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Description
Chapter 4

   Artemis could see Thaila slowly walking up the driveway towards Fowl Manor on the video screen. She quite relaxed, but her companion, Phoebe, was tense. Her knuckles were white around her bow and she had one arm ready to reach her silver arrows at a moment's notice.
  They both stopped about halfway between the gate and Fowl Manor.
   "I don't like this." Phoebe muttered
   "Why? He didn't exactly sound like a threat," Thaila replied "Actually he sounded like he was peeing himself."
'Good,' Artemis though 'The plan worked. They had managed to get the girls into a feeling of false security.' Artemis felt like an evil laugh.
   "But," Phoebe said, on screen. "He's a male. We should still be careful, This guy could kidnap us or something."
   The word kidnap caused both Holly and Artemis to flinch. They had tried to forget their past, but sometimes it just came back.
   Foaly looked at the camera lens underground "Now let the plan begin!" he neighed, trying to break the awkward silence "I'll call Holly when I have more information." And with that, the centaur turned off his monitor.
   Artemis turned off the monitor on his end, as well before turning to Holly "Remember the signal." He said to Holly, who rolled her eyes at him.
   "I know what I'm doing, Arty." She said and ran off before Artemis could reply.
   Artemis walked bristly out of the entrance hall, pulling up the annoyingly baggy jeans as he went.
   He took quick, but uneasy steps towards the waiting girls, hoping Holly had done the same. The two girls frowned as he came closer. Artemis had already guessed what question they were going to ask.
   "Where's your bodyguard?" Thaila asked. That was the one.
   Artemis allowed a small, but uneasy smile. "H-he's here. You just can't see him."
   Phoebe studied the young man in front of her, wondering whether they had mistaken this boy for a demi-god when actually he was just slightly mad. It had happened before.
   Thaila took a deep breath "Right, Mr..."
   "F-Fowl, but j-just call me Artemis." That was Holly's signal. He just spotted her gracefully land from the oak tree she was in, only a twenty meters behind the girls. Holly moved quietly towards the group before stopping, waiting for Artemis's next signal.
   "Artemis?" asked Thaila
   "Y-yes." Artemis replied, frowning.
   Thaila stared at him suspiciously for a second before continuing "Ok, Artemis." She sound calm and soothing, but her words her layered with worry. "Do you know about Greek mythology?"
   Artemis nodded, hoping for some explanation about the Greek names and terms they kept using. With a scratch of his right arm, which was itchy any away, he signalled Holly to wait.
   "Well…" Thaila said with some hesitation "What would you say if I told you they're real. The Greek gods and goddesses are living in the modern world. Greek monsters are real, the good and bad ones, and the children of the gods are real to, you know Demi-gods. I'm one of them, a daughter Zeus." Thaila looked like she was going to say more, but stopped to study Artemis for a reaction.
   Artemis glanced to Holly in the bush, who raised a eyebrow at him. Artemis's first reaction was to assume these people where part of a weird cult or something and to dismiss them a crazy, but he couldn't help thinking there was some truth in this. Thaila's face looked anxious as if worried that Artemis wouldn't believe her. No she didn't look anxious she looked desperate, like she wanted to help, but Artemis's rational mind demanded proof.
   He was silent for a second, thinking of something to say. There wasn't a lot you could say after something like that. Artemis decided to stop playing the scared little boy and ask them some questions of his own.
   "And what would you say if I told you there is a underground civilization of fairies with a population of five million six hundred and thirty two, that are more technologically advanced at us, but chose not to invade the surface of the earth even though we, the humans, forced them underground thousands of years ago?" He said, with a characteristic smug smile. Just as his jeans slipped down a little more, which he quickly pulled up before anyone could notice.
   The two girls looked taken back from this for a second; this wasn't the scared little boy. As Artemis suspected they hadn't expected this reaction, which is why he said it, to catch them of guard.
   "I would say you're completely mad." The other girl Phoebe said,  well rather snarled
   "As I you." Artemis replied "Buts what's to say both our theories are corrected? Neither of us has any proof, apart from our word, that we are right, but we both have proof that the other is wrong."
   Neither of the girls said anything, they just stared at him with blank expressions.
   Artemis rolled his eyes "I'm asking you for evidence."
   "You will just have to take our word for now." Thaila said. She was acting more hostile now that she had found out Artemis's true colours.
