Chapter One: Underworld Deals

Miles underground, a certain sprite with few morals and a prejudice attitude heard of a boy by the name of Alexander Sylvian Artemis Fowl.

Fowl. Everyone had heard the name somewhere. It had been on the news, there had been programs made, and a book by Dr J Argon all with Fowl in the title. Of course, the mud man was divorced with three kids, after one of them had died. All those topics had been covered in the fairy headlines, but one, that had started turning heads just over a year ago and was still a hot topic of fairy government, scientists and civilians was his son, Alexander Fowl.

Civilians loved to gossip on Alexander Fowl. The news told them that he was the first magical human in thousands of years, after he had inherited the ability to hold his own magic from his father's magical theft in a time stream, but of course, the story was mutated horribly and a third of the underworld had been led to believe that Alexander Fowl was the result of a cross species relationship, though such an accusation was absurd, as the child's DNA was that of a human, with magical elements, and besides, cross species relationships were outlawed thousands of years ago, when the hybrids were found to be either insanely powerful, or incredibly inept.

Scientists were baffled, yet amazed by Alexander's transformation and

had quickly come to the conclusion that he must never have been fully human, explaining why his twin had fallen ill so easily and why he was so slow to develop.

And the government. They were the worst. Half of them saw Alexander as a threat that could have them found out. He, after all, was but a baby, physically and mentally, though his age said he was a toddler. He didn't know what he was doing. Fairy children sometimes turned their shield on without meaning. Imagine if a human child accidentally turned invisible in the street? Though then again, humans were so ignorant, they'd probably insist they'd never seen him in the first place.

Now, this prejudice, sprite with few morals went by the name of Felix Johansson. And Felix worked in the fairy equivalent of social services, child protection. And he, upon hearing about the Alexander Fowl case, signed himself up in a flash.

Haven Council. The Frond Monument Building. Thousands of Miles under Mexico.

Mr Ben Fleming held in his hands, all the information that the fairy council had on Alexander Fowl. The fairies did their job properly. Though the child was only two, there was a lot of paper in the file, with everything from his birth, down to the second he was born, every smidge of prescribed medication, any abroad travels, everything was in the file.

"I personally see no reason to actually take the boy from his family. Fowl knows that our civilization is at risk, I'm sure he'd submit to Alexander having his magic drained above having to submit him to a different species with the possibility of never seeing him again."

A few heads nodded approvingly. Most of them had children themselves.

Felix scoffed, turning heads in his direction. He raised his eyebrows before making his point on behalf of the rest of the fairies on his side of the case.

"Are we seriously trusting our lives on the doings of Artemis Fowl? Public enemy No. 1?"

"Now now, Felix. Artemis was public enemy No. 1 for a year, decades ago."

"Old habits die hard," growled the sprite.

"I don't think you're thinking this through, Mr Johansson. Alexander is little more than a baby, and you want to take him from his family. It's not necessary. And, for goodness sake, you are the one working in the Child Protection Sector. You know how hard it is to get a lawful reason for the removal of a child from it's parents."

"Magical draining is painful!" He countered.

"I think a few minutes of pain can be substituted for living in a fairy children's home for the rest of his life."

"He could be adopted. Fostered."

An elderly female elf snorted. "Like anyone's going to take in a human boy."

There was a silence, and after she could take it no longer, a timid pixie who seemed to shrink in her seat spoke up.

"I know who might."

The elf who had previously spoken looked sour at the contradiction.

"And who would that be?"

"Holly Short."

France. Niece

Minerva hated herself for having to submit to Artemis for what was, when you got down to it, parenting advice, but she couldn't take Alexander any longer, and he obviously held all the answers.

"Minerva? Is something wrong?"

Minerva huffed. "Why is it that as soon as I call you, something is wrong?"

"Why else would you be calling me right now?"

"Fine, whatever, Artemis. I need to ask you something."

Artemis sighed. He had seen this coming. "Is it about Alexander?"

Minerva began to feel herself getting annoyed at Artemis. For some reason, since her divorce, she got angry with him easier. So he had foreseen problems with Alexander? She seethed silently while her voice remained the same.

"As a matter of fact Artemis, it is. Regarding his sleeping pattern. And I mean sleeping in the loosest sense of the word. Care to explain?"

Artemis cleared his throat nervously. This was going to go badly.

"Yes. Every four to five days I tend to give him a light tranquilizer. Now I know what you're thinking. I don't put him to sleep on them, it simply, how should I put it, tames is magic and allows him to sleep, otherwise he frets and becomes teary over pointless things. His human body needs sleep, but his fairy mind works overtime."

Minerva was, to say the least, fuming.

"You've been drugging my son since he became magical - since he was a baby?"

"Now, Minerva, I wouldn't call it drugging-"

"I would. What have you been using? Valium?"

Artemis snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. That Calpol stuff works a treat."

Why didn't you just say that at the beginning?

"You know what, Artemis? Sometimes, I think you're working me up."

"Now Minerva-"

"Oh bugger off," Minerva said almost to herself as she hung up.

Minerva had been about to turn around when someone short ran into her legs.

"Alex!"

She looked down to see eight year old Matthew Hays sitting at her feet.

"Oh. What is it Matty?"

"Annie 'Nerva, Alex's bein' naughty!"

Mark had insisted, even though Minerva was no relation to the boy, that Matthew called her Auntie Minerva, which, in his hurry, often came out in an array of Annie somethings.

Domovoi stood a few meters away, scowling. "You," he said, pointing

at Matthew, "are such a grass."

Samantha came bounding over.

"Before you," she hissed, pointing at Matthew, "start, Alexander didn't do anything, and who were you talking to?"

