A/N: review replies sent out as usual. The Artemis Fowl Fanfic Summary Executions List in my yahoo group (Files/Miscellanous) has been updated, in case you're interested :)

Also thanks to: The Flying Moose, aperfectattitude, JediWeasley, SPG, an-angel-in-hell, the ark, WiseAbsol, artemisfowl12, riseofafallenangel, Fleury, refloc, anonymous, AnnieThePipster, Soccer101, TheWatcherandReader, Aly, Zodokai, Emrisah, Chibi Binasu-chan, Lii, J. Dawnwolf, septempopuli, Lady Emerald Black, Chixawitch, The OddBird, Comwizz2, frenchpiment, Queen Dragon, Anonymous, Jon12341, LettuceNPudding, Milette Tails Prower

Chapter 18

There Can Be Only One

It was already past five in the morning when Artemis finally fell asleep, and woke up again at six, feeling anything but fit and fresh.

With a groan, he pulled the covers over his head to block out the brightness outside – he felt that the world beyond the window was simply too cheerful for his current state of mind. And no one, he told himself, not even the bloody chirping birds were supposed to be cheerful when he felt so horrible!

For what seemed hours he rested under the covers in complete darkness, creating only a small gap between the sheets and the covers for him to breath. Somehow in the darkness he felt less miserable. In the darkness he didn't have to face reality: didn't have to face the fact that he was stranded in another life with an unbearable wife and an obnoxious son. In the darkness the immense empty space in his soul that had come to life after he lost Holly and Patrick seemed smaller. In the darkness he wasn't constantly thinking that this is how things would have turned out if he hadn't met Holly… that this is what would have become of him without her: a pathetic loser who'd fallen prey to his own desire for money.

And how come he'd never met a fairy in this life? – he wondered.

I've managed to break the fairy code in this life as well, he remembered. Butler and I set out to collect a fairy, and we tried several times but no fairy deigned to come to our hiding place to perform the Ritual... We were trying for a whole year when I got news about Father's death… and then I gave up. I lost interest in the fairies. If only, years later, when I again decided to find a way to make money, I had tried again to catch a fairy instead of going into the gunrunning business… Things would be so different if I did… Then again, what kind of fairy would I have caught? Some ugly gnome? Perhaps idiotic Chix Verbil? Ahhh… no use crying over spilt milk, the harm is done…

For a long while Artemis just lay under the covers, trying not to think. But it was a futile attempt.

You can't spend the whole morning in bed, Fowl, a voice spoke up in his head.

Why not? – he replied stubbornly.

Because you've got to work on the time machine, Genius!

Ah, come off it, I'm too tired to think of anything to make it work properly, I barely got some sleep because of that horrible wench!

It's exactly because of that horrible wench that you have to get up and start DOING SOMETHING!

All right, all right…

Slower than a snail, Artemis lifted the covers off himself, blinking against the bright light spilling into the room. The sun seemed to be quite high up already, it must have been at least nine o'clock.

Artemis got up and put his clothes on, though he didn't remember when he'd last done these things as slowly as now: his movements resembled that of a sloth. There was no life in them, no determination…

First, he caught himself staring at his mirror image with his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth for several minutes, and not much later he realised he was holding his half tied-shoelaces for another five minutes.

What's happening to me? – he thought dejectedly.

You KNOW what's happening to you, his mind replied at once. You've written books on it, Artemis! You – are – depressed. A rather serious case at that.

Depressed? Artemis sighed, sinking back onto the bed, now fully clothed. I've never been depressed before… Well, perhaps a bit, after I lost my genius, but… that hadn't been this bad. Heavens, how stupid have I been? He ran his fingers across his unruly, still uncombed locks. I can't believe I went on moaning about the loss of my genius! How pathetic! I had everything I needed for happiness! I had Holly! I had Patrick! I had my parents! I had Butler and Juliet! And now? I have my goddamned genius, but I don't have anything else!

Then do something about it! – his mind screamed at him. Change it back! You can do it! Use your bloody genius for something useful for once!

For seconds Artemis stared at the wall, the cogwheels in his mind whirring madly.

But if I… if I manage to change things back, then… I'll lose my genius again…

Now honestly, WHO THE HELL CARES?

"Who the hell cares?" Artemis muttered to the Persian carpet. Suddenly he felt something surge through him: some new form of energy. "WHO THE HELL CARES!" he said aloud, jumping off the bed.

