Chapter 1

  Artemis slammed his door for emphasis. His parents deserved to know that he was annoyed. Butler must have had the sense not to come after him because the door stayed closed.

  He turned on his laptop and requested a video chat with Holly and Minerva. That would take his mind off things. As he waited for them to accept, he opened his email and looked through the message. Two hundred new emails. Wonderful.

  Minerva and Holly appeared on his computer screen on splitscreen mode, “Hey Mud Boy. What’s up?”

  “Just feel like talking to someone other then a reporter or one of my parent’s old friends asking if I’m alright over and over. Appairently I am supposed to have post tramatic stress disorder after my ‘kidnapping’.”

  Minerva giggled, “Post tramatic stress disorder. You probably know more about it then anyone on this planet but I wouldn’t dream of accusing you of having it.”

  “Obviously,” he smiled for the first time that day, “So talk to me. What’s new?”

  “I am bored in school yet again,” Minerva sighed, “The only thing keeping me occupied before was the fact that I could count down the days until your return. Foaly judged when it would be way in advance.”

  “I’m stuck on paperwork here at the Plaza. Vinyaya won’t let me come back to Section 8 until I have had a break from the action,” Holly shrugged, “Foaly isn’t even giving me anything to do. Normally I can ask him for a mission while I’m bored and he’ll give me one.”

  Artemis nodded, “That’s Foaly for you.”

  Holly smiled, “Yes definitly. I have been watching him latley and that girlfriend of his…”

  “You think they’ll get married?” Minerva asked hopefully, “I would love to see a faerie wedding. It would be facinating!”

  There was a small knock at the door and Butler came in, “You really bothered them this time Artemis.”

  “Good, they deserve it. The more I am forced to see these shrinks, the more annoyed I am going to be.”

  Holly smiled, “Hey Butler!”

  Butler came up behind Artemis and squatted down to see the screen, “Hey Holly. Minerva. What’s up?”

  “Nothing much Butler. So Artemis has to see a shrink?” Minerva asked and both girls laughed.

  “It’s not funny. It’s annoying,” Artemis mummbled, “Let’s talk about something else please.”

  Holly grinned, “Can you get it on videotape Butler? I want to see the Mud Boy torturing some poor Mud Man.”

  “New subject already!” he exclaimed.

  Minerva smiled, “Fine, although I rather enjoyed this one. We should all get togeather! It would be fun. My dad is going on a convention this weekend and my brother is at a friend’s house for a few nights, so I could meet you all somewhere.”

  “Any of you are welcome at the manor anytime,” Artemis shrugged, “Maybe it will keep my parents off my back.”

  “Sounds fun! I’ll get a surface visa and be there by midnight,” Holly replied, “See you soon.”

  Holly disappeared from the screen and Minerva added before signing off, “I’ll be there. See you later Artemis.”

*********************

  Butler pulled into the airport. They had called ahead to insure that Minerva had a private gate when she arrived. They went around the back of the airport so reporters wouldn’t try to speak with Artemis. The plane pulled in shortly after and Minerva got out. She had on white sunglasses and a white sun hat, which looked amazing with her blonde hair and pale pink tank top that she wore along with a long jean skirt. When she noticed the sun was setting, she pulled off her sunglasses and tucked them in her pocket.

  The second she spotted them she grinned and ran to the boys, her flip flops smacking the ground. The second Minerva got to them, she threw her arms around Artemis.

  “Hey Min,” Artemis smiled through her hair, “It’s nice to see you too.”

  “I am so happy to see you again!”

  “I’ve only been home a few weeks,” Artemis said with a smile as she pulled away.

  “Still…”

  “I know. I like seeing you too.”

  “When’s Holly getting here?”

  “Appairently she got the visa right after we got off the chat. She called to tell us that she would be here not long after you. We’ll pick her up at the shuttle port.”

  “Wonderful! Shall we go?”

*******************

  Butler pulled the Bently into their next stop. The shuttle port. They opened the door and Holly unshielded inside the car, closing it behind her.

  “Hey Mud People,” she smiled, “How’s life?”

  Minerva smiled, “Hi Holly. Life is good at the moment.”

  They drove on and chatted politley for awhile before Artemis said, “Okay, my parents know about Minerva but…”

  “They don’t know Holly’s coming?” Butler asked from the front, “Why didn’t you tell them?”

  “They think you’re crazy for telling them Butler. They would think I am crazy for agreeing with you. Sorry but I can’t risk that. They already think I have post tramatic stress disorder, although I’ve milked it so they do not ask me questions about my alleged kidnapping.”

  “Great,” Butler muttered, “My employers think I’m insane. How do you know?”

  “I evesdropped. Don’t look so suprised, I do it all the time. So Holly, please stay out of sight as much as possible.”

  “Sure thing Mud Boy,” Holly nodded, “Where’s my room?”

  “Any room you want. They never go in any of them.”

***************

  Once at the manor, they went straight upstairs. Minerva put her suitcases in her usual room down the hall from Artemis’ and came back in minutes later.

  “So,” they all sat down on the chairs in Artemis’ room and Holly asked, “Yeah…”

  “I have an idea. Let’s say something we like about everyone in the room,” Minerva said, “Come on, I don’t know any of you but Butler very well so I want to learn a few things. Please?”

  “Fine,” Artemis nodded, “One of you first then.”

  “This’ll be interesting…” Butler muttered.

  “I’ll go first,” Minerva volenteered, “I know Butler really well and think he’s majorly loyal, which is great to have in a friend. Holly is kind but has the most fiery temper I have ever seen, and I would always want her at my side in an event such as the demon fight. Artemis… You’re so smart and clever and believe it or not kind and-”

  Holly said with a chuckle, “That’s a run on sentence.”

  “Sorry,” she blushed, “One of you go.”

  Holly sighed, “Fine, I’ll go. Um… I don’t know you well Minerva but you were a lot like Artemis. Then you managed to change in a matter of days. That’s quite a feat. It took the Mud Boy here years. Butler… I wouldn’t want anyone else beside me in a fight. And Mud Boy… He saved my life. He was kind enough and cared enough to save my life. He showed emotion over my dying. I really appriciate that.”

  Butler sighed, “I guess that means I need to go. Um… Like Holly said, I wouldn’t want anyone else beside me in a fight. Minerva is so like Artemis in so many ways but…different. She expresses her feelings and the things that torment her. Artemis being one of them. Artemis…”

  “I understand why everyone pauses before saying anything about me but now it is getting annoying,” Artemis told them which caused everyone to laugh.

  “Sorry Mud Boy,” Holly smiled, “It’s hard to put your good qualities into words.”

  “Minerva didn’t seem to have much trouble,” Butler added and she blushed.

  Artemis’ computer beeped just then. He stood up and pressed the button. Foaly’s face appeared onscreen.

  “Good, Holly got there already,” Foaly said mostly to himself.

  “What’s up Foaly?” Holly asked as they all crouded around the computer.

  “You picked a wonderful time to go up Holly because I have an assignment for you.”

  “Why are my vacations always interupted?”

Some other stories by Olive:

• Hey hey hey!!!
• Kidnapping
• Comedy in Turns
• Identity
• War

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