A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long... stupid writers block. Anyway... here is chapter 3. Hope you like it!!
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Eoin Colfer.
Chapter 3:
A few hours later, Artemis, Holly, Trouble, and Butler were seated around a large conference table in Fowl Manor. A large flat screen TV had been set up at one end of the table and Foaly's faces filled the screen. Artemis, seated at the other end of the table had his laptop open in front of him. His mother and father had taken the twins to the park for the afternoon.
Holly fidgeted nervously. She wanted to be doing something, not just sitting around talking and planning. "Can we get this meeting over with?" she said suddenly. "Opal Koboi is on the loose, probably planning to take over the world, and we're just sitting here."
Artemis sighed and closed his laptop. "Captain Short is right, of course. Time is of the essence." He turned to Trouble. "Commander, would you please describe everything that happened after I blew up the Kraken and buried Opal."
Trouble glared at Artemis, wondering why he was letting this Mud Boy order him around. His eyes shifted to Butler at the boy's side. Oh yeah, he thought, that's why. Trouble almost shivered, remembering the last time he had come face to face with Fowl's giant bodyguard. The massive human had taken out Trouble's entire LEP Retrieval team. He turned back to Artemis. "All right," he sighed and began his story.
Artemis listened intently as Commander Kelp described the events surrounding Opal Koboi's escape. It was mostly things that he already knew or had guessed. He glanced at Holly, wondering what she was thinking. She looked frustrated; Artemis knew how much she hated the planning stages of the operation.
"… So I told Foaly to triple the guard on our Opal, and call Holly. And here we are," finished Trouble lamely. It hadn't been a long story.
Artemis nodded to the Commander. "Good idea to increase the guard around the Present Opal. Past Opal will almost certainly try to break herself out of prison. You should also assign some officers to guard JayJay. It is unlikely that Opal will try to steal him again, but still a possibility. No1 should also have a LEP guard. Now that Opal knows more about time travel, she may attempt to kidnap him."
Trouble nodded and turned to Foaly. "You heard the Mud Boy, Foaly. I want full LEP guards for the lemur and No1 immediately."
"Yes sir," grumbled Foaly. He hated taking orders from Artemis Fowl.
Trouble turned back to Artemis. "Ok Fowl," he said, "What now?"
Artemis gave the Commander an evil grin, and one almost expected to see fangs. Trouble Kelp shivered. "Now," said Artemis, "we set a trap."
Holly perked up at the word "trap" and grinned back at Artemis. He really is a genius, she thought admiringly. Opal would never even suspect a trap. She would surely anticipate the extra guards, but
she would not expect anyone else to be clever enough to set a trap. Criminal masterminds never expected someone else to be as smart as them.
"What's the plan Artemis?" she asked.
The small smile he gave her was much kinder than the one he had just given Trouble. Holly caught her breath; that smile had reminded her of how Artemis had smiled at her right after she had saved him from the gorilla. Right before she kissed him. Shut up, she told herself firmly. This was not the time to get all emotional over memories. Thankfully, Artemis decided to answer her question at that moment, pulling Holly back to the present situation.
"I have not worked out all the details yet, but we will set a trap for Past Opal when she attempts to rescue Present Opal from prison." Artemis turned to Foaly, "In order to ensure the success of my plan, I will need detailed blueprints and information about the prison and guard of Opal Koboi."
Foaly couldn't resist a snide comment as he typed away on various unseen keyboards. "What, the great Artemis Fowl has to ask? You can't just hack into my files and steal them yourself?"
Artemis looked amused. "I could," he said, "but this will be faster."
Foaly frowned and continued typing. A few moments later he looked up. "Done."
Artemis quickly opened his laptop and downloaded the files. "Thank you, Foaly." He looked at the two elves and continued, "Now, I will need some time to construct a plan. You are both welcome to stay here for the night, if you wish. Butler can show you to our guest rooms."
Butler stood and headed for the door. Trouble and Holly rose from their chairs to follow, but Artemis put a hand on Holly's shoulder. "I need to speak with you Holly," he whispered.
Holly's heart fluttered when he said her name, but she simply nodded and sat down again. Once Butler and Trouble were out of earshot, Artemis turned to Holly.
Here goes nothing, he thought grimly. Artemis took a deep breath and blurted "Holly, my mother knows about the People."
Holly gasped and stared at Artemis in shock. "But… what… how?" she stuttered, at a loss for words. Then she glared at him. "You didn't tell her, did you?" she asked menacingly.
Artemis looked apprehensive. "Well, you see, when Opal was controlling my mother, she left some of her memories behind. My mother remembered what had happened to her, and wanted to know the truth. I had no choice but to tell her everything."
Holly blushed slightly. "Everything?" she asked.
Artemis blushed also, but it was more noticeable on his pale face. "Well, maybe not everything," he mumbled quietly.
Holly sighed and closed her eyes. Why was it so hard to stay mad at him? She should be furious; Artemis had betrayed the People's trust and told someone about them. She sighed again and opened her eyes to glare at the boy in front of her. He waited apprehensively to see how she would respond. "Alright Fowl, I'm not going to punch you now, but if this blows up in my face…"
Artemis sighed, relieved. If Holly was threatening him with bodily harm, she had already accepted the situation. He smiled at her. "My mother promised not to tell anyone, not even my father," he said soothingly. "But she also wants to meet you… to thank you."
Holly rose from her chair and headed toward the door. "I guess I should have expected that," she said over her shoulder.
Artemis watched her leave and felt himself relax; that had gone better than he expected.
A/N: So, I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!! Personally, I think there is something wrong with this chapter, but I can't figure out what. Any advice or constructive criticism is welcome! Especially advice about the characters! I'll try to have another chapter up soon. Also, I need ideas for chapter titles. Any suggestions?