Filled from head to toe with energy and enthusiasm, he ran to the door, yanked it open and stormed down the stairs, towards his lab. Today, he'll find the solution. No matter what, he WILL.

o o o O O O o o o

In order to get to his lab, he had to cross the entrance hall where, to his displeasure, he ran into Delylah and Artemis the Third, who both appeared to be waiting for something.

"Breakfast not here yet?" Artemis asked casually, suddenly remembering that his wife had decided to have their meals brought to them from a hotel on the outskirts of Dublin.

"Apparently," the woman said dryly. "You've overslept, Artemis."

"Ah, you can't blame me… after last night… I was all tired out," he said in what he believed was a casual and joking voice, but in the meantime he felt like kicking himself. There was no way he'd be telling Holly about Delylah! Never!

Their son only rolled his eyes like he always did when one of his parents (usually his mother) referred to them having had sex. "Your hair's not combed, Father, did you know?"

"Oh… I forgot," Artemis replied. "Never mind, I'm not even hungry, I'm off to… comb my hair. Have a nice day, both of you."

As Artemis disappeared from sight, the boy turned to his mother. "Am I imagining things, or did he go in the wrong direction? The bathroom isn't that way."

"Never mind, Arty, dear," Delylah said with a cold smile. "Your father's like that: a bit absent-minded sometimes. Like all genii."

o o o O O O o o o

Artemis spent most of the day in his lab, where, he hoped, his 'wife' wouldn't bother him. After all, as far as he remembered, Delylah didn't even know where his lab was situated within the house. This was one of the few things he'd managed to keep a secret from her.

He only left the lab to go to the toilet once – he didn't even leave for lunch or dinner as he found a cabinet full of biscuits and dehydrated fruits inside the lab (all of them sugar free). Apparently he – or the Artemis that had actually lived this life – had got the idea that storing food inside the lab would spare him attending family meals.

It was late in the afternoon when the long-awaited brainwave came to Artemis. Elated to have found the solution, he began to put the time machine back together, adding two more tiny parts that would enable him to have two versions of himself at the same time without causing any damage to history or either of his two versions.

Shortly before midnight, he left the lab, hoping that Delylah was asleep already and wasn't waiting for him in his bedroom – especially because he didn't intend to return to his bedroom just yet, and if Delylah happened to be waiting for him there, she'd surely become suspicious. His all-day absence must have been suspicious enough for her, and Artemis didn't want to have to answer to an upset wife why he had been out of reach for a bit of healthy sex all day.

Peering around every corner, careful not to be noticed by anyone – even though the only persons who could have noticed him were Delylah and Artemis the Third – Artemis crept towards the wine cellar where Mulch was supposed to be waiting for him already.

Sure enough, as he entered the cellar and switched on the light, his eyes fell on a dwarf who was holding his head under the tap on one of the wine barrels, dark red liquid disappearing down his throat. Even though Artemis had turned on the lights, Mulch didn't seem to take notice and continued slurping the wine.

The owner of Fowl Manor cleared his throat.

With a sigh, Mulch turned off the tap and gave the newcomer an upset look. "Killjoy," he mumbled. "You have no idea how much I needed some pick-me-up after all that I've gone through in the past two days, and then you come and…"

"Why, what exactly have you gone through in the past two days, Mulch?" Artemis asked coldly, taking a place on a stool nearby. He doubted that anything the dwarf had gone through could be nearly as bad as his current life.

"What?" Mulch snapped. "Are you asking me what? Well, take this, Arty boy: Haven is ruled by Opal Koboi and her idiot of a brother, Quartz Quench! They're terrorising the citizens, they are acting like a pair of dictators, a pair or tyrants! They even have the LEP on a leash! Don't ask me how and why Opal suddenly developed sisterly feelings for Quench, because I don't know, but I know that the situation is unbearable! Julius is dead – he died in the goblin revolution, as there hadn't been Holly and you to help him stop them! I have spent much more time in prison than in my normal life – actually five whole years at Howler's Peak – a wonder I'm still sane after all that! The point is that… You. Must. Do. Something. NOW!"

