Artemis Fowl: The Olympian Case

Ia: Ab Ovo

Holly Short wasn't having a good day.

She had been eager to get into rhythm with her daily routine as an invested LEPrecon officer when Foaly has alerted an intense concentration of magic in Fowl Manor for the past three days; such fluctuations have been common due to Artemis tampering with Faery technology. But this time, instead of short-term bursts, the magic emitted in the area was instead building up and radiating magic similar to that of nuclear reactor. Concern had come over the centaur, and thus pulled Holly out of her regular duties to investigate.

And here she was, outside Fowl Manor and groaning in both frustration and awe. "Do you see this, Foaly?"

"Of course, Captain. I have eyes, you know?" the centaur sarcastically retorted while furiously typing the keyboard in alert.

Normally, Holly had full permission to enter the manor as per agreement with Artemis. But this time a layer of intricate magical wards are blocking her access, one of which that seem to have layers of circuitry indentations similar to human electronics, yet displayed a strong and ancient aura of magic; quite alarming. Could this be another product of Artemis' latest invention?

It had been 8 months since the revival of Artemis Fowl, wherein in that span of time it took a month for him to recuperate and regain his former self, albeit a bit more fit and healthier than his old, pale body. He had decided to devote his time now in designing Hybrid technology in the pursuit of science and to prevent another ploy that could compromise the magical creatures that hide beneath the depths; of course, it wasn't completely out of goodwill than to safeguard his own interests and maintain his monopoly over being the only human to be in active cooperation with the People.

A contract was established for a constant flow of gold for funding his projects and personal interests, under the condition that he shares his technology with the People in full recording and thesis, which he surprisingly obliged.

Over the course of this partnership, Artemis has contributed data and contraptions, most of them dedicated to bio replication projects, which aimed to duplicate natural conditions from the surface to survive the underground. This gave Artemis a respectable reputation but is still classified as a dangerous individual, regardless of his heroism in the last escapade that nearly compromised them all. Even when he had been willing to discard his life to save the world.

He didn't mind this treatment though, as he found it to be an advantageous ground to be in.

Even Holly, one to be in good terms with the Mudboy, still has a reflexive guard against this "former" teenage criminal mastermind–though it was probably a result out of habit.

"Ah, this may interest you, Captain" Foaly announced, "The wards seem to be pulsing an extra phenomenal interface which generated photon magnification...in short, a forcefield that is mass-producible!"

"Oh...neat" Holly replied sarcastically, "So, how do I get in? Unless it's this force field that has been causing the ruckus?"

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart. The shield is actually numbing the magical release, so the true culprit is inside"

Holly blew through her nose in exasperation. Just before she could formulate a course of action, the door to the manor opened. A second later, Holly began shivering from the outburst of a cold breeze coming from the inside, instantly identifying it as concentrated magic. The person on the door was surprisingly Artemis, wearing his best suit and a pair of red-tinted shades, well-dressed for a formal party, or a business meeting to be exact.

"Artemis!" Holly started with a grin, but internally wary, mostly because she could literally see magic clinging to his person. This had been a common part of Artemis now after dawdling with technology of the People; but today it was especially dense, so much so that it actually started to take in a cloudy form.

"Ahh, Captain, a pleasant surprise," Artemis smirked, waving his newfound cane on his right hand and gestured inside, "Im assuming you've come to investigate the magical residue, although I had expected it two days prior. Do the People trust me that much to leave my personal business alone for a dangerous amount of time?"

"Save it, Mudboy, or I'll beat you to a pulp and mesmerize you to dance like a chicken"

Silence ensued for awhile, then they both barked in laughter. Holly flew to him and gave him a hug, one he returned happily. "It's good to see you, Artemis. It's been awhile"

"Yes...yes it has" he replied with a nod, "Come in then, don't worry; the shield won't interfere with communications, it would be a shame for Foaly not to witness my latest achievement yet"

"Oh boy, here we go" Foaly breathed in annoyance, but his tone betrayed his curiosity.

Holly went in and inhaled the dense air, hearing the door close behind her. "How do you feel?" Artemis questioned.

"...Refreshed. So much more so, like I've done the Ritual five times in a row!"

"I thought as much" Artemis nodded with confirmation, and began heading towards his studies.

"Where's Butler and your family?" Holly asked, knowing something this bold and powerful of such caliber may not go unnoticed even towards humans–considering the musk in the air seems to be accumulating due to the magic.

"I gave Butler a temporary leave, since he had business to attend to involving my father" Artemis waved his hand dismissively, "The rest of my family are currently on vacation and had gone sightseeing in China, with Juliet of course. Im not that fond at the moment for travel, and had volunteered to watch over the complex while they are away. They'll be back in a month or so, enough time to carry on my works and interests in peace"

"Shouldn't you worry about your safety? I mean, sure I gave you some pointers in hand-to-hand combat, but it doesn't merit you to go anywhere as you please" Holly quipped, looking once more at his build for evaluation.

Since he was transferred into his new body, one that is superior than the former, he was able enough to at least try out some form of defense for himself and start carrying some weight–much to Artemis' utter dismay.

He wasn't exactly muscular, and at first glance he still looked rather slim and stiff, but he was strong enough to at least take pistol recoil and throw a mean punch. After some neglect in workout though, he decided to swing with brass knuckles, mostly out of fear on damaging his fists. Butler allowed this, but under the condition that Artemis should pick up another weapon to learn, and his interest picked up on staff fighting, obviously since it didn't require much strength and effort to master, and relied more on skill and the power of physics. That, and also to add to his ego on carrying a cane around.

The cane was crafted out of Enchanted Wood supplied from Haven, that was light enough to carry like any ordinary staff but dense enough to break a skull. The cane was intricately carved with owl designs, a vain reflection to its master's intellect and nocturnal habits. It was also known that he fashioned some interesting gadgets into it, though he kept it under wraps as he wanted to show them off when the need arises.

"Nonsense! I truly do intend to keep my hands clean though, so do accompany me in my latest venture Captain" he replied nonchalantly as they arrived at his study, or what's left of it. The room had been filled with various wards and markings followed by various machines of different sizes, wired and connected to different symbols and generators.

"Wh-What is all this?" Holly asked in shock. As much as Artemis is a genius, he would never be an adept in the knowledge of magic, as it defies logic and especially since he wields no affinity to grasp the ability to manipulate such power, much to the relief of the entire world.

What catastrophe would it entail when this criminal teen of only (biologically) sixteen-years old be if he could shake the earth with forces that can defy machine with a mere flick of the wrist?

Bless his human heritage!