Artemis Fowl’s motivation for obtaining gold by kidnapping Holly Short is based in a desire to help his family, having vowed “to restore the family’s fortune. And he would do it in his own unique fashion” (29). His mother closes herself off to the world after his father’s disappearance, prompting Artemis to assume an adult role within the household. Whenever he is in doubt, Artemis reorients his path forward with the goal of caring for his family financially, and he is willing to go to any ends to achieve it.

However, Artemis also is careful to hide his emotions and feelings for his family members from those around him, particularly Butler, worried that they “could be perceived as weakness” (260). Butler himself trusts that Artemis has his best interests at heart, but this belief is pushed to its limits when Artemis sedates Juliet, Butler’s sister. For the first time, “Artemis realize[s] he’d been given an order” when Butler demands an explanation, revealing that Artemis pushed Butler’s trust too far and that, in doing so, causes his bodyguard to question him (271).

With Artemis’s desire to restore the family fortune, the foundation for his sense of caring is established.