Artemis held up a placating hand. "I'm on it, Mulch. The time machine's modifications are almost ready. I hope to be able to go back in time right tomorrow – I mean, today – it's past midnight, after all. And just to inform you: my life here is just as much of a hell as yours is, so no reason to shout; especially because I don't want that harpy of a wife I have to awake and come investigate."

"Wife? Wait, let me guess: Delylah. She's your wife, isn't she?" Mulch still remembered Artemis muttering about some Delylah in his sleep on the plane ride back to Ireland.

"Unfortunately."

"Hmm… Delylah… Where have I heard this name before?" Mulch wondered, scratching his jaw.

"In case you've read the Bible or seen a film version of Samson and Delilah's story, well, then that's where you've heard the name," came the uneasy reply.

"What's the Bible?" The dwarf asked, making clear that he'd never read into it or seen a film adaptation.

"Never mind, it'd be too long to explain," Artemis sighed. "The point is that Delilah was a traitor who betrayed this man called Samson. She's the type I'd call a bitch."

"And I take your wife lives up to her name…?"

"More than you'd imagine," the Irishman said dryly. "I've been married to her for eight years. I have a son who hates me and a wife who keeps me as her sex slave. I have all the reason to want to change it back, and I'll do it, even if that's the last thing I do."

"No need to be so dramatic." Mulch waved. "Even if that's the last thing I do… Oh come on, Arty…"

An expression flashed across Artemis's face, but he quickly straightened his features. No need for Mulch to find out what he was planning.

"Okay, so, you're going back in time… but what about me?"

"You can't come," Artemis replied. "I don't have time to rebuild your time machine as well. I need to go alone."

"But, if you go alone, doesn't that mean that there'll be two Artemises after you changed things back? One that you save in Attila's era, and one that goes back to save him and the others?"

Again, Artemis's eyes held a peculiar look for a few seconds, then he shrugged. "And what if it happens so? Holly will be happy to have two of me…"

Mulch gave his friend a quizzical look. "You're not telling me something, Arty. I know that look, and it means you're hiding something from me."

"And what if I am?" The man said casually. "Everyone's entitled to have secrets."

"And what about me, Genius Boy? Won't there be two of me?"

"Would you mind if there was?"

The dwarf seemed contemplative for a few seconds, then an impish grin spread on his face. "I think not. Heh, actually, I think it'd be fun. Imagine the look on Julius's face when he sees two Mulch Diggums's! And as you just said: women would be happy to have two of us. My Opal surely wouldn't mind having two Mulchies to snuggle with… one from each side…"

Artemis resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Two Mulches, indeed… as if one wasn't enough… Then again, he wasn't even completely sure that there would really be two Mulches if he succeeded in changing things back… Time paradoxes were a bit difficult to understand, even for a genius.

But, of one thing Artemis was sure: there wouldn't be two of him if he could help it. The world could probably endure having two Diggums's, but of him, there could only be one.

The one and only Artemis Fowl.

Let Mulch believe that there would be two Artemises… The dwarf didn't necessarily have to know the whole plan.

"Listen, Mulch, could you get me a cam foil in a few hours?"

"Why do you need one?"

"Just answer me - can you or can't you?"

Mulch gave the genius a patronising stare. "What did you think of me? Mulch Diggums can steal anything."

"Right. Then do so and bring it here. Hide it somewhere behind the barrels and I'll come down and retrieve it in the morning."

"Tell you what, I don't like your secretiveness, Arty… Old friends tell each other things, you know."

Artemis's face seemed to soften a bit. "I do consider you a friend, Mulch. And that's exactly why I can't tell you everything."

With a sour expression, the dwarf nodded. "All right, I won't ask questions. I trust you, Arty. Do things well. Your cam foil will be here shortly."

"Thanks, Mulch."

Artemis watched the dwarf disappear into the soil, and let out a breath he had been holding. Of course he couldn't tell Mulch the whole plan… if he did, the dwarf might get the stupid-heroic idea of preventing him from carrying it out.

o o o O O O o o o

Artemis was more than relieved to find his bedroom empty when he returned there at one o'clock a.m. His mind was full of plans, his soul both anxious and hopeful at the same time, and under similar circumstances he always found it difficult to fall asleep, but this time – having missed the previous night's sleep completely - he managed to drop off as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He didn't sleep in too long, though, he was up at eight already. He quickly dressed, brushed his teeth and fished his favourite laptop out of a secret drawer.

