I'm going to clarify a bit here- this fanfiction has already been written up to Chapter 10 and published on AFC. I haven't edited the early chapters for a while, and Thalia's character shows more depth as the story continues. But I'm still not happy with the way she acts in Chapter 1, so I'm going to edit a bit. I'm also going to throw in a bit more of a background eventually.

But anyway, here is the latest (not really, but it's the latest chapter here) chapter!

Chapter 3

I waited in the entryway for our allies to arrive. When they did, I couldn't help feeling disappointed- just a little boy wearing long, flowered robes and a tall, scruffy man.

I turned to Artemis. "Are these really Foaly and No1?"

The man let out a strange laugh, not unlike a whinny. As he stepped into the manor, he evaporated and in his place was a centaur. The little boy turned into a strange creature that I recognized as a demon from the pictures Artemis had shown me.

No1 stared at me with protuberant eyes the same colour as the sparks Holly had used to heal a scratch on my arm. "I like her," he pronounced to Artemis. "Her hair is curly like Minerva's, but she smiles nicely. You should kiss her, Artemis!"

Artemis stared at the little warlock demon. "Hurkk…"

The little demon embarked on a speech about the word "hurkk," and what Artemis may have meant by it. I stared – this crazy little being with a penchant for synonyms was a powerful warlock? I understood the full extent of his powers when he asked about protection for the manor.

"You want protection like this?" he said, encased in a glowing blue sphere.

Artemis recovered from the indignity of saying "hurkk" soon enough. He and the fairies went to the library with Butler and Holly to discuss the security, so I went back to my quarters. On the way, I bumped into a blonde girl with glitter green eyeshadow. She looked at me a bit strangely and continued on her way, presumably to the library.

I soon found that my quarters had been invaded. A scruffy little man sat at the kitchen table, eating the contents of my refrigerator. "Arkhh, oowoo?" he mumbled, chewing something. He cleared his throat. "And who are you?"

"Thalia Peterson. I'm just here for…" I trailed off. What was I here for? Why was it necessary that I stay here? I hadn't been through anything like this before; I couldn't help in any way.

The little man looked at me strangely as I burst into tears. He left the room, saying something along the lines of "Well, this is my room when I stay here, but I guess I'll just find another one..."

I felt horrible. I had intruded on Artemis's hospitality, kicked the little scruffy man out of his room… wait, Artemis's hospitality. He had insisted that I come along… for what? To wait for the mind wipe? If so, why had he told me his entire plan, about the fairies, about the siege, about his life? Why did a complete stranger seem to trust me? Was I just along for the ride, a bystander that was of no significance to the overall plan?

I realized that I was being a hypocrite. I had trusted complete strangers. I was staying in their house!

I calmed down and dried my tears. I decided to leave the manor, and realized for the first time that my parents would be worried sick.

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Artemis was fatigued, but satisfied. The combined actions of No1 and Foaly made it so that nobody could enter the manor without express permission, and they were scanned with dozens of different types of cameras for weaponry. The LEP squad assigned to the Fowls had been given more advanced weaponry, and the Fowls were now contained within one wing of the house. Artemis's mother had protested, but given up when she realized that being underfoot while a military operation was going on was unwise.

But he was still worried. The LEP were having difficulty working as a result of the different points of view on Opal. LEPretrieval was in turmoil, as Retrieval One was against the siege and wanted to track down Opal the younger. The work of its members wasn't up to their usual standards. Several fights had broken out, and rumours of police strikes were circulating.

And he was worried about Thalia. If she had second thoughts about staying, left the manor, and Opal found her… the results could be catastrophic. He would find her right away.

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I picked up the phone and dialed a taxi service. My ride would be pulling up to the Fowl garage in an hour, and once anybody thought to look for me I would be gone. They would have no way to track me- they didn't know where I lived or anything but my name. I had told them nothing. My parents would be told a lie explaining my disappearance, and my life would go on normally.

Once the hour was up, I put on my shoes and cardigan, walking out to the Fowl garage without looking back.

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Artemis walked to her quarters, but she was gone. Her bed was made, everything left tidy, and on the chair in the living room was the set of Juliet's outgrown clothes that Thalia had worn.

"D'Arvit," he swore, but he wasn't really angry, just worried. He realized that it wasn't the outcome of the siege that he was worried about at the moment, it was Thalia.

Artemis ran through the manor and out the front door. He could see her walking through the gardens, past the hedgerows and the rosebushes.

He ran to her, and she ran away, through the winding paths and gardens. Finally she stopped on the Japanese bridge, and he could see that she was crying.

Artemis did the only thing he could- he held her. Thalia shook, tear tracks running down her face, her red-brown hair falling out of the neat ponytail she had put it in. After what had seemed like an eternity, she stopped. Artemis let her go gently, and she stood up, but then slumped onto the wooden bridge as if staring at the water lilies. He felt his face burn.

Thalia sniffled, and Artemis looked at the ground. He fumbled in his pocket with unsure fingers, finding his freshly washed handkerchief. Artemis put his hand on her shoulder and she stood.

Artemis did the only thing he could. He awkwardly handed her the handkerchief.

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I looked down at the ground, reaching out a hand to take Artemis's handkerchief. I was afraid that he would leave me, but he stayed, standing on the bridge next to me.

Taking a shuddering breath, I wiped the tears off of my face.

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After several minutes, she spoke. "I'm sorry. I just… couldn't stand it. Feeling useless… not knowing why I'm here… just standing by while you talk about strategy and security… I wasn't contributing…" She was crying again, but silently, tears running down her face as she tried to speak.

Artemis took her hand. "Shh. It's okay." They stood on the bridge, and slowly her tears stopped.

"I… I felt… guilty, running off. My parents must be…"

Artemis smiled sadly. "When I disappeared, my parents were worried sick. I was going to talk to you after the meeting, get Holly to mesmerize them, but you were gone."

Artemis felt her hand in his. He looked at Thalia, and slowly turned towards the manor. "Let's get you inside."

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Artemis held my hand all the way back to the manor. Once we were inside, he let my hand go, saying "Once you feel better, would you mind a walk?"

"I'd like that."

I walked to my quarters, feeling conspicuous with my red eyes and tearstained face, but thankfully nobody saw me.

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Artemis sat in the foyer, wondering if Thalia would come. She did, finally, and they silently walked to the garden together. Thalia spoke, just as Artemis was about to comment on the rose arbor they had just walked under.

"I'm not fragile, you know. The last two days just sort of… overwhelmed me; the reality of it just all crashed on me at once. I'd just accepted the existence of fairies without a doubt; I was living in the house of somebody I didn't know and they were going under siege! I can't just stand by; I need to feel like I'm actually doing something. And my parents, I can't just leave them without saying goodbye. I felt like there was something wrong with me, forgetting about them like that."

He could tell that he had completely earned her trust. She felt completely safe. Before he could stop himself, the words came tumbling out, like the water in the stream that they had just walked past.

"When I told you about my adventures, I… I twisted the truth a bit…"

He told her the truth. When he was finished, Thalia looked him in the eyes. She tried to say something, but trailed off because there was a burly gnome behind her with a knife.

Is it OK? I know Thalia's character and this chapter aren't the greatest, but I'm editing them.