Author's Note: 9 reviews! I wanted to thank Agivega for giving me the idea for this story. Not in person, but in her awesome story which I personally think is the best Artemis fan fic on the site, The Aztec Incident…no offense to anyone else, its just amazing how someone who doesn't even speak English as their native language can write that well, and its long enough to be the 5th book. There's this line in there that goes something like… "I'm not Juliet, and Artemis isn't Romeo…" and that stemmed from there. I am basing their clothing style on the Zefferelli version that we watched in English. And the guys wore capes, puffy shirts, and stuff like that in the movie. Please review to tell me how well I'm keeping it accurate…I'm never written anything historical before except for a journal on a person crossing the Oregon Trail in 5th grade. Lol

Thank you to AHHPFAN, Knight Of Eternal Darkness, and HollyShortgirl.

VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR"S NOTE ABOVE…SOME THINGS WILL NOT MAKE SENSE UNLESS YOU READ!

Holly ran over to slap the centaur on the head, but as Holly ran towards him Foaly ran into a room and started dragging out a machine. It was around six feet in height, obviously altered to fit Artemis, and silver in color. Many buttons and levers were flashing, and the controls were connected to Foaly's computer. Towards the bottom was a rotating cylinder that currently said August 13, 2003, and the time. It moved as time went by.

"Whoa," Artemis said uncharacteristically.

"Thank you," said Foaly, "Now get in."

"Wait," replied Holly, "Aren't you gonna tell us where we're going?"

"Aboveground." Foaly smirked.

"I think she means what time period," Artemis said.

"Yea," Holly replied.

"Well, I haven't decided yet," Foaly admitted coolly, "But I will once you get in. I'll feel less guilty about it later."

At that moment, Holly vowed she would punch Foaly and kick him so hard – - - But as she had the thought, Artemis and herself were pushed into the machine.

"Ladies first," Artemis muttered.

Soon Foaly locked the door and waved mischievously good bye. Holly started banging the door, and Artemis started muttering under his breath again.

"Please say you're thinking of a plan to get us out of this," Holly whispered.

Artemis merely shook his head, which annoyed Holly. Artemis was supposed to be a genius, who can think up plans that have few flaws, do complicated math problems in his head, and even rewrite the Harry Potter books in Latin without an English/Latin dictionary, for heaven's sake. So why couldn't he stop Foaly, who now was acting like the mad scientist he was. The machine started whirring, and the time clock inside the machine was moving backwards. Through the speakers was chanting in a man's voice that sounded like Foaly's but a bit deeper. Artemis, as the boy genius he was, recognized as the prologue to act one of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

The poem sounded familiar to Holly, but she could not remember where it was from. Artemis, on the other hand, had a flash of recognition similar to when he realized Holly had to cut off Spiro's thumb in the Needle. Holly would ask what it was from, but the inertia of the machine was unnerving. But soon the machine came to a stop, and Holly found herself alone, in a house, and standing in front of a mirror.

As soon as Holly saw the mirror, she knew she had changed. Holly recalled the pill she had taken, and she realized that the pills turned her into a human. Oh, joy. The ting she first noticed was her hair. It was the same color, the reddish brown that was different from most elves' fiery red, but it had grown. No longer was it the crew cut that was part of the job, nor was it the jagged cut she was trying to grow out, but it was almost waist length, wavy and silky to the touch. Her eyes were still hazel, but she had grown, maybe to around 5' 3". Her clothes were something she would never wear. She wore a light pink, almost red, very puffed up dress with many petticoats underneath, making it very heavy. The sleeves were bulbous from the elbow down, and the collar of the dress went straight to the neck. Obviously women in this time frame were very conscious about not showing skin, which had gone from its coffee color to a pale peach. Her hair had changed, too. Its color was the same, and it looked how it would if it had been able to grow out. It was wavy and went to her waist. Her shoes were very simple leather flats, and her hands were manicured and looked as if they had never done a day's work in her life. Her ears were no longer pointy, and Holly became anxious to test to see if all of her elveness was gone. She saw a needle, and pricked her finger with it, blood drops dripping from the prick. Soon a blue spark healed it and it looked like it had never been there. So she looked like a female human, yet she still had her powers. Thank Frond she did.

