Hi everyone! I am SO sorry for not getting an update done for this story done sooner! It has been a crazy few months for me. As many of you know, at my last update I was about six months pregnant. Well, I had the baby! She was born on September 1st, which I am sure most of you know is also Artemis' birthday. Super fitting that my baby would share a birthday with one of my all-time favorite characters. Anyways, my time recently has been spent mostly adjusting to motherhood and all that goes with it. I think (at least for now) I have found a pretty predictable pattern for our day, so I have been able to start writing a little more regularly again. It was very strange to be writing this again, and I'm not fully satisfied with how this turned out, but I hope it's just me feeling rusty with this story. Hope you all enjoy, and I hope to be updating again soon.
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    After a good night's rest, the group began to prepare for the rally the next day. Alex spent several hours at the firing range, practicing her shot and getting her gun sighted just as she had said she would. Butler had joined her, and had advised her on her shot. Holly discussed the plan of action with Trouble and Foaly. Sebastian found it necessary to bug Alex most of the day about the unusual kiss they shared the day previously, even though it was unwise for him to do so while she brandished a weapon. For a lack of anything for them to really do, Artemis and Diana seemingly disappeared for a good portion of the day, and many of the group hoped Diana was giving him a good lecture about this whole mess.

    The group met back up at five in the evening. They sat around a table in the conference hall, waiting for Holly to debrief them on what was to occur that night. Holly stood at the end of the table, looking out at her less than ideal team. It wasn't all that she was hoping for, but she supposed if she had to have human help these would be the ones she'd want. The group talked amongst themselves for a moment until Holly got their attention by clearing her throat. Almost immediately, the hall grew quiet.

    "Alright, I hope you all enjoyed your day and used it wisely," Holly emphasized. "We have a lot to do in a short period of time if we want to make the eight o'clock rally time. So pay attention and do what you're told."

    Alex sat in her chair between Diana and Sebastian, spinning around like a bored child. "So what exactly are we gonna do, Holly?"

    "Well, first of all, we all know that we are not going to be able to just bring humans to a fairy extremist rally," Holly began. She bent over to pick up a large box from the ground next to her, setting it down on the table. "So, while not foolproof, Foaly has thought it best we cover you in cam foil. After scoping the event location- which we determined is The Stonehenge- it appears there's a severe lack of cameras."

    The humans exchanged glances as Holly began tossing them each a bag with their own sheet of cam foil. Artemis pulled out a corner of his, looking at it skeptically.
Holly noticed this and asked, "Problem, Artemis?"

    "Cameras are not the only problem," he replied calmly. "There is also the risk of rain showers shorting it out, or it being crushed, or someone noticing the haze we will all appear as. Surely these extremists cannot be dull enough to not notice that."

    "Look, I said it wasn't foolproof," Holly repeated.

    "You do realize that rain is in the forecast tonight, right?" Artemis went on.

    Holly shook her head at Artemis' determination. "Unless you have a better plan, we'll have to take the risk." Artemis turned away, temporarily defeated. Holly ignored him and continued with going over the details. "The fairies who are attending this rally tend to not be the brightest crayons in the box, and it's our hope that we'll be able to keep most of the haze you produce hidden behind the rocks and us." She paused, and sighed. "We need for you to be as silent as possible, or it's likely you'll kicked out, captured, or killed." Holly paused again. "Or any combination of the three."

    The humans all looked at each other with a concerned silence. Diana rested her head on the table, and Artemis gently rubbed her back. Alex was still spinning in her chair, which got a discerning look from Holly. Sebastian kept closing and opening his bottle of water. Butler sat there quietly, observing something per usual.

    "Is there a reason I haven't received a bag of cam foil?" he asked.

    "Yes, because you'll be staying inside the shuttle in case something bad happens. Mostly it's because we don't have a sheet of foil big enough for you, big guy," Holly informed, a frown forming on her face. "Which brings me to my next point. We need someone with criminal knowledge who could help us get in."

    Alex stopped spinning and laughed. "Hey! Artemis is a criminal!"

    Holly smiled slightly. "Well, yes that is true, but not one that can get us in. So... I brought in an old friend of ours."
With that, the door towards the back of the room opened and a small, dirty man walked out. He had a large, wiry beard that covered about half of his face. His clothes suggested he had been rummaging through dirt recently, and the bug he yanked out of his beard confirmed that. Artemis smirked slightly when he saw the man.

    "Mulch Diggums, we meet again," he mused, peering at the creature.

    Alex, of course, had another freak out like every other time she encountered one of these strange new creatures. "What the hell is that thing?"

    "That's highly insulting, young lady," Mulch, the thing in question, said, frowning. "I happen to be a dwarf."
Alex felt her eye twitch. She could barely stand looking at the creature, let alone its smell. She looked at Holly. "If there's anything else you want to say, make it quick. I'm going to be sick."

    "Nope. Be back here in an hour," Holly concluded. "I've got to go get a shuttle ready and make sure everything is in order for our departure."