   "And you have my word that fairies live deep underground." He raised his index finger and pinkie finger above his brow, the LEP salute, Holly's next signal to attack. Holly leaped into the air, her foot scraping the gravel on Fowl Manors driveway. The sound caused Phoebe to turn around; she quickly released the silver arrow that she had in her bow. It hit Holly in the shoulder, but the padding in her LEPrecon suit softened the blow. She pulled it out quickly with a grunt. Usually magic would repair the wound, but nothing happened.
    Holly unbuckled the gun strapped to her hip. It wasn't her normal Neutrino 5000, it was one of Butler's dart guns, since her Neutrino 5000 needed a magical battery to work.
   Holly didn't really want to knock out these to humans, but Artemis's plan called for it. It wasn't the first time she cursed him for being so ruthless.
   "Why is there a midget wood nymph attacking us!?" Thaila yelled
   "I'm and elf." Holly growled, suddenly she didn't mind shooting them. The first dart hit Thaila in the shin and the second in the arm. The sedative quickly set in and Thaila collapsed.
   "Did you kill her!?" Screamed Phoebe. Without even waiting for an answer she fired several arrows in a split second, all of which hit Holly. Holly gasped as pain exploded throughout her body, magic couldn't help her today.
  Phoebe turned and screamed at Artemis, tears in her eyes "Did you kill her!?" She fired three arrows at him, one grazed his check but the other two hit. Phoebe reached to fire more but she had run out.
   For one of the first times ever Artemis didn't know what to do; his friend was on the ground with several arrows in her, making her look like a dying hedgehog. Holly had died once before Artemis wasn't going to let that happen again.  Artemis rarely got angry, but now he was mad. Artemis brought back his fist and punched Phoebe in the head. He wished he hadn't, now his knuckle hurt.
   It was really a pathetic hit, but ay blow to the head causes momentary dizziness.
   Phoebe stumped on to her hands and knees sobbing. "First Zoë and now Thaila. I can't do anything. I can't do anything." She sobbed. Artemis grabbed Holly's fallen weapon and pulled the trigger three times and hope to god that it would hit, since Artemis was the worst shot in the world. The first dart missed as did the second, but the third buried it's self in to Phoebe's upper arm.
   "She's not dead." Artemis said as the sedative sunk in. "Just asleep."
   Phoebe collapsed onto the floor.
   There was silence apart from Holly's occasional groan.
   'Well that went better than expected.' Artemis thought.

Description
Chapter 4

   Artemis could see Thaila slowly walking up the driveway towards Fowl Manor on the video screen. She quite relaxed, but her companion, Phoebe, was tense. Her knuckles were white around her bow and she had one arm ready to reach her silver arrows at a moment's notice.
  They both stopped about halfway between the gate and Fowl Manor.
   "I don't like this." Phoebe muttered
   "Why? He didn't exactly sound like a threat," Thaila replied "Actually he sounded like he was peeing himself."
'Good,' Artemis though 'The plan worked. They had managed to get the girls into a feeling of false security.' Artemis felt like an evil laugh.
   "But," Phoebe said, on screen. "He's a male. We should still be careful, This guy could kidnap us or something."
   The word kidnap caused both Holly and Artemis to flinch. They had tried to forget their past, but sometimes it just came back.
   Foaly looked at the camera lens underground "Now let the plan begin!" he neighed, trying to break the awkward silence "I'll call Holly when I have more information." And with that, the centaur turned off his monitor.
   Artemis turned off the monitor on his end, as well before turning to Holly "Remember the signal." He said to Holly, who rolled her eyes at him.
   "I know what I'm doing, Arty." She said and ran off before Artemis could reply.
   Artemis walked bristly out of the entrance hall, pulling up the annoyingly baggy jeans as he went.
   He took quick, but uneasy steps towards the waiting girls, hoping Holly had done the same. The two girls frowned as he came closer. Artemis had already guessed what question they were going to ask.
   "Where's your bodyguard?" Thaila asked. That was the one.
   Artemis allowed a small, but uneasy smile. "H-he's here. You just can't see him."
   Phoebe studied the young man in front of her, wondering whether they had mistaken this boy for a demi-god when actually he was just slightly mad. It had happened before.
   Thaila took a deep breath "Right, Mr..."
   "F-Fowl, but j-just call me Artemis." That was Holly's signal. He just spotted her gracefully land from the oak tree she was in, only a twenty meters behind the girls. Holly moved quietly towards the group before stopping, waiting for Artemis's next signal.
   "Artemis?" asked Thaila
   "Y-yes." Artemis replied, frowning.
   Thaila stared at him suspiciously for a second before continuing "Ok, Artemis." She sound calm and soothing, but her words her layered with worry. "Do you know about Greek mythology?"