Good, he thought. This is the very same laptop I had in my other life. This will make things fairly easy…

With that, he began to write an email.

o o o O O O o o o

Artemis decided to quit breakfast and approached the wine cellar by going down the back staircase, hoping that he'd manage to avoid an unnecessary encounter with Delylah or that spoilt little brat he was supposed to call his son.

In the cellar he found the camouflage foil that Mulch had promised, tucked behind one of the barrels.

He returned to his room the same way he'd gone to the cellar, and hastily packed a small suitcase with only a few things, the cam foil being the most important of all of them.

Now all he needed was to be able to sneak out of the manor without his family members noticing. However, he remembered not having a driving licence in this life, thus he needed to call a taxi. And if a taxi was waiting in front of the house, it surely wouldn't elude Delylah's attention…

Artemis booked a first class seat on a plane leaving for Budapest at 9.30 a.m., then called a taxi. He watched it from his bedroom window as the taxi arrived, and picking up his tiny suitcase, he hurried downstairs.

At the bottom of the staircase stood Delylah, leaning against the doorframe, looking rather miffed.

Artemis stifled a groan. He'd expected this, of course, but there had been a tiny flicker of hope inside him that maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't find out about his intentions to leave.

"Going somewhere, Precious?" she asked in a sugar sweet voice, but her expression was anything but sweet. Her eyes were glinting in a way that suggested she'd like to strangle him on the spot.

"Have to, Dear," Artemis replied, forcing himself to sound carefree. He even produced a smile. "Phonetix just called that they're interested in my latest invention. I'm meeting them in London, and-"

"Excellent, I've wanted to visit London for a while," she replied.

"What?" Artemis gasped. He'd planned everything so nicely, and couldn't let her ruin everything! "No, Sweetheart, you can't come. It's quite a… secret meeting, if you get my drift. Only the top leaders of Phonetix, and me."

"So what?" She asked with her arms akimbo. "While you're having a business meeting, I could ride the London Eye with Arty. I bet he'd be delighted to come along… He once said he wanted to see Madame Tussaud's too."

Heavens, nooooo…The Irishman sighed inwardly. Think, Artemis, think! You can surely get rid of her at the airport or something…

Artemis gave his 'wife' a smile. "Certainly, Honey. The plane to London leaves at ten o'clock. I'll quickly go online and book two more seats while you pack. Can you pack your things in ten minutes?"

"No problem, Love, you know I always have a suitcase packed, just in case…" Delylah grinned at him. "I'll go and tell Arty to pack a few things for himself. And if he leaves something behind, we'll just buy it for him in London."

"As you wish," Artemis said, and watched as the woman hurried upstairs. Great. Just great. Exactly what I needed… He fumed. Well, I have about ten minutes…

He quickly returned to his study and booked two tickets for Delylah and Artemis the Third for the London flight. Then he pulled his wallet, passport and the cam foil out of his suitcase. He tucked the first two into the inner pocket of his suit. Thankfully the cam foil was a brand new, never been used by anyone package, folded so neatly that it was barely bigger than his wallet. He tucked it safely into his other inner pocket. If he wasn't 'accidentally' groped by Delylah, she surely wouldn't notice that his suit was bulging a bit here and there…

With nothing really important left in his suitcase, he could easily leave it anywhere without making his family suspicious… Now he only had to talk Delylah into drinking a coffee at the airport before they got on the plane.

o o o O O O o o o

At ten past nine, Artemis was doing everything in his power to chat amicably with his wife, sipping a cappuccino. He tried to ignore the icy glances that Artemis the Third was sending his way, and proved to be a wonderful listener to Delylah's plans on what she and Arty would be doing in London.

"…and the Buckingham Palace, of course, we must see that one too! No, I'm not going to the Piccadilly Circus, it's full of doves, those pestilential creatures might hit me with their droppings…!"

You'd look better that way, Artemis thought, biting his tongue against the grin that wanted to spread on his face. Now, instead of a grin, his features tucked into a pained expression. "Ah, too much cappuccino, I think… I've got to visit the men's room."

He quickly stood up, leaving his suitcase at their table at the airport café. Had he not packed the most important things into his pockets, he would need to carry his suitcase with himself to the 'bathroom' now, and Delylah would surely find it suspicious. This way, however, he could simply walk round the corner, as if he were heading for the toilets, and once he was out of sight of his 'family', he could continue down the corridor towards the gate from which the plane to Budapest leaves in fifteen minutes.