"You're father- what happened?"

Matthew piped up before Domovoi could get a word in.

"Alexander kicked me!"

Samantha wanted to hit the little suck-up who sat at her mother's feet.

"He did not you little liar! You just hate him! He tripped!"

Minerva held up her hands in submission before Domovoi could start yelling his head off.

"Okay, okay. Where's Alexander?"

Samantha pointed behind her to where Alexander was huddled in a little ball on the huge lawn infront od his mother's house. Samantha glared at Matthew before continuing.

"He's over there crying because he was scared you were going to grass on him, which you have and he thinks he's going to get told off."

Matthew tugged on Minerva's trouser leg. "He kicked me! He kicked me!"

"Matthew stop it."

"But he kicked me!"

"Matthew shut up you little-" Domovoi started.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, all of you!"

Mark had appeared beside Minerva almost out of no-where holding Alexander who was hiccupping and sniffing, seeming to have forgiven the man for last-night's ignorance.

"Matthew, what have I told you about being a snitch? Alex is little more than a baby, he wouldn't trip you up on purpose."

Matthew shot his father a sour look. Domovoi and Samantha were still stony faced. Mark sighed.

"Look, let's go to the park or something, try to play without fighting."

Domovoi and Sam were finding it hard to believe that the four of them could get along, but Alexander's face lit up so Domovoi went to fetch his football while Samantha took Alexander.

"Coming?" She asked her mother. Minerva shook her head.

"I need to talk with your father."

"Bitter sweet?" The nine year old asked, grinning.

"I suppose you could put it like that."

Samantha got down on one knee, still holding Alexander, and broke into song.

"Never mind, I'll find, someone like you. I wish nothing but the best, for you, too. Don't forget me, at best, I'll remember you said; sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead-"

Minerva scowled. "Samantha stop it."

Sam grinned hugely and Alexander clapped clumsily, his hands occasionally missing each other.

"Come on Sam, we're going!"

Samantha turned to see Dom, Matthew and Mark already crammed into his little Cleo. Samantha ran after them, Alexander waved goodbye to his mother over her shoulder. Minerva waved back once and turned back towards the huge, empty house.

The car journey to the park little more than half an hour away was crazy. Samantha tuned into a radio station that spoke English and made a point of singing every song that she knew when it came on, Matthew was constantly trying to get his attention, Domovoi was trying to spin his football on his finger and Alexander bounced up and down on his booster seat gibbering about nothing in particular.

"Domovoi, please, don't do that while I'm driving," muttered Mark as the ball fell onto the gear stick for the fourth time. Domovoi shrugged and dropped his ball in the well. Mark let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. He'd been expecting a back answer.

"Samantha, honey, your singing's lovely, but tone it down a little, please?"

Samantha grinned, her face displaying pure cheekiness. "You like it really don't you though?" she accused, and went back to her song.

Mark left it at that since he could sense her rebelling if he mentioned it again. He'd been disarmed in seconds by a nine year old. God, the girl was her father all over again.

"Shut up Alex!" Matthew whined from the back, putting his hand over Alexander's mouth. Being only young, he didn't seem to get the fact that he was stopping Alexander from breathing until the boy bit his hand.

"Aaagh! Dad! Alex bit me!"

Domovoi and Mark turned around at the same time.

"Snitch," Domovoi sneered. Mark couldn't defend Alexander against his own son this time, since you could see the bite marks on Matty's

hand.

Alexander had stopped talking to himself after Matthew had forced him to shut up, but for a reason Mark and Dom couldn't see, his eyes went as wide as saucers and he began pointing behind them and babbling. Samantha followed her brother's finger and saw a red BMW skid across the road infront of them. She yelled at Mark to turn around and by the time he did, the only thing he could do was swerve out of the way, across the other lane of traffic coming their way and off the side of the road, going so fast that despite him putting on the breaks, the car tipped onto its side before grinding to a halt.

Alexander shook his head to clear it. He seemed to be in a sideways world. It took him a moment to realise that the car had flipped. He looked around him. Matthew was sitting as straight as he could, his fists curled around his booster seat, his eyes staring straight ahead in shock. Mark appeared to be semi-conscious, but unharmed and Samantha had her hands over her mouth, her face white, staring at something that clearly sickened her. Alexander followed her gaze to find it resting on Domovoi, being so tall his head had slammed onto the car frame where the top of the door met the car before smashing his face off the dashboard, which was now covered in blood.

Alexander recoiled, and after a moment of fiddling with it, undid the clasp on his seat. Clumsily, he clambered over everything in his topsy-tervy world which didn't extend past their car, and reached his brother just as a crowd started to gather.

He pushed Domovoi back, struggling with his brother's weight against his own short stature. His nose. Blood was gushing from his brother's nose at an alarming rate and Samantha actually retched at the smell. If Domovoi had been awake, he would have vomited by now.

Alexander placed his hands on Domovoi's face. No way was he sticking his fingers up his brother's nose.

Alexander didn't need to utter a word. His magic almost seemed to read his mind when it responded to his thoughts, mostly concerning what the young boy could see, which was mainly blood, and so it stopped the bleeding, but Alexander hadn't thought for a moment that Domovoi's nose clearly broken, the lower half of the bone in his long nose sticking out at a dodgy angle. Alexander didn't notice under the blood but Samantha saw it and understood that Alexander had just healed the bone in its broken position, rounding it off and fusing it together, but with one half fused to the side of the other and not to the end.

Matthew didn't notice any of this, since he was too mesmerised by the

glowing amber blob on Domovoi's nose.

And of course, magic in front of ignorant humans was a crime.

And it all went in the file.

And miles below ground, all Felix Johansson needed was a reason.