Chapter 15: The Lone Road Ahead

As the Hunteresses escorted him to the vicinity of Richmond, specifically to the "Atlee Little League" sports facility, they bid him farewell. It was mainly Zoë who did the farewells, as the other Hunteresses had kept their distance from him throughout the journey.

At some point during their travels, Adan had asked why they avoided boys and men in general. Zoë had explained that they served a goddess of chastity and had sworn before her never to consort with men for all eternity. Some of the Hunteresses had occasionally succumbed to temptation along the way, prompting Artemis to strip them of their immortality, but most women preferred not to even entertain the idea.

Despite feeling secure during their time together, Adan knew it was only temporary. Now, he had to venture forth alone.

With the thought that he had already traversed the majority of his journey, Zoë and Adan bid their farewells. As a parting gift, Zoë bestowed upon him a few of her enchanted arrows, courtesy of Artemis, and a bit of cash to continue his journey. Zoë then said, "Perhaps fate will see fit to cross our paths once more." Initially hesitant to accept, Adan knew he could make good use of these gifts.

After Zoë and her companions departed, Adan made his way to a nearby shop. There, he purchased a marker and hastily scrawled a sign, which he intended to use as he positioned himself by the roadside to hitchhike. On the sign, he wrote that he was heading north. While he knew it was a sensible idea, he couldn't help but hope for a stroke of luck, after encountering so much misfortune on his journey to Camp Half-Blood.

Seated on the curb, Adan held up his sign for several hours until a truck pulled up beside him. The driver, sporting a brown leather hat and a height of about 1.78 meters (5'10 feet/inches), emitted a scent of burgers as he cracked open the passenger door from the inside and greeted Adan with a Texan accent, "Howdy, friend! What brings you out here all alone in the middle of nowhere? Where are you headed?"

Adan immediately recognized the familiar accent and responded eagerly, "I'm heading to Long Island, New York. By any chance, are you headed anywhere in that direction?" The cowboy-esque driver chuckled and replied, "Well, ain't you lucky, kid. I'm heading up to Princeton, which is near New York. You'll have to find another ride from there."

Ecstatic that his stroke of luck had materialized as predicted, Adan accepted the offer. As he settled into the passenger seat, the driver turned up the radio and began regaling Adan with tales of his family's Texas farm and the challenges they faced. While Adan wasn't particularly interested, he didn't want to be impolite after the driver had kindly offered him a ride.

The journey proceeded smoothly and pleasantly, with Adan being able to converse with someone about his home in Texas. The driver eventually inquired about Adan's story, but Adan chose to leave the question unanswered, a fact that the driver noticed but didn't press further.

Upon arriving in Princeton after a pit stop at a gas station, they bid each other farewell, and Adan contemplated his next move. Opting to grab a bite to eat, he visited a taco stand and indulged in a meal. With a full stomach and renewed vigor, he cautiously navigated the streets, remaining vigilant for any potential followers, especially monsters.