   Artemis nodded, hoping for some explanation about the Greek names and terms they kept using. With a scratch of his right arm, which was itchy any away, he signalled Holly to wait.
   "Well…" Thaila said with some hesitation "What would you say if I told you they're real. The Greek gods and goddesses are living in the modern world. Greek monsters are real, the good and bad ones, and the children of the gods are real to, you know Demi-gods. I'm one of them, a daughter Zeus." Thaila looked like she was going to say more, but stopped to study Artemis for a reaction.
   Artemis glanced to Holly in the bush, who raised a eyebrow at him. Artemis's first reaction was to assume these people where part of a weird cult or something and to dismiss them a crazy, but he couldn't help thinking there was some truth in this. Thaila's face looked anxious as if worried that Artemis wouldn't believe her. No she didn't look anxious she looked desperate, like she wanted to help, but Artemis's rational mind demanded proof.
   He was silent for a second, thinking of something to say. There wasn't a lot you could say after something like that. Artemis decided to stop playing the scared little boy and ask them some questions of his own.
   "And what would you say if I told you there is a underground civilization of fairies with a population of five million six hundred and thirty two, that are more technologically advanced at us, but chose not to invade the surface of the earth even though we, the humans, forced them underground thousands of years ago?" He said, with a characteristic smug smile. Just as his jeans slipped down a little more, which he quickly pulled up before anyone could notice.
   The two girls looked taken back from this for a second; this wasn't the scared little boy. As Artemis suspected they hadn't expected this reaction, which is why he said it, to catch them of guard.
   "I would say you're completely mad." The other girl Phoebe said,  well rather snarled
   "As I you." Artemis replied "Buts what's to say both our theories are corrected? Neither of us has any proof, apart from our word, that we are right, but we both have proof that the other is wrong."
   Neither of the girls said anything, they just stared at him with blank expressions.
   Artemis rolled his eyes "I'm asking you for evidence."
   "You will just have to take our word for now." Thaila said. She was acting more hostile now that she had found out Artemis's true colours.
   "And you have my word that fairies live deep underground." He raised his index finger and pinkie finger above his brow, the LEP salute, Holly's next signal to attack. Holly leaped into the air, her foot scraping the gravel on Fowl Manors driveway. The sound caused Phoebe to turn around; she quickly released the silver arrow that she had in her bow. It hit Holly in the shoulder, but the padding in her LEPrecon suit softened the blow. She pulled it out quickly with a grunt. Usually magic would repair the wound, but nothing happened.
    Holly unbuckled the gun strapped to her hip. It wasn't her normal Neutrino 5000, it was one of Butler's dart guns, since her Neutrino 5000 needed a magical battery to work.
   Holly didn't really want to knock out these to humans, but Artemis's plan called for it. It wasn't the first time she cursed him for being so ruthless.
   "Why is there a midget wood nymph attacking us!?" Thaila yelled
   "I'm and elf." Holly growled, suddenly she didn't mind shooting them. The first dart hit Thaila in the shin and the second in the arm. The sedative quickly set in and Thaila collapsed.
   "Did you kill her!?" Screamed Phoebe. Without even waiting for an answer she fired several arrows in a split second, all of which hit Holly. Holly gasped as pain exploded throughout her body, magic couldn't help her today.
  Phoebe turned and screamed at Artemis, tears in her eyes "Did you kill her!?" She fired three arrows at him, one grazed his check but the other two hit. Phoebe reached to fire more but she had run out.
   For one of the first times ever Artemis didn't know what to do; his friend was on the ground with several arrows in her, making her look like a dying hedgehog. Holly had died once before Artemis wasn't going to let that happen again.  Artemis rarely got angry, but now he was mad. Artemis brought back his fist and punched Phoebe in the head. He wished he hadn't, now his knuckle hurt.
   It was really a pathetic hit, but ay blow to the head causes momentary dizziness.
   Phoebe stumped on to her hands and knees sobbing. "First Zoë and now Thaila. I can't do anything. I can't do anything." She sobbed. Artemis grabbed Holly's fallen weapon and pulled the trigger three times and hope to god that it would hit, since Artemis was the worst shot in the world. The first dart missed as did the second, but the third buried it's self in to Phoebe's upper arm.
   "She's not dead." Artemis said as the sedative sunk in. "Just asleep."
   Phoebe collapsed onto the floor.
   There was silence apart from Holly's occasional groan.
   'Well that went better than expected.' Artemis thought.