What I Wanted

Genii

Annabeth Chase x Artemis Fowl

Annabeth Chase sighed, blowing a loose curl out of her eyes. She'd broken up with Percy months ago, when she'd walked into a confrontation between him and Nico, seventeen-year-old Nico Di Angelo, who'd been using his new height to press Percy into the wall. She didn't know why everyone found his growth spurt so shocking - his father was tall, even for an Olympian. Nico had taken one look at her and stalked out, his anger manifesting in the shadows swirling rather threateningly around him. Annabeth had quirked a sharp blonde brow, turning towards her then-boyfriend to question him, with all the thoroughness of a child of Athena, on exactly what they had been arguing about, when she'd noticed the tremble in his bottom lip, and the sadness in his green eyes.

Suffice it to say, she'd pieced it together from Percy's ramblings, and decided, with the appropriate reasoning and logic, that breaking up would be the best course of action. Pure and utter gratitude had flashed across the son of Poseidon's face. "Annabeth..." he'd started. She'd cut him off. "I think I was always meant to be your best friend, Seaweed Brain, not your girlfriend." She'd felt a little upset, of course, but in the end, she shared Percy's relief.

But it had been rather awkward, especially around Nico. So she'd jumped at the chance when her father had invited her to accompany him on a business trip to Dublin, to discuss selling his new flight technology to an Irish businessman. Annabeth had been intrigued; she'd helped design several of his thrust stabilisers, but most prospective buyers had been too worried over the percentage of the flight left to chance. She'd been even more curious when she learned the name of the Irish businessman - Artemis Fowl.

Experience told Annabeth that coincidence was suspicious, and she'd immediately put all her considerable resources into a character profile on the man. What she found fascinated her. More than the man himself, his son, Artemis Fowl II, was a mystery, and Annabeth Chase did not like mysteries. A reputed child prodigy, Artemis Fowl II had the highest IQ in Europe, and wrote scholarly articles on psychology in his free time, under pseudonyms that had Annabeth's lips quirking up in amusement. Several articles on the Fowl family suggested that they ran a rather successful criminal empire, maintained by the Fowl heir when his father had gone missing following the sinking of the Fowl Star in the Bay of Kola. The return of Artemis Fowl Senior, complete with prosthetic leg, was seen as faintly miraculous, regarded with the same scepticism as Fowl Junior's two-year disappearance, after which he returned looking suspiciously young - the same age as when he disappeared.

Annabeth had been impressed; Fowl's intellect was clearly on par with, if not surpassing, her own. And he had his own secrets, it seemed. She'd been certain making his acquaintance would be the highlight of her trip to Fowl Manor.

Artemis was intrigued. The blonde daughter of the American flight specialist that his Father had seen fit to sponsor had been... unexpected. He hadn't anticipated much from her, aware that Holly and Minerva were unique, and unlike human girls. But Annabeth Chase wasn't frivolous. Her grey eyes fairly sparked with intelligence, and she seemed to understand exactly what her father was explaining, even correcting him quietly, often enough that Father had amusedly commented on the similarities between her and himself. She'd smiled politely, but there was a glint in those eyes that'd made him... uncomfortable. He'd added an additional password to his safe of fairy weaponry that night.

She'd just blown a blonde curl out of her face, appearing to find pointless small talk as distasteful as he himself. He noticed her fingers rapping at the table, her toes tapping out the beat of the lively Irish jig playing in the ballroom. He made his way over to her discretely, stopping at her shoulder. "ADHD?" he asked, voice idle.

Annabeth jumped, whipping around to face the speaker. Artemis Fowl II rose an amused black brow at her, a smirk spreading across his face, bright blue eyes shining. She inhaled, trying to control her bottled energy. "Yes," she replied, "Not as bad as one of my... friends, though."

"Interesting..." he murmured, eyes tracing her whole form. She felt her eyes drop instinctually as she fought to hold his gaze. A soft chuckle filled her senses, followed by an abrupt change in the music. An elegant hand entered her field of vision. "Care to dance, Ms Chase?"

"Annabeth," she found herself saying, her hand already in his. He faced her, hands warm on her waist, breath cool and minty. "Annabeth," he repeated, his Irish lilt deliciously prominent. Boldly, she allowed one hand to edge it's way into his hair, pressing them closer together. "Artemis..." she mused, "The hunter... just what do you hunt, I wonder?" Blue eyes danced.

"Whatever I want," he told her softly. "Tonight, it appears to be you." Annabeth blushed, her eyes widening at the straight answer. "I..."

Artemis smirked. "I take it you aren't speechless often, then," he remarked conversationally. Annabeth frowned. "Why would you assume that?" His hands tightened on her waist.

"Your father looks quite shocked." She glanced over his shoulder. Her father gaped at her, glass of champagne forgotten in his hand. She winced, remembering the rather vocal diatribes she had subjected him to on the general awfulness of males in the early days of the breakup. Muffling a groan in anticipation of the merciless teasing she'd have to endure later, she rested her head on Artemis' shoulder. He merely squeezed gently in response.

Several spins later, of which she'd not thought the genius capable, the dance came to an end. As they separated, Annabeth slightly breathless, Artemis caught her hand. Lifting it to his lips, his blue eyes held hers as the softest of kisses brushed the back of her hand.

As he straightened up, she surprised herself by grabbing his tie and crushing his lips to hers. He froze for a second before returning the kiss, hands twisting themselves into her hair. They broke apart, breathing hard, slightly flushed. He met her eyes. "I'll keep in touch."

~~§∞§~~

Maybe I'm just weird, but how are there no fanfics for this pairing?

~ Sha-la-mane