    The group dispersed to go do their own preparations for the mission at hand. In an hour's time, the group made their way back to the conference hall as Holly requested. When they arrived, everything seemed ready to go. Holly and Mulch each had their own disguises. It made sense, Artemis thought silently. Holly and Mulch were both recognizable in the fairy world, and their attendance to a rally such as this would blow the whole operation.

    Holly noticed them as they came in. "About time you guys got back."

    "We returned at the time you requested," Artemis muttered, brushing some creases from his slacks. "Are we ready to depart?"

    Holly looked over the group carefully, silently praying for no mess ups. "Everything seems to be in order, so I think we are all set to head off."

    Holly led the group silently back to the shuttle docking area. There, Foaly was finalizing the preparations for a shuttle for their journey to Stonehenge. He removed his tin-foil hat for a moment to wipe a few beads of sweat from his forehead. He turned to Holly and the rest of the group.

    "All set, and ready to go at the next flare," he informed. "Which will be arriving in five minutes and counting."
Holly nodded and opened the door to the shuttle, ushering everyone in. After the last of the group got on board, Holly looked back at Foaly.

    "I'll be only a second away if you need anything," he said with a wink.

    Holly nodded. "I know, but I hope we won't need any help." And with that, she joined her team on the shuttle and they soon departed.

    As Holly flew the shuttle with ease, the rest of the group sat in the passenger area, and the only sound was Alex screaming like she was on a rollercoaster. They arrived in England right on schedule, and Artemis was grateful the shuttle port was within walking distance to the rally. Once properly hidden in cam foil, the group, minus a very uneasy Butler, disembarked and began the short walk to the assembly of extremists. An uncomfortable silence coursed throughout the group as the large stone pillars of The Stonehenge came into their view. That feeling only increased when they saw the crowds of fairies surrounding the center of the ancient natural wonder.

    They finally arrived at the entrance gate and were on the verge of entering when Holly turned to look at the rest of them. Or what she could see of them anyways. Mulch stood beside her, and the four humans were nothing but hazy blurs behind them. She glanced to the sky, silently praying the rain stayed away long enough for them to get the information they needed.

    They got to the entrance booth just as the rally began. A loud voice boomed over the speakers, and everyone could assume it was the sprite they were after. Holly and Mulch flashed their IDs to the entrance booth attendants, and the two of them were quickly let into the rally, the four hazy blurs following closely behind them. The group had found a spot near the back of the mob of fairies. All was going according to plan. Almost too well.

    At least until there was a clap of thunder and a sudden downpour began.

    That's all it took for the circuits in the cam foil to short, leaving all four of the humans very visible to all the fairies around them. And it didn't take long for them to be noticed. After all, even the shortest of them- Diana- was still two feet taller than the tallest fairy present. Within moments, the entire group found themselves surrounded by angry fairies.
Artemis opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short when he realized he was being restrained by two rather large dwarves. He struggled to free himself from their grasp, but his efforts were futile. "Let go of me!" he called out. He looked over at his friends for help but found they were also restrained by other fairies.

    He continued to struggle to free himself from their grasp, elbowing one of the dwarves in the face. That's when Artemis felt a sharp, electrocuting pain course throughout his body, starting at his back. He let out a cry of anguish, falling to his knees. Diana called out, "No!" But that didn't stop it. All the screaming and struggling finally caught the attention of the sprite at the microphone.

    He flew over, trying to catch a glimpse of what was occurring. He stopped as he arrived in front of the group, and watched in silence the tormenting unfold. After a few moments, he finally spoke.

    "Well, well, well," he mused, sounding just like a cliched movie villain, "what do we have here?"

    "Intruders, Mr. Ortherion sir," one of the dwarves holding Artemis informed.

    The sprite, Ortherion, smirked as he took in the four humans in front of him. But his eyes came to a stop on Artemis, and the smirk grew even larger. "So you're Artemis Fowl," he snickered. "And who are your friends?"

    "Leave them out of this," Artemis hissed. "This is between me and you." He paused. "You had Sebastian steal the gem from me."

    "You're not as dumb as you look, Fowl," Ortherion replied before turning to the fairies restraining them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote, clicking a button before stowing it back in his pocket. "Take him, Sebastian, and the two fairies to the dungeons. And as for their lady friends... bring them to the private cell. I'll deal with them later; I've got a rally to finish."

    His minions nodded and began to drag the group towards a building that had seemed to have sprung from nowhere, likely a result of the button Ortherion had pushed. Once inside, the girls were drug in a different direction than Artemis, Sebastian, Mulch, and Holly. Artemis stared off at Diana and suddenly realized what danger she was truly in. He had to escape and save her and the world from most certain danger all over again. He wasn't quite sure how, but he would figure it out in due time.

    He, Sebastian, and their fairy friends were released from their handcuffs and thrown in a dungeon cell in the building's basement. They sat in an uncomfortable silence before Holly decided to speak.

    "We should've found another way in," she said quietly before looking to Artemis. "I hope you can figure out a way to get us out of this mess."

    Artemis sighed, and didn't speak for a moment. "Don't worry. I'll get us out of this."