After Holly's examination in the mirror, she took in the house. The room she was in had a bed, wrapped in cloth. Further examination showed it was stuffed with feathers. She shuddered. Poor birds. A desk was in her room, carvings intricately set into the handles and the legs. The family she had been in must be rich. The room was lit with the sunlight pouring in from the window, but at night it must have been lit by candle light, since there were several candelabras in the room. She investigated the room some more, to find that she was the only occupant. Where was Artemis? Where was she?

"Juliet!" someone in the house called. "Juliet!"

Who is Juliet, Holly thought.

"Juliet!"

A lady, who seemed very old, dressed in a grey dress as puffy as hers and a bonnet covering her head burst through the door.

"Why didn't you answer me when I called you?" a lady said in Italian.

"Who's Juliet?" Holly inquired using her fairy gift of tongues to reply in the language.

The lady had a look on her face that said, "Have you gone crazy?" but replied, "You are Juliet, lady, Juliet Capulet."

"No, my name is Holly," Holly replied.

"Must I call your mother? You are the thirteen year old Juliet Capulet, and if you are not, then you look just like her. And since Miss Juliet was here naught but fifteen minutes ago, then where hath she gone?"

Holly figured she might as well play along. If she was in the time period when people who claimed they were someone else was considered a witch and burnt at the stake, then she would rather avoid that fate.

"Just joking, lady," Holly replied nervously.

"But no, you are lady, as is Lady Capulet. I am Nurse, your nurse who has raised you since your birth into Verona."

Was that what that chanting meant, the "In fair Verona, where we lay our scene," that she had heard earlier? So was Verona in Italy then? What year was it though?

"What year is it, Nurse?" Holly asked tentatively.

"1397, dear. How does thou forget?"

So, Holly thought, which means we've gone back over 700 years! I must think of an excuse on how I forget, how did I forget? How? Holly looked by the window and saw the streams of sunlight.

"It must have been the heat."

"Yes, yes," the Nurse said absentmindedly.

"Now why did you call?" Holly inquired.

"To tell you news. The Montagues, our great enemies, fought with our servants in the streets again."

"Over what?"

"The Montagues probably provoked us, those wretched human beings."

"Probably," Holly said as she played along, "But why are they our greatest rivals?"

"The enmity has been between our two families for hundreds of years. I do not know why. But why do you ask me this? You have inquired before."

"I must have forgotten."

"Yes, yes, we all forget things. But allow me to elaborate on the fight. Our two servants, Gregory and Sampson, were provoked by two of the Montague servants. I know not their names, but they were equally matched and soon they had their swords up, and then Tybalt bravely fought those brainless idiots."

"So what else happened?"

"Well, the grand Prince Escalus came and talked to your father, and this afternoon he is going to talk with the enemy."

"The Montagues?"

"Who else would be our enemies?"

"I do not know. Do we have any others, Nurse?"

"No."

"Oh, yes, yes," said Holly, brushing her temple with her finger to show her forgetfulness.

"Now, miss, we must get ready for your party. Its tonight, after all, and we haven't decided an outfit!"

"Oh, the horror!" Holly replied sarcastically, "What's the party for again?"

"Where hath your memory gone, Miss Juliet?"

"I do not know, Nurse."

"Come, come, we must find you your most exquisite dress."

Ugh, Holly thought, dresses and old language. What a grand time this shall be.

Artemis was standing in a forest, leaning against the tree. The machine was nowhere in sight, but his first thought was, "Where is Holly!" He didn't care where he was, what year, as long as he knew somebody, but he didn't know anyone in this alternate world, and that above all filled him with rage. Artemis looked around and saw a path beneath his feet. He followed the path, lost in thought. Soon Artemis was in a city, but if he noticed no one could tell. He had to figure out where he was, the year he was stuck in, and the location of the only familiar face he knew: Holly Short. But, wait, he thought, what if that centaur put the two of them in separate time periods? One thing, he would know Foaly would be murdered if that would be the case.

"Good morning," a guy standing in front of him said in Italian. Thankfully Artemis knew Italian.

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Has thou lost his mind? You have seemed so depressed in recent nights, Romeo, and has your sad nature led you to this madness? To forget his kinsmen Benvolio?"

Artemis froze in mid thought. Oh, my gosh, the chanting in the machine was the prologue of Romeo and Juliet! Shoott, I'm in a play where I kill myself! Does this mean I'm Romeo? Who's Juliet though? Calm down, Artemis, think rationally. You have to remember how people talked back then. You did a project on this in elementary school. Think, boy, think. You memorized the play too! Even if they don't talk like they did in the play, the subtext is similar. Surely you can paraphrase the lines…

"Sorry, but I did not recognize your voice, Benvolio. What time is it?"

"Round nine," Benvolio replied.

"Time has gone by so slow"

"What sadness lengthens your hours?"

The fact that I'm 708 years early, Artemis thought. "Maybe not having enough fun?"

"Does Romeo need love in his life since Rosaline has left him?"

"Rosaline? And why would a 13 year old want love?" Almost fourteen, but still…, Artemis thought.

"Romeo, you're not younger than 16."

"Ok…Let's go eat. I'm hungry. All this sadness is depressing. All this hate, broken hearts, lovesick people, so much chaos! This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh?"

"I'd rather weep."

"Why?"

"At your continual sadness."

"Some regrets hold me back," Artemis stated before pausing, to interpret the other part of his little speech. "Love is so easily given, so easily taken back. And my loss of Rosaline's love among other things is very depressing. Love is a complex thing. What else could it be? A madness, an obsession, maybe? I will see you later, Benvolio."

"I better see you later."

"If you so insist."

"You seem so depressed yet it does not seem like it's about Rosaline. After all, you two no longer loved the other a month ago. Who is it now?"

"Why should I tell you if there is someone?"

"I am your cousin."

"Blood cannot make a decision of the heart. But I can tell you this; I love no one." Artemis could not say he loved a woman, because the only woman he loved was his mother, and that wasn't the kind of love they were talking about in this conversation. Loving your family was optional, it was true, but it just wasn't near love for say, a soul mate.

"I was so close."

"You're very good at guessing then."

"I suppose so."

"You can not suppose, you must believe."

"Is there a difference?"

"Why yes. Of course there is!"

"What is it? But stop beating around the bush, Artemis, and please tell me who you love."

"I love no one, but I only can think of what I could learn to love."

"What would you learn to love?"

"I do not know."

"How can you not? Please tell me."

"What will you give me?"

"I will confide in you in important matters and decisions."

Artemis thought that was a crummy trade off, but he allowed this promise to stay. In any case, he would never see this guy after Foaly took them back. "I presume I would love a smart woman, someone who I could talk to about intellectual matters easily." As shallow admittance as it was, Artemis was shocked that he could say that so easily. He had never really thought about the opposite sex, let alone think about what he would look for. He spent too much time thinking about money, the rehabilitation of his father, gold, and stock prices. He rarely thought about love in general, let alone women, or the idea of him being in love.

"Thank you for telling me, Romeo."

Benvolio left, and Artemis remained, surprised he could interpret those lines so easily after not reading the play for seven years. His brain would never cease to amaze him. However, he soon left and followed Benvolio when he remembered they were family and Artemis would need to know where he lived. Following the stone path through the city, he soon saw the estate of the Montagues. He caught up with Benvolio, stayed behind him until Benvolio noticed him. The Montague opened his mouth to say something, but a man in red clothing approached the two of them, looking frustrated.

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning to you too, sirs. Can you read?" he asked.

"Of course!" Artemis said. It would be a shame if he couldn't.

"Can you read everything?"

"Surely." Artemis had studied Italian before, and he could read and write in it, just as he could in English, along with Spanish, French, Vietnamese, and Russian. At times like these, it was good to be smart, but even better to be a genius.

"Thank you!"

The man gave him the paper. Artemis said, reading the paper, "Martino family; County Anselmo and his sisters; the lady of Vitruvio; Signior Placentio and his nieces; Mercutio and Valentine; the Capulet family; my niece Rosaline; Livia; Signior Valentio and his cousin Tybalt; Lucio and the Helena.' A fair amount of people. Where are they going?" Artemis declared as he gave back the paper.

"To the estate."

"Where?"

"To dinner, at our house."

"Whose house?"

"My master's."

"And who is this master of yours?"

"The great and rich Capulet. If you aren't a Montague, please come and join us. You would be welcome after your services to the household."

The servant left.

"This party would have many of Verona's beauties attend. We must go, at the very least for the food and ladies."

"If you must insist."

"I will show you the best, and we will have a wonderful time."

"All right, I'll go," Artemis replied as Benvolio walked away.

So this was the party where Romeo and Juliet first met. But who is Juliet, Artemis thought, following Benvolio at a ten yard distance.

Author's Note: Please review!