Will managed to convince Andy that they needed to leave as soon as possible. Thalia and her Hunters - who had still refused to speak to Will or Cletus - left to follow the trail Robin had left them; the girls were all talking about huge wolves as they disappeared into the trees. Will was impatient, waiting for Robin to pack.

The boy went slowly around his camp, gathering things together. Will almost began to believe that Robin traveled on a different, slower time frame. Robin took a satchel of ordinary, non-silver arrows that had the same hodge-podge of fletching he'd used on the Hunter's shafts. Then he moved to the table and began picking up books.

"Uh, Robin, I don't think you can carry all those with us," Andy said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," he smiled enigmatically. He picked up the Odyssey and the Iliad as well as the Theogony of Hesiod. Robin's hands hovered over another book, one whose title wasn't written in Greek. Then he picked it up as well and added it to the pile. Robin pulled a slim wallet out from one of his pockets and opened it; picking up the Iliad, he inserted one corner of the heavy volume into the wallet.

"That's not going to fit," Will told him. But somehow - Will blinked and missed it - the book was gone and Robin was pushing Theogony in after it.

"The wallet of Perseus," Robin said. "It can fit almost the same amount as a gorgon's head. Four books might stretch it a little, but it will still be light as a feather." Robin followed the Theogony with the Odyssey. He struggled with the last book, but managed to squeeze it in to the already impossible space and handed the slightly fat wallet to Andy. She felt its weight and gave a low, impressed whistle. Robin pocketed the wallet with a smile and pulled his quiver over his back.

"Robin, you should know that most people don't wear, um, that anymore," Cletus said, gesturing all up and down Robin's body. "They haven't since, oh, 1705?"

Robin looked down at his clothes, from the strange feathered collar to his tall boots. With a slow wave of his hand, like he was brushing mud from his clothes, Robin blurred his clothes for a moment. When they came back into focus, he was wearing tennis shoes, jeans, and a forest green hooded sweatshirt that had brass-colored studs lining its pockets. Will realized with surprise that Robin had changed his clothes to match a mixture of Will's and Andy's clothing. Under his jacket, Robin wore a brownish green shirt; printed on it in a ray descending from the collar were the imprints of the feathers Robin had worn. The robin feather in his hair still remained.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much," Andy agreed, a little too warmly for Will's taste.

Robin pulled the satchel full of arrows over one shoulder and looked around. "Where did I leave Asteriavapslegei?" he asked.

"Come again?" Cletus frowned.

"My bow, Star-shooter," Robin explained. "Ah, here it is." Reclaiming the longbow, he looked at them all, ready to depart.

Suddenly, Will sensed that they were doing something that was wrong. Robin shouldn't leave his forest. He belonged here. No amount of modern clothes could change that. And Will wasn't so sure that Robin was right in his belief that no harm would come of stepping out of its bounds.

Apparently Andy was feeling the same thing. "Are you sure about this, Robin?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, suddenly serious. "I must."

Dusk was falling, but Robin led them out of the green wood without fail or pause. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, like an invisible trail guided him. As they went, the woods were strangely silent just as before they had been strangely loud. It was almost as though the animals and wind were holding their breath, waiting to see if Robin would really leave.

When they came to the boundary, where Robin's wood met the Adirondack Park, Robin stopped. Andy stepped into the dark forest beyond, and Cletus followed, casting a sidelong glance at Robin. Will waited until Robin steeled himself and set foot over the invisible line.

"You weren't sure, were you?" Andy asked him.

"No," Robin said, but he looked back over his shoulder worriedly, as though doubting his decision.

"You must really miss her, this Oy-no-nay," Andy said sadly.

"Oenone," Robin corrected with a slight smile. He turned away from the green wood and readjusted the strap of the satchel on his shoulder. "Yes, I miss her very much."

With a sort of satisfied thrill, Will realized the Robin did not return Andy's affection at all. He had only come with them to find this nymph. He also realized that Andy now knew this too, which was better for everyone involved. I mean, I don't want Andy to get hurt, Will thought. It has nothing to do with me.

By the time they got back to the car it was almost dark. They took a vote and the unanimous decision was to push on and try to get to camp by the next morning. Andy expressed concern that Will had not slept well, he should rest, but he promised to stop as soon as he felt too tired. Robin, of course, couldn't drive and didn't seem to have any idea what a car was.

They climbed in, Robin taking the back seat with Cletus and clearing a little space amid the empty bags of chips and cookies to sit down. He seemed fascinated by the bright colored wrappers and the crinkly sound that they made. Will started up the car while Andy picked at some crackers. After a while, she fell asleep and her limp hands spilled the crackers all over the floor of the van.

Soon, Will heard light snoring in the back seat. With a quick glance in his review mirror, he saw that Cletus's face was pressed against the window, his open and snoring mouth misting up the glass. He couldn't tell if Robin, whose face was turned away, was asleep or not.

Determined to return to camp with their discouraging news as soon as possible, Will pressed on until, finally reaching Albany, he was forced to give in and park at a rest stop just outside of town.

Will parked the van and lowered the windows. A cool breeze poured through the narrow openings; there was a subtle sound in the backseat, as though someone had moved slightly. Will looked back over his shoulder and saw Robin twisting in his seat as well, straining to look out one of the windows.

"Sleep, Will son of Pythian Apollo," Robin said, catching Will's eye. "I will stay awake and keep watch."

"No, no I don't mind staying up," Will said quickly. Robin looked at him curiously.

"I believe you are tired," the other boy said slowly. "If you rest, we might make better time."

"Well that's just it, innit?" Will muttered under his breath. "I'm not going to get any rest." But if Robin heard, he made no sign and Will resignedly reclined his seat and turned up his ipod.

He awoke seven hours later in a cold sweat. Robin's hand was on his shoulder, but it gently withdrew once his eyes snapped open. Robin looked at him with a concerned smile before turning and shaking Andy awake as well.

"It is dawn," Robin told her. "In a few hours we will reach this camp of yours." Andy sat up, blinking the sleep from her eyes, which focused unsteadily on Will.

"You okay?" she asked Will. He nodded, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck.

"Wha'?" Cletus asked as Robin shook him awake. "Breakfast?"

"Maybe not," Will said. Andy nodded and stretched as best as she could in the cramped space of the car. She opened the door and tumbled out of the car, her legs apparently collapsing beneath her. Will struggled to shove his door open but Robin had already leapt lightly over Cletus and out of the car. He bent down and offered his hand to Andy, who took it and tried to stand. By the time Will got there, Robin had put his other arm around Andy's waist and lifted her to her feet.

"Perhaps we should stay here a few moments longer, to stretch our legs," Robin said. "Then we can move on."

"Andy's the leader, so she'll decide," Will snapped. He was exhausted after yet another nightmare-riddled sleep and chagrined he had not been there to catch Andy.

"I think Robin's right," Andy said. "Let's take turns walking around."

"Wait, not alone," Will said. "We'll have to go in pairs. Just in case."

"Right. Robin come with me," Andy said. "You'll have to help me walk." Robin looked at Will questioningly, but wrapped his arm tighter around Andy's waist and helped her limp along beside him.

A/N: Footnotes:

Pythian Apollo: one of Apollo's epithets, it describes him as the slayer of Python