"Fowl, sir?" the lady at the ticketing area asked, checking her list in the computer. "Yes, I see now, you booked a ticket online. Your credit card, please, sir."

Five minutes later, Artemis was comfortably sitting on a plane of Malév, the Hungarian Airlines, wondering whether Delylah thought he had a serious case of diarrhoea…

For the remaining ten minutes till the plane's departure, a little part of Artemis's mind kept worrying that Delylah might burst into the first class, shaking her fists at him and swearing that she'd immediately phone her father to get Artemis into jail…

These were probably the longest ten minutes in Artemis's life, but as soon as the plane set into motion, he let out a deep breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. No Delylah in sight, and there was still half an hour till the plane to London departed, so she might not even be looking for him for another ten-fifteen minutes, believing him to have a bad indigestion. And when she realises that he's nowhere to be seen (she probably even screws up her courage to look around in the men's bathroom), he'd be flying over Wales already.

With a satisfied grin, Artemis leaned back into his seat and watched the cerulean sky outside.

Everything was fine again… or would be fine again, soon. He managed to get away from his horrible wife and son, he was a free man again, and soon, he'd change history back the way it was supposed to be.

Then suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind like a lightning, numbing him. What if Delylah indeed phoned her father? What if the old criminal was right now calling the Irish Police? What if the Irish Police found out he'd gone to Budapest? What if, getting off the plane, he would be running into the waiting arms of the Hungarian Police?

Don't even think of it, Artemis, he told himself. Delylah loves you. She will surely want to punish you for disappearing, but she'll be curious enough to find out the reason for your disappearance from you personally, and she'd want to do it somewhere else, not in a prison…Artemis exhaled. Yes… no one will be waiting for me at Ferihegy. No one… Delylah doesn't want me in prison. She wants me in her bed instead…

Sometimes you just try to persuade yourself of something that not even you believe in, but Artemis couldn't do anything else but fall back on this tactic, otherwise he would have gone mad.

He spent the rest of the flight in a half-worried, half-hopeful state, but as soon as the plane landed and he had to get up from his seat, he realised that his legs were shaking.

Get a grip, Fowl! What if the Police catch you? They won't immediately take your time machine away, believing it to be a mere watch, and you could activate it and escape from them through time with no problem!

This idea calmed him a bit, and he walked down the ramp with his head held high.

In the arrivals area where he had to show his passport to the local authorities, it turned out that no one had notified the Hungarian Police of one Irish criminal they were supposed to catch.

However, his anxiety didn't leave Artemis as long as he crossed the terminal for the taxi rank. He kept looking around, expecting an attack from every possible direction.

Oh, be a man, Fowl! No one's going to attack you! Stupid little Delylah has no idea where you are, and it will take her some time to figure out which plane you left on! Anyway, she might be on a plane to London right now, fuming that you escaped, but looking forward to riding the London Eye with your obnoxious son!

Actually, Artemis thought the latter possibility was more likely than the first. Delylah had her own credit cards (one from Artemis, one from her father) and she would surely be glad to spend as much money in London as possible.

Thankfully this time Artemis managed to get a taxi driver less talkative than last time he needed a ride to the Western Railway Station. He didn't feel up to chatting at all, as he was still too nervous – both about his sudden need to escape from Delylah and because of The Plan. If he screwed something up – just one little detail – then all was for nothing. He simply couldn't afford to make a mistake.

o o o O O O o o o

He arrived at Szeged early in the afternoon. From aboard the InterCity, he'd phoned the hotel he had stayed in last time and booked a room. The hotel receptionist must have remembered his name or face because she greeted him as a regular.

As soon as he was in his room, Artemis immediately wrapped himself in the camouflage foil and set his time machine to three p.m., 20th April, 453, this time taking into account that there were three missing centuries. That way he'd end up in the proper time, not in the second century.

Before he could have pushed the 'GO' button, he caught himself hesitating. I've come this far… I've escaped from that wench, I can't chicken out now!

But if I screw something up, then both of us might die… both Artemises…And then who will bring Holly and Patrick back?

