A/N: I'm sorry this took so long, and I wrote it the day after pulling an all-nighter, I kid you not. So if you see any grammatical mistakes . . . feel free to point them out.

This chapter is dedicated to Klicker'andKash , a new reader and reviewer! R&R everybody! (And for those of you who don't like the story, I'm sorry. If you think I can't write for this fandom . . . well, don't read the story.) I DO accept CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, but DO try to put something you liked about the story in there too, so I don't feel like a failure . . . :(

Disclaimer, I DO NOT own Artemis Fowl, oh well. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Holly was woken a few hours later by a little demon, and she'd never felt so relieved. "I'm so glad you're here!" she said, throwing her hands around Number One's neck.

"I'd like to say I'm glad to be here, but . . ." the demon trailed off, gesturing to Artemis. Holly nodded as she slipped off the bed, landing next to Number One on the soft carpet. She noticed that Artemis' father's chair was empty, and guessed that the man had gone to get something to eat. The two magical beings were alone in the room with Artemis.

"Foaly said you'd tried to heal him, and it didn't work," Number one said. "Do you know anything about why it didn't?"

"I think it has to do with something about the fact that this has never happened before; a human resisting the Mesmer, especially with Glimmer Vendera's magical prowess."

"What do you know about Glimmer Vendera?" Number One asked. "I mean, it'll be easier for me to find her magic if I know more about her. Magic can sometimes reflect the personality of the fairy that it comes from."

"Well, first of all, she's half-elf and half-sprite."

"That's . . . unusual," Number One noted, which was true. Normally, elves married elves, sprites married sprites, and so on. There were very few couples where the two fairies in question were from different fairy sub-species. (And no couples where a dwarf married someone who wasn't a dwarf.)

"She was cruel, didn't mind who she hurt, she just wanted to destroy the humans. She thought, I don't know, she thought she was freeing us from some oppressive state. I didn't have a ton of contact with her, the point was to stay out of her sight in order to gather information to somehow stop her from massacring a bunch of humans." Holly paused, glancing at Artemis. "She didn't just want to kill all the humans though," she said quietly. "She wanted to enslave them, force them to pay us back for all the years we'd been stuck underground."

"So she's like Opal Koboi, a complete nut job?" Number One asked, surprising Holly.

"Um . . . yeah . . .?" she said. She hadn't really been expecting the term 'nut job' to come out of the demon warlock's mouth.

"I've been spending time with some of the junior LEP members," Number One said, as if it explained everything, which, Holly supposed, it kind of did.

Number One walked so he was standing next to Artemis. "I don't know how much, if any, I can help him," he said nervously. "Like Foaly said, Artemis isn't exactly human anymore. I mean, he does have some of your genetics from the time tunnel switch, not to mention the magic. And . . . the Mesmer . . . well, it's not easy to fight."

"You'll do fine, you always do. And anything you can do for him . . . if it gives us time to find Glimmer Vendera, it could mean everything."

The little demon nodded, placing his small hands on either side of Artemis' face. "This will take a while," he said, and closed his eyes. Red sparks skittled from the demon warlock's fingers, sinking into the human's closed eyes. Quietly, Holly left.

She made her way to the kitchen, only just realizing how hungry she was. She entered to find the whole Fowl family, along with Juliet and Butler, seated around a large dining table. When Juliet saw the elf, her concerned expression morphed into a sudden smile.

"It's so nice to see you Holly," she said, hugging the elf. "I came as fast as I heard."

"Nice to see you too, Juliet," Holly said fondly, returning the embrace. Holly had had an odd affinity towards the human girl since her own kidnapping. Her easy-going personality and ready heart; Holly was glad Juliet had decided not to become a bodyguard. It wasn't her calling.

"I saw Number One on his way to the room," Butler said from where he sat, rigid in his seat.

"He might be able to help, but he says it might take a little while," Holly said, jumping into the seat between Juliet and Beckett.

"So Artemis gonna get better today?" asked Beckett as he stuffed a whole sausage in his mouth. Myles looked vaguely disgusted by his brother's eating habit.

Holly considered the question. What should she say? Should she say yes, get their hopes up even if they might be beaten down again? Or say no and condemn them all to hours of fruitless worrying. "Probably," she said finally.

"Good." Beckett said. Myles remained silent, and Holly could see the worry in the creased brow of the young boy. That one really was a mini-Artemis, and not just in looks. He worried too much. And he cared about his family before all else.

"You want anything to eat, Holly?" Juliet asked into the small silence.

"Fruit, if you have any," Holly said, with a little wink.

"You know the answer to that one," Juliet said, one corner of her mouth turning up in a half-smile. She left to go to the kitchen.

"This . . . Number One fellow," Artemis Senior said. "He's the demon warlock?" The wary expression on his face confused Holly for a second, before she remembered that humans thought of demons as being evil.

"Yes," Holly said. "Artemis helped Number One bring his people back from limbo just before they all would have been wiped out of existence. Number One is the most powerful warlock in . . . well, maybe ever. If anyone can heal Artemis, he can."

And what do we do if he can't? The question hung heavily in the air, but no one said anything. Myles seemed aware of the unease, but Beckett was shoveling pancakes into his mouth without a care in the world, or so it would seem.

Juliet brought Holly a bowl of fruit, picking up on the atmosphere right away. Apparently, Juliet was the twin's designated caretaker when she was at the manor, because she took Beckett and Myles away, saying they needed fresh air. Beckett complained loudly about his unfinished breakfast, but his twin simply slipped quietly from his chair. Something about the quiet obedience told Holly that Myles knew more than he let on.