollya'."

"Oh, you know me all right," She mumbled quietly.

"What was that?"

"I said I know your mother very well."

"Then why haven't I seen you? Surely my mother would've told me about you."

Hollya giggled the way a tickled schoolgirl would. "Because your mother didn't want you to see me."

Artemis narrowed his eyes. It was natural for him to question everything (when he was sane enough to do so. Lately, it's been nothing but irrational actions...) "My mother didn't want me to see you?" he asked, disbelieving.

"Yes," she winked. "And I can understand why, if you catch my drift. You're not a little boy, anymore, are you Arty?"

Artemis seemed to growl out a response, "If you think that a genius like me has time, or even would want to, think about love or dating, then you, Hollya, you and my mother both must be out of your minds." He glared as his cheeks started to turn pink. Another thing that was not normal for Artemis Fowl.

Hollya smirked, but changed the subject. "I see you've got a few injuries there."

"And? You can't do a thing about them."

"How do you know, you've never met me."

Artemis didn't like the way she was grinning- like she knew something he didn't. He made sure to watch her extra carefully. "Fine. I'll let you take a look at them. But if you so much as poke me with a stick, I'll have you down on the ground so fast you—"

"Ok, ok, yadda yadda. Enough with the 'you-better-not-hurt-me speech.' I won't, trust me."

Trust? You? Ha! Not in this lifetime... Artemis was shocked when she strode over to him and lifted his shirt. "What the hell are you--?"

"Would you calm down? I'm only checking for major injuries." If smoke could've emitted from Artemis, it would've. He was seething red, so he simply closed his eyes and pretended he wasn't there.

"Well?" He finally asked. He was starting to become impatient.

"You'll be fine if you see a doctor or something."

"Well I knew that!"

"Well...fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Ok."

The last statement was really the beginning of a long staring contest. For at least fifteen or twenty minutes, neither person blinked. A bird actually came by and landed on Hollya's shoulder before she shewed it away, all the while never taking her eyes from Artemis.

Even when an unnaturally strong wind nearly knocked them off their feet, they still never blinked. Artemis never backed down from a challenge. Unfortunately for him, neither did Hollya.

"Artemis? Are you...all right?"

"Yes, Butler, I'm--" The words were out of his mouth before he knew he'd said them. Their stare down was postponed for the moment. Butler was nearly knocked off his feet by the hug Artemis gave him. Nearly. Artemis sighed, gratefully. "Take me home, Butler, before I completely lose my mind."

"Of course, Artemis. There are a lot of things you need to know, at the moment."

Artemis looked suspiciously at the helicopter Butler had come in. There were two short figures smiling like madmen at Artemis and trying to hop up high enough to be seen through the window. When Hollya saw them, her right eye twitched a little.

Artemis had no idea what kind of a volcano was about to erupt...


Zillions of thoughts suddenly blew up in Holly's mind. Zillions of awful, horrible, job-losing, world-ending thoughts. Of all the fairies in the universe, he was there. He was sitting in a helicopter (with that forsaken dwarf, of all magical beings!) only a few feet away. One thought suddenly stood out from the rest: He's gonna find out. Artemis Fowl is going to remember everything he'd learned about fairies, and there was nothing she could do about it. A sad fate indeed. The end of the fairies would be her doing. That certainly wasn't her idea of a happy ending.

They all hastily boarded the helicopter, Artemis eyeing the two small figures curiously. Butler quickly answered the unasked question, "Master Fowl, meet Mr. Diggums and Mr. Ice." He paused, half expecting a sarcastic remark from Artemis. None came. "They say they really need to tell you something. I was reluctant to let them see you privately once you returned, but they said you'd be interested for sure, and I have been watching them very carefully. I thought I'd bring them along so you could decide sooner more than later. It's a good thing I did, as well."

"Butler... Does mother know a- a Hollya?" The name still sounded awkward on Artemis' tongue.

Holly jumped and berated herself for treating an injured Artemis any more carelessly than she would a normal Artemis. He was questioning. Always questioning; no exceptions. She slipped behind Butler, started whispering quickly, and let a blue glow engulf her hands. She grinned as she mentally told Butler the answer to Artemis' question.

"Of course. She wouldn't want me to tell you, but she's known Hollya Greenleaf for about six months. She knows met mother at a party of some sort."

The boy's eyes narrowed to slits, but he spoke with careful ease, "Very well. Mr. Diggums, Mr. Ice- what business do you have with me?"

Holly stepped out from behind Butler, and blinked in surprise. Her disguise had worked, but she'd thought for sure once Artemis saw those two he'd remember. He was acting like he'd never seen them before in his life. She sighed in relief, and then gulped as she realized why the two beings were so happy. One thing could and would cause Artemis to remember.

"Do you have a coin?" Mr. Diggums asked.

"Why?"

"Have you felt like your life was meaningless lately?" Mr. Ice added.

"What are you two getting at?"

They looked at each other, then back at Artemis. "Well? Do you have one or not?"

Artemis was shaking his head in disbelief. The only coin he'd found was the one that hit his head in the forest... but how could they have known about it? He slowly reached into his shirt and pulled out the round gold object that was tied to a string. Holly nearly fainted. "This? What is it? I'm sure it's no coin I've ever seen."

"It's a disk." They said at the same time. "A disk with the information you've wanted all along right on it."

Holly couldn't believe it. He'd actually done it. He'd actually found a way to escape the Mesmer. She looked ahead at something interesting that wasn't there at all. All the bad thoughts floating aorund in her head suddenly disappeared as her mind wend completely blank. This just wasn't possible...

Artemis asked, "Butler, do we have a computer on the plane?"

"None that I know of."

"My lap top then?"

"No, I didn't think we'd need it."

That was it. The slightest little glimmer of hope for Holly to steal that thing and drop it out the plane window was all she needed. She had to get it, and dispose of it, before a bad situation became seriously worse.

Next time—Artemis may have found what he was missing, but Holly has other plans. Will he regain his memory back yet? And who is the fairy with Mulch that Holly seemed so cautious of? Find out... sometime later! :P

a/n—I'm happy because I get easily excited. And because I finally found something I enjoy writing on! Sorry if this took a little longer than the other chapters. Marching band competitions every Saturday definitely take a big chunk out of my time. No fluff this chapter, and probably not the next. Plot comes first. But, I will get fluff in there somewhere! I promise! Thanks for all the reviews again. I know there really isn't that many, but it's a lot to me! Chao!