A sudden wave of despair washing over him, he closed his eyes and propped his face in his palms. Everything in his mind seemed to be hazy and unsure… then, out of the haze, Holly's smiling face emerged. Her smile was radiant, heart-warming, and almost painful to look at.

I can't lose you… I need you, Holly. You're my life, my everything…

His eyes still closed, Artemis reached out towards the hazy image of his wife, but his fingers grasped the thin air.

With a sigh, he opened his eyes. He had to take the risk. For Holly, he'd do anything. "Alea yachta est," he murmured, and pushed the 'GO' button.

o o o O O O o o o

He landed at the same spot he, Patrick and Mulch usually landed when making a journey into Attila's time: a small clearing covered with a thick carpet of daisies.

So far it's working, Artemis told himself, feeling a bit relieved. He was at the same time with his other self, and he felt totally all right. He just hoped that his other self, who, in this very moment must be hiding behind the bush near the riverbed, was all right too.

Artemis set off in the northern direction.

In about an hour he reached the edge of the forest and peered out onto the empty riverbed. The rectangular hole was there in the mud, waiting for Attila's triple coffin. And, there were voices coming from a nearby bush's direction.

"I'm bored," came Mulch's voice out of thin air.

"Me too," Patrick replied, now sounding much less enthusiastic than when he'd been trying to convince his father to let him come see the funeral.

However, just by hearing his son's voice, Artemis's heart began to beat quicker. In this time, the boy was alive and well, only a bit weak due to his injuries.

What Artemis would have done to shrug his cam foil off and hug the boy! But he knew he had to hold back. The Other Artemis – the one who was crouching under the same foil with Patrick and Mulch – would be frightened to see himself coming out of the woods. The Other Artemis wasn't supposed to find out he was here – not yet, anyway.

Hours passed, and Artemis knew that soon Fiona would arrive, so he retreated a bit into the forest. And indeed, soon Mulch left for his little 'investigation', and Fiona arrived to question The Other Artemis and Patrick about their decision to return.

For a few minutes they were amicably chatting, then they fell silent to watch the funeral procession arrive.

Artemis knew that it was only a matter of minutes until Mulch appeared with the Huns shooting at him, and he retreated even deeper into the forest, hoping that he remembered the exact route they had used to flee from their pursuers.

Three or four minutes later the undergrowth rustled, signalling that someone was coming.

Mulch burst into the woods, with the invisible Fiona, The Other Artemis and Patrick in tow.

"What… the heck… was that… about?" The Other Artemis questioned the running dwarf.

"Sorry, Arty… I… ate something that didn't… allow me to tunnel… my way back to you, so I… had to run… and those Huns… noticed me, and… Oops!"

Mulch, just like in Artemis's memories, trod on the hem of the cam foil, exposing The Other Artemis, Patrick and Fiona.

The Huns behind them let out a vicious holler.

Patrick stumbled and collapsed.

Artemis knew that the time had come for him to act. He sidled as close to the others as possible, careful not to tread on the hem of his cam foil.

The Other Artemis dropped to his knees next to the boy to scoop him up, and even Mulch doubled back to see if he could help, but before they could have done anything, Patrick's hand dived into his shirt and fished out a tiny object. "Hold onto me. All three of you," he gasped.

"What?"

"Just… do… it!" the boy snapped as another few arrows shot past them.

The Other Artemis, Fiona and Mulch obliged.

Another arrow swooped towards them just as the boy pressed a key on the tiny object in his hand. Artemis, under his cam foil, lurched forward, his eyes fixed on the arrow, his genius mind calculating its trajectory.

The next instant he felt a piercing pain in his back. At the same second, the others vanished.

Sinking to his knees, Artemis let out a relieved sigh. They had made it. And Fiona was unhurt, so Patrick would live.

They're going to save you, Holly… Artemis thought, his mind getting foggier by the second. Yes, they're going to save you, my Love.

He collapsed onto the ground, too tired too keep his eyes open, but his ears were still functioning. He heard as the Huns ran past him, not noticing his foil-covered body, not even with an arrow sticking out of it. Probably they thought that the arrow was embedded into the ground, not into an invisible body.

There were a few frustrated yells as the Huns realised that they had lost their prey, but soon even the yells grew fainter, along with the noise of feet thumping across the undergrowth.

And finally, complete silence fell on the forest.

Mission completed, Artemis thought, and with a satisfied smile on his lips, he passed away.