Chapter 2

Returning Home

Artemis Fowl the Second wouldn't show anyone that he was crying. He had just seen Holly for the very last time as he had decided to keep out of fairy business. He had known it would hurt, but this was unbearable. The way she had looked at him when he had told everyone his intentions was...well...indescribable. He had never seen someone's heart just break before, but now he had seen Holly's. The worst part was that it was all his fault. All the logic in the world had been on his side: they were different species, there was about 70 years difference in their ages, Artemis would still be growing while Holly remained her 3 foot height, and no laws would allow them to be together, whether above ground or below. If they had just run away with each other, the world would've lost a crucial intellect and the fairies would've lost a strong detective. They both had their spots in society to fill and neither could just throw everything way. If they did decide to give everything up, they would lose what made themselves themselves. It takes more than love to live. At least, these were all the logical thoughts, or what Holly called excuses, running through the Irish youth's mind. As much as he wanted Holly, there were just some things he would never be able to have. As his very last piece of reasoning he told himself that even if they made their lives work, when they wanted to take love to the next level, it just wouldn't be possible. Some things just couldn't fit. There were too many differences in their two species, mainly size, and unfortunately in this case, size mattered.

Artemis just stared out the window thinking of all the great philosophers and their advice that, "It is better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all."

"Yeah," he thought to himself, "let them try it." Yet he understood the insight of their words even if he wasn't ready to accept it yet. If he had never loved Holly, then she would have had no chance to change his life. As his own father had said, she had taught him friendship and how to show respect. Everything about Holly made Artemis strive to be a better person. Now, secretly and silently, he promised himself that he would never forget the lessons he had learned from that elf. For all his sacrifices, he would become the person Holly had wanted him to be. It may take some time, but he would keep trying to further himself, not only in knowledge, but in morals too.

It had been four days since he had left home and evening was approaching. The sun was sinking lower and lower, casting streaks of orange, pink, and purple across the horizon. Fowl Manor came into view and the first thing Artemis noticed was that the light timers, that constantly turned on and turned off what seemed to be a random assortment of lights in the house, was completely off pattern.

"Butler, pull off to the side of the road now. Something is not right."

Butler didn't question his young master and switched off the Bentley's lights as he pulled behind some bushes, turning off the engine as soon as they were out of sight. Artemis was already searching for a pair of binoculars in his 'bag of tricks' as Butler called it. The binoculars had been specially designed by the boy and included a night vision setting, and an infrared setting.

Butler pulled out a pair very much like Artemis'. They surveyed Fowl Manor through infrared. The building disappeared and they could only see the heat objects produced. The roof of the manor was a dull red from the heat it was releasing from its time spent in the sun earlier that day. Some of the pipes within the house were also showing up, but what caught their attention most was that there seemed to be 40 people around and inside the house total. Artemis judged by the way they were standing and their sweeping, scanning moments that these guests had not been invited to the Manor- they were trained. Artemis study the building slowly, finally resting on his parents bedroom. He saw two figures sitting on the bed and a sizable amount guards around the room. He could tell that his parents were being held hostage.

Beside him, Butler was making his own speculations. He voiced them allowed, "The patterns they are moving in means that they are trained. Police maybe?"

The boy shook his head, "No, police don't hold people hostage." Artemis went through a mental list of possible enemies. Fairies. No, they could not enter. Jon Spiro. No, locked in prison. Opal Koboi. Definitely in Howler's Peak. Then it must be..."It's the Russian Mafiya. I'm at least 83 percent sure of it. They are my only enemies able to pull something like this. Judging by the fact that my parents are still alive, and that the Mafiya are still here, they intend to use my parents as a bargaining chip against me. Butler, I need to think. Can we check into a hotel for the night? My parents will remain safe until I show up. I'm certain of it."

Butler got back into the Bentley and started the engine, making sure the lights were still off. He was curious as to how his employer knew of the danger, "Artemis?" He asked, "How did you know?"

The boy's focus flickered as his brain automatically answered while his conscience mind began devising a plan. "Well, Butler, I personally designed that light system to discourage any low-level thieves. To the casual observer, the lighting patter is completely random. However, there is a pattern with the lights. The main foyer, hallways, and bathrooms always stay on and two lights in a pattern of numbers I design, routinely turn off for a pre-programmed amount of time. Again, though it seems random to most people, I know the pattern and couldn't help but notice that ,besides the hallways and the rest of the lights that always stay on, nine lights were on. Two of them would be programmed, but I believe that only up to four could be my mother and father. The extra lights, therefore, were suspicious. I only hope that we were not noticed."

Butler nodded as he continued to drive towards a hotel. Artemis' abilities still amazed the body guard, even after 15 years of working for him. He left the boy in silence so that he could think.

They arrived at the nearest town's hotel just after dark. Butler did his usual check for bombs, missiles, snipers, and other suspicious characters. Butler then left the room and stood guard in the hallway so that the boy could meditate. Butler knew very well that at this very moment, Artemis was coming up with a plan.

Artemis sat in the floor of their hotel room trying to forget about the filth. They had checked into the nicest hotel in the entire town and Artemis was not impressed. The carpet smelled moldy, the beds were uncomfortable, and the room itself was terribly small. Finding his inner chi, Artemis blocked out all of life's annoyances and meditated on the situation at hand. Probabilities and likelihood's ran through his head fit themselves into their appropriate places within all the possible plans. Artemis brain itself was like a biological filing cabinet, with every fact and figure he had ever heard or discovered in an titled folder just waiting for the boy to search for it. After a while, the Irish youth had narrowed down his lists of plans to just 3: Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. They were in order of their likelihood of success. Hopefully, he thought, with the 56 percent chance that Plan A would work, plans B and C wouldn't be needed. Those were too risky.

"Butler," he called out, aware that the body guard was right outside the room.

The giant Eurasian man entered. Though he was 15 years older than he was supposed to be and had a harder time breathing than most, he was still quite capable...and quite deadly.

"I have devised a plan," Artemis stated bluntly. He wasn't the most social person...okay, so he wasn't social at all and any form of social grace had escaped from his reach. The Irish youth continued, his cold blue eyes only showing the slightest amount of emotion while his face was completely devoid of it, "Call a cab for me. I am going to the Manor. I'll describe your role in this plot while we wait for the cab."

O0o.o0O

A/N: A plan? And without the fairies? How will they ever survive?