Artemis Fowl was not the only human who knew about the existence of fairies. Of course, there were Juliet and Domovoi Butler, but there were also thousands of Mud Men who had come into contact with the People over the millennia. The only ones who hadn’t been mind wiped were the latter and the man in possession of one of the last Shifters on Earth.

Albinism is a anomaly among all species of animals. Albinos outside of human kind rarely live past infancy because of their inability to camouflage themselves. The genetic mutation happens in fairy kind, too. But among the People albinism not only means a melanin deficiency, but also interesting powers not fully understood, even by other fairies.

Shifters are albino fairies, usually elves. Unlike traditional “shape shifters,” fairy Shifters cannot change their gender or form. They can only alter their appearance, which includes hair color, length, and texture, height, weight, apparent age, facial features, skin color, and eye color. Because of their ability to appear to be a completely different person, they were perfect for pulling off crimes. There were only three Shifters left on the planet. One was under employ for the Chicago Mob, one worked for the Russian Mafiya, and the other was owned by a man in London known only as “Master”, who used it as his personal lackey.

Because of their strange powers, the People feared Shifters. They knew little of their abilities because the Council banished the fairies to the surface while they are still quite young. Which, when you think about it, isn’t an unpleasant exile for any fairy. Shifters could easily blend in with the human population.

Of course, Artemis Fowl knew of Shifters. And obviously he wasn’t handed the information on a silver platter. After Butler decimated Retrieval One, Artemis stashed the equipment in his study and cannibalized it for technology and parts. Interestingly enough, the chips in the LEP field helmets were slightly compatible with human computers. After several tries and destroyed head gear, he finally managed to extract the chip unharmed and alter it to fit in a normal hard drive. He discovered that with the chip, he could access the fairy Internet, which the young genius found to be even more useful than the human one. He found records of Shifters’ birth dates and records of their activities. However, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t find enough information to help him locate one.

But Artemis was undeniably determined. He knew there was one in London. It was only a matter of time before he found an opportunity to find one, then he would capture it. He was Artemis Fowl the Second, and nothing was beyond his reach.

Some other stories by 1crazyhollyfan:

• Still here.
• Heaven at Christmas
• "Foaly's Visit" announcement
• The Long Awaited Part 3 of The Breakup!
• In the